Man Found Dead Along Vermilion River

A missing person search outside Oglesby ends with a body being found.

49-year old Kenneth Davis of Oglesby was found dead along the east bank of the Vermilion River west of Route 178 late yesterday afternoon.  The coroner’s office says he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  Autopsy and toxicology results are pending.

No foul play is suspected.

A funny take on cold war era Europe with Stage 212’s upcoming comedy

A cold war era comedy written by Woody Allen comes to the stage in downtown La Salle.  “Don’t Drink the Water” opens Friday, April 20 at Stage 212.

Dixie Schroeder is the director.  The cast includes Josh Dillon, Joe Baima, Karen Lesman and Rachel Hettrick.

Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $14 each and are available at the box office.

An interview with Schroeder is available at the AM 1220 WLPO news page.

No Condition Change For Varna Man Pulled Out Of Burning Car

A man pulled from his burning car near McNabb is still in bad shape.

Dominic Ghighi of Varna remains in critical condition at St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.  He was flown there Sunday after crashing into a tree.

Sheriff’s deputies say they tried pulling him over Sunday morning after finding out he had been threatening to hurt himself and maybe others. Ghighi allegedly wouldn’t pullover and led police from Marshall County into Putnam County where he went off the road and hit a tree.

Firefighters had to pull Ghighi from his burning car.  Police and the states attorney’s office are considering possible charges.

Spring Breakers Still In The Hospital

A week and a half after a wrong-way driver was killed in La Salle County, three people he hit are still in the hospital.

John Anderson of Wisconsin and Jacob Klem and Adyn Clausen of Minnesota are in fair condition at St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.  The three were on their way to spring break in Florida when 85 year old Richard Craft drove into their lane of traffic on Interstate 39 near Interstate 80.  Craft from near Cleveland, Ohio died at the scene.

Investigators think he was driving in the wrong lane of interstate traffic for up to 10 miles.  The crash happened the night of March 30^th.

Conditions Ripe Again For Fires

It cannot be said enough, please don’t do any kind of controlled burn on days like today.

A Fire Weather Watch is in effect today for the listening area.  Like yesterday, there will be gusty winds and low humidity making it likely that fires will grow quickly.

Wind gusts could get as high as 35 miles per hour.

As Expected, Fire Departments Kept Busy

As expected with gusty winds and low humidity, plenty of fire calls in the area.

After dealing with a controlled burn that got out of control along Dee Bennett Road yesterday afternoon, Naplate and Utica firefighters were working together again last night on a fire call.  This one involved an abandoned home on East 13^th Road, south of Route 6.

Even earlier Monday afternoon, fire departments from Streator, Grand Ridge, Marseilles, and Ransom responded to a house fire on North 14^th Road near Ransom.  No one was injured in the fires.

Five Hurt In Princeton ATV Crash

Riding on an ATV can be dangerous for one person let alone five.

Police in Princeton say five boys were hurt in an ATV accident Sunday afternoon.  All five were taken to Perry Memorial with two flown to Peoria with more severe injuries.

The crash happened on private property on the southwest side of Princeton.