Concerts For A Cause In Dalzell?

A concert venue in Dalzell? It’s supposed to be talked about tonight.

A proposal by Concerts for a Cause organizer Merry Noonan to build a permanent stage on the far south end of Dalzell near Route 6 will be up for discussion at tonight’s Dalzell Village Board Meeting.  Noonan owns the land south of Timber Creek Estates Subdivision.

At the Dalzell board meeting last month, Noonan said the spot would be a great concert venue and talked about how the village would get a piece of ticket sales.  She said the stage would face St. Bede in an effort to limit the noise for people living in the nearby subdivision.

Hennepin Canal Restoration Underway

Fundraising is well underway to restore three locks along the Hennepin Canal.

The Friends of the Hennepin Canal raised 60 thousand dollars thru donations and grants to hire an engineering firm to study restoring Locks 22, 23 and 24 which are in western Bureau County and eastern Henry County.  After the engineering study is done, the canal group is expected to work with the department of natural resources to fundraise for the actual lock construction.  Each lock could cost at least 350 thousand dollars to restore.

The goal of restoring these three locks is to enable you to boat down the Hennepin Canal for 50 miles without an obstacle.

TRIDENT arrests couple on drug charges

Not all mushrooms are the same and neither are pills.  A husband and wife in Bureau County face felony drug charges after an investigation by TRIDENT.

Eva Hopson of Ohio was arrested while on her way to work Tuesday morning.  Police say she had Clonazepam, a prescript drug used to treat seizures and panic attacks.

Police say they arrested her husband Justin at the Bureau County Jail where he was checking on her bond.  He’s accused of having Psilocybin Mushrooms.  Both are accused of selling drugs to an undercover officer and someone working with them.

United Steelworkers approve contract with Illinois Cement Company

A contract keeping employees of Illinois Cement Company in La Salle on the job has officially received union approval.

United Steelworkers Union Vice President Boo Herndon says a three-year contract was ratified Monday night by a close margin.  The agreement was reached last Thursday night after a day long negotiating session.  Union members had voted to strike if an agreement couldn’t be reached.

The new contract is good through February 13, 2015.

Telephone Problems In The Area

If you’re a customer of the McNabb Telephone Company your service should be working again.

Lisa Jackson with the telephone company says due to technical problems with their connecting company, McNabb telephone service weren’t able to call out for several hours Tuesday.  The service was repaired by 5pm Tuesday.

Lostant Teen Critically Hurt In Alleged Drunken Driving Crash

Alcohol is blamed for a crash that has a man from Lostant in critical condition.

17-year old Daniel Casey was taken to St. Francis Medical Center Saturday morning after his driver, Trevor Healy of Wenona allegedly ran a stop sign on Route 17 and hit an SUV near Toluca.  Healy was treated and released at St. Mary’s Hospital in Streator.  He was arrested for DUI, driving while suspended and leaving the scene of a property damage accident after deputies say earlier in the morning he drove through several fields south of Toluca.

The driver of the SUV, Abbey Unes of Chillicothe and her four-month old son were taken to St. Francis Medical Center where they were treated and released.

Ottawa Family Displaced By Fire

A mother and her children are without a home after a fire.

Sarah Kehoe and her two children were gone when their one-story home on Ottawa’s west end caught fire Monday morning.  Firefighters arrived to see heavy smoke coming from the house that’s owned by Steve Donovan.  The cause of the fire is considered accidental.

Kehoe and her children are staying with family.

Operation Prom-ise Takes Message To Putnam County

If you missed last week’s showing of Operation Prom-ise at L-P, there’s another chance to see it.

The video will be shown tomorrow night at 6:30 at Putnam County High School in Granville.  The video stars students from Putnam County, L-P, St. Bede and Hall.  It depicts three students dying on prom night from drugs and alcohol.

Doors open tomorrow night at 6.  It’s free to attend.