California man accused of having ecstasy in Peru

Bringing along a bottle of aspirin for a cross-country road trip is understandable but 500 pills of ecstasy makes you look like a drug dealer.

James Nichols of Ontario, California was arrested early Friday morning after getting stopped in Peru.  Police say they found 500 pills of the drug.

Nichols was arrested for unlawful possession of controlled substance with intent to deliver.  He was being held in the La Salle County Jail.

Peru received just over a half an inch of rain

If you were hoping for a good rain shower Friday night you may be disappointed.  Two strong storms quickly passed through Bureau, Putnam and La Salle Counties last night but showers were scattered.

The National Weather Service says Peru receive just more than half an inch of rain.

Oglesby Summer Fun Fest continues

Looking for something to do Saturday night?  Oglesby Summer Fun Fest continues with a carnival, food booths, and beer garden at the swimming pool grounds.

Live music includes a performance by the country act the Hillbilly Rockstarz and The Lance Lipinsky Show with hits from the 50’s and 60’s.

Summer Fun Fest wraps up with fireworks Sunday night.

Taste of Home Cooking School tickets go on sale Tuesday

You can never learn too many recipes.  The popular cooking magazine Taste of Home brings their meal and dessert ideas to LP High School again in November.

The 2012 Taste of Home Cooking School includes recipes prepared on stage by a chef, local businesses and chances to win prizes.

Tickets go on sale Tuesday at HyVee in Peru and online at www. AM1220WLPO. com.  The 2012 Taste of Home Cooking School will be November 10 in LP’s auditorium.

It’s sponsored by AM 1220 WLPO, 99.3 WAJK, 96.5 The Wolf, and The Newstribune.

Less than a week left before La Salle County tax bills are due

You’ve got less than a week to make the first payment of your La Salle County Real Estate Tax bill.  The first installment is due Friday, July 6.  Anything paid late will be assessed a late fee.

The second payment will be due September 6.

Fifth person arrested in three months on felony drug charges in La Salle

An investigation into cocaine sales in La Salle has left five people arrested in three months.  The most recent person to be charged was Levon Davis of La Salle who was arrested Friday.

Police say Davis sold crack cocaine to people working with the La Salle Police Department and TRIDENT.  Davis faces six counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, crack cocaine and was being held in the La Salle County Jail with his bond set at $2 million.

Tonica Native Shot And Killed In Vegas

A woman born and raised in Tonica was on her way home to see a sick relative when she was shot and killed.

According to KTNV News in Las Vegas, 58-year old Kathryn Wilson was shot outside her house in Vegas as she was getting ready to head to the airport and come back to Tonica.  Her son Jeffrey has been arrested for her murder and attempted murder of his father William.  He allegedly shot his parents in their car Wednesday morning.  Investigators think Wilson believed his parents were trying to poison him.

Kathryn Wilson’s maiden name is Alleman and she used to live in Tonica and La Salle.  Local arrangements can be heard on AM 1220 WLPO’s In Memoriam.

Local hospital administrator reacts to U.S. Supreme Court decision

Lawmakers and political pundits have had a lot to say about the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on President Barack Obama’s health care law.  An administrator at St. Margaret’s Hospital in Spring Valley had a reaction too.

Linda Burt is the Vice President of Marketing and Community Relations at St. Margaret’s Hospital in Spring Valley.  She welcomed the court’s ruling.    Burt says St. Margaret’s has always treated people who haven’t had insurance so patients may not realize a difference in care after the law is in place but she thinks it could affect the hospital’s books.

As for suggestions that the law puts the government between you and your doctor, Burt says you already have your insurance company deciding who you can visit and how much they’ll pay.

Burt thinks they have a lot of questions as the law is put in to place.  One step that still needs to be down is for Illinois to create a health insurance exchange program.  Burt urges lawmakers to get going on it.

Still Questions With Drowning In Ottawa

Nearly two months after a man from Ottawa was pulled from the Illinois River, the coroner’s office still has unanswered questions.

A report from the La Salle County Coroner’s Office confirms 36-year old Christopher Strobel drowned.  However they aren’t willing to say if it was accidental so Strobel’s manner of death is undetermined.  The report did say he had a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit but some of it could be due to being in the river so long.

Investigators still haven’t figured out how or why Strobel ended up in the river.  He was found about a mile downstream of the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge.

Power Back On In Ottawa

There’s never a good time for your power to go out but it especially stinks when it’s this hot.

The outage started around 7:30 last night when a substation malfunctioned on the north side of Ottawa.  At the height of the power outage, over 22 hundred Ameren customers were without power.  Power was back on for everyone by 10 o’clock.

Ameren says some people also lost power for a short time on the south side of Ottawa yesterday but it was planned because of a road project.