Peru street program running on time and under budget

Fresh oil and uneven pavement have been common lately in Peru.  Side streets and well-traveled roads alike are included in the 2012 streets program that started in mid April.

Crews with Len Trovero Construction are resurfacing $1.9 million worth of streets.

Alderman Dave Waldorf says as of yesterday three-fourths of the work had been completed and it’s being done on time and under budget.  The work should be finished soon.

IVCC excited to receive USDA wind energy grant

The students who study wind energy maintenance at Illinois Valley Community College will be learning their skills using technology that closely resembles real wind turbines.

The college is receiving a $99,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development.  Colleen Callahan of the USDA was on campus Monday.  She says wind energy companies will be pleased to see how close to the real thing the equipment is to what students will use when they’re on the job.

College President Jerry Corcoran says matching money for the grant is coming from donations such as a $1 million donation from the Miller Group Charitable Trust.

So far, classes in the wind energy program have seen high enrollment.

Miller Group Media includes AM 1220 WLPO, 99.3 WAJK, 96.5 the Wolf, the Newstribune and Agrinews.

Fire and EMS called to crash near Marseilles

A crash east of Ottawa had a man being flown from the scene to a hospital in Downer’s Grove.

La Salle County Sheriff’s Deputies say William Shelton of Marseilles was heading south on East 22^nd Road just before noon Monday when they think he pulled out in front of a car on the Morris Blacktop.

Shelton was taken by Life Star Helicopter to Good Samaritan Hospital.  His condition wasn’t available.

The other driver, Brandon Jensen of Ottawa was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Ottawa.

It’s being investigated by the sheriff’s department.

Man and woman killed during Route 26 crash

A crash in Bureau County killed two people, including the woman that was driving.  It happened around sunrise Sunday morning on Route 26 near Kasbeer.

Investigators say 21 year old Brittney Curtis of Princeton crashed her car.  Curtis and 20 year old Samantha Bolin of Princeton were taken to Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton.  Curtis was then taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria where she died later that day.

A 21 year old man was also in the car.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.  Investigators haven’t given out his name yet.  Bolin was treated and released from Perry.

Police haven’t said what caused the crash.

Van And Two Cars Crash Near Utica

A man from California is blamed for a crash near Starved Rock that sent a pair to the hospital.

Glen Nothnagel was eastbound on Route 71 yesterday afternoon when Conservation Police say he blew a stop sign and crashed into a van driven by Wendy Zimmerman of Mendota.  Nothnagel went on to hit Ronald Batty of Oglesby before stopping in a ditch.

Nothnagel was ticketed for disobeying a traffic control device and having no insurance.  His passenger and wife, Dorinda was taken to IVCH along with Wendy Zimmerman’s passenger, Joseph Zimmerman of Mendota.

There were at least four children in the crash but all were okay.

Sunday Motorcycle Crash In Starved Rock

It was a dangerous day on the roads in and around Starved Rock State Park.

Two different crashes Sunday by the state park had three people sent to the hospital.

The first crash happened during the noon hour at the Route 71 and 178 intersection.  Three vehicles and 12 people were involved.  Two people were taken to Illinois Valley Community Hospital.

Then just before five in the afternoon, a woman from Normal crashed her motorcycle on the Starved Rock curves.  She allegedly skidded about 60 feet and was taken to an area hospital.

No names are available yet.

Kmart Officially Done In Peru

After weeks of an “everything must go sale”, Peru’s Kmart is officially closed.

The store closed its doors yesterday after 40 years in Peru.  Over 60 workers were still clocking in at Kmart while the shelves grew barer by the day.

With Kmart closing, the area has lost well over 200 jobs just in the past week.  Printing company R.R. Donnelley in Mendota closed up shop last Monday.

Starved Rock Superintendent Retires

Two men in charge of Starved Rock State Park’s upkeep have called it a career.

Site Supervisor Tom Levy and Assistant Site Supervisor Leo Trainor both officially retired from the Department of Natural Resources on Thursday.  Both put in over 30 years with the state park’s service with Levy being Starved Rock’s site superintendent since 2002.

The two retire after Starved Rock set an attendance record last year. But they also step away with budget uncertainties for the DNR.

Starved Rock Advances In State Tourism Competition

It’s on to the final four for Starved Rock State Park.

The park is among the four finalists for the most popular tourist attraction in Illinois according to an online contest from Enjoy Illinois’ Facebook page.  Starved Rock is pitted against Brookfield Zoo this week.  The other semi-finals match up is Main Street in Galena versus the Museum of Science and Industry.

The attractions themselves win nothing besides bragging rights.  But if you vote, you become eligible for weekend getaways to Chicago, Galena and Springfield.  You can vote once a week by finding Enjoy Illinois on Facebook.

Rollover Injures Two Near La Salle

A rollover crash on Interstate 80 past La Salle had at least two people hurt.

Ambulance and fire crews from La Salle and Utica responded to the eastbound I-80 crash around 8 o’clock last night.  It involved two vehicles and was just before a construction zone between La Salle and Utica.

Eastbound I-80 was closed to traffic for several minutes during the cleanup.  No names have been released yet.