Newest Habitat For Humanity Home In Streator

Instead of tearing down a house damaged in the 2010 Streator tornado, Habitat for Humanity officials are rehabbing it.

The latest habitat project is on Hall Street where several homes were damaged by the tornado.  An official groundbreaking was held over the weekend.

A couple without kids is moving into this house.  The local Habitat for Humanity group is also rehabbing a home in Streator on Shabbona Street that will be for a family.

Habitat families are picked based on income requirements.  They have to pay a no interest mortgage, give a down payment and put in hours to either fix up their home or a different Habitat for Humanity home.

Oglesby Council Considers Video Gambling

Oglesby is the next town to take up the idea of allowing video poker machines in bars.

The city council will talk about video gaming tonight.  Other towns like Peru and Ottawa have already revised ordinances that will allow bars to get gaming licenses when the state finally decides to hand them out.

So far, 19 different bars or truck stops in La Salle County have applied for video gaming licenses including John’s North Star in La Salle and Shaker’s Lounge in Ottawa.  No business in Oglesby has applied yet with the state gaming board.

Needed Rainfall In The Valley

How much rain did you get this weekend?

According to the National Weather Service, Streator had the most rain with over 2 inches.  La Salle and Marseilles had just under an inch and a half.  Over an inch of rain also fell in Peru, Sheridan, Ottawa, and Oglesby.  Earlville and Mendota had under an inch.

Kankakee had the most rainfall over the weekend with seven inches.

Rodney King dies

Rodney King, the black motorist whose 1991 videotaped beating by Los Angeles police officers led to some of the nation’s most destructive race riots, has died at age 47. Police say King’s fiancee called 911at 5:25 a.m. to report that she found him at the bottom of the swimming pool at their home in Rialto, Calif. Officers arrived to find King in the water and unresponsive, with no signs of foul play. He was transported to Arrowhead Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:11 a.m. The San Bernardino County coroner will perform an autopsy within 48 hours. King was stopped for speeding in March 1991 by four officers who hit him more than 50 times, kicked him and shot him with stun guns. A bystander videotaped the beating. The officers were acquitted a year later, sparking a riot that would leave 55 people dead and more than 2,000 injured. King became famous for his plea, “Can we all get along?” in a news conference during the height of the riots.

 

Zion plastics fire

Authorities say part of a northern Illinois community was evacuated as hazardous fumes broke out from a fire at a plastics facility. No injuries were report Sunday.

Crews were called to Maine Plastics in Zion around 7 a.m. after reports of smoke. Officials say it was elevated to a three-alarm fire by 9 a.m. Pallets containing plastics products and cardboard were on fire inside a gated area. Zion Fire Chief John Lewis says the plastic contains acetol, a chemical that gives off formaldehyde. He says an evacuation was ordered in the vicinity. The evacuation was canceled by noon. The company’s website says it’s a buyer and seller of plastics, metals and uncommon materials. Zion is approximately 50 miles north of Chicago.

Ham Radio Field Day

Another type of radio broadcaster go outside Saturday to demonstrate what they do in an emergency. Starved Rock Radio Club will be making on air contacts during their “Field Day” 1pm this Saturday at Shabbona Park, north of Harding. According to the Starved Rock Radio Club, thousands of ham radio operators and volunteers in the country provide emergency communications in times of disaster and recovery. If you would like more information, contact Kevin Nelson with Northern Partners Coop or Pat Ryan at Tonica.

Saturday rain recap

Some scary cloud formations in north Peru last night…but the trade-off? Significant rain to help thirsty lawns and growing crops. The station received about nine-tenths inches of rain in a twelve hour period ending about 6am today. East of Hegeler Park in LaSalle, a caller report 2 inches. Other reports: 1.5 inches on Ottawa’s South Side, 1.25 inches north and west of Streator, 1.7 east of that city…and maybe 2 inches South of Streator. A tree fell across Creve Couer north of Gunn Avenue in LaSalle late Saturday or early Sunday. And in Kankakee, a city police dispatcher, says parts of that city received possibly SEVEN inches of rain. Some parts are flooded and cleaning up fallen trees. Windy, sunny and hot temperatures making it feel like 98 degrees are due in our area Monday and Tuesday.

President on move

President Barack Obama is flying from Chicago to Mexico today for a Group of 20 nations meeting that starts tomorrow. The financial crisis in Europe is expected to be at the top of the agenda as today’s Greek elections could trigger that country’s exit from the euro common currency. Many Greeks have already taken their euros out of banks amidst fears of sovereign defaults.

save money on fireworks

Hurt by the economy, small towns in northern Illinois have struggled to pay for July Fourth fireworks, forcing some to cancel or scale down shows in recent years. The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reported yesterday that one such collaborative effort involves the towns of Elgin, Hanover Park, Hanover Township and Hoffman Estates. That ensures the Northwest Fourth-Fest from July 4th through 8th will feature a fireworks display.

need a good horse?

A federal judge has ruled the U.S. Marshals Service can begin selling quarter horses obtained by the former Dixon comptroller who is accused of stealing millions of dollars from the small north-central Illinois town. U.S. Magistrate Judge P. Michael Mahoney on Friday determined that the marshals can sell 401 horses, as well as 21 embryos and frozen stallion semen.