Accident on the Route 71 curves

A motorcylist crashed his bike on the Route 71 curves east of the Starved Rock Park entrance. Director of Utica EMS, Mark Bierbom told AM 1220 WLPO news, an ambulance, fire truck and seven personnel were dispatched at 12:18pm. The accident involved only the cyclist and he’s now at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa. The condition of the driver is unknown at this time. Sgt. Robert Frazier with the Conservation Police told AM 1220 WLPO news it appeared the driver’s injuries were not serious. His identity will be released Monday.

Drum Corp competition

Nine drum corp units including one from Quebec, Canada will show their stuff Monday night at 6:30 at Hall High School. “Music to the Core” is sponsored by St. Margarets Hospital and will be held in Richard Nesti stadium. General admission tickets are $10 and reserved are $15. General admission tickets are available at the city clerk’s office. Reserved and general are being sold at Creative Apparel in Spring Valley.

Ottawa Riverfest schedule

Ottawa Riverfest takes a one day breather then starts its stretch drive Tuesday. On the 31st, Seniors are welcome to the Founders Day Picnic and Riordan Pool will host an all city swim meet at 5pm. Wednesday, the Welcomeburger picnic will run 5 – 8 in Washington Square and Wilsons Family Show Carnival starts a 5 day run on the riverfront.

Rock Island Clean Line meeting

Remember Rock Island Clean Line? The Clean Line will carry 3500 megawatts of renewable power from Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota to communities in Illinois and states to the East. Soon, landowners in the county will have opportunities to negotiate easements for utility poles and lines crossing their property. La Salle County Farm Bureau is holding an imformational meeting regarding these items this Wednesday at 6pm in the auditorium on Ottawa’s North side. Rae Payne of the Farm Bureau and Laura Harmon, general counsel for the Illinois Farm Bureau will present the meeting. Several landowners have voiced their displeasure with Rock Island Clean Line by posting signs on their property.

CIMCO fire aftermath

A fire at CIMCO recycling on Ottawa’s West Side last week…will require meticulous and long work by the State Fire Marshall. Andy Bacidore is a Fire investigator and LaSalle Fire Chief. The longer a fire burns, says Bacidore, the more evidence gets burned. Also, the longer a fire burns the more unsafe a structure becomes. The State Fire Marshall will be looking for the point where the fire started, says Bacidore. Much of the time Wednesday was spent by firefighters in a fourth floor room containing plastics. Bacidore said such an investigation could take weeks….even months to determine a cause…and sometimes it goes undetermined.

APBA nationals last day

It’s the final day of the APBA nationals on Lake Depue. Racing will start at Noon. Admission is three dollars. Former driver, Ray Rodda will be the announcer. Paul Bosnich III, local driver from Depue won the 125 CC Runabout championship Friday. He participated in the 250 Runabout Saturday but his boat stopped dead in the water in the first heat. He ended up placing fourth.

new laws for elderly

New laws signed by Governor Pat Quinn this weekend are aimed at protecting the elderly in Illinois by making it easier for authorities to respond to cases of abuse or neglect. One of the new pieces of legislation allows prosecutors to ask a court to freeze a suspect’s assets if he is charged with financial exploitation of an elderly person. That’s meant to keep a defendant from spending stolen money.

Drum Corp competition

Nine drum corp units including one from Quebec, Canada will show their stuff Monday night at 6:30 at Hall High School. “Music to the Core” is sponsored by St. Margarets Hospital and will be held in Richard Nesti stadium. General admission tickets are $10 and reserved are $15. General admission tickets are available at the city clerk’s office. Reserved and general are being sold at Creative Apparel in Spring Valley.

Midwest Agri-Com fire

Mareilles Fire Department is not saying what the cause was for a explosion and fire at Midwest Agri-Com Saturday afternoon. Della Allen, bookkeeper for Hank’s Restaurant, on Route 71, northeast of Ottawa and directly across from Midwest Agri-Com said she heard and felt the explosion around 1pm. Marseilles, Naplate and Serena firemen were still at the scene as late as 4:30 hosing down “hot spots”. Owner Mike Hess said the showroom, which was not damaged, will be open Monday. He said no employees were hurt. Two storage buildings housing a vehicle and a workshop caught fire Saturday.