July unemployment rates show little improvement

The local job market could use a boost.  The July unemployment rate for the Ottawa-Streator area was 10.9%, only slightly improved over July 2011.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security says La Salle County’s unemployment was the same as it was last July at 11.5%.

Bureau County unemployment was 9.6%, slightly down from last July.  Putnam County unemployment was 9.1%, down more than one percent from last July.

The area has lost jobs in manufacturing and retail while gaining construction jobs.

Enrollment is up at LPHS

If you attended LP High School during the 60’s and 70’s having more than 300 students in your graduating class was typical.  That wasn’t the case for your children.

The high school began the new school year with 1,305 students, about 25 students more than last year.  Principal Deb Nelson says it’s been awhile since enrollment has been more than 1,300.  She says an increasing student enrollment has been a trend for the last four or five years and she attributes it to families that moved into the area.

This year the freshman class is the largest on campus with more than 350 students.  The sophomores are second largest class.  The senior class is the smallest with less than 300 students.

Though it’s early in the year, Nelson doesn’t expect enrollment to decline by much though she says the mobility rate is high.

Water main repaired in Oglesby

You can again wash your clothes in Oglesby, just don’t drink the water yet.  A water main break on East Walnut Street Thursday morning left homes and businesses from the city hall to Lehigh Park without water.

The break has been repaired but there’s a boil order on Walnut Street from Dale Avenue to Field Avenue for that area until further notice.

Missing Peru Teenager On Her Way Home

During an exclusive phone call to AM 1220 WLPO, Chris Hoff says his daughter Kristin is okay and on her way back to Peru.

Kristin Hoff was reported missing Tuesday.  Her father says a family friend is bringing her back home.  He wouldn’t say if Kristin was with an older man whose picture was posted all over Facebook.  The dad also wouldn’t say where Kristin was found other than to say she was “quite a few hours away”.

Chris Hoff says he’s thankful Facebook helped in locating his daughter so quickly.

Police Chief Doug Bernabei says while they treated Kristin Hoff as a missing person, they never considered her in danger and believed she left because she wanted to.