Area Red Cross volunteer travels to help after Isaac

Isaac wasn’t a hurricane for long but it still brought significant damage to parts of Louisiana.  American Red Cross volunteers are coming from across the country to help the people affected by the storm, including Joyce Cook of Kangley.

Sarah Stasik is the Executive Director of the Illinois Valley Chapter where Cook is a volunteer.  Stasik says Cook was asked Thursday to travel to Texas almost immediately after posting that she was available.

Cook will be handling client cases, interviewing the people displaced by the storm and finding out what they need.  She’s expected to be gone for two to three weeks.

In the past, local volunteers have traveled to help after Hurricane Katrina and with wild fires in California.  The Red Cross is paying for her travel expenses and meals.

Closing Time Delayed For Dwight Prison

Today is supposed to be closing time for the Dwight Correctional Center.  However a lawsuit means workers should still clock in tomorrow.

Governor Pat Quinn wants to close the women’s prison and transfer its inmates and workers elsewhere.  He set today as the closure date.

However the prison workers union AFSCME has sued to keep the Dwight prison open and the court has granted an injunction that stops the transfer of inmates.  AFSCME claims closing Dwight and Tamms Correctional Center will worsen overcrowding and leave guards facing “injury or death”.

Over 300 people work at the Dwight women’s prison including dozens who live in La Salle County.

Peru Bank Robber Pleads Not Guilty

The alleged Eureka Savings Bank robber has pled not guilty.

Vernard King of Peoria was arraigned yesterday in La Salle County Court.  King was arrested last Wednesday, a day after prosecutors say he walked into the Eureka Savings Bank near the Peru mall, handed a teller a note implying he had a weapon, and got away with cash.  During his arrest at a home in La Salle, King allegedly put up a struggle and was taken to Illinois Valley Community Hospital.

King is being held at the La Salle County Jail on 750 thousand dollars bond.  He’s also called a person of interest in a Peoria County bank robbery.

Labor Day Construction

As with any holiday weekend, the Illinois Department of Transportation is suspending construction wherever possible.

Traffic though will still be down to one lane in La Salle County on Interstate 80 just past La Salle and on Route 23 north of Ottawa for bridge repairs.

In Bureau County, one lane of I-80 is closed two miles west of Princeton and from Princeton to Interstate 180 for bridge work.  Also Route 6 over I-180 is down to one lane for bridge work.