Farmer’s market, children’s games, and music at Streator Fall Festival

It was a long and hot summer, all the reason to celebrate the changing of the seasons with Streator’s Fall Festival at City Park.

It begins at 9am Saturday with a farmer’s market and a flea market; hay-rack rides, a straw maze, and a petting zoo.  There will also be music by the Templeton Family Blue Grass Band.

Sunday afternoon features a performance by the Cody Calkins, a tractor show and outhouse races.

Food will also be on sale.

Fire Near Utica Rekindles For Short Time

It’s hard to believe but Utica firefighters were called yet again today for a fire near Starved Rock Marina.

An Oglesby dispatcher says there was a small rekindle about 8 this morning.  Utica was able to handle it on their own.

Firefighters have been called to the same area along Dee Bennett Road the last four days for a brush fire.  The initial fire Tuesday afternoon burned 200 acres of brush, cattails and trees.

Starved Rock Adventures owner Bob Bishop is blamed for the fire.  However he hasn’t been ticketed.

Water Issues Again In La Salle

Water is back on for the west side of downtown La Salle.

Crews are still working on a water main break from 1^st to 3^rd Street on Bucklin Street and from 2^nd to 3^rd Street from Bucklin to Lafayette Street.  However they turned water back on just before 11.  There is now a boil order in effect.

The same area was without water for several hours yesterday.

Sheriff Says L-P Scouting Investigation Is Over

Is losing his job enough punishment for former L-P teacher and coach Jake Burke?

The L-P Board last night unanimously accepted Burke’s resignation after he was implicated in sending out scouting reports and injury information to L-P’s football opponents.  While he lost his job, will he face criminal charges?

La Salle County Sheriff Tom Templeton says his department has completed its investigation and turned their information over to the state’s attorney’s office.  La Salle County State’s Attorney Brian Towne has said the scouting scandal is a very unique case and had some doubt whether or not any official laws were broken.

An investigation by La Salle Police still continues into vandalism done after Burke and Bill Booker were not renewed as coaches.

Controversial Teacher Out At L-P

In a unanimous vote, the L-P School Board accepted the resignation of driver’s education teacher and former assistant football coach Jake Burke.

The board met in closed session for about 15 minutes Thursday evening.  Superintendent Steve Wrobleski says Burke’s resignation “concludes the district’s investigation” into the scouting report scandal.  Wrobleski won’t say if Burke admitted to mailing scouting reports to L-P’s football opponents.

Burke was on paid leave since last Tuesday.  He turned in his resignation this past Tuesday. He was in his 12^th year at L-P.

Wrobleski says any criminal charges against Burke would be up to the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office.

No Deal Yet In Chicago Teacher’s Strike

CHICAGO (AP) – Negotiators trying to end the first teachers strike in Chicago in 25 years emerged early Friday morning from marathon talks citing progress but without a deal.

School board president David Vitale says the sides worked on teacher evaluations, one of the main sticking points. He says school officials have to crunch some numbers on financial aspects and plan to resume talks later today.

Union president Karen Lewis says the sides had many productive conversations but she declined to describe the talks in detail. She says she hopes students can be back in class Monday.