La Salle And Princeton Have Most New Foreclosures

While Chicago has the highest foreclosure rate in the country, things seem to be getting better with the local housing market.

According to RealtyTrac, La Salle County had 25 new homes put in foreclosure last month, a four percent decrease from July.  La Salle had the most new foreclosures with 6 followed by Ottawa with 4 and Streator and Sheridan with 3.

Bureau County had 13 new foreclosure properties in August, nearly a 20 percent drop from the month before.  Princeton had 6 new foreclosures and Spring Valley 5.

Over Month Long Vigil To End Abortion Planned In Ottawa

A 40-day vigil is planned later this month in Ottawa.

The Illinois Valley Citizens for Life are taking part in a nationwide “40 Days for Life” demonstration outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in downtown Ottawa.  Pro-life groups are asked to have 40 straight days of vigils outside their city’s Planned Parenthood clinic from September 26^th thru November 4^th.  Besides prayer, pro-life believers are being asked to fast those 40 days.

Local organizers are planning a “Kick-off Rally” this coming Sunday from 2 until 4 on the Jordan Block.

Ottawa Woman Facing Multiple Charges Of Stealing From School

A former school bookkeeper faces a new count of stealing from her employer.

Robin Girard of Ottawa was indicted earlier this month in Grundy County for a class 3 felony of “knowingly exerting control of between 300 dollars to 10 thousand dollars in property” from Nettle Creek School District.  She’s already been indicted for a class 2 felony of stealing between 10 to 100 thousand dollars from Nettle Creek while working as a bookkeeper. Girard resigned from the school district in November.

She’s accused of stealing at Nettle Creek from July 2010 thru October 2011.

House Boat Fire In Ottawa

Plans to relax on a boat don’t always work out.

Ottawa Firefighters were called early Sunday evening for a boat fire.  The house boat was on the Illinois River just south of the H2O bar on the east end of Ottawa.

Fire crews called for river rescue but had it under control by time they arrived.  No one was injured.

Rotary Park needs volunteers

It might be unusual, but, it’s an opportunity to save the City of LaSalle 50-thousand dollars. The Rotary Park Foundation is looking for volunteers throughout this coming weekend to install handicapped accessible playground equipment. According to the News Tribune, persons from the playground manufacturer will be there, but volunteers will do the majority of the labor. The cost of the equipment is one hundred twenty seven thousand dollars. Alyssa Gearhart with the Park Foundation told the Tribune the work isn’t hard…but there is a lot of it. Rotary Park is on the Troy Grove blacktop. Volunteers should use the gravel/dirt road just north of the Park sign.

Untimely accident

Well, this is embarrassing …maybe ironic. Streator police say Charles Giacinto was backing up and struck the car of Lori Underwood, who was driving thru a parking lot Friday morning. Neither Streator driver was injured or ticketed. The location of the accident?? The Drivers License Facility at 209 Danny’s street.

Teachers strike update

Hundreds of delegates with the Chicago Teachers Unions are trickling into a meeting where they’ll consider a proposed employment contract with the nation’s third largest school district. Teachers have been on strike for a week and they could vote today to end it if they like the latest offer. But they could also delay a vote or reject it, meaning that some 350,000 students would still be out of school. About 25,000 teachers have been picketing since Monday. The mood was serious as delegates arrived at the meeting Sunday afternoon. Many declined to talk to reporters. The weeklong strike comes during contentious negotiations. The top issues have included teacher evaluations that factor in student progress and job security. It is Chicago’s first teachers’ strike in 25 years.

rear ender Saturday

One Marseilles driver rear-ended another outside Ottawa Saturday sending two people to the hospital. The Sheriff’s office said Carla Elliott was stopped southbound on Route 71 waiting to turn left onto East 22nd Road about 2:35pm. While waiting she was struck in the rear by the vehicle of Kathleen Greene. Greene and her 9 year old son were taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital with unknown injuries. The hospital does not release such information. Elliott and her passengers, a 28-year old man and a 5 year old girl, all from Marseilles apparently were not hurt. Green was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

Fire interrupts morning drive

24-year old Jesse Klingberg was only four miles from Ottawa this morning when he smelled smoke in his car. Klingberg pulled his eastbound car off Route 6. By the time he got out, he looked back to see flames coming from the dashboard. Naplate Fire Department responded, but according to the county sheriff’s office, Klingberg’s car was destroyed. Klingberg wasn’t injured.

Kate’s topless photos

Prince William’s office says its lawyers will go to court in France on Monday in a bid to stop further publication in that country of topless photos of William’s wife Kate.  St. James’s Palace says lawyers will seek an injunction against Italian media group Mondadori, which publishes France’s Closer and Italy’s Chi gossip magazines. The palace also will seek damages from the publisher. Last week Closer published paparazzi snaps of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, sunbathing during a holiday in Provence. Chi says it will publish 26 pages of the images on Monday. An Irish tabloid reproduced the Closer photos, but no British publication has run them. William and Kate arrived in the Solomon Islands on Sunday on a tour of Singapore, Malaysia and the South Pacific.