Company wants to build casino in Chicago suburb

COUNTRY CLUB HILLS, Ill. (AP) – A North Las Vegas, Nev.-based company wants to build a $250 million casino in the Chicago suburb of Country Club Hills.

The SouthtownStar reports the casino operator is making the announcement despite Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto of a gambling expansion bill. It’s unclear whether the Illinois Legislature will be able to pass a bill that Quinn could support.

Cannery Casino Resorts issued a statement Monday saying it wants to build near the Interstate 80 and I-57 interchange. The company says a new casino would create 1,000 full-time jobs.

Partners in the project would be Chicago funeral home owners Lafayette and Marguerite Gatling, who own the site.

A Cannery Casino Resorts majority owner, Bill Paulos, says a casino could be up and running within 18 months of being licensed.

TRIDENT makes coccaine arrest in Streator

A drug investigation in the Streator area led police to the Pines Motel just outside of town.

Officers with TRIDENT arrested Brandi Simms of Streator Friday at the motel.  She was arrested for possession of cocaine and was taken to the La Salle County Jail.

Peru church hosting children Christmas gift drive

Socks, pens, and a bouncy ball- Christmas gifts that your kids probably wouldn’t get excited about could mean a lot to a child that never receives Christmas presents.

Give a shoe box packed with small toys, school supplies and necessities to children around the world during Operation Christmas Child.  The program is part of the larger charity, Samaritan’s Purse.

Packed shoe boxes are being collected at Grace Bible Fellowship on Shooting Park Road in Peru through next Monday.  You could include gifts like toothpaste, pencils, and balls.  Use a regular sized shoe box and gift wrap the box and lid separately so volunteers will be able to check inside of the boxes without unwrapping the gift.  $7 for shipping should also be included in the box.

You can learn more by listening to an interview available at the AM 1220 WLPO news page.

Ambulances Rush To Crash In Oglesby

Pay attention to the traffic lights.  Three people went to area hospitals after a car T-boned a pickup truck at Route 251 and the Oglesby spur.

Police believe that Rochelle Hornsby of Streator ran a stop light and hit Gail Kastor of Oglesby around 12pm Monday.  Kaster, Hornsby and a woman who was with Hornsby were taken to area hospitals.

None of the injuries seemed serious.  Hornsby was ticketed for disobeying a traffic control device.

Wind Blows Through Listening Area

Lose anything in the gusty winds?

A 60 mile per hour wind gust was recorded in Oglesby.  The National Weather Service also reports a 52 mile per hour wind gust in Ottawa, 48 mile per hour gust in Peru and 46 miles per hour in La Salle and Utica.

Wind gusts today will be up to 30 miles per hour.

Streator Has Some Of Cheapest Gas In The State

The price at the pump continues to inch towards three bucks a gallon.

According to GasBuddy.com, the lowest gas in the area is in Streator.  Stations in Streator are selling unleaded gas right now for between $3.10 to $3.15 a gallon.  According to GasBuddy.com, only Sparta in southern Illinois has cheaper gas than Streator right now in the entire state.

Stations in Princeton are at the high end in the Illinois Valley selling for $3.29 a gallon.  Most stations in Chicago are still charging over four dollars a gallon.

Area Junior High Student Helps Feed The Needy

For those of you wanting to hear positive stories about todays kids how about the work Waltham School 8^th grader Adam Claggett is doing.

For the fifth year in a row, Claggett organized a Thanksgiving food drive to benefit the Illinois Valley Food Pantry.  Adam and Waltham classmates loaded up donations Sunday.  The food drive totals aren’t known yet.

Last Thanksgiving, Claggett’s food drive collected over six thousand pounds of food and over 13 hundred dollars.

Money Doesn’t Buy Election Wins

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Big spending by independent political groups in Illinois congressional campaigns went for naught. Winners in four of six competitive races for the U.S. House last week received less outside money than the losers.

An Associated Press analysis of federal data shows four dozen such independent committees spent $45 million in Illinois congressional contests – second only to California. The review shows 60 percent of that money went to losing campaigns.

The biggest difference was in Democrat Tammy Duckworth’s win over Republican Rep. Joe Walsh near Chicago. Outside groups spent nearly $6 million on Walsh’s behalf but just $700,000 for Duckworth.