Electric Aggregation Back On La Salle County Ballot

The April 9^th ballot is starting to fill up in La Salle County.

People in rural La Salle County will be asked again if they want to do electric aggregation.  The referenda question failed last month by only getting 46 percent of the vote.  However La Salle County Board members think they can better educate voters this time around, especially letting them know electric aggregation has nothing to do with the controversial Rock Island Clean Line project.

If voters say yes, the county will negotiate lower prices for electricity.  Ameren and ComEd would still be the electricity deliverer and bill collectors.

This is the same question that people in La Salle, Marseilles, Ottawa, Spring Valley and Utica said yes to in the March election.

Ottawa Dealing With Contaminated Glass Plant

A closed down marble making plant in Ottawa may sit empty for a long time.

Environmental Specialist Rob Wilhelmi told the Ottawa City Council yesterday that there are major issues with metal contamination at the over hundred year old Peltier marble plant.  He told council members he would be “very cautious” about potentially buying the property to either have it torn down or redeveloped.  After Wilhelmi told council members there could be exposure to contamination by digging around for marbles outside the building, they plan to look into putting a fence around the property.

The Peltier plant closed in 2010 after making glass marbles for over 100 years.  Wilhelmi said ridding the property of contamination would require expensive digging.

Peru to consider diversion tank to help with wastewater

What do you do when a sewage plant is about pushed to its limit when it comes to processing waste?  Move the waste someplace else.  Peru has two wastewater treatment plants but one is closer to reaching its limits than the other and that has city officials considering the construction of a diversion structure.

Alderman Dave Waldorf explained the situation to the city council Wednesday night.  He says putting a diversion structure near Plank Road and North Peoria Street would be less expensive than expanding the sewage plant.  The structure would send some of the sewage to the east plant that is capable of handling more waste.

The diversion structure is estimated to cost 300 thousand dollars while an expansion of the sewage plant would cost more than two million dollars.

Money to build the diversion would come from funds leftover from the 2012 roads project.  The city council could vote on it next Monday.

Mendota Man Arrested For Sex Abuse

A Mendota man is accused of sexually abusing a child.

Joseph Cole was arrested yesterday on a La Salle County warrant for criminal sexual abuse.  He’s accused by Mendota Police of sexually abusing a 12-year old in late October.

Cole was taken to the La Salle County Jail.  His bond is 15 thousand dollars.

Westclox Arsonist Reports To Prison

The La Salle teen convicted of setting the old Westclox building on fire has arrived in prison.

18-year old Steven Gallacher began serving his ten year prison sentence Tuesday.  He’s at the reception center of Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet.  With credit for time already served in the county jail, Gallacher is looking at getting out of prison in 2020.

Gallacher expressed remorse and called it a stupid mistake for starting a fire New Year’s Eve night in the middle building of the former Westclox clock factory.  A younger teen from Peru also pled guilty to the arson but was given probation and community service.

Chicago Politicians Plan To Fight Conceal Carry Decision

CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago aldermen are urging the state to appeal a court decision to throw out the state’s ban on concealed carry weapons.

A federal appeals court ruled earlier this week that Illinois’ ban is unconstitutional. The court gave lawmakers 180 days to come up with a law legalizing concealed weapons.

Several alderman said Wednesday they are worried lifting the ban could lead to more gun violence. They said they would be willing to write a new city ordinance, even though it would lead to a lengthy and expensive legal fight. Chicago’s homicide rate already is spiking and there is open gang warfare in parts of the city. Supporters of gun rights say concealed carry laws allow ordinary citizens to better protect themselves.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan will decide whether to appeal.