Wave “goodbye” to “The Waver”

Ed Carlson, a smiling free spirit who became known as “The Waver” for waving at motorists while on foot across the country for over 30 years, died Friday at his home in Iowa at the age of 75. Carlson became an institution in Reno, Nevada, which was his home base from the 1970s to 2007 when he moved to Cedar Rapids to be close to family.

Vilsack on guns and their owners

 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the Newtown school shootings have changed the gun control debate and that rural America is ready to be part of a national conversation that he believes could bring people together.  Vilsack says the debate has to start with respect for the Second Amendment right to bear arms and a recognition that hunting is a way of life for millions of Americans.  But Vilsack said that the nation has reached “a different circumstance” in the gun control debate. It will take time, but it’s now “potentially a unifying conversation,” he said. President Barack Obama recognizes that changes to gun laws can’t just be decreed from Washington but must come from the “grassroots up.”   Vilsack was interviewed Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Fiscal cliff update

President Barack Obama says congressional Republicans have had “trouble saying yes” to a number of repeated offers on avoiding the “fiscal cliff.” Interviewed on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the president says the offers he’s made to the GOP have been so fair that “a lot of Democrats” have gotten mad at him.

Illinois Valley helps Coney Island

On Wednesday, a pub owner, a pastor and a truck leave for Coney Island with help for those devastated by Superstorm Sandy. Lyle Elsbury of Duffy’s in Utica and Pastor Howard C. Smith of Waltham Presbyterian Church will follow a truck loaded with 85 boxes of mostly clothes and the best wishes of those who donated them. Elsbury and his wife reached out to Waltham Church to find help and a relief group who would use donations promptly. Smith found a Presbyterian relief group who will put the coats, gloves and winter garb – plus some canned food – to immediate use. Elsbury told AM 1220 WLPO news effects of the storm are lingering. While they’re there, they hope to help assist others in rebuilding and getting some residents back in their homes. Conway Trucking is driving the items to the East Coast free of charge. Pastor Smith served in a church just north of New York prior to coming to Waltham, so his desire to help is understandable. No further donations are being accepted for this project.

the fiscal cliff update

President Barack Obama is applying pressure on Republicans to negotiate a fiscal deal. Interviewed on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the president argued that GOP leaders have rejected his past attempts to strike a bigger and more comprehensive bargain.

The birds at ISU

Illinois State University has tried just about everything, but has not been able to stop thousands of crows from roosting on the quad this winter. The university in Normal has now turned to pyrotronics to scare off the birds.

sentenced for brutal stabbing

 A suburban Chicago man convicted of stabbing his wife to death on Valentine’s Day in 2011 has been sentenced to 45 years in prison. In November, jurors found Heriberto Ramirez guilty of stabbing his wife in front of their daughter during an argument in their mobile home in the Des Plaines area. Alicia Ramirez was stabbed 34 times, in the chest, neck, abdomen, arms and legs. Ramirez was sentenced Friday at a Rolling Meadows courthouse.

icy roads

Icy roads giving some drivers trouble in northeast LaSalle County Saturday. 34-year old Christopher Gilkerson of Plano was southbound on North 4201 road, three miles northeast of Sheridan when he lost control on the icy road, entered a ditch and struck a fence. No injuries or tickets reported by the county sheriff’s office. The accident occurred around 3:15pm.  About 7:40pm Saturday, 19-year old Brandon Shrader of Sandwich  was eastbound on North 46th road, South of Leland.  He told the County Sheriff’s office the icy road caused his car to swerve and hit a mailbox. There were no injuries or tickets.