TIF district for LPHS athletics complex becomes official

A new year and a new tax increment financing district in La Salle.  The finals votes were taken Wednesday night to create the Community Partnership TIF district.  It was created to fund an athletics complex for LP High School.

La Salle Mayor Jeff Grove says the school will receive $100,000 a year for 10 years to pay for the complex which will include a track and soccer field.  Grove says that money will have to come from other TIF districts at least at first.  La Salle has seven other TIFs.

Grove thinks the athletic complex will help the land near it develop.

The LP Board of Education is expected to go out for bids on the athletic complex when they meet later this month.

Teen indicted for residential burglary and more

A few serious charges against an 18 year old man.  Marc Robinson, with no known address, was indicted Wednesday  for allegedly having a stolen car, burglary and residential burglary.

Robinson remains in the La Salle County Jail with his bond set at $50,000.

SUV Stolen In Mendota

Let this be a reminder to lock your car doors, an SUV has been allegedly stolen in Mendota.

Police got a call New Year’s Eve about a stolen 2012 white Mitsubishi Outlander from the 800 block of Chicago Street.  The SUV was parked in an alley along side the owner’s house.  Investigators say there were several car break-ins around the same area of town.

If you have information into the SUV theft or car break-ins, call Mendota Police or Crime Stoppers.

Dalzell Looking For Water Leak

There’s a major water leak in Dalzell.

Crews are trying to locate a leak that Village Mayor Gloria Orlandi says they’ve been losing around 40 thousand gallons of water per day since the leak started almost a week ago.

Orlandi says if they don’t find the leak today, they are shutting off the water starting at 9 tonight on the west side of the village until around 6 tomorrow morning.  When the water is turned back on, there will be a boil order.

Local Churches Tackle Gay Marriage

If it hasn’t happened already, expect local Catholic masses to include talk about gay marriage in Illinois.

There’s a chance that state lawmakers could vote this week on allowing gay marriage in Illinois.  This has the Catholic Church circling the wagons in opposition.

Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Peoria are handing out a “Toolkit on Marriage” to church-goers.  It includes questions and answers about 12 topics most discussed during the gay marriage debate.

According to a statement from the Diocese of Peoria, keeping marriage between a man and a woman is best for advancement of the common good.

Influential Chicago Catholic Railing Against Gay Marriage

CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George is urging parishioners to let state lawmakers know they oppose gay marriage.

George’s letter to priests in the archdiocese comes as legislators are poised to consider a bill that would legalize same sex marriage. State Sen. Heather Steans and state Rep. Greg Harris could introduce the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act to legalize same-sex marriage as early as this week.

George wrote that the state has “no power to create something” that violates natural law.

Kinzinger Votes Against Pay Raise

When is the last time you got a pay raise?

It could be a full three years since members of Congress have received a pay increase.  The House including Congressman Adam Kinzinger voted yesterday in support of a congressional pay freeze.  The vote was 287 for the pay freeze, and 129 against.

The average annual salary of federal lawmakers is 174 thousand dollars.  That doesn’t include health and retirement benefits.

New Year’s Baby Arrives In Peru

The first baby of the New Year has arrived at Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru.

Rosa Morales of DePue gave birth to a girl just after 9 New Year’s Day morning at IVCH.  The six-pound, 19 and a half inch long girl was named Nathaly Sandoval.

Pedro Sandoval is the father.