Class Resumes At L-P While Teacher Recovers From Serious Injuries

Counseling will be available today at L-P High School after a teacher was hit by a train.

25-year old Matt Makeever is at St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria following Saturday morning’s incident on 1^st Street in La Salle.  The hospital per the family’s wishes is not giving out a condition report.

School officials say a substitute teacher will fill in for Makeever starting today during summer school classes.  He’s in his 3^rd year at L-P teaching math.

De Pue Turns Boat Races Into Week-long Celebration

The annual De Pue Boat Races have become more than just the races.

Organizers have made it a week-long event with food stands open today and tomorrow at Lake De Pue.  On Wednesday testing begins for the boats while a beer garden opens up.  Wednesday evening there’s live music with Al Pierson and Guy Lombardo’s Royal Canadians followed by the group “Last Call”.

Thursday a carnival opens up in De Pue along with a teen dance at night.  Races begin Friday and continue thru Sunday.  Sunday morning in De Pue will also feature a 5K Walk/Run.

For more information about the De Pue Boat Races, click http://depuemensclub.org/index.html

Water Level Key For De Pue Boat Races

So far, so good for a makeshift dam to help stabilize water levels at Lake De Pue.

While providing an update on Facebook over the weekend, Village President Eric Bryant says the dam hasn’t sprung any leaks.  The dam is a sunken barge and sand bags that are in a channel separating the lake from the Illinois River.  Bryant and others are trying to maintain high enough water levels in the lake for this weekend’s boat races.

A cooler week temperature wise will help since Bryant says last week’s heat did evaporate some of the lake’s water.  High temperatures this weekend could be in the 70s.

Latest On Ottawa Teachers Contract Talks

The weekend didn’t bring a breakthrough in negotiations between Ottawa teachers and the school board.

Steven Johnson is an English teacher at Ottawa High and is one of the lead negotiators as teachers try to get a new contract.  He says they haven’t set a date for a strike authorization vote and their top priority continues to be meeting and negotiating.

Johnson says teachers are next scheduled to meet with the school board August 6^th but they’re hoping to meet before then to work towards a settlement.  Johnson says his union is waiting for a board response to a contract proposal they submitted July 16^th.

Much like with the 2009 teacher’s strike, unresolved issues include salary and benefits.  First day of school at Ottawa high is Thursday, August 15^th.

Missing couple found in Princeton

A motorist spotting a car in a Bureau County corn field today probably had no idea what they had found. Elmhurst police chief, Michael Ruth, said two Elmhurst seniors – reported missing by his department Friday – were inside the car. Vernon and Elaine Schweisthal were believed to have left their home Friday to meet friends in Mt. Prospect, but never got there. The statement doesn’t say specifically where they were found, It did say the car was inoperable and the couple was taken to Perry Memorial Hospital suffering from dehydration.

Movie work in Chicago

Movies and shows filming in Chicago this summer will bring stuntmen, low-flying helicopters and, most important for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, $51 million in local jobs and economic development. The filming of science fiction thriller “Jupiter Ascending” began this weekend. The Warner Brothers production stars Channing Tatum and is being directed by Chicagoans Andy and Lana Wachowski, creators of the “Matrix” films.

Trayvon Martin rallies

A few thousand people chanting “No justice, no peace” gathered in downtown Chicago yesterday to press for civil rights charges against former neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman. A jury in Florida last week acquitted Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin. The case has become a flashpoint in the debate over guns, race relations and self-defense laws. Zimmerman’s mother is from Peru and he identifies himself as Hispanic. Martin was black. Rallies were also held in the Quad Cities and Milwaukee.

Yes You Photoshoot today

A photoshoot in Princeton at 5pm today…and you are the subject. It’s the second such event hosted by a woman, Ashley Lind, who work for “A-Models” of Princeton. Lind thought it was time to send a message of support to the victims of bullying by posting pictures of the shoot on line. Anyone of any age can join in at Jefferson Elementary in Princeton. Photographers will take the pictures and the subjects will hold a small chalkboard with a message. The photos will be edited and uploaded to various websites including the “Yes You” Facebook page. Lind says you can dress however you like. The event is free.

Makeever update

Mr. Makeever won’t be in the classroom Monday and the reason has stunned LP students and staff. The 25-year old had been struck by a train in the 100 block of First street around 1:30am Saturday. LaSalle police and EMTs found the Ottawa man lying near railroad tracks with severe head injuries. Matt Makeever, an LP math teacher for two years, was taken to IVCH and later to St. Francis Medical Center.  The News Tribune reports he’s in critical condition. LP High School issued a statement Saturday afternoon saying their thoughts and prayers are with Makeever and his family. A substitute teacher will step in Monday and grief counseling will be made available. Makeever was playing piano for Stage 212’s “Grease” production. Phil Grant, director, said the production will continue as scheduled.