Local state trooper receives a medal

“The right person with the right training at the right place at the right time.”  That’s how State Trooper Brian Lewis describes an incident that earned him a Lifesaving Medal.

The La Salle trooper was given the award Wednesday after he successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver on a woman last year while off-duty at a restaurant in Normal.

Lewis is quick to credit the training he gets from his job and says the medal reinforces why he became a police officer.  He says the incident also shows that state troopers are never really off duty and he’s okay with that.

La Salle offers rock and folk music performance for kids

You probably wouldn’t take your kids to most rock or country music concerts but there’s a family-friendly show in La Salle.  Jeanie B! and the Jelly Beans will be performing at the “Hot Summer Days” concert Saturday at Hegeler Park.

Jeanie B performs rock and folk music for kids with themes that motivate them to read and to listen to their mother.

It’s sponsored by the La Salle Park district and La Salle Public Library.  It begins at 11:30am in the pavilion.  Admission is free.

Mendota man indicted for crack cocaine

          $1 million is the bond amount for a man accused of selling crack cocaine.  Quinton Wallace of Mendota was indicted Tuesday in La Salle County, a couple of weeks after being arrested during a sting by TRIDENT. 

          Wallace faces charges of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and is being held in the county jail. 

Work scheduled for Harding Blacktop

If it stays dry Friday, crews will be working on La Salle County Highway 1, also known as the Harding Blacktop.  They plan to patch pavement and replace a culvert starting at 7am Friday.  It would close a stretch of the blacktop a half a mile east of East 14^th Road.  The work should be completed by 12pm.

Shooting Suspect Faces Potential Life Sentence

While wearing shackles on his wrists and ankles, Richard Felton of Tonica found out this morning he could get life in prison.

La Salle County State’s Attorney Brian Towne thinks Felton is eligible for “firearm enhancements” to his attempted murder charge which means instead of 6 to 30 years in prison if convicted, he faces 21 years to life.  Felton also is charged with aggravated battery with a firearm which carries a sentence range of 6 to 30 years.

Felton’s accused of shooting of 28-year old Jeremy Wade of Grand Ridge in the face late Sunday near the Sandy Ford Bridge east of Leonore.  Wade is recovering at St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.

Towne says Wade is expected to live but says it’s an “incredible miracle” that he survived.  Besides his facial injuries Wade also broke his hip while falling from the bridge into the Vermilion River.

Felton will go before a grand jury for indictment September 10^th and be arraigned September 13^th.  He’s being held at the La Salle County Jail on 3 million dollars bond.

Chemical Spill Exercise Today In Ottawa

There will be a lot of action today on Canal Road between Ottawa and Marseilles today but no reason to be alarmed.

Firefighters, police departments, Red Cross and railroad officials are among the groups taking part in a drill at Sabic Innovative Plastics, or what used to be GE Plastics.  La Salle County Emergency Management Director Connie Brooks says they’re practicing response to a chemical accident.

People living along or working on Canal Road can come and go as usual.  Brooks says the drill will last until around 2 this afternoon.

Medical Marijuana A Reality In Illinois

CHICAGO (AP) – Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign legislation today that will make Illinois the 20th state to legalize medical marijuana.  In signing the bill Quinn is expected to focus on providing relief to the seriously ill, including veterans.

The bill outlines a four-year pilot program that requires patients and caregivers to undergo background checks and sets provisions for state-regulated dispensaries. The proposal says patients can be allowed up to 2.5 ounces at a time.

State Representative Frank Mautino and State Senator Sue Rezin both voted against passage of a medical marijuana bill.