Pipe bomb found along Rock River in Dixon

     DIXON, Ill. (AP) – Police in northern Illinois say they’ve safely detonated a pipe bomb found on the Rock River in Dixon.

     Lee County sheriff’s police say deputies were called Thursday afternoon to a site behind Sauk Valley Community College. The Telegraph in Dixon reports that they searched the area and found an item that resembled a pipe bomb. The explosive was made of plastic pipe and had a fuse attached.

     The bomb squad detonated the device safely.

     Sheriff John Varga says the device was far enough away from the campus that no one was in danger. Authorities say they are investigating.

La Salle man accused of stealing a wallet

          The problem with leaving valuables in your car is that they could be stolen.  A man from La Salle is accused of stealing a wallet out of a car parked outside of Frank’s Cigar Store in La Salle.

          Justin Cruz was arrested earlier this week for burglary to a motor vehicle.  Police say people saw him hanging around the area when the wallet went missing and he allegedly admitted to the crime.  Cruz was taken to the La Salle County Jail.    

Hawaiian themed car cruise rolls into Cherry Saturday

          Downtown Cherry will feel a little like Hawaii Saturday.  “Fun in the Sun” is the theme for the car cruise that begins at 3pm.  

          You’ll find hula dancers, food, music and of course classic cars.  The VooDoo Kings Car Club will perform their “Ring of Fire Flame Show” at 8:15pm.  Dress in your Hawaiian garb and you could win a prize.  The band “Old as Dirt” will also be performing. 

          Registration is from 3-5pm.  Award-winning entries will be announced at 8pm.

Skydiver Dies During Jump Near Ottawa

An Elgin woman is dead after what’s being called a skydiving mishap in La Salle County.

La Salle County deputies and Sheridan Ambulance got a call just after 1:30 Thursday afternoon about a skydiver down in a cornfield on East 19^th Road in Dayton Township.  32-year old Stephanie Eggum was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators believe while skydiving, Eggum cut away her main parachute after which she deployed the reserve chute at too low of altitude to save her.

The death remains under investigation by the La Salle County Coroner’s and Sheriff’s offices.

La Salle County’s Top Prosecutor Against Medical Marijuana

You can count La Salle County State’s Attorney Brian Towne as one person who cringed when Governor Pat Quinn signed medical marijuana use into law.

Towne says in 20 plus years of prosecuting drug cases, he’s seen plenty of spin-off crime from cannabis use.  He says pot has unfortunately gotten a reputation by many as not being a big deal and no worse or even safer than alcohol. Towne’s afraid the wrong people will take advantage of the law.

The Illinois State’s Attorney’s Association hasn’t taken a stand as a group on medical marijuana.

Ride Sober Or Get Pulled Over

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Accident data shows a high percentage of motorcycle fatalities in Illinois involve a rider who is drunk.

The statistics come from the Illinois Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The data is broken down by time of day and shows the highest number of motorcycle fatalities involving a drunken rider occurs between 6 and 9 p.m.

Twenty-four percent of motorcycle fatalities during that time involve a drunken rider.
By comparison, 11 percent of fatalities from crashes of all other types of vehicles involve a drunken driver during the same hours.