Police say they found a man inside the old Kaskaskia Hotel

It’s been quite a few years since you could stay at the Kaskaskia Hotel but police say they found a man inside the shuttered building Monday morning.

Paul Morrow was inside of the hotel according to La Salle officers who went to the building after someone told them there was an open door.

Police say Morrow was wanted on a La Salle County warrant for battery and was taken to the county jail.

Chicago man accused of robbing Verizon store in Peru

It’s been one month since the Verizon Wireless store in Peru was held-up and a police dog died while responding to the robbery.  The man police think showed the gun was charged Tuesday with armed robbery and more charges are possible.

Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei announced the charge Tuesday.  He says Dennis Clark Jr. of Chicago is being held in the DuPage County Jail for an armed robbery in Naperville.  He expects Clark to be brought to La Salle County soon.

The robbery happened on Saturday, August 3 while many people and officers were at a country music concert at the Illinois Valley Regional Airport in Peru.  One of several officers who responded to the holdup was Art Smith, the K-9 handler.  Smith’s squad was hit by a car on the way to the store, fatally injuring K-9 Kali.

Police are still looking for the man that was driving the getaway car.  The men are accused of taking all of the store’s cell phones and other mobile devices.  Clark’s bond was set at $1 million.

Man accused of stealing merchandise from Sear’s

Labor Day weekend featured a lot of sales but nothing is as cheap as free, unless you get caught.  Peru Police officers were called to Sear’s Monday for a man accused of leaving with more than $300 in merchandise.

Manuel Castillo of Mendota was arrested for felony retail theft and was taken to the La Salle County Jail.

Repair Crews Working On Peru Overpass

It could be slow going using Route 251 in Peru past the Illinois River bridge.

Bruce Hucker with the Illinois Department of Transportation says crews are repairing damage done to the 7^th street overpass just north of Route 6.  An oversized load truck damaged a beam several weeks ago on the 7^th street overpass.

Hucker says northbound 251 between Route 6 and Shooting Park Road will be down to one lane of traffic for a couple weeks.

Survey Team Checks Out Aftermath Of La Salle County Twister

A survey team from the National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado near Serena.  But they say it was very weak and brief.

Weather service officials visited the spot between Serena and Sheridan where several pictures were taken of a tornado Sunday evening.  They think the tornado lasted at most five minutes, was less than 50 yards wide and was only on the ground for two miles at most.

No injuries or damage came from Sunday night’s storm.

Give Blood, Win A Gift Card

Besides the gratification of knowing you could save someone’s life, donating blood between now and Monday could get a thousand dollars.

The American Red Cross is picking five donors to win thousand dollar American Express Gift Cards.  You can donate today from noon until 5:30 at the Red Cross office in Peru.  Tomorrow there’s a blood drive from 4 until 7 at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Streator.  On Thursday there are blood drives at the First Baptist Church in Ottawa, Red Cross office in Streator and at the First United Methodist Church in Princeton.

The Red Cross office in Peru will also have a platelet only donation drive this Thursday.

Sand Mine Developers May Have To Wait Longer In La Salle County

Given the controversy of the last sand mine approved on county land, it shouldn’t be surprising that the La Salle County Board wants a break from sand mine talk.

The county development committee meets tomorrow morning and they’ll vote on whether to extend a moratorium on sand mines in rural La Salle County.  The current moratorium ends November 1^st.  Board members could be looking at extending the sand mine moratorium through the end of the year.

The development committee is in the process of updating the county’s comprehensive plan with sand mines a big part of that.