Police say man made up story about being mugged in Ottawa

Being jumped by a group of people in the middle of the night would be a frightening experience.  An experience that police say never happened to a homeless man in Ottawa.

20-year-old Carlin Logsdon was arrested Wednesday at the Grant Street housing in La Salle on a warrant for felony disorderly conduct.  Police say Logsdon last month told Ottawa officers that he had been beaten and robbed, but after talking to a few people police say Logsdon was lying.  At the time he was ticketed for underage drinking.

Logsdon was taken to the La Salle County Jail.

La Salle receiving state money for pool improvements

Your town never really receives a state grant until the check arrives.  La Salle recently received a portion of a Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Grant.  The payment was a pleasant surprise for Public Works Superintendent Sam McNeily.  He says they were approved for the grant a while ago but then never heard any more about it until recently.

The grant is for $115,000.  With it the city will replace a water heater, pool heater and windows at the swimming pool and the light’s at the 9^th Street Park baseball diamond.

McNeilly says whatever the grant doesn’t cover the city will pay for.  The grant doesn’t require a match.

Rare October Snow Falls In The Illinois Valley

So did you enjoy the snow or hate it?

Before it melted, two inches of snow fell Tuesday afternoon in Mendota according to the National Weather Service.  A spotter in Princeton says there was an inch and a half there.  Peru and Earlville had an inch according to the weather service.

What happened Tuesday is a once every several decades.  The last time measurable snow fell on October 22^nd was 100 years ago in the Quad Cities.

September A Tough Month For Area Home Sales

Do you know anyone who bought a house in the Illinois Valley last month? Sales numbers were down.

La Salle County had 107 homes sold last month, down from 121 the month before.  Bureau County home sales fell from 38 to 33.  Putnam County’s home sales actually went up from 5 in August to 8 last month.

The median sale price for a sold home last month in La Salle County was 90 thousand dollars, down from 105 thousand in August.  Median sale prices of homes in Bureau and Putnam County went up last month.

Trucker Taking On Frank Mautino

Do you think anyone has a shot of knocking off State Representative Frank Mautino in an election?  A man who says he’s not a “polished career politician” is willing to take on the challenge.

Jerry Long of Streator wants to be the Republican candidate in next year’s election for the 76^th District state representative seat held by Mautino.  Long has been a teamster’s truck driver for 28 years.  He was born in Hawaii.

Long says he’s running for office due to concerns with the financial status of Illinois.

Mautino has only run opposed twice in the last decade beating Don Jensen of rural Ottawa in 2012 and Pat Wagner of Utica in the 2006 election.

Day Two Of Fall Veto Session

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – State lawmakers are returning to the state capitol for a second day of their annual fall veto session.

After getting off to a slow start yesterday, the schedule today is shaping up to include a hearing on gambling and more requests by state agencies for more money.

Horsemen and officials from the Illinois racetracks want lawmakers to authorize a law that allows for online betting. And lawmakers are reviving talks on a larger gambling bill that stalled this spring.

Lawmakers have yet to address the state’s $97 billion pension shortfall and tax incentives aimed at keeping Archer Daniels Midland’s global headquarters in Illinois.