Peru City Council hires retired judge to investigate no-show overtime hours

Overtime hours are great if you can get them, but you would think you would be required you to work them.  That may not have been the case with a city employee or employees in Peru and the city council wants to know what was happening.

After two closed session meetings about it, the question of employees earning overtime for hours not worked was discussed openly Monday night.

Alderman Dave Potthoff says City Clerk Dave Bartley brought it to their attention.   He wants to know who authorized the over time that wasn’t work and how much it cost the city.  He says the overtime was done outside of the city’s rules and the union contract.

The council agreed to hire retired Judge William Balestri to investigate it.  Council members insisted that they schedule a time to meet with Baslestri later this week to explain for what they’re looking.

From there, they could use the findings of Balestri to give to either the La Salle County State’s Attorney or the Illinois Attorney General’s office if they choose.

Open House Tuesday for old La Salle gas plant

It’s been years since a plant that turned coal into gas was operating in La Salle but the contamination from the plant remains.

Work to cleanup the old sight near the city’s south sewage plant is underway.  Ameren is responsible for the cleanup of the property.

You can learn more about it during an open house from 3-6 p.m. Tuessday at the old gas plant.   It’s south of Canal Street and west of Joliet Street.

La Salle man dead after crash in Utica

While emergency responders were being called out to downed power lines and flooded roads, police and paramedics in Utica were handling a crash in a neighborhood just outside of Utica.

66-year-old Stephen Terrando of La Salle crashed his car shortly after 1:30pm Sunday.  Terrando was taken to Illinois Valley Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room.

The Utica Police Department and La Salle County Coroner’s office are investigating.

Investigators release name of teen killed in car crash

Saturday you heard about a crash near Triumph that killed one person and injured another.  Investigators say the person killed was 17-year-old Aaron Olsen of rural Troy Grove Township.

Police say Olsen rolled his car while on Highway 19 late Friday night.  Olsen and a 16-year-old boy from Mendota were taken to Mendota Community Hospital.  Olsen was pronounced dead and the other boy was transferred to Rockford Memorial Hospital.  Police have not said who the other boy was. 

Washington Tornado Had Nearly 200 Mile Per Hour Winds

LINCOLN, Ill. (AP) – The tornado that hit Washington had winds between 170 and 190 miles per hour.

National Weather Service meteorologists say the storm had a preliminary rating of an EF-4 which is considered very strong.

A tornado that touched down in southern Illinois near New Minden, about 45 miles southeast of St. Louis, also had a preliminary rating of an EF-4. A tornado near Coal City had wind gusts between 111 and 135 miles per hour, making it an EF-2.

La Salle County Declared Disaster Area

The damage wasn’t near as bad as it was to neighbors to the south but La Salle County has still been declared a disaster area.

Governor Pat Quinn has declared La Salle, Grundy, Champaign, Massac, Tazewell, Washington, and Woodford counties disaster areas.  The disaster declaration makes available personnel and assets like trucks and communications equipment during the cleanup.

Governor Quinn today is expected to tour damage in Washington, Diamond, Gifford, Brookport and New Minden.

Police Chase Covers Peru, La Salle And Oglesby

A police chase through three towns ended with no one hurt but an Oglesby man in big trouble.

Oglesby Police started chasing a car driven by Eric Fischer of Oglesby Sunday evening at the Interstate 39 and Route 6 interchange.  A woman called police saying she was being held against her will by Fischer.

Investigators say Fischer led police from Oglesby, La Salle and Peru on a relatively slow speed pursuit where he blew through red lights and stop signs.  After chasing Fischer nearly an hour, stop sticks were used and they were able to stop Fischer in Jonesville.

Fischer was arrested for aggravated fleeing and eluding police, reckless driving, three counts of disobeying a stop sign and two counts of disobeying a traffic control device.  The victim chose not to file charges for Fischer holding her against her will.

Fischer was taken to the La Salle County Jail.