Econo Lodge Fire In Princeton

Hotels offer smoking rooms but one in Princeton was literally smoking.

The 2^nd floor of the Econo Lodge was evacuated Tuesday night after an air conditioning unit caught fire in a room.  Princeton firefighters had it under control in about an hour.

The air conditioning unit was a total loss and the room it was in has smoke damage.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Heroin Arrest In Peru

Peru Police think they’ve nailed a big time heroin dealer.

Curt Koehler of Oglesby was pulled over Wednesday afternoon on Shooting Park Road and allegedly had 27 packages of heroin with him.  Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei says they had been watching Koehler for a while and he had sold heroin many times.  Koehler was allegedly bringing heroin back and forth from Chicago.

He’s expected to be formally charged in La Salle County court Thursday.

ADM Staying In Illinois

CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is welcoming the news that Archer Daniels Midland Company is moving its global headquarters to the city from Decatur.

Emanuel’s office says ADM’s move will help solidify Chicago’s ranking as one of the top cities in the world for international headquarters. ADM announced today that about 50 to 75 employees will work in the new corporate office, but says a decision on where it will locate a new technology center hasn’t been made.

ADM is expected to move its corporate offices to Chicago next year.

Alcohol Now Readily Available In South Ottawa

Just in time for holiday parties, you now have a few choices to buy booze on the south side of Ottawa.

Krogers, Sav-A-Lot along with the Shell and BP stations have all received licenses to sell liquor.  The Ottawa City Council two months ago lifted a ban on sales of liquor on the south side.  The alcohol ban was in place since World War Two.

Restaurants can also ask to start serving alcohol but they need to prove the majority of their profits are made from selling food.

New Security For New IVCC Tech Center

With a nice, new building on campus comes the need for someone to watch over it.

The Illinois Valley Community College Board of Trustees agreed to pay over 18 bucks an hour for a security officer to be at the main entrance of the Peter Miller Community Technology Center.  The officer will be with G4S Secure Solutions who has provided security at IVCC the last three years.

Earlier this fall the trustees started paying Oglesby Police to have an armed officer on campus 20 hours a week.