Unique List Of Local Conceal-Carry Instructors

If you’re eager to get a conceal-carry license, you need 16 hours of training first from a certified instructor.  Instructors in the Illinois Valley range from a police chief to a retired newspaper photographer.

There are 21 certified concealed-carry instructors in La Salle County including Terry Guisti of Peru who is president of Cops 4 Cancer.  Bureau County has six certified concealed-carry instructors including Princeton Police Chief Tom Root and retired NewsTribune photographer Kemp Smith who lives in Spring Valley.  General contractor Jaye Debates is the only concealed-carry instructor in Putnam County.

To find the list of approved instructors, click https://ccl4illinois.com/ccw/Public/FindInstructor.aspx

Area Catholics Head To Pro-Life Rally

A group of Ottawa Marquette Academy students are bound for Washington D.C., but it’s not just to soak up history.

The catholic school students will join thousands of others in Wednesday’s “Rally and March for Life” in the nation’s capital.  The march is in observance of the 41^st anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

The Diocese of Peoria is taking two busloads of teens and adults to the march as well including a group from Mendota.

Weekend Snow Varies From Town To Town

The latest snowstorm dumped anywhere from three to seven inches of snow in the Illinois Valley.

According to the National Weather Service, around seven inches fell in Streator with five inches in La Salle, Mendota and Ottawa. Weather spotters say 3.5 inches fell in Princeton and Sheridan and three inches in Hennepin.

There is a chance of light snow Monday.

Three Hurt in Rollover Near Lowell

There were a lot of crashes over the weekend, one near Lowell had three people taken to a hospital.

State Police, Tonica firefighters and an Oglesby Ambulance crew responded to a rollover Sunday afternoon on Route 178.  A vehicle had rolled into a field.

While three inside the vehicle were able to get out on their own, they were taken to Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru.  No names have been released yet.

Super Bowl teams being determined now

By the end of the day we will know which teams will be playing in the Super Bowl.

In the opening contest, the Denver Broncos are hosting to the New England Patriots in the AFC title game. They met back on Nov. 24 with the Patriots coming out on top 34-31. It will be the 15th time quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have squared off. New England’s Brady has come out on top in 10 of their 14 meetings. And he has won three Super Bowls while Manning has just one, while with Indianapolis.

Today’s second game has San Francisco playing at Seattle. This is the third meeting this season for the two NFC West teams. The Seahawks won the first game 29-3 while the Niners came back to take the second game 19-17. This game features two young quarterbacks in Russell Wilson of the Seahawks and Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers.

residents volunteering to honor MLK

Many Illinois residents are volunteering their time this weekend to pay tribute to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

In Carbondale, Land of Lincoln AmeriCorps members are organizing a drive to make cards for hospitalized children. In the Quad Cities, the American Red Cross and Safe Families Illinois AmeriCorps members are organizing food donations and delivering meals to those who are homebound.

Gov. Pat Quinn visited Spencer Elementary Technology Academy on Saturday where he called on Illinoisans to serve their communities as a way to honor the slain civil rights leader.

People can visit the website Serve.Illinois.Gov to find out about thousands of volunteer opportunities in the state. The opportunities can be searched by location, area of interest and whether they are ongoing or one-time projects.

Politics will drive next legislative session

The legislative session that begins later this month is expected to be more politically driven than last year’s because of the looming election.

Tax questions are expected to dominate the agenda as lawmakers return to Springfield Jan. 28.

Upcoming issues include what to do about the pending expiration of the temporary income tax, corporate tax incentives, Chicago pension reform and the possibility of a construction bill that could give a boost to Gov. Pat Quinn’s re-election bid.

Democrats’ veto-proof margins in the House and Senate as well as control of the governor’s mansion are on the line.

Republicans aim to convince voters that they’d be better stewards of public funds if put in charge. Democrats will portray Republicans as hurting the most vulnerable Illinoisans with aggressive cuts.

Wind today…and cold temperatures later

So many ways to define winter weather….the snow…the wind ….and the bitter cold. The latest snow event has gone, but the National Weather Service says to expect bitter cold wind chills Monday night through Friday morning. Highs Tuesday are expected at 8 above…..with nighttime lows before Friday could be at 0 or minus four.

Winds this afternoon may gust to 35 mph from the west causing blowing and drifting of snow and limited visibility in some rural areas.

Union is upset with Postal Service

The opening of Postal Service retail centers in dozens of Staples stores around the country is being met with threats of protests and boycotts by the agency’s unions.

The new retail outlets are staffed by Staples employees, not postal workers.

Labor officials say that move replaces good-paying union jobs with low-wage, nonunion workers.

The average postal clerk earns about $25 an hour, according to the union, plus a generous package of health and retirement benefits. The Staples post office counters are run by nonunion workers often making little more than the minimum wage.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe says the program has nothing to do with privatization and everything to do with customer service.

Illinois students killed on Texas road

Two Illinois college students have been killed and five others injured after their vehicle veered into oncoming traffic and was struck by an 18-wheeler in the Texas Panhandle.

A Texas Department of Public Safety news release says 18-year-old Victor Maldonado of Chicago and 23-year-old David Roman of Mundelein, Illinois were killed when the 2006 Chevrolet in which they were riding was struck by a tractor-trailer Friday morning.

Northeastern Illinois University spokeswoman Beth Campus says Maldonado and Roman were students at the Chicago school.

Northwest Texas Hospital spokeswoman Caytie Martin said Saturday that 19-year-old David Rubio of Berwyn, Illinois 21-year-old Kyle Thomas of Chicago and 19-year-old Seth Amofa of Chicago all were in satisfactory condition.

Two people in the tractor-trailer were treated and released from a nearby hospital.