LC board approves pay raises for patrol officers and jail guards

La Salle County patrolmen and women and jail guards are receiving pay raises.  The La Salle County Board Thursday approved a two-year contract with members of the Metropolitan Alliance of Police, or MAP. 

The officers and guards will receive a 25 cent or 1.5% raise in year one, whichever is higher and a 40 cent pay raise in the second year.  Non-union county employees like clerical staff are getting the same pay raises. 

The first year of the contract actually ended last month.  The new contract ends this November. 

La Salle County Chairman Jerry Hicks says they still have to work out union contracts with nursing home and highway department workers. 

Boil order issued in La Salle

Repairs are still being made to a water main that broke near the Hegeler Carus Mansion in La Salle.  The break was discovered Tuesday night.

City workers had to shut off water Thursday afternoon.  Once the water is back on there will be a boil order for Union Street from 6^th to 7^th; on 7^th from Union to Todd; on Todd from 5^th to 7^th and the southwest corner of Sterling and 7^th until further notice.

Catalytic converters stolen from cars in Peru

If your car seems to be running loudly, maybe something is missing.  Someone was stealing catalytic converters from cars in Peru Wednesday.

Peru Deputy Police Chief Bob Pyszka says they were taken from five cars that were parked for long hours at businesses near Interstate 80.  It would seem someone slid under the cars and took the parts for scrap.

He says it’s happened in other towns along I-80.  If you saw anything suspicious call the Peru Police Department or Illinois Valley Crimestoppers.

A similar thing happened in Streator Tuesday.  Someone took the catalytic converter from a car while someone was at work.

Thousands Of Illinoisans Continue To Sign Up For “Obamacare”

CHICAGO (AP) – More than 88,000 Illinoisans signed up for private health insurance during the first four months of the nation’s new insurance marketplace system. That’s just about what federal officials had projected for the state’s enrollment by this point.

A federal report says 88,602 Illinoisans selected plans through the new marketplace from Oct. 1 through Feb. 1. That number nearly matches the Obama administration’s original goal of 88,660 Illinoisans by the end of January.

A statewide marketing campaign is underway to boost the numbers even higher. Technical problems with the HealthCare.gov website during the first three months kept many people from signing up.

The administration set a goal of signing up 7 million people nationwide by March 31.

Warmer Weather Could Bring Flooding

If you’re yearning for warmer temperatures, you may get them a week from now.

The National Weather Service says its getting more likely that a next Wednesday thru Friday could see high temperatures in the mid to upper-40s.  The only downside is if the snow and ice melts too quickly, there’s concern for flooding.

Any rain during next week’s warm up would also make flooding more likely.