Animal control removes beagles from a property in Bureau County

A group of beagles that had been living on a rural property near Arlington were seized by the Bureau County Animal Control.  The dogs, which had reportedly gone several days without food and water, were taken by animal control this afternoon.

Chris Ellberg of Illinois Valley Animal Rescue had been waiting to take the dogs in and had a place prepared for them at the shelter in La Salle when she found out today IVAR wouldn’t be needed.

Flood warning continues for the Illinois

Minor flooding is occurring along the Illinois River in La Salle.  The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning.  The river is expected to crest near La Salle Saturday evening at just less than 24 feet.  Flood stage is 20 feet at La Salle.  The river was just over 22 feet Saturday morning.

Near Ottawa, the river was just under flood stage and is predicted to crest at flood stage at midnight Sunday.

Cook County to begin issuing gay marriage licenses

     CHICAGO (AP) – Cook County Clerk David Orr says he’ll start issuing marriage licenses immediately for same-sex couples.

     Orr made the announcement Friday, just after a federal judge ruled gay couples in the Chicago area don’t have to wait until June to marry. That’s when the state law is set to take effect.

     Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman’s order says there is no reason to delay same-sex marriages. Her finding applies only to Cook County.

     Orr says he’ll keep the downtown Chicago Bureau of Vital Records open an extra two hours on Friday evening – until 7 p.m. He says he’s doing that to accommodate any couples who want to get marriage licenses after work. Only the downtown Chicago will issue same-sex licenses on Friday. All Cook County offices will offer licenses on Monday.

Former Ottawa Businessman Headed To Prison For Child Porn

A former TV and appliance store owner in Ottawa is headed to federal prison for child porn.

Jay Widemann was given 7 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to collecting over ten thousand illicit images and videos of children.  He also has to pay ten thousand dollars to seven victims.

Ottawa Police got word from the Dutch National Police that a computer in Ottawa was used to download child porn from a Dutch website.  Investigators tracked that computer down at Jay’s TV and Appliance.

Widemann has to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence.

Have A Heart Dance Returns To Benefit Red Cross

Red Cross volunteers are there when a family across town loses their home to a fire and when a rising river has people staying in a shelter.  You can help them continue to be there during emergencies by listening to music, sipping cocktails and munching on hors d’oeuvres.

The eighth annual Have a Heart Dance and Auction for the Illinois Valley Chapter of the Red Cross is Saturday, March 22nd at Senica’s Oak Ridge in La Salle.  You’ll find silent and live auctions and live music by The Steve Sharp Band.  Tickets are 50 dollars each.  Doors open at 5.

Miller Group Charitable Trust is presenting sponsor.  Miller Group Media includes classic hits 103.9 WLPO, 99.3 WAJK, 96.5 the Wolf, NewsTribune and AgriNews.

Wild Winter Weather Brings Everything From Hail To Snow

In the last 24 hours or so, the Illinois Valley has seen just about every type of weather phenomenon.

The fun started early Thursday with thunderstorms.  Over an inch of rain fell in Oglesby and many other spots.  A weather spotter in Ottawa saw penny size hail with a storm late yesterday morning.

By mid-afternoon, dense fog developed over much of the Illinois Valley followed by another round of storms.  A weather spotter in Peru clocked a 53 mile per hour wind gust early last evening.

The wild storm decided to then dump a dusting of snow before heading out for the weekend.

Gusty Winds Making Driving Hazardous In The Illinois Valley

The wind is still howling across the Illinois Valley.

A Wind Advisory is in effect until 3 this afternoon.  Southwest winds are sustained between 15 to 25 miles per hour with gusts up to 45 miles per hour.

The wind is making driving difficult including blowing and drifting snow on some roads.