Tornado aid may be too small

The mayor of tornado-damaged Washington in central Illinois says he’s not sure if state money will entirely pay for the cost of last year’s storms.

Mayor Gary Manier says he’s not sure if his city’s share of $45 million in state aid will be enough. Gov. Pat Quinn announced the funding after the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied the state’s request for local government assistance.

Manier says he thinks the city can come “pretty close” to paying all of its tornado-related bills. He says he’s particularly concerned about the lack of property taxes to support the area’s schools, parks and libraries.

Oglesby garage fires suspicious

    Oglesby Fire chief Ron Popurella has asked a state fire marshall to examine a Piety Hill garage after two suspicious fires in four hours Saturday morning.

     The News Tribune reports Oglesby firemen were called about midnight Friday to a burning garage on East 450 road just south of Route 351. The garage sits just east of an unoccupied house. The fire was extinguished but firemen returned at 4:15am to find the structure engulfed and about to collapse.

     This time the fire destroyed a 1960’s Pontiac Bonneville inside and substantially damaged the east half of the house.

 

Man stalks ill teen through “Caring Bridge”

Waukesha County, Wisconsin authorities have arrested a 30-year-old man accused of stalking a terminally ill 13-year-old girl.

Prosecutors say Shannon Bailey found the girl on Caring Bridge, a website families use to update friends on the medical conditions of loved ones.

Turkey hunting numbers down from last year

Turkeys in the Illinois Valley are on the edge.

Illinois’ spring turkey hunting season is now underway with the youth season kicking off this weekend and April 14th for everyone else. Just like with deer, the number of turkeys being shot down by Illinois hunters is on the decline.

Hunters in La Salle County took down 101 turkeys last year, compared to 120 the year before. Bureau County turkey hunt numbers went down from 140 to 121 while Putnam County turkey hunters took down 38 birds last year compared to 52 the year before.

 

Trout fishing is underway

It may not seem possible with the weather but the 2014 Spring Trout Fishing Season in Illinois is now underway.

The season officially opened up yesterday. Each year the state stocks bodies of water with rainbow trout. In the Illinois Valley Lake Mendota, the Hennepin Canal Parkway and Lock 14 in La Salle are all stocked.

You have to have a valid fishing license and an inland trout stamp. During the trout season, the daily possession limit is five.