School Closing for Thursday

So close to the finish line, but not close enough.

Due to a water main break in the village Wednesday, Grand Ridge Grade School will not be in session Thursday.

Superintendent Dave Mathis says school will be in session Friday.

Stolen truck found during Streator robbery investigation

A white pickup truck stolen from a dealership in Streator has been found but the men accused of taking it have not. Streator Police continue to look for two men accused of robbing at knife point the Tobacco Store on North Bloomington Street Tuesday afternoon.

Police say the men left the store and headed south to Star Ford Lincoln Mercury where they took the truck.

The men are described as white and about 30-years-old. One of them has a cross tattoo on his forearm. If you know anything about the robbery or the men, call the Streator Police.

Public use of LPHS sports complex to begin Saturday

You’ll be able to run as hard as you like and with few distractions at the new LP High School Sports Complex. Starting Saturday the track and tennis courts will be open to everyone from 6am until 8pm, seven days a week.

LP Superintendent Steve Wrobleski says it’s important for school officials to make sure you have access to what they think is a premier athletics complex.

The complex opened for student use this spring. Grass is still coming in on the soccer field so they ask you not use it. The restrooms will also be closed.  The only times you won’t be able to use the track and courts are when school teams are using them or there’s some other scheduled event.  You’ll find the sports complex on Chartres Street north of the Hygienic Institute.  

Hear more from Wrobleski by listening to an interview that’s available at the WLPO AM and FM news page.

Free plane rides for children Saturday in Peru

Give your children a unique view of their community with a visit to the Illinois Valley Regional Airport in Peru Saturday.

The annual Young Eagles flying event gives children ages eight through 17 a free ride in a small airplane. Chuck Studer of Midwest Avtech says it’s a good time.

Rides will be offered from 9am until 2pm.  Studer says the aircraft will be small, four-seat airplanes rented out by the Illinois Valley Flying Club. Parents will not be allowed to go up with the children. All children must have a signed permission form.

An interview with Studer is available at the WLPO AM and FM news page.

Citywide garage sales planned for Spring Valley

If you enjoy garage sales plan a trip to Spring Valley June 5-7. Citywide garage sales are being scheduled for the first weekend in June.

If you are holding a sale and would like to be included on a city map, let the City Clerk’s office know by Monday.

Princeton child dies while sitting in family vehicle

Counselors are providing support to students at Jefferson Elementary School in Princeton after a five-year-old boy died over the weekend.

Funeral services are Wednesday for Logan Jacobs. Jacobs was pronounced dead Sunday night at Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton after he was found inside a family vehicle with the windows up and doors locked. He had been inside the vehicle for around two hours.

Investigators believe he asked his dad if he could play on his tablet and family members thought he was doing that in his room. The tablet was found plugged into a charger in the vehicle.

Autopsy results are pending.

Starved Rock officials will review how they handle huge crowds

A man who has worked at Starved Rock State Park for over 30 years says he’s never seen a crowd like the one over Memorial Day weekend.

Assistant Park Superintendent Don Petre guesses over 80,000 people visited the park in Utica between Saturday and Monday. Petre says visitors came from all over. There was even a family from Poland.
While business was good, the number of people forced the south entrance of Starved Rock to close Sunday afternoon for about 40 minutes. Petre says this was done mainly for safety reasons so that ambulances and police still could get in the park.

Conservation Police Sgt. Hank Frazier says westbound Interstate 80 traffic trying to get into Utica was backed up for a mile at one point Sunday. He plans to talk with park officials and the Illinois Department of Transportation about how to better handle huge crowds in the future.