Medical marijuana request sent to Peru’s plan commission

The medical marijuana industry is here to stay in Illinois according to the CEO of AgricareLabs, LLC.  Ethan Ruby wants to convert the former Yellow Trucking terminal in Peru into a medical marijuana cultivation center.  The company is applying for a state license and is asking Peru for a special use permit.

Ruby and AgricareLabs President Glenn Taylor shared their plan with the Peru City Council Monday night.  Taylor likes the site’s proximity to Interstates 80 and 39.

Ruby says security would be a priority and says they would likely have a contracted security firm to provide 24-hour on-site security along with surveillance cameras and routine physical security sweeps.

The company is investing $8 to 10 million into the project. They believe the center would create 35-50 jobs in the first year, with patient demand creating more jobs in the future.

Their special use request will be considered by the plan commission before a vote from the city council. Alderman Rodney Perez was the only council member against sending it to the plan commission.

Fires break out during and after severe weather

Whenever there is lightning, there’s always a good chance of fires.

The most serious fire Monday night appears to be in Hennepin where all Putnam County Fire Departments were told to go to just before 7 o’clock to a house fire was at 233 South 11th Street.. Cedar Point and Princeton Fire Departments also helped out as part of a mutual aid call.

At around the same time, Lostant Fire Department was called to a house fire just after 7 o’clock along North 16th Road. Leonore Fire Department was called to help.

Other minor fires during the storms included a shed fire in Princeton, a basement fire in Tonica and a fire behind a building at Fox River Resort.

Strong winds blamed for downed power lines in Bureau County

A severe thunderstorm packing 60 mile-per-hour winds swept through Bureau and Putnam Counties early Monday evening.  Bureau County Emergency Management Agency Director Keenan Campbell says lines were down and arcing in and around Sheffield, Buda, Wyanet and Princeton.  There were also a couple of garage fires.

A report of tornado was dismissed by the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities.  The severe thunderstorm warning was allowed to expire at 6:15pm Monday.

Road between Streator and Leonore closed because of construction work

A well-traveled road in southern La Salle County is closed because of construction.

Sandy Ford Road, or County Highway 5 will be closed between 7am and 3pm Monday through Thursday for culvert replacements. The culverts are between the Sandy Ford Bridge and Leonore Blacktop.  Detours are not posted.

Hobby Lobby wins contraception battle

WASHINGTON (AP) – Know anyone who works at Hobby Lobby?

A closely-watched Supreme Court case has ended in a victory for the owners of the franchise. The owners object to a provision of the new health care law requiring that they cover contraceptives for women — saying it violated their religious views. The high court ruled 5-to-4 that they don’t have to provide that coverage.

It’s the first time that the high court has ruled that profit-seeking businesses can hold religious views under federal law. But the ruling applies only to corporations that are controlled by just a few people — in which there’s no essential difference between the business and its owners.

Heavy rains pound the Illinois Valley

How much rain did you get overnight?

Over two inches of rain was reported in Princeton and McNabb. A quarter of an inch fell at the Classic Hits 103.9 WLPO studios in Oglesby.

Outside the Quad Cities, flash flooding is blamed for causing mudslides.  Bureau and Putnam Counties are under a Flash Flood Watch through midnight Monday.

Motorcycle crash kills Princeton EMT

Services are being held this week for a Princeton firefighter and EMT killed in a motorcycle crash. 28-year-old Kurt Garvin was participating in a poker run Saturday afternoon in Lee County when investigators say he lost control on a curve and hit a guardrail. Garvin wasn’t wearing a helmet.
He is being remembered by fellow emergency responders and people who grew up with him in Princeton. His visitation is Wednesday night with funeral services Thursday morning.

Illinois Valley in line for severe weather

June could go out with a real bang.

The National Storm Prediction Center has put the entire Illinois Valley at a “moderate risk” for severe weather Monday. The weather service says very warm and moist air will set the stage for severe storms to develop Monday afternoon into the evening.

Storms could produce damaging winds, hail, lightning and heavy rain.

Gay Pride Parade draws around a million

CHICAGO (AP) – Gov. Pat Quinn and about a million others attended the Gay Pride Parade in Chicago.

Quinn said he was proud to lobby for same-sex marriage and sign the law. It was the first Gay Pride Parade since gay marriage was legalized in Illinois.

The Democratic governor faces a re-election bid against GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner who has said voters should have decided whether to allow gay marriage. Quinn says he doesn’t “need a referendum to tell me what the right thing to do is.”

Investigation continues into Dwight double murder

DWIGHT, Ill. (AP) – Investigators say evidence is being tested as they continue looking into a Dwight shooting that left a mother and daughter dead.

An Illinois State Police spokeswoman says that state police and Dwight police are “making significant progress.”
Sixty-year-old Donna Denker and 30-year-old Kelli Denker were killed June 14 in Dwight. A 23-year-old man also was shot and is recovering. A $10,000 reward is available for information in the case.

Donna Denker was a retired mental health technician, and Kelli Denker was a manager at the Dwight Dairy Queen.