Peru pickleball courts to be closed for the weekend

You’ll have to go a weekend without playing pickleball in Peru. A crew with U.S. Tennis Court Construction is in town Saturday to change back the pickleball courts at 28th Street Park to tennis courts.

Pickleball is being moved out of the park because neighbors had complained about the noise. Instead, one of the tennis courts at Washington Park is being converted into a pickleball court.

You won’t be able to use the courts until Monday morning at the earliest so they paint will have time to dry.

Ottawa gets EPA grant to clean up old gas plant property

Part of what made Ottawa the town it is today is industry. As the city looks to develop for the future, they’re now trying to clean up old industrial sites.

The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Ottawa a $200,000 grant to look at abandoned industrial sites including property they hope to redevelop as a harbor and amphitheater along the Illinois River. Mayor Bob Eschbach says part of the old Central School property was a gasification plant and may have some contamination. He says they need this taken care of before pursuing new riverfront development.

This is the third Brownfield cleanup grant Ottawa has received since 2008. Previously the city used grant money to clean up the property where Illinois Valley Community College’s Ottawa campus sits now.

Eschbach hopes cleanup at the old Central School property can be done in a year and construction of a harbor and amphitheater starts a few years after that.

IV Food Pantry is in need of basic offerings

If you’re going to the store could you buy a few boxes of macaroni and cheese? Add a few cans of corn and green beans too.

The Illinois Valley Food Pantry in La Salle is low on supplies. Pantry Director Donna Hess says they need mac and cheese, canned vegetables, instant potatoes and cereal.

The pantry services families in La Salle, Peru, Oglesby and surrounding area. You’ll find them in the 100 block of Marquette Street in La Salle.

Investigation underway into an attempted abduction attempt in Walnut

Patrols are being ramped up in and around Walnut after an alleged child abduction attempt.

Walnut Police Chief Thomas Ptasnik says an 11-year old girl told them she was approached Thursday night by a man in a silver van who asked if she was alright after she had fallen from her bike. The girl said no when the man asked if she needed a ride. He then allegedly got out of the van and grabbed her. She told police she kicked the man as hard as she could and ran away.

Ptasnik says the van was last seen heading south on Main Street in Walnut. The man is in his 50s with black hair and was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans. If you have information call the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office.

Ptasnik says he believes this is a credible report.

New parking lot planned at IVCC for people with disabilities

Students who use wheelchairs or just have difficulty walking will soon have a parking lot of their own at Illinois Valley Community College.

College trustees are seeking bids to build an Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA-only parking lot near the front of the Peter Miller Community Technology Center. The estimated cost is around $280,000. The lot will have 18 parking spaces.

All the parking lots currently at IVCC are ADA compliant but not necessarily convenient for people with disabilities.

Huge yard sale returns for Father’s Day weekend

Are you a bargain hunter? How does a 120-mile long yard sale sound?

The annual More on 34 sales are back Friday and Saturday. The sales run from Galesburg to Yorkville. Towns in the listening area taking part include: Sheffield; Wyanet; Princeton; LaMoille; Mendota; Earlville; Somonauk; and Sandwich. In Princeton indoor and outdoor sales will be at the Bureau County Fairgrounds.

Most sales begin at 8 and end at 5.