Hearing to focus on sand mine water discharge

Operators of a sand mine north of Interstate 80 in La Salle want to send water into the Pecumsaugum Creek. To do this, Qualilty Sand Products needs a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.

You can learn more about the plans for run-off and discharged water during a public hearing at LP High School. The hearing is so the Illinois Environmental Protect Agency can get your comments.

If you can’t make it, the IEPA will be accepting comments through July 2.   Kim Biggs with the IEPA says the hearing is only for the water discharge and not the mining.

Biggs says the agency won’t make a decision about the permit until after a Responsiveness Summary.  

The hearing begins at 6pm Tuesday at LP High School.

IVCC Nursing Program receives a donation

Illinois Valley Community College has a proud history of nursing. A large donation should keep the tradition going.

The family of the late Phyllis Hackman of Granville donated $16,000 to create a nursing scholarship in her memory at IVCC. Hackman graduated from the St. Mary’s School of Nursing in La Salle in 1950 and was a registered nurse for many years.

IVCC President Jerry Corcoran says “many future nurses will benefit from the Hackman family’s generosity”.

Organ restoration underway at LPHS

The Aeolian pipe organ inside of LP High School is undergoing the first phase of restoration. Time and water damage have left it in rough shape. The organ was built when the auditorium was built 1929.

Steve Grigoletti of J.L. Weiler has been working on the organ since June 2. He replaced the original cable that ran from the console in the auditorium and through the basement to a blower room just for the organ. The organ spans three stories and has over 2,000 pipes.

Grigoletti says a lot of the organ was made using organic materials that have started to fall apart.  He says they’re going to make as much of it play as they can. He says finding an organ like this in a school auditorium is rare. He calls the organ a national treasure because Aeolian was an American company and the organ is largely intact.

The school is primarily using insurance money and donations for the repairs. More work will be needed.

La Salle changes style of invoices

Your next City of La Salle utility bill will look different. For years bills were sent out on postcards but that’s changing because of new software at city hall.

Treasurer John Duncan III says your bill will arrive in a sealed envelope. All invoices will be sent out on or around the 20 ^th of each month. Bills will be due on or around the 6 ^th of each month.

 

Kinzinger wants U.S. action in Iraq

If your congressman has his say, the United States answer to the militants in Iraq is air strikes.

Republican Adam Kinzinger says he started calling for air strikes back in January against the militant group ISIS who are overrunning parts of Iraq. He says this group is so bad that Al-Qaeda split from them because they thought ISIS was too extreme. Kinzinger calls the current situation a “worst case scenario” that can’t be ignored.

At the very least Kinzinger thinks air strikes can slow down ISIS and allow Iraqi forces to regroup. He thinks the Iraqi president can help the situation out as well by unifying the country by allowing Sunni representation in the government.

Another successful Relay for Life in the books for La Salle County

This year’s Relay for Life of La Salle County has been deemed a big success.

Coordinator Cheryl Canale says they’ve raised $200,000 and are still counting donations. Money raised goes to the American Cancer Society.

Almost 40 teams took part in Friday night’s relay at Streator High School’s track. Canale says by having it at the track it accomplished her goal of more people getting back to walking throughout the night and making it a true relay.

Sports bar shooting in East Peoria leaves three dead

EAST PEORIA, Ill. (AP) – Three people are dead after a gunman shot two people at an East Peoria sports bar before he was shot and killed by an off-duty officer.

The gunman allegedly walked into The Fifth Quarter bar Saturday night and shot two people who were at a high school reunion before he was shot and killed by the officer.

The victims were 33-year-old Lori Moore of Morton and a 36-year-old Lance Griffel of Peoria. Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll says both were shot in the head.

Police haven’t identified the gunman.