Police announce July 4th patrols

Unless you want to ask for a ride to work everyday, don’t drink and drive. With the July Fourth holiday approaching, the La Salle and Peru Police Departments are watching for drunken drivers and people who don’t wear seat-belts.

They are particularly watching at night. The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket It campaigns will continue through a week from Sunday.

Garden walks planned for Streator and Ottawa

Blooming roses and geraniums and lush greens await you in Streator and Ottawa. The 2nd Annual Streator Garden Club’s Garden Walk is from 10am -3pm Saturday . For $10 you’ll be able to tour six gardens

Sunday, the Sunrise Rotary’s 8th Annual Garden Walk will feature Reddick Mansion and other gardens in Ottawa. Tickets are $12.

Tickets available for Concerts for a Cause rock festival

Tickets are now on sale at Lou’s La Grotto in Peru and Wyanet Carpet in Princeton for the Peru stop of the Uproar Festival.

If you buy them in person, they’re $48. You can also order tickets online for $53 at the Lou’s website.

The Uproar Festival show is Saturday, August 16th at the Illinois Valley Regional Airport. Ten bands will perform including Godsmack, Seether and Buckcherry.

Centennial School in Streator will receive some of the proceeds.

Over a thousand Chicago teachers laid off

CHICAGO (AP) – A reduced number of students expected in the fall has prompted the layoff of teachers and other staff.

The 1,150 employees, all Chicago Teachers Union members, were told yesterday of their layoffs. The total is less than half the number laid-off last year after the closing of more than 50 schools.

Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett says the district is projected to have 1,780 teaching vacancies in the fall, 1,420 of which are full-time slots. She said the teachers given pink slips can apply for positions made available by retirements and transfers.

Jobless rates in the Illinois Valley heading in right direction

May was another positive month for local unemployment numbers. La Salle County’s May unemployment was 8.9 percent, more than one point lower than in May 2013.

Bureau County unemployment also experienced a decline from the same time last year. May unemployment was 7.4 percent, down from 8.2 percent last May. Putnam County May 2014 unemployment was 8.2 percent, down more than two percent from last May.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security says non-farm payroll was down 575 from one year ago. There were gains in transportation-warehousing-utilities and other services.