Countywide transit system is a hit

Did you know La Salle County has buses and vans that can take you from one end of the county to the other for a small fee?

Ottawa City Commissioner Dale Baxter says demand for rides with the North Central Area Transit bus system continues to grow and will get greater in the future as more people know it’s available. To try and keep up with the demand, the city council put on file a lease agreement with Illinois Valley Community Hospital for a bus offered thru NCAT. The council also voted to hire another part-time bus driver.

Baxter says they recently added two new buses NCAT through a federal grant. The buses replace others that had well over 100,000 miles on them.

To find out more about NCAT such as rates and how to call and set up a ride, click.

After further review, brief tornado did touch down in Earlville

After studying pictures and seeing the damage up close, the National Weather Service is now saying it was a tornado that hit Earlville.

The weather service says the tornado touched down in Earlville at just after 9 Monday night and lasted for a mile and a half. It was 50 yards wide and had maximum winds of 110 miles per hour. It didn’t cause any injuries.

The assessment team says besides the tornado, there were also straight-line winds of 80 to 100 miles per hour in and around Earlville.

The weather service says a small and brief tornado also hit near Plainfield Monday night. They blame heavy damage in Morris on straight-line winds.

Red Cross helping out in Earlville

When disaster strikes, you can count on the Red Cross.

The Red Cross and Salvation Army are in Earlville helping those ravaged by Monday night’s storm. Sarah Stasik with the Red Cross says they’re set up at the Earlville Fire Station providing food and water. McDonalds donated breakfast.

The Red Cross is working with emergency management officials in assessing the damage and community needs in Earlville.

UPDATE: trails remain closed at Starved Rock State Park

The thousands of trees at Starved Rock State Park add to the beauty of the trails, but unfortunately Monday’s strong storms left the trails and roadways littered with branches.

The trails at Starved Rock will be closed Tuesday until the branches and debris are cleared according to Kathy Casstevens of the Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center.

The Lodge and visitor’s center were without power but service has been restored. Casstevens says Matthiessen and Buffalo Rock Parks are open. If you go hiking, be careful because the trails will be slippery.

Rivers on the rise again

How dry is your basement after several rounds of storms on Monday?

Flood Warnings have been issued for the Illinois River in La Salle and the Fox River north of Ottawa near Dayton.
The Illinois in La Salle this morning is right at the 20 foot flood stage. It’s expected to rise another three feet before leveling off Thursday morning.

The Fox in Dayton right now is under the 12 foot flood stage but is expected to quickly rise to about 14 feet by tomorrow morning. When it gets that high, homes near Wedron are in danger of flooding.

A Flood Advisory is also in effect for the Illinois River in Ottawa.