La Salle County suicide related to double murder in Dwight?

Could a man who shot and killed himself in front of La Salle County deputies be behind a double-murder in Dwight?

Joseph Sipple killed himself June 27 outside a home in Sheridan as deputies say they were attempting to arrest him on a warrant for possession of stolen property. Dwight Police Chief Tim Henson says Sipple was a former acquaintance of Kelli Denker. Denker and her mother, Donna were found shot and killed June 14th in a Dwight home.

While saying Sipple and Denker were acquaintances, Henson refuses to say Sipple is a suspect in the Denker murders. He does say they’ve found the murder weapon and that the murder suspect was a white man with facial hair and an orange hoodie.

A man who was shot along with the Denkers survived and was able to give a description of the shooter to Dwight paramedics.

Wrighton returning to Streator

A career that has gone from Streator to the University of Georgia and eventually to India has a man and his family returning to Streator. Scot Wrighton, Streator’s first city manager, is returning to the position after being chosen by Mayor Jimmie Lansford and the city council. Wrighton will replace Paul Nicholson who is retiring.

Wrighton worked in Streator City Hall from 1987 to 1994. After that he was on the faculty of the Carl Vinson Institution of Government at the University of Georgia. Since 2009, he has served as the city manager of a private city development in India.

He’ll continue to work on some of his international projects while in Streator.

Wrighton is moving to Streator next month and will assume his new position at the end of the year when Nicholson retires.

Trinity Catholic nears gym floor fundraising goal

It’s not the basketball season but the push is on at Trinity Catholic Academy in La Salle for a new gym floor.

A fundraising drive began in the fall and the school is only $1,000 away from their goal of $30,000. They recently received a big push from an anonymous donor giving a $1,000.  If you want to donate, make your donation out to the TCA Gym Floor Fund.

UPDATE: US intel says Malaysian plane shot down by missile

WASHINGTON (AP) – A U.S. official says that American intelligence authorities now believe a surface-to-air missile took down the Malaysian passenger plane as it flew over eastern Ukraine Thursday.

The official says the U.S. is still working to determine additional details about the crash, including who fired the missile and whether it came from the Russian or Ukraine side of the border. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. has sophisticated technologies that can detect missile launches, including the identification of heat from the rocket engine.

The plane was carrying 295 people. The Ukraine government and pro-Russian separatists who are fighting in that region have both denied responsibility for the strike.

Former L-P wrestling coach pleads guilty to child porn and sex abuse charges

A former head wrestling coach at LP High School will spend at least the next two and a half years behind bars.  Matt Fletcher pled guilty Thursday morning to aggravated criminal sexual abuse and child pornography.  He was given five years in prison but likely won’t serve the entire sentence.

Fletcher admitted to exchanging sexual text messages with two 17-year-old students and having physical contact with one of them while working as a security greeter and wrestling coach. Prosecutors say there was a third student also involved but charges involving her were dropped as part of the plea deal.

When given the chance to talk during his sentencing, Fletcher had no comment.  After Fletcher does his prison time, he’ll be on probation for over two years. He had no prior criminal history.

Grain bin rescue near Newark

Working in a grain bin can be a dangerous job.

A man was trapped in a grain bin Wednesday afternoon east of Newark after his leg got stuck in an auger. By time deputies and paramedics arrived at the Grainco FS plant in Kendall County, the man was conscious. He was flown to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.

His name hasn’t been released.

L-P and trucking company in disagreement over tax bill

Without property taxes, schools would struggle to survive so it’s understandable that they fight for every penny.

The L-P School Board wants their attorney Walt Zukowski to get involved in Con-Way Freight’s tax appeal. The trucking company believes property value has gone down so in turn their tax bill should be less.

L-P Superintendent Steve Wrobleski says what the board thinks Con-Way Freight should be paying in property taxes versus what they think their bill should be is well into six figures.