Veteran firefighter to become new chief in Ottawa

The next fire chief in Ottawa knows his way around the department.

Captain Steve Haywood will take over later this month for retiring Chief Jeff Newbury. Haywood has been with the Ottawa Fire Department for 27 years starting as a firefighter. He moved up to become a lieutenant before his current title of captain. Haywood is the EMS coordinator for the fire department and is part of the MABAS Division 25 Hazardous Materials Response Team.

Newbury is retiring to be an assistant professor of fire science at Sauk Valley Community College.

Movie and children’s games added to PVAS cruise night

You’ve watched the musical “Grease” but have you watched it from the comfort of a Thunderbird? You’ll have that option during a car cruise fundraiser for the Peru Volunteer Ambulance Service.

Jim Zborowski of PVAS says instead of parking in the Carus lot by the ambulance building, you’ll be at Centennial Park in Peru where you’ll find children’s games and a drive-in movie.  He says they’re trying to appeal to more than just car lovers by adding family activities and the movie.

The movie will be “Grease”. If you enter a car you’ll be able to watch from your car. If not, you can set up lawn chairs or blankets.

Activities will start at 2pm Saturday with vendor stands. Registration for the cars begins at 4pm. Entering a car is $12. A cruise through town will leave from the park at 6pm. The movie is expected to start around 8:15pm. Food, soda and popcorn will be on sale.

You can pre-register to enter a car by stopping by the PVAS building. The earlier you register, the better parking spot you’ll have to watch the movie.

Learn more about the car cruise and PVAS by listening to an interview that’s available at the WLPO AM and FM news page.

Amboy girl dies after ATV accident

If you were following the story about the girl that was seriously injured during an ATV accident near Amboy, the girl has died.

Seven-year-old Makenzie Rutherford of Amboy died Tuesday morning at Rockford Memorial Hospital. She was taken there after the ATV she was riding on hit a deer Sunday night.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Department says Brian Dees of Amboy was driving the ATV and had Rutherford sitting in front of him while Rutherford’s mother, Cassandra Gray, was sitting behind him. Police say no one was wearing a helmet. Dees was ticketed for operating an ATV on the road.

Dees was tested for drugs and alcohol but the results won’t be available for several weeks.

Oglesby City Council open to growing medical marijuana

“It’s going to come, so you might as well get on board”. That was Oglesby Commissioner Paul Danekas’ opinion on Oglesby opening the door for a medical marijuana cultivation center.

According to the NewsTribune, the city council Monday night sent a request from Green Thumb Industries to its zoning board of appeals to allow cannabis growing in Oglesby. The company wants to build a cultivation center to the south of Love’s Travel Stop.

If approved by the state, GTI says they’ll create up to 100 jobs and be Oglesby’s largest electric user.

Semi heavily damages walking bridge at Starved Rock

More bad luck at Starved Rock State Park.

With several trails still closed because of storm damage, a walking bridge may now have to be replaced after a semi crashed into it yesterday morning. State Police say a trucker from Iowa was driving up the lower entrance road between the visitor’s center and lodge when his trailer hit the bridge.

Nobody was hurt and the driver wasn’t ticketed.