Peru mayor wants council to pick a medical pot company to endorse

Medical marijuana cultivation centers use a tremendous amount of electricity which is why Peru Mayor Scott Harl thinks it is time the city council endorse one of the four companies applying to the State Department of Agriculture.  Harl says the companies will be judged on a weighted system with an endorsement makes up 16% of their score.

State Police District 17 will only have one cultivation center and not all of the applicants want to develop in Peru. Four companies would open in Peru and so far only one of them has actually received the special use permit that’s required.

The deadline for companies to apply is September 22. Harl says the last chance the city council has to make an endorsement is September 8.

Man arrested for home invasion in rural Sheridan

The weekend was anything but quiet in rural Sheridan where police were called for an unwanted visitor with a gun.

Roy Day of Millington was arrested for home invasion after allegedly busting into someone’s house. Day was taken to the La Salle County Jail.

The La Salle County Sheriff’s office and Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services are investigating.

Cleanup underway at Starved Rock State Park

Chainsaws have been buzzing at Starved Rock State Park. Crews with Brandt Construction began clearing trees and debris from trails Friday. Much of the park has been closed since a severe storm swept across the region six weeks ago.

Kathy Casstevens is the Marketing Director for Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center. She understands why the crowd has shifted to Matthiessen State Park but says the eastern trails at Starved Rock are open.  You can also hike to the top of the rock and the visitor’s center.

Casstevens says she’s not sure when the trails will reopen but she’ll announce it when they do.

You can learn more about hiking opportunities at Starved Rock and Matthiessen Parks by listening to an interview that’s available at the WLPO AM and FM news page.

Two semi crashes on I-80 leave two drivers dead

A deadly day on Interstate 80. Two semi drivers are dead in separate westbound crashes that happened under an hour apart.

Just before four Sunday morning, Dung Nguyen of California crossed over from the eastbound lanes to westbound lanes of traffic between Ottawa and Marseilles. He hit an oncoming semi, killing that driver who hasn’t been identified. Nguyen and a passenger of his from California survived. He was ticketed for a handful of things including improper lane usage.

About 70 miles down the road and around 45 minutes later, a semi driver was killed between Atkinson and Geneseo. State Police say the fatal crash also involved two semis. Troopers say a semi was parked on the westbound I-80 shoulder when the other driver rear-ended the parked big rig. The driver who slammed into the parked semi was pronounced dead.

Both semi crashes closed stretches of I-80 for over six hours.