Who will donate the most food in Ladd?

For one day at least Ladd will be a divided town.

There’s a competition happening Saturday to see who can donate the most food, the east or west part of Ladd. Just leave donations on your porch or by your mailbox and guys with the Ladd Men’s Club will pick it up.

All the food collected helps out the Hall Township Food Pantry.

Bids come in high for expanding school in Peru

It’s going to cost more to add on and renovate Northview Elementary School in Peru than planned.

When you add in all construction costs plus things like architect and engineering fees, expanding Northview will cost about $400,000 more than estimated. Things like plumbing and electrical work both came in over estimate.

Vissering Construction of Streator got the construction bid at over $4.6 million while JB Contracting in La Salle will do electrical and plumbing for over $2 million.

A groundbreaking for the nearly $12 million construction project is next Wednesday.

Help available for people with signs of depression

People close to Robin Williams have said the actor was dealing with depression. Would you know how to spot depression and how to get help? Help and answers are closer than you think.

Diane Farrell is the Chief Clinical Officer at North Central Behavioral Health System in La Salle. Farrell says you might confuse feeling sad with depression, but depression lasts longer and does not improve with a change in circumstances.
You might notice that someone is having a hard time sleeping, their eating habits have changed and that they have a hard time finishing tasks. Farrell says you should tell them you are concerned about them, ask questions and then listen to what they want.

You can find prescreening tools for depression and other mental health disorders by visiting North Central’s website.  An interview with Farrell is available at the WLPO AM and FM news page.

Peru hires company to replace guardrails

The rickety old wooden guardrail along Seventh Street in Peru that couldn’t stop a bicycle, let alone a car, is being replaced.

The city is paying Illinois Valley Excavating $35,000 to replace the guardrail on Seventh with a steel guardrail. The price also includes new guardrails on May Road, the east end of Monks Avenue, Bluff Court and Route 6 and Pine.

More guardrails will be replaced next year.

Fire destroys house west of Tonica

The black smoke you saw near Tonica Tuesday morning was from fire consuming a two-story house. The fire was reported around 7:15am and had the house completely ablaze when firefighters from Tonica and Oglesby departments arrived.  Cedar Point and Lostant Fire also send trucks and Peru sent an ambulance.

Tonica Fire Information Officer Rick Turri says part of the house collapse keeping firefighters out. The house and everything in it is a total loss.

Roy Alleman Jr. owns the house. Everyone living there had already left for the day.

A state fire investigator is helping them figure out how the fire started.

“40 Under Forty” deadline quickly approaching

Know any young “movers and shakers” in the Illinois Valley who deserve to be recognized for their work?

The Small Business Development Center at Illinois Valley Community College is hosting its fourth annual “40 Under Forty”. They’re looking to honor people in the Illinois Valley under 40 years old who either run their own business or organization, are active in politics, or are considered problem solvers or leaders in their community.
Friday is the deadline to nominate someone for the “40 Under Forty”. There will be a recognition dinner October 2nd.

To nominate a person, click http://www.ivcc.edu/sbdc.aspx?id=19639

Winning bid for school expansion in Peru to be unveiled

The suspense ends today over who gets the job of building an addition onto Northview Elementary School in Peru.

The winning bidder will be announced at 5 as part of a special meeting of the Peru Elementary School Board. The plan is to build a large addition onto the north side of Northview School. This will bring second thru fourth grade over to Northview and close down the aging Washington School.

The district received an $11 million construction grant they hope covers the cost of the renovations.

More links found between Sheridan suicide and Dwight murders

The gun used by Joseph Sipple to kill himself in Sheridan was the same gun used to kill a mother and daughter in Dwight. That’s the latest from Dwight Police Chief Tim Henson.

Henson says a glock handgun that Sipple used to shoot himself in front of police in June was used to kill Kelli and Donna Denker just a few weeks before in their Dwight house.

The gun was allegedly stolen in Morris and officers were trying to arrest Sipple on a warrant for stolen property when he shot himself outside Sheridan. Last year he allegedly burglarized the Denker’s home.

Sipple was considered a past acquaintence with Kelli Denker but despite the growing evidence hasn’t officially been charged in her murder.