St. Bede’s Garramone receives theater award

For many St. Bede Academy graduates, being called a “stage rat” is an honor.  Reverend Dominic Garramone has been St. Bede’s drama director and stage manager for 30 years. Saturday he received the Illinois Theatre Association’s 2014 Award of Excellence in Secondary School Theatre.

Garramone says theater teachers students life skills and how to work with others.  He also says studies show that students who participated in theater perform better academically in college.

Garramone says he got his start in theater thanks to his mother. He says he wouldn’t have received the award if it wasn’t for all the support he receives from the school, students, and parents.

Learn more about Garramone’s theater program by listening to an interview that’s available at the WLPO AM and FM news page.

La Salle man arrested on a Georgia warrant

La Salle is a long drive from Georgia, but a man arrested Monday will likely be making a return trip. After receiving being contacted by the Murray County Georgia Sheriff’s Department, La Salle Police officers arrested Thomas Somes.

Somes was wanted on a warrant for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender in Georgia. He was also arrested Fugitive from Justice. Police say more charges are pending. Somes was being held in the La Salle County Jail.

Four people go to hospital after crash in Tonica

Four people were hurt after a crash in Tonica.

Tonica firefighters, police and county deputies all went to the crash scene just before 6:30 Monday night on Route 251 and N. 20th Road. Two vehicles were involved.

The four people hurt were all taken to Illinois Valley Community Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Semi crashes into cornfield near Mendota

Some of the curves on Route 34 can be tough for a car to navigate let alone a semi.

Charles Meiner of Nebraska says he lost control on a curve Monday morning on Route 34 near Mendota. He damaged a sign, sod and about five rows of corn before overturning his semi.

Meiner wasn’t hurt.

Salvation Army hitting century mark in Ottawa

It won’t be long before the red kettles are back outside local stores. The kettles are a symbol of the Salvation Army and you’re invited to celebrate a hundred years of service by the Salvation Army in Ottawa and La Salle County.

The charity organization has been going strong in Ottawa since November of 1914. It’s moved around a lot before settling into its current home on West Madison Street in 1985.

The 100th birthday party for the Salvation Army is next Tuesday inside Festivities Unlimited on Route 6 in Ottawa. Dinner starts at 6 and its 15 dollars a person.

La Salle rolls out new texting alert system

You get texts from your child’s school and your pharmacy and now you can receive messages from La Salle. The new service just began Monday.

To sign up for text messages, send a text to 36000. In the body of the text type, jj971. Your cell phone provider will charge you based on your plan.

City officials plan to use the service for making city announcements.

New scam floating around Bureau County and elsewhere

There’s a new scam to worry about and this one involves text messaging.

Bureau County Sheriff John Thompson says the scam text tells you that you’ve won $800,000 and that you should contact a guy named Eric using a Google email account. The scam is sent from an email address linked to a non-U.S. based food production company.

If you get the text, delete it. Fall for it and you could be out some cash.