Chili, chicken, and music included in Lostant Fall Festival

Saturday will be a nice day for a drive to Lostant. The village’s fall festival is begins with a pancake and sausage breakfast and goes until after midnight with live music in the park.  You’ll find items and food on sale in the park from 11am to 2pm. You’ll be able to sample chili from the chili cook-off from 11am until 12:30pm. There will also be apple butter and apple cider.

Kids can play on the inflatables and have their face painted. A bean bag tournament starts at 1pm.  For dinner, you can grab a plate of chicken at the fire station.  Saturday night’s entertainment includes a family movie at the fire station, a beer garden in the park and live music.

Child safety seat check Saturday in Peru

You read the instructions before installing your child’s car seat but you’re still not sure if you did it correctly. Most child safety seats are installed incorrectly or have been recalled.

Have someone double check your work during a car seat check tomorrow at Fulmer’s BP Amoco in Peru. You can stop by between 10am and 1pm. There is no charge.  It’s sponsored by the Peru Police Department.

OSHA fines a foundry in Millington

A foundry in Millington is in trouble with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA.

During a follow-up inspection, OSHA cited KVK Foundry for two “willful and two repeat violations”. OSHA says they failed to maintain requirements for respiratory protection and hearing standards for their workers. Since KVK was fined in 2012 for the same thing, OSHA is proposing fines of near $50,000.

KVK Foundry has a couple weeks to comply, request a hearing or contest the fines. A message left by Classic Hits 103.9 WLPO hasn’t been returned by KVK officials.

Civil War era comes to life in Ottawa

Imagine tired Union and Confederate soldiers clashing on a battlefield. You can experience the battles and learn how the people of La Salle County contributed to the war effort during a weekend of living history in Ottawa.

The WHL Wallace Memorial Committee is calling it “Civil War ‘64”. Chuck Sanders is one of the people behind the event. He says the weekend is about teaching about La Salle County’s ties to the Civil War and raising money to maintain the Dickey-Wallace Cemetery where General Wallace is buried.

An open house at the Reddick Mansion from 6-9pm Friday night and focuses on the role of women during the war. Saturday you’ll find re-enactments, a camp and field hospital set up in Fox River Park.

As the sun sets Saturday, 810 luminaries will be lit in Washington Square to remember each of the La Salle County soldiers that were killed.

Gas prices heading down in most parts of the Illinois Valley

What a difference 15 to 20 miles can make when it comes to how much you pay for gas.

According to GasBuddy.com, you can find gas in Peru, Oglesby, La Salle and Utica for between $3.13 to $3.19 a gallon. Yet as of Thursday night in Ottawa, some stations were still charging $3.49 to $3.59 a gallon.

At least one part of the state has gas for under three bucks. Stations in Chillicothe are selling unleaded for $2.98 a gallon.

The statewide price of unleaded is $3.52 a gallon, down almost a dime from last Friday.

Latest designs unveiled for new Route 178 bridge in Utica

If you like the style of the new Shippingsport Bridge in La Salle you’ll like look of a new bridge proposed for Route 178 south of Utica.

Engineers with the Illinois Department of Transportation Thursday shared tentative plans for a new bridge. Village President Gloria Alvarado says plans for the new bridge are beautiful and she’s excited it includes a bicycle and walking path. The path will span from the entrance to Starved Rock State Park to about the Village Hall.

The bridge will be about six feet higher than the old bridge, requiring the approaches to be build up and extended. The new bridge will be built just east of the old bridge. The old bridge will remain open during construction.

If you have comments are suggests, IDOT is accepting feedback until October 2. After that, engineers will move into the second phase of planning. That could take a year and a half to two years. The third phase would be construction.

Deputies chase down Serena woman who allegedly had heroin

A Serena woman couldn’t out run deputies from La Salle County.

The sheriff’s office says they pulled over Mallory Petersen Wednesday night after she tried getting away from them on Route 52 near Serena. She was arrested for aggravated fleeing to elude police, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a hypodermic needle and speeding. Petersen is accused of having heroin.

She was taken to the La Salle County Jail.