Peru receives request for medical marijuana dispensary

Soon you’ll be able to get a prescription for medical marijuana, but you won’t be able to have it filled at a traditional pharmacy. State law requires that medical marijuana be distributed through a licensed dispensary.

Ken Mollan is asking Peru for a special use permit so the Holistic Company, LLC can open a dispensary on in the 800 block of 21^st Street. The area is zoned for business, but not that kind of business.

The request will be considered by the planning commission before it can be approved by the council. The license to operate a dispensary will need to come from the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulations and they’re only issuing one per state police district.

Men from Naplate accused of burglary in La Salle

Lock your car, your garage and your house. Two men from Naplate are accused of stealing from cars, garages and a house in La Salle.

Charone King and Michael Weber were arrested early Sunday morning. Police began investigating after someone on 23^rd Street called the police about two suspicious people.

The Utica Police Department and La Salle County Sheriff’s Department became involved and the two were arrested for residential burglary.

Police say King and Weber could be responsible for more burglaries. They were being held at the La Salle County Jail.

Ottawa takes first place in landscaping contest

A season of planting, weeding and watering paid off for the green thumbs in Ottawa. The city took first place for their population in the America In Bloom competition.

Ottawa earned a five out of five rating and a Special Mention Award for the transformation of its downtown from “what was once an overwhelming concrete city.” The city was picked over cities in California, Wisconsin and Massachusetts.

Volunteers from the city were at the American In Bloom awards ceremony over the weekend in Pennsylvania.

Governor Quinn made aware of Jackson School issues in La Salle

There are no preschool classes again this week at Jackson School in La Salle after a teacher claimed to see rats in her class last month.

While the school’s superintendent says traps haven’t turned up any rodents, State Representative Frank Mautino says the school’s problems go far beyond rats. While Governor Pat Quinn was in Utica Saturday, Mautino gave him a list of problems at Jackson School hoping to get emergency funding.

Mautino says problems include asbestos in the boiler system, no sprinkler system, flooding issues, lack of playground fencing and handicap accessibility issues. Jackson School was built in 1938 and is showing its age.

One short-term solution Mautino is looking at is mobile classrooms. Longer-term solutions could be building additions to other La Salle schools or finally starting up a community-wide childcare center called La Salle CARES.

Mautino even thought about Jackson preschoolers being moved to the empty Cherry Grade School but figured it would be too far of a bus ride for kids that young.

It’s Burgoo week in Utica

Come for the stew and stay for the music and crafts. You’ll find a little bit of everything cooking and on sale at annual Burgoo Festival in downtown Utica this weekend.

On Saturday, there’s a Canal Market with over 60 vendors selling from 10am until 7pm. A car show starts at 1pm with live entertainment starting at 3pm.

On Sunday, you can taste the famous Burgoo stew from 9am until 5pm near the La Salle County Historical Society Museum. There will also be over 300 vendors lining the streets of Utica with live music and children’s games.
Burgoo is a fundraiser for the La Salle County Historical Society and Museum.

County health officials ready to distribute flu vaccine

If you’re older than six months, get a flu shot. That’s the message coming from the La Salle County Health Department.

County health officials have their vaccine shipment and are hosting a flu shot clinic until 5pm Monday at their office on Etna Road in Ottawa. They will offer the traditional shot along with the flu mist which is popular with children. Cost of a flu vaccine is $25.

If you can’t get your child to the clinic today, the health department is having a pediatric flu shot clinic Wednesday in the Peru Mall from 2pm- 5pm.

Four vehicles involved in crash on Route 71

It wasn’t exactly a freeway pileup but four different vehicle’s were involved in a crash on Route 71 near Yorkville.

The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office says Stephanie Pinkous of Sandwich was on Route 71 Saturday afternoon when she hit Lucio Ramirez of Yorkville who was stopped in traffic. Ramirez was then pushed into Shirley Gibbons of Yorkville who was pushed into Fredrick Hentschel of Newark.

Gibbons was the only driver hurt and she was taken to Copley Hospital in Aurora. Pinkous was accused of causing the crash and given a ticket for failing to reduce speed while Ramirez was arrested for driving with a revoked license.

Snow and cold temperatures were a first for much of northern Illinois

If you were up early enough, you could’ve seen snow flying Saturday morning in the Illinois Valley.

According to the National Weather Service, the snow was the second earliest fall snowfall ever in Peoria and Rockford. There was no accumulation in the Illinois Valley but some spots in Wisconsin saw an inch or two.

Saturday was also a record day in that high temperatures were the lowest they’ve ever been on October 4th across northern Illinois.