Fill the Mayflower food drive returns to Hy-Vee Saturday

It’s going to be a busy weekend for grocery shopping. When you’re picking up items for Thanksgiving dinner, buy a few extras for the Illinois Valley Food Pantry.

The annual food drive known as Fill the Mayflower will go from 9am-3pm Saturday at Hy-Vee in Peru. You’ll see personalities from Classic Hits 103.9 WLPO, 96.5 The Wolf, and 99.3 WAJK collecting food items and packing them into a large truck. The food will be brought to the pantry in downtown La Salle.

The food drive is important for the pantry because it happens on the same day as the Thanksgiving distribution. An estimated 2,200 people receive food from the IV Food Pantry. The food donated tomorrow will help the pantry restock and prepare for Christmas.

Construction of “transistion house” delayed

When someone quotes you a price that seems too low to be good, start asking questions. That’s what officials at LP High School did after receiving only two bids for an upcoming project.

The district is building a ranch-style building for their transition program. School officials had wanted the foundation finished by winter, but when the lower bid came in $100,000 lower than the other bid, it raised a red flag.

The contractor misunderstood the specs and can’t do the job for the offer he made. So rather than go with the higher bid, school officials and the district’s architect agreed to reject the bids and start over.

They hope a new round of bidding will attract local contractors who were too busy to make a bid during the initial letting.

Superintendent Steve Wrobleski says the school board could approve a bid in December. As for when the work will begin, that depends on how hard the ground is.

Indictment handed down after baby is flown to a Peoria hospital

An Oglesby man accused of badly injuring a two-month-old baby has been indicted.

Jacob Sprostan was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday for aggravated battery. He was arrested a few weeks ago by the Oglesby Police Department after the baby was taken to St. Margaret’s Hospital before being flown to St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.

Sprostan is being held in the La Salle County Jail with his bond set at $50,000. He’s due back in court Friday.

Hunters again asked to help feed the needy

The camo and bright orange clothes will be in full swing starting Friday.

The first part of Illinois’ firearm deer season begins at sunrise and wraps up at sundown on Sunday. The season wraps up with a 4-day hunt December 5-8.

A reminder if you get a deer, you can take it to Freedom Sausage in Earlville as part of the annual “Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger” fundraiser. Freedom Sausage and other lockers in the state will process the deer and donate the meat to food pantries.

Hunters can make a tax-deductible donation to help pay processing costs.

La Salle officials send letters asking for action with the former Kaskaskia Hotel

Plywood covers many of the windows of the former Kaskaskia Hotel. The building in downtown La Salle hasn’t been used in a decade and the attached apartments have been vacant almost as long. City officials are ready for the owner to take care of the properties.

Letters detailing alleged building code violations were sent by certified mail Tuesday to Blouke Carus. In the letters, La Salle Building Inspector Chris Covert says the old hotel shows signs of extensive water and mildew damage making it unsafe and dangerous. Covert calls the adjacent apartments unsafe because the roof is collapsing.

Covert notes that both buildings lack running water and electricity.

City officials have been waiting nearly 10 years to see the restoration and reopening that had been promised by Carus. Mayor Jeff Grove says they’ve been understanding but now they believe action needs to be taken.

Grove says a turning point came after a group that rehabs old buildings visited and thought the buildings were too far gone.

Carus was given 10 days to register the buildings with the city and schedule inspections and 15 days to make the repairs or begin demolition.  Grove says they will take legal action

LPHS increases tax rate

You will be paying a few dollars more to support LP High School in 2015. The school is requesting more money this time for Social Security and Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. Even with rate increases for those funds, the two largest funds are education and building.

The levy increase is 4.69%, so a Truth in Taxation Hearing is not required. The school board approved a tentative levy Wednesday night.

Superintendent Steve Wrobleski estimates you will pay about $18 more in taxes next year if you have a home worth $100,000.