Ottawa theater group to produce “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”

A popular book that was made into an award winning movie is also a drama that will be performed in Ottawa this spring.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is the next play by WilleyWorld Community Productions. The theater group is run by professional actor Walt Willey.

The play is about a group of patients at a mental hospital, particularly one street-smart patient and his ongoing power struggle with the head nurse.

The cast calls for 12 men and four women. You don’t need to have theater experience to try out. Auditions will be from 3-5pm Saturday and from 1-4pm Sunday at the Ottawa Dance Academy in Ottawa.

The play will run sometime in March or April.

IVCH limiting visitors because of the flu

The flu bug has Illinois Valley Community Hospital limiting visitors.

Because of widespread flu activity, no one 18 and under are allowed to visit patients at IVCH. Also patients are only allowed two visitors at a time.

The hospital also asks anyone with respiratory symptoms not to visit the hospital.

Homicides way down in Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago could close out 2014 with the lowest number of homicides in decades.

The Chicago Police Department reported 390 murders through Dec. 20. The last time the numbers were in the same range was in 1965 when the total was 397.

The number is far less than the early 1990s when annual homicides in Chicago topped 900 at times.

School officials in La Salle looking to put “rat problem” in the past

A new year will bring some normalcy back to preschoolers in La Salle.

Jackson School will be back open for business when classes resume after winter break. The building closed in September after a teacher said she saw a rat in her classroom. The next month Superintendent Dan Marenda said they had trapped a rat in the school. During winter break, Marenda says they are doing one more “top to bottom scrubbing” of the building.

Preschoolers in La Salle had been temporarily going to class in other district buildings.

New students can get a preview of life at Illinois Valley Community College

Know anyone who will be going to Illinois Valley Community College for the first time next semester?

IVCC is offering a “Spring Preview” for new students on Thursday, January 8th at the Oglesby campus. Students can go from 9 until 12:15 and get their ID card, buy textbooks, find classes and meet the faculty. Financial aid representatives will also be there to help.

Spring semester at IVCC starts January 12th.

Former La Salle County Board member thinks current board violating state law

The La Salle County Board meets Monday but a local government watchdog doesn’t think they should be allowed to take any official action.

Former board member Stephen Carlson of Mendota says as of two o’clock Sunday afternoon, an agenda hadn’t been posted on the county’s website. Therefore he thinks they are in violation of the Open Meetings Act which the county has to make an agenda available to see 48 hours before a meeting.

The board is expected to meet Monday afternoon and take action on a tax levy. Carlson is on the agenda to talk about taxes.