Animal shelter’s pipes freeze in La Salle

One of the dangers of it being this cold is water pipes freezing.

Pipes are frozen at Illinois Valley Animal Rescue in La Salle. Shelter officials are putting out a plea for bottled water for the animals.

Tap water is fine too if its in a container.

Streator and Seneca getting grant money for park improvements

Peru isn’t the only city in the Illinois Valley getting state grant money for parks.

Streator is getting a $400,000 grant for the initial development of the Vermilion Greenway Park. It’s expected to include a walking bridge over Prairie Creek and over a mile of new trails along the Vermilion River. A bank transfer from ComEd will pay for most of the city’s part of the matching grant.

Also benefitting from the state’s Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant program is Seneca. The village is getting a $214,000 grant for Phase I of a new 14-acre park adjacent to the I&M Canal.

Dangerous wind chills settle in over the Illinois Valley

With cold like this, frost bite can happen within minutes.

A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect until 12pm Thursday. The wind chill is in the 20 to 30 below range Wednesday morning with very little warmth expected throughout the day. Wednesday night’s wind chill is expected to possibly reach 40 below.

The weekend will bring some relief with the end of negative temperatures and a high in the upper 20s on Sunday.

Warming centers pop up to keep you out of the cold

If you or someone you know needs a warm place to escape the cold, there are options.

Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru has opened its cafeteria around the clock to serve as a warming center. Other warming center options are Department of Human Services offices in La Salle, Ottawa and Princeton.

Older people are especially at risk for hypothermia. Signs to watch for include cold feet and hands, pale skin, shivering and slow speech.