Latest Rock Star will be crowned Thursday night

Who will be this year’s Rock Star? Find out Thursday night at Starved Rock Lodge in Utica.

Ryan Cocking of Peru, Scott Kratz of Ottawa, Haley Miller of Grand Ridge, and Brandi Thompson of Seneca are competing for the $500 grand prize. The finalists will sing one song of their choice, a song from their birth year and a freestyle song where they will find out the lyrics just before performing.

The Rock Star finals start at 7. Rock Star is sponsored by 99.3 WAJK, 96.5 the Wolf, Euclid Beverage and Starved Rock Lodge.

Concert announcement coming Friday for the Bureau County Fair

After a sold out Beach Boys concert last summer, who will play the Bureau County Fair grandstand this year.

Organizers of the fair say they have booked three artists for two concerts during this year’s fair. Normally the entertainment lineup at the Bureau County Fairgrounds includes only one concert.

The concerts will be announced Friday morning on 96.5 the Wolf and Classic Hits 103.9 WLPO.

La Salle Alderman suggests extending the hours for alcohol sales

Your neighborhood convenience store might be open around the clock but you can’t walk in anytime to buy a case of beer. In La Salle, stores can sell packaged liquor from 6am until 11pm.

Alderman Boo Herndon wonders if they couldn’t extend those hours to be more competitive with stores in Peru. He says with a new 24-hour Casey’s and a 24-hour Beck’s on the way, stores should be allowed to sell later at night.

Stores in Peru can sell package liquor from 6am until 2am the following morning Monday through Friday and until 3am on Saturdays and Sundays.

Herndon brought up the issue Tuesday night. The city council could decide to revisit their liquor ordinance.

Colorado man accused of having more than 100 pounds of marijuana during I-80 stop

For the second time in less than a week, police officers say they found more than 100 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop in Bureau County.

The latest arrest happened Tuesday on Interstate 80. Officers with TRIDENT arrested David Besser of Leadsville, Colorado for unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, a class X felony. Besser allegedly had 108 pounds of marijuana in his car. He’s being held in the Bureau County Jail with his bond set at $1 million.

A man and woman from New York were arrested last Thursday for allegedly having 109 pounds of marijuana

Mobile home burns in Seneca

A trailer on the south side of Seneca went up in flames.

A 911 call went out after 8pm Tuesday about a trailer fully engulfed on E. 29th Road. The trailer is in the Country Acres Estates south of the Illinois River.

A mutual aid box alarm, or MABAS call was put out for other fire departments to help Seneca.

Testimony continues in highly publicized eagle trial

Testimony continues Wednesday in the retrial of an Oglesby man who says he was just trying to help an injured baby eagle.

Steve Patterson faces four misdemeanor counts of violating the wildlife code. On Tuesday the prosecution called conservation and state police officers who all testified that Patterson was told to stay away from a fallen nest along Route 251 but he still went ahead and took two baby eaglets even though only one of them he thought was hurt. They claim Patterson called police concerned about the nest using a fake name and was calling 9-1-1 all the while he had the eaglets in his garage.

Patterson’s attorney Tom McClintock says the wildlife code is written to protect eagles and everything Patterson did was consistent with the law. He told the jury Patterson was the only one involved who was protecting the eagles.

McClintock throughout Tuesday’s testimony questioned why police took a “let nature take its course approach” instead of calling someone to assess the situation closer to find out if the baby eagles were hurt.

If he’s found guilty, Patterson likely will only face fines although he would be eligible for jail time.

Man and woman arrested on cocaine charges in Streator

You hear a lot about the dangers of heroin, but it is not the only dangerous drug being sold illegally. An investigation into cocaine left a man and woman facing felony drug charges.

Officers with TRIDENT Monday went to a house on Shaft Street in Streator and arrested Larry Hallam for unlawful delivery of a controlled substance.

Renee Bednar of Streator allegedly had cocaine and was arrested for unlawful possession of a controlled substance. A second man, Michael Madara of Streator allegedly had a small amount of marijuana and was arrested for misdemeanor possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia.

Madara was released with a notice to appear while Hallam and Bednar were taken to the La Salle County Jail. Hallam’s bond was set at $1million while Bednar’s bond was to be set by a judge.