A feature-length film, documentaries and shorts included in Ottawa film festival line-up

If you’ve spent any time living, working or just hanging out in Ottawa you’ll notice familiar buildings and faces during many of the 11 pieces being shown in the River City Film Festival.

Most notably in the line-up is River City Panic, a film by Tyler Amm.   The movie shot entirely in Ottawa opens later this month. Amm’s father and grandfather are also the topics of two documentaries included in the festival though Amm says the festival wasn’t his idea. He credits Mayor Bob Eschbach.

Amm says from there the Ottawa Visitor’s Center and Roxy Theater became involved along with filmmaker, Kane Farabaugh. He says they wanted to do something small in its first year but they plan on making in larger next year.

The festival will run just one day, Sunday, March 22 at the Roxy Cinemas in downtown Ottawa. For $20, you’ll get an all-day pass. Amm’s movie plus several shorts and documentaries will be showing in two auditoriums throughout the day and evening. There will also be Q and A with filmmakers.

You can buy tickets through the Ottawa Visitors Center. Only 300 tickets will be available and Amm predicts tickets will quickly sellout.

Learn more by listening to an interview that’s available at the Classic Hits 103.9 WLPO news page.

New York man habitually loses license

Police say a New York man whose license has been suspended 41 times has been nabbed again. Investigators on Long Island say Jason Brown initially gave a fake name after being pulled over Saturday afternoon.  In the car, police say they found marijuana. Police tell Newsday they later determined the 36-year-old Brown had concealed heroin and cocaine “within his body.”
Brown was charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, unlawful possession of marijuana and 2 counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Firemen fight unusual car fire

Do you take the individual parts of your car for granted? Ottawa Fire Department said they tended to a car fire in the 700 block of Poplar around 3pm Saturday. The driver’s side door was on fire due to the motor that operates the window. Firemen were at the scene for about 30 minutes.

Shavees needed in Ottawa

It’s time for Rita Choven and St. Baldrick’s to appear on your radar. Again, Chovan and St. Baldrick’s are in need of shavees for their event at Jeremiah Joe’s in about 3 weeks. So far, 46 people have agreed to shave their head to raise money for research into childhood cancers. About $9400 has been raised so far and 5 stylists are helping, too.

You can get more information at st. baldricks dot org/ events/ jeremiahjoe2015. A Pre-St. Baldrick’s event occurs this Friday at the Fireside Lounge in Naplate starting at 6pm.

Alleged drug dealers in court Sunday

Drug dealers are business people with appointments to keep. And, two alleged traffickers had an appointment in Ottawa Sunday court.

Wilfredo Candelaria of Peru and Nora Toovey of Depue were arrested Friday night with unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Over 100 separate packages of heroin and a small amount of crack cocaine and paraphernalia were found in their car when they were stopped by Peru police at 6th and Fulton.

Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei says that this arrest is related to ongoing heroin sales between Chicago and the Illinois Valley.

Rural Streator house fire contained

A house fire Saturday night outside Streator was not a total loss.

Tim Bradley is a duty shift officer for Streator Fire Department. He said Grand Ridge was first called to the scene on West 3rd Street about 10:30 and summoned Streator and Redding departments.

There were no injuries and the fire was contained to the second floor. The cause is undetermined and there is water damage to some of the structure.

Grand Ridge was at the scene till at least 1 Sunday morning.

Test made for lost airplanes

There’s going to be a test soon of a better way to track airliners as they fly over remote patches of ocean.

Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia will lead the trial which they hope will allow planes that vanish like Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 to be more easily found.

The Flight 370 anniversary is a week away.

Storm touches much of U.S.

Everything from rain to more wintry precipitation is on the table in parts of the country stretching almost from coast to coast.

Parts of drought-stricken California are getting a welcome dose of rain and snow. The ski areas, which had been considering closing, are delighted. Forecasters say parts of New Mexico will continue to get snow into Monday.

Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and eastern residents are also preparing for possible dicey driving.