IVCC Trustees give go ahead for regional dispatch center on campus

It looks like a new regional 9-1-1 dispatch center will be located on the Illinois Valley Community College campus in Oglesby.

IVCC Trustees Thursday night voted in support of a 5,000-square-foot dispatch center to be built south of the college barn along Orlando Smith Road. A state grant of over a million dollars will help pay for the dispatch center.

Police and fire chiefs from Oglesby, Peru and La Salle are leading the effort for a regional dispatch center which may be expanded to include other police and fire departments.

Streator Park on the governor’s spending freeze list

A new park in Streator may not happen with the latest spending freeze announced by Governor Bruce Rauner.

Rauner has suspended indefinitely state grants for park district construction projects. This affects a $400,000 grant announced back in January for the initial development of Vermilion Greenway Park.

The park was expected to include a walking bridge over Prairie Creek and over a mile’s worth of new trails along the Vermilion River. The Illinois Association of Park Districts is urging you to write the governor and your local representative if you’re concerned about the cuts to parks.

Sheila Simon will handle IVCC commencement speech

Illinois’ former lieutenant governor will deliver this year’s commencement speech at Illinois Valley Community College.

Shelia Simon will give remarks to IVCC graduates on Saturday, May 16th. IVCC President Jerry Corcoran says Simon is a huge supporter of community colleges and visited all 48 Illinois community colleges while she was lieutenant governor.

Simon is the daughter of the late U.S. senator and former presidential candidate Paul Simon.

Price at the pump inches down in the Illinois Valley

Gas prices went down a little bit in the last week in the Illinois Valley.

Mendota, Ottawa and Streator all have stations selling unleaded for $2.09 a gallon. A week ago the cheapest gas in the area was $2.19 a gallon. Peru stations are selling anywhere from $2.13 to $2.29 a gallon while in Princeton the going rate is $2.15 to $2.19 a gallon.

The statewide average for unleaded is $2.37 a gallon, down six cents from a week ago.

Two Chicagoans accused of using counterfeit money at Peru stores

A couple guys from Chicago are accused of trying to use fake money at Peru businesses.

Peru officers say they got several calls Thursday from businesses about two men using counterfeit $100 bills. Darnell Mullins and Deander Pulliam were tracked down and arrested for a felony charge of forgery.

Both men were taken to the La Salle County Jail.