Rural Dayton shooting raises questions

Gunplay in Dayton ended up sending one man to the hospital and another to jail.

Just before four Sunday morning, La Salle County deputies got a call about a shooting in Dayton. Deputies think 48-year-old Dennis Coleman of Marseilles was shot in the leg by 36-year-old Lawrence Applebee, also of Marseilles. Coleman was taken to St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa while Applebee was treated and released from the hospital and then taken to the La Salle County Jail.

Applebee was arrested for felony aggravated battery with a firearm.

Several inches of rain falls across the Illinois Valley with more on the way

So how much rain did you get on Saturday?

According to the National Weather Service out of Romeoville, Morris got nearly 4.5 inches in 24 hours this past weekend. Marseilles and Seneca during the same time got just under 4 inches. Three inches of rain was measured in Sheridan with right around 2 inches in Mendota, Utica and Ottawa. La Salle, Peru and Streator had an inch and a half.

Several more inches of rain could fall this week across the Illinois Valley.

Thousands of dollars raised at this year’s relay for life in Streator

Despite Mother Nature not cooperating, this year’s Relay for Life of La Salle County was a success.

Organizer Cheryl Canale says $189,000 was raised thanks to this year’s relay and more donations still need to be counted. Twenty-six teams took part in this year’s relay with 375 individuals signed up.

The 19th annual relay was held inside a warm Streator High School gym Friday night because of wet conditions at the football field.

Barges break loose and hit lock and dam in Utica

The raging Illinois River caused a couple barges to break away and smash into the Starved Rock Lock and Dam in Utica.

Just after one Sunday afternoon, two of eight barges being towed hit protection walls of the dam. The dam was immediately closed, and the Army Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard responded, including sending a helicopter over the dam to assess the situation.

As of Sunday evening, one of the two barges against the dam was removed with the other to be moved Monday. The barges were carrying sand and corn.

The Coast Guard said preliminary investigations showed no damage to the lock or barges.

New beer flows in Ottawa Saturday

    You know lots of water got flowing in creeks, ditches and yards Saturday, but that’s not the only thing that was flowing. Radium City Brewery” launched 3 new beers Friday and Saturday at “Shakers” and “Red Dog Grill” inside “Heritage Harbor”, both in Ottawa..

     According to their Facebook page, the beers are “Breaking Blonde Ale”, “Time Traveler IPA” and “Fashionably Late APA”. A 4^th beer, “Mash Confusion Wheat Ale” is being held back for a while, but will debut shortly.

City loses its last Dry Cleaners

    Apparently, by month’s end, Oglesby will lose its last dry cleaners. A notice at the counter of Sparkle Cleaners says “with deep regret, we will be closing on June 30^th. It said “it’s time to move on.” This Friday will be the last day to pick up dry cleaning. The last day for laundry and shirt pick-up will be Tuesday, June 23.

    The owner, Tim Moritz was unavailable for comment. An attendent at the store said some clothes have been cleaned and been sitting for pickup for almost 2 years. Once the store closes, it may be very hard to claim those clothes. No official word about the laundramat adjacent to the cleaners.

  Sparkle Cleaners has been at its Walnut Street location for fifty years inside a building built by a Missouri man.  It was this man who started “Crumm Cleaners”, the predecessor of “Sparkle Cleaners”.

LaSalle County gets drenched Saturday

   After a severe thundestorm dumped heavy rainfall Saturday, residents in LaSalle County are left to clean up and dry out. The top half of the county was under a Severe Thunderstorm warning for about an hour and a quarter late Saturday afternoon. . Rainfall caused creeks to swell, water to cover I-80 at the Marseilles exit and brown water to flow furiously down Marseilles’s Main street. Some motorists – and their cars – got swept off of I-80 only to be rescued later, as seen on a Chicago TV station.

     “Classic Hits 103-9 WLPO” was told parts of Tonica flooded. Rainfall amounts across the 3 county area varied from .75 near Ladd, to 3 inches in Tonica and Ottawa. 1 man claimed it rained 5 inches near Lowell. 1 inch hail fell near Buda in Bureau County, according to the National Weather Service. . There was little damage in LaSalle, Peru, Oglesby or Spring Valley.