Potential Mautino replacement invited to speak at Bureau County Democrats meeting

The momentum for Andy Skoog to take over for Frank Mautino in Springfield seems to be gaining steam.

Skoog is lined up as the guest speaker for tonight’s Bureau County Democrats meeting at the DePue VFW. While currently the La Salle County Circuit Clerk, Skoog was asking for petition signatures during the Burgoo Festival in Utica earlier this month.

Eventually chairpersons of the Democratic Party Committees in Mautino’s 76th District will eventually pick his successor. Since La Salle County has the most voters in the district, their chairperson’s choice would carry the most weight.

Mendota man indicted for his alleged role in scuffle that injured a police officer

A Mendota man accused of hurting a police officer is back on the streets.

Jody Skowronski was arrested earlier this month after he allegedly led Mendota Police and La Salle County deputies on a foot chase that ended with a scuffle and a Mendota officer sent to a hospital with a leg injury. The officer was soon after treated and released.

Skowronski was indicted Tuesday on two counts of felony resisting a peace officer. He is out of jail after he posted $5,000 bond.

Gas falls below two bucks a gallon in Ottawa and Streator

The cheapest gas in all of Illinois right now can be found in Streator.

Stations in Streator are offering up unleaded for $1.89 a gallon. You can find gas for $1.99 in Ottawa. Peru and Princeton stations have unleaded for $2.11 a gallon while Mendota is at the high end offering $2.25 a gallon for gas.

The highest gas in the state is at a station along Interstate 90-94 in Chicago where it costs $3.79 a gallon.

Mautino is Illinois’ next Auditor General

Your longtime state representative will have a new job come January 1st.

Democrat Frank Mautino of Spring Valley has been voted in as the new Auditor General. The new gig comes with a six-figure salary and a ten-year term.

House Speaker Mike Madigan made the official nomination of Mautino yesterday.  Madigan praised Mautino for his integrity, honesty and perseverance.

Mautino has represented the 76th District since 1991, taking over for his father. He’s had an eventful year beating esophageal cancer and now moving onto to a new state job.

Mautino got unanimous support from the Senate for the new job but 10 Republicans, most from the suburbs voted against his appointment in the House.

Retro paddle boat offers trip from Starved Rock to Peoria

In case you missed the boat, a throwback paddleboat was rolling down the Illinois River yesterday between Starved Rock and Peoria.

The Spirit of Peoria was docked at Starved Rock before taking riders on a nostalgic ride down the river to Peoria. The paddleboat was built in 1988. It has four decks, can fit about 500 riders and goes 7 to 10 miles per hour depending on the current.

If this sounds like a fun venture for you, the paddleboat will be docked again at Starved Rock this Friday morning for another one way trip to Peoria. A shuttle brings you back from Peoria in the evening.

To book a trip down the Illinois River, you can click Spirit of Peoria

Rollover north of Utica injures teenage driver

A lunch hour rollover north of Utica sent a teenage girl to the hospital.

Utica paramedics got called just after noon Tuesday for a crash along a county road just north of Interstate 80 in Utica. Eighteen-year-old Cierra Johnson of Utica lost control and rolled her car at least twice. She was taken to Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru.

Johnson wasn’t ticketed and no one else was hurt.