Banks in Mendota team up to help less fortunate children

Elves will be popping up at banks in Mendota, and with your help they can make a family’s Christmas brighter.

Operation Elf Action is going on through December 4th, under the guidance of the Mendota Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors. The elves are equipped with tags that have a child’s name, gender, and size. You can select a tag and use it as a guide to buy a gift for the child. You’re asked to register the tag with the bank receptionist, and then put the tag on the wrapped package.

The program is asks that you not spend more than $25 on each child, and to select more than one if you wish to give more. Wrapped gifts can be dropped off at Eureka Savings Bank at 1300 13th Avenue in Mendota.

Annual holiday lighting ceremony returns to Streator

“Keeping Christmas Close to Home” is the theme of this year’s “Light Up Streator”.

The 14th annual event gets going with kids’ activities and vendors around downtown Streator Saturday morning. Christmas decorations will be lit in City Park Saturday night at 6:30 with a lighted parade at 7.

After the parade you can visit Santa and his reindeer along with taking carriage rides.
Stores will also be open late for shopping.

Three hurt after head-on crash north of Ottawa

Passing on a two lane road is risky on a clear day let alone when the snow is falling.

Deputies say a three-car crash Saturday morning on Route 71 north of Ottawa happened because an 83-year-old driver lost control on an icy road trying to make a pass.

Warren Nathan of Streator hit 56-year-old Christie Nelson of Sheridan head on. John Eich of Ottawa was behind Nathan and slid into a ditch to avoid a collision with the other drivers.

Nathan, Nelson and her passenger were taken to St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa. Nathan was ticketed for failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident and driving too fast for conditions.

Illinois Valley stores gearing up for Black Friday

Have you mapped out your plan of attack for Black Friday yet?

If you’re staying close to home, most stores like Target, Walmart, Kohls and the Peru Mall will all open up their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving night at 6. At the mall, shoppers can sign up for gift certificates and one lucky winner will get an Apple iPad.

If you have a gamer in your family, GameStop waits to open until 5 Friday morning. Menards, Staples and Petsmart are also won’t get Black Friday started until Friday morning.

If the Black Friday scene is just a big turn off, don’t forget Small Business Saturday is this Saturday.

Well-known Ottawa attorney succumbs to cancer

Sometimes opinions of lawyers aren’t the greatest but it seems like most who knew Anita Kopko have nothing but good things to say about her.

The 51-year-old Ottawa lawyer died Sunday after a battle with brain cancer. Before her cancer battle started, Kopko worked privately in Ottawa for the Pool, Leigh & Kopko firm. She also provided legal counsel for the Marseilles and Ottawa City Councils. Kopko also was also a board member of the Ottawa High School Board of Education, the Ottawa Y and the United Way.

The Ottawa Funeral Home is handling services for Kopko.

Weekend snowfall totals in the Illinois Valley

So how much snow did you measure in your neck of the woods?

According to the National Weather Service, 8 inches was measured in both Princeton and McNabb. Around 6 inches fell in La Salle, Streator, Mendota and Ottawa. Mundelein led the entire state with 19 inches of snow from the weekend storm.

The storm brought the second most snow ever to Rockford and Chicago during a November storm.