Bureau County Businesses On Alert After Burglary, 2 Attempted Burglaries

One burglary and two attempted burglaries are under investigation in Bureau County.

The Ultimate Image Salon in Ohio and Sammy’s Roadhouse in Arlington, were both victims of an attempted burglary Monday. The same night an unknown person or persons entered Brutes’ Bar in LaMoille where they damaged a door and several gaming machines before leaving with an undisclosed amount of money.

The Bureau County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging business owners to pay extra attention around closing hours and report any suspicious people or vehicles to the County Sheriff’s Office or the Bureau/Putnam County Crimestoppers.

Princeton Death Ruled Suicide

The death of a 35-year-old man in Princeton appears to be the result of a suicide.

At around 10:30 yesterday morning, the Princeton Police Department got a call about a dead body inside a house. Phillip Briddick of Princeton was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death is a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

After talking with the coroner and state police CSI unit, the Princeton Police concluded there was no foul play.

Deer hunters head back out to the Illinois Valley fields

Will harvest numbers be as bountiful the second weekend of firearm deer season as they were during the first?

The four-day, second season got going Thursday and wraps up at a half-hour after sunset on Sunday. If you shoot down a deer in La Salle County, remember you’re supposed to check it in at Buffalo Rock State Park. La Salle County is one of a dozen counties still being checked for chronic wasting disease.

During the opening weekend, hunters in Bureau County shot down 714 deer. In La Salle County, 547 deer were shot down while hunters in Putnam County gunned down 252.

Over 57,000 deer were gunned down statewide, about 6,000 more than opening weekend last year.

Giving Tuesday a huge success for St. Bede

How good must it feel to set a fundraising goal and easily blow it out of the water? That’s what happened during “Giving Tuesday” at St. Bede Academy.

The academy set a goal of raising $12,500 for their annual fund that among other things helps with tuition costs. As word spread about St. Bede students and staff buying into “Giving Tuesday”, donors stepped up and began matching donations.

Development Director Julia Yaklich says by the end of the night Tuesday, St. Bede had $31,500 in matching gifts to bring their 24-hour total to $64,000.