Teens harass Louisville mall

A suburban Louisville mall reopened Sunday with extra security, a day after closing early when unruly teens caused multiple disturbances. Officers from 4 police agencies responded Saturday night to reports of fights, harassment and other disturbances at Mall St. Matthews. No arrests were made.

Weather woes in Texas

Safety officials in Amarillo, Texas, are strongly discouraging all travel throughout the entire Panhandle because blowing and drifting snow have made the roads impassable. Officials say more than 20 motorists have been stranded by 8- to 10-foot-high snow drifts along highways in Parmer County. New Mexico’s governor has declared a state of emergency because of road conditions.

At least 11 people died from tornadoes that swept through the Dallas area this weekend. 5 people died in a flash flood in Illinois. Parts of the country have seen chaotic weather, from heavy snow in New Mexico, west Texas and the Oklahoma Panhandle to flash flooding in parts of the Plains and Midwest. A total of 35 deaths are blamed on the weather.

Survivors denounce actions of Chicago police

Grieving relatives and friends of 2 people shot and killed by Chicago police held a press conference Sunday to denounce what happened. A 19-year-old student was killed early Saturday by police responding to a domestic disturbance, along with a 55-year-old downstairs neighbor. Police have said the neighbor was hit accidentally by the gunfire.

Old school items get new life

   When they dismantled the old Hall High School, pieces of it went in different directions. Some 60 lockers and auditorium seats didn’t go that far away.The red and white folding chairs and light purple lockers are now installed at the Waltham Curling Club in Triumph. President Mike Hess said he heard through the media that the items were available. The cost? Everything was a mere $20 each.

    The 100 member club has league play every day through mid to late March. The public can come watch virtually any night. Groups paying $10 a head get 3 hours to watch, learn and actually try the sport of curling on the weekend.

Court ruling helps City of Dixon

The City of Dixon will get almost $700,000 in additional restitution from their imprisoned and former comptroller, Rita Crundwell. The Dixon Telegraph reports a judge approved a deal last week allowing Humphrey Family Farms to turn over a parcel of land to the U.S. Marshal’s Service. The farm is a partnership with four of Crundwell’s five siblings.

Crundwell was arrested in 2012 and is now serving 20 years in a federal prison for stealing city money over 2 decades. Jim Burke, the mayor who brought Crundwell to justice, spoke at Starved Rock in June about the crimes of Crundwell.  According to Burke,  when Crundwell was in her teens, she told her mother she wanted to raise and breed horses.  Her mother supposedly said that she could make that come true either if she married wealthy or got money illegally.  Burke said we all know what course of action she took.

Crundwell stole $54 million to fund a lavish lifestyle and a renowned horse breeding operation.

Southern storm to bring ice/snow

A storm responsible for tornados in Texas will create ice and wind trouble Monday in the Illinois Valley. LaSalle, Bureau and Putnam Counties will each be under a Winter Storm Warning at 6am.  LaSalle’s will expire at 6pm, while the warning in Bureau and Putnam will last 24 hours.

The National Weather Service says ice will likely cover roads, trees and power lines and perhaps, reach 1 / 2 inch thickness in Bureau and Putnam counties. 50 mph wind gusts are forecast across the area..

The ice and strong winds may cause electrical outages and hazardous driving conditions.

Chicago vigil planned after shooting

A vigil is planned Sunday in Chicago, where police say a 55-year-old woman was “accidentally struck and tragically killed” by an officer or officers The woman was shot to death along with a 19-year-old man during a domestic disturbance call about 4:25am Saturday.

Dallas area pummeled by tornadoes

At least 11 people are dead after tornadoes swept through the Dallas area. Dozens were injured as well. The full extent of damage in Texas isn’t yet known, though it stretched over about a 40-mile-long area from 20 miles south of Dallas to northeast of the city.

ISP announce results of patrol

   District 17 troopers gave out 2 ½ times more warnings than citations during a stepped patrol recently. ISP was performing Nighttime Enforcement Patrols in LaSalle County the evening of December 18 and into the next morning. 38 warnings and 15 citations were handed out during that time. There were no DUI or other alcohol related arrests.

    3 citations were handed out for registration, license or occupant restraint offenses. According to the State Police, alcohol is involved in about 40% of Illinois’s fatal crashes. The project is funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety.

Ottawa factory threatened on Christmas

While you relaxed Christmas night, police, Pilkington Glass security and AT & T were determining the validity of a bomb threat. A release from Ottawa police said they were notified about 9:50pm that Pilkington Glass security received a bomb threat by phone. The caller said there was a bomb somewhere in the plant that would go off during the night.

   At the scene, officers, the plant supervisor and security assessed the credibility of the threat and search different locations within the plant. Nothing suspicious was found. Through AT &T, officers obtained the phone number from which the bomb threat was made. Officers made contact with the suspect and did an interview in the suspect’s home. From that, it was determined the threat was not credible. At this time, no charges have been filed. Workers remained on the job during this period of time.