State Police Find Forged Cards, Metal Knuckles in Car, Arrest Two

You’ve heard of some drivers on the interstate being “white-knuckled”, but metal-knuckled?

That’s what state police would find after pulling a car that was allegedly going fast on Interstate 80 near the Interstate 39 exits. Police say there was a strong marijuana smell that led them to search the car where they found metal knuckles, a credit card reader/encoder, and 33 fake debit/gift cards.

21-year old Emani Hollingsworth from Robbins, IL, was arrested for DUI of Drugs, Possession of a Theft Device, and Speeding. His passenger, 30-year old Eddie Thomas of Chicago was charged with an Unlawful Use of a Weapon.

Both men are currently being held at the LaSalle County Jail.

Multiple Police Agencies Team Up To Arrest Oglesby Man For Drugs

An Oglesby man was less than ecstatic when police busted him for having ecstasy.

Early Thursday afternoon, Tri-DENT drug agents, Oglesby Police, and even the Department of Homeland Security teamed up to arrest Jeremy Brolley for Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver. That substance was MDMA, or ecstasy.

While police searched his house, that wasn’t all they would find. They allegedly found almost twelve ounces of a substance containing MDMA, and more than four ounces of marijuana, LSD, and other drug-related paraphrenalia.

Brolley was taken to LaSalle County Jail where his bond will be set.

Tuition going up at Illinois Valley Community College

The cost of being a student at Illinois Valley Community College is going up.

The IVCC trustees have approved a $5 per hour tuition hike that will start this summer. The 4.2 percent tuition jump means that IVCC students will pay $124 per credit hour.

College President Jerry Corcoran says tuition at IVCC is still well below the state average for community colleges. He argues that the state budget crisis has some community colleges looking at raising tuition twice the amount that IVCC is.

Prime spot available for new business in downtown Utica

If you’re looking to open up a small business, how does being located in the heart of downtown Utica sound?

The village is now taking proposals to move into the spot next to Skoog’s Pub & Grill at 149 Mill Street. Second Look Antiques used to be in the spot but moved when the upstairs apartment caught fire last May.

The owner of the property actually donated it to the village. Since then the village has poured thousands of dollars into the property paying for a new roof, windows and doors.

Utica Village President Matt Jereb says the board “doesn’t want a hole in their downtown”.

Fish fry at St. Bede will help fund new track

There are a lot of fish fry’s happening Friday in the Illinois Valley. Only one will raise money to build a track in memory of a fallen marine.

The St. Bede Academy Fish Fry is 5 until 8 inside the school cafeteria. The cost is ten dollars a person with proceeds going to building a track at St. Bede in honor of Bruin alum Thomas Heitmann.

Heitmann was killed in a helicopter training exercise in 2011 in California. At that time he was a captain in the Marine Corps.

The Captain Thomas Heitmann Memorial Fund was set up by family and friends who want to fulfill his dream of a track and field facility at St. Bede.

Busy fire department outside Ottawa looking for new fire station

An Illinois Valley township is one step closer to having a new fire station.

The LaSalle County Board voted to give the Wallace Fire Protection District a Special Use Permit for a piece of land just west of Ottawa. The land, which was farmland, will be used for the Wallace Fire Department.

The County’s Director of Environmental Services, Mike Harsted, argued in favor of the permit saying that at a public hearing last month, the idea got a “unanimous positive recommendation.”

Skoog against plan for state takeover of Chicago schools

So do you think the state should “bail out” the Chicago Public School system? You’re new state representative says no.

Governor Bruce Rauner wants the state to take over the failing district and let CPS file for bankruptcy. Democrat State Rep. Andy Skoog says that idea is a mistake. Skoog says he’ll vote against the governor’s plan because the taxpayers he represents “shouldn’t be on the hook for Chicago’s decades of mismanagement”.

Skoog goes on to say that it’s ridiculous to have Illinois Valley taxpayers’ bailout Chicago when bills at the La Salle Veteran’s Home are not being paid and college students are trying to figure out if they’ll be able to afford their next semester classes.

The Illinois Valley home to some of the cheapest gas prices in the state

Here’s a Valentine’s Day gift idea, filling up your sweetheart’s car with the cheapest priced gas in years.

The price of unleaded in La Salle and Peru has fallen to $1.23 a gallon. You can fill up in Streator and Utica at $1.25 a gallon. Prices in Ottawa, Spring Valley, Mendota and Princeton range from $1.35 to $1.45.

According to GasBuddy.com, only Northlake has cheaper gas right now in the entire state than La Salle and Peru.