For the Eighth Time in Two Months, an Alleged Heroin Dealer was Arrested by Peru Police

Peru Police continue to bust people trying to sell heroin in the Illinois Valley.

Wednesday morning, the department’s Special Investigations Unit arrested Heather Ferry at her Peru Apartment. According to detectives, Ferry allegedly sold heroin to police who were undercover last month. Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei said its becoming “abundantly clear” the Illinois Valley is not immune from the “heroin crisis” he says is going on nationwide.

Ferry was taken to the La Salle County Jail. Her arrest was the 8^th heroin-related arrest made by the department in the past two months.

Illinois Valley Alleged Drug Dealers Remain in Jail on Steep Bonds

A handful of alleged drug dealers are finding out the hard way that if you get caught dealing you can expect to pay a heavy price.

That price is $50,000 for Ricardo Andrade of LaSalle, and Sharon and Marco Verucchi or Ottawa and Spring Valley, respectively. The Verucchis were both busted by Peru Police for allegedly selling undercover cops heroin back in January. Andrade is facing two counts of Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance.

Julian Owens, a 20-year old from Chicago, also needs $50,000 to get out while facing charges of alleged dealing. All four individuals are still being held at the LaSalle County Jail.

Marshall County taxpayers give go ahead for new elementary school

It looks like a brand new school is coming to Lacon.

A nearly $10 million tax referendum to build a pre-K through 3rd grade school passed with 55 percent approval. The new tax dollars would also be used to tear down the current elementary school in Lacon which is closed because of lead paint issues.

The tax increase is expected to add $170 to your tax bill if you have a home valued at $120,000.

Hail batters the Illinois Valley on election night

Did you have any storm damage in your neck of the woods?

Hail seemed to be the biggest story from storms that roared through the Illinois Valley Tuesday night. According to storm reports with the National Weather Service, half dollar size hail fell in Peru and Lostant. There was nickel sized hail in Troy Grove and penny size hail in Morris.

Illinois had 10 reports of tornadoes Monday night but none of them led to any injuries.

New technology in Ottawa to react to flooding

With a new online tool, you’ll be able to see ahead of time how much a possible flood may impact you.

Ottawa is just the third city in Illinois to get the so-called “Inundation Mapping,” according to City Engineer Dave Noble. The mapping provides a satellite view of the city. You can go on and set different heights for the Illinois and Fox Rivers, and the map will update to show how deep the flooding would be in different parts of the city.

If you’d like to check out the maps for yourself, you can find them by clicking http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/inundation/index.php?gage=otwi2