Lucky Day Lottery Sells $300,000 Ticket in LaSalle

If you haven’t checked your lottery tickets yet, you’re going to want to especially if you bought that ticket in LaSalle.

The Express Lane Shell in downtown LaSalle sold a ticket that won half of the state’s Lucky Day Lotto. That’s good for $300,000. For its role in the winning ticket the gas station gets $3,000.

The big winner has up to one year to claim their prize. The ticket matched all five numbers in Wednesday afternoon’s Lucky Day Lotto drawing.

Peru Investigation into Heroin Sales Nets 10 Arrests in 10 Weeks

This year, it’s been rare that a week has gone by without someone arrested for selling heroin in Peru. This week is, now, no exception.

Peru Police arrested 30-year old Darwin Vazquez of LaSalle at noon Wednesday. Vazquez allegedly sold heroin to undercover cops, according to police.

The arrest was the 10^th for selling heroin that the Peru Police made since the end of January. Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei promised Vazquez’s arrest “would not be the last.” He went on to say the investigation into drug sales in the city would now be expanded to include cocaine.

Vazquez was taken to the LaSalle County Jail. His bond was set at $1,000,000.

Goodwill fundraiser helps create college scholarships for the disabled

Thanks to those of you shopping at Goodwill, more scholarships are available at Illinois Valley Community College.

Goodwill recently gave customers a chance to “round up” their purchases to the next dollar. Over $81,000 was raised at 11 stores including the Goodwill in Ottawa.

Over $10,000 of that money is headed to IVCC to fund scholarships for students with disabilities. The donation also brings IVCC to within $50,000 of their endowment building campaign goal of $500,000.

Ottawa theater group finds home above downtown coffee shop

One Illinois Valley performance group doesn’t have to put on The Wizard of Oz to understand the line “There’s no place like home.”

WilleyWorld Community Productions didn’t have a primary location to hold its performances in its first few years. As a result, the Ottawa group wasn’t able to put on many shows. But the group’s founder, former soap opera star Walt Willey, says a partnership with The 807 Building Performance Space will establish a new downtown home for their performances.

Willey says the new space means more than one show per year, starting next year. He also said he’s hoping to be able to use the space to put on a summer drama camp for kids.

Doctors in Peru ready to show off cooking talents

Nearly a dozen Illinois Valley doctors want to show you their cooking skills.

Get your ticket while you still can for the second annual “Cookin’ with the Doctors” fundraiser Thursday night at Senica’s Oak Ridge Golf Club. Money from ticket sales, sponsorships, and a silent auction goes to the IVCH Foundation to buy a new MRI unit.

The fundraiser runs from 6 to 9. Tickets will be $40 at the door. You can get an advanced ticket for $35 at IVCH or by ordering online by clicking IVCH Cookin With The Doctors

La Salle politician gets state committee assignments

State Representative Andy Skoog looks like he’ll be busy in Springfield.

The Democrat from La Salle has been appointed to five different House committees. He will have a say in the Transportation, Education, Small Business, Veterans’ Affairs and Agriculture Committees.

Skoog and the rest of the House are out today but are supposed to get back to work tomorrow afternoon. He’s seeking his first full term in office this November.
Skoog will have to beat Streator Republican Jerry Long.

Utica sand mine sits idle as the price of oil falls

It looks like the sand mining boom in the Illinois Valley could be over.

According to the NewsTribune, Northern White Sand has shut down its mine east of Utica along the Osage Curve. The stoppage according to Attorney John Duncan is because of the price of oil falling. Duncan says fewer than 25 jobs are affected by the work stoppage.

This mine site has drawn the ire of people living along Route 6 between Utica and Ottawa who have complained about sand blowing on their property.

Fake weapon causes a scene at Peru middle school

There were some anxious moments at Peru Parkside Middle School.

A young boy who is a student at the school was taken into police custody Tuesday after allegedly bringing a lookalike weapon to school. According to a message sent to parents, no students were ever in danger or threatened.

Peru Elementary Superintendent Mark Cross called the situation isolated and says it was dealt with immediately. He says any and all appropriate discipline will be used according to district policy.

Ottawa moves ahead with raising flood wall

Ottawa is taking steps to minimize damage in the event of a flood.

The Ottawa City Council has been taking bids over the past month for the construction project of raising the flood wall around the city’s wastewater treatment plant by four feet. Tuesday night the council decided to award the $1.4 million contract to Gensini Excavating of Hennepin, a company the city has worked with in the past. The city had initially expected to spend $1.9 million.

City Commissioner Dan Aussem hoped to get a federal grant to help pay for the project, but it didn’t come through in time. The raised wall should be done by May of next year.