Push for big tax vote to improve L-P High School continues Friday

If you agree, disagree or are undecided about the plan to raise taxes for renovations and additions to L-P High School, let your opinion known to decision makers this Friday.

There’s another public meeting starting at 2 at the high school. You can hear the pitch for a $67 million tax referendum, take a tour of the school and give your feedback. If you can’t make it out Friday, there will also be informational meetings next Wednesday and Saturday.

L-P School Board President Tony Sparks says nothing is set in stone without public input. The school board is likely to decide for sure in August if they will ask voters in November to say yes to raising taxes.

Illinois Valley congressman looking to take painkiller addiction

While they may not get as much attention as heroin or cocaine, opioids are bad enough to be considered an epidemic.

Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger is going to offer his ideas to fix the addiction by so many to painkillers. Kinzinger was appointed to represent the U.S. House on a bipartisan conference committee to negotiate a bill to fight the nation’s opioid epidemic.

Kinzinger says “communities across the country are seeing the rise of opioid overdoses and the devastation effects.” The congressman says he’s humbled to be appointed to the committee.

Utica to Finish “Complete Redo” of Mill Street by Memorial Day

They’ve been asking you to “pardon their dust” for a couple of months now, and once the dust clears you may hardly recognize Mill Street in Utica.

According to Village President Matt Jereb, they started work in March on a beautification project that is “completely redoing” the street. Among the changes being made, are new, wider, accessible sidewalks, new lighting, and new trees along the street.

Jereb says they had to get the work done over the past couple months because it is when the impact to tourism will be smallest. The village plans to have the project done by Memorial Day, though there may still be some small adjustments left to be made.

While this is the big project for the year, according to Jereb, the village is still working on grants that could help fund projects they hope to start in the near future.

Ottawa High School Switches to Digital Curriculum for Summer School

Some summer school students will be using a new program that could be more successful as well as cost-effective in Ottawa.

The Ottawa High School Board voted Monday night to use Apex Learning, which is a digital education program, for their summer school classes this year. Superintendent Michael Cushing said Apex gives the school “many more options” and that it is “more rigorous” than the current curriculum. He also said, if they like the program, the school may also adopt it for their Night School program as well.

The board also mentioned that the program costs the student a one-time fee of $175, an amount that is cheaper than the current cost of summer school.

Oglesby looking at costly repairs for the city pool

If you have your own swimming pool, you can relate to what the city of Oglesby is going through.

Mayor Don Finley says the city pool needs some major repairs. He says it’s loosing water, needs to be sandblasted, patched and the gutters need repaired. All that work can add up to be thousands of dollars.

Part of the reason the city is at a crossroads with the pool is that Finley says the state requires the bottom grate of the pool to be replaced every five years.

Cars towed but nobody hurt in crash at St. Bede

A chain reaction crash snarled traffic as school let out Monday at St. Bede Academy.

Three students from Peru and one from La Salle crashed into each other on the St. Bede Lane just before three o’clock. Thankfully none of the teens needed medical treatment.

Nobody was written a ticket. Two of the four cars had to be towed.

Andy Skoog accused of breaking state law by Republican opponent

It may not be to the level of Hillary versus Donald but Jerry versus Andy for state representative is a race that’s heating up.

Republican Jerry Long of Streator put out a statement saying “Rep. Andy Skoog pulled a stunt last week that shows a blatant disregard for the law. He used state money to send out a campaign mailing for political purposes when Illinois doesn’t even have a budget”. Long says the survey trashed political opponents and pandered for votes and that taxpayers should be outraged for funding the mail. He added “this is what politicians do when they’re on Michael Madigan’s leash”.

In response, the Democrat Skoog said “Jerry Long is continuing the kind of politics that has caused chaos and gridlock in Springfield”. He goes on to say “this is the kind of politics that’s destroying our state”.

Skoog says he mailed out the survey to help him better understand your concerns. Long says state law prohibits politicians from using public funds for their campaigns.