I-39 opens Wednesday evening after road repairs

Wednesday’s 90-degree heat was enough to create a problem – and a car accident – on southbound I-39 just before 7pm Wednesday night. State police say they were notified about 7pm that the southbound lanes had buckled at a point south of the Illinois River bridge. This necessitated closing southbound I-39 between LaSalle and Oglesby exits. Both lanes were open again by 10pm.

Oglesby police reported an accident just before 7pm near the Oglesby exit because of the buckling.  No details of the accident could be released.

A caller on the east edge of LaSalle saw solid traffic from off I-39 down Route 6.  The traffic was routed through the downtown and apparently out of town using Route 351.

 

Video Gamblers Lose Nearly $1.5 Million in City Machines in May

Video gaming machines might have been busy in May, but that doesn’t quite mean they were lucky.

Ottawa had nearly $1.9 million played last month, and players in the city lost nearly $450,000. Streator machines paid out $380,000 less than they took in on more than $1.6 million in play.

Gaming in Peru had a similar result as Streator where a little over $350,000 was lost by gamblers. La Salle losses were the least of cities that had more than a million-dollars played, at nearly $290,000.

In Bureau County the luck was headed the same way. While only $800,000 went into machines in Princeton, players there ended up losing a little more than $200,000.

Accident at Adkins Milk Hauling Leaves One Dead Tuesday

A Hampshire man was found dead under a trailer Tuesday afternoon in Genoa.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and Genoa Fire and Police crews went out to Adkins Milk Hauling after getting a 911 call about someone who was under a tipped tractor trailer shortly before 3:00. Thirty-one year old Matthew Lenz was found to be under the loaded trailer.

The DeKalb County Coroner’s Office pronounced Lenz dead at the scene. He was an employee of Adkins Milk Hauling.

While police say they don’t believe foul play was involved in the accident, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and OHSA are still investigating the incident.

Several Inches of Rain will make for Hot, Humid Wednesday

The rain held off Tuesday afternoon but when it started overnight, it came in force.

According to the National Weather Service, 4.2 inches of rain has fallen in Streator over the past 24 hours. Areas around Lostant and Mendota got 3 inches.

Oglesby had more than 2.5 inches of rain. Princeton, Marseilles and Tonica were all over the 2 inch mark also. Ottawa saw a little more than an inch of rain overnight.

That rain will make for a humid day today. When you factor in the humidity, it could feel close to 100 today.

IVCC Seeking Nominations for their “40 Under 40” Awards

You don’t have to be over 40 to contribute to the local economy.  The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Illinois Valley Community College is getting ready for their sixth annual “40 Under Forty” and they need your suggestions.

They’re accepting nominations for the Class of 2016 through June 30th.  Nominees should be someone who is making a difference in a wide range of professions in the Illinois Valley whether it’s marketing, education, health care or manufacturing.

You can click here to find out more information about “40 Under Forty”.