Drug Dealing Duo Indicted for Allegedly Selling Crack Cocaine

Get caught dealing drugs in the Illinois Valley and you can expect to be behind bars for quite a while.

Two suspects who are charged with just that were indicted Tuesday by a grand jury. Fifty-two year old Carl Winchester was arrested at his Peru home for allegedly selling crack cocaine. Also arrested the same day was 32-year old Kandi Davis, a Joliet woman who is also charged with selling crack.

They each remain in custody in Ottawa. Winchester needs $50,000 cash to get out while Davis needs twice that amount.

He will be back in court Thursday, while her next court date isn’t until Friday.

Murder Parolee Indicted After Alleged Armed Robbery in Streator

The man who allegedly robbed a Streator Circle K was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday.

William Webb remains in the LaSalle County Jail after being arrested last Thursday night. He’s accused of shooting at a Streator Police officer while trying to escape after robbing the south side convenience store. The 50-year old Rockford man had just been paroled last October after serving his sentence following a murder conviction in Winnebago County.

He’s been charged with attempted first-degree murder, armed robbery, and aggravated discharge of a firearm.  Webb is due back in court Thursday.

If convicted of all three charges he could be sentenced to more than 100 years in prison.

Water Outages Expected Wednesday Morning for Parts of Downtown Ottawa

Construction in downtown Ottawa may mean you won’t have water Wednesday if you live near Madison Street.

The city will install a new water main and hook-ups on West Madison Street Wednesday. As a result, they’ll be turning off water service in the morning. You’ll be affected if you live on the 600 or 700 blocks of Clinton, Madison Street from Clinton west to Walnut as well as the south 200 block, and the 700 block of Canal Street.

Water service should be back on by the end of the day, according to the city. When the water is turned back on, those houses will be under a boil order until the Water Department can finish tests, which usually takes 24 to 48 hours.

Also, because of the shut off, City Hall will also be closed Wednesday.

FedEx semi crashes into median near Peru

The latest mess on Interstate 80 involved a FedEx truck.

Police and tow truck drivers were called out after 5 Tuesday morning about an accident involving two semis on the interstate between Peru and La Salle. A FedEx trailer ended up on its side in the median. Traffic both directions was down to one lane for a couple of hours.

Nobody was hurt in the crash.

Water main break in Oglesby

During the morning storms, a water main broke in Oglesby.

Anyone living on Fitzgerald and North Colombia Avenue on the south side of town may have low water pressure or no pressure at all. Once the water line is fixed there will be a boil order.

Stay tuned to Classic Hits 103.9 WLPO for the latest on the Oglesby water issue.

Rain totals piling up across the Illinois Valley

Will the rain ever end?

According to the National Weather Service, over two inches of rain fell Monday in Mendota and Paw Paw. Over an inch came down in Earlville and Streator. More than a half inch of rain fell in La Salle, Peru, Ottawa, Marseilles, and Somonauk. Midway Airport meanwhile only got a trace of rain.

The weather service has put out rain totals yet for Tuesday morning.

Park officials gearing up for busy Labor Day weekend

Holiday weekends and large crowds at Starved Rock State Park go hand in hand.

If you plan on heading to the park this weekend, be ready for delays and possible park closures. Parking is already limited because of the wet conditions.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will once again keep you updated on crowds and closures on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Runs will raise money help honor 9-11

There are many ways to remember and memorialize the tragic events of 9-11. In the Illinois Valley a popular observance is to have a run.

The Ottawa Firefighters are putting together a 5K Run/Walk on September 11th called “Run to Remember.” The race will start at the Ottawa Boat Club and raise money for a local family and youth sports. Contact the fire department to sign up.

The same day there is a 5K/10K at Illini State Park in Marseilles called the “Illinois Fallen Soldier Memorial Fun Run or Walk.” Proceeds will build an addition to an existing memorial at the state park listing every soldier killed in a Middle East conflict. You can get a sign up form at Handy Foods, the Ottawa Y, CP’s Ice Cream or at the Illini State Park office.

Illinois Valley homeless shelters getting ready to open

Cooler weather isn’t far off and that has homeless shelters in Peru and Ottawa ready to open their doors.

The PADS shelters in the two cities will open this Thursday at 5. Illinois Valley PADS helped out 288 clients last season with shelter and food. PADS has been around since 1991.

To get ready for a new season, the shelters could use donations of white copy paper, bed sheets and jelly.

Torrential rain flooding Illinois Valley streets

Heavy rain Tuesday morning is causing flash flooding in the Illinois Valley.

The La Salle County Sheriff’s Office put out a message saying numerous roads in the county are flooding. They urge you to use caution and don’t drive through flooded roadways.

Mendota crews have been busy putting up barricades stopping drivers from going through flooded roads. First Avenue has especially been a trouble spot.