Community College to be Graded During Accreditation Review This Week

While you may know that schools grade students, have you ever wondered who grades the schools?

When it comes to Illinois Valley Community College, that answer is the Higher Learning Commission. The school has been accredited by the HLC since 1967.

In fact, you could call it exam time for IVCC this week. A team from the HLC will be in town reviewing the school until Wednesday.

The college held a comment period that ended last month to get public feedback on the quality of the school.

Ottawa Woman Accused of Inappropriate Relations with Minor Pleads “Not Guilty”

The Ottawa woman who’s accused of sleeping with an underage teenage boy won’t stand trial for her actions this year.

With her attorney present, 21-year old Savannah Lyles was in court Friday where she pled “not guilty” to the one charge against her. She was arrested for aggravated criminal sexual abuse after Ottawa Police say they received information that led them to Lyles.

She’s currently not in custody, having posted the $1,000 to be released shortly after her arrest. She’s due back in court December 23^rd, with her trial set to take place in January.

Several fire departments fight barn fire near Sublette

Mendota firefighters were among those called to help fight a barn fire southwest of Sublette.

The initial fire call came in around 9:15 Monday morning about a fully engulfed barn on Penkins Road in rural Sublette. Sublette immediately called for mutual aid to fight the fire.

You’ll hear more details as they become available.

Search for a suicidal woman ends with positive outcome at state park

A scary situation had a happy ending Sunday at Starved Rock State Park.

A 60-year-old woman threatening to commit suicide was tracked down by firefighters and police near the park visitor’s Sunday. She was okay but still taken to Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru to get looked at.

Conservation Police Sgt. Phil Wire they first heard that the woman from Sandwich was possibly going to jump off an overpass along Interstate 80 west of Ottawa. Before finding her okay they were worried she was going to jump off a cliff at the park.

Latest fall victim at Starved Rock improving in Peoria

If you’ve been following the story of a woman who survived a 60-foot fall, she is on the mend.

Twenty-one-year-old Kathleen Bartsch of Des Plaines is listed in fair condition at OSF St. Francis Medical Center after being flown to Peoria. Bartsch was hiking near Pontiac Canyon in Starved Rock State Park when she fell in an area where a sign saying “not a trail” had been illegally removed. Because of that Bartsch won’t be ticketed.

Conservation Police Sgt. Phil Wire says Bartsch has multiple back and internal injuries.

Two more crashes at trouble spot in Tonica

A dangerous intersection in Tonica was the sight of a couple more crashes over the weekend.

At around 10:30 Saturday two vehicles collided at the intersection of Route 251 and North 20th Road. Twenty-seven-year-old Patrick Anderson of Metamora and 25-year-old Delores Zens of Tonica crashed into each other. Thankfully no one was hurt and nobody was ticketed.

A few hours’ later three drivers collided at the same intersection on the north edge of Tonica. Fifty-five-year-old Denise Flynn of Peoria is accused of failing to yield and crashing into John Rhodes of Streator who then hit a camper driven by a man from Rockford.

Nobody was seriously hurt.

Suicide prevention walk returns to La Salle County

Grieving the death of a family member or a close friend is a tough emotional process. If they die from suicide you may be left overcoming the stigma that comes with it.

You can get emotional support Sunday by taking part in the annual suicide prevention walk called “Out of the Darkness.” Check in starts at 1 with the actual walk beginning at 2 at the Jordan Block in Ottawa. Before this year the “Out of the Darkness” walk happened at Baker Lake in Peru.

Money raised will support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. You can learn more or sign up for the walk by clicking Out of the Darkness Walk

Construction closing busy rail crossings in Ottawa

There will be some traffic headaches the next couple weeks on two of the busiest streets in Ottawa.

Starting Monday, the rail crossing on Boyce Memorial Drive will be closed so that Illinois Railway crews can fix up the crossing. The crossing on West Marquette Street will also be closed today through Thursday.

Then the real fun starts next Monday when the Route 6 or West Norris Drive crossing not far from Casey’s closes down for five days. There will be detours using stretches of Route 23, Route 178 and Interstate 80.

Electronics recycling weekend planned in Lacon

If you live in Marshall or Putnam County and have old electronics to get rid of, mark your calendars for November 4th and 5th.

That’s when there will be an electronics drop-off at the Marshall County Highway Department along Route 26 in Lacon. The two-day event will run from 1 until 5 on the 4th and from 8 until noon on the 5th.

You’ll be able to drop off up to ten things including televisions, cell phones, microwaves and computers.

Monday morning crash in Grand Ridge involves pregnant woman

Police and paramedics have been called to a crash on Route 23 in Grand Ridge.

The collision happened around 7:15 Monday morning at the intersection of Route 23 and Main Street. At least two vehicles and two women are involved in the crash with one of them being pregnant. You’ll hear more details as they become available.

More information should come out as well about a bad crash near the Marshall and Putnam County line on Route 29 on Friday. A medical helicopter was called to handle at least one patient.