Teenage boys allegedly break into Granville store Monday morning

While you were probably sleeping, a couple teenagers are accused of burglarizing a store in Putnam County.

Nineteen-year-old Jonathan Coan of Mark and 18-year-old Matthew Byrne of Granville were arrested for allegedly stealing from the Corner Store in Granville before 6 Monday morning. They were each charged with felony burglary and have court appearances set for Thursday in Hennepin.

Byrne is still jailed needing $1,500 to get out on bond. Coan came up with $500 and is out of custody.

Kinzinger Calls out Pentagon’s Order for some Veterans to Repay Enlistment Bonuses

A Congressman who represents the Illinois Valley is taking shots at what he calls a “gross mismanagement of payroll and benefits.”

On Tuesday, the Pentagon demanded thousands of soldiers from California, who registered to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, repay enlistment bonuses. According to the Pentagon, the bonuses were overpaid by the California National Guard.

U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger is a veteran and currently a Major with the Air National Guard. He said we “cannot allow the mistakes of the Department of Defense and California National Guard be taken out on our men and women in uniform.”

Kinzinger suggested the Pentagon work with Congress to address the issue. He went on to suggest the National Defense Authorization Act be enacted. The act would, among other things, establish a statute of limitations on the military recovering overpayments in the future.

Longtime Illinois Valley coach and teacher loses court case

Former Ottawa High School teacher and coach Tim Burgess has lost a battle trying to get his job back.

On Monday Judge Joseph Hettel upheld the Ottawa school board’s decision early last year to dismiss Burgess after he allegedly made some disparaging remarks about others at the school. The Burgess firing came at a time when there were accusations of bullying against then Superintendent Matt Winchester.

A state board of education officer had argued that Burgess of Utica was improperly dismissed. In September a split school board voted against reinstating Burgess as a teacher.

Cubs License Plate Sales Pale Compared to Other Chicago Clubs

While you probably know a lot of people wearing their Cubs support on their sleeve this week, few people are showing it on their car in the form of a Cubs license plate.

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, if license plates are an indicator of support, the Cubs come in 4th among the 5 pro teams. The Blackhawks lead the way with more than 20,000 plates sold, with the White Sox almost doubling the Cubs with nearly 12,000 sold.

Believe it or not the Bears are third with just shy of 7,500 license plates. There are only 6,700 Cubs plates on Illinois cars. The Bulls bring up the rear with almost 3,000 sold.

If you want to sport your team’s plate, it’ll cost you $69. The Secretary of State’s Office says $25 of that goes into a fund that supports public schools.

Gun Groups Endorse Incumbents Skoog and Rezin Despite Party Differences

Whether you’re a gun owner or not, you probably wonder where the candidates stand on the issue, especially when it comes to local races.

The Illinois State Rifle Association is endorsing candidates from both parties in the Illinois Valley. They’ve endorsed Republican Sue Rezin for the 38^th State Senate District and Democrat Andy Skoog for 76^th District State Representative. They’re also endorsing Daniel Swanson for the 74^th District, which includes parts of Bureau County.

The NRA’s Political Victory Fund has given out grades to go with their endorsements. While they endorse Skoog and give him an A+, Republican Challenger Jerry Long received an A- from the group.

They also endorse State Senator Sue Rezin, giving her an A and challenger Chris Benson an F. Swanson scored an A- according to the NRA while his opponent, Bill Butts, also got an F.

Oglesby driver hurt in crash along Route 351

A crash west of Oglesby is blamed on a teenage driver.

Eighteen-year-old Kendra Russell of Peru was ticketed for failing to yield after crashing into 38-year-old Joseph Kudela of Oglesby. The crash happened Monday afternoon along Route 351 down the hill from Illinois Valley Community College.

Russell wasn’t hurt but Kudela was taken to Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru.

WWII memorial ceremony planned at Hall High School

Veteran’s Day this year at Hall High School means rededicating a World War Two memorial.

A large granite stone and plaque that first went up in 1968 at Hall will be relocated to a new Memorial Garden on Friday, November 11th. Twenty-four new trees will be planted signifying 24 Hall students who lost their lives in World War Two. The Veteran’s Day rededication ceremony starts at 10.

The memorial originally began as a project for Hall High School students.

Heroin bust made in Ottawa

A home just west of downtown Ottawa was apparently being used to deal heroin.

Twenty-eight-year-old Jessica Walters and 37-year-old Adair Douglass were arrested Monday at their house on Chestnut Street. Walters is charged with three counts of delivery of a controlled substance while Douglass is charged with three counts of permitting the use of a building to deal drugs.

Walters bond was set at $500,000 while Douglass is looking at a bond of $15,000.

New pizza joint opening in La Salle

Chicago style pizza is coming to downtown La Salle.

Rosati’s will be inside the old Mareta Pasta and Deli on Gooding Street. The La Salle City Council approved a sign for the business Monday night.

Hopes are to open by the end of the year. Rosati’s also has restaurants in Mendota and Ottawa.

Still time to register to vote for November 8th election

Polling places will be open two weeks from today and it’s not too late to register to vote.

Grace Period Registration and Early Voting in La Salle County is happening inside the county clerk’s office. When registering, you need to show two proofs of identification with your current address and you also have to vote right after registering.

To accommodate the high interest in the November election, the clerk’s office in Ottawa will be open for voting every day including Sundays through Election Day.