County, Police Working to make Parents Aware of Sex Offender’s Homes before Kids Trick-Or-Treat

One of the best times of year for kids can be one of the scariest for the parents looking to keep them safe.

The LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office is reminding parents to stay informed, in particular when it comes to potential sex offenders. Sheriff Tom Templeton encourages you to visit the county’s website to check out where your kids will be going to be aware of potential sex offenders along the route.

The City of Marseilles is taking a more modern approach. They took to Facebook to post a map showing the location of 12 offenders.

Marseilles Police Chief Jim Hovius says it was the first year for the move, which he had noticed other communities doing before. He says people have been “pretty receptive” to the move, which he says “helps to raise awareness.”

Hovius also pointed out that sex offenders are not allowed to participate in Halloween activities, like handing candy out to kids.

Rockford Man to make Final Court Appearance Thursday before Trial in Armed Robbery Case

A Rockford man is set to make his final appearance in court Thursday morning before his armed robbery trial that’s set to start Monday.

The final pre-trial hearing for 51-year old William Webb is set to take place this morning. Webb is accused He is accused of shooting at a Streator Police officer while trying to escape after robbing the south side Circle K back in August.

At the time of his arrest, Webb was on parole for 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 still in custody where he would need to come up with $200,000 to be released.

Accused Princeton arsonist arrested for battery while in custody

While in custody for an alleged arson, a Princeton man got himself in more trouble.

Twenty-six-year-old Daniel Hartsough was arrested Tuesday night at the sheriff’s office for aggravated battery. He was in custody because of an arrest last month for allegedly setting his families garage on fire along Park Avenue East in Princeton.

Hartsough’s bond for arson is $70,000. He has a fitness hearing scheduled in December with a January trial date.

Rollover near Earlville lands teenage girl in a Rockford hospital

A teenage girl was seriously hurt after a crash near Earlville.

Deputies in La Salle County were called about a single vehicle crash just before 8 Tuesday night on a county road north of Earlville. A 17-year-old girl lost control, overturned her vehicle and ended up in a field.

The girl was initially taken to OSF St. Paul Medical Center in Mendota before being flown to OSF St. Anthony’s Medical Center in Rockford. There’s no word yet about her condition.

Changes come to troubled Tonica intersection

Time will tell if turning a dangerous intersection in Tonica to a 4-way stop will make a difference.

As of Wednesday the Route 251 and North 20th Road intersection becomes an “all-way stop.” Before, north and southbound traffic on Route 251 didn’t have to stop. IDOT Engineer Dave Broviak says what was leading to a lot of accidents is drivers on North 20th Road thought highway traffic was slowing to stop and would then proceed to pull out in front of them.

Broviak says the safety upgrades is the result of an accumulation of crashes and not just one incident. He says village officials and State Representative Andy Skoog pushed for changes to the intersection.

If crashes continue happening, Broviak says next steps could include rumble strips or increased signage.

Peru clerk reflects on short-lived recycling drop off

Now that the dust has settled on another recycling event in Peru, what’s next?

Peru City Clerk Dave Bartley says they hope to coordinate with La Salle and have another event in the spring. Bartley says he is very disappointed that they reached their capacity so quick and is sympathetic to those who made an effort to load heavy TV’s into their vehicles only to be turned away.

Bartley says they actually collected about 10,000 pounds more than the announced capacity. They based the capacity limit on budget and previous recycling events.

Peru and La Salle both paid $7,500 for Saturday’s recycling event. Bartley says they have discussed charging individuals for the pick up like Princeton did but that would slow the line down.

It could be a snowy and cold winter for the Illinois Valley

For what its worth, the National Weather Service is predicting a wetter, cooler winter for the Illinois Valley.

The weather service has put out its annual winter outlook. Forecasters say a “La Nina” weather phenomenon will influence things this winter. A “La Nina” usually means wetter, cooler conditions for the northern part of the country.

The outlook doesn’t specifically predict where and when snowstorms will hit but again “La Nina” set ups favor above average snow in the Great Lakes states.