Bureau County official to begin involvment with regional emergency dispatch center

Call 911 in Bureau County and you’ll be connected to a dispatcher with BuEComm, the agency that fields all emergency calls in Bureau County.

The board members of BuEComm are closely watching the development of a dispatch center that would handle all emergency calls for La Salle, Peru and Oglesby.

The board decided last week to have four members on the Illinois Valley Regional Dispatch Center planning committee according to BuEComm Director Diana Stiles. She says the board is exploring the option of the regional dispatch center because the state is trying to consolidate services.

As for now, BuEComm will continue to handle all of Bureau County’s 911 calls.

Alleged heroin dealers stopped in Peru make initial court appearance

A man and woman picked up for allegedly dealing heroin in Peru have to come up with big cash to get out of jail.

Wilfredo Candelaria of Peru and Nora Toovey of DePue were both in court Sunday being charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Their bond was set at $1 million each. Both are due back in court Thursday.

Candelaria and Toovey were pulled over Friday night at 6th and Fulton Streets in Peru. With the help of a drug dog, Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei says officers found over 100 separate packages of heroin and a small amount of crack cocaine and paraphernalia.

Oglesby man found guilty in animal cruelty case

Guilty was the verdict for a man accused of abandoning a dog that was found seriously injured along a highway. Steven Bottoms of Oglesby was convicted Friday of cruel treatment to an animal, a misdemeanor charge.

Bottoms and his wife Tiffany Bottoms were arrested last May after an injured pitbull was found near Interstate 39 and Route 6. The dog had been hit by a car and required surgery.

The couple was accused of deserting the dog though Tiffany Bottoms told Classic Hits 103.9 WLPO last May that the dog had actually been given to a new owner a couple of weeks prior to being injured.

Steven Bottoms’ bench trial was heard by La Salle County Circuit Judge Cynthia Raccuglia. He’ll be sentenced on March 27. Tiffany Bottoms is scheduled to go to trial in March.

Round up of the Illinois Valley’s lowest temperatures

How low did the temperature go where you live?

According to the National Weather Service, it was -13 degrees at one point Thursday morning near Sheridan. A weather spotter in Streator reported a temperature of -11.  It got as cold as -7 in Oglesby and Ottawa while the thermometer dipped to -6 in Peru and Grand Ridge. La Salle and Marseilles bottomed out at -5.

At the coldest point Thursday morning it felt like -20 to -25 degrees with the wind chill.

Weather service schedules annual severe weather spotter classes

Maybe this will have you thinking of warmer weather. The National Weather Service has planned another round of severe weather spotter classes.

In La Salle County, there will be a storm spotter class Tuesday, March 3rd at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby. It starts at 6. In Putnam County there’s a weather spotter class Monday, March 23 at the Putnam County Emergency Management building in Hennepin starting at 6:30pm.

The severe weather classes train you to identify storms and tornadoes and then report them to the National Weather Service. They are free and usually last a couple of hours.

La Salle County declared “Storm Ready”

When severe weather hits La Salle County, you’re in good hands according to the National Weather Service.

Geno Izzi with the weather service office out of Romeoville was in Ottawa Tuesday to officially declare La Salle County a “StormReady” community. Izzi says through its emergency management department, La Salle County has shown its prepared to respond before, during and after severe weather.

The county received a large sign and also a plaque for being declared “StormReady”. La Salle County is one of just over a thousand counties nationwide with this designation.

Streator man accused of indecent solicitation of a child

While many of the people being held in the La Salle County Jail face drug related charges, there are exceptions.

Stephen Heinzeroth of Streator was indicted Tuesday for two counts of indecent solicitation of a child. He’s being held with his bond set at $50,000.

Local county health officials stress the importance of being vaccinated

There hasn’t been a case of measles in La Salle County lately, but it’s on the minds of county health officials.

La Salle County Health Department Public Information Officer Jenny Barrie says they’re keeping on top of it and the cases in Palatine should be a reminder of the importance of immunizations. She says her office has fielded a lot of questions in the past couple weeks from doctors, parents and schools about measles.

She says if you’re uncertain that you or your children are up to date on immunizations, call and ask.

All Illinois school children are required to get the MMR vaccine unless they are exempt for religious reasons. Also anyone born after 1956 should get at least one dose of the vaccine.

If you are unvaccinated and start showing symptoms like a fever or rash, call your doctor or health department in advance before showing up so they can take steps to stop the spread of the illness.  Learn more by listening to an interview that’s available at the Classic Hits 103.9 WLPO News Page.

Suspicious man accused of having meth in rural South Ottawa Township

If you notice someone suspicious in your neighborhood, call the police.

La Salle County Sheriff’s deputies say they found methamphetamine on a man that was walking in the area of East 1704^th Road and County Highway 66 in South Ottawa Township.

Benjamin Norville of Noxville was arrested Thursday morning for possession of a controlled substance. Norville was being held in the county jail with his bond set at $30,000.

Mother and children taken to hospital following Route 71 accident

Many roads remain covered in ice and snow. Slick roads likely contributed to an accident north of Marseilles Tuesday morning.

A La Salle County Sheriff’s Deputy says that Garrett Bennett of Sandwich was turning from Route 71 to East 24^th Road when he hit a mini van driven by a woman that is five months pregnant.

Bennett and Jeanne Felesena of Sheridan and her two children were taken to St. Elizabeth Medical Center. Nobody appeared to be seriously injured.  Bennett was ticketed for failure to yield.