April 22, 2026 | WALLS 102 - Part 6

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Streator Area CEO program to host student trade show May 4

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MIMIC event showcases innovation of IVCC students

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La Salle County grand jury: April 21, 2026

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TBM Avengers return May 15-16 to Peru

The TBM Avenger and Salute to Veterans event returns to Peru on May 15-16.Monday, the Peru City Council unanimously acted on a pair of motions to bring the popular show back to the city’s airport. First, the council approved a quote from Dimond Bros. Insurance ($7,622) to cover the event. The council then agreed to contribute $125,000 to defray the costs.This year will mark the 11th anniversary of the city’s “signature event” and the largest gathering of TBM Avengers in the country. Mayor Ken Kolowski said he’s pleased to welcome back a show that seems to grow in popularity each year.“We’re excited about the TBMs,” Kolowski said. “The city’s always been very supportive of this, because anything we can do for veterans, of course, we will do. “But you also have so many people come to enjoy this free event, and that’s the main thing.”

MIMIC event showcases innovation of IVCC students

Illinois Valley Community College’s Making Industry Meaningful In College (MIMIC) Innovation and Design fair is scheduled for 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Friday, April 24, at the Student Life Space campus commons.The fair features puzzles, solutions and storage options, all designed and sold by students, according to a press release.The annual MIMIC lab-to-table project is the culmination of months of development by sophomore Computer Aided Design (CAD) students, according to the release. As part of MIMIC, the students troubleshoot a problem or issue, develop a solution, design and refine prototypes and assemble a product which they will display and sell at the fair.According to the release, this year, students created an array of decorative shelving, a tabletop marble maze game, a handheld marble maze game, a sword-shaped USB sheath for gamers and a kit filled with 3D furniture and printed windows so people can solve remodeling dilemmas.Over the years, the array has ranged from home decor and gadgets, to leisure items or space- and time-saving products.For more information, call 815-224-0465.

Ottawa moves closer to River Edge Redevelopment Zone designation

The city of Ottawa took the first step Tuesday toward becoming a designated River Edge Redevelopment Zone, a program that would enable the city to leverage new incentives to attract investments, create jobs and invest in the community.If approved by the state, the River Edge Redevelopment Zone (RERZ) will offer tax credits, sales tax exemptions and other tools to support local businesses and attract developers.The city held a public hearing Tuesday ahead of its regularly scheduled council meeting. It is the first of a series of approvals the city will need before joining seven other communities: Alton, Aurora, East St. Louis, Elgin, Peoria, Rockford and Sterling.There was no public comment.“What’s important is this is another layer of financial opportunities that we can offer to any potential developer,” Mayor Robert Hasty said. “We’re really checking all the boxes. We’re also submitting an application for an opportunity zone, which will be coming soon.”North Central Illinois Council of Governments Community Planner Calvin Croy explained the purpose of the hearing was threefold: to consider whether the city should establish the zone, to discuss the boundaries and to review local plans, tax incentives and programs that might be implemented in connection with the zone.“For those unfamiliar with what a River Edge Redevelopment Zone is,” Croy said, “it is a state of Illinois incentive designed to encourage economic development, historic preservation and revitalization of riverfront communities.”Designation as a RERZ allows the city to access and offer a variety of incentives, including but not limited to state and local tax incentives, sales tax exemptions, building materials and other redevelopment tools aimed at attracting investment and supporting local businesses, Croy said.“Most importantly, though, would be the historic tax credits and building material sales tax exemptions,” he said.The proposed zone includes the area along the Illinois River, most of the downtown and adjacent areas going up to Interstate 80.Hasty said the RERZ is particularly significant because tax credits are available for historic renovations.“Given the fact that our entire downtown is in a historic district, and we have an east side resident center in a historic district,” Hasty said, “I think that is one additional unique attribute to this particular plan that might encourage someone to take our history into mind when they’re renovating some of our downtown buildings.”Croy said the city is considering a range of redevelopment strategies and incentives, which may include targeting redevelopment of underutilized or vacant properties, support of historic preservation projects, infrastructure improvements and potential tax improvements.In June 2024, Gov. JB Pritzker expanded the River Edge Redevelopment Zone Act to include six additional communities: East Moline, La Salle, Moline, Ottawa, Peru and Rock Island.Ottawa Director of Economic Development David Noble said the next step in the process is for the city to pass an ordinance to adopt the plan. Then they will send the proposed zone to Springfield to be evaluated by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).DCEO has 90 days to approve it, Noble said. Once approved, the city will have an active redevelopment zone and citizens can begin applying.“It should be active and up in about three months,” Noble said. “And then it lasts 30 years.”

Faculty office in IVCC’s Dr. Alfred E. Wisgoski Agricultural Educational Center to be named for the Corcorans

A faculty office in Illinois Valley Community College’s Dr. Alfred E. Wisgoski Agricultural Education Center will be named in honor of Jerome and Katherine Corcoran.The building features conference rooms, flexible classroom space and room for a future greenhouse.The Dr. Alfred E. Wisgoski Agricultural Education Center is expected to be ready for occupancy in 2027, according to a press release. The Corcorans contributed $10,000 in support of the new building, according to the release.Jerome Corcoran’s career at IVCC spanned 33 years, including 15 years as the president before he retired in 2023, according to the release. In addition to initiating planning for the Agricultural Education Center, Corcoran’s administration spearheaded other campus expansion projects.Corcoran said his donation supports IVCC’s mission to respond to its community’s needs. “It had been a long time since we offered many classes in agriculture. We decided to develop a program and hired a top-notch coordinator to help it ‘take flight,’” he said. “We went from two agriculture courses and marginal facilities to 22 courses and 70 students annually.”In a district where farming is a leading industry, prospective students once went elsewhere to pursue a major in agriculture, according to the release.The facility will provide new opportunities for students, who Corcoran said, “will be able to walk out of the classroom and see exactly what they are studying and its relevance by having a laboratory in the middle of corn and soybean fields.” Corcoran applauded IVCC President Dr. Tracy Morris and her staff for supporting and expanding the agriculture program.“That is why Katherine and I are so happy to support this important fundraising activity,” he said.The new building will help redefine the IVCC Agriculture program, according to the release, outfitting the college to train and upskill agriculture workers, and aid in the development of new technology and sustainable practices. “This building would not be happening if not for Dr. Corcoran’s leadership,” Morris said. “He and Katherine have been tremendous supporters of the college, the foundation, and the agriculture programs. I think it is very fitting that their names will be a permanent part of our outstanding facility.”Equipped with leading-edge innovation labs and technology, the 10,250-square-foot building puts students at the heart of the college’s 153-acre farm of test plots and cropland, according to the release.The $7.6 million capital project is made possible by community support and public grants, including $3.5 million from the U.S. Department of Economic Development Administration and $240,000 from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, according to the release. Currently, IVCC’s Ag Forward campaign has brought in more than $1.6 million in support of naming opportunities, according to the release.Dr. Alfred E. Wisgoski, for whom the building is named, was the longest serving president in IVCC’s history and his investment in the project is a tribute to his legacy.To learn more about the Dr. Alfred E. Wisgoski Agricultural Education Center and the IVCC Foundation fundraising effort, Ag Forward, visit www.ivcc.edu/agforward or call 815-224-0550.

TBM Avengers return May 15-16 to Peru

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Streator Area CEO program to host student trade show May 4

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Faculty office in IVCC’s Dr. Alfred E. Wisgoski Agricultural Educational Center to be named for the Corcorans

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