May 5, 2026 | WALLS 102 - Part 6

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Condit library in Putnam offers free May programming

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Amboy High School’s mental health summit opens up conversations on tough topics

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The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a national organization that provides advocacy, support and education about mental health. The Amboy High School NAMI chapter is the first Lee County high school chapter, adviser and AHS teacher

A familiar name to keep Peru police fully staffed

Peru police are getting a new patrol officer and his last name will be familiar to city residents. Aidan DeGroot is the son of Sgt. Scott DeGroot and nephew of recently retired Sgt. Ed DeGroot.“They just won’t go away,” Police Chief Sarah Raymond said, smiling. “We just got rid of one, and now we’ve got another one coming in. “This one (Aidan) is harder for me, though, because I remember when he was born, so it makes me feel really old, but…”The chief is joking, of course. She’s delighted to have a young hire with sterling role models in his own family, which includes former police officers Terry Guisti (an uncle) and Chuck Foster (a cousin). The youngest DeGroot wasn’t immediately available for comment, but his recently retired uncle expressed confidence.“Obviously, he’s been around law enforcement all of his life,” uncle Ed DeGroot said, “so I think he’s got a very good understanding of what it takes and will do an excellent job.”And Aiden DeGroot will, after completing 16 weeks at the academy, make the Peru force fully staffed. Raymond had recently welcomed a lateral transfer, but the officer reconsidered and withdrew.That’s why the Peru City Council voted Monday to approve DeGroot’s candidacy. He was selected by the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners for the position of patrol officer.“It was a fast action item so they could get (DeGroot) enrolled in the next academy class as it is right around the corner,” explained Alderman Jason Edgcomb, chairman of the public services committee, who was not present for Monday’s vote.Raymond said police recruitment is “slowing down some,” but it remains lightyears better than the days after the George Floyd killing. Floyd’s death shocked and deterred many young people who at that time had considered law enforcement as a career.Area police chiefs say recruitment has improved generally in the years that followed. In Peru’s case, Raymond is waiting for two graduates of the police academy to complete the field training program. Once DeGroot follows suit, Peru will have no vacancies.Some of Raymond’s fellow chiefs are also pleased with the recruiting.Ottawa Police Chief Mike Cheatham said he’s fully staffed and has 21 names on the eligibility list.“We had a really good turnout for our test last year,” Cheatham said, and are fortunate to have had 21 make the final list, the biggest list in years.”The Oglesby Police Department has been fully staffed for more than two years now and the current eligibility list has 12 potential candidates. Mendota police are fully staffed and have seven on the eligibility list.Spring Valley, too, has been fully staffed for nearly a year with an eligibility list of eight.“Recruitment has risen, and we have seen more interest in law enforcement over the last couple of years,” Spring Valley Police Chief Adam Curran said. “More departments have full, or close to full, staffing levels, which results in more competition and quality candidates.”La Salle Police Chief Jason Stubler said his department is fully staffed and he has 11 on the eligibility list. Recruiting, he said, has “stabilized” in recent years.“I’ve had several people express interest in applying,” Stubler said. “That’s encouraging when you have that kind of interest and you’re not actively hiring.”

Granville library offers free May programs on American history, food, labor and women’s stories

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Condit library in Putnam offers free May programming

The Putnam County Public Library District is pleased to announce three free, educational programs taking place in May at the Condit Branch, open to the public at no cost.· Docs & Dialogue: Family Recipe – Jewish American Style at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 14Brisket, blintzes, bagels — Jewish cooks have been adding flavor to the American melting pot since their arrival, but Jewish food is far more than delis and diners. Running time: 54 minutes. Rated G. Made possible through Kanopy.· Docs & Dialogue: The Brooklyn Bridge at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 21At the time of its completion, the Brooklyn Bridge was the largest bridge ever built — a technical accomplishment of unparalleled scope, marked by enormous construction challenges and equally ingenious solutions. Director Ken Burns captures both the physical majesty of this landmark achievement. Running time: 58 minutes. Rated G. Made possible through Kanopy.· Chapter 250: Reading America’s Story Together – Youth at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 28, In-Person & VirtualYouth ages 8–14 are invited to join a hybrid community book club exploring the American Revolution through shared reading, conversation, and film. Program runs approximately 45–60 minutes. To attend virtually, register at: https://shorturl.at/bXyd4.All programs are free and open to the public. For more information, call 815-339-2038 or visit the Condit branch at 105 N. Center St., Putnam.

A familiar name to keep Peru police fully staffed

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La Salle-Peru, Ottawa players have ‘good experience’ at IHSA combines

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Football players from La Salle-Peru and Ottawa had the opportunity to gain recruiting exposure by participating in IHSA combines, which are new this spring.

Condit library in Putnam offers free May programming

ipozwdcncrbunmqg5vvpqzaiqi586472

The Putnam County Public Library District is pleased to announce three free, educational programs taking place in May at the Condit Branch, open to the public at no cost.

A familiar name to keep Peru police fully staffed

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La Salle-Peru, Ottawa players have ‘good experience’ at IHSA combines

When La Salle-Peru football coach JJ Raffelson was playing at Lake Zurich High School and looking to get recruited to play in college, he relied mostly on sending his tape out.Now, high school players have more opportunities to attend showcases and go to camps at colleges. The IHSA added another opportunity for high school players to get recruiting exposure this spring with about 20 combines around the state.Raffelson, who played college football at Western Illinois, took nine L-P players to a combine at Rockford Boylan on Thursday.At the event, the athletes warmed up as a whole then broke down into position groups to run agility and position specific drills.“I think it was good for the kids to get that exposure and also be able to get back into the realm of competing against other kids,” Raffelson said. “It was a good experience.”The Cavalier players - juniors Mason Morscheiser, Jaron Morscheiser, Cody Orabutt, Logan Harmon, Brady Twardowski, Daniel Edwall and Camden Greathouse, sophomore Evan Downey and freshman Sam Carter - were joined by players from nearly 15 other schools and about 15 colleges had coaches in attendance for the event.Colleges ranged from NCAA Division III to Division I. Some of the colleges represented included Western Illinois (FCS), Winona State (DII), Wheaton (DII), Elmhurst (DIII), Monmouth (DIII) as well as a Division II school from Michigan and a few Division III schools from Wisconsin.“I talked to about a dozen schools about our boys,” Raffelson said. “A lot of them have interest in numerous of them.“I’ve been in contact with a lot of those coaches already since the combine who are trying to come by this week to see the kids and get more information on them like GPA and all those things. It was definitely beneficial.”Princeton sent nine athletes to the Moline combine on Thursday, which had 36 college coaches in attendance and Ottawa had three players attend a combine at Bloomington on Wednesday.“This being the first year, there were a lot of unknowns going into it, but they did a good job,” said new Ottawa coach Jared Mundt, who took current juniors OL/DL Carter Price and RB/LB Wes Weatherford as well as current sophomore FB/LB Jordan Gomez. “Boys playing football, there was a lot of hootin’ and hollerin’. It was a competitive atmosphere.“They got to play with athletes from other schools, build some relationships with other high schoolers but also get a chance to show what they could do in front of the college coaches.”Mundt said it’s an experience he’d definitely recommend to his players should the IHSA combines return next year.“Absolutely,” he said. “It’s just a fun way to get the kids together and see how they stack up with some athletes they don’t normally see in the area or their conference. We saw multiple schools from the Bloomington area that normally our athletes wouldn’t have ever had exposure with and had a chance to measure up and see how they looked against them.“Anytime you get an opportunity to compete, it’s great, and I think it was neat opportunity the IHSA put together.”Raffelson said the combines are particularly beneficial for players from smaller areas that don’t always have the chance to get as much exposure as players from the Chicago suburbs and other larger areas.“We have a lot of smaller schools,” Raffelson said. “Up in the suburbs, colleges are going to flock a little bit more to the masses. When you go up to the Chicago area, you can hit many different schools and many different kids a lot easier than you can down here. It gives us the opportunity to go up somewhere and compete with those schools, so it’s definitely beneficial for this community.”Raffelson said he’d like to host a combine at Howard Fellows Stadium in the future to help not only L-P players but players throughout the area, some of whom he works with at his gym, JJR Next Level Training and Fitness.“All we want as coaches is to help every single kid get their name out there no matter what school they’re from,” Raffelson said. “If they want to play ball, we want to be able to help them.“Hopefully, the IHSA continues to offer more things like this. It’s all for the kids. That’s why we do it. It’s for the kids to help them grow and achieve what they want to achieve.”Along with getting recruiting exposure, Raffelson said it was a good bonding experience for the players and got them back on the field with summer workouts starting in about a month.“We’re less than a month away from June and that’s when we start our summer stuff, so just getting their hands on the football, running around, lacing up those cleats again and putting the helmets on, it’s just a good experience,” Raffelson said.

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