Local Headlines

OTTAWA – Volunteers at OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center and Center for Health in Streator were honored  for their exceptional service. 317 volunteers contributed over 32,000 hours of service this past year, an amount that equals 15 full-time employees. Volunteers ranged from ...Read more

STREATOR – Streator Township High School is seeking funding for their 2020 projects. The high school board announced they will be submitting an application to receive a school maintenance grant from the Illinois Board of Education. The matching $50,000 grant would support summer 2020 work ...Read more

STREATOR – The city of Streator plans to ask voters for an increase on their annual library tax. On Tuesday, council members approved the referendum that will be on the March 17th ballot to increase the library tax from .15% to .23%. According to Mayor Jimmie Lansford, the uptick in tax ...Read more

LASALLE – LaSalle-Peru High School will have a new principal in July. The high school board made the decision Wednesday night to approve Ingrid Cushing as the next principal. Cushing served LaSalle-Peru High School as Associate Principal for Teaching and Learning for the past three years. ...Read more

DIXON (AP) – A Chicago man is free for the first time in nearly 30 years after a judge threw out his conviction. Demond Weston says, “It was a long road here and we made it.”  He claims he was tortured into confessing to a 1990 murder and other shootings. Special prosecutor Bob Milan ...Read more

PERU – An early Thursday morning home fire heavily damaged a home in Peru.  According to Peru Fire Chief Jeff King, they were called to the 1600 Block of 5th Street after a resident reported a fire in his kitchen.  When responders arrived, they found fire coming out of the back of the ...Read more

STREATOR – Streator Township High School’s district will be getting more funding due to a higher property tax base. At Tuesday night’s board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Matt Seaton reported that projections of a 4% increase in property tax value has remained. According to Dr. ...Read more

OTTAWA – Workers involved in the coal tar cleanup at the former Central School site in Ottawa are preparing for heavy duty work in the new year.  The site that was once home to a former gas plant in the 50s is now under the responsibility of Nicor Gas and Com Ed. Spokeswoman Jennifer Golz ...Read more

  STREATOR – Winners have been announced in the 2019 Streator Holiday Lighting Contest. The contest hosted by the Streator Chamber of Commerce, had five categories: most creative, most eccentric, most religious, business display and best overall. The most creative holiday lighting ...Read more

PEORIA  (AP) – Thirteen members of a central Illinois street gang called the Bomb Squad are facing the possibility of decades in prison after jurors in central Illinois convicted them of a racketeering conspiracy that included murders and drug trafficking. The federal jury returned ...Read more