Local Headlines

PERU – The first baby of 2019 to be born at Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru arrived Wednesday. IVCH says, Cindy Hernandez of LaSalle gave birth to baby boy, Jesus Lopez Jr, weighing 8 pounds and 7 ounces. He was 19 1/2 inches in length at birth. The last baby of 2018 to be born

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Five children heading to Disney World in a church van from Louisiana died along with two truck drivers in a fiery crash on Interstate 75 in north Florida, the Florida Highway Patrol said Friday. The children were traveling in a large passenger van from Avoyelles

ST. CHARLES, Ill. (AP) — The Kane County Sheriff is spending time locked up in the jail he oversees to evaluate detainees’ complaints about conditions there. Sheriff Ron Hain changed into a county jail uniform Wednesday for an overnight stay at the Kane County Adult Correctional Center in

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A court-appointed expert would guide the overhaul of health care for Illinois prison inmates in a proposed federal consent decree filed Thursday. Lawyers for approximately 40,000 state prison inmates announced that the Illinois Department of Corrections’ agreement

CHICAGO (AP) — One of the most powerful and longest-serving City Council members in Chicago history appeared in federal court Thursday on a charge that he tried to shake down a major fast-food restaurant chain seeking city remodeling permits. Alderman Ed Burke, 75, is charged with one count of

TUSCOLA, Ill. (AP) — A central Illinois man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for driving away in a car with a baby inside it. A Douglas County judge sentenced 22-year-old Seth Tindle of Atwood on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to vehicular hijacking. Media outlets reports Tindle

The Dalzell Police is looking for an alleged New Years Eve burglar. In a facebook post on Wednesday, the Dalzell Police posted images of the alleged burglar and an SUV. According to police, the suspect was observed walking around the central portion of Dalzell between the hours of 1 and 3 a.m on

LEBANON, Ind. (AP) — A northwestern Indiana man has been charged with felony neglect after police say a 3-year-old boy fatally shot his 4-year-old sister with the suspect’s gun. 63-year-old Darrell Marberry of Chicago was arrested last week and is being held in the Lake County Jail

DECATUR – A woman is in custody after fatally stabbing her boyfriend on New Years Day. According to Decatur Police, 22-year-old Billie Jo Soyster is charged in the stabbing death of her 38-year-old boyfriend. Authorities say they were called to the 500 block of east Division Street just

ILLINOIS – The American Red Cross urgently needs blood donors to give now to help ensure blood remains available for vital medical treatments and emergencies. According to the Red Cross a decline in donations happens from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, when donors get busy with