Author: princetonmays

The Ottawa Police Department wished Sgt. Brenden Donahue a happy and safe retirement Friday. (Scott Anderson)
The Ottawa Police Department wished Sgt. Brenden Donahue a happy and safe retirement Friday.
Donahue signed off for one last time to dispatch Friday surrounded by family, friends and co-workers who greeted him with applause.
“It has been an honor to serve the citizens of this fine community for all these years and to lead such a dedicated group of individuals,” Donahue said.
He said he was humbled and wished his colleagues continued safety.
Donahue spent 13 years as the school resource officer with Ottawa Elementary School District 141 before being promoted to corporal in October 2016 and now a sergeant. He educated students through Ottawa’s DARE program.
After he announced his retirement, a dispatcher said Donahue was a reliable presence on the street and set a standard of professionalism for the police department to strive to achieve.
Donahue’s Badge No. 7 was “10-42,” ending his tour of duty, dispatch said in conclusion.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

source

The police inquiry was launched at 7:38 a.m. Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 1107 E. Elm St., where Streator police officers found an unresponsive woman pronounced dead at the scene. Streator police sent for Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services to process the scene. (Scott Anderson)
Authorities have identified the woman found dead Tuesday in a Streator residence; and a Streator man is charged with killing her.
In a Thursday news release, the La Salle County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Jessica M. Balma, 37, of Streator. Minutes later, the La Salle County Circuit Clerk’s Office showed a Joshua R. Casey, 38, charged with murder and concealment of a homicidal death.
Murder is punishable by 20 to 60 years in prison with no possibility of probation. Concealment of a homicidal death is a Class 3 felony carrying two to five years.
Casey was not, as of 5:15 p.m., in county custody; but authorities anticipated he would be brought in Friday to La Salle County Circuit Court for a detention hearing. La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro said a news conference would be held Friday following Casey’s appearance.
Cash bonds were abolished by the SAFE-T Act; but to date no person charged with murder in La Salle County has been granted pretrial release.
Details still are emerging. The police inquiry was launched at 7:38 a.m. Tuesday at 1107 E. Elm St., where Streator police officers found an unresponsive woman pronounced dead at the scene. Streator police sent for Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services to process the scene. A forensic autopsy was conducted Wednesday.
Authorities subsequently searched that property as well as 1425 E. Hickory St., which turned out to be Casey’s listed address. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Joshua R. Casey (Photo provided by La )
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

source

Members of Illinois Valley Indivisible participated in a Hands Off! march in April at Washington Square in Ottawa. Another rally focused on women, children and education is planned for Saturday. (Tom Sistak For Shaw Media)
Illinois Valley Indivisible will hold a rally with other local organizations for “women, children and public education” Saturday in downtown Ottawa.
The organizations are part of a network aimed at fighting the Trump administration, arguing that America’s democracy is under threat from fascism.
“In a little over 100 days, women, children and education have come under attack,” Heidi Henry, president of Illinois Valley Indivisible, said in a news release.
Other protests and rallies are planned across the country, following a series of events tied to May Day on May 1. Illinois Valley Indivisible also held a Hands Off! march in April.
Participants in the Ottawa rally will meet at Bold and Curvy Boutique, 211 W. Madison St. Those looking to make a sign at the event should arrive at 10 a.m. Materials will be available inside Bold and Curvy.
Protesters will then march from the store to Washington Square Park starting at 11 a.m. Once at the park, the group will gather along La Salle Street with signs, listen to protest music and hear speeches from invited speakers.
Speeches will take place at noon, followed by the rally group singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”
“Our rights are under attack, and we will not go back,” Andrea Sugg, owner of Bold and Curvy and a rally organizer, said in a news release. “Bring your signs, bring your cowbells or bells, bring your drums, bring your voice. Bring your determination to protect our women, our children and our public education.”
Indivisible organizations that will be joining Illinois Valley on May 17 include Kendall County, Tri-County, Grundy-La Salle County and Pontiac.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

source

Ian Morris and Landon Hulsing
Princeton senior Ian Morris and Bureau Valley senior Landon Hulsing claimed state championships in the discus at Saturday’s IHSA state track and field meet in Charleston.
Morris won the 2A title with a toss of 53.58 meters, while Hulsing won the 1A crown with a throw of 57.19 meters.
Princeton freshman Landen Hoffman was second in the 2A discus at 52.39 and La Salle-Peru senior Richie Santiago was fifth at 50.09.
Princeton senior Cade Odell placed fourth in the 2A shot put with a toss of 16.06 meters.
Putnam County junior Alex Rodriguez also contributed to the area’s strong showing in the throws with a seventh-place finish in the 1A discus (49.75) and ninth-place finish in the shot put (15.81).
St. Bede senior Greyson Marincic ran a personal record 14.79 seconds to place second in the 1A 110-meter hurdles.
Fieldcrest’s Michael Beckett finished ninth in the 1A triple jump (13.15).
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

source

James P. McCabe (Photo provided by La )
Two people were charged with money laundering Friday after a lengthy financial investigation by La Salle County authorities.
James P. McCabe, 60, of Utica, and Regina L. Anderson, 54, of Ottawa, both were charged in La Salle County Circuit Court with money laundering and theft.
McCabe’s charges are both Class 1 felonies carrying possible prison sentences of four to 15 years. Anderson is charged with Class 2 felonies carrying three to seven years.
Regina L. Anderson (Photo provided by La Salle County Jail)
Details still are emerging, but records unsealed Friday show that McCabe, over a seven-year span, “knowingly exerted unauthorized control” over unspecified property valued at more than $100,000 of a named individual. The dates of the illegal conduct, prosecutors said, spanned from Jan. 16, 2017, through May 3, 2024.
Records unsealed in Anderson’s case show a shorter duration (Oct. 13, 2021 through Oct. 13, 2023) and allege that she, too, “knowingly exerted unauthorized control” over property valued at less than $100,000 but more than $10,000 from the same person named in McCabe’s charges. Anderson also is alleged to have drawn checks from the victim’s accounts and listed McCabe as the payee.
Shortly after the records were unsealed, the Ottawa Police Department issued a news release saying that the investigation was launched Oct. 14, when police received a report that a former employee of Illinois Farm Business Farm Management “was believed to have misappropriated client funds.”
McCabe and Anderson were taken into custody Thursday. On Friday, Circuit Judge Michelle A. Vescogni granted their release with conditions. Neither McCabe nor Anderson has a criminal history, and the new charges are nonviolent offenses.
Both were ordered to return to court June 20 for an appearance with counsel and arraignment. McCabe is represented by Ottawa defense attorney Darrell Seigler. Anderson advised the judge that she is seeking private counsel.
The La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office declined to comment beyond the now-unsealed documents. Attorneys are barred from commenting on pending cases under Illinois Supreme Court rules, and prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing.
Ottawa police encouraged other potential victims to contact them.
“Any person who was a client of James McCabe is encouraged to review their financial records and contact Detective Landeros with the Ottawa Police Department if there are any discrepancies found,” police said in the release.
McCabe is self-employed in farm services, according to a listing on RocketReach, a business-to-business contact database.
McCabe had been a longtime member of the Utica Public Library board of trustees and the Waltham Elementary School board. La Salle County prosecutors said McCabe’s charges are in no way connected to either entity.
Utica police assisted Ottawa police and the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office in the investigation.
A request for comment from the victim, relayed by the state’s attorney’s office, was not immediately returned. The Ottawa office of the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management was closed and darkened Friday, and a message left with the Urbana office was not immediately returned.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

source

Mariano M. Verucchi (Photo provided by La Salle County Jail)
A 23-year-old Peru man was arrested on a warrant charging him with dealing cocaine and he’s accused of having more drugs in his vehicle during a traffic stop.
Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team task force agents along with members of the Peru Police Department and the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office K-9 team conducted a traffic stop 2:47 p.m. Monday on a vehicle occupied by Mariano M. Verucchi.
Verucchi was wanted on a La Salle County warrant for three counts of manufacturing/delivering cocaine, a class X felony. An additional 150 grams, or one-third of a pound, of cocaine was located inside the vehicle, police said.
As a result, Verucchi was charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine (between 100 and 400 grams), which is a Class X felony. Additional charges may be pending upon further review, Tri-DENT said in its news release.
Verucchi is being held at the La Salle County Jail awaiting a detention hearing.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

source

In honor of Juneteenth, the print editions of the NewsTribune and The Times will not be published Thursday, June 19. Stay caught up on all your local news with Thursday’s eNewspaper edition and all stories at ShawLocal.com.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

source

An electronics recycling event held in Ottawa a few years ago. A similar event is scheduled for this summer at the parking lot at 814 Columbus St., hosted by the City of Ottawa.
An electronics recycling event will be conducted at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 21, in the parking lot at 814 Columbus St. in downtown Ottawa.
The drive-thru event is open to the public and is hosted by the city of Ottawa in partnership with Midwest Computer Recycling Inc.
Residents can drop off a wide variety of electronic items for proper disposal, including computers, laptops, monitors, printers, circuit boards, servers, scanners, hard drives, projectors, cables, power supplies, keyboards, mice, televisions, stereos, VCRs, power tools, appliances, gaming systems, cameras, phones, microwaves, coffee makers, Christmas lights, metal and more.
Some items will be accepted for a fee, payable by cash or check only:
All other accepted items will be recycled at no charge.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

source

The Princeton High School Class of 1956 held its 68th class reunion Sept. 7, 2024, at the AmericInn. They are (front, from left) Judy (Brown) Nordstrom, Ruth (Bell) Hanna, Sandy (Johnson) Vickrey, John Springer and Bob Carlson (middle, from left) Curt Hulteen, Mary Lynn (Stamm) Kelly, Nancy (Sutcliffe) Wolter, Cheryl (Ellberg) Freeburg, Jim Wright, Nancy (Hodkins) Bloomstrand, Phyllis (Bird) Nordstrom, Carolyn (Fiste) Barkley, Donna (Doll) Rott, Mary (Helper) Carloye, Dixie (Pomeroy) Utter, Dan McDonald, (back, from left) Charles (Buzzy) Kuehl, Bradley Pihl, Richard (Hotdog) Brown, Dennis Keheler. (Photo provided by Sandee Halberg)
The Princeton High School Class of 1956 held Sept. 7 its 68th class reunion at the AmericInn. There are 21 members that attended during the weekend of the annual Homestead Festival.
The attendees also had a stag dinner at the Tony’s Butt Shack on Thursday, played some golf Friday in Mendota, shared a luncheon at Underground and many had a pork chop Saturday up on Courthouse Square.
They also had a catered dinner at the AmericInn Hospitality Room, which attendees have done for several years.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

source

Ian Morris (Photo provided by Sydney Markham)
Ian Morris, the son of John and Susan Morris of Princeton, was selected as the Class of 2025 Princeton High School Sons of the American Revolution Outstanding Citizen Award winner.
This award is sponsored by the Captain Zeally Moss-Illinois Chapter of the SAR.
The SAR Outstanding Citizen Award is presented to a student in recognition of high ideals of character and citizenship. Morris was selected for this honor by the faculty and his classmates. He said he is “honored that my teachers and classmates nominated me for this award.”
Throughout high school, Morris has been involved in football, wrestling, track, Scouts, scholastic bowl, Year One, Interact Club and student council. He has been honored with the Board of Education Academic Excellence Award, perfect attendance, high honor roll, Princeton High School Academic Top 10%, College Board National Rural and Small Town Award and the IHSA Scholastic Achievement Award. He has been named first-team all-conference linebacker, first-team all-conference discus, 215 regional wrestling champion and two-time discus state qualifier. Morris has been named senior patrol leader of Boy Scout Troop and two-time football team captain. Outside of PHS, he is involved in Club 56 and has completed more than 130 service learning hours in community activities.
Morris hopes to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy after graduation.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

source