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Princeton’s Reese Reviglio and Hall’s Natalia Zamora force a jumpball during the Princeton Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 at Princeton High School. (Scott Anderson)
PRINCETON – Rivals Princeton and Hall played a classic finals game in the Princeton Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament on Saturday night at Prouty Gym.
The Red Devils rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to force overtime with two last-second free throws only to have the Tigresses prevailing 60-53.
Fans couldn’t have asked for much more. The only thing the game didn’t provide was a champion.
Princeton’s win created a three-way tie in the Gold Pool with the Tigresses, Red Devils and Midland, who all finished 1-1.
Midland, which beat Princeton 50-47 on Thursday but lost to Hall 48-40 on Friday, claimed the tiebreaker by virtue of its 74% free-throw shooting. Princeton claimed second and Hall third.
“What a great atmosphere and just a great position to be in. On the last night of this tournament to have us and Hall playing each other, and then it goes to overtime,” Princeton coach Tiffany Gonigam said. “The tale of two halves to even be in that position. There’s just no better feeling than two good teams and all the battles over the years. Just a classic.”
Princeton’s Olivia Mattingly eyes the hoop as Hall’s Charlie Pellegrini during the Princeton Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 at Princeton High School. (Scott Anderson)
The Tigresses (3-1) held the Red Devils scoreless 7-0 in the overtime session with early baskets by Keighley Davis and Olivia Mattingly and free throws Avaya Koning (2-4) and Makayla Hecht (1-2).
“We knew we had to put the pressure down (in overtime) and play good defense and be smart on offense,” Davis said.
Moving forward, Davis said, “We need to come out even better and stronger.”
Davis finished with 18 points, Mattingly had 15, and freshman Payton Brandt added 13.
Princeton started the second quarter on a 13-0 run, including two baskets in the post by Brandt and a 3-pointer by Paige Jesse, on the way to a 35-19 halftime lead.
Junior hot shot guard Charlie Pellegrini wouldn’t let Hall lose, leading the Lady Devils on a furious second-half comeback, scoring 18 of her game-high 21 points, making five 3s on the night.
Her 3-pointer and layup capped a 13-0 third-quarter run to help draw the Red Devils within 41-34 at quarter’s end. Pellegrini knocked down three treys in the fourth quarter, the last hoop tying the game at 51 with 1:10 left in regulation.
Davis and Mattingly each made 1-of-2 free throws in the final minute to put the Tigresses ahead 53-51.
Hall sophomore Caroline Morris was fouled with two seconds left and calmly swished a pair from the charity stripe to send the game into OT.
Hall’s Charlie Pellegrini reacts with teammate Caroline Morris after sinking a three-point basket against Princeton during the Princeton Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 at Princeton High School. (Scott Anderson)
“I told the girls I’m proud of the way they played,” Hall coach TJ Orlandi said. “Down 16 at half after playing a terrible first half compared to how we played the first three nights here. We just didn’t look ready to play, a step slow. Maybe playing back-to-back nights, long week, I don’t know.
“It was like in the second half we found another gear, had a little pride, I think. Put on press, had some success with that. The girls were active. Obviously, we wanted to win, but I think we can take a lot from this game and this week moving forward.”
Pellegrini was backed by Morris with 10 points and Natalia Zamora and Ava Delphi with eight each.
While disappointed to lose out by the tiebreaker, both Gonigam and Davis praised Midland for its performance.
“Hats off to Midland, because it wasn’t even close. Hall and Princeton were both in the 50s, and they were over 70%,” Gonigam said, referring to the team’s free-throw percentages. “Great job by them. They had a fantastic tournament. They’ve have a nice young team. It was fun these last couple days watching those top teams go at.”
“Midland played a good game. They had a good tournament. Well-deserved,” Davis said.
A fire alarm halted play in the first minute of the game. After Pellegrini hit a “logo 3″ to draw the Red Devils within 18-16 at the end of the first quarter, it was Princeton, who caught fire, starting the second quarter on a 13-0 run.
Brandt scored three hoops, Davis had two and Paige Jesse hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to send the Tigresses to a 35-19 halftime lead.
• Tournament notes: Hall’s Pellegrini and Ella Sterling and Princeton’s Davis and Camryn Driscoll were named to the all-tournament team. Neither Sterling nor Driscoll played Saturday, out with injuries. The prognosis is good for both. Also named to the all-tournament were Kaitlyn Anderson of Henry, Maggie Spratt of Putnam County, Riana Foster of IVC and Emma Franks, Jordyn Pyles and Anna McGlasson of Midland.
Hall’s Ava Delphi shoots a jump shot over Princeton’s Olivia Mattingly during the Princeton Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 at Princeton High School. (Scott Anderson)
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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Princeton intends to keep a 1% sales tax on groceries in place, despite the state passing legislation that would eliminate the tax in 2026. (Alex T. Paschal)
Princeton intends to keep a 1% sales tax on groceries in place after the state passed legislation that would eliminate the tax in 2026.
The Princeton City Council passed Monday the first reading of an ordinance to maintain the tax. A final reading will be voted on in an upcoming council meeting.
City Manager Theresa Wittenauer said while it is challenging to figure out how much Princeton would stand to lose in funds if it were to allow the 1% sales tax on groceries to be repealed, the Illinois Municipal League completed a comparative study with similar sized communities and figured the loss for cities like Princeton would be about $350,000 to $400,000 annually.
Wittenauer said collecting revenue from sales tax allows the city to benefit from people who live outside of Princeton, not just property owners. At a meeting earlier this month, Wittenauer credited sales tax revenue with keeping the property tax rate down. She said the city also may see a jump in sales tax with the construction of an Aldi grocery store in the works.
“This is not a new tax,” Wittenauer said.
Communities have a deadline of Oct. 1 to pass an ordinance if they wish to keep the 1% sales tax on groceries in place.
Mayor Ray Mabry said it is prudent for the city to maintain the sales tax.
At the time of the state’s repeal of the tax, Illinois was one of 13 states that collects a sales tax on groceries. Gov. JB Pritzker said he believes the tax is regressive and hurts low-income Illinoisans. The measure also intended to lift the burden of inflation for consumers, the governor’s office said at the time of the repeal.
With a number of communities concerned about a loss in local revenue, the Illinois Municipal League said it played a role in allowing communities to maintain the sales tax and delaying implementation of the repeal for communities to figure out how they want to move forward.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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PRINCETON, Ill. — April 15, 2024 will mark 112 years since the Titanic sunk and now the Bureau County History Center is bringing the story to life of one of the ship’s survivors.
In 2023, one of their researchers discovered Nellie Becker, who’s buried in Princeton’s Oakland Cemetery, sailed and survived the Titanic, along with her three children.
Her story is part of the museum’s 1912 Exhibit.
“We just had one little paragraph on her,” Curator Jessica Gray said. “It was a detective story, trying to piece out those details and tell it in a way that was captivating.”
Gray learned that Nellie and her husband Allen were missionaries. They were living in India when her youngest child Richard became sick, and doctors said he needed to return to the U.S. Allen was set to travel with the Becker family but became too ill to leave. Nellie traveled with Richard and her two daughters, Ruth and Marion on the Titanic. 
“They are woken up at about 11:30 in the evening on April 14,” Gray said. “There’s some voices in the hallway and she’s not sure what’s going on. And she goes out and she meets with a steward and he says, ‘ma’am, you must come right away. Get your life preserver on.’ And she says ‘I have children, do I have time to dress them?’ And he says ‘ma’am, you have time for nothing.'”
The Becker family was traveling in second class. Nellie later sent Ruth, who was 12, back downstairs for blankets. Marion and Richard were first put on lifeboat 11, but Nellie was told there was no room for her.
“Nellie screams and begs to be let into the boat with her children, which you can imagine you’re handing your two-year-old and your four-year-old to like 50 strangers in the middle of the ocean, any mother would be frantic,” Gray said. “They kind of pick her up and throw her in. And she turns around, stands up and the boat has been lowered and there’s her 12-year-old left alone on the ship. And she screams at her, ‘Ruth get in another boat!'”
Ruth was able to get into lifeboat 13. She was on it for about three hours before being rescued by the RMS Carpathia. Nellie and the other children were on their boat for about seven hours.
“By the time they are rescued, Ruth, her hands and her legs are frozen, so she can’t hardly move,” Gray said. “And they lower a swing to the lifeboat and they literally pick her up and strap her in. Because she can’t do anything, she can’t hold on.”
“Three children is the most amount of children rescued in any one family,” she said. “They didn’t lose anyone, which almost every family lost at least one person in their party. It’s quite remarkable … She is the hero of that family to get those kids off that ship safely and home back to America.”
Nellie’s husband, Allen, most likely would’ve died if he had traveled on the Titanic with them. 
He would later join the family nine months later in Michigan. He and Nellie moved to Princeton in 1927 so he could pastor St. Matthew’s English Lutheran Church. Gray said that some people have come into the museum and remembered him baptizing a member of their family or marrying their parents. One of her friends said her grandfather was Nellie’s doctor.
Nellie struggled after surviving the sinking, dealing with trauma. She was institutionalized at one point while living in Princeton. 
The younger daughter Marion died in 1944 in California and was buried in Princeton’s Oakland Cemetery. 
The couple moved to Michigan in 1945, and nine years later, the Rev. Becker passed and his remains were placed in the family plot at Oakland. Nellie died in 1961 of a heart attack at age 84. One of their son’s wives is buried with them as well. 
“Being able to tell [Nellie’s] story now, with the understanding of her struggles that she experienced later in life, being able to tell it in a way that does service to her in a way that hasn’t been done before, was really the great honor of myself and this society to tell her story in a way that she deserved,” Gray said. 
The 1912 Exhibit isn’t just about the Titanic; it also features other parts of Bureau County’s history happening during that year. The exhibit is open through December. You can find a list of events happening throughout the months, including a guest speaker and a showing of the 1997 Titanic movie, here. You can also learn more about Nellie Becker’s story here.
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Around 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, a Marseilles police officer searches under a crashed truck following a two-vehicle crash. Multiple aluminum ladders secured to a large trailer connected to the pickup remained in place. (Annette Barr Photography for Shaw Local)
A Palos Heights man allegedly carjacked a Ford F350 on Friday night and then struggled with three police officers, allegedly striking each of them. He was granted pre-trial release on Monday.
Frank C. Lennon, 26, could face four to 15 years in prison if convicted of vehicular hijacking, a Class 1 felony. He also is charged with three counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer, a Class 2 felony carrying three to seven years, for the blows allegedly administered to the responding police officers.
Court dates are pending. Chief Judge H. Chris Ryan Jr. released Lennon from custody following a Monday appearance in La Salle County Circuit Court.
The La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office, when reached for comment, fell back on the court record spelling out facts from the still-emerging case. While aggravated vehicular hijacking (typically committed with a weapon) is a detainable offense, Lennon’s charge of vehicular hijacking (without a weapon) is not a detainable offense.
Details of the incident still are emerging. According to police and court records, Lennon was in a car crash with a Ford F350 at 8:36 p.m. Friday on U.S. 6 at East 22nd Road west of Marseilles.
After the occupants emerged from their respective vehicles, Lennon allegedly struck one of the occupants and drove from the scene not in his own vehicle but in the F350, according to court records.
The F350 was halted in the 2200 block of U.S. 6 near Marseilles. The incident drew officers from the Marseilles Police Department and the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office.
“A Marseilles officer arrived on scene and was immediately confronted by a suspect, later identified as [Lennon],” Marseilles police said in a Monday news release. “The officer ordered Frank to show his hands. Frank did not comply and attempted to walk past the officer. The officer ordered Frank to stop at which time Frank began attacking the officer. A second Marseilles officer arrived on scene and Frank was later taken into custody.”
Frank C. Lennon (Photo provided by La Salle County Jail)
A Marseilles firefighter searches the area of the crash Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, for something in the grass. About half a dozen more first responders aided in the search. (Annette Barr Photography for Shaw Local)
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Junior forward Keighley Davis returns to her third season on the Princeton varsity. (Scott Anderson)
There are big expectations in the Princeton girls basketball camp this season, both on and off the court.
The Tigress return three all-conference players in first-team juniors Keighley Davis and Camryn Driscoll and senior Paige Jesse (honorable mention) from last year’s 20-9, Three Rivers East champion as well as three other upperclassmen who logged a lot of varsity minutes last season.
Off the court, coach Tiffany Gonigam is expecting her second child in April. She had stepped away from coaching expecting her first child, Quimby, now 3, on the eve of the 2021-22 season, and returned to the bench last year.
The program has posted a 67-17 record (.798) in the last three seasons with a run of three straight conference championships. They would like to continue that winning trend.
“I don’t want to put a limit or a standard on what the girls can or should accomplish this season. We don’t just rise to the level of our goals or expectations, we fall to the level of the work we put in daily,” Gonigam said. “Surely, when you win the conference three years in a row, people on the outside will have that expectation, and there is no doubt we will have a target on our back. But, we know in order to accomplish our goals it is going to come with a daily battle for our culture, building fundamental habits and having a resilient work ethic.”
Camryn Driscoll
Davis and Driscoll have been up with the varsity since their freshman season and were key players to the Tigresses’ 2021-22 conference championship. Both were named first-team All-BCR as well as unanimously first-team Three Rivers East last season.
Driscoll took over at point guard last year, averaging 12.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 4 steals per game.
Davis averaged 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. She is the area’s top returning career scoring leader with 741 points.
Princeton’s Keighley Davis had a breakout freshman season. (Mike Vaughn)
Jesse and classmate Olivia Mattingly were key contributor’s to last year’s team and junior forwards Makayla Hecht and Reese Reviglio also played a lot of varsity minutes.
Other returning players include senior Halli Peterson (injured last season), Zoey Byers and Neveah Briddick.
Sophomores Kiyrra Morris (G) and Danika Burden (C) each saw limited time as freshman on last year’s varsity squad and will look to make an impact this year along with a trio of newcomers – junior guard Riley Rauh and freshmen forwards Payton Brandt and Avaya Koning.
Gonigam said the Tigresses are looking good in camp.
“I am very happy with the team’s progress in our first week of practice. We ended our summer season with our team camp, planning our season goals and the type of person, player and team we need to be in order to reach those goals,” Gonigam said. “I feel the girls have picked up right where they left off, building chemistry with each other and setting a standard for what it looks like to work hard at practice.
“The program has had a lot of success over the past few seasons and the girls certainly want to continue that. We play a tough schedule this year and the conference brings back a bunch of talented teams and players, but the girls are up for the challenge. Every tough game we can play early on will only make us better come January and February.”
The Tigresses open the season on Monday, Nov. 18 against Henry-Senachwine to tip off their own holiday tournament. This year’s field includes holdovers Mendota, Stark County, Putnam County and Henry and newcomers Hall, IVC and Lowpoint-Washburn.
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Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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Kelsea Mongan has been selected as the female Elks Teen of the Year nominee by the Mendota Elks Lodge. (Photo provided by Sydney Markham)
Kelsea Mongan has been selected as the female Elks Teen of the Year nominee by the Mendota Elks Lodge.
She won the Northwest District competition and has advanced to the state-level competition where she could earn scholarship money. Mongan is a senior at Princeton High School. She is the daughter of Marc and Michele Mongan of Princeton.
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Joe Kitchens joined Midland Wealth Management, a division of Midland States Bank, as wealth advisor serving clients in Bureau County. (Photo provided by Anna Strong)
Joe Kitchens joined Midland Wealth Management, a division of Midland States Bank, as a wealth adviser serving clients in Bureau County.
“We are excited to introduce Joe as a dedicated adviser in our Princeton office,” Executive Vice President of Consumer Banking and Wealth Management Dan L. Stevenson said in a news release. “In addition to his professional expertise, Joe shows genuine care and interest in the well-being of his clients, fostering trust and long-term loyalty, all of which resonate strongly with our core principles.”
Before joining Midland, Kitchens was a financial adviser at Edward Jones. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Millikin University and his Master of Arts from Wheaton College. Kitchens maintains FINRA Series 7 and 66 licenses.
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The following property transfers were recorded July 16-31, 2024, at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office. (BCR file)
The following property transfers were recorded July 16-31, 2024, at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office:
Jeanine Thompson to Dennis and Tina Nink, joint tenancy deed, part of Lot 100 in Princeton, $225,000.
Scott Wagner (ex), Nancy Wright (decd) and Rita Zenor (ex) to Gayla Cook, executor deed, Lot 5 in Block 5 in Smith and Stacy’s Addition in Malden, $137,000.
Dawna McHenry and James Sissel, warranty deed, to Alexander and Dominique Cech, warranty deed, part of Lot 14 in Malden, $100,000.
Cheryl and William John to Jeremiah and Lesley Wilson, warranty deed, part of Section 17 in Concord Township, $95,000.
Daniel Pondinas to Kenneth Brown, warranty deed, Lots 7 and 8 in Block 21 in Myrick’s Second Addition in Cherry, $3,000.
Kenneth and Sharon Bence to James Nickelsen, warranty deed, part of Section 13 in Wyanet Township, $28,000.
Oak Street Properties LLC to Marcelino Millan, warranty deed, Lot 71 in Reavley Addition in Wyanet, $20,000.
Quinta and William Naffziger to Fred Frosch III and Karen Taylor, warranty deed, parts of Section 21 in Princeton Township, $415,000.
Jane Hunley to Jay Edlefson, warranty deed, part of Section 13 in Manlius Township, $429,030.
Brian and Lisa Pagano to Joshua Draksler, warranty deed, Lot 6 in Block 7 and part of Lot 7 in Block 7 in Union Addition in Princeton, $210,000.
Karen and Kevin Fassig to Randall and Tina Toner, warranty deed, Lot 2 in Block 20 in Spring Valley Coal Co. First Addition in Dalzell, $130,000.
Marsha and Roger Spevak to Jeremy Mattingly and Makayla Thompson, joint tenancy deed, part of Lot 1 in Block 4 and part of Lot 2 in Block 4 in Dover, $105,000.
Patricia Mallow to Karen Raschke, warranty deed, part of Lot 5 in McIntire’s Addition in Neponset, $125,000.
Julie Mautino Messina and Richard Mautino to Jose Aviles, warranty deed, Lot 8 in Block 6 in Coveny Subdivision in Spring Valley, $230,000.
Foresman Trust and Ethel Scruggs (tr) to Classic Homes, trustees’ deed, part of Section 21 in Princeton Township, $186,490.
Rosemary Yerly (tr) and Rosemary Yerly Trust to Tracy Fousekas, trustees’ deed, part of Lot 6 in Block 6 in Luther’s Addition in Spring Valley, $67,000.
Amber and Matthew Norman to Carolyn and Michael Maynard, warranty deed, Lot 1 in Resubdivision – Block 2 – McDonald’s Subdivision in Walnut, $30,000.
Susan Norton and Barbara Schesser to Kathleen and Terry Pratt, warranty deed, part of Section 21 in Neponset Township, $195,000.
Laura White to Nicholas Lamberty, warranty deed, part of Section 1 in Greenville Township, $196,000.
Alyssa and Tyler Sultze to Victoria and Daniel Winterrose, warranty deed, Lot 27 in Blakely’s Estates Subdivision in Dalzell, $300,000.
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation to Emmanuel Garcia Mandujano, warranty deed, part of Lot 4 in Block 6, part of Lot 5 in Block 6 and Lot 6 in Block 6 in Union Addition in Princeton, $126,000.
Daniel and Dawn Marshall to Jacqueline and Ronnie Maynard, warranty deed, part of Lot 12 in Block 9 and Lots 9, 10 and 11 in Block 9 in Neponset, $55,570.
Kyle Castner to Carri and Howard Bonnie, warranty deed, Lots 4 and 14 in Pinedale First Subdivision in Princeton, $250,000.
Roy Swanberg to Kyle Castner, warranty deed, Lot 320 in Greencroft Phase III in Princeton, $250,000.
Heather and Jesus Arteaga to Laura Tanner, warranty deed, part of Lot 94 in Princeton, $254,500.
James Hoffman to Kato Medvig, warranty deed, part of Lot 29 in Princeton, $112,500.
Donald and Sandra Elmore to Stephon Low and Rhonda Underwood, joint tenancy deed, part of Lot 10 in Block 1 and Lots 6, 7, 8 and 9 in Block 1 in Ingall’s Addition in Dover, $17,000.
Barbara and Howard Wolcott to Nicole Yarrington, warranty deed, Lot 31 and part of Lot 30 in Hallam’s Addition in Princeton, $80,000.
Susan Norton and Barbara Schesser to Peacock Farms LLC, warranty deed, Section 16 in Neponset Township, $390,000.
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network

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Monday was the final day to turn in paperwork to be on the ballot. The last day to file an objection to any nominating petition for the April 1 consolidated election is Monday, Nov. 25. (Scott Anderson)
The April 2025 ballot is starting to take shape in the Illinois Valley.
Candidates turned in their petitions for the municipal elections in La Salle, Mendota, Oglesby, Peru, Princeton, Spring Valley, Streator and Utica. Aside from Utica and Oglesby, each community is shaping up to have contested races, including potential mayoral races in La Salle, Mendota, Peru and Spring Valley. La Salle drew four candidates for the mayor’s post. Ottawa and Marseilles do not have any vacancies for this election cycle.
Monday was the final day to turn in paperwork to be on the ballot. The last day to file an objection to any nominating petition for the April 1 consolidated election is Monday, Nov. 25.
La Salle residents could see multiple contested races come April 2025 – and a ballot lottery to determine order.
Incumbent Mayor Jeff Grove turned in petitions to retain his seat, along with Gary Hammers, Jamie Hicks and Tyler Thompson.
William Sexton and former council member Diz Demes both filed petitions for First Ward at 8 a.m. last Tuesday so a ballot order will be held to determine their order on the ballot. Incumbent Alderman Jim Bacidore did not seek reelection.
Incumbent Alderman Tom Ptak (Second Ward) drew a challenger in Dawn Hicks. Incumbent John “Doc” Lavieri (Third Ward) was joined by Jessica Dergence, Nicole Girton and Danielle “Dani” Piland, who each filed their petitions.
Incumbent Alderman T. Boo Herndon (Fourth Ward) was joined by newcomer Brianne Hicks in filing petitions.
Virginia Kochanowski will seek reelection as treasurer. She was the lone candidate to file for that office. No one had filed a petition for city clerk. Incumbent Clerk Amy Quinn said she will not seek reelection.
Mendota may have a contested race for mayor. Incumbent David Boelk drew a challenger when Shallen Gross filed a petition.
Emily McConville seeks reelection as city clerk. She is the only candidate to file for that office.
Incumbent aldermen Kyle Kim (Third Ward), Jim Fitzpatrick (First Ward), Vicki Johnson (Fourth Ward) and Leo Hochstatter (Second Ward) all filed petitions. Fitzpatrick was joined in the First Ward by challenger Joel Perez. Johnson drew a challenger in Matt Ramer. Rob Letterly filed for treasurer.
Oglesby might have no contested races.
Hilary Moyle has filed petitions for the seat on the Oglesby City Council that was vacated when commissioner Terry Eutis resigned. Don Finley, who was appointed to the seat after Eutis’ resignation, has not filed petitions for election as of noon Monday.
Peru may have a contested mayoral race as incumbent Ken Kolowski was joined by Doug Bernabei, who filed a petition on Tuesday.
Treasurer Jackson Powell will seek reelection. He was the only candidate to file for that office.
As City Clerk Dave Bartley announced he would no longer seek reelection, “James”Jamey” Mertel filed petitions along with former alderwoman Sherry Mayszak. Incumbent Alderman Jason Edgcomb (Second Ward) drew a challenger Monday in newcomer Tom Riordan. Bob Tieman (First Ward), Mike Sapienza (Third Ward) and Jim Lukosus (Fourth Ward) sought reelection.
With two seats available on the Princeton City Council in April, City Council members Michael McCall and Marty Makransky, along with Donald Saletzki filed for candidacy.
Spring Valley Mayor Melanie Malooley-Thompson turned in her paperwork to run for reelection. Debra Perino also filed to run for mayor. City Clerk Rebecca “Becky” Hansen filed for reelection and John “Jack” Boroski filed for treasurer. In the First Ward, Ed Jauch turned in paperwork; in the Second Ward, Alderman Chris Affelt; in the Third Ward Jake Kelley and JC Heerdt; and in the Fourth Ward Alderman Dave Pellegrini.
Two seats on the Streator City Council will be up for election in April, as the terms of David “Moose” Conner and Matt McMullen come to an end. Christopher Thomas, Tonya Zehr Pearce, Justin Skinner, Scott Scheuer and Daniel Danko have all filed to run for the positions. Scheuer and Danko serve on the Streator Plan Commission.
Utica might have no contested races.
Mayor David Stewart is up for reelection and no opponents have filed petitions as of 3 p.m. Monday.
Three spots are open on the Utica Village Board and all three incumbents have filed petitions. They are trustees Debbie Krizel and Jim Schrader and Pete Pawlak, who was appointed to replace his late mother, Mary, and is seeking his first electoral win.
Mayoral races are shaping up in Spring Valley, Peru, La Salle and Mendota. Spring Valley Mayor Melanie Malooley-Thompson (left), Peru Mayor Ken Kolowski (third from left) and La Salle Mayor Jeff Grove (fifth from left) all drew challengers. (Scott Anderson)
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Princeton’s police chief has been meeting with the Princeton Ministerial Association and Arukah Institute of Healing the past several months to come up with solutions for what he said is “a pretty significant unhoused population.”
Princeton’s police chief has been meeting with the Princeton Ministerial Association and Arukah Institute of Healing for the past several months to come up with solutions for what he said is “a pretty significant unhoused population.”
The group is looking into starting a warming center in Princeton for the homeless.
Last winter, Arukah housed 37 people throughout the winter, Princeton Police Chief Tom Kammerer said. This year, Kammerer said the agency won’t be able to provide that.
Instead, 28 volunteers from the community received training to staff a warming center in Princeton. The eight-hour training class educated volunteers on mental health, terminology and safety, among other topics, Kammerer said.
The next step in developing a warming center is to take a census of the homeless population and then establish a location. Mayor Ray Mabry said there are indications that the homeless population may be down a little, with Kammerer saying it was at about 50 people in previous years.
Kammerer said he was hopeful the efforts by the group that regularly meets with the strong support of Arukah, and its resources, have led to success in finding homes, jobs or treatment for some of the population.
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