Local news after CBS World News 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Beacon of Hope free roof contest voting ends soon
The company putting on the Beacon of Hope contest for free roofs for military veterans says its employees were the inspiration. Beacon Building Products Vice President of Marketing Jamie Samide says this is the second year for the contest. People are voting online for ten finalists in the contest. One of the finalists is Aliska…… read more »
Owner says downtown Ottawa building needs to come down
The owners of the blue-faced building at 108 W. Madison St. in Ottawa want to tear it down. Mike Godfrey told the city’s Historic Preservation Commission yesterday, the building’s too run down to repair. The going rents won’t cover the costs. And someone’s ready to buy the lot when the building’s gone. Godfrey says the…… read more »
Marseilles Elementary lets parents know about two COVID-19 cases Monday
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that two students are infected. The announcement from the district doesn’t say whether they are students or school employees. Parents of Marseilles Elementary School children have been told of two coronavirus cases on Monday. The school says it’s working with the LaSalle County Health Department to…… read more »
Peru to buy new police cars locally
The Peru Police Department has a plan for replacing three squad cars during the next year. Chief Doug Bernabei says one new car will be bought every four months from local dealers. The state has run the squad car purchasing program for several years. Bernabei told the City Council this week, the local dealers are…… read more »
LaSalle County considering program to help building owners finance energy efficiency
The LaSalle County Board’s Finance Committee is considering joining a program that helps commercial building owners finance certain improvements. C-PACE stands for Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy. A building owner would get funds to cover solar panels, an HVAC system, or other improvements. Payback would be added to the owner’s property tax bill. County Board…… read more »
Rick Koshko
Rick Koshko lived the first half of his life in southern Illinois, then moved to Ottawa early in his broadcasting career. His first thoughts of broadcasting as a career occurred to him at age five–when it was bed time and he realized the guy on the radio didn’t have to go to bed yet. Some irony: for most of the time he’s worked in radio, Rick has had to get up very early in the morning to be on the air, sometimes in addition to being up late at night like he wanted.
Rick is a graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s broadcasting program. He speaks Esperanto, likes astronomy (SkyCaramba), and makes a hobby of photography.