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Taxpayers could pay for cleaning oil, gas wells

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By PETER HANCOCK phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com

SPRINGFIELD – Anyone who has driven the back roads of southern and central Illinois is familiar with the sight of the oil pumpjacks that dot the landscape.

Decades ago, it was common to see those machines bobbing up and down like those drinking-bird toys that seem to operate on perpetual motion, pulling up oil from hundreds of feet below the surface to fuel the region’s burgeoning transportation industry.

Today, however, most of those pumpjacks sit idle, either because the oil below has all been pumped out or the cost of pumping what remains underground exceeds what the market would pay.

Now, a new report suggests those pumpjacks – and the inactive oil and gas wells that lie below them – are more than just relics of a bygone industry.

They also could be environmental time bombs lurking underground, threatening to expose Illinois taxpayers to more than $1 billion in future cleanup costs.

“The majority of Illinois’s 30,000+ wells are likely producing little to no oil, yet are still not properly plugged, emitting toxic and climate pollutants and threatening air and drinking water relied on by nearby communities,” according to the report.

The report is based on research from the Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law and the environmental advocacy group ClientEarth USA.

According to the report, the potential liability facing the state may be much larger than officials have acknowledged so far. But it also says the lack of reliable data about the working status of oil and gas wells in the state, coupled with the state’s weak regulatory framework, makes it hard to know the exact size and scope of the threat Illinois faces. Thus, it’s nearly impossible to hold drilling companies accountable for paying the costs themselves.

“The fundamental point is, whatever amount of a problem we’ve got, it’s the industry’s responsibility to deal with it, and that’s what the system is not achieving,” Robert Weinstock, director of Northwestern’s Environmental Advocacy Cen-

ter and lead author of the report, said in a recent interview.

Oil and gas in Illinois

According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the history of oil and gas production in Illinois dates back to the 1850s when the first gas wells were drilled near Champaign. But it didn’t become a major factor in the state’s economy until the first half of the 20th century when oil became critical to the modern transportation industry.

Since the 1850s, about 155,000 wells have been drilled in Illinois, mainly in the southern half of the state in a geological area known as the Illinois Basin, which stretches across portions of Illinois, Indiana and western Kentucky.

According to data from the Illinois Petroleum Resources Board, a private member-based industry association, production peaked in the early 1940s when it averaged more than 100 million barrels per year. It dropped significantly after the end of World War II.

Production rebounded somewhat in the 1950s and 1960s with the development of new technologies like water flooding and hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” which enabled drillers to squeeze more oil out of expiring wells. But it has been on a steady decline since then, with production dwindling to just more than 7 million barrels in 2024.

Still, according to IDNR, there are more than 23,400 oil and gas production wells operating in Illinois, although the agency identifies most of those as “stripper” wells that produce less than 1.5 barrels per day. The agency also lists 6,535 injection wells that store salt water and other fluids associated with oil and gas production, plus another 1,078 gas storage wells.

According to the Northwestern and ClientEarth report, precise data about production and well activity in Illinois is hard to verify because the state itself does not collect such data. And without accurate data, the report says, it is hard to know how many inactive wells there are in the state and whether they’ve been properly capped or plugged to prevent them from leaking contaminants into the air or nearby water supplies.

“When we tried to look up production data for wells in Illinois, we found there was none, that it wasn’t maintained by

IDNR,” Weinstock said. “And the folks at ClientEarth said, ‘Well, you can get production data from the state agency in almost every other state in the country. What’s going on here?’ ”

He said that realization inspired the research project.

“It was really bringing that national perspective to Illinois and then realizing just how behind Illinois was when it comes to regulating wells at the end of their productive lives,” he said.

Cleanup responsibility

Under Illinois law, the responsibility for plugging oil and gas wells and cleaning up the sites at the end of their productive life rests with well owners and operators. IDNR is the agency assigned to enforce that requirement through regulations.

But the report points out there are numerous ways well operators can avoid that responsibility, and it suggests IDNR has frequently been unable or unwilling to take strong enforcement action.

For example, state law requires wells to be plugged and capped once they become “inactive,” which is defined as not producing any oil or gas for 24 con secutive months. But since the state does not collect production data, it is difficult for state officials to determine whether a well is active or inactive.

In addition, according to the report, permit holders can delay having to plug and cap a well in five-year increments by applying to have it classified as “temporarily abandoned.” That requires the well to meet certain conditions and for a surety bond to be in place, but it also only costs $100 per year instead of the $100,000 that it can cost to permanently seal a single well.

In many cases, the state also requires well permit holders to post a surety bond to cover future remediation costs. In years past, the report notes, IDNR only had authority to require bonds from permit holders who had previously been sanctioned for regulatory violations. But the law was updated in 2025 with passage of Senate Bill 2463, which broadened the requirement to include any new permittees as well as any permittees who have failed to make payments at any time in the preceding five years.

See CLEANUP COSTS, page 8

HOW ARE WE DOING?

The Dr. Alfred E. Wisgoski Agricultural Education Center remains under construction as of Feb. 11 at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby.

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Future of international teachers uncertain amid federal policy changes

About 87% of Illinois schools reported teacher shortages

By STEPHANIE MARKHAM smarkham@shawmedia.com

For many school districts across Illinois, teachers from thousands of miles away have become a staple, helping to keep classrooms staffed.

But the future of programs allowing visiting international teachers to work in the U.S. is uncertain due to current federal immigration policies.

Immigration changes introduced last year by the Trump administration are anticipated to cause some issues for visiting international teachers and the schools that rely on them.

About 87% of Illinois schools reported a teacher shortage, according to the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools’ 2024-2025 Educator Shortage Survey. About 80% of schools expect their teacher needs will grow over the next five years.

Educators come to the U.S. on two types of visas: an H-1B visa, which requires an employer to sponsor an individual, or a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa, which allows for shorter stays.

In September 2025, President Donald Trump unveiled a plan requiring employers to pay a $100,000 fee for a new H-1B visa.

In the announcement, Trump called out high-paying tech jobs that he said were filled by too many foreign workers, according to NPR. However, the potential impact is on schools as well, with more than 20,000 educators in the U.S. on H-1B visas, NPR reported.

DeKalb School District 428, for example, hosts visiting international teachers using both J-1 visas and H-1B visas.

The DeKalb district has been participating in the J-1 Exchange program through the Illinois State Board of Education for five years, but it also began hosting H-1B candidates three years ago.

“Knowing that our [staffing] needs were greater, that’s when we moved to the H-1B process,” said Deetra Sallis, District 428 human resources director.

The initial H-1B visa is granted for up to three years and can be extended to a maximum of six. H-1B holders are allowed to apply for permanent residency while working on the temporary

visa.

J-1 Exchange teachers are authorized to teach for up to three years, with the option to apply for a two-year extension with federal approval.

Participants are expected to return to their home country at the conclusion of their program, as the J-1 visa is not a pathway to permanent residency or citizenship.

Presently, the DeKalb district has seven J-1 visa candidates, three J-2 visa candidates (spouses of J-1 Exchange visitors), and seven H-1B visa candidates.

DeKalb hosts teachers from Spain, Brazil and Colombia, and is in the process of hosting a teacher from the Philippines.

“It really is a good experience because what does happen is true cultural exchange,” Sallis said. “Those teachers are sharing with students what it’s like to come from another country.”

District 428 initially recruited international teachers for its dual language

program, but they’ve also helped to fill broader staffing needs.

Most are bilingual or English as a second language teachers; one is teaching special education, and another is slated to teach high school science.

“We have Spanish-speaking families and students whose needs go beyond the classroom,” Sallis said. “... Yes, we do need somebody who can speak the language, but if we have somebody with that cultural background, that helps as well.”

Rita Elliot, District 428 communications manager, added that it has been beneficial to show students different cultural perspectives.

“We have a really diverse population here, so it’s been a valuable thing to have [students] also exposed to people from other countries,” Elliot said. “It’s just overall such a rich experience for both the candidates and the teachers here, and our students.”

Sallis said the district works with its

attorneys to ensure it is following federal policies and regulations regarding visas.

“We are committed to them to whatever extent of the visa they are on, pending it becoming unaffordable for us,” she said. “Then we would have to, at that point, have a different conversation.”

It is difficult to predict what impact federal policy shifts may have on the teachers, Sallis said. They all have unique stories, with some in the U.S. solely for the employment opportunity, some here to be with spouses and others pursuing education.

“I think we do a good job, and everybody wants to stay, but they also know the agreement for the visa for which they are under, so they have to abide by that,” Sallis said.

All visiting international teachers through the ISBE participate through

See INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS, page 8

Construction progresses on IVCC’s agricultural education center

By SCOTT ANDERSON sanderson@shawmedia.com

The Dr. Alfred E. Wisgoski Agricultural Education Center construction continues Feb. 11 at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby.

The new facility is expected to redefine IVCC’s agriculture program, equipping the college to train and upskill agricultural workers, support the development of new technologies and promote sustainable practices.

About $1.6 million has been pledged toward the agricultural

center, and IVCC plans to launch a community donation program later this spring.

The 10,250-square-foot building is slated for occupancy in 2027.

The project is supported by a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Economic Development Administration, a $240,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and a $1 million gift from the Wisgoski family.

and promote sustainable practices.

Love thrives in daily gestures

After decades together, Illinois Valley couples share marriage secrets

By MARIBETH M. WILSON mwilson@shawmedia.com

Love isn’t a singular moment – it’s a million strung together through a lifetime of commitment to one another.

That’s what Illinois Valley couples who have been together for decades said when we asked what makes love and marriage last.

David Raikes, 70, still leaves love notes around the house for his wife Janet, to find. After more than five decades together, he says he loves her more than ever. And he makes sure she knows it.

David and Janet Raikes of Marseilles said the family they have grown has only aided in the strength of their marriage.

“Family has always been number one for us,” they said. “I would say that’s what kept us together ... We committed early on, we wanted a family and we built our life around our kids.”

The Raikes, who will be married 53 years in May, met in junior high, began dating in high school and got married one week before graduating from Marseilles High School in 1973.

“She was the most beautiful girl ΩI’d ever seen,” David said. “And still is.” He admits it took him a minute to build up the courage to make his move.

“He was very, very shy,” Janet said. “Every time I walked in [to school] someone would say ‘Hey Red’ and if I even looked up at Dave he would smile and his face would turn a little pink.”

Once he had her, David made sure Janet knew how much she meant to him by leaving flowers and notes in her locker.

For Bill and Lois Ross, who have been married for 72 years, the key is communication and working together.

“We help each other out,” Lois said. “We back each other up.”

The Rosses, of Ransom, both in their 90s, met on the dance floor when Bill asked her to square dance with him. They dated for about six months before he proposed.

“He’s a farmer,” Lois said. “He had to get this over with before we got into the field again. We thought we knew what we were doing and I guess we did. We’ve been married for quite a while.”

Jim and Nancy Cavaletti, of Spring Valley, said it’s love and making the best of what they could when they were together.

“Jim cracks jokes and makes me laugh,” Nancy said. “He tells me every day how much he loves me and vice versa.”

The Cavalettis, who have been married for 62 years, met at Jim’s family’s tavern when Nancy was four years old and Jim five. She would come and ask his parents if he could come out to play.

They began dating when they were around 11, after Jim and his dad asked Nancy and a friend to join them for a boat ride.

“I liked his cowboy hat,” Nancy said when asked what first attracted them to each other.

They were married at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Spring Valley when they were 19 and 20.

“I think I love him now more than I ever did,” Nancy said.

The key, Illinois Valley couples say, is to be forgiving and push through it.

“Problems get too big when you make them last longer,” Lois said. “So, try to settle little arguments.”

“There’s going to be hard times and there’s going to be good times,” Nancy said. “But, you’ve got to work through the hard times and you’ve got to respect the other person’s decisions and how they feel. It’s not a one-way street.”

The couples we spoke with agree, romance isn’t about grand gestures — it’s the little things that you do for each other every day that matter.

David Raikes writes Janet love notes and leaves them around the house to find or he’ll surprise her with flowers just because.

All good things in life come with obstacles; marriage is no exception.

“I think romance is wonderful,” Janet Raikes said. “But, it’s the everyday. If I can do something for him, I’ll do it. If he can do something for me without asking, he does without asking. It’s shown every single day.”

New judge needed in La Salle County after Jansz retires April 30

By TOM COLLINS tcollins@shawmedia.com

La Salle County will need a new traffic judge. Associate Judge Michael C. Jansz is retiring after 15 years on the bench, most of that time in the traffic division.

Jansz, 63, confirmed Monday he is calling it a career after 38 years in law. His retirement takes effect on April 30.

“It’s been a privilege for me to serve the people of La Salle County and the 13th Judicial Circuit as a judge,” Jansz said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

The Chief Judge’s Office of the 13 th Judicial Circuit posted notices at the courthouse announcing the judicial vacancy. Interested attorneys are to apply by March 11.

La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro praised the outgoing judge.

“I’ve known Judge Jansz since he graduated law school,” Navarro said. “He is a fabulous person. A great judge – fair as a day is long – and also has a good sense of humor. I wish him well in retirement, sincerely.”

Illinois Valley

The pet photos are in! Checkout our gallery and vote for your favorite pet now through February 23rd.

The winning pet in the Dog and Cat categories will each receive a free grooming service from Pawsitively Purrfect Mobile Grooming & Spa. The winning pet in the Other category will receive a $25 gift card.

Associate judges hold four-year terms and are appointed by the circuit judges of La Salle, Bureau, and Grundy counties. The appointment is expected to draw heavy interest; Jansz, for example, was selected from a field of 23 suitors.

Jansz has been on the bench since October 2010. He was selected from a field of 23 to replace Judge James L. Brusatte in La Salle County’s family division. In 2016, Jansz was transferred to the criminal justice complex and presided primarily over traffic and juvenile cases.

Jansz occasionally drew spotlight cases when conflicts arose with the other felony judges. He presided over the cases against former auditor Jody Wilkinson and two assistants over disputed overtime. All defendants were acquitted or had their charges dismissed.

More recently, Jansz was assigned to the exoneration bid by paroled killer Chester Weger. Jansz oversaw a “minitrial” last year and then denied Weger’s attempt to reverse his murder conviction.

• CLEANUP COSTS

Continued from page 2

Even with that change, however, the report argues the bonding requirements still are too weak to ensure that future remediation costs will be covered. While the bill increased the bonding amount for a single well to $10,000 instead of $5,000, it says that still is not enough to cover the actual cost of plugging a single well. And the law still allows permit holders to cover multiple wells with a single “blanket bond” at rates that can average as little as $1,000 per well.

Additionally, according to the report, IDNR has authority to order well owners and operators to plug inactive wells and clean up those sites. But it says IDNR has often failed or refused to exercise that authority and has effectively allowed well operators to ignore such orders.

According to the report, most people

• INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS

Continued from page 3

the federal J-1 Exchange Visitor visa program, ISBE spokeswoman Lindsay Record said. Currently, 302 teachers are participating in ISBE’s Visiting International Teacher program.

Record said ISBE’s visiting international teachers program has not seen direct changes as a result of recent federal immigration enforcement actions.

Participation in the visiting international teachers program has fluctuated in recent years, she said.

While the number of new teachers varies from year to year, ISBE has observed a lower anticipated rate of extension requests for the upcoming school year.

“ISBE cannot attribute those decisions to any single factor and will continue to monitor participation trends closely,” Record said.

In Kankakee School District 111, the hiring of visiting international teachers began last school year through a partnership with We Dare To Teach, an organization that connects qualified international teachers with U.S. schools facing teacher shortages, particularly in special education.

who receive notices of violations “do not willingly comply, that no further steps are taken in most cases, and that few wells are plugged due to notices of violation or follow-on enforcement actions.”

Ultimately, when all other mechanisms to hold well owners and operators responsible for plugging and cleaning up their sites, the responsibility falls back to the state.

According to information on the IDNR website, there are 3,991 wells enrolled in the agency’s Plugging and Restoration Fund, a program that was established in 1991 to plug leaking and abandoned wells. The current fiscal year’s budget provides just over $64.8 million, most of which comes from federal grants.

But the report argues that the actual size of Illinois’ future liability is likely many times that amount because the wells currently enrolled in the program represent only a fraction of the more than 30,000 wells IDNR actively monitors.

Kankakee schools are hosting 29 visiting international teachers from countries including the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Ghana and Guyana.

They are teaching at elementary and high school levels, with subject areas including special education, math, English and foreign language.

Kankakee Superintendent Teresa Lance said she is not concerned about the potential to have to pay higher visa fees because District 111’s teachers are already here.

The potential increased fee proposed by Trump would apply to new visas.

“We really want to try to recruit more locally and strengthen the teachers that we currently have in place, as opposed to bringing on more [international teachers],” Lance said.

The presence of visiting international teachers has been going over well, she said.

The hires helped fill vacancies as District 111 ramped up efforts to put certified teachers in every classroom, rather than having some roles filled by non-licensed instructors.

Lance said district administration meets with the visiting international teachers monthly to provide professional development and differentiated support.

“Let’s strengthen the cohort that we

IDNR response

In an email statement, officials at IDNR said the issue of orphan and abandoned wells is a national problem, which is why the agency is now focusing on using federal resources to increase the number of wells being capped and plugged.

“The federal dollars come to Illinois through [the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act] are critical because they’ve allowed the state to increase the pace at which we plug wells and have allowed us to utilize our state funds in ways we could not before,” IDNR said.

“This is an endeavor that is going to take time, and IDNR is working as fast as it can, prioritizing the most urgent and potentially dangerous wells first,” the agency said.

Recommendations

The report offers several policy recommendations aimed at ensuring the oil and gas producing industry is held responsible for those costs rather than

currently have, build as much of their capacity as we possibly can, with the hope that most, if not all of them, will want to remain beyond their visas, so if they can get an extension, they can get there,” she said.

Although there are no plans to recruit additional visiting international teachers for the 2026-27 school year, Lance said that having the option helps ensure there will be a licensed teacher in front of every student.

“If we were having a difficult time finding licensed, certified teachers, being able to recruit internationally provides options,” Lance said. “If the program went away, then it [takes] away that option.”

Woodstock School District 200 in McHenry County employs visiting international teachers from Spain and Latin American countries for its dual language program.

International teachers have helped meet staffing needs due to the program’s growing popularity, with about 43%, or 2,700 of the district’s K-12 students, now enrolled.

Kevin Lyons, District 200’s director of communication, said it can be difficult to find teachers with the proper certification to teach dual language courses.

It is particularly challenging to find

the public.

Those include requiring producers to report more data to IDNR so it can more easily identify inactive or abandoned wells, and calling on IDNR to be more aggressive in enforcing laws that are already on the books.

It also suggests actions that could require legislative changes such as increasing surety bond requirements, repealing laws that allow companies to declare wells “temporarily abandoned” indefinitely, and restricting the ability of companies to transfer permits to other entities that then file for bankruptcy protection to avoid paying cleanup costs.

“If it’s hard to tell precisely what corporate entity should be held responsible, then the question is, who’s going to have to bear those costs?” Weinstock said.

“Should it be everyone in the state and the state’s coffers, or should it be the industry that still operates those wells?”

Officials at the Illinois Petroleum Resources Board declined to comment on the report.

bilingual teachers for science and special education.

However, the district hasn’t relied on international hires in recent years as much as it once did.

In general, one or two international teachers are hired each school year, Lyons said.

“As a district, we have some concerns, but we are not overly worried,” Lyons said of potential impacts from federal immigration policy changes.

Because the program has endured since 2004, District 200 has been able to hire about a dozen of its former dual language students as teachers.

International teachers have bolstered the district’s connections in Spain and other countries where it has active student exchange programs, Lyons said.

But while the district invests time training the teachers, there also is an understanding that the teachers can only stay three to five years.

“We would not pay tens of thousands of dollars for anyone’s visa, nor would it be likely that a potential international teacher would be able to afford such fees,” Lyons said. “There is certainly a benefit to allowing a pathway for skilled language teachers rather than creating impediments if we expect our students to be able to compete globally.”

Where to build?

Timeline of the Bears’ search for a new stadium

By MICHAL DWOJAK mdwojak@shawmedia.com

The Chicago Bears made major strides on the field in 2025. They accomplished plenty of firsts during an unforgettable season under head coach Ben Johnson.

Chicago returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, won its first NFC North title since 2018 and earned its first playoff win in 15 years. It happened in dramatic fashion, too. The Bears came back to win seven games in which they trailed with two minutes left in the game.

The franchise didn’t enjoy the same success in its search for a new stadium in 2025.

Team president and CEO Kevin Warren said the Bears hoped to break ground on a new stadium in 2025. But as the calendar year ended, the Bears announced that they were widening their search to include Northwest Indiana. Over the first weeks of 2026, Indiana quickly worked on legislation to attract the Bears, while Illinois is trying to stop an NFL charter franchise from leaving the state.

It’s the latest twist and turn in a process that’s seen plenty of them over six years. But it appears that the Bears could be closing in on making a decision in the coming weeks or months.

Here’s a look back at how we got here.

2021

The search for a new stadium started in 2021 when the Bears faced an unexpected opportunity.

Churchill Downs announced in February that it had placed the Arlington International Racecourse and its 326acre property in Arlington Heights up for

sale. The Bears showed interest and submitted a bid by the June deadline to purchase the property and opened the opportunity to leave not only Soldier Field, where it had played since 1971, but Chicago, as well.

“It’s our obligation to explore every possible option to ensure we’re doing what’s best for our organization and its future,” then-President and CEO Ted Phillips said at the time. “If selected, this step allows us to further evaluate the property and its potential.”

In September, Churchill Downs announced an agreement for the Bears to buy the property. The two parties had signed a purchase and sale agreement.

Then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot remained adamant at the time that her staff would continue to try to keep the franchise in the city. Those comments came after she dismissed the team’s interest in the property as a negotiating tactic earlier in the year.

2022

The Bears spent much of the first half of 2022 working on redevelopment plans for the Arlington Heights site to present to the community later in the year as the franchise and Churchill Downs continued toward finalizing the sale of the property.

In July, Lightfoot’s office released renderings of what a renovated Soldier Field would look like with a dome in an attempt to keep the team in Chicago. Lightfoot released three potential plans for the iconic stadium on the lakefront. She estimated that putting a roof on the stadium likely would’ve cost $1 billion to $2 billion.

Distillery inside Westclox in Peru to resume business following fire

EYES ON ENTERPRISE

Stephanie Jaquins

The tasting room at Star Union Spirits in Peru reopens this week after a Jan. 20 fire at the neighboring Westclox business forced it to close.

The fire began in a storage space at Fire on Fifth, which shares the Atrium with Star Union Spirits. Fire on Fifth reopened Saturday.

A statement posted to Star Union Spirits’ social media said the fire did not directly damage the distillery, but smoke traveled into their space, resulting in significant smoke damage.

As a precaution, Star Union Spirits was subsequently shut down by the La Salle County Health Department and the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, according to the statement.

“Since the fire, our distillery has been closed to the public, and losses have continued to mount, including the destruction of a batch of rum, molasses, grain inventory and bottled spirits,” according to the statement. “Over the past several weeks, the Star Union Spirits team has worked tirelessly to deepclean, reorganize, and restore our distillery.”

The distillery passed required health inspections and was approved to restart production, resume distribution, and reopen the tasting room, according to the post.

“After nine years of building this business, reaching this milestone means a great deal to us, and we are grateful for the continued support of our community as we move forward.”

This week’s hours are from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and from 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday.

Correct

Hardwood changes hands

A new team of ownership has taken the reins at Correct Hardwood, in the 200 block of W. Main St., Ottawa.

In a social media post, Jared and Chris Stewart were announced as the new owners/operators with former

owner Ed Bertrand stepping into a managing/consulting role.

“With many years of customer service experience, and roots right here in Ottawa, Jared and Chris are focused on doing what matters most – treating customers right, delivering quality work, and building long-term relationships,” according to a statement on the business’s social media. “They’re excited to carry on the legacy of Correct Hardwood while bringing fresh energy and dedication to the business.”

Correct Hardwood started installing and refinishing floors in 2000 mainly in the Will County area, according to its website.

The business relocated to Ottawa in 2008, and opened a retail space to allow customers one stop for purchasing, installing, hardwood refinishing, and wood floor repairs.

• If you have a tip to share for Eyes on Enterprise, email newsroom@ mywebtimes.com.

Peru electric department employee credited with stopping residential fire

Two occupants evacuated from home Monday on Shooting Park Road

By TOM COLLINS tcollins@shawmedia.com

An observant employee of Peru’s electric department is being credited for helping to quickly knock down a residential fire Monday at the 1900 block of Shooting Park Road.

Two occupants were safely evacuated from the ranch-style home at the southeast corner of Shooting Park Road and Schuyler Street.

Peru and Spring Valley firefighters were dispatched shortly after noon and extinguished the blaze, which appeared to have originated in or near a two-car garage. The fire was extinguished within 30 minutes.

A bedridden woman and her caretaker safely exited the structure, according to a preliminary Peru police report. Both were placed in an ambulance to protect them from the cold.

As president of OSF Saint Clare and OSF Saint Paul in Mendota, Bomstad provides executive leadership for both hospitals, guiding day-to-day operations while aligning local priorities with OSF HealthCare’s broader mission.

OSF HealthCare president recognized as ‘CEO to Know’

Heather Bomstad recognized by Becker’s

By MATHIAS WOERNER mwoerner@shawmedia.com

Becker’s Hospital Review has recognized the president of OSF HealthCare Saint Clare Medical Center and OSF HealthCare Saint Paul Medical Center, Heather Bomstad, as one of its Critical Access Hospital Presidents and CEOs to Know for 2025.

The annual list honors 103 leaders nationwide who are strengthening rural health care through innovation, collaboration and a commitment to high-quality care.

Bomstad is joined on this year’s list by fellow OSF HealthCare leaders, President of OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group in Escanaba, Michigan; Kelly Jefferson; and CEO of OSF HealthCare Western Region – Peoria, August Querciagrossa.

Bomstad provides executive leadership for both hospitals, guiding day-today operations while aligning local priorities with OSF HealthCare’s broader mission.

“I am grateful for this recognition, but it truly reflects the work of our entire team,” Bomstad said. “Our Mission Partners are the heart of our hospitals and their commitment to caring for our communities is what makes this possible every day.”

Bomstad joined OSF HealthCare in 1993 and has held clinical and leadership roles.

Before her current position, she served as vice president and chief nursing officer at OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center and OSF Saint Paul, and as interim vice president and chief nursing officer at OSF Saint Clare.

OSF Saint Paul and OSF Saint Clare are critical access hospitals, providing essential health care services and improving access to care for the communities they serve.

Model train spectacle steals the show at Bureau County Fairgrounds

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La Salle County Farm Bureau to hold freezer food fundraiser

SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com

The La Salle County Farm Bureau Foundation will hold a freezer food fundraiser to support the foundation’s scholarships and Ag in the Classroom programs.

The fundraiser will offer personal-sized frozen food meals from Custom BBQ Catering. The frozen meals feature 10 individually-sized dinners.

The meals include two cheesy hamburger casseroles, two cheesy chicken enchiladas, two chicken fajitas with pep-

pers and onions, two chicken bacon ranch pastas and two pulled pork mac and cheeses. The frozen meals will also include heating instructions.

The meals cost $90 for Farm Bureau members and $100 for nonmembers. The orders are due in the office via check by

mail, credit card by phone, or Venmo at La Salle County Farm Bureau by Wednesday, March 4.

The frozen dinners can be picked up from 3 to 4:30 p.m. March 23 at the La Salle County Farm Bureau, 1691 N. 31st Road, Ottawa.

• BEARS STADIUM

Continued from page 9

The Bears released renderings for what the Arlington Heights campus could look like in September, ahead of a public meeting to go over their plan for the site.

The renderings showed a campus that the team said would include a multipurpose entertainment, commercial/ retail, housing district; restaurants; office space; a hotel; fitness center; parks; and open space. The Bears presented the campus as an area that could host events such as the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four and College Football Playoff games, and could serve the surrounding communities with events throughout the year.

Although the Bears said they didn’t want public funding for the stadium’s construction, they did want support for other parts of the project. They estimated that the whole project would cost $5 billion.

“Given the broad, long-term public benefits of this project, we look forward to partnering with the various governmental bodies to secure additional funding and assistance needed to support the feasibility of the remainder of the development,” the team said at the time.

2023

The franchise started 2023 by officially purchasing the Arlington Heights property in February for $197.2 million, as the project seemed to progress quickly. It submitted paperwork to tear down Arlington Park’s grandstand in May and did so a month later.

But at the same time, the Bears widened their search for a stadium location despite the purchase.

Warren took over as the team’s president earlier in the year and partly earned the role because of his work in helping the Minnesota Vikings build U.S. Bank Stadium. The Arlington Heights project stalled as the team and Arlington Heights-based schools struggled with a property tax dispute.

Other suburbs, such as Naperville, reached out to Warren as a possible site for a new stadium.

“We will continue the ongoing demolition activity and work toward a path forward in Arlington Heights, but it is no longer our singular focus,” the Bears said at the time. “It is our responsibility to listen to other municipalities in Chicagoland about potential locations that can deliver on this transformational opportunity for our fans, our club and the state of Illinois.”

2024

Warren and the Bears changed the trajectory of their stadium search in 2024 when they shifted their focus back to Chicago’s lakefront.

The Bears held a news conference to announce their new stadium plan near Soldier Field in April, a day before selecting quarterback Caleb Williams with the NFL’s No. 1 overall pick. They revealed a plan for a $3.2 billion stadium just south of Soldier Field. The total cost of the plan, including infrastructure changes in the area, were estimated to be as much as $4.7 billion as the Bears committed $2 billion to the project.

But the project didn’t get much support from Illinois lawmakers, including

Gov. JB Pritzker, as they said public funding was a nonstarter. The team also considered a stadium site at the former Michael Reese Hospital location in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood, not far away from Soldier Field.

As conversations in the city stalled, there was more clarity back in Arlington Heights. The team and school districts reached a tentative agreement over their property tax dispute.

2025

Despite keeping their options open on the lakefront and Arlington Heights, the Bears seemed to shift their focus to the suburbs in 2025.

They submitted financial and traffic studies for that site in March and later confirmed in May that they had shifted their focus to Arlington Heights. Warren reiterated that point in August and on the afternoon of the Bears’ season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings in September, he sent out a letter that announced that Arlington Heights would be the site of their new stadium.

But the process wasn’t so clear-cut. In its fall veto session, the Illinois General Assembly needed to approve a mega project state legislation in Springfield that would allow the team to negotiate with local governments over property tax bills. The body ended the year by not voting on the legislation.

That inactivity led Warren to send an open letter in December a few days before the Bears’ big Week 16 home game against the Green Bay Packers. In the letter, Warren announced that it the team was reopening its search for a location to build its stadium in the Chicago

area, including Northwest Indiana.

2026

Indiana started the new year by showing how serious it took the Bears’ consideration to move to its state.

The Indiana Senate approved a bill toward the end of January that established the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority. The body will be tasked with acquiring land and financing the construction of a sports stadium. The bill still needs to be approved by the state’s House and Gov. Mike Braun.

The city of Gary in January released three different locations for a stadium within the city.

Indiana’s quick action forced Illinois lawmakers to change their approach about the stadium. On Monday, Pritzker was more open to making sure a deal could be reached to keep the Bears in Illinois.

“I never take anything as if it’s a bluff,” Pritzker told reporters Monday at an unrelated event. “I’m always concerned about making sure we’re attracting businesses or keeping businesses in the state of Illinois. So, we’re in consistent conversation with the Chicago Bears. Have been, by the way, for a year and a half or two years, and specifically, I think there’s a real possibility that many of the things that we put on the table to work with the Bears on are things that they’re willing to do to stay in the state of Illinois.”

Time will tell whether those conversations will lead to the Bears staying in Illinois. But after six years, it seems the Bears could finally get an answer about where their new home will be sooner rather than later.

It has been over two weeks since we said goodbye to our beloved black Labrador, Zeke.

I have not felt ready before now to write about our loss.

Truth be told, I am still not ready. How can the life, laughter and healing a beloved animal brings to our small worlds possibly be summarized in a single brief column? I know that whatever I write, it won’t be enough.

Zeke rocked my world from the first time we met. Think “Marley and Me.”

It was in March 2014, only three short months after my dad had died. It had been a long, bitterly cold and abnormally snowy winter, which made the postdeath grief period excruciatingly difficult to navigate. Just getting from one minute to the next sometimes took all I had.

My mom and I went to a rural Seneca farm that raised Labradors. Zeke was the runt in a litter of 10. He greeted us at the door and followed my mom to the couch, where he stood and placed his paws on her lap.

That was it. After that move, none of the remaining puppies were in contention for a new home with us. Zeke would go on to use that move hundreds of times throughout his life. And it pretty much worked every single time.

My 12-year-old nephews went with me a few weeks later to pick up Zeke and bring him home.

Zavada Novak

Puppy madness had officially begun. Puppies have a lot of energy. Multiply that by 1,000 and you will have a bit of an idea of Labrador puppy energy.

There were times during Zeke’s first few months with us when I wondered how I would ever make it to his first birthday. Now, 12 years later, I wonder how and why it went so fast.

I signed him up for training at Four Leaf K9 in Streator. Erin, the owner, came to our home to work with us, and I even wrote a piece about that adventure for The Times, while I worked as a reporter. She gave Zeke a “3” for trainability, but he scored a solid “10” for personality. And he turned out to be every bit of that “10” and more.

I dropped the ball and didn’t remain consistent with training after Erin was done with us. But we did have a big fenced-in backyard, so Zeke could go outside and burn off all that excess energy anytime he wanted. Or anytime we wanted. And my brother John (“Uncle John”) has an enormous amount of

energy too, so they were a match made in heaven. He and Zeke hit it off from the first time they met, until the day before he died.

Zeke loved people, and most people loved Zeke. He showed his love for people by body slamming them when they came over. Zeke also loved food. One might call it an abnormal love for food, but from what I have seen and heard, it is typical black Labrador behavior. Their appetites are insatiable, and I do mean insatiable.

When I got Zeke, it had been 10 years since we had our last dog, and that loss had been devastating. I love dogs, so much that I couldn’t bring myself to get another one for that long afterward because of the immense hole they leave when they are gone.

One of the reasons I was ready to get another dog, besides grieving the loss of my dad, was to help curb my chronic anxiety. Turns out, Zeke had anxiety, too. And that anxiety manifested itself in destructive tendencies when left home alone, and in me never getting a moment’s rest when Zeke wanted something.

When I got married in March 2023 and Zeke and I moved into our new home, things changed. My husband’s gentle discipline helped us manage Zeke’s anxiety significantly. Zeke formed a strong bond

with his new dad, and they spent many an evening wrestling on the living room floor.

Ever the clown, we couldn’t get enough videos of Zeke rolling around in the grass or walking around the house with his blanket hanging off of him or inhaling every meal as if it were his first and last meal. Those videos are our lifeline now.

In previous columns, I have shared how, while I was writing, Zeke has been curled up on his pillow behind me, quietly snoring (and sometimes not so quietly).

As I write today, Zeke sits behind me on his pillow, but now it is his remains in a box with his name engraved on a gold plate on top, next to his purple collar placed in a heart shape. The box is wrapped in his blanket, which we haven’t been able to bring ourselves to wash yet. His scent is still there, and occasionally, when we need to, we hold it up to our faces and breathe in deep. For a moment, he is just a breath away.

I am not sure I will ever be ready to wash that blanket.

•SpiritMattersisaweeklycolumnby JerrilynZavadaNovakthatexamines experiencescommontothehuman spirit.Contactheratjzblue33@ yahoo.com.

PUZZLES

ACROSS

1. Cut quickly

5. A way to state clearly

11. River in NE Scotland

14. Expansive

15. Lacking social polish

16. Amount of time

17. Frame

19. Automobile

20. Toadstools

21. High school dances

22. Utilize

23. Experimented with

25. One-sided

27. Acquisitive

31. Potted plants

34. Everyone has one

35. Kalahari Desert lake

38. Unidentified flying object

39. People 65 and over

41. Small amount

42. Daughter of Acrisius

44. Ornamental box

45. Government agents

46. Uncertain

49. A cotton fabric with a satiny finish

51. Treeless plains

55. One’s sense of self-importance

56. Consumer advocate

60. Type of lounger

61. Body part

62. Can be persuaded

64. Woman (French)

65. Ready and willing to be taught

66. Arab ruler title

67. Unhappy

68. Gradually went away

69. Able to think clearly

DOWN

1. Brushed

2. Small water spirit (Germ.)

3. Heroes

4. Monetary units

5. Some don’t want to share theirs

6. Free-swimming invertebrate

7. Litigates

8. Outer

9. Parallelograms

10. Uneasy feelings 11. Cross

Ukrainian city

A citizen of Denmark

Month

Hindu queens

Group of chemicals

Rider of Rohan

12. A way to remove 13. Pages can be dog-__

Wet dirt 32. Southwestern Russia city

33. Observed

Angry

Drivers’ licenses

Musical composition

Auction

They __

Women

Be filled with love for

Thick-soled sock

49. Appears 50. Old World lizard 52. The leading performer 53. Protein

54. “Gunga Din” script writer

57. Art __, around 1920

58. __ Blyton, children’s author

59. Abnormal breathing

63. A place to rest

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Mendota brothers Cole (left) and Aden Tillman both scored their 1,000th career point this week. Cole scored his 1,000th point Friday at Princeton, needing 21 and scoring 32. Aden netted his milestone at home Tuesday against Hall. They are the 20th and 21st Mendota player to score 1,000 points.

BOYS BASKETBALL: MENDOTA 1,000-POINT CLUB

win over Hall and Cole joined him three nights later at Princeton. The sophomore Cole has two more years to chase Don Hamel’s school record of 2,158 points. Here’s a look at the Mendota 1,000-point scorers through the Saturday, Feb. 14 games:

Mendota tops Putnam County for 10th win

Trojans reach double-digit wins for first time in a season since 2019-20

By KEVIN CHLUM kchlum@shawmedia.com

Over the last four years, every one of Mendota senior Laylie Denault’s classmates dropped out of the girls basketball program.

Denault and the Trojans endured some tough times, winning five games in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and just four games last season.

“I stuck with basketball because I really like the sport, and I’ve always liked the sport,” Denault said. “I like being with teammates all the time. I don’t like the offseason. I like the bond I’ve built with the younger girls.”

Denault’s willingness to stick it out paid off this season.

After Mendota honored its lone senior Tuesday night, the Trojans defeated Putnam County 37-16 for a nonconference victory in their regular-season finale to earn their 10th win of the season.

“It meant a lot (to win on senior night),” Denault said. “We haven’t won that many senior nights in the past, so it was really good that we got to for my senior night.

“It was very rewarding [to earn our 10th win]. Every year the goal has been to get 10 wins, and this year it’s like a full-circle moment, because we finally did it.”

This season is Mendota’s first with double-digit wins since 2019-20, when the Trojans finished 21-11.

“I think our team has been very dedicated,” Denault said. “Everybody always shows up to practice, and we push each other really hard. We just never really give up. Even when we’re down, we don’t just roll over and let the other team win.”

Along with reaching double-digit wins this season, the Trojans also snapped a 27-game Three Rivers Conference East Division losing streak dating back to 2023 and earned a No. 8 seed in their sub-sectional as they look for their first postseason victory since 2020.

Mendota will host No. 9 Rock Falls in a Class 2A Somonauk Regional quarterfinal at noon Saturday.

“Every year we sit down and talk, and

I make them write down a team goal,”

Mendota coach John Hansen said. “We talked about 10 wins. A lot of years we say that, and it feels like we’re just throwing out a number. It truly felt like this team meant it and wanted to do it.

“It’s 100% a testament to how hard they work. I’ve always said we’re a team that doesn’t belong with four wins. We’re finally showing that this year. It’s nice to actually do it and set a new bar.”

On Tuesday, the Trojans held Putnam County to just two points in the first quarter to take a 10-2 lead after the first eight minutes.

Mendota led 13-2 early in the second quarter and took a 21-6 halftime lead.

“We got after it on defense, which has been our thing all year,” Hansen said. “We did a good job pressuring them into some turnovers. I wish we did a little better job turning it into some points, but for

the most part, the defensive effort was great.”

Karson Doyle led the Trojans (10-19) with 12 points, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks, while Denault contributed eight points, three steals, three assists and a block.

“Laylie’s entire class bailed with [the shutdown of sports because of] COVID and didn’t come back, so I’ve always had a special appreciation for Laylie,” Hansen said. “She 100% could have done the same thing. I think basketball is her third favorite sport, but you wouldn’t know it by the way she works or the way she comes here as a leader.

“You don’t replace the stuff Laylie brings. She forces stuff defensively, she moves the ball offensively. It doesn’t always show on the stat sheet, but it did a little bit this year, and I was really happy with that for her.”

Kaylynn Hill scored six points for the Panthers (2-27).

“I made the girls go around and give me one word of how they thought they played, and we had a lot of ‘sloppy,’ ‘messy,’ ‘lazy,’ ‘slow,’ and I think they summed it up pretty well,” PC coach Becca Pyszka said. “There was a lot of energy in the gym tonight, so I was like, ‘We’re going to have to match that,’ and they did not.

“We started out flat. We had two points in the first quarter, and that sets us up for failure.”

Putnam County plays Hall on Thursday to end the regular season before playing at Dwight on Saturday in the first round of the Class 1A Amboy Regional.

“We have to come to practice tomorrow ready to go,” Pyszka said. “We’re going to have to step it up at practice and be the best we can in those games.”

SPORTS

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1964: San Francisco’s Wilt Chamberlain scores 52 points against Detroit, his second consecutive 50-point game.

2006: Shani Davis is first Black athlete to win individual gold in the Winter Olympics.

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

SENIOR NIGHT VICTORY

Trojans reach double-digit wins for first time since 2019-20 season