- Watseka basement fire does $50,000 damage…. - Eggleston indicted for 2006 murder…. - Pres Bush touts economy in Peoria visit…. - SVC Tournament action…..

< ANOTHER COLD, FRIGID DAY IN ILLIANA. HIGH AROUND 24 BUT WINDS AT 10-15 MPH PRODUCING WIND CHILLS AT MINUS 9 >

* The State Fire Marshall is in Watseka this morning investigating a house fire. Assistant Fire Chief Tim Ketchum said firemen were able to contain the fire to the basement at the Ted Spenn residence at 725 S. 2nd Street. The fire’s cause was under investigation, but the Fire Marshall ruled it “non-suspicious.” Damage estimates were listed at $50,000. No injury was involved. Smoke alarms alerted the occupants who fled to a neighbors home at 4:30 am.

* A five-alarm fire at a lumber yard Tuesday night in Hebron, IL had firemen still at the scene this morning. No injuries were reported. The fire broke out around 9:30 pm just north of Illinois Route 173 in McHenry County, near the Wisconsin border.

* Health officials are reminding citizens to protect themselves from the frigid cold. This is serious cold, meaning the temperatures could lead to hypothermia or frostbite, if you’re in the cold too long. Dr. Greg Cowell says the very young and the very old and those with medical conditions are more susceptible to the cold.

* A Kankakee County grand jury has indicted 27-year-old Donnell Eggleston of Kankakee for two-counts of first-degree murder. Eggleston faces the charges for the May 27th, 2006 shooting death of 25-year-old Quentin Hardrict outside a tavern on Court Street in Kankakee. Eggleston is also the alleged gunman in another shooting about 20 minutes before the fatal incident on North Cottage Avenue in Kankakee.

* President Bush visited a Caterpillar plant in Peoria Tuesday, touting the economy. Bush said the economy is strong and there’s achallenge to keep it rolling along.

* Boys SVC tournament basketball action continued last night. Winners included Watseka over Momence, Milford over Armstrong, CPCI over PBL, St. Joe over Central and St. Thomas More over I-West. Illinois was a Big 10 winner over Michigan State in Champaign and Media Day in Miami featured Bears coach Lovie Smith and Colts’ skipper Tony Dungy. The teams are prepping for Super Bowl 41 Sunday.

94.1 FM, WGFA —- “Your Illiana News Source”

*  WGFA at work Faxline Trivia

*  Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:45, 9:05, 11:40. and 4:40.  With the answer on the next days Breakfast Club.

*  It’s easy and fun to play.  Fax in your answer on company letterhead with full contact information to 815-432-4957 or submit it online at WGFARadio.com.

*  Faxline Trivia for Wednesday.  On the television show Different Strokes, which one of Mr. Drummond’s sons was kidnapped?  It was his step-son…  who was it?

*  Fax in your answer on company letterhead with full contact information to 815-432-4957 or submit it online at WGFARadio.com.

*  Illiana’s Choice for the 80’s, 90’s, and Now…  94 point 1 WGFA.

Congrats to Cheryl from Donovan working at IMH.  Her answer to the Faxline Trivia Question Who were Webster’s adopted Mom and Dad’s name?  It was Mr. and Mrs. Papadopalous.  Tune in for a new Faxline Trivia Question tomorrow on WGFA.

Wind Chills at -5 with winds gusting to 30 here are the latest announcements…

• Goodland Head Start - Cancelled
• Rensselaer Central Schools - 2 Hour Delay, No AM Kindergarten

Wow… this really makes it seem like it was AGES ago!  In honor of the Chicago Bears going to Super Bowl 41. Here are 41 things that have changed from the last time the Chicago Bears played in the Super Bowl (which was Super Bowl 20 in 1986):

1. Brian Urlacher was in 2nd grade. Rex Grossman was in kindergarten.
2. Peyton Manning was 10 years old. Eli Manning was 5 years old. Their dad, Archie, had just retired from the NFL two years earlier.
3. Lovie Smith was in his first college coaching job at University of Tulsa.
4. Ronald Reagan was the President, and Harold Washington was the Mayor. James R. Thompson was the Governor running for re-election and his office was in the new State of Illinois Center, which is now called the James R. Thompson Center.
5. George W. Bush was 39 years old and still drinking. His father would run for President two years later.
6. Rod Blagojevich was just out of law school and was a low-level prosecutor working for the Cook County State’s Attorney, Richard M. Daley.
7. Barack Obama had just moved to Illinois, and Osama bin Laden was fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan.
8. Red Grange and Sid Luckman were still alive.
9. The Colts had just moved to Indianapolis from Baltimore and were the doormat of the AFC EAST. The Bears were the champions of the NFC CENTRAL.
10. Property in Wicker Park and Bucktown was cheap because they were really bad neighborhoods.
11. CD players, cellular phones and fax machines were expensive,cutting edge technology and only a few people used them.
12. “Surfing the net” meant a volleyball game at the beach, and virtually no one used the “@” key on their TYPEWRITER.
13. Sam Walton was still alive and was wealthier than Bill Gates. Windows were panes of glass… not a computer operating system that was a pain in something that rhymes with glass.
14. The Soviet Union was our main enemy, and Saddam Hussein was our ally.
15. There were no lights at Wrigley Field, and the oldest park in baseball belonged to the White Sox.
16. Michael Jordan and Ozzie Guillen had just finished their “Rookie of the Year” seasons. Jordan’s coach was Stan Albeck and &nbs p; Guillen’s manager was Tony LaRussa. (Three out of four of those guys are now wearing championship rings, but what ever happened to Stan Albeck???)
17. Soldier Field had AstroTur f. The Houston Oilers played in the AstroDome.
18. The Fox TV Network didn’t exist, and ESPN had yet to air a single live pro football, baseball, or basketball game.
19. MTV played music and so did some AM radio stations.
20. Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff weren’t born yet; Jackie Gleason and Richard Nixon were still alive.
21. Hillary Clinton had dark hair and was the First Lady……of Arkansas!
22. “The Love Boat” and “Diff’rent Strokes” were still on network TV every week.
23. Martin Luther King Day was about to be celebrated as a National Holiday for the first time. “9-11″ was a phone number many cities were just adopting for emergency calls - not a date of terror.
24. I-88 was called “Illinois Rt. 5″ and I-355 hadn’t been built yet.
25. What the CTA now calls “The Blue Line” had just been extended to O’ Hare, and the Orange Line to Midway hadn’t been built yet.
26. Q101 in Chicago (not to be confused with 101QFL in Rockford) played adult contemporary music and most teenagers listened to WLS. Music from the 70s and 80s wasn’t “retro” yet.
27. Tiger Woods hadn’t won an amateur golf tournament yet.
28. Most people knew Seattle just as a city in the Northwest U.S. - not the home of grunge or Starbucks.
29. Only Southerners went to NASCAR races and only Northerners went to NHL games.
30. The Chicago area had no Wal-Marts, Targets or Home Depots, and Walgreen’s was only in the Midwest.
31. Depending on your bank, your ATM card was good at only “Cash Station” machines or only at “Money Network” machines, but there were no fees.
32. “The Phone Company” was Illinois Bell.
33. They still sold leaded gasoline and you couldn’t pay for your gas at the pump.
34. Discover Card hadn’t been discovered yet, and Miller Genuine Draft hadn’t been brewed yet.
35. Stereo TVs were the rage that HDTVs are now. 8-track tapes were still being made.
36. All of the Blockbuster Video stores that are now closing hadn’t opened yet. Betamax was still competing with VHS.
37. You paid cash for your groceries and fast food, and you used a travel agent to book airline flights.
38. Bowl games didn’t have corporate sponsors, and if the #1 ranked team was in a conference that played in one bowl game and the #2 ranked team was in a conference that played in another bowl game, then so be it! They let the sportswriters vote on the national champion (and no college football games were played after New Year’s Day).
39. The Baltimore Ravens were the Cleveland Browns. The Tennessee Titans were the Houston Oilers. The Oakland Raiders were the Los Angeles Raiders that had just left Oakland. The Arizona Cardinals (the former Phoenix Cardinals) were the St. Louis Cardinals, and the St. Louis Rams were the Los Angeles Rams. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, and the Cleveland Browns (not to be confused with the Cleveland Browns that are now the Baltimore Ravens) didn’t exist. The Seattle Seahawks (last year’s NFC Champions) played in the AFC.
40. Number 9 on the Bears was their Punky QB…not their perky field goal kicker.
41. There were no iPods - just Sony Walkmen - so if you said something about a “shuffle” on your Walkman, they assumed you were listening to “The Super Bowl Shuffle”

GO BEARS!!!!!!!

(Thanks to Don for sending this one to us!)

- President Bush in Peoria today…. - Iroquois County civic leader laid to rest…. - Gov seeks federal help for ice storm clean-up efforts…. - Herscher wins the Interstate Eight Conference Tourney title; Area Girls results…..

< Blowing snow is a bit of a problem in Illiana this morning. Snow accumulation totals another half-inch locally; up to an inch in parts of Indiana. Highs today at 19 with snow flurries. More weather notes at wgfaradio.com >

* A veteran member of the Iroquois County Board was laid to rest Monday. But not before several friends and extended-family members paid their respects to Alan Benjamin. The Watseka resident died of cancer last week. He was 60 years-old. Benjamin was a 32-year member of the County Board. He was also a leader in the Historical Society and an adopted-father to several children from the Willow Estate Area of Iroquois County.

* Illinois’ newest AREA Code already has several people wondering if they can remember all the numbers that come into play. The 779 AreaCode is being added by regulators to parts of northern Illinois. Old numbers remain as 815. The change is effective February 17th.

* The stage is set for President Bush’s visit to Illinois today. Bush will speak at the Caterpillar plant at Peoria. Reports indicate the president will talk about the global economy and the war in Iraq.

* Gov Rod Blagojevich is asking the president for disaster relief help. The Illinois governor is hoping 26 central Illinois counties are eligible for disaster aid from the ice storms in November and December.

* The Herscher Tigers won the C-ship of the Interstate Eight Conference Tournament last night. It was a 52-39 win for the Tigers over Seneca. Tri Point also defeated Christ Lutheran in Boys action. Girls winners included: Iroquois West, Central, Momence, Milford and St. Anne.

“Your Illiana News Source”—- 94.1 FM, WGFA

Milford Freshman Boys Basketball vs. CPCI scheduled for tonight at Milford has been cancelled.

- Morning commute slowed by slick roads…. - multi-vehicle crash in NW Indiana…. - Iroquois County Sheriff’s Police investigate accidents…. - SVC Tournament play begins….

< COLD AND MAY BE MORE SNOW FLURRIES TODAY IN ILLIANA. HIGH NEAR 28 AND WIND CHILL VALUES AT -7 TO 3 DEGREES. WINDS WILL BE AT 10-20 MPH FROM THE SOUTHWEST. >

* Area roads are reported as dry with some scattered slick spots. Motorists are urged to slow it down. A mix of cold and snow from Sunday has left some routes slippery.

* A 17-car pile-up Sunday near Michigan City, Indiana was blamed on poor visibity. Blowing snow resulted in treacherous travel conditions. Up to seven inches of snow was reported on the Toll Road.

* Several accidents were investigated by Iroquois County Sheriff’s Police, dating back to Friday. The cold and snow produced slick conditions. Timothy Anderson of Pittwood was cited for Improper Passing and Too Fast for Conditions after his car left a roadway in Middleport Township. The vehicle rolled and hit a pole. Anderson and his passengers were taken to Iroquois Memorial Hospital.

* Vincente Villa of Milford was injured when his car hit a slick spot and rolled several times in Ash Grove Township. Sheriff’s Police investigated Friday.

* The Boys Sangamon Valley Basketball Tournament is underway. At Paxton Saturday, Central was a 54-50 winner over Tri-Point. The tourney is being played at four different sites. The championship is February 3rd at Parkland College in Champaign.

“Your Illiana News Source” — 94.1 FM, WGFA

*  WGFA at work Faxline Trivia

*  Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:45, 9:05, 11:40. and 4:40.  With the answer on the next days Breakfast Club.

*  It’s easy and fun to play.  Fax in your answer on company letterhead with full contact information to 815-432-4957 or submit it online at WGFARadio.com.

*  Congrats to Jennifer at Creative Office Systems who answered Friday’s question… in the Dukes of Hazzard what was the name of the Dukes car?  It was the General Lee.  Today we’re talking adoption.  Do you remember the TV show Webster?  What was Webster’s adopted Mom and Dad’s name?

*  Fax in your answer on company letterhead with full contact information to 815-432-4957 or submit it online at WGFARadio.com.

*  Illiana’s Choice for the 80’s, 90’s, and Now…  94 point 1 WGFA.

Join WGFA live from Quality Supermarket on Oak Street in Watseka for a live remote broadcast on Tuesday from 11-Noon.  We’ll get you signed up and qualified for the Food Checkout Day Shopping Spree with the Ford Iroquois Farm Bureau.  Food Checkout day is Feb 6th.