Monday, October 20, 2025

Notable Night Sky NewsLet's find out now what's going on overhead this week. With our Notable Night Sky News, here's Madeline Shepley, Astronomy Professor and Director of the Strickler Planetarium at Olivet. Route 50/County Line Road claims two more victimsThat intersection at Route 50 and County Line Road in far northern Kankakee County has claimed two more victims. Illinois State Police say it was just after 7:30 Friday night when the semi-truck and mini van collided at the intersection. Manhattan Fire says when they got there they found a total of seven people, one of them already dead at the scene. One of the injured later died of their injuries. Will County Coroner Laurie Summers identifies one of the dead as 35-year-old Tejaswi Patha of Aurora. State Police say the intersection was closed until about midnight while the wreckage was cleared and the crash investigated.UPDATE 9am: That intersection at Route 50 and County Line Road in far northern Kankakee County has claimed two more victims. Illinois State Police say it was just after 7:30 Friday night when the semi-truck and mini van collided at the intersection. Manhattan Fire says when they got there they found a total of seven people, one of them already dead at the scene. One of the injured later died of their injuries. Will County Coroner Laurie Summers identifies one of the dead as 35-year-old Tejaswi Patha of Aurora. Kankakee County Coroner Bob Gessner identifies the other victim as 55-year-old Ranadevl Patha of Plainfield. State Police say the intersection was closed until about midnight while the wreckage was cleared and the crash investigated. Iroquois County lifts burn banThe burn ban for Iroquois County has been lifted. In a press release, the Iroquois County Emergency Management Agency says authorities lifted the ban Sunday as significant rainfall over the county has "greatly reduced" the risk of rapidly spreading fires.  Over the weekend, officials in Jasper County Indiana decided to extend that burn ban until at least Friday of this week.   A burn ban remains in effect for Newton County Indiana through the end of the month.Have a news tip to share? Send us a text!Listen to more great shows on the WVLI Podcast Network:This One Time in Kankakee  (Narrative Storytelling)Kankakee Valley Community Happenings  (Businesses & Non-Profits)The voices you trust, beyond the dial.