Man Killed in Plane Crash Identified

The president of a Minnesota aviation service business was in the plane that crashed in a Wilton Center field.

The man killed in the Tuesday afternoon plane crash in a Wilton Center field was the president of a Minnesota aviation service business. Larry Diffley, 74, was the sole occupant of the multi-engine Beech 58 that went down shortly after 2:30 p.m. Diffley operated Bemidji Aviation Services in Bemidji, MN. According to the company's website, Diffley and another man took over the business "with three employees, their own Cessna 150 and the three 150's already in place at Bemidji Aviation" in 1970. Diffley is listed as the company's president. Employees of Bemidji Aviation Services declined to give their names or much information about the crash Tuesday evening. One said, "We are aware of the crash and we're working with the (National …

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Manhattan Man Loses his Life in Accident at Rural Intersection

Fatal accident stirs discussion about need for better traffic control

Fire Destroys Abandoned Farmhouse

Firefighters from Mokena and Manhattan help extinguish the early morning blaze that consumed the structure on 187th Street.

An abandoned farmhouse burned to the ground early Saturday morning, according to the New Lenox Fire Protection District. No one was injured, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, said Capt. Chris Ward. Firefighters arrived at the house, located in the 12400 block of 187th Street, around 2:07 a.m. and were joined by crews from Mokena and Manhattan, Ward said. It took firefighters a few hours, he added. Ward said the Will County Sheriff's Office determined the house had been abandoned for about seven or eight years.

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Could Creamery Owner's Son Buy the Chain? Not If One Bank Has a Say

William McEnery's son is the high bidder on the local ice cream shops, but a bank that holds the mortgage on two locations has objections.

William McEnery's son might be the high bidder for the seven area Creamery ice cream shops, but that doesn't mean he owns them yet. One bank is standing in the way, according to court documents and McEnery's bankruptcy lawyer. The Creamery is another of the properties and businesses affected by the bankruptcy filing of the William J. McEnery Trust, which owns the shops as well as the Frankfort-based Gas City chain. This month, Gas City's 50 stations and truck stops were auctioned off for about $135 million to 14 bidders as a way to cover debts reported to be between $100 million to $500 million.   On April 8, the Creamery shops went up for auction in order to cover debts to the four banks holding the mortgages on the individual stores, …

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