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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Streator To Hold 'Pluto Fest' Events This Weekend

www.nasa.gov

Clyde Tombaugh is known for discovering the dwarf planet in 1930. He grew up in Streator, Illinois.

  

NASA's New Horizon spacecraft did a flyby of Pluto last year with Tombaugh's ashes aboard. Streator residents created a festival to celebrate it. 

Pam Walker is with Streator Tourism. She says the festival is important to honor Tombaugh's efforts. 

"We just kind of want to give a nod to Pluto and to Clyde Tombaugh because he was the only American to ever discover a planet," Walker said. 

Walker says one major event of Pluto Fest is the United States Postal Service releasing stamps from images captured during the flyby. 

"One of them has an image, an artist rendering of NASA New Horizons spacecraft when they did their flyby of Pluto. The other one is an enhanced color image of Pluto that was taken by the New Horizons mission."

Other festival activities take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday. 

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