Free Press Advocate

VFW fire claim: Years to settle

Published by admin on Tue, 06/27/2017 - 7:13pm

    An attorney for the Malcolm J. Mayo VFW Post 5422 says it could take years for the courts to rule on a settlement for the fire that destroyed the Post at Baltimore and Third streets last year.
    Fire damaged the Post on April 25, 2016, and the VFW submitted a claim to its insurer, Conifer Insurance, based in Birmingham, MI, for its losses the next day.
    Shortly thereafter, Gina Wills, the VFW’s director of operations, was encouraged to hire a public adjuster to negotiate the claim on the group’s behalf.

Fireworks and more for July 4

Published by admin on Tue, 06/27/2017 - 7:11pm

    The Mad Bomber has penciled the city of Wilmington in for an Independence Day weekend fireworks show, and local organizations are making a day of it.
    City officials moved the fireworks display to Friday during Catfish Days in 2015 due to safety concerns related to  repairs on the Baltimore Street bridge over the Kankakee River. The move allowed the city to get “more bang for its buck” because fireworks displays on the national holiday generally cost double.

Road work to stop without state budget

Published by admin on Tue, 06/27/2017 - 7:07pm

    The state’s historic budget impasse may bring local road projects to a screeching halt, as funds to pay the contractors doing those jobs are locked down tight.

Coalition needs a phased approach

Published by admin on Tue, 06/20/2017 - 8:00pm

    The Wilmington Coalition for a Healthy Community would need to take a three-phase approach to turning the old police station on North Main Street into offices, a meeting area and teen activity center, which would allow it time to raise funds while benefiting from the use of the building.
    The coalition currently operates out of a storefront in Winchester Green Center, and the city pays its monthly rent as its matching share for the organization’s federal Drug Free Communities grant.

Elwood working on new, 2,000-acre industrial park

Published by admin on Tue, 06/20/2017 - 5:24pm

    A new 2,000-acre industrial park will be built between the villages of Elwood and Manhattan, but will have a dedicated truck route and a privately funded bridge to keep trucks off of Route 53 and local roads.

City to begin cutting ash trees

Published by admin on Tue, 06/20/2017 - 5:14pm

    A bright green insect has decimated the ash tree population in Wilmington, and the city, recognizing that many of the dead or dying trees are in its parkways, is going to start taking them down.

Wilmington gets a little smarter

Published by admin on Tue, 06/20/2017 - 5:11pm

    It's hard to miss the fleet of ComEd Smart Meter Installation trucks rolling through Wilmington neighborhoods. The utility provider is in its second week of changing all of its Wilmington customers over to the new technology.

Welter postpones Wilmington Town Hall meeting

Published by admin on Fri, 06/16/2017 - 10:26am

State Representative David A. Welter (R-Morris) has announced that his upcoming town hall meetings scheduled in Morris and Wilmington have been postponed following the proclamation from  Gov. Bruce Rauner calling the Illinois General Assembly back to Springfield.
Rauner has called legislators back for a 10-day special session starting  Wednesday, June 21 with the goal of passing a balanced state budget.

Coalition makes progress, but foresees change

Published by admin on Tue, 06/13/2017 - 7:50pm

    Although it’s made progress in keeping alcohol and tobacco out of the hands of teens, changing perceptions are undercutting the Wilmington Coalition for a Healthy Community’s message about harm, and indicators say change could be coming.

Public encouraged to take Narcan training

Published by admin on Tue, 06/13/2017 - 7:46pm

    Who would have thought a quick stop at a convenience store in Coal City would have turned out that way? Wilmington Coalition program coordinator Deborah Tomey and her son helped save the life of a young man who had overdosed in the store’s restroom. She knows such events are becoming increasingly more common, and that few people could help while waiting for first responders to arrive.