News

It's construction season

Published by admin on Tue, 04/04/2017 - 7:43pm

Road construction season is shaping up to a busy one locally as projects get underway to improve a portion of Route 113 through Diamond and the replacement of a bridge over the Kankakee River.
    Construction crews have mobilized to begin the long awaited projects.
    Diamond Mayor Terry Kernc reported on Monday that the Route 113 reconstruction project slated to get underway this week was initially delayed due to rain.
    “Keep in mind that weather plays a role,” the mayor said.

Election 2017 - School board candidates unopposed, but face important issues

Published by admin on Fri, 03/31/2017 - 2:06pm

It may be news to some, but there’s an election headed this way.

The April 4 consolidated election shows only a handful of local elected seats up for grabs, with many of the candidates in contests running unopposed.

One of those contests is four seats on the Reed-Custer School Board. Those seats are each being sought by incumbents with no challenges. The board members up for election but who will be retained are Kris Van Duyne, Devin Dransfeldt, Michael Grace, and Jesse Morris.

Still no answers on stalled trains

Published by admin on Fri, 03/31/2017 - 1:50pm

It’s been more than two weeks since two trains stalled in Braidwood forced closure of two of the city’s three crossings for two hours, and still no word on why the closure happened from the state.

City leaders have yet to hear why the crossings were blocked on March 13, from 9:45 a.m. until 11:45 a.m.

The incident is just more evidence of what local emergency responders warned about seven years ago, when the proposed High Speed Rail (HSR) construction was set to add a siding just north of Main Street.

Pair charged with selling drugs at gas station

Published by admin on Fri, 03/31/2017 - 1:38pm

Two repeat offenders were captured and booked into the Will County jail last week, following a narcotics investigation by the Braidwood Police Department.

The arrests happened on Wednesday, March 22.

According to the police report, two men were spotted selling drugs at a gas station in Braidwood. After a brief investigation, police arrested Jesse D. Tucker, 20, of Joliet, and James C. Skinner, 35, of Wilmington, on multiple charges.

At the time of the arrest, a search of the pair yielded 0.8 grams of crack cocaine, and approximately $270 in cash.

Post 1336 honors national cemetery volunteers

Published by admin on Tue, 03/28/2017 - 7:13pm

St. Juvin Post 1336 Veterans of Foreign Wars partnered with the Coal City Public Library District to honor the memory of Mary Ann Kilbride who volunteered her time as a member of the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery Memorial Squad.
Kilbride passed away in November 2016. A memorial plaque was presented to her daughters Nina Kilbride-Sheehan and Gina Schock.  The memorial will be on permanent display in the local history section of the library.  

More than just dance

Published by admin on Tue, 03/28/2017 - 7:10pm

It was on the second floor of a decades old brick building in downtown Coal City that Broadway Dance Center got it start, the concept to provide dance instruction by integrating body, art and intellect.

In the hands of voters

Published by admin on Tue, 03/28/2017 - 7:08pm

By now, voters know that come election day they will be asked if Coal City should become a home rule community.
    For the past few weeks, fliers have been appearing in the mailbox and advertisements for and against the proposal have been printed in this newspaper, and the village of Coal City has even dedicated space on its website to provide home rule information to its residents.

Silly walk, or else

Published by admin on Tue, 03/28/2017 - 6:45pm

Wilmington residents may have to learn to how to properly do the “Silly Walk,” or face a possible fine.
The act is the latest effort by city officials to gain international attention as Wilmington becomes the first city in Illinois on historic Route 66, and possibly only the second throughout the 2,451-mile length of the Mother Road, with a designated Silly Walk crosswalk.
The crosswalk designation may go up as soon as Saturday, at North Water and Jackson streets, on the west side of the roadway. The location was announced Monday.

City pursuing sales tax revenue

Published by admin on Tue, 03/28/2017 - 6:38pm

The city isn’t sure it’s receiving an accurate report of sales from a business at the RidgePort Logistics Center and is trying to work with the business to iron things out.
City administrator Frank Koehler told the council last week that he is trying to resolve issues with Ozinga Concrete and its sales tax reporting. Of the 7 percent sales tax applied to purchases here, 1 percent flows back to the city.  

Russi questions opponents’ statements

Published by admin on Tue, 03/28/2017 - 6:32pm

    Mike Russi is questioning claims made by his opponents for Park District commissioner that the fitness center is self sufficient, and that a lot of the $500,000 paid by the RidgePort Logistics Center development is in the bank as they maintain.
    Russi, incumbent Commissioner Dave Melhorn, former commissioner Randy Hill and Kevin Ptacek are all running for two open seats on the Wilmington Island Park District Board of Commissioners.
    The remarks were made by Hill and Melhorn during the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s candidates’ forum on March 15: