Coal City Courant

$28.3 million solar farm proposed in Grundy County

Published by admin on Tue, 11/14/2017 - 5:23pm

    Grundy County’s Zoning Board of Appeals has  scheduled a public hearing on a special use request for the installation of a solar farm in Mazon Township.
    Cypress Creek Renewables is seeking county approval to develop a 234-acre site southwest of Mazon  on South Hadden Road. The property is owned by Mazon residents Jim and Laurie Fleischman.
    The planned project comes with an initial $28.3  million investment and once completed, would generate roughly 27.3 kilowatts of power annually, enough to power 2,412 single family homes.

Tentative tax levy outlines increase for Coal City

Published by admin on Tue, 11/14/2017 - 5:22pm

It’s tax levy season and in a review of its financial needs, the village of Coal City has outlined a plan that would provide just over $2 million.
    A preliminary levy has been prepared with an overall increase of 8.9 percent.
    “Although this increase exists within the proposed levy, an increase in the overall equalized assessed value (EAV) of the community would result in only a 2.2 percent increase within the property tax rate,” said Village Administrator Matt Fritz.

Dinner is served

Published by admin on Tue, 11/14/2017 - 5:22pm

    It takes 1,840 pounds of turkey, 450 pounds of mashed potatoes and 24 gallons of gravy to feed the community a Thanksgiving dinner, and that’s not all that goes on the plate.
    Each November a group of civic minded individuals gather to prepare a holiday meal for close to 1,800 people.
    Organizers report it takes roughly 100 hours and 140 hands to get the meal on the table, and that’s just what they have been doing for the past six years.

A new era for Assumption Parish

Published by admin on Tue, 11/14/2017 - 5:20pm

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church dates back to a Christmas Mass offered in Trotter’s Hall 129 years ago.
    From that first gathering, the Catholic congregation grew and a petition was sent to the Archdiocese of Chicago for the establishment of a parish in Coal City. Rev. P.A. DeParadis was the first pastor.
    “With his own hands he drew the blueprints of the church we have known all these years,” said Rev. Robert Noesen, Assumption’s current pastor.

Crash claims life of Cicero man

Published by admin on Fri, 11/10/2017 - 9:18am

Grundy County Coroner John W. Callahan's Office and the Illinois State Police are investigating a single vehicle rollover accident that claimed the life of a 37- year-old Cicero man.
The Coroner's office states Sergio Rodriguez was travelling northbound on Interstate 55 near mile marker 226, outside of Gardner, when he was involved in the rollover accident.  Rodriguez was transported to the Morris Hospital emergency room, where he was pronounced dead at 5:17 a.m.

A lesson in history

Published by admin on Tue, 11/07/2017 - 6:55pm

     From the Battle of Fort Sumter to the Battle of Palmito Ranch, Ron Marketti has become an authority in Civil War history.
    The retired teacher has amassed a collection of Civil War era items. The first in his collection was an original Model 1861 Springfield muzzle- loader. Developed by gunsmiths of the Springfield Armory, the nine pound, 56-inch long weapon was used throughout the war.

Street Corner Symphony to headline holiday concert

Published by admin on Tue, 11/07/2017 - 6:53pm

    The Megan Bugg Concert Series is bringing Street Corner Symphony and Gabe Dixon to Coal City for a holiday concert in the Coal City Unit 1 Auditorium on Friday, Dec. 1.
    Street Corner Symphony, the Nashville-based a cappella group that shot to stardom on NBC’s “The Sing Off,” joins hit singer/songwriter Gabe Dixon  for an evening of holiday music, Christmas cheer and special collaborations with high school a cappella groups from Coal City, Wilmington and Bradley-Bourbonnais high schools.

Assumption Church to open doors for dedication

Published by admin on Tue, 11/07/2017 - 6:52pm

After more than a decade of fundraising and planning, and well over a year of construction, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church on 195 S. Kankakee St. in Coal City, IL will reopen its doors.
The newly renovated and greatly expanded building will be dedicated on Nov. 18, during the 4 p.m. mass, with the Most Reverend Joseph M. Siegel, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Joliet, presiding.  

Help for Hope seeks holiday assistance

Published by admin on Tue, 11/07/2017 - 6:49pm

    In just two weeks families will be gathering around the table for Thanksgiving dinner. To make the holiday feast attainable for everyone in the community, Help for Hope is asking for some assistance.

Unit 1 to levy $25.5 million for school operations

Published by admin on Tue, 11/07/2017 - 6:48pm

     Each year local taxing districts undertake the task of determining the amount of tax dollars needed to cover expenses in the coming year. For Unit 1 School District, the figure is around $25 million.
    The majority of the district’s revenue comes in the form of property tax dollars, the amount determined by the annual levy that is calculated by the equalized assessed value (EAV) of all property located within the district’s borders.