News

Prairie Partners name Volunteer of the Year

Published by admin on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 5:59pm

The Goose Lake Prairie Partners have selected Jan Alexander as the Prairie Partners Volunteer of the Year for 2020.
A resident of Oswego, Alexander joined the Prairie Partners in 2010.
During her first couple of years with the Prairie Partners she was especially keen on demonstrating quilting during the annual Cabin Festivals. However, as the group experienced low return on the profits of serving sandwiches during its festivals, they were looking for ways to make a profit from the service.

Superintendent search moving forward

Published by admin on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 5:58pm

The Unit 1 Board of Education has made finding a superintendent to succeed Dr. Kent Bugg a priority.
Bugg has 20 months left on his final contract. While that might seem like a considerable amount of time to some, the Board of Education understands it may take a while to find the right person for the job— although what makes a person right for the job has yet to be defined.
The qualities and skill set necessary for a successful tenure in the superintendent’s post may not be the same as it was a year ago or even a couple of months ago.

Cop calls

Published by admin on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 5:57pm

Police activity in the village of Coal City continues to steadily increase with the number of calls growing by 5.4% between August and September.
In the first month of the pandemic [March to April] the number of calls for service handled by Coal City Police Department officers dropped 42%. Since a low in April—281 calls—the total number of calls handled by officers has continued to increase with a five-month average of 426 calls.

Audit finds village finances in order

Published by admin on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 5:56pm

An audit of the village of Coal City’s finances has once again found them in order.
“We are issuing a clean opinion, no misappropriations or glowing concerns,” said Brian Zabel, the town’s long-term auditor.
As he does each fall, Zabel provides the Village Board with an overview of the audit conducted by his staff at the close of the town’s fiscal year—April 30.

Grundy County assessment data rolled out

Published by admin on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 5:55pm

Assessment notices started arriving in mailboxes last week, and listings posted in local newspapers displayed the assessed values of the 27,000 parcels that make up Grundy County.
The assessed value of the county is up $100,000 million to $2.5 billion, according to County Board Chairman Chris Balkema.
Grundy County’s 2020 assessment data has been released by the county assessor’s office about seven weeks earlier than during 2019.

Wilmington ESDA secures new drone to assist operations

Published by admin on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 5:34pm

The Wilmington Emergency Services Disaster Agency (ESDA) has a new tool to help in its efforts for search and rescue operations.

Last month, the City Council approved the purchase of a drone for use by the emergency agency.

Dennis Housman, ESDA Director, told members of the City Council that the drone would be useful as an extra set of eyes in the sky during ESDA operations.

The drone was purchased by Aerial Influence of Elburn, for a total cost of $4,935.

Residents to Wilmington officials: Take the dam out

Published by admin on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 5:32pm

It’s been two months since the city of Wilmington sent surveys through the mail, asking the public to weigh in on the fate of the Kankakee River dam.

Now, with just two weeks before the deadline to get those surveys in, the initial results show overwhelming support for removal.

The surveys went out in August, and presented residents with options for how to address the dam.

The survey is based on guidance from a 2017 study, conducted by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), that compared the costs of changes at the dam.

Wilmington still batting around ideas to address industrial residences

Published by admin on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 5:30pm

The city of Wilmington continues to struggle with defining the best way to deal with residences inside an industrial zone.

On Oct. 13, members of the ordinance and licensing committee reviewed possible amendments to city code regarding residences in I-1 industrial zoning districts.

The issue on residences in industrial districts came before the city last spring, after first responders to a fire call to Davy Lane reported to the city that several people were living in the industrial park.

Braidwood Commissioner Smith defends hiring decision amidst opposition

Published by admin on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 5:24pm

Despite procedural items being the only items on the agenda, tensions ran high during the Braidwood City Council meeting on October 13. All council members were present for the meeting and the building was sanitized multiple times prior to the meeting after recent issues with Covid-19.

A community’s cook retiring

Published by admin on Tue, 10/20/2020 - 5:22pm

It’s been a 28-year challenge of feeding tens of thousands of people but the flames inside Marilyn’s Kitchen in Braidwood are burning out.

Marilyn Lestina, owner of Marilyn’s Kitchen and the renowned Lestina’s Catering, is retiring. Her last hurrah will be serving Thanksgiving dinners from her small commercial kitchen on North Division Street.

“It has been a very gratifying, wonderful journey,” Lestina commented. “There have been some wonderful people we've dealt with over the years but the time is right for me to retire.”