News

Van Duyne: IDOT says it will repair ditch

Published by admin on Tue, 03/12/2019 - 6:35pm

    The South Route 53 residents who are affected by frequent flooding due to an inoperable drainage system have reached out for help, and representatives from the county, the township, the area drainage district, the city and the state are working on a fix.

Council pulls back on road use agreement

Published by admin on Tue, 03/12/2019 - 6:32pm

    After hearing the concerns of a couple aldermen, which were supported by the township road commissioner, the Wilmington City Council tabled approval of a road use agreement last week and sent it back to have stronger protections added.
    Exxon-Mobil Pipeline Company is repairing infrastructure between Butcher Lane and Ballou Road, and will be drilling more than one-third mile to complete the work. The project is to replace an existing 18-inch pipeline crossing of Forked Creek due to stresses on the pipeline.

City considering notification system

Published by admin on Tue, 03/12/2019 - 6:29pm

    The city of Wilmington may soon have an inexpensive and effective tool for notifying residents about hydrant flushing, electronics recycling dates, road closures and more, if city officials take the Will County Emergency Management Agency up on its offer.
    Emergency Services and Disaster Agency director Dennis Housman invited Tom Murray from the Will County Emergency Management Agency to address the City Council about the county’s Everbridge notification system, a partnership between the county EMA, the 911 emergency telephone system and the city of Joliet.

Enterprise zone amended

Published by admin on Tue, 03/12/2019 - 5:25pm

Coal City is one of a number of government entities involved in the Ottawa Area Enterprise Zone, so when changes to the boundaries are proposed the village gets a vote.
It was recently announced the Reichold Chemical facility in Goose Lake Township would be pulling out of the zone, thus making way for the village of Diamond to extend its enterprise zone in that direction to take in the planned Three Rivers Energy facility, a natural gas-fueled generating station to be constructed by Competitive Power Ventures (CPV).

GAVC enrollment on the rise

Published by admin on Tue, 03/12/2019 - 5:24pm

Grundy Area Vocational Center's (GAVC) enrollment projections for the upcoming academic year are at an all time high.
“We are seeing GAVC numbers start to explode,” said Unit 1 Superintendent Dr. Kent Bugg, who reports enrollment is at 800 students, up about 150 students from two years ago.
He believes the increase is based on a combination of factors from ever increasing costs of higher education to an upswing in available trade jobs.
“I think parents are looking at other options for their kids, and that's a positive,” Bugg said.

Coal City to implement communication system

Published by admin on Tue, 03/12/2019 - 5:22pm

Implementation of a community alert system was identified as a short-term goal in the village of Coal City's strategic plan, a goal the mayor says can now be scratched off the list.
“For the past couple of years, the village has been reviewing the possibility of utilizing a communications platform that would allow the village to contact a subset of village residents dependent upon the type of emergency that must be communicated,” said Matt Fritz, the town's administrator.

Legislation seeks $2.6 million for tornado recovery

Published by admin on Tue, 03/12/2019 - 5:20pm

For nearly four years Coal City officials have been knocking on the doors of state lawmakers reminding them of the financial hardship a powerful tornado created when it torethrough the villae June 22, 2015.
At the time, state officials did not seek disaster relief funding from the federal government.  
Illinois State Rep. David Welter (R-Morris) heard the town’s call and last week filed legislation seeking $2.6 million to cover debt related to the town's cleanup and recovery efforts.

Morris man dies in early morning crash

Published by admin on Sun, 03/10/2019 - 8:51am

 

WAHS preserving home with hometown

Published by admin on Tue, 03/05/2019 - 8:36pm

    The Wilmington Area Historical Society is in the business of preserving local history and the artifacts that go with it, and its members believe that “preservation” has to start at home.
    The group went from inactive and virtually defunct three years ago to active and re-energized today, and is intent on the preservation and restoration of its home, the old city hall on North Main Street.

City fixing meter muck-up

Published by admin on Tue, 03/05/2019 - 8:34pm

    Things just didn’t make sense for city water meter replacement technician Griffin Kinnett. He took ownership of the job and, digging a little deeper, he found small problems that add up to big ones for the water department.