News

City told it’s OK to fence dam, write tickets

Published by admin on Tue, 12/19/2017 - 7:26pm

    Mayor Roy Strong says he’s been told that it’s OK to put up a fence to keep people out of the dam, and once the council creates a restriction, city police can write tickets to anyone caught wading or swimming in the Kankakee River.
    Strong has been meeting with state officials to see what can be done to stop people from drowning in the churning waters of the dam — without actually losing the structure.

Deliveries at a record pace

Published by admin on Tue, 12/19/2017 - 7:25pm

    There’s a reason your mail is coming a little later in the day this month. It’s online shopping.    
    On the Tuesday after Black Friday, the Wilmington post office delivered a whopping 2,400 packages, in addition to those brightly colored, festive envelopes carrying holiday greetings from friends and loved ones that came with the regular mail. Online shopping has become so popular in fact, that local letter carriers are heading out from the post office twice each day; once loaded with packages, and the second time with regular first class mail.

Cocoa for a cause

Published by admin on Tue, 12/19/2017 - 6:59pm

     Paper cups were lined up in a row. Two bowls—one filled with marshmallows, the other with crushed peppermint candy—sat nearby. A haphazard line of two dozen fifth graders, dollar bills in hand, had already formed.
    Each of the students waited, somewhat patiently, for their opportunity to place an order for a steaming cup of hot chocolate to enjoy as they headed back to class after the noon hour recess.

Dinner is served

Published by admin on Tue, 12/19/2017 - 6:57pm

     The mission is simply to provide a hot meal to those who need one, but the weekly St. Vincent dinners have turned into something more.
    Harry, a Coal City resident, and his wife, Sharon, have been taking part in the weekly meals for nearly five years. It’s an opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy a good home cooked meal with friends.
    In many ways the dinners serve a dual purpose, feeding those who need a meal and offering individuals a chance to develop new friendships and strengthen long standing relationships.

Best-selling author visits local schools

Published by admin on Tue, 12/19/2017 - 6:56pm

    As best-selling author Margaret Peterson Haddix made her way across Illinois as part of an 11-stop book tour, she spent a day talking to students at Coal City High School and Wilmington Middle School.
    Haddix has penned more than 40 books for children and young adults. She is best known for her series “The Shadow Children” and “The Missing.”
    She’s also written the “Children of Exile”, “The Palace Chronicles” and “Under Their Skin” series, as well “Into the Gauntlet,” part of the multi-author 39 Clues series.

As semester comes to a close, CCHS recognizes student work

Published by admin on Tue, 12/19/2017 - 6:55pm

    As winter break quickly approaches students at Coal City High School are wrapping up final projects and preparing for semester exams.
    The first semester officially comes to an end on Friday, Dec. 22, after three full days of exams. Students will return to class on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018.
    In the first half of the school year, students took part in a number of activities from athletic contests to choral festivals and  marching band competitions.

Roth joins the ranks

Published by admin on Tue, 12/19/2017 - 6:53pm

Coal City's new police patrol officer reported for duty this week. For the next month he'll spend time getting to know the community.
Casey Roth was sworn in last week and presented with his silver star — badge 911.
“I'm very honored to be with the department and I hope to have a good long career here,” Roth said.

Vaping ban approved

Published by admin on Tue, 12/19/2017 - 6:24pm

Folks looking to get their nicotine fix via vaping will have to stand outside with the rest of the smokers.

On Dec. 12, the Braidwood City Council approved an amendment to the city’s code, banning the use of electronic cigarettes anywhere smoking is already banned.

City looks to add limited regional transport service

Published by admin on Tue, 12/19/2017 - 6:22pm

The city of Braidwood is looking to give some folks a lift.

On Dec. 12, members of the City Council heard a brief presentation from a representative of PACE, the regional transit authority, on the possibility of bringing service by way of a municipal van to Braidwood.

Beth Gonzalez, communication and media relations representative from PACE, told members of the council that PACE can provide a handicapped accessible passenger van to the city, for local transportation services.

Raffle rules may get second look

Published by admin on Tue, 12/19/2017 - 6:19pm

Following guidelines issued by the state gaming board, the members of the Braidwood City Council last month approved an ordinance regulating raffles inside the city limits.

But the new rules have some residents asking questions, wondering about the amount of money they’ll have to shell out to hold a charity or other raffle as they’ve always done before.

On Dec. 12, Braidwood Baseball and Softball Association (BBSA) President Jerry Curl approached the council about the raffle ordinance, which was passed unanimously on Nov. 28.