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A pond teeming with wildlife on a beautiful summer morning proved to be a winning combination for Jon Flodstrom of Frankfort, who won June's portion of the Forest Preserve District of Will County's Preserve the Moment photo contest. Normally, the pond's dragonflies flit away from him as he tries to take their photos. But on one particular morning a few weeks ago, he timed it just right to get a shot of a "docile" widow skimmer dragonfly perched on a branch near a pond in...
While Mental Health Awareness Month has been historically observed throughout the month of May, the Coronavirus pandemic is bringing about questions of whether 2020 should be designated as Mental Health Awareness year. Or even further, perhaps we are entering what should be a Mental Health Awareness decade. "We really haven't seen this kind of monumental disruption to our lives since World War II," stated Will County Health Department Behavioral Health Director Dr. Joseph...
It is said that those who live in glass houses, should not throw stones. MSNBC reporter Cal Perry learned that the hard way on Memorial Day when Bolingbrook resident Andy Olson called him out on the streets of Lake Geneva, Wis. The video has gone viral with millions of views over many different platforms and was even retweeted by Donald Trump, Jr. During his report, Perry, who was wearing a mask, talked about people on the streets not wearing masks to protect themselves from...
Several protesters called for the resignation of Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk as he attended a Black Lives Matter rally on the corner of Larkin Avenue and Jefferson Street Tuesday. On Sunday night as rioting and looting took place around the city, O'Dekirk was videotaped in a scuffle with two men, who were later forcibly arrested by Joliet Police. "I understand that everyone has to defend themselves – self-preservation is the first thing. But he put himself in that p...
The Village of Romeoville has purchased 30 acres of land and is leasing an additional 30 acres across from the post office along 135th Street. The property will be used as open space for sports like soccer and baseball. The plans also call for a dog park on the property. "Residents have been requesting a dog park for some time now and we are very happy to announce plans for one," stated Mayor John Noak. "This will also add more park space to our ever growing offerings." A...
VVSD Early Childhood Center Renamed to Honor Dr. James A. Mitchem, Jr. The Valley View Community Unit School District 365U Board of Education approved the renaming of the Valley View Early Childhood Center in honor of retiring VVSD Superintendent of Schools Dr. James A. Mitchem, Jr. Effective with Dr. Mitchem's retirement on June 30, 2020, the VVEC will become the Dr. James A. Mitchem Early Childhood Center in recognition of his four decades of distinguished service to VVSD....
Joliet Catholic Academy announced its commitment to resume on-campus classes for the 2020-2021 school year beginning this fall in August, while keeping the health and safety of all students, faculty and staff as its top priority. The co-educational Catholic college prep high school located at 1200 N. Larkin Ave. in Joliet is working through several plans of action for reinstating campus operations with the final determination of how and when to open this summer based on...
Lawrence M. “Larry” Walsh lost his battle with cancer and died June 3 at age 72. Walsh battled complications of prostate cancer for more than five years. He was first treated for prostate cancer in late 2014 and continued to receive medical care in the following years. In late 2018, he again began chemotherapy treatments for a reoccurrence of the cancer. Walsh was a strong supporter of cancer research and a proud participant of the annual Will County Relay for Life. He alw...
A small group of peaceful protesters were turned away from demonstrating at Crest City Hall Tuesday night. The reason they were given was that Crest Hill Mayor Ray Soliman issued an emergency order to reinstate a curfew that had previously been lifted for the city. Crest Hill Police Officer Justin O'Brien calmly explained the situation to the group. "We didn't have the curfew until 10 minutes," he told the group. "(The mayor) has the power to put out an emergency order and he...
"I will see you in church," said Scott Greene as he sent supporters to their cars just before the skies opened with storms to close out the Reopen Illinois rally he organized on the corner of Rte. 59 and Black Road in Shorewood. The truck driver from Elwood was making reference to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's hesitance to reopen places of worship amidst the COVID-19 pandemic as the state nears Phase 3 of Pritzker's Restore Illinois plan – a plan that is moving too slow for many...
The Village of Romeoville presents the Route 66 Drive-In Movie Theater. Join them for a family-friendly movie in the open space behind the Romeoville Athletic and Event Center (680 Townhall Drive) starting around 9 p.m. Show dates are June 12, June 26, July 11, July 24 and August 10. Movies will include The Secret Life of Pets II and Frozen II. "By keeping families in their cars, we can safely conduct this free summer activity," said Mayor John Noak. "A whole new generation...
The sounds of the historic pipe organ have been coming from the Rialto Square Theatre for years, and you can enjoy them live on Facebook for the next three Fridays at 12 p.m. Tune in this Friday, May 22 for Taylor Trimby – former staff organist at the Rialto. Currently, Taylor serves as the treasurer of the Chicago Area Theatre Organ Enthusiast (CATOE) and on their work crew. Recently he was elected as the Executive Secretary for the American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS). E...
In anticipation of updated public health guidelines via the Governor's Restore Illinois Program, the Joliet Area Historical Museum will reopen the Old Joliet Prison Historic Site on Monday, June 1st at 9 a.m. The Prison will be open seven days per week and offer self-guided tours for the first time since its 2018 reopening. Executive Director Greg Peerbolte explains that with nationwide shelter-in-place protocols giving Americans a new perspective on confinement, it is an...
On the day that Joliet Junior College would have held its spring commencement, president Dr. Judy Mitchell instead announced Friday at a press conference held with the city of Joliet in the council chambers that the Fall semester will be conducted online with limited face-to-face student interaction. Mitchell announced that all fall lecture courses will be delivered online. Courses with a combination of lecture and lab will have lecture online and lab face-to-face – c...
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will be closing the Jefferson Street (eastbound US Route 30) moveable bridge over the Des Plaines River as part of the ongoing moveable bridge centralized control project beginning Monday, May 18, 2020. It is expected that the work will be complete and the bridge will reopen by Friday, May 22, 2020. A detour will be posted. Drivers are advised to exercise caution and seek alternate routes when traveling in the area. For additional information contact the City of Joliet...
Requests for food from the Bags of Hope program have skyrocketed since the start of the Illinois stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bags of Hope is a local nonprofit organization that provides food for District 202 students to take home each weekend. It has received 200 new requests since schools closed in March because of the pandemic and is now serving 28 of the 30 schools in District 202, said Bags of Hope Executive Director and Treasurer Dr. DJ Skogsberg. On average, Bags of Hope delivers 1,800 bags of food...
The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that as part of the ongoing reconstruction of the Weber Road interchange, Interstate 55 traffic will be shifted to the right, starting in the northbound lanes, weather permitting, on Wednesday, April 22, and in the southbound lanes the evening of Monday, April 27. The change will occur overnight both nights between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. Motorists on I-55 can expect delays, changing lane configurations and intermittent full...
Each summer, St. Joseph's Park in Joliet hosts events almost every Sunday, where local churches or other organizations host fundraisers. With bands, beer and bingo, the events have been a staple of the community for years and attract a large gathering each week. St. Joseph Parish announced on its Facebook Page today that because of COVID-19, it has decided to cancel all events for the 2020 season, citing the large crowds and lack of possible social distancing. "It is with...
John F. Kennedy Middle School seventh grader Rhea Shah and her sister, Plainfield Ea Roochi Shah, a senior at Plainfield East High School, wanted to make face shields for those serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, even though they don't have a 3D printer. The sisters learned about the demand for face shields from their mom, Dr. Kalpana Shah, who is a dentist at Primary Family Dental in Joliet and Plano Family Dental in Plano. Dr. Kalpana Shah is still treating...
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Amy Simpson, a District 202 teacher of the visually impaired, and her husband Matt Simpson, searched for ways to help the community. It quickly became apparent there was a high demand for face masks and face shields, so the Simpsons researched ways to use their three, 3D printers to make face shields. The Simpsons focused on making face shields because they already had most of the materials needed and they last longer than face masks, Matt sai...
The Forest Preserve District of Will County will reopen its preserve access area parking lots and boat launches on Friday, May 1, as a result of Gov. J.B. Pritzker modifying his stay-at-home order, which was instituted March 21 to fight the new coronavirus pandemic in Illinois. However, all visitor centers, dog parks, latrines and water fountains will remain closed through the duration of the stay-at-home mandate's extension, which now ends May 30. All public programs, rentals and non-district events have been canceled...
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker officially cancelled the school year earlier this week, meaning the senior class of high schools all across the state will never again walk the halls of their schools as students. While graduation ceremonies and activities such as prom have not been cancelled many school administrators are doing their best to help the seniors through the abrupt end to their life as a student. At Plainfield East, the administrators got personal. East Principal Dr....
Local service organizations in the Plainfield area are joining forces for an online concert to be broadcast on Saturday, April 25 at 4 p.m. The hour long event, titled "Nice to See You", will feature intimate performances by four local artists and will be streaming live at NiceToSeeYouPlainfield.com and The Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook Page. This online concert event is a celebration of the Plainfield first responders, essential workers, local businesses and...
Joliet Central and West High School students earned top awards in the Southwest Prairie Conference (SPC) Literary Festival, with ten other schools also submitting their original written works to the Southwest Prairie Conference. Although the 2019-2020 Conference event was cancelled, the SPC reviewed the submissions and announced the winners on April 7, 2020. Student participants submitted writing pieces in seven categories including: Personal Essay, Critical Essay, Personal...
When the coronavirus began hitting the country, Troy School District 30-C administrators got busy planning for the possibility of closing its seven schools. They knew adapting to online classrooms would be a profound transformation for teachers, students and parents, and there was a lot to do to prepare. When the governor closed the schools, Troy was ready. The first day, paper-based packets were sent home with every student containing information for students and parents....