Will County News

According to a New York Times interactive map published today, food stamp utilization in Will County has increased 45% since 2007.  The map can be viewed here  , move your mouse over Will County to see the county's food stamp statistics.  According to the map, Will County's food stamp statistics include: Percentage on food stamps: All people: 7% Children: 12% Whites: 3% Blacks: 21%

NETWORK TO MEET The Will County Environmental Network will meet at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, November 12  at Laraway School in Joliet. The regular meeting was moved to Thursday because of the Veteran’s Day holiday. Important agenda items include an update on the Network’s Roundtable Special Report that is being distributed and continued development of the electronic roundtable. A copy is available at t his link  . Other key agenda items include updates on Vulcan Material’s proposed expansion of quarrying, expanding to the west on acreage that stretches to the west and Brandon Road. Everyone interested in working to protect & defend the environment is invited to attend this meeting.

The  Midewin National Tallgrass Prairi e, located between  Elwood  and  Wilmington ,  was created by federal legislation  transferring Joliet Army Ammunition Plant land to the Forest Service in order to create Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. The Joliet Arsenal Ammunition Plant was created when the Federal Government told landowners living in the Arsenal's footprint their land would be sold to the government in order to create the ammunition plant that would produce bombs for the Allied effort. This 1909 Map of Florence Township documents the farms and schools that were eventually sold to the Federal Government for the purpose of creating the Joliet Arsenal. These newspaper clippings from 1941 record how much farmers were paid by the government for their land. I recently had the opportunity to interview a man whose family's Florence Township-farm was sold to the government for the Arsenal.  He remembers his family was told they had 30 days to leave.  He rememb

Published in 1878 by William Le Baron of Chicago, "The History of Will County, Illinois, containing A History of the County, its Cities, Towns, &c, a Directory of its Real Estate Owners, Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men..."   is a voluminous work (1000 pages detailing everything from Joliet & Marquette's travels to the topography of Will County to biographical sketches of pioneers to census data detailing the population of each township in 1850, 1860, and 1970.  For example, in 1870, there were 875 people living in Florence Township, 644 of whom are categorized as "Native").  The book also references Prairie Creek. The book notes that Prairie Creek enters the Kankakee River from the northeast in the township of Wilmington.  Along with Forked Creek, Prairie Creek is described as a "considerable streams in times of high water, sometimes becoming impassable where not bridged, but in dry seasons become mere brooks or dry up altogether...

UPDATE: 2012 Fun Day Schedule  The Village of Manhattan  , Illinois celebrated Labor Day Weekend with its Annual Fun Day Festival.  Here are some pictures of the parade: This vintage Mustang cruised through the Manhattan Parade as a vintage car entry. Will County Executive Larry Walsh participated in the Manhattan Illinois Fun Day Parade. The Manhattan Fire Department Operation Care Package American Legion Post 935 leads the parade down Manhattan's main street The Lincoln-Way Central High School Marching Knights also performed:

The Joliet Herald News reports  that nearly 5,000 people gathered at the New Lenox Village Hall on Monday, September 7th to greet the arrival of the Tea Party Express.  New Lenox, Illinois is a rapidly-growing village near the center of Will County near the I-80 interstate. The Tea Party Express has a website where you can read about its message.  NPR also did an article on some of the Tea Party Express rallies held in California where several farmers   "protested a 2007 court ruling that cut water allowances to help a small fish that has been declining in numbers." According to this NPR article , The Tea Party Express is funded by a California Political Action Committee, the "Our Country Deserves Better PAC". Here is a video of the event that was posted on Youtube:

According to her website, Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson will hold a telephone town hall on health care reform. Representative Halvorson will hold the telephone town hall on Thursday, September 3rd. Her website lists a phone number people can call if they would like to participate in the telephone town hall.  There is also a link on Congresswoman Halvorson's website where people can complete a survey regarding health care reform.

Centerpoint Properties is constructing the Centerpoint Intermodal Center-Joliet, Illinois . Here are some photos of the construction of the project taken near the intersection of Laraway Road and Brandon Road in Joliet, Illinois: (Click on any of the above photos for a larger view) Here is a photo of Brandon Rd., several homes on this road were bought by Centerpoint and demolished: Here is a video of the homes on Brandon Road in Joliet before they were bought and demolished: Here is a link to the Will County Recorder of Deeds' webpage, where you can search Centerpoint's land transactions. Other Centerpoint-related links: Plan on City of Joliet's webpage

The Will County Fair in Peotone, Illinois, concludes today. The Fair is an annual end-of-summer tradition, dating back to 1903.  Farm families brought crops, livestock, quilts, jams, preserves, garden produce, and baked goods--among other hand-made or hand-raised items--to the fair to "compete" for a coveted Best of Show ribbon: The Fair is a time to celebrate the end of summer, and the Exhibition Hall overflows with fruit and vegetables painstakingly raised throughout the spring and summer: Will County 4-Hers  participating in livestock projects exhibit their livestock during the Will County Fair.  4-H is part of the University of Illinois Extension .  Will County 4-Hers involved in livestock production keep records of all expenses involved with raising their livestock, learn disease-control methods, and how to raise livestock for market.   Will County 4-Hers then have the opportunity to sell their livestock at the Will County 4-H Auction: Local businesses and politic

The Will County Fair continues through Sunday, August 30 in Peotone, Illinois.  In its 106th year, the Will County Fair features exhibits such as: livestock, grains, woodworking, photography, and quilts.  Exhibitors such as 4-H youth and local citizens bring their projects to the fair, many year after year. Click on any of the photos below to enlarge:

Click on any of the above pictures for a larger view. For more info on the Manhattan Farmers' Market, visit:  http://willcountynews. blogspot.com/2009/06/ manhattan-farmers-market.html  .

During  MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann,  MSNBC analyst Lawrence O'Donnell referenced Joliet, IL, while discussing health-care town halls held across the country today.   O'Donnell was asked by Olbermann: "What should we make of Mr. Obama in New Hampshire, skeptics reasonable to his face, others with vile things to say, sort of at the perimeter." O'Donnell responded: "Well now you see why Senators want to be President.  If Barack Obama was doing a town hall meeting in Joliet today, as the Senator from Illinois, he'd probably be getting shouted down a bit, he'd probably be running into Arlen Spector troubles..." View the entire clip of this segment on health care town halls here (Joliet is mentioned around 7:40): Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy

Klingler Pioneer Cemetery, on the grounds of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, offers a glimpse of Will County's farming past.  Klingler Cemetery is one of six pioneer cemeteries maintained by the National Forest Service.  Midewin's website also offers pictures, maps, and an index of everyone buried within the pioneer cemeteries. The Klingler Pioneer Cemetery is located on the east side of Midewin, just off the Wauponsee Glacial Bike Trail, which lies on the old Wabash Railroad, viewable on the map below. Midewin consists of land that was the Joliet Arsenal Ammunition Plant.  The federal government bought approximately 450 small family farms , consisting of about 40,000 acres  in order to create the Joliet Arsenal. Below is the newspaper record of the sale of the Klingler land to the USA. The Midewin trail to the cemetery is lined with hedge trees, which were planted by pioneer farmers in order to have lumber, and some considered the hedge a living fence . The cemeteries sta

The Community Alliance & Action Network (CAAN) and the Gay Liberation Network of Chicago held a LGBTQ Rights Rally in Downtown Joliet in order to bring their message of equality to the South Suburbs.  Representatives from CAAN, the Gay Liberation Network, Universalist Unitarian Church of Joliet Resources Unlimited Foundation and the Gay Recruiters , a Bloomington, Indiana based LGBT advocacy group attended and spoke at the rally. C.A.A.N.'s Mission Statement states: "The mission of Community Alliance and Action Network is to build community and personal alliances to alleviate the effects of discrimination one may be subjected to because of sexual orientation and gender identification." C.A.A.N. hosts many social and educational activities throughout the year.  Check C.A.A.N.'s website for more details.  Here is a video of the Rally that was posted on YouTube :

As Will County farmers continue to harvest their wheat crop, the Will County Thresherman's Association is hosting their annual Tractor, Steam & Gas Engine Show July 16-19th. Many agricultural enthusiasts bring antique tractors and steam engines to the show in order to demonstrate how antique tractors work.  For more detail on what is available at the show, click here .