Will County News

The New York Times recently published a piece regarding warehouse work in Will County entitled: " A Thriving Industry Based on Low-Compensated Temp Workers ."  The article included coverage of a recent press conference held by the Warehouse Workers for Justice where the group released their report on Warehouse Work in Will County: Bad Jobs in Goods Movement: Warehouse Work in Will County, Illinois . In response to a Joliet Herald News editorial  entitled "Little to Stop Warehouse Abuse", John Greuling, president of the Will County Center for Economic Development, wrote a letter to the editor which, among other things, questioned the sampling method of the Warehouse Workers for Justice Report.  Grueling wrote: "The WWJ study is based on interviews with 319 warehouse workers conducted by WWJ staff. Surveys were conducted outside of grocery and check cashing stores. This random surveying of less than 1.5 percent of all warehouse workers in the county raises

Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson posted a FACT CHECK post to her web site , in which she provides evidence that the man holding signs depicting Adam Kinzinger as Adolf Hitler at a rally was not associated with the Halvorson campaign.  According to the man who showed up with the signs, he just showed up on his own.  Full post from Halvorson's website: " Last Wednesday, Bill Preston, an Illinois resident, arrived at an event in Joliet, IL to protest the group Americans for Prosperity, an organization supporting policies that outsource Illinois jobs and privatize Social Security and Medicare. Preston, not affiliated with the Halvorson for Congress Campaign or the Illinois Democratic Party, used several signs with pictures of notable conservative figures, including Congressional candidate Adam Kinzinger (IL-11), doctored to look like Nazi leader, Adolph Hitler.  Upon word that these signs were used, the Halvorson for Congress campaign condemned the actions of Mr. Preston and stat

Harvest colors in rural Will County near Wilton Center, Illinois It is now harvest season in Will County.  Farmers are at work harvesting corn and soybean crops.  With more tractors, wagons, and grain trucks on the road, it is important for everyone to slow down and share the road safely with farm equipment. When you see the slow moving vehicle sign, slow down and give the vehicle plenty of room.  Also be careful to stay out of the way when the vehicle makes turns, as the turns may be wide. Slow moving vehicle sign on the back of a piece of farm equipment Wagons carrying grain such as the one pictured above sometimes obscure the view of the person driving the tractor or truck carrying the wagon, therefore make sure you do not assume the driver can see you. Since the housing boom bust in Will County, there are several areas of land where heavy residential and retail development exists alongside farm fields.  Especially in areas such as New Lenox, Manhattan, Frankfort, and Green

 Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson released the following press release on her website : "Halvorson: VA Intends to Acquire Silver Cross, Expand Services in Southwest Suburbs VA, Silver Cross reach informal agreement on acquisition Washington, DC - Working for over two years to make enhanced health services available to area veterans, Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson (IL-11) announced today the Department of Veterans Affairs intends to acquire parts of the soon to be vacated Silver Cross Hospital, located on the east side of Joliet, to convert it into a VA facility. Halvorson, who began working with Senator Durbin and local veterans on the project soon after taking office in 2009, called the announcement a "huge victory" for area veterans and families. "The men and women who served and sacrificed for our country deserve high-quality, accessible health care. With this acquisition, we're delivering on that promise. This is wonderful news for our veterans,” said Halv

BREAKING NEWS Braidwood American Legion Commander Jim Canup reported today that the Silver Cross Hospital facility in Joliet is headed for use by the Veteran’s Administration for area vets. Canup was called by U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson with the good news: “We’ve got the deal on Silver Cross,” Canup said. “It’s going to be like a super mega clinic. It’s going to have everything outpatient-- psychiatry, a women’s center, rehabilitation, outpatient surgery. It’s really a big deal. It’s everything short of a hospital,” Canup said. Canup said that today's announcement by Halvorson is important because it means the VA is moving forward with efforts to establish the clinic at Silver Cross.  It is reported that those negotiations are continuing.  

From the Enbridge website: "Sept. 13 Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. this evening confirmed it had completed the drain up of the remaining oil in the isolated pipeline segment on Line 6A in Romeoville, IL, having previously contained the leak. The Partnership estimates that 6,100 barrels of crude oil were released. Only a small portion of that amount escaped from the immediate area of the leak before Enbridge crews began vacuuming the oil. Virtually all of the oil, approximately 6,050 barrels, has already been recovered. Approximately 300 personnel and contractors remain focused on safely, quickly and efficiently cleaning up and remediating the affected areas. Line 6A remains shut down and there is no current estimate of when the line will be restarted. Enbridge's schedulers are working with shippers to divert crude oil volumes to other available pipelines and storage facilities. “Enbridge personnel continue to meet with businesses, organizations and people in the area

The group Warehouse Workers for Justice recently held a press conference in downtown Joliet where they released the results of a survey they conducted of warehouse workers in Will County. The group used the following methods to conduct the survey: "The vast majority of the surveys–84%–were conducted outside of grocery stores, malls, gas stations, libraries, community centers, and check cashing stores in Joliet, Romeoville, and Bolingbrook, IL. The locations were identified  as places where workers were known to be found, based on the knowledge of warehouse workers.  Interviewers in these locations asked each person who passed the whether they worked in a warehouse, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or age.  The remainder of surveys were gathered using social networks of workers.  This combination of sampling techniques is appropriate when faced with a situation in which it  is not feasible or possible to construct a population.    In total, 392 workers were s

According to its website , Enbridge Energy Partners reported a crude oil leak in Romeoville, Illinois on September 9, 2010. Enbridge has now established a website specifically for the Romeoville oil leak and spill . Here is the latest press release from the Enbridge Romeoville website: "September 10, 2010 at 3:25 PM Central Time: Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. provides this update on the progress of clean-up efforts in response to the leak that occurred on Line 6A of the Lakehead System in Romeoville, Illinois, on Sept. 9, 2010. The health and safety of the public and of the people working on the clean-up remain Enbridge's top priority as we respond to the leak. "We express our apologies to the businesses in Romeoville and surrounding areas for the disruption, and extend our appreciation to emergency responders and regulatory agencies for their professional, diligent and supportive actions," said Terrance McGill, President of the Partnership. There are now ab

Soybeans almost ready for harvest in rural Will County Soybeans at varying stages of maturity in rural Will County Soybeans almost ready for harvest in rural Will County Corn already harvested to the right of the road in rural Will County Harvest colors in rural Will County

Very cool sculpture water fountain at the Frankfort Fall Fest Classic Car at the Frankfort Fall Fest Parade Craft Booth at the Frankfort Fall Fest  Will County Treasurer Pat McGuire greets parade goers at the Frankfort Fall Fest Parade Frankfort Fire Department at the Frankfort Fall Fest Parade Exhibitors line the street at the Frankfort Fall Fest The Frankfort Mokena American Legion leads the Frankfort Fall Fest Parade, followed by the Lincoln-Way East ROTC The Frankfort Mokena American Legion leads the Frankfort Fall Fest Parade

Manhattan, Illinois held their annual Fun Days Parade during Labor Day Weekend 2010.  It was a sunny day and the temperature was just right! Check out these photos from the parade: Operation Care Package has been sending packages to deployed troops since 2003. The Manhattan Fire Department prepares to lead off the parade The Manhattan American Legion Post 935 leads off the Manhattan Fun Days Parade Manhattan Fire Department Tanker in the Manhattan Fun Days Parade Kids pick up candy at the Manhattan Fun Days Parade Sanctuary of Manhattan at the Manhattan Fun Days Parade Lincoln-Way Central Marching Knights at the Manhattan Fun Days Parade The Manhattan Park District reminds Manhattan about its upcoming Wine Festival at the Round Barn Farm Manhattan Women's Club at the 2010 Manhattan Fun Days Parade Antique tractor at the Manhattan Fun Days Parade

The Annual Frankfort Fall Fest will offer a variety of fun activities for the whole family this Labor Day Weekend, September 4-6 in Frankfort, Illinois. A variety of artists and artisans will display their work in booths from 10 am to 6 pm September 4th and 5th, and from 10 am to 5 pm September 6th.  There will be artisans selling items in the following categories: candles, clothing and accessories, crafts, doll clothing, fabric, fine arts, florals, frames and mats, glass, jewelry, metalwork, ornaments, pet items, photography, purses, woodcrafts, signs, and pottery. The festival will include a carnival sponsored by the Frankfort Fire Protection District, which will offer something for all ages. The Frankfort Fall Fest live music schedule is available here. Finally, the annual Frankfort Fall Fest Parade begins at 1:00 pm Sunday, September 5th.

Will County Treasurer Pat McGuire  and  Will County Farm Bureau Manager Mark Schneidewind  served as volunteer judges for the Annual Will County 4-H sheep costume contest at the 2010 Will County Fair in Peotone, Illinois. Will County 4-H members dressed up their sheep projects in order to highlight a fact about sheep history and the sheep industry.  For example, one 4-Her dressed as a sheep herder from Bethlehem to highlight sheep's role in earlier civilizations.  The winning sheep costume consisted of a sheep dressed up as a "Wambulance" with 4-Hers dressed as Doctors and Nurses to highlight the use of sheep in medical inventions and medical research. Will County Treasurer Pat McGuire and Will County Farm Bureau Manager Mark Schneidewind judge sheep at the Will County Fair. The Wambulance sheep costume highlighted the use of sheep in medial research .