Will County News

Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Joliet, Illinois will host a New Year's Eve celebration tonight at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church at 402 Singleton Place in Joliet Illinois. According to the Mt. Zion Baptist Church's Website: "Watch Night - 2010 All roads lead to to Zion on Friday, December 31st, 2010 @ 9:30PM. We pray that all of the Mt. Zion Family will be there to "Praise in" the New Year together! P.S. bring a friend... " The Combined Choirs of Zion will sing and Pastor David G. Latimore will give An Anointed Word Sermon. Mt. Zion Baptist Church is one of the most historically significant churches in the Joliet area.  Longtime Mt. Zion Pastor the Rev. Dr. Isaac Singleton was a noted Civil Rights Leader who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..  Singleton also founded the Joliet Affiliate Rainbow/P. U. S. H. Coalition. I have heard nothing but amazing things about the Mt. Zion Choir, so if you are looking for a faith-filled way to ring in th

The New Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, as seen from the Old Plank Road Trail at Nelson Road The New Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox is nearing completion.  The new Hospital is a replacement hospital for Silver Cross' current facility on Briggs Street and Route 6 in Joliet. The new hospital is right of I-355 on Route 6 in New Lenox.  The 400 million dollar facility will have 6 floors. It will also have: 184 Medical-Surgical Beds 8 Pediatric Beds 30 Obstetrics (Birthing) Beds 22 ICU Beds 20 Behavioral Health Beds 17 Rehabilitation Beds 38 Emergency Department Private Treatment Rooms and 1 CT Scanner in the ED 11 Surgical Suites The New Silver Cross Hospital is located on a 76 acre campus.  The hospital is scheduled to open in  February of 2012. UPDATE: New Lenox Silver Cross Replacement Hospital will open February 26, 2012 . 

2014 Christmas Tree Recycling in Will County The Forest Preserve District of Will County is collecting Christmas Trees to be recycled into mulch for Forest Preserve Trails. According to the Will County Forest Preserve website: "This year, give the Earth a gift by recycling your Christmas tree. Every year, millions of Christmas trees end up in landfills. However, you can give your tree a second life by recycling it with the Forest Preserve. Your tree will take a new life "path" by becoming mulch used on our trails and for landscaping. Please remove all tinsel, lights, and ornaments before dropping off your tree. This program is for individual households; no commercial tree surplus, please. The Forest Preserve will be accepting trees at: Isle a la Cache Museum  in Romeoville Monee Reservoir  in Monee Plum Creek Nature Center  in Beecher Sugar Creek Administration Center  in Joliet Trees will be accepted every day from December 27 through January 9 be

The Chicago Tribune made this video-interview with former Blockson Joliet workers and survivors:

I love antiques! From watching American Pickers on the History Channel to driving across Will County to attend auctions, I love seeing items from the past. Will County is home to two auction companies that regularly hold auctions. First, Jerry Rossen auctions holds auctions about twice a month at the Will County Fair Atrium building in Peotone, Illinois.  Here is a short video I did of some of the action at a Jerry Rossen auction!: The other Will County Auction house that I know of is Chamblee's Auctions in Rockdale, Illinois. Both list their auctions on auctionzip.com . You can view photos of items to be auctioned in order to decide whether you want to attend the auction. You can also use the auctionzip site to search for auctions near you. As far as Antiques shops go, there are several Antique stores in downtown Wilmington, Illinois on Water Street. A little farther south on Historic Rt. 66, in Braidwood, Illinois, you will find Second Time Around A

Piles of topsoil await spreading back on the land from which it was removed in Manhattan Township, Illinois Piles of topsoil await spreading back on the land from which it was removed in Manhattan Township, Illinois, at Cedar Road and Baker Road, between Manhattan, Illinois and New Lenox, Illinois Piles of topsoil await spreading back on the land from which it was removed in Manhattan Township, Illinois, at Cedar Road and Baker Road, between Manhattan, Illinois and New Lenox, Illinois Piles of topsoil await spreading back on the land from which it was removed in Manhattan Township, Illinois, at Cedar Road and Baker Road, between Manhattan, Illinois and New Lenox, Illinois Piles of topsoil await spreading back on the land from which it was removed in Manhattan Township, Illinois, at Cedar Road and Baker Road, between Manhattan, Illinois and New Lenox, Illinois, Joliet smokestacks in the background Piles of topsoil await spreading back on the land from wh

At the Warehouse Workers for Justice Press Conference in August of 2010, Will County News had the opportunity to interview the Rev. Craig Purchase--pastor of Mt. Zion Full Gospel Tabernacle and also recent president of the local Rainbow Push Coalition--regarding how he learned about the group Warehouse Workers for Justice and the issue of temp work in Will County Warehouses. I also asked how warehouse work affects the people in his congregation and whether warehouse workers utilized the food pantry he ran.  Watch the interview below: If you would like more information, read the Warehouse Worker's Full Report, " Bad Jobs in Goods Movement: Warehouse Work in Will County, Illinois ." Also, following the release of this report by local media, John Grueling, President and CEO of the Will County Center for Economic Development wrote a September 10, 2010 letter to the editor of the Joliet Herald News in which he wrote: " The logistics industry is a gro

Against a backdrop of falling snow, Manhattan, Illinois lit its Christmas tree in Times Square!  Christmas tree lighting in Downtonwn Manhattan, Illinois.  Santa and Mrs. Clause greeted everyone from the back of the firetruck.  Santa and Mrs. Claus on back of Manhattan Fire Protection District Squad 1216 at Christmas Tree Lighting. People head to Times Square for the Christmas Tree Lighting in Manhattan, Illinois Video of Christmas Tree Lighting in Manhattan:

The Illinois State Senate passed SB 1716 which would recognize civil unions in Illinois.  According to the  Illinois Senate Democrat's webpage ,: "The legislation was debated at length this week in both the House and the Senate. The bill passed the Senate on Wednesday 32-24-1 and Governor Pat Quinn has stated his intent to sign the measure. Under the legislation, Illinois for the first time would recognize civil unions, thereby granting certain rights and responsibilities to same sex – and opposite sex – couples who enter into the unions. Some of the rights would include the ability to :     -Make medical decisions as is afforded to opposite sex spouses -Share nursing home rooms; -Have hospital visitation rights, as family; -Obtain employer-based health insurance if offered to spouses; -Share in retirement benefits; -Receive inheritance." State Senator Toi Hutchinson, whose 40th district  includes much of Eastern Will County,  voted  in favor of the bill, as did State Sen