Will County News

Hand-Painted Sign outside of Wilton Township Community Building in Wilton Center, Illinois

The Illinois and Indiana Departments of Transportation have scheduled a public meeting tonight to present the Illiana Corridor Study Schedule, Planning Process, and to seek input from the public regarding the Illinois Corridor Study Schedule. The meeting will be held tonight, June 21, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Matteson, Illinois. There will be a Power Point presentation, exhibits related to the Illiana, and attendees will have a chance to meet 1:1 with Illinois Department of Transportation and Indiana Department of Transportation study team representatives. Information for individuals with disabilities who will attend:  These meetings will be accessible to handicapped individuals. Anyone needing specific assistance should contact Kara Olson of Images, Inc. at (630) 510-3944. Persons planning to attend who will need a sign language interpreter or other similar accommodations should notify the TTY/TTD number (800) 526-0844/or 711; TTY users (Spa

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie held a Civil War History event at the Iron Bridge Trail Head June 11, 2011. Civil War History Event at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Civil War History Event at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Civil War History Event at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Members of the Bronzeville Historical Society discussed African American history before, during, and after the Civil War:

Member of Manhattan American Legion Post 935, the Manhattan Fire Department, and Manhattan Boy Scouts held a ceremony today to retire worn American flags collected from the community.  The Manhattan American Legion has two collection boxes where people can deposit their worn flags to be properly retired.  There is one collection box at State Street Auto and one outside James Tromp's office by Berkots. Members of the Manhattan American Legion, Manhattan Fire Department, and Manhattan Boy Scouts honorably retire worn US flags Members of the Manhattan American Legion, Manhattan Fire Department, and Manhattan Boy Scouts honorably retire worn US flags Members of the Manhattan American Legion, Manhattan Fire Department, and Manhattan Boy Scouts honorably retire worn US flags

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie will host a Civil War 150th Anniversary Event this Saturday, June 11, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m..  People dressed in period costume will tell the story of the Civil War and Underground Railroad through demonstrations, songs, poetry, and stories. The event will take place at the Iron Bridge Trailhead, which can be accessed from Rt. 53.  The Iron Bridge Trailhead is south of Hoff Road. June 11 is also National Get Outdoors Day.  Along with the Civil War Event, there will also be a 1:00 p.m. "Birds, Bridges, and Bunkers" Hike.  This hike is three hours and covers six miles.  Hikers will experience a glacial moraine vantage point, a pastoral grasslands, Prairie Creek, and a vast bunker field.  People wanting to take this hike also meet at the Iron Bridge Trailhead. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was created by an Act of Congress from the land of the former Joliet Arsenal Ammunition plant.

During the April 2011 Joliet Mayoral and City Council race, Spalsh Station generated much discussion.  Views ranged from: "The city can't afford a water park with a 27 million dollar budget deficit!" to "Kids and families need something to do!  If Joliet can't even keep a water park running, how can we provide good quality of life!" to "We built it using casino money, it was a good investment in our community." to "Is it a good use of money to build a water park in a climate where you can only go swimming 4 months out of the year?" to "The city can't sell it because it is not profitable." Well, today I opened my Daily Groupon email and found I had an offer for a Groupon to Splash Station.   Groupon was recently featured in the Chicago Tribune business section in an article that discussed Groupon's possible IPO later this year.  The company is valued at billions of dollars. The Splash Station Groupon

Warehouse workers at the Kraft/Cadbury warehouse in Joliet will file a class action lawsuit today in U.S. District Court claiming they are owed wages by the temp agency that staffs the Kraft/Cadbury warehouse--Prologistix.   Workers also are alleging that they are still owed vacation pay and were not given written notices of their wage rate.   The Kraft warehouse is located on Laraway Road near Rt. 53 and the Chicagoland Speedway.  Workers will be holding a press conference at the U.S. District Court on Dearborn Street in Chicago on Monday at 10:30 a.m.. "We worked hard to make sure that  Kraft  got their products to store shelves on time.  All we ask in return is that these companies follow the law pay us the wages and benefits they owe us.  We just want to be treated with respect as workers.  It's unfortunate that we have to take this action today just to get Prologistix to follow the law,"  said Chris Craig, who worked in the warehouse for eight months . Wi