Will County News

 Information on early voting for Will County, Illinois from the Will County Clerk's page:

The Illinois Department of Public Health reports Region 7---which includes Will and Kankakee County--has recorded 3 days of a COVID-19 test positivity rate above 8%.  Test positivity was above 8% for October 15th, 16th, and 17th.    Three days above the 8% test positivity rate will trigger mitigation measures.  The data is reported on this graph .

  The Board of Commissioners of the Forest Preserve District of Will County took action at their October 8, 2020 Board meeting that will lead to the removal of the Hammel Woods Dam in Shorewood.   Full details from the Forest Preserve District of Will County:  " Forest Preserve Board takes action that will lead to Hammel Woods Dam removal   Action taken Thursday, Oct. 8, by the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Board of Commissioners will lead to the removal of the Hammel Woods Dam in Shorewood.  Semper Fi Land Services Inc. was hired to remove the dam, WBK Engineering LLC will oversee the work and the Lower DuPage River Watershed Coalition has agreed to pay for the removal. The removal process cannot begin until permits for the work have been approved by all necessary regulatory agencies. The work will take place in two stages with half the river water at the project site being drained during each phase using water storage cofferdams, said Andrew Hawkins, the Forest Prese

  On Oct. 5, 2020, Peotone School District Superintendent Steve Stein announced Peotone High School would be closed from Oct. 6 to Oct. 19th after two positive COVID-19 cases. Letter posted on the Peotone School District website: "Yesterday we informed you of a positive COVID-19 case at Peotone High School, and unfortunately, we had another positive case today. We do not know if there is any connection between these two cases, or if they are completely separate from one another. After discussions with the PHS administration, our building nurses and the Will County Health Department, I will be temporarily closing Peotone High School effective tomorrow, Tuesday, October 6. The building will remain closed to students through October 19. Tuesday, October 20, will be the first day back for in-person instruction for students and it will be a “B” Day. If your student is considered a close contact due to this positive case, you will be informed separately later tonight via phone and email

Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 posted updated Remote Learning Expectations for families on Oct. 6, 2020.   Updated Expectations posted on the District's website are: "October 6, 2020 District 202 Families, As you know, we recently surveyed families and staff about remote learning this fall compared to last spring. We were happy to learn that most families feel remote learning has improved significantly. We were also happy to get some very good suggestions for further improving the system. Based on those survey results, we have updated our Remote Learning Expectations for students. Please especially note these two important changes: Students will now be required to keep their camera on each class the whole time period unless a teacher approves student(s) to not keep it on All classwork/homework is due the next time the class meets Please carefully review these new expectations and be prepared to follow them starting next Tuesday, October 13th. Students w

  As seasons change, so does the landscape at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.  The prairie restoration at the Iron Bridge is the second largest restoration at Midewin.  A variety of prairie plants bloom throughout the year, creating new landscapes each season. Early October fall colors at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie:

 The Forest Preserve District of Will County announced October 2, 2020 that motion-activated game cameras photographed bobcats in the Kankakee Sands Preserve in Custer Township. A Forest Preserve District of Will County game camera photographed bobcats, possibly a mother and her kittens, walking in a small open area at Kankakee Sands Preserve in Custer Township recently. The Forest District’s game cameras have detected bobcats in only three other preserves in recent years. (Photos by Forest Preserve District of Will County) Full press release: " Forest Preserve District of Will County game cameras recently captured some rare and exciting photos of bobcats, possibly a mother and her kittens, walking through a small open area in Kankakee Sands Preserve in Custer Township. The cameras, which are triggered by motion, are used in the preserves to document animal numbers and movements. The information obtained by the cameras helps guide the Forest Preserve District's land management