Will County News

By Ann Baskerville Federal Legislation transferring land that was the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant from the Department of the Army to the National Forest Service in 1995 outlined scientific, environmental and land use education and research as founding purposes for Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.  Midewin is fulfilling its mission this summer, partnering with colleges, high schools, and conservation groups to bring together young people from diverse backgrounds for a common purpose: restoring the native prairie at Midewin. North Lawndale College Prep and YCC students remove invasive species at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie High School Programs Midewin hosts two summer work programs for high school students, the Youth Conservation Corps and the National Forest Foundation North Lawndale College Prep High School Program. The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is made up of six high students from communities near Midewin, including Wilmington, Kankakee, Brai...

The Village of Elwood, Illinois held a special meeting July 23, 2014 at 7 p.m. to discuss "AN ORDINANCE REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 1027 ENTITLED “AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE MODIFICATION OF TRAFFIC PATTERNS AND IMPOSING RESTRICTIONS UPON USAGE OF CERTAIN VILLAGE ROADS” Elwood had passed an ordinance in May restricting truck traffic on certain Village of Elwood roads in an attempt to reduce the number of trucks driving through Elwood and using U.S. Route 53.  Because trucks can currently only enter CenterPoint-Joliet from the south, trucks were getting off I80, coming south on 53, and then going through Elwood to reach the South Entrance to CenterPoint-Joliet. Elwood's May '14 ordinance restricted trucks from using CenterPoint Drive as a through street, among other restrictions . CenterPoint, Union Pacific,and APL Logistics brought a federal suit to remove the road restrictions, arguing they violated interstate commerce laws . At the July 23, '14 meeting, the Villa...

A group of citizens stood on the 127th Street bridge over I-355 holding signs reading "Secure Our Border", "Stop the Illegal Alien Invasion" and "A Nation Without Border is Not a Nation."  The rally was publicized on the Lockport-Homer Tea Party Website.  A woman named Stephanie from Lemont stated she organized the gathering because she felt something needed to be done to secure the border.  Stephanie stated "right now this country has a jobless situation, we have to straighten out our own country."  She stated she is not against helping children who have obviously suffered emotionally because of their experiences, but "it has to stop somewhere." Will County Board Member Stephen Balich was also in attendance and stated we are experiencing "an invasion of the US by illegals" and that some of the unaccompanied minors could have gang affiliations and  "we have enough gang bangers already in the United States."  Bal...

The Will County Threshermen's Association will host its annual Summer Show Thursday, July 17th through Sunday, July 20th, 2014 at the Round Barn Farm Park in Manhattan, Illinois.  Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children.  Antique farming enthusiasts will display how steam-powered machines served the needs of farmers in the early 1900's by: sawing logs: Separating wheat from chaff: A wide variety of antique tractors will be on display: Live plowing demonstrations are also planned: The show is a great way to bring history to life for younger children.  For example, parents could create "where was it made?" scavenger hunt for kids.  Parents could ask their kids to look on each piece of antique machinery and write down where it was manufactured. For a full schedule, go here .

Will County Board Member Ragan Freitag is hosting a meeting on the Illiana Expressway at the Wilmington City Hall Wednesday, July 16, 2014 from 5-7 p.m..  The County's ombudsman will be in attendance, as will State Representative John Anthony (R-Morris). "Residents have many questions about the proposed $1.3 billion Illiana project that will cut across Will County and impact property owners in its path," said Freitag. "Elected officials at both the local and state level should provide opportunities and forums for their residents' questions to get answered and their voices to be heard. This is the purpose of next week's meeting in Wilmington." According to Will County's Press Release on the meeting:  "Last August, Will County appointed Michael Hansen to serve as ombudsman for the project and to represent the interests of property owners affected by the proposed Illiana in dealings with the Illinois Department of Transportation. The omb...

By Ann Baskerville According to the Illinois Department of Transportation's South Suburban Airport Land Acquisition webpage , Loyola University Chicago has sold 90.72 acres to the State of Illinois for the Peotone Airport.  The parcel is located at Egyptian Trail and West Eagle Lake Road and was sold for $900,000. The land was donated to Loyola by the late Mary and Anthony Rudis , well-known conservationists and airport opponents who were some of the largest landowners in the Airport Footprint.  As this 2004 Chicago Tribune article discusses, Mr. and Mrs. Rudis donated the land without restrictions on its use. Will County News contacted Loyola for comment on the decision to sell the land and received the following response from Steve Christensen, Communications Director for Loyola: "When the University was originally notified of this bequest, we considered using the land for an ecology station. Since that time, the University acquired nearly 100 acres in Woodstock, Illi...

Due to recent storms and damage at North Island Park, Wilmington, Illinois has cancelled fireworks scheduled for July 5th, 2014.  There will be a fireworks display held on July 25th during the Catfish Days Festival. This 4th of July, let's bring back Made in the USA: Please remember firework events are subject to change by the organizations organizing the event.