Will County News

Jerry Adelmann, President and CEO of Openlands, explains the connection between the Indian Boundary Line and the I & M Canal.  Also discussed: how the I & M Canal influenced the borders of the state of Illinois, how the I & M Canal shaped Chicagoland streets, and the creation of the I & M Canal National Heritage Corridor: 

To view results from the November 8, 2016 election in Will County, Illinois, go here .  Results will begin to post after polls close.  Results include all county board seats and all county-wide offices such as County Executive, County Auditor, Coroner, State's Attorney, Recorder of Deeds, and County Clerk.

Anyone driving west on Manhattan-Monee Road from Monee will notice a gigantic earth-moving operation happening on a piece of land just west of I-57. Today, the Village of Monee announced that an Amazon warehouse is coming to the site.  The warehouse is not Amazon's first in Will County.  Amazon previously opened a distribution center in Joliet and recently announced a second Joliet location. Press Release from the Village of Monee: "( Monee, IL ) – Today, Village of Monee Mayor Jay Farquhar officially announced the opening of an 850,000+ square foot Amazon fulfillment center in Monee. The Amazon facility has been a priority under Mayor Farquhar’s administration and has been a project in the works for nearly 2 years. “Without question, this has been a team effort and we couldn’t have achieved this without coordinated leadership and collaborative support from various agencies,” Farquhar said. “I thank Governor Bruce Rauner and the Department of Commerce and Economic ...

The City of Wilmington, Illinois honored the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie bison herd by naming the bison Grand Marshals of the 2016 Wilmington Catfish Days Parade. Bison were reintroduced to Midewin in October 2015 as part of an experiment to observe how bison grazing habits impact prairie restoration. Wilmington purchased a bison sculpture by the late, local artist Jack Barker in anticipation of the reintroduction and subsequent increased eco-tourism traffic heading to Midewin and Wilmington. The sculpture was pulled in the parade and was joined by Smokey the Bear and a large photo of a bison and a baby bison.  Beautiful native plants like the compass plant framed by bison photo, giving parade spectators a glimpse of what years of work to restore the tallgrass prairie in Illinois has yielded:

Speaking in Joliet, Governor Bruce Rauner announced the State of Illinois and local government will work with CenterPoint Properties to build a new Houbolt Bridge over the Des Plaines River.  The bridge will link Interstate 80 in Joliet with the intermodal facilities to the south of the River.  Check out the fill press release and details of the plan here .  For a bit of background on the Houbolt Road Bridge idea, this presentation was made at the Elwood International Port Authority meeting:

To honor those who have served in our nation’s armed forces, Illinois Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, is hosting a free Veterans’ Appreciation Picnic on Friday, July 8  from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, located at 19101 Halsted St. in Glenwood. “Veterans made sacrifices for our safety and freedom that we must not take for granted,” DeLuca said. “They deserve our thanks every day, not just on special holidays and this picnic is sign of our community’s gratitude for their service.” Veterans and their family members can come to Veterans Memorial Park at any time during the event for conversation, hot dogs, and BINGO.  Representative DeLuca will be joined by leaders from local governments, including Bloom Township, Rich Township, Frankfort Township, the Village of Glenwood John H. Blakey Center for Seniors, and the Village of Monee. “I am looking forward to visiting with veterans from across our district,” DeLuca said. Space is limited. To RSVP...

The first baby bison have been born at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie!!

Tina and Joel Brownlee of Wilmington were the high bidders for the historic Route 66 icon Gemini Giant and Launching Pad restaurant Friday, but walked away without the prize. The 2,600 square foot former Launching Pad restaurant at 810 E. Baltimore Street in Wilmington drew a $177,500 bid—but that amount failed to match the owner’s reserve. Auctioneer Jim Bednar said he will negotiate with the Brownlees and the owner over the next couple of days to see if they can come together on price. The auction drew a mixed crowd of about 40 locals, neighbors, bidders, and watchers.   After the auction, Brownlee said she grew up in Wilmington “and enjoyed the Launching Pad.” Her family would like to see the restaurant “come back to life.”

To view results in the March 15, 2016 Plainfield Library Referendums, go  here  for Will County results.   Go  here  for Kendall County results. Referendums are at the end of the list.   Results will begin to post after polls close. 

2020 PEOTONE REFERENDUM To view results in the March 15, 2016 Peotone School District 207U Referendum, go  here  for Will County results.   Go  here  for Kankakee County results (the referendum is on the ballot there as well).   Referendums are at the end of the list.   Results will begin to post after polls close. 

The Gemini Giant has welcomed both locals and Route 66 travelers to Wilmington for decades. On April 8, 2016 at noon, the Gemini Giant will be sold at auction, along with the Launching Pad restaurant.   Bednar Auction Services is conducting the auction and details on the terms of the auction are available here . 

Recreation pop quiz:  Where in Will County can you: a.) hike next to a restored prairie b.) view and explore bunkers that housed ammunition produced at the Elwood Ordinance Plant and used in World War II c.) observe a herd of bison roam a prairie Any guesses? Here's a visual clue of the bunkers: Visual clue of the bison: Answer: Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie! Midewin is one of Will County's most unique assets.  At over 19, 000 acres, Midewin was created by a land transfer from the Department of the Army to Department of Agriculture.   For more info and maps, go to the Midewin website .