Will County News

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:

Will County is inviting citizens to share their thoughts on the county's transportation future. Will County is creating a long-range transportation plan--Will Connects 2040-- which will delineate how the county will use transportation resources. Will County gained population during the housing boom.  Furthermore, Will County is home to two intermodals that together comprise the largest inland port in North America.  At the open house, the public will be able to provide input on how to prioritize solutions to the increased traffic. The dates and times of the open houses are: April 28, 4-7pm Joliet Junior College 1215 Houbolt Road Concourse C*1031 Joliet, IL 60431 April 29,4-7pm Wilmington City Hall Council Chambers 1165 S. Water Street Wilmington, IL 60481 May 5, 4-7pm New Lenox Village Hall Community Room 1 Veterans Parkway New Lenox, IL 60451 May 12, 4-7pm Governors State University Hall of Honors One University Parkway University Park, IL...

Landowners in the B3 Illiana Expressway Corridor meet with land acquisition representatives at the Tier Two Illiana Expressway Public Meeting and Hearing in Wilmington, Illinois, February 2014 Poster about possible road closures due to the Illiana Expressway Videos of citizens who spoke at the public hearing on the Tier Two Environmental Impact Statement for the Illiana Expressway: Part One: Part Two: Part Three: Part Four: Part Five: Part Six: Part Seven: Part Eight: Part Nine: Part Ten: Part Eleven: Part Twelve: Part Thirteen: Part Fourteen" Part Fifteen: Part Sixteen: Part Seventeen: Part Eighteen: Part Nineteen: Part Twenty: Part Twenty-One: Part Twenty-Two: Part Twenty-Three: Part Twenty-Four: Part Twenty-Five: Part Twenty-Six: <

The Huffington Post reports a group of workers who worked in Wal-Mart's distribution center in Elwood, Illinois have filed a class-action lawsuit against Schneider Logistics and Reliable Staffing claiming they were not paid what they were owed. Schneider Logistics is contracted by Wal-Mart to run the distribution warehouse in Elwood.  Reliable staffing, as reported by the Huffington Post, supplies workers for Schneider.  In a press release announcing Schneider's contract with Wal-Mart, a Wal-Mart executive was quoted as saying: ""The Elwood distribution center will provide Wal-Mart the opportunity to better serve our stores throughout the Midwest,” said Johnnie Dobbs, executive vice president of logistics and supply chain for Wal-Mart. “Our partnership with American Port Services, Schneider Logistics and Schneider National will create hundreds of good paying jobs for the region and represents our continued commitment to Illinois as a partner in both economic a...

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...

Soybeans almost ready for harvest in rural Will County Soybeans at varying stages of maturity in rural Will County Soybeans almost ready for harvest in rural Will County Corn already harvested to the right of the road in rural Will County Harvest colors in rural Will County

The Will County Fair continues through the weekend in Peotone, Illinois.  Friday is Green Party Day, Saturday is Democrat Day and Sunday is Republican Day.  The Fair offers daily carnival rides, food, Bingo, agricultural exhibits, fine art exhibits, and fruit and vegetable exhibits. Photos taken at the 2010 Will County Fair: Floral Exhibit at the Will County Fair Apple Entries at the Will County Fair Apple Displays at the Will County Fair Assorted Fruit at the Will County Fair Poultry at the Will County Fair Goats at the Will County Fair First, Second, and Third Place Corn at the Will County Fair Dairy Cows at the Will County Fair

Headed to the Will County Fair but not a big fan of "fair food"?  Fear not!  Wind 'N Oaks Farm has a booth at the Will County Fair selling fresh, locally produced produce at very reasonable prices!   Wind 'N Oaks Farm is selling tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, onions, squash, and mushrooms at the Will County Fair.  Based in Wilton Center, Illinois, Wind 'N Oaks Farm is a locally-owned business in its second year selling at the Will County Fair.   Throughout the year, you can also purchase from Wind 'N Oaks at their farm in Wilton Center , Illinois.  Wind 'N Oaks is locally owned by John Moore, and provides locally grown vegetables year round. Check out photos of the beautiful produce available from Wind 'N Oaks at the Will County Fair: Tomatoes, Peppers, and Mushrooms for sale at the Will County Fair in Peotone, Illinois Watermelon slices for sale at the Will County Fair in Peotone, Illinois Menu of Locally Grown Food Available at Wind 'N...