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Polar Plunge Raises $190K-Plus!
By Andrea Arens The annual Manteno Polar Plunge, once again, surpassed its goal and raised more than $190K for Special Olympics. The Manteno Polar Plunge is an event that is conducted as a fundraiser for the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which is the single largest fundraising movement for Special Olympics. Police departments from Monee, Crete,…
State Season’s Only Undefeated Team Ends in Loss
By Andrea Arens By all accounts, the Beecher Bobcats were the team to watch. Undefeated and moving in to the Elite 8 Super-Sectional, the Bobcats knew their up-coming game would be a tough one, and tough it was! The first quarter included back-and-forth leads and showed the Bobcats weren’t ones to be dismissed, as the…
Manteno Sgt. Berns After 26 Years of Dedication
Please help the community in wishing a very bittersweet farewell to Sgt. Mike Berns, who is retiring after 26 years of service with the Manteno Police Department and 30 years total in law enforcement. Mike was honored at the recent village board meeting, where he gave a heartfelt speech with insights into his long career…
Manhattan FPD Swore in Eight Full-Time, Two Part-Time Firefighters
On Tuesday, March 5, the Manhattan Fire Protection District proudly swore in eight full-time and two part-time firefighters, after they each completed one year of probation! Congratulations to full-time firefighters Lou Helis, Thomas Kerrigan, John Marek, Kadin Phelon, John Slattery, Shaun Stapinski, Jacob Walsh, and Troy White, plus part-time firefighters Ryan Bernabei and Chris Golden.
Frankfort Village Board Honors Hickory Creek Middle School Cheer Team
By Stephen Nelson At the March 4 Frankfort Village Board meeting, the mayor and trustees recognized Hickory Creek Middle School’s Cheer Team for outstanding achievement, with a proclamation that reads: “This evening, it is the genuine pleasure of the village board to recognize the Hickory Creek Middle School Cheer Team for winning the 2024 Illinois…
Crete to Celebrate Earth Day 2024 with Week Long Celebration
By Karen Haave The Village of Crete will mark Earth Day 2024 with a week-long event from April 22 to 27. Police Chief Scott Pieritz noted during the February 26 board of trustees meeting that the village has previously celebrated Earth Day with an October Clean-up Day. “Several years ago, I created Crete Community Clean-up…
Frustrated; Beecher Back to the Drawing Board
By Jeff Vorva Beecher officials are not giving up on building a new police station, but something has to give. The price tage is still too high, even after re-bidding. The village was set on spending close to $4 million after a $3.9 million referendum passed on the project, and original bids in 2023 came…
Residents of Bradley to Receive Tax Rebate for Second Straight Year
By Stephen Nelson At the Monday, February 26, Bradley Village Board meeting, Mayor Mike Watson announced all residents of Bradley can qualify for a sales tax rebate of up to $120 if they have lived in the community for a full year and said: “This is a way of giving back the equivalent of the sales…
FY ’25 Budget, Streetscape, PR Agreement Topics at Peotone Village Board
By Andrea Arens A light agenda for the Peotone Village Board still proved informative during their February 26 meeting. The board received a presentation of the FY 2025 budget for discussion. A public hearing for the budget will be held at the March 11 board meeting. Talking points of the budget included the additional cost…
Monee Honors CREW Award Recipients
By Andrea Arens Ten Village of Monee employees were recognized for exemplary performance with semi-annual CREW awards during the February 28 meeting of the board of trustees. “CREW is an acronym that defines an employee who provides exemplary work,” Mayor Therese Bogs said, introducing the recipients. “CREW stands for Credibility, Respect, Equality/Fellowship/Identity, and Work Commitment/Personal…
VEDETTE SPORTS REPORT
By Jeff Vorva Let the postseason honors begin. Peotone’s girls basketball team’s big run ended March 25 in supersectional play, but star player Madison Schroeder picked up some good news as she was named to the Illinois Media All-State Class 2A team (formerly the Associated Press team). She was also named first team on the…
Bobcats Make Elite 8; Super-Sectional Action March 4
By Jim Piacentini Friday, March 1, with the Clifton Sectional Championship on the line, first period scoring was tough for both the Bobcats and the Fieldcrest Knights. Neither team seemed to have a direct line to the basket, as the first quarter was tight, leaving the Bobcats leading by only four, 13-9, as the…
Beecher Wins Sectional, Moves on to Elite 8
By Jeff Vorva The dream season continued for Beecher’s boys basketball team in the sectional. The Illinois High School Association Class 2A Clifton Central Sectional featured four red-hot teams that had not lost in the 2024 calendar year. The hottest of the hot was Beecher, which won the sectional with a 60-43 victory over Fieldcrest…
Devils Take a Tough, Physical Loss at Super-Sectional
By Andrea Arens After winning the first sectional title in program history, one that was lost in triple overtime last season, the Blue Devils knew they had their work cut out for them. They led at the end of the first quarter but just couldn’t dominate from there. Madi Schroeder made the first two scores,…
VEDETTE SPORTS REPORT
By Jeff Vorva One week after Manteno had its fun making history in basketball and wrestling, it was Peotone’s turn. Kiernan Farmer put her name in the history books by winning the Illinois High School Association 170-pound state championship in girls wrestling. She is the first Blue Devil to win a state title. She had…
Peotone Park District Seeks Referendum on March 19 Ballot
By Karen Haave A referendum question on the March 19 Primary Election ballot will ask Peotone voters to approve a tax rate increase. The question reads: Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for the Peotone Park District, Will County, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.0547% above…
Manteno Park Improvement Approved by Village Board
By Stephen Nelson The Manteno Village Board meeting on February 20 had a light agenda, but trustees did approve the purchase of netting for the baseball fields at Heritage Park. The improvement will cost the village $23,990. Installation work will be performed by Do-All Fence, Inc., of Mokena. Congratulations were in order for Sergeant Zairius…
