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Dancing Through the Decades New Year’s Eve Gala
Join the Kankakee County Historical Society as we “dance through the decades” and boogie into the new year! Attendees will go back in time to the year 1948 when South Pacific was selling out shows on Broadway, and Polaroid cameras filled the shelves of major stores! The opening act for the evening is the Jazz…
“The Closet” Provides Manteno Students with Free, Everyday, Necessities
By Madeleine Willis A spring closet clean out has opened the door for a community project at Manteno Community School District No. 5. In March of 2022 “The Closet” inside of MHS officially opened. Originally offering free toiletries, “The Closet ” has expanded into a thrift store for students at Manteno High School and, now,…
Santa Letters from Mrs. Stolarek’s BES First Graders
Recently, the first graders at Beecher Elementary took on a very special project and a most important one, too – the annual writing of letters to that jolly man at the North Pole. After reading some of the correspondence, we think you will agree it was a most important task. This week, The Vedette is…
VEDETTE SPORTS REPORT
By Jeff Vorva Old gym? New gym? It doesn’t seem to matter. The results are still the same. Beecher’s boys basketball team played in its old gym for a throwback game December 8 and came away with a lopsided 81-36 River Valley Conference win over Donovan. The Bobcats wore jerseys from 2012-13, and fans were…
Manteno Woman’s Club Celebrates the Season
The Manteno Woman’s Club held their December luncheon and meeting at the Manteno Sportsman’s Club on Wednesday, December 6, with Susan Turner serving as committee chairman of the holiday meeting. The guest speaker, Carol Snyder, provided a lovely and informative flower arranging demonstration, using seasonal colors and ornaments. In addition to fresh flowers, she used…
Rep. Haas Receives Illinois CBHA Legislator of Year Award
Recently, State Rep. Jackie Haas received the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois (CBHA) 2023 Legislator of the Year Award. “I am truly honored to receive this award from such an incredible organization,” said Rep. Haas. “As a licensed clinical social worker with more than 30 years’ experience working in the community, I have been…
Contentious Manteno Board Meeting Ends with I-2 Zoning Approval
By Andrea Arens Hours of public comments led to the vote the room was packed for, ordinance 23-09 approving changing the zoning from I-1 light industrial to I-2 heavy industrial. It was approved, but not unanimously. Trustee Samuel Martin was the lone no vote. The Manteno Village Board Meeting, on Monday, December 4, was moved…
Music, Ugly Sweaters, Hot Chocolate, Sinterklaas, Oh My!
The Kankakee County Historical Society will host their annual ugly sweater and hot chocolate party on Friday, December 15, from 3 to 8 p.m.! Enjoy an evening of holiday cheer right in the middle of the Kankakee County Museum’s 45th Annual Gallery of Trees, 801 S. Eighth Avenue! This year’s ugly sweater party features Marcia’s…
Riverside Named One of Illinois,’America’s Healthiest Employers
Riverside ranked 20th in healthiest 100 workplaces in America. Health and wellness are vital to fostering a productive and resilient workforce, something Riverside Healthcare takes seriously. For its dedication to promoting employee health, Riverside was named one of the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America, ranking 20th in the nation. Additionally, Riverside earned first place in…
Illinois Office of Tourism Names Cranky Mike’s Popcorn to Illinois Made Program4
Governor J.B. Pritzker, alongside the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), elected officials, and industry leaders, proudly unveiled the latest inductees into the Illinois Made program, including Cranky Mike’s Popcorn in Momence. This year marks a significant milestone, as 48 exceptional small businesses, often referred to as ‘Makers,’ have been welcomed into the…
Gotion Rezoning Unanimously Approved
By Stephen Nelson The recent Planning Commission meeting was a stark contrast to the November 21 special meeting of the Manteno Planning Commission that lasted more than four-and-a-half hours and, at times, became quite contentious, when opponents of the project, which would bring an electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant owned by Chinese interests to the…
Kankakee County Museum Presents Gallery of Trees and More
The Kankakee County Museum, 801 S. Eighth Avenue, Kankakee, invites area residents to the annual Gallery of Trees. Celebrating 45 years of this beloved local tradition, this year the Museum is filled with more than 35 trees decorated by area non-profit organizations, based on favorite themes from the past 45 years. Traditionally, more than 3,000…
Child Network Offering CASA Training
Every year, more than three million children nationally are reported abused or neglected. Despite the states’ attempts to help, many of these kids become trapped in the court and child welfare maze and can spend their childhood moving from one temporary shelter to another. This is where you can step in by becoming a Court…
Board Bootcamp Launches, Empowering Young, Emerging Local Leaders
A new program called Board Bootcamp is set to launch this January. The four-session training is designed to equip professionals in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties with the skills and knowledge to serve effectively on nonprofit boards. Board Bootcamp will cover diverse aspects of board service, which is broken down, simple, and easy to understand. Attendees…
Kankakee Library’s December News
Kankakee Public Library, 201 E. Merchant Street, announced its programs for December. For more information on upcoming events, check out the library’s Facebook page, or call the library at 815-939-4564. Local Author Aaron Robinson at Library: Local author and entrepreneur Aaron Robinson will be at the library on Tuesday, December 5, from 4 to 6…
Sen. Joyce: Modernizing Thinking, Technology to Power Future
Creating public policy requires constantly adapting what we have done before to what we need to do today and for tomorrow. Sometimes, that means rethinking a position that can hit close to home. Since 1987, Illinois has had in place a moratorium on additional construction of nuclear power generation facilities. Concerns about the hazards of…
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Area News
Gotion Holding Job Fairs at KCC’s Riverfront Campus, North Extension Center
Gotion, Inc., will hold two local job fairs to recruit workers for the electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant to be located in Manteno and has positions in all employment segments, not just manufacturing positions. The company is looking for a variety of skill sets, said Annie Quach a member of the Gotion Recruiting Team. The…
Kankakee Puts Ordinance in Place Regarding Migrant Buses
By Stephen Nelson At its Tuesday, January 2, meeting, following in the footsteps of suburbs closer to Chicago, the Kankakee City Council passed an ordinance putting requirements on the owners of buses used to bring migrants from the border areas of Texas. The ordinance requires drivers to notify Kankakee County law enforcement, in advance, of…
Clove Alliance Offers Workshop Combatting Familial Trafficking
January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and Clove Alliance invites community members to learn more about familial trafficking, a highly prevalent form of human trafficking by attending their upcoming workshop. The workshop will be held at Kankakee Community College on Wednesday, January 24, from 10 a.m. – noon. Registration fee is $10, and CEU and…
Riverside Cancer Institute Welcomes Afton Swanson, FNP-BC
Riverside Healthcare is pleased to welcome Afton Swanson, FNP-BC, to its team of oncology providers and will be seeing radiation oncology patients at the Riverside Cancer Institute in Bourbonnais. Having been a Riverside employee since 2018, Swanson has worked in both pulmonology and the intensive care unit (ICU) at Riverside Medical Center. She completed her…
45th Gallery of Trees Winners Named
Winners for the 45th annual Gallery of Trees “Favorite Themes from the Past” display recently were announced. Congratulations to the following winners. In adult voting, first place was won by the Kankakee Valley Garden Club, whose theme displayed birds. Second place was taken by the Kankakee Kultivators, featuring All Things Bright and Beautiful, while third…
Miranda Sirvinskas, FNP-C, Joins Riverside’s Primary Care Providers
Riverside Healthcare is pleased to welcome internal medicine nurse practitioner Miranda Sirvinskas, FNP-C. Sirvinskas completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner degrees at Chamberlain University in Addison. In addition to her education, Sirvinskas is a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.…
Kankakee County Property Tax Levy Less Than Last Year
By Stephen Nelson At the Kankakee County Board meeting on Tuesday November 12, a resolution was passed in favor of a property tax levy in the amount of $24,383,000. County Finance Director Steve McCarty noted the total amount to be collected from Kankakee County residents will be $800,000 less in 2024.
Dancing Through the Decades New Year’s Eve Gala
Join the Kankakee County Historical Society as we “dance through the decades” and boogie into the new year! Attendees will go back in time to the year 1948 when South Pacific was selling out shows on Broadway, and Polaroid cameras filled the shelves of major stores! The opening act for the evening is the Jazz…
Kankakee County Board Chairman to Step Down Next Year
By Stephen Nelson The deadline for filing as a candidate in the upcoming March 19 primary for Kankakee County Board seats up for re-election was Monday, December 4. Notably absent was the required paperwork for the filing from board chairman Andy Wheeler, who currently holds the seat for District 26. That means Wheeler will leave…
Music, Ugly Sweaters, Hot Chocolate, Sinterklaas, Oh My!
The Kankakee County Historical Society will host their annual ugly sweater and hot chocolate party on Friday, December 15, from 3 to 8 p.m.! Enjoy an evening of holiday cheer right in the middle of the Kankakee County Museum’s 45th Annual Gallery of Trees, 801 S. Eighth Avenue! This year’s ugly sweater party features Marcia’s…
Riverside Named One of Illinois,’America’s Healthiest Employers
Riverside ranked 20th in healthiest 100 workplaces in America. Health and wellness are vital to fostering a productive and resilient workforce, something Riverside Healthcare takes seriously. For its dedication to promoting employee health, Riverside was named one of the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America, ranking 20th in the nation. Additionally, Riverside earned first place in…
Illinois Office of Tourism Names Cranky Mike’s Popcorn to Illinois Made Program4
Governor J.B. Pritzker, alongside the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), elected officials, and industry leaders, proudly unveiled the latest inductees into the Illinois Made program, including Cranky Mike’s Popcorn in Momence. This year marks a significant milestone, as 48 exceptional small businesses, often referred to as ‘Makers,’ have been welcomed into the…
Kankakee County Museum Presents Gallery of Trees and More
The Kankakee County Museum, 801 S. Eighth Avenue, Kankakee, invites area residents to the annual Gallery of Trees. Celebrating 45 years of this beloved local tradition, this year the Museum is filled with more than 35 trees decorated by area non-profit organizations, based on favorite themes from the past 45 years. Traditionally, more than 3,000…
Child Network Offering CASA Training
Every year, more than three million children nationally are reported abused or neglected. Despite the states’ attempts to help, many of these kids become trapped in the court and child welfare maze and can spend their childhood moving from one temporary shelter to another. This is where you can step in by becoming a Court…
Board Bootcamp Launches, Empowering Young, Emerging Local Leaders
A new program called Board Bootcamp is set to launch this January. The four-session training is designed to equip professionals in Kankakee and Iroquois Counties with the skills and knowledge to serve effectively on nonprofit boards. Board Bootcamp will cover diverse aspects of board service, which is broken down, simple, and easy to understand. Attendees…