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Lady Devils Win, 55-24, in ICE-8 Conference Play Against Streator
By Dennis Bowling Peotone junior Madyson Kibelkis could sense that something was just not right about the Blue Devils sluggish play against Streator on January 22. So, Kibelkis took things into her own hands and scored seven of her team-high 16 points, added five steals, and four assists, which helped spark the Blue Devils en…
St. Rose of Lima Chapel to Hold Monthly Mass
St. Rose of Lima Chapel offers a mass on the last Friday of the month at 6 p.m. This month, the mass will be held on Friday, January 28. In addition, St. Rose offers weekly times for “adoration,” held on Wednesdays from 3 to 5 p.m. in the church. Remotely, adoration is held via Facebook…
State Officials Cut COVID Schools’ Isolation Time
By Bob Bong Even as schools across the state are facing staff shortages and high student absenteeism brought on by the latest COVID-19 surge, state officials said they would adopt new, shorter quarantine times as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. Last week, officials with both the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois…
Monee Village Board: $11 Million from Amazon, Board/Staff Communications
By Karen Haave A Monee resident and attorney is questioning where an $11 million tax windfall is being spent. Rhonda Thompson, frequently outspoken about the way Monee is governed, took the board of trustees to task on January 12 about the millions of tax dollars the village is said to be collecting, courtesy of the…
Despite Questions, Full-Time Public Works Employee Hired
By Andrea Arens On Monday, January 10, the Peotone Village Board discussed hiring part-time Public Works employee David Baker as a full time employee in Public Works. The decision came after full-time employee Garrett Nykaza resigned. The concern, addressed by Trustee Patrick Bowden, was the village continues to operate at a deficit. New employee David…
Beecher School Board Advises Caution With Covid
By Jeff Vorva Illinois officials cut quarantine time in half for state schools, but Beecher 200U School District Superintendent Jack Gaham is still preaching caution. The Illinois Department of Public Health and Illiniois Board of Education plus the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention agreed to slice quarantine time from 10 to five days for…
Monee TIF Surplus
By Karen Haave Monee Mayor Therese Bogs said last week that a $75,000 surplus in Tax Increment Financing funds will be shared among all of the village’s taxing bodies. Tax increment Financing (TIF) diverts a portion of the taxes developers are required to pay a municipality to help fund development of a new business, typically…
Local Business Bare Blue for Bradley Police Department
By Eric Peterson The new year has been highlighted with the color blue. Homes and businesses across Kankakee County can be seen with blue lights, blue lines, and American Flags at half-mast as our community stands in solidarity to show support for critically injured Officer Tyler Bailey and to express anguish in the tragic death of…
Green Garden Residents Express Concerns
By Andrea Arens Several residents attended the Green Garden Township Board meeting Monday, January 10, to address their concerns. The meeting was down a trustee, due to a family medical issue, and the assessor – for medical reasons. The board is also down a clerk, who resigned earlier last year, though that didn’t stop the…
Future Fundraising Efforts to Support Officer Bailey and Sergeant Rittmanic
By Eric Peterson While many businesses have already stood together to raise much-needed funds for the families of fallen Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic and severely injured Officer Tyler Bailey, there are several other opportunities for community members to show their support. January 23, from 2– 6 p.m.: Northfield Square Mall will use the former women’s Carson’s…
Crime in Manteno, Surrounding Areas
By Melanie Holmes Emotions run high in the face of crime. No one should have to face the wrong end of a gun barrel just for doing their job, but it does happen – as this area knows full well in light of the recent loss of Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and the critical injury to…
PHS Coach Updates
The Blue Devils Varsity Boys Basketball team lost to Manteno Friday night, January 7, 33-37, in double OT. Once again, the Blue Devil defense put them in a position to win, but they couldn’t get over the hump offensively. The team showed great resiliency overcoming some injuries, foul trouble, along with a starter out. Mason Kibelkis…
Monee to Hire HR Director
By Karen Haave Monee officials approved an ordinance last week to create the position of Human Resource Director. Village Administrator Ruben Bautista said the job will be part-time and have a salary in the $30,000-to-$40,000 range. “As the Village of Monee has continued to experience economic growth during the past few years, it has had a…
Manteno Police Officers Graduate ISP Academy
By Melanie Holmes Congratulations go to three recent hires for the Manteno Police Department who completed the Illinois State Police (ISP) Academy in November, including Jonathan Dokter, Miranda Sinadinos, and Jacob Nelson. These officers completed 560 hours (14 weeks) of intensive training – a standard of training that has increased during the past few decades,…