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No Golf Carts For Crete
By Karen Haave Last week, Crete officials voted down a proposed ordinance that would have allowed operating golf carts on village streets. The proposal had been discussed repeatedly and at length for months and met with unwavering opposition from Police Chief Scott Pieritz. His opposition, he said, was based on public safety, golf cart safety,…
Beecher School Board Tosses Around Idea of a Referendum
By Jeff Vorva Members of the District 200U board are weighing their options on a possible referendum regarding the makeup of the seven-member board. For decades, the rules for the makeup of the board has consisted of at least two members coming from unincorporated areas and no more than five from incorporated areas. At the…
Beecher Board and Lions Club Hash Out Bike and Burnout Show
By Jeff Vorva Beecher Lions Club officials and the village board hashed out some preliminary ideas regarding the organization’s car, bike and burnout fundraiser. At the April 8 board meeting, members of the Lions Club outlined an idea in which the show will take place Aug. 24 on Gould Street and add a military theme…
Peotone Hires New Officer
By Andrea Arens In a time when municipalities are struggling to fill their rosters, the Village of Peotone was lucky enough to swear in a new officer at the April 8 board meeting. Officer Daniel Napoli, a lifetime resident of Peotone, graduated from the police academy recently and was sworn in with his family present.…
VEDETTE SPORTS REPORT
By Jeff Vorva When Beecher’s softball team beat Donovan by a combined score of 30-0 on April 9, it also marked coach Kevin Hayhurst’s 600thcareer victory. Hayhurst, who opened his career as Bobcats coach in 2003, joins some elite company. According to the Illinois High School Association record book, only 21 coaches have topped the…
Project Fire Buddies Holds Spa Day for Peotone Girl Amid Father’s Cancer Battle
By Stephanie Irvine The Manhattan Chapter of Project Fire Buddies came through for a local Peotone girl, Dixie Mae Barclay, with the gift of a spa day, but the family needs help from the community now that Dixie’s dad and sole income provider for the family, Tony, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Dixie lives…
Manhattan Honors Veterans with Banner Program
By Stephanie Irvine Manhattan American Legion Post 935, in cooperation with the Village of Manhattan, will honor Manhattan veterans with the Hometown Heroes banner program. Applications for a limited number of banners are being accepted through April 30. The banner program, which is new to the village this year, will feature a photo of the…
Angel’s Helping Hands Now an Alternative
By Karen Haave The Crete Police Department and Crete-Monee School officials have joined forces with Angel’s Helping Hands to offer at-risk youth an alternative to school discipline or arrest. “Angel’s Helping Hands is a pilot diversion program tailored for at-risk youth,” CPD Chief Scott Pieritz explained. “We partnered with them through the Crete-Monee High School…
Streetscape to Start in Peotone
By Karen Haave A $3.5 million beautification project slated for Peotone’s downtown historic district is underway, culminating four years of planning, revisions, talks, and meetings. It was scheduled to begin on April 11 but was postponed due to rain. Village officials hosted an open house earlier this month to present details of the improvement plan…
Budget, Property Lines, and Safety Topics at Village Meeting
By Stephanie Irvine At the Village of Manhattan’s bimonthly meeting on April 2, the board held a public hearing for its Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget, attended to new business, and held an executive session. The village’s budget has been a topic of discussion as the board worked through changes at previous meetings. A presentation was…
Crete’s Winter Coat Drive Unnecessary After All
By Karen Haave A winter-wear drive to help migrants, who might have been dropped off in Crete, turned out to be unnecessary, after all. The humanitarian effort, spearheaded by Police Chief Scott Pieritz, inspired Crete residents to donate hundreds of coats, hats, gloves, and blankets. But unlike other suburban towns, the village never experienced the…
Outdoor Lighting Might Not be a Problem in Monee Anymore
By Karen Haave Outdoor flood light displays won’t become a nuisance to Monee residents any time soon thanks to a village ordinance approved by the board of trustees last week. The ordinance is an amendment to Title 11, Chapter 7, Section 1 of the village code for outdoor lighting. Village Attorney Lawrence Gryczewski told the…
VEDETTE SPORTS REPORT
By Jeff Vorva Ahmad Henderson had a huge freshman year playing basketball at Niagara University but is coming home to the Chicago area. The Crete native and Brother Rice graduate is transferring to the University of Illinois-Chicago and announced his decision shortly after the Flames named Rob Ehsan as its new head coach last week.…
Peotone Police Blotter: March 29-April 3
March 29: An accident occurred at Drecksler and Tucker Roads, with no reported injuries. The police responded to the scene and completed a report for a property damage accident. The involved parties were able to drive their vehicles away from the scene. April 1: Peotone Police responded to a call for a report of theft…