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Another Peotone Building Bites the Dust
By Andrea Arens A special board meeting was held on April 29 to approve an agreement with KLF Enterprises for the emergency demolition of 201 N. Second Street. The meeting itself lasted seven minutes, and the expense was approved for $25,500, waiving competitive bidding, with the mayor voting in favor, Trustee Gary Hudson recusing himself,…
VEDETTE SPORTS REPORT
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Beecher vs. Manteno in a softball sectional championship matchup? That dream matchup could come to fruition as the Illinois High School Association announced its postseason seeds. The coaches picked Beecher first and Manteno second in the Sub-Sectional B portion of the 20-team Class 2A Herscher Sectional. Peotone picked up the ninth…
Monee Honors EMA Members for President’s Volunteer Service Awards
By Karen Haave Eight Monee Emergency Management Agency members were honored last week as recipients of the President’s Volunteer Service Awards (PVSA). The PVSA is a national program that recognizes exceptional volunteers whose work makes real and sustainable differences in their communities. The program honors volunteers as young as five years of age, as well…
Solar Farm Closer to Beecher
By Jeff Vorva A solar farm took a major step in arriving on the outskirts of Beecher. The village board voted April 22 to submit a letter of non-objection to the Will County Land Use Department for a special use permit for the TurningPoint Energy facility, which will be located south of West Indiana Avenue…
Crete Chief Warns of Gypsy Scammers
By Karen Haave Crete Police Chief Scott Pieritz is issuing a warning about “Gypsy Scams.” Pieritz said during last week’s village board meeting that spring seems to bring out a proliferation of fraudulent contractors, scams, and ruses. “It is that time of year when we begin to see contractor scams, commonly known as Gypsy Scams,”…
Banquet Liquor Hour Extensions and Fence Variance Denied at Village Board Meeting
By Andrea Arens The request to extend the hours of liquor service on the only banquet hall liquor license in town, at Serendipity, was denied. Owner Calthon Whitley requested an extension to serve liquor till 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday, on Friday and Sunday till 11 p.m., and on Saturday till midnight. Trustee Shelley Marevka…
Pickleball Boosts the Budget in Manteno
By Jeff Vorva The boost in pickleball popularity is helping to boost up the budget. The Manteno village budget shot up from $9.5 million in 2023-24 to $13.6 in 2024-25. The board approved the budget at a special meeting and public hearing on April 22, and officials said $3 million of that increase is due…
Park District Referendum Failure Leads to Idea of a Community Group
By Karen Haave Peotone Park officials are not feeling the love after the district’s recent failed referendum for a modest tax rate increase. The notoriously frugal community, which rarely allows rate increases for any public body, turned down the proposal in a 260 to 214 vote in the Primary Election on March 19. Park officials…
Farmer’s Market Begins at Manhattan’s Bothwell Farms
By Stephanie Irvine The Village of Manhattan currently doesn’t have an official farmer’s market, but the Bothwell family does the work to ensure there is a local market for people to enjoy, stating they just do it for something fun for the community. Beginning April 27, Bothwell Farms will host a weekly farmer’s market at…
VEDETTE SPORTS REPORT
By Jeff Vorva Crete-Monee soccer player Omar Romo is pretty good on the field as in three years on the varsity, the junior scored 17 goals and added 15 assists in 29 games. He’s even better off the field and behind a monitor. Romo put an exclamation point on a huge season in esports. He…
MFPD Fire Station Updates on Schedule
By Stephanie Irvine The Manhattan Fire Protection District Board met on April 15, whereupon the board discussed regular business and updates regarding the Manhattan and Peotone fire stations. Peotone Remodel/Manhattan New Construction Updates District Fire Chief Steve Malone reported the district is officially in Phase 2 of the Peotone Station 81 remodel, expected to be…
Traffic Study and Planning Dominate Village Discussion
By Stephanie Irvine Traffic studies and a comprehensive plan for the village dominated discussion at the Manhattan Village board meeting. The board was set to approve an updated boundary agreement with the Village of Frankfort that would extend the boundary agreement another 20 years, which is typical of boundary agreement durations. “Previously, the boundary agreement…
Vedette Sports Report
By Jeff Vorva Playing in an independent league ballpark agreed with Crete-Monee’s baseball team and pitcher Michael Leonard. Leonard threw a shutout and struck out 13 batters to help the Warriors top Thornton Fractional South 5-0 on April 20 at Railcat Stadium in Gary, Indiana. Leonard’s record was just 1-3 after the win, but he…
Crete Community to Host Clean Up Day
By Karen Haave The Crete Police Department, Trinity Lutheran Church, and Crete Park District will join forces on Saturday, April 27, to sponsor a Community Clean-up Day and luncheon to mark Earth Day Week. Residents can sign up for the clean-up event at Trinity Lutheran, 1393 Elizabeth Street, at 8:30 a.m. Participants will be given…