News

An adventure in wonderland

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 4:48pm

As the winds blow through the park, the catalpa tree twists a little more, much like the story about to be told under it branches.
The century old trees that line Carbon Hill Park provide the perfect backdrop for a story that finds a curious young girl following a well dressed white rabbit down a hole—as if only in a dream.
Based on the story telling of Lewis Carroll’s children’s novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” the Coal City Theatre Department will present its adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland,” this weekend.

Used ambulance a temporary fix for Wilmington Fire Protection District

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 4:46pm

The Wilmington Fire Protection District is still awaiting the arrival of its newest ambulance.

But, the district has been able to keep a three-ambulance fleet running after purchasing a used rig, made necessary after one of its ambulances was stolen from Amita St. Joseph Medical Center in July and crashed near the interstate.

Fire Chief Tim Zlomie said the temporary replacement is up and running.

Prairie Partners name Benson Volunteer of the Year

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 4:43pm

Georgiean Benson is dedicated to the mission of the Goose Lake Prairie Partners, Inc. From the moment she joined back in 2019, Benson has been asking what she can do to help, and she’s been helping ever since.
In her short time as a member, Benson has made significant contributions to the organization, the only volunteer group that supports the 2,537-acre Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area [GLPSNA] north of Coal City.

Unit 1 Board increases substitute pay

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 4:42pm

Spending a day in a Unit 1 School District classroom will bring an additional $15 for substitute teachers.
The Board of Education agreed to raise the daily rate of substitute pay from $100 to $115.
“We found out very recently that we had fallen behind other school districts in terms of our substitute teacher pay,” Superintendent Dr. Kent Bugg told board members last week.
The increase will keep the district competitive with neighboring districts at a time when finding substitutes is becoming a real challenge.

772 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel held in Goose Lake Township

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 4:41pm

It’s a relatively unknown facility, but it plays a big role in the nuclear industry and it’s located in Goose Lake Township.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy operates a spent nuclear fuel storage facility not far from the Dresden Nuclear Generating Station. In fact some of Dresden’s spent fuel rods were transported across Dresden Road for storage at that facility.
Spent nuclear fuel has been at the East Collins Road site since 1972, but the facility reached its capacity and stopped taking additional fuel assemblies in 1989.

Wilmington road projects set for later this month

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 4:41pm

Wilmington’s Kankakee Street railroad crossing is set to be shut down for a few weeks, as work begins related to the High Speed Rail project.

Signs popped up last week announcing a closure along Kankakee Street, leading some residents to take to social media questioning just what the closure will entail.

Mayor Ben Dietz said the closure will follow the anticipated approval of the latest high speed rail plans by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), which meets today (Wednesday).

Wilmington City Council to seek new engineering firm

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 4:38pm

The city of Wilmington will hire a new engineering firm.

After a few weeks of discussions, city leaders plan to terminate their current agreement with Ruettiger, Tonelli & Associates as city engineer, after some members of city leadership expressed concerns that they weren’t getting all of what they are paying for with the current firm.

The issue was discussed during the pre-council and City Council meetings on Oct. 5.

Drug take back day returns to Braidwood

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 4:34pm

Drug Take Back Day is returning to Braidwood, and the members of Braidwood Area Healthy Community Coalition (BAHCC) are urging the public to take part.

Drug Take Back Day is a bi-annual effort spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and sponsored locally by law enforcement, coalitions, and local businesses. The DEA’s Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths.

BAHS depot museum in Braidwood celebrates 10th anniversary

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 4:32pm

It’s been 12 years since that early June morning when dozens of locals came out to watch Braidwood’s 125-year-old depot roll across the tracks on its way to a new home on Center Street.

But bringing the depot to its new resting place in 2009 was just the beginning of the effort to build a local museum to showcase the city’s history.

On Saturday, the members of the Braidwood Area Historical Society (BAHS) will mark the 10th year of the depot museum.

Grandmas ride the Mother Road

Published by admin on Tue, 10/12/2021 - 4:28pm

Amtrak’s Lincoln Express out of St. Louis zipped past three ladies pedaling north on nearby Route 66 Wednesday.

For $31 each, Ruth Leaming, Susan Richards and Carolyn Lemanski could have hopped that train and in less than six hours been in Chicago.

But for these three grandmas, they’d rather make the trip on two wheels.