Manhattan Park Board Deadlocks on Paying for Sports Complex Plan, Motion Fails
Article Summary: A proposal for the Manhattan Park District to fund an architectural concept plan for a new sports complex failed to pass on Thursday, August 14, 2025, after a...
Manhattan-Elwood Library Board Adopts Annual Budget and Appropriation Ordinance
Article Summary: The Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District Board of Trustees has formally adopted its budget for the upcoming fiscal year following a public hearing. The approval of the combined Budget...
Jackson Township Refers Manure-to-Gas Plant Proposal to Planning Commission
Article Summary: Representatives for a company named Elwood81, LLC, presented a proposal for an anaerobic digestion facility to the Jackson Township Board. Following the presentation, the board directed the company...
School Board Approves ‘Board Book Premier’ for Paperless Meetings
Article Summary: The Manhattan School District 114 will transition to a digital platform for its board meetings, selecting Board Book Premier to improve public access to documents and create a...
District 114 to Overhaul Policy Updates with New ‘Press Plus’ Service
Article Summary: Manhattan School District 114 is moving forward with Press Plus, a service from the Illinois Association of School Boards designed to streamline and modernize the updating of its...
Manhattan Park Board Hires New Architect for Round Barn Buildout, Secures Annexation for Future Banquet Hall
Article Summary: The Manhattan Park Board advanced its plans for the historic Round Barn Farm on Thursday, August 14, 2025, by hiring a new design firm for a partial interior...
Lincoln-Way 210 Board Approves $172.7 Million Budget with Planned Deficit for Bus Purchases
Article Summary: The Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education approved the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which includes a planned operating deficit of $814,000 to accommodate the purchase of...
Manhattan Fire District Advances New Station with $8.75M Bond Hearing, Approves Contracts with $194,000 Savings
Article Summary: The Manhattan Fire Protection District is moving forward with plans for a new Station 81 after holding a public hearing for an $8.75 million bond sale and approving...
Laraway Road Widening Project in New Lenox and Frankfort Gets Additional $468,000 for Redesign
Article Summary: The Will County Board approved a supplemental agreement worth $468,374 for additional design and engineering work on the major Laraway Road expansion project. The funds are needed for...
Parents Voice Alarms Over Bus Safety, Lateness in Manhattan School District
Article Summary: Parents raised serious transportation safety and reliability concerns at the Manhattan School District 114 board meeting, including a harrowing account of a kindergartener being dropped off at the...
Education
School Board Approves ‘Board Book Premier’ for Paperless Meetings
Article Summary: The Manhattan School District 114 will transition to a digital platform for its board meetings, selecting Board Book Premier to improve public access to documents and create a...
District 114 to Overhaul Policy Updates with New ‘Press Plus’ Service
Article Summary: Manhattan School District 114 is moving forward with Press Plus, a service from the Illinois Association of School Boards designed to streamline and modernize the updating of its...
Lincoln-Way 210 Board Approves $172.7 Million Budget with Planned Deficit for Bus Purchases
Article Summary: The Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education approved the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which includes a planned operating deficit of $814,000 to accommodate the purchase of...
Parents Voice Alarms Over Bus Safety, Lateness in Manhattan School District
Article Summary: Parents raised serious transportation safety and reliability concerns at the Manhattan School District 114 board meeting, including a harrowing account of a kindergartener being dropped off at the...
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education for August 13, 2025
The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education’s August meeting marked a major milestone, as the board gave its final approval to a new collective bargaining agreement with the district's...
School Board Debates Governance Structure, Tables Decision Until November
Article Summary: The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education held a discussion on whether to overhaul its committee structure but opted to delay any decision until November, allowing time...
Manhattan PTO Presents $20,000 Donation to District Schools
Article Summary: The Manhattan Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) presented a $20,000 donation to the Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education, continuing its tradition of providing substantial financial support to...
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Lincoln-Way District 210 Board of Education for August 18, 2025
The Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 Board of Education reviewed a tentative $162.5 million budget for the 2025-2026 school year during its meeting on Monday. The budget projects a...
Lincoln-Way Board Approves Special Education Co-op Budget Amid Concerns Over Rising Costs
Article Summary: The Lincoln-Way District 210 Board of Education approved the Fiscal Year 2026 budget for the Lincoln-Way Special Education District 843 cooperative, while officials expressed concern over significant cost...
Will County Board Meetings
Will County to Pay Enbridge $82,000 to Relocate Pipeline Equipment for Exchange Street Improvements
Article Summary: Will County will reimburse Enbridge Energy for costs associated with relocating its pipeline facilities to make way for roadway improvements on Exchange Street in the Monee and Crete...
Laraway Road Widening Project in New Lenox and Frankfort Gets Additional $468,000 for Redesign
Article Summary: The Will County Board approved a supplemental agreement worth $468,374 for additional design and engineering work on the major Laraway Road expansion project. The funds are needed for...
“Federal Policy Uncertainty” Blamed for Delay of Peotone Solar Farm; County Grants Second Extension
Article Summary: The Will County Board has granted a second permit extension for a solar farm in Peotone Township after the developer, Trajectory Energy Partners, cited "ongoing uncertainty regarding federal...
Will County Grants Extensions to Five Solar Projects Sold to New Developers
Article Summary: The Will County Board approved first-time permit extensions for five commercial solar projects across Monee, Crete, and Joliet townships, all of which were recently sold to larger energy...
Will County Board Approves Controversial Drug Recovery Retreat in Crete Township
Article Summary: The Will County Board has approved a special use permit for The Second Story Foundation to operate a long-term residential recovery program for men on a 68-acre horse...
After Initial Rejection and Tense Debate, Board Reconsiders and Approves Contested DuPage Township Business
Article Summary: In a rare reversal, the Will County Board approved a special use permit for a landscaping business in a residential area of DuPage Township after the measure initially...
Will County Board Approves New Fee Schedule for Recorder of Deeds
Article Summary: The Will County Board has approved a revised fee schedule for the Recorder of Deeds office, which will take effect on October 1, 2025. The changes, based on...
Will County Board Formally Opposes Heavier, Longer Trucks on National Roadways
Article Summary: The Will County Board unanimously passed a resolution opposing any federal legislation that would increase the size and weight limits for commercial trucks on the nation's roadways. The...
Will County Board Approves Permits for Landscaping Business and Restaurant Liquor Service in Frankfort Area
Article SummaryThe Will County Board unanimously approved three separate special use permits for businesses in the Frankfort area, allowing a landscaping operation in Green Garden Township to continue and two...
Illinois News
Chicago student petitions to restore bathroom doors
By Esther Wickham | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) - A Chicago student launched a petition to restore bathroom doors after Oak Park and River Forest High...
Illinois quick hits: Hundreds of layoffs reported; man charged with converted handgun
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Hundreds of layoffs reported Layoffs are coming for more Illinois workers. According to the Notices of Layoffs and Closures (WARN) Report...
State rep says IL GOP will be outspent ’20 to 1′ in 2026 elections
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Democrats have a major financial advantage over Republicans going into statewide elections in 2026. The latest...
Op-Ed: Illinois just cemented its place as a ‘Legislative Inferno’
By Zach MottiThe Center Square Illinois already has a reputation for having one of the most hostile civil legal climates in America. On August 15, 2025, Governor JB Pritzker signed...
WATCH: DHS launches ICE ‘Midway Blitz’ in Chicago as Trump calls out cashless bail
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – As the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announces a new operation in Chicago, President Donald Trump says...
Pritzker signs behavioral health data law amid privacy concerns
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – An Illinois state senator says the state’s track record with data security raises concerns about a...
WATCH: Pritzker’s ‘move’ comments ‘insulting’ to Illinoisans, Freedom Caucus says
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus say people want to leave the state because Gov. J.B. Pritzker...
National News
WATCH: Legislator warns gas could reach $8 to $10 a gallon
By Dave MasonThe Center Square California needs to produce more oil to keep gas prices from hitting $8 to $10 a gallon, a Republican assemblymember said during a virtual news...
White House announces new AI Education initiative
By Esther WickhamThe Center Square The White House announced the Presidential AI Challenge, a new initiative to unite innovation and education. Launched on Aug. 26, the initiative is a project...
Alleged Epstein 50th birthday letter from Trump released
By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Congressional Democrats posted an image of what they say is the 50th birthday letter from the president to Jeffrey Epstein after receiving some of the...
WATCH: Bonta disappointed with U.S. Supreme Court ruling
By Dave MasonThe Center Square California Attorney General Rob Bonta expressed disappointment Monday with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that temporarily overturns a lower court’s order prohibiting U.S. Immigration and...
Trump’s tariffs ‘not survivable’ for some U.S. small businesses
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The small businesses that challenged President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs told the U.S. Supreme Court that the import taxes are "not survivable" for some U.S....
Postal traffic to U.S. dropped 80% after end of duty-free shipping
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Postal traffic to the U.S. plummeted 80% after President Donald Trump suspended the duty-free de minimis exemption on Aug. 29. The Universal Postal Union, the...
‘Glaring failure:’ Lawmaker accuses Meta of failing to make AI chatbots kid-safe
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square A U.S. lawmaker is once again demanding that Meta prevent minors from accessing its AI chatbots, citing the technology company’s “glaring failure to properly and...
