Manhattan Grapples with Route 52 Safety After Tragedy, Demands Action from IDOT
Manhattan Village Board Meeting | November 4, 2025 Article Summary: Following a recent tragedy, the Manhattan Village Board on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, held an extensive public discussion on the...
Manhattan Park District Ratifies Emergency Purchase of Bucket Truck for $36,500
Manhattan Park Board Meeting | September 2025 Article Summary: The Manhattan Park Board has unanimously ratified the emergency purchase of a used 2012 Ram 5500 bucket truck for $36,500. The board...
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Manhattan Fire Protection District for September 15, 2025
Manhattan Fire Protection District Meeting | September 15, 2025 The Manhattan Fire Protection District Board of Trustees took a major step toward building a new fire station at its meeting...
Future of Will County’s Cannabis Fund Debated Amid Budget Shortfall
Will County Board Finance Committee Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: As Will County officials look for ways to close an $8.9 million budget gap, a debate has emerged over...
Manhattan Fire District Earns Clean Audit, Hires Investment Manager
Manhattan Fire Protection District Meeting | September 15, 2025 Article Summary: The Manhattan Fire Protection District received a clean bill of financial health with an "unmodified opinion" on its latest audit....
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Manhattan Village Board for October 21, 2025
Manhattan Village Board Meeting | October 21, 2025 The Manhattan Village Board on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, approved the annexation and preliminary plans for the 41-home Butternut Ridge South subdivision....
Will County Health Department Pleads for $1 Million to Avert ‘Weakened Public Health System’
Will County Board Finance Committee Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: Leaders and board members from the Will County Health Department made an impassioned plea for $1 million in county...
Manhattan Village Board Approves Water and Sewer Rate Hikes to Fund Future Infrastructure
Manhattan Village Board Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: Manhattan residents will see their water and sewer rates increase over the next several years after the Village Board approved...
Safety Upgrades Coming to Dangerous Route 50 and County Line Road Intersection
Manhattan Fire Protection District Meeting | September 15, 2025 Article Summary: Following a meeting between fire officials and state and county transportation leaders, safety improvements, including a four-way stop by the...
Manhattan Bans Retail Sale of Kratom, Citing Public Health and Addiction Risks
Manhattan Village Board Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: The Manhattan Village Board unanimously passed an ordinance prohibiting the sale, manufacture, and distribution of kratom, an herbal substance that...
Will County Committee Grapples with $8.9 Million Budget Gap After Contentious 0% Tax Levy Vote
Will County Board Finance Committee Meeting | October 21, 2025 Article Summary: The Will County Board Finance Committee held a contentious debate over how to close an $8.9 million budget shortfall...
Manhattan Fire District Approves $8.75 Million Bond Sale for New Fire Station
Manhattan Fire Protection District Meeting | September 15, 2025 Article Summary: The Manhattan Fire Protection District Board of Trustees has formally approved the sale of approximately $8.75 million in General Obligation...
Education
In Month of ‘Tragic Loss,’ Manhattan School District Mourns Students and Former Board Member
Manhattan School District 114 Meeting | November 12, 2025 Article Summary:Manhattan School District 114 is grieving the recent deaths of two junior high students, Danny Bayles and Chance Hunnicutt, and...
Manhattan D114 Projects Flat Tax Rate Despite Higher Levy Request, Plans Abatement
Manhattan School District 114 Meeting | November 12, 2025 Article Summary:Manhattan School District 114 officials presented the tentative 2025 tax levy, which includes a higher request to capture value from...
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees for October 2025
Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees Meeting | October 15, 2025 The Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees took major steps on two significant, long-term projects during its October 15...
JJC Celebrates “Future Wolves” Partnerships with Joliet and Troy School Districts
Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees Meeting | October 15, 2025 Article SummaryJoliet Junior College celebrated its "Future Wolves" initiative by issuing proclamations honoring its inaugural partnerships with Joliet Public...
JJC Receives Surprise $1.9 Million from IRS Employee Retention Credit
Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees Meeting | October 15, 2025 Article SummaryJoliet Junior College has received an unexpected $1.9 million windfall from the federal Employee Retention Credit (ERC), a...
JJC Advances ERP Modernization with New Vendor and Two-Year Budget
Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees Meeting | October 15, 2025 Article SummaryJoliet Junior College is entering the next phase of its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system overhaul, with the...
JJC Authorizes Land Buy for Grundy County Expansion, Secures Site in Morris
Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees Meeting | October 15, 2025 Article SummaryThe Joliet Junior College (JJC) Board of Trustees has authorized negotiations for a land acquisition to build a...
Will County Board Meetings
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Land Use & Development Committee for November 6, 2025
Will County Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | November 6, 2025 The Will County Land Use and Development Committee navigated a series of contentious zoning cases on Thursday, November...
Committee Rejects Rezoning for Fencing Company in Joliet Township
Will County Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | November 6, 2025 Article Summary: Citing incompatibility with the surrounding residential neighborhood, the Will County Land Use and Development Committee unanimously denied...
County Sales Tax Revenues Strong, Cannabis Funds Dispersed to Community Programs
Will County Finance Committee Meeting | November 2025 Article Summary: Will County's key sales tax revenues are on track to meet or exceed budget projections for fiscal year 2025, though...
Will County Committee Grants Extensions for Crete, Washington Township Solar Projects
Will County Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | November 6, 2025 Article Summary: The Will County Land Use and Development Committee granted 180-day extensions for two commercial solar energy projects...
Will County Finance Committee Forwards 1.75% Compromise Property Tax Levy to Full Board
Will County Finance Committee Forwards 1.75% Compromise Property Tax Levy to Full Board Article Summary:The Will County Board’s Finance Committee on Tuesday, November 12, 2025, narrowly approved a series of...
Will County Committee Denies Appeal for Crete Township ‘Tiny Home’ Permit
Will County Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | November 6, 2025 Article Summary: The Will County Land Use and Development Committee on Thursday upheld the denial of a temporary use...
New Lenox Solar Farm Gains County Committee Approval with Conditions
Will County Land Use & Development Committee Meeting | November 6, 2025 Article Summary: A 63-acre commercial solar energy facility on Spencer Road in New Lenox Township received a key endorsement...
Illinois News
Illinois quick hits: WARN Act reporting shows 1,600 job losses in October
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square WARN Act reporting shows 1,600 job losses in October The Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act for October reports...
Pritzker, alders oppose Chicago tax plans, property tax hike could be next
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – As the Chicago City Council considers 2026 budget measures, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed tax hikes continue to...
WATCH: Lawmakers call out Pritzker for lack of transparency with budget cuts
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois lawmakers say they are not getting information from Gov. J.B. Pritzker or state agencies about the...
Illinois quick hits: Illinois House members vote along party lines; More than 40% of CPS teachers missed 10 or more school days; State Treasurer says Bright Start earns gold
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Illinois House members vote along party lines Illinois U.S. House members voted along party lines as the chamber approved legislation to...
Glock: Judge’s OK of Chicago’s anti-gun lawsuit questionable, at best
By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square Firearms maker Glock is asking for permission to appeal a Cook County judge's ruling allowing the city of Chicago to continue its...
Illinois quick hits: DHS responds to migrant release order
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square DHS responds to migrant release order The U.S. Department of Homeland security issued a statement after a federal judge in Chicago...
Pritzker disagrees with Durbin on vote to end shutdown
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he is disappointed that Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin voted in favor of...
National News
Hegseth announces Operation Southern Spear, targeting narco-terrorists
By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square Operation Southern Spear, the new title for the Trump administration’s targeting of narco-terrorists in and around Latin America, was announced Thursday by Secretary of War...
Justice Department accuses California of racial gerrymandering in redistricting plan
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Justice sued California officials Thursday over the state's redistricting plan, which could help Democrats pick up additional seats in Congress. The...
State Department designates European Antifa groups foreign terror organizations
By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square The U.S. State Department officially designated four foreign Antifa groups as foreign terrorist organizations, nearly two months after President Donald Trump designated Antifa a domestic...
NetChoice scores legal win in social media warning lawsuit
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square A U.S. District Court recently granted a preliminary injunction against a new Colorado law that would require social media platforms to regularly send pop-up notifications...
Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger draws more support as critics push back
By Tom JoyceThe Center Square Support is growing for the proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern as federal regulators continue reviewing what would become the first transcontinental freight...
TSA agents who worked throughout shutdown to receive $10,000 bonus
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square The Department of Homeland Security will issue $10,000 bonus checks to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents who demonstrated “exemplary” behavior and work attendance during the...
Pro-life org invests $80M into 2026 midterms, will reach 10.5M voters
By Tate MillerThe Center Square Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America says it will reach 10.5 million voters by its newly announced investment of $80 million into the 2026 midterm election,...
