Meeting Briefs

Meeting Summary and Briefs: Manhattan Fire Protection District Board of Trustees for July 11, 2025

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Manhattan Fire District Awards Initial Bids for New Station, Re-bids Four Items to Cut Costs

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Report Finding Few Trucks Littering Sparks Debate on Cleanup Responsibility

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Will County Health Department Seeks $1 Million to Avert ‘Drastic’ Service Cuts from Expiring Grants

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Will County Public Works Committee Unveils 25-Year Transportation Plan, Projects $258 Million Gap

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Health Department Seeks $1 Million Levy Increase to Prevent “Weakened System”

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Will County Leglislative Committee Opposes Federal Push for Heavier, Longer Trucks

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Will County Advances Truck Repair Facility Plan on Manhattan Road Despite Resident Objections

Meeting Briefs

Meeting Summary: Manhattan Village Board for August 5, 2025

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Village Board Approves Comprehensive Update to Employee Personnel Manual

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Manhattan Awards $537,907 Contract for Hanover Estates Road Resurfacing

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Manhattan to Enact Local 1% Grocery Tax, Replacing State Revenue Stream

Events

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Manhattan
19 Sep
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Education

MH 114 SB July 9, 2025

Manhattan 114 Explores Fifth-Grade Athletics as New Superintendent Lays Out Vision

In his first official report to the Board of Education, new Manhattan School District 114 Superintendent Dr. Damien Aherne outlined his initial priorities and introduced a significant proposal to expand...
MH 114 SB July 9, 2025

Manhattan 114 Board Hires New Teachers, Accepts Staff Resignations

The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education approved the hiring of four certified teachers and three non-certified staff members for the upcoming school year during its meeting on July...
MH 114 SB July 9, 2025

District 114 Approves Federal Plan as Construction Nears Finish Line

The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education took a key step in securing federal funding for the next fiscal year and received positive updates on the final stages of...
Meeting Briefs

Meeting Briefs: Manhattan School District 114 for July 9, 2025

Junior High Announces Mascot Debut, Community Events: Manhattan Junior High School is preparing to introduce its new mascot, “Demo,” at the PTO’s Back to School Bash on August 15 from 5:00...
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JJC Trustees Approve Contentious FY26 Budget After Heated Debate, Failed Postponement

The Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a $322.3 million budget for fiscal year 2026, but not before a tense debate that saw a motion to postpone...
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Lincoln Way District 210 Approves $2.1 Million Budget Amendment, Maintains Strong Financial Position

Lincoln Way Community High School District 210 board members unanimously approved an amended fiscal year 2025 budget Thursday night that increases the district's operating surplus to $2.1 million while maintaining...
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JJC’s ‘12x12x12’ Initiative Boosts College Credits, Increases Matriculation Rate

Joliet Junior College’s ambitious "12x12x12" initiative is yielding significant results, leading to more high school students earning college credits and a greater percentage of them choosing to attend JJC after...
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District 210 Approves Administrative Restructuring, Staff Salary Increases

Lincoln Way Community High School District 210 board members approved administrative restructuring and salary increases for non-union clerical support staff during closed session actions Thursday night. The board unanimously approved...
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JJC Board Meeting Highlights Tensions Over Legal Bills, Trustee Conduct

An otherwise routine vote to approve monthly bill payments ignited a tense exchange at the Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday, revealing ongoing friction over redacted legal invoices,...

Will County Board Meetings

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Report Finding Few Trucks Littering Sparks Debate on Cleanup Responsibility

Article Summary: A Will County report found that a very small percentage of waste-hauling trucks are the source of litter on roadways near the county landfill, sparking a debate among...
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Will County Receives Detailed Update on Landfill Expansion Investigation

Article Summary: The Will County Landfill Committee received a comprehensive technical update on the site investigation for the planned horizontal expansion of the county landfill, confirming the project remains on...
Meeting Briefs

Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Landfill Committee for August 7, 2025

The Will County Landfill Committee on Thursday heard a detailed technical update on the ongoing investigation for the county landfill expansion, confirming that the complex project remains on schedule. Consultants...
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Will County Health Department Seeks $1 Million to Avert ‘Drastic’ Service Cuts from Expiring Grants

ARTICLE SUMMARY: The Will County Health Department is requesting an additional $1 million in county funding for its 2026 budget to prevent the elimination of 11 critical staff positions, warning...
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Will County’s “First-in-Nation” Veterans Center to House Workforce Services, Sparking Debate

ARTICLE SUMMARY: The new Will County Veteran's Assistance & Support Center will also become the home for the county's Workforce Services department, a move officials say will save approximately $250,000 in...
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Improved Vendor Service Creates $1.2 Million Shortfall in Sheriff’s Medical Budget

ARTICLE SUMMARY: The Will County Sheriff’s Office is facing a more than $1.2 million shortfall in its budget for inmate medical services, a problem officials attribute to an ironic cause:...
WCO-PZ-Aug-5.1

Will County Public Works Committee Unveils 25-Year Transportation Plan, Projects $258 Million Gap

ARTICLE SUMMARY: Will County officials have presented "Our Way Forward 2050," a new long-range transportation plan that provides a 25-year vision for infrastructure projects while forecasting a $258 million shortfall in...
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Will County Animal Protection Services Seeks New Facility Amid “Gaping Wound” of Space Crisis

Article Summary: Will County Animal Protection Services is seeking approval for a new facility, telling a county committee that its current building is critically inadequate for housing animals, leading to...
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Board Confronts Animal Services Crowding, Explores Future Facility Options

ARTICLE SUMMARY: Will County officials are grappling with an ongoing animal housing crisis that has overwhelmed the county’s Animal Protective Services facility, prompting discussions about expansion, new construction, or even repurposing...

Illinois News

WATCH: Pritzker welcomes FBI looking for TX Dems in IL, dismisses bribery question

WATCH: Pritzker welcomes FBI looking for TX Dems in IL, dismisses bribery question

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – As the FBI gets involved in locating Texas Democrats hiding out in states like Illinois, Gov. J.B....
WATCH: Illinois State Fair: Affordable fun backed by $140M in taxpayer funding

WATCH: Illinois State Fair: Affordable fun backed by $140M in taxpayer funding

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The 2025 Illinois State Fair is being praised for its affordability and accessibility to families across...
Op-Ed: State lawmakers gut Emmett Till Day bill, expose Illinois’ corruption problem

Op-Ed: State lawmakers gut Emmett Till Day bill, expose Illinois’ corruption problem

By LyLena D. Estabine | Illinois Policy InstituteThe Center Square July 25, 2025, would have marked Illinois’ first Emmett Till Day, a commemoration of the 14-year-old Chicagoan whose 1955 lynching...
Democratic PACs being investigated for bankrolling AWOL Texas House Democrats

Democratic PACs being investigated for bankrolling AWOL Texas House Democrats

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Democratic political action committees are being investigated by state, and potentially federal, authorities over claims they...
Pritzker: Chicago mayor 'never once called' to oppose pension bill

Pritzker: Chicago mayor ‘never once called’ to oppose pension bill

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson never called him to oppose a pension bill...
WATCH: Illinois In Focus Daily | Thursday Aug. 7th, 2025

WATCH: Illinois In Focus Daily | Thursday Aug. 7th, 2025

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – In today's edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop continues his coverage...
Illinois quick hits: Cook County declares flood disaster; opt-out forms promoted; State Fair begins

Illinois quick hits: Cook County declares flood disaster; opt-out forms promoted; State Fair begins

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Cook County, Chicago declare flood disaster Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle have issued respective disaster...
WATCH: IL Republican pushes for TX quorum rules that Pritzker hails as ‘hero’ move

WATCH: IL Republican pushes for TX quorum rules that Pritzker hails as ‘hero’ move

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – While Gov. J.B. Pritzker jokes on national TV that Illinois’ congressional maps were drawn by kindergartners, a...

National News

Report: New York No. 2 in nation for inbound tobacco smuggling

Report: New York No. 2 in nation for inbound tobacco smuggling

By Chris WadeThe Center Square New York remains one of the top states for inbound tobacco smuggling, according to a new report, which attributes the robust underground market to the...
Trump delays China tariffs by 90 days

Trump delays China tariffs by 90 days

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The deadline to enact further reciprocal tariffs against China will be extended by 90 days, President Donald Trump announced Monday night. “[China] continues to take...
Kennedy visits Atlanta's CDC

Kennedy visits Atlanta’s CDC

By Kim JarrettThe Center Square U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Atlanta's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention days after a police officer died in...
Trump declares 'Liberation Day' in D.C., calls in National Guard

Trump declares ‘Liberation Day’ in D.C., calls in National Guard

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square “Liberation Day” arrived Monday in Washington, D.C., as declared by President Donald Trump. The president declared a crime emergency in the district and said the...
Judge denies Trump DOJ request to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury records

Judge denies Trump DOJ request to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury records

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square The Trump administration is facing another setback in attempting to curb backlash over its chameleonic handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, with another federal judge...
FAA partners with college to train next generation air traffic controllers

FAA partners with college to train next generation air traffic controllers

By Ashley Olds |The Center Square To expand specialized training under the Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative, the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Monday that the...
The U.S. Department of Education launches nationwide tour

The U.S. Department of Education launches nationwide tour

By Esther WickhamThe Center Square The Department of Education launched a national tour this month in its continuing efforts to dismantle the agency and revert power back to the states....
Burrows: Only thing standing in the way of disaster relief are missing Democrats

Burrows: Only thing standing in the way of disaster relief are missing Democrats

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square (The Center Square ) – Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, gaveled in the Texas House on Monday, and again, no quorum was reached. Only...
Trump confirms Nvidia chip agreement

Trump confirms Nvidia chip agreement

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Nvidia will pay the United States 15% of the money it makes from selling artificial intelligence chips to China, President Donald Trump said in a...