Events Calendar
Education
Mokena School District Terminates Contract with Evans and Sons Blacktop Over Project Deficiencies
MOKENA, Ill. – The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to terminate its contract with Evans and Sons Blacktop for the playground and parking lot improvements...
Mokena District 159 Highlights Strategic Progress, Sets Sights on Advanced Learning and Data Systems
MOKENA, Ill. – Mokena School District 159 administrators presented their annual Strategic Plan review to the Board of Education on Wednesday, showcasing a year of significant progress in curriculum, facility...
District 159 Approves $173,700 Window Shade Replacement Project for Summer 2026
MOKENA, Ill. – The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education has authorized the district to seek proposals for a large-scale window shade replacement project at three schools, slated for...
Mokena Junior High to Get New Hot Water Heaters After Failures
MOKENA, Ill. – The Mokena School District 159 board has approved an emergency expenditure of up to $34,500 to replace two failing hot water heaters at Mokena Junior High School....
District 159 Board Gets First Look at FY26 Budget Draft, Education Fund Deficit Noted
MOKENA, Ill. – The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education received its first look at the fiscal year 2026 budget this week, kicking off a two-month process of review...
Meeting Summary: Mokena School District 159 Board for July 16, 2025
The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education took several significant actions at its July 16 meeting, including terminating a contract for summer construction work due to performance issues and...
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...
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...
Will County Board Meetings
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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:...
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...
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...
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
Illinois quick hits: Pritzker sends bill back to legislature; cannabis loans announced
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Pritzker sends bill back to legislature Gov. J.B. Pritzker has used an amendatory veto to correct formatting errors with legislation seeking...
Dem, GOP candidates begin signature-gathering for 2026
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Political candidates have begun gathering signatures on their nominating petitions for Illinois’ primary elections next March. Illinois...
WATCH: Legislators urge return to capitol to deal with increasing Illinois energy costs
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Republicans are demanding that state legislators return to the capitol to deal with soaring energy prices....
Illinois in focus: DHS announces new facility; NFIB urges veto of regulations; minority scholarship lawsuit moves forward
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square DHS announces new facility U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has returned to Illinois to discuss expanding detention facilities for what...
WATCH: Illinois In Focus Daily | Friday Aug. 8th, 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 covers the latest...
Legislator urges leaders to focus on relief for Illinois’ high property taxes
By Glenn Minnis | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – With Illinois now being home to the highest property tax rates in the country, state Rep....
Texas House, Illinois state senator sue 33 AWOL Democrats in Illinois court
By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Texas House of Representatives has sued 33 House Democrats who absconded to Illinois to prevent...
National News
Everyday Economics: CPI takes center stage as tariff-driven price pressures mount
By Orphe DivounguyThe Center Square The economy was already slowing, and that was before higher tariffs kicked in last week, raising import taxes to the highest level since the Great...
Net negative migration is harmful to the economy, economists say
By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Though the economy and immigration were issues that helped President Donald Trump secure the White House, some economists have said that too steep a decline...
Details pending on billions in foreign investments coming from trade deals
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square When President Donald Trump announced a string of trade deals with key U.S. trading partners recently, he touted pledges for billions of dollars in U.S....
Texas House sues six Democrats absconding in California
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Following through on his pledge to use all means necessary to find, arrest and return absconding House Democrats to Texas, the Texas House, led by...
With antisemitism on the rise, a glimmer of hope at Jewish delis
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square With antisemitism at its highest level in recorded history, Jewish delis in the U.S. are providing a glimpse of hope, celebration and award-winning pastrami on...
‘Exactly what we need’: First expedited coal lease advances
By Tate MillerThe Center Square The first expedited coal lease under the Big Beautiful Bill has advanced with the goal of energy independence and job creation in mind. An energy...
In six months, ICE arrests 350 gang members in Houston
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square In the first six months of the Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Houston arrested 356 illegal foreign nationals who are confirmed...
