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Dr. James A. Mitchem Jr. served as VVSD Superintendent of Schools for a decade, and during that time, he was the driving force behind establishing a building whose sole purpose is to serve VVSD's youngest learners. His vision came to fruition in 2017 when the newly remodeled Valley View Early Childhood Center opened. In recognition of Dr. Mitchem's vision and commitment, as well as his leadership in a VVSD career that covered four decades, the building is now known as the Dr....
Budding entrepreneurs interested in pursuing careers in the emerging cannabis industry can enroll in one of Oakton Community College's cutting-edge cannabis training programs this spring - tuition-free - thanks to a renewed grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). The grant will allow up to 45 individuals who meet Illinois' Social Equity Applicant (SEA) criteria and plan to apply for an Illinois cannabis business license or who have...
This season, the baseball team at Crest Hill's Richland Grade School posted a 10-5 record and won its opening game of the IESA state regionals. However, the success of the Eagles this year came the moment the players took the field. This season almost didn't happen for Richland as the school board decided in March to abolish baseball, softball and golf from the slate of sports offered by the school due to lack of participation. After upset parents and coach Joe Marshall voiced...
Plainfield North High School senior Mi'kel Johnson-Watts is the first visually impaired cross-country runner in the school's history. The 17-year-old senior moved to District 202 last school year and spent his first year as a Tiger learning remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. He took his first steps inside North when all district students returned to in-person learning. "Getting to classes was a bumpy road. I had to have additional assistance," Johnson-Watts said. Despite...
One Hundred Joliet Public Schools District 86 elementary students are currently participating in the Kids 'n Nature program at Pilcher Park and Birdhaven Greenhouse. Fourth grade students from M.J. Cunningham, Edna Keith, A.O. Marshall, Isaac Singleton, and Woodland Elementary Schools attend the six-week after-school program. The Kids 'n Nature program is a partnership with Joliet Public Schools District 86, the Joliet Park District, and the University of Illinois Extension...
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama returned to their old neighborhood on Chicago's South Side on Tuesday to officially break ground on the Obama Presidential Center, a project they hope will become a hub for the development of new leadership and an economic boost to a long-neglected part of the city. "Chicago is where almost everything that is most precious to me began," the former president said. "It's where I found a home." The center is being...
The Troy Community School District 30-C school board has appointed Shorewood resident and Joliet attorney Robert Bodach to its school board, replacing member Catherine Besler, who resigned over the summer. "We are extremely pleased to welcome a board candidate like Mr. Bodach to our district," said School Board President Mark Griglione. "He will definitely be a great asset to our board." Superintendent Dr. Todd Koehl agreed. "We are very pleased that Mr. Bodach has chosen to...
The limestone-and-concrete dam in the DuPage River at Hammel Woods preserve in Shorewood has been removed and the site has reopened for public use. The river is open to paddlers, and the parking lot and DuPage River Trail near the dam also have reopened. A new kayak/canoe launch built downstream of the old launch also is open for use. The dam area was located in the southernmost portion of the preserve, an area known as Grinton Grove, which is just north of Route 52. "I'm glad...
Like most people, Mary Bis knew she wanted to live a long and healthy life, she just needed some additional measures to help get her health under control. Bis, 44, of Elmhurst, has a family history of cancer. While her mother was going through treatment, her mother's internal medicine physician, Diane Fabrizius, M.D., suggested Bis and her siblings get tested for the breast cancer gene (BRCA). "We did it together. Most of my family members got tested for the BRCA gene,...
On Thursday, July 15, the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) and more than 30 Illinois agencies and organizations will participate in the first annual Pool Safely Day to raise public awareness around water safety and prevent child drownings. "As families enjoy beaches, pools, lakes, and other bodies of water, we urge parents and caregivers to be particularly vigilant and Pool Safely to keep children safe and avoid any potential tragedies this summer," said Karen Ayala,...
Troy Middle School and William B. Orenic Intermediate School choir instructor Kelsey Robb has received the Illinois Grade School Music Association's 2021 Barbara Buehlman Young Conductor Award. The award is presented annually by the IGSMA to a school music instructor who has 5-10 years' experience, the majority in Illinois; who is actively involved in IGSMA events; who shows growth as a music educator; whose students consistently excel in IGSMA events; and who is a...
Lewis University rightly prides itself as an excellent academic institution that is always seeking to not only to provide its students with quality educational opportunities but also a school with a rich history of supporting individuals from local communities who are involved in law enforcement, fire protection and military service. That's why it was appropriate for the university to host a special 9/11 ceremony on Thursday at Convocation Hall that commemorated the 20th...
The Troy Community School District 30-C recently dedicated its Troy Middle School gymnasium to former school board member J. Terry McFadden for his long term service to the school district and for his love of youth sports. McFadden passed away June 11, 2020. McFadden's wife and family attended the ceremony, as did several members of the community and the school district. "We, as a board, would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to J. Terry McFadden," School Board...
Gus Levaris got the surprise of a lifetime on Independence Day weekend, thanks in large part to former student Bill Otis. Levaris celebrated his 90th birthday on July 3 and just as he does almost daily, he showed up that day at the Dunkin' Donuts on Route 30, across from the Louis Joliet Mall, to have a beverage and read the daily papers. This time, however, the extremely private Korean War Veteran was met with a host of people to wish him a happy birthday. Otis had arranged...
Masks will be required at all Illinois long-term care facilities, day cares and Pre-K-12 schools, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday amid a nationwide surge of COVID-19. "Every time we think we know where this virus is headed, it changes and it shifts," Pritzker said at a COVID-19 briefing in Chicago. "For example, unlike before, people 29 years old and younger accounted for 12 percent of hospitalizations. All across the nation, we are seeing young people with no underlying...
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin and Naperville Interim Chief of Police Jason Arres announced today that bond has been set for two individuals charged with first-degree murder following an altercation in a Naperville parking lot this past week. Robert Chatman-Jones, 20 (d.o.b. 12/25/2000) of the 300 block of 24th Street, Bellwood, and Desire Gray, 19 (d.o.b. 5/12/2002) of the 1900 block of Ashwood Lane, Aurora, each appeared at a bond hearing this morning where Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh set bond at $4 m...
District 202 will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for its 18th elementary school, Wallin Oaks, on Tuesday, August 3, 2021. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the school at 15410 S. Wallin Drive. A representative group of new Wallin Oaks students have been invited to help cut the ribbon, along with school and district administration, Board of Education members, and special guests. Guests can tour the new school from 6:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The school will open for the 2021-2022...
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Tuesday that repeals criminal penalties for people who transmit HIV to others. House Bill 1063, by Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, and Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, deletes language adopted in Illinois and many other states during the early days of the HIV epidemic that made it a felony for an individual to engage in certain activities such as unprotected sex, donating blood or tissue or sharing nonsterile intravenous needles knowing that he or she was infected with HIV. “Research has s...
More than 10,000 Joliet Public Schools District 86 students return to school full time on August 18, 2021. Open Houses for students and families are scheduled for August 16 or August 17 depending on the school. Times and details are posted on www.joliet86.org. In addition, a policy to implement a Remote Educational Program for District 86 students was approved by the District 86 Board of School Inspectors at its July 14th board meeting after Superintendent Dr. Theresa Rouse thoroughly outlined the concept. Space is limited...
Professional artists who self-identify as women are invited to submit entries in all media to Oakton Community College for the virtual exhibition “Bad@ssery: Women Creating a Just Environment and World” by Friday, Aug. 13. Artists are encouraged to submit a single work that provides social commentary and inspiration on how women create courageous spaces, empower each other and change the world. Submissions may focus on women in the United States or globally, have a contemporary or historical context and focus on women in eit...
For more than a year, students have been forced to learn in a way unlike any time in history. From learning strictly online to partial days with masks and social distancing to hybrid methods — it has been a whirlwind for young learners across the country. As the CDC and state officials set guidelines and school districts implemented plans with the input of teachers, parents, administrators and support staff, often times the group that was left without a voice was the one t...
Collectors of memorabilia not only collect in hopes that their items will increase in value and eventually be sold for a profit, but they also collect for sentimental reasons. Their collections reflect a time period, person or moment in pop culture that the collector is passionate about. For Plainfield resident Vito Thomaselli, that passion is professional wrestling. His love for wrestling and passion for collecting came together last August when two-time WWE Hall of Famer...
As the Rialto Rialto Square Theater sits in downtown Joliet as one of the city's most treasured landmarks, the marquee that adorns the front of the theater is a memorial in its own way to the Michalak family. Longtime Joliet resident, Steve Michalak, who grew up on the east side of Joliet, was instrumental in building the current marquee sign for the Rialto Square Theater in 1980. The sign is a replica of the original from 1926."They wanted me to copy from the original, and...
Plainfield East High School graduate Jeffrey Tilkin (Class of 2021) has won a 2021 National Merit College-Sponsored Scholarship. Tilkin is one of more than 4,100 students nationwide to win a scholarship financed by colleges and universities. He plans to study computer science at Florida State University. Officials at each sponsoring college or university chose their winners from among this year's National Merit Scholarship finalists who will attend their institutions. Winners...
Since economic shutdowns began and COVID-19 death counts started to rise in March 2020, national unemployment rates have hovered at historically high numbers, stressing state unemployment systems left dealing with an unprecedented number of claims. In Illinois, that’s led to a deficit in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund – or the pool of money used to sustain the social safety net – that could rise to $5 billion. Stakeholders from both political parties, as well as business and labor groups, are now warning of “crip...