Channahon reviews funds for Will Co. CED
The village may withdraw it support for the Will County Center for Economic Development this year.

Morris OKs safety upgrade to dangerous crossing
Drivers will soon be safer crossing at the junction of Liberty and Chapin streets, under action taken by Morris aldermen Monday night.

Tea Party turns up the volume on Foster
When the shouting started at the Tea Party rally outside U.S. Rep. Bill Foster's district office Thursday afternoon, the group was drowned out by louder voices screaming that the representative, President Obama and former St. Charles Mayor Sue Klinkhamer, now a Foster staffer, were all "Communists." A group of about 30 to 40 area citizens concerned about taxes joined the rally.

Channahon police work toward accreditation
A team from the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program, provided by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, will arrive Nov. 30, to examine all aspects of the Channahon Police Department's policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Chief Joe Pena announced.

Briefs: New Red Cross officer
Julie Wilkinson has joined the American Red Cross Grundy County Chapter as a community development officer.

Loud noise, smell due to pipeline check
On Monday, some residents may have heard a high-pitched noise that sounds like a jet engine or they may have detected the smell of natural gas in the air. Neither of these events are harmful to residents, officials from TransCanada's ANR Pipeline system reported.

Auditor: Minooka fiscally stable
An audit of village records shows the village to be in a stable financial position, said auditor Brian Zabel of Brian Zabel and Associates. In this economy, stable is a reassuring word, said Village Finance Director John Harrington.

Area Notes

Taking lessons from the land
Fourth-graders might not have realized they were participating in an important pilot program designed to test the waters of what the Forest Preserve District of Will County hopes will be a new environmental education program for students.

Minooka youths elude abductors
A young boy escaped the clutches of a band of Hispanic women who tried to lure him into a pickup Thursday.

Minooka Junior High dean resigning
William Geasa, dean and athletic director at Minooka Junior High, tendered his resignation at the Minooka Grade School Board meeting Wednesday night. Geasa will leave the district at the end of the 2009-2010 school year.

Educator awarded for fire safety
Cindy Wilson, fire and life safety education coordinator for Channahon and Minooka fire protection districts, received the New Horizons Award from the Illinois Fire Inspectors Association.

Schools fighting flu
Minooka Grade School District is taking all possible precautions to minimize the spread of H1N1 and other flu viruses in its schools, Superintendent Al Gegenheimer said.

Minooka volunteer is crisis go-to guy
Minooka village clerk Mary Ray swore in Minooka's newest emergency management coordinator Tuesday, putting into motion the village's plans to be prepared for any type of disaster.

Officers in training take fitness challenge
Keeping in good health and fitness might be more important to law enforcement officers than it is to most people. That is why some local criminal justice students jumped at the chance to participate in this year's Illinois National Guard Law Enforcement Challenge.

Orthodontist gets in the Halloween spirit
Ritchey Orthodontics is not for the faint of heart in October. Every fall Dr. Alex Ritchey's staff decorates the Joliet and Morris locations in Halloween themes such as "Mad Scientist Lab."

Area Notes

Village to sell abandoned Caddy
The village of Channahon will have a car up for sale soon, along with a bit of property.

Health Calendar

City pecks at chicken rule
The chicken debate went down to the wire at Wednesday's city council meeting. With four aldermen in support and four in opposition, interest in the issue was piqued. The mayor cast the tie-breaking vote, rejecting a proposal to allow the raising of chickens within city limits.

Wilmington votes to outsource dispatch jobs
The Wilmington City Council voted Tuesday night to end a longtime tradition of local police dispatching. The split vote was to outsource police dispatching and enter into a contract with Wescom. The change will displace eight full-time dispatchers in the department.

Providence, JT set up regional rematch
Providence scored two early goals as it defeated Minooka following a JT 3-1 win over Bradley Bourbonnais in 3A regional semifinals on Tuesday. The stage is now set for the Celtic-Steelmen rematch in the Minooka Regional final at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

IPD brings mental health services to Joliet
Mental health services in the Joliet area expanded Sept. 1 when the Institute for Personal Development (IPD) opened its fourth office in the space the former Central Professional Group once occupied, with several of its mental health professionals joining the staff of IPD.

'Jailbirds' due part for fundraiser
The Muscular Dystrophy Association will lock up local movers and shakers today as part of the organization's annual MDA Lock-Up event.

Feds raid Grundy slaughterhouse
Update: In the wake of a Sunday afternoon raid on a former meat-processing plant, residents of this town of 100 have questions but few answers. Was an al-Qaida cell lurking in the Grundy County village about 20 miles west of Morris, residents asked? Was the building at 6260 S. Kinsman Road housing illegal immigrants? Was meat slaughtered there done illegally? Authorities aren't offering answers.

Former Aurora alderman drops congressional bid
Update w/ details: As the race for Congress in the 14th District continues to heat up, one candidate has decided to get out of the kitchen. Former Aurora Alderman Bill Cross has decided not to seek the GOP nomination for Congress from the 14th Congressional District.

Foster's health care phone forum draws 17,000 calls
Approximately 17,000 of Rep. Bill Foster's constituents placed calls on Monday in the largest of the congressman's three telephone town hall forums about health care reform. In response to the questions he was able to field, Foster (D-14th District) outlined three areas that are of the greatest importance to him in health care: covering pre-existing conditions, cutting costs for small business, and affordability.

Dugan victims recall kidnappings, rapes
Full story: Two women testified today to being abducted and terrified by a young Brian Dugan in 1983 and 1985 before he was arrested for the murders of 27-year old Donna Schnorr and 7-year old Melissa Ackerman.

Torch run is no trivial pursuit
SHOREWOOD -- Think you're smarter than a whole bunch of cops?

Gun safety a serious topic for area police
CHANNAHON -- Sgt. Shane Casey and Officer Brad Bucciarelli bring a lot of firepower to their classroom lectures.

The grapes of Grundy
Hanging out with friends on a Sunday afternoon with a glass of wine is a good time.

Club Green's members ready to save the world
A group of pre-teens in Channahon and Minooka have gotten the message about recycling loud and clear. They hear the mantra "reduce, re-use and recycle" in their schools, in town and on TV.

New library director jumps in at busy time
CHANNAHON-- Mary Soucie started her new job as New Three Rivers Library District director during the library's busiest time of the year -- the beginning of the youth summer reading program.

Calendar

POLICE BLOTTER

Embrace tradition with Home for the Holidays
MORRIS -- The Home for the Holidays Committee is pleased to announce plans for the 18th annual Home for the Holidays celebration Nov. 27-28.

Balanced budget for Grundy
The Grundy County board approved a somewhat balanced budget for fiscal year 2010 at Tuesday night's meeting.

Morris man gets welder award
Pete LaRou is the best apprentice welder in this nation and in Canada, as determined by The United Association of Apprentice Contest held last month, and he works out of the Joliet-area pipefitters and HVAC union, Local 597, in Mokena.

Swine flu hits Minooka school
One case of H1N1 flu has been confirmed at Minooka Intermediate School. Superintendent Al Gegenheimer said parents of the child who became ill paid for the test themselves to confirm the diagnosis, but the child has not been hospitalized.

Waste management plan approved
After almost two years of examination and discussion, a divided board Tuesday night approved its controversial updated solid waste management plan.

Foster slates third telephone town hall
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Geneva will have the third in a series of telephone town halls on health care and will wrap up a drive to contact every registered voter with a working phone in the 14th Congressional District.

Urologist to speak on prostate issues
Urinary problems in men can be a sign of a prostate condition. Urologist Dr. Luke Cho will present a free prostate health program from 6-7 p.m. Oct. 20 in Whitman Assembly Room 1 at Morris Hospital, 150 W. High St. in Morris.

Morris Hospital opens Ridge Road Campus
Christine Drumm moved to Minooka about 12 years ago. In that time, she has seen the village grow significantly. One thing she did not have, though, was an in-town option for medical care, that is, until now.

Fifth Quarter this Friday at CYC
There isn't a whole lot to do in Morris for teenagers, but thanks to the newly opened building of the Morris Christian Youth Center, high school kids now have a place to hang out after home football games.

Area Notes

Turkey dinner with pirate twist Oct. 24
"Ahoy, mateys! I see a yonder turkey!" You might hear something like that at the Minooka United Methodist Annual Turkey Dinner.

Police Blotter

Calendar

Wilmington may outsource dispatching
The Wilmington City Council's personnel and collective bargaining committee have voted to recommend outsourcing city police dispatching.

Morris using TIF funds for park
Morris residents will be getting a new band shell in Goold Park next year, according to action taken at Monday night's city council meeting.