Braidwood Journal

Local high school teams catch fish during Nationals

Published by admin on Tue, 08/06/2024 - 3:56pm

Three area bass fishing teams compete in the Bassmasters National High School Championship tournament last week on Chickamauga Lake in Tennessee with one team missing the final cut after Day 2 by just one ounce.
Grace Olsen and Cole Hampson from Gardner-South Wilmington High School finished 13th out of 271 boats, needing one more ounce to advance to the final day on Saturday.

Mastodon Travel Center to break ground

Published by admin on Tue, 07/30/2024 - 3:13pm

Braidwood is growing by leaps and bounds. What was once the site of a small town restaurant will soon be transformed into a mastodon-sized travel center at Interstate 55 and Coal City Road.
And, that's not all. If the travel center is a success, there are tentative plans to construct a hotel just south of the travel center.

R-C team departing for Bassmaster National with a plan

Published by admin on Tue, 07/23/2024 - 3:56pm

Reed-Custer fishing buddies Bret Cavanaugh and Alex Bielfeldt were taking things in stride Sunday despite being days away from competing on a national scale.
The two Casting Comets have qualified for the Bassmaster High School National Championship on Chickamauga Lake in Tennessee making them the first RCHS athletes to make it to a national event.

Press problems delay this week's edition

Published by admin on Wed, 07/17/2024 - 11:32am

The July 17 editions of the Braidwood Journal, Coal City Courant and Free Press Advocate are being offered FREE online!

That's because the company who prints us, the Chicago Tribune production facility in Schamburg, IL had a power surge Monday which knocked out its press.

It will be printed hopefully today. We're giving everyone full access to our digital edition. Just click above on the icon for which edition you want to read. Thanks for understanding. We hope to have the print editions distributed later today or Thursday.

Hop on the local PACE bus

Published by admin on Tue, 07/16/2024 - 4:32pm

Local seniors and individuals with disabilities will be able to get where they need to go without having to rely on friends, relatives, or Uber.
Access Will County is coming to Wilmington, Braidwood and surrounding townships to provide independence to these individuals.
Will County Access is a Dial-A-Ride service provided through Pace, a suburban transit provider. Pace is one of the largest bus services in North America, covering more than 3,600 square miles.
However, those miles hasn’t included Wilmington, Braidwood and southwest township until now.

Summerfest 2024

Published by admin on Tue, 07/09/2024 - 4:20pm

Now that the Fourth of July is but a distant memory, prepare yourself for even more fun at the 43rd Annual Braidwood Lions Club Summerfest. The festival kicks off at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 18, and ends with a spectacular fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 21, at Old Smokey City Park, 245 W. First Street.
The theme of this year’s Summerfest celebration is “Stars and Stripes Forever - A Patriotic Celebration.”

Truck service center proposed for Hickory Street

Published by admin on Tue, 07/02/2024 - 4:07pm

An ordinance granting a map amendment to 225 N. Hickory Street, from B-3 to I-1 Industrial, was tabled at the June 25 Braidwood City Council meeting.
The owner of the property, Mike Guinta, of Ensure Companies of Plainfield, petitioned the city of Braidwood seeking the map amendment for a light industrial facility classification.
The property would be used for the sales and service of new and used truck tractors.

Honor Flight veteran relives memories of the Korean War

Published by admin on Tue, 06/25/2024 - 4:25pm

Ed Bunting of Braidwood turned 90 on May 19. That in itself is cause for celebration. But, it gets even better.
Exactly one month later, on June 19, one of Bunting's fondest dreams became a reality: He was chosen to join 120 of his veteran brethren as part of an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
Since 2005, the Honor Flight Network, a national nonprofit organization, offers veterans of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the opportunity to fly, free of charge, to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials built to commemorate their service and sacrifice.

Will Braidwood run out of water?

Published by admin on Tue, 06/18/2024 - 3:11pm

Will Braidwood soon run out of water?
According to Braidwood city clerk Sarah Weaver, Braidwood uses six million gallons of water each month, which amounts to approximately 200,000 a day. With new residents and businesses moving into town, that amount may not be nearly enough – especially if one of the water towers malfunctions.
“With the repairs we need we are only able to hold about 400 to 450K of water above ground right now,” city administrator Tony Altiery said. “We plan on adding another tower so we will be able to hold 1.1 million gallons of above-ground storage.”

Old Smokey Park becomes a training ground for painting apprentices

Published by admin on Tue, 06/11/2024 - 4:24pm

Tyler Nelson smeared a brushful of chocolate- colored paint on the Old Smokey Community Building in Braidwood Thursday and turned to other painters nearby.
“I kinda like this color,” he declared while stroking up and down. “It sure beats white.”
He got a hardy chuckle from his painting partners.
As apprentice painters, he explained, they paint a lot of white.
“I never knew there were so many variations of white. With most commercial and industrial jobs white seems to be the preferred color of choice.”