Braidwood Journal

Police board retroactively approves officers

Published by admin on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 6:34pm

Ten Braidwood police officers have gained retroactive approval from the city’s Police and Fire Board, during a brief meeting that attracted several residents looking for answers.

On April 12, the members of the board – Wayne Saltzman, Roger Patterson, and Michael Colavecci – voted unanimously to approve the certification of the officers, some of whom have been working for the city for as many as three years.

According to the Illinois Municipal Code, the board is required to appoint members of the police department, and to issue certificates to those appointees/hires.

Soucie termination case remains in limbo

Published by admin on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 6:32pm

Braidwood’s former deputy chief will remain on paid leave, with no end in sight to the internal case surrounding her employment with the city.

On March 25, a Will County judge dismissed a counterclaim by the city of Braidwood against former Deputy Chief Michelle Soucie, thus granting her petition for a permenant injunction against the Police and Fire Board.

An Easter Eggs-travaganza at Old Smokey!

Published by admin on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 6:30pm

The weather was sunny and pleasant as a record number of children turned out to enjoy a good old fashioned Easter Egg scramble at Old Smokey City Park on Saturday, April 13.

The park District hosted its annual Easter Egg Hunt, welcoming a total of 271 children to the park this year, the largest in the history of the event.

The parks provided 1,000 for each of the three age groups represented, all of which were scooped up by the exited children in just minutes.

The children also got to visit with the Easter Bunny himself.

Vehrs offers assistance to new council

Published by admin on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 6:27pm

Braidwood’s outgoing mayor has offered an olive branch to the new administration, letting the incoming mayor and commissioners know that he’s available to help out with a smooth transition.

On April 9, during a regular meeting of the City Council, Vehrs gave a nod to the mayor — and commissioners-elect who won office on April 2.

Jones the winner in five-way race

Published by admin on Tue, 04/16/2019 - 6:25pm

For months, residents of the city of Braidwood endured political bickering and back and forth, with accusations of money misspent and promises to do better.

On election day, voters in the city turned out in numbers stronger than the majority of Will County, and picked four of five new representatives for City Council.

The unofficial results of the April 2 race show Bob Jones, owner of Joneseez and a one-time Water Commissioner for the city, winning the five-way mayoral race by a margin of 38 votes.

New council will face mounting debt, deficit crisis

Published by admin on Tue, 04/02/2019 - 6:44pm

A five-way mayoral bout was just one of several strongly contested positions this election. All five of Braidwood’s commissions were up for grabs, and each candidate held strong positions and campaigned heavily throughout the city over the past few months.

But no matter who comes out on top after this week’s election results are certified, the new council will have one shared task – tackling the city’s monstrous debt.

Godley Water District gets permit to tap river

Published by admin on Tue, 04/02/2019 - 6:43pm

The Godley Public Water District has moved to the next step in the process to pull water from the Kankakee River.

In 2017, the district filed a joint application with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to obtain a permit to withdraw water from the Kankakee River.

Coalition looks to target tobacco use

Published by admin on Tue, 04/02/2019 - 6:39pm

The members of the Braidwood Area Healthy Community Coalition (BAHCC) are working to get out the word on dangers associated with tobacco use, especially in the era of electronic cigarettes.

During this month’s regular meeting of the BAHCC, members discussed to current bills making their way through the state legislature in Springfield.

Motel owner accused of promoting prostitution

Published by admin on Mon, 04/01/2019 - 1:41pm

 

A long-term investigation has ended with the arrests of two people with close ties to one of Braidwood’s most recognizable landmarks.

On March 28, Braidwood police made two arrests on felony charges at the Sun Motel along I-55, recognized across the country as the famed hotel in the movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”

Braidwood Police arrested Vinodchandra “Vinny” Patel, the listed Sun Motel owner and a resident of Des Plaines, for promoting prostitution, a class 4 felony.

Heated exchanges dominate City Council meeting

Published by admin on Thu, 03/28/2019 - 1:31pm

In the week prior to a highly contested municipal election, the council chamber at Braidwood's City Hall played host to a fiery exchange of words between the public, public officials and political hopefuls.

On Tuesday, March 26, the council met for its regular monthly meeting. Outside of the regular payment of bills, the council conducted virtually no business, rolling through the agenda with limited comment. However, when the meeting opened for public comment, sparks began to fly, as five separate commenters stood to exchange accusations and demands for action.