Braidwood Journal

Braidwood Mayor arrested for DUI

Published by admin on Tue, 12/03/2019 - 7:24pm

Braidwood Mayor Bob Jones was arrested on Sunday, Nov. 24, by Illinois State Police on probable cause for driving under the influence.
Jones was involved in a three-car car crash on Route 53 north of Coal City Road in Wilmington.

Coalition member: Is cannabis worth the risk?

Published by admin on Tue, 12/03/2019 - 7:21pm

The Braidwood City Council wrapped up its Nov. 26 council meeting in under 30 minutes.
The meeting began with public comment from Pam Dell’Aquila, of the Braidwood Area Healthy Community Coalition, who asked the council to consider whether normalizing marijuana use and enabling access to marijuana is worth the risk.
Dell’Aquila referenced a recent study by a researcher from the Harvard School of Medicine, which she said investigated whether there’s a correlation between parental use of marijuana and the risk of substance use by offspring living in the same household.

Beloved Polk-A-Dot employee to retire

Published by admin on Tue, 12/03/2019 - 7:21pm

If you’ve grown up eating at the Polk-A-Dot Drive-In, you probably know Nancy Cunning.
Cunning has worked for the Polk-A-Dot for 41 years, 38 of which were consecutive.
Over the years, she’s served as the main cook and has done practically everything you could imagine in the kitchen at the Braidwood restaurant — except clean the slush machine, she said.
She’s not just any employee. Cunning’s years of dedication and friendly, feisty demeanor make her someone both employer and customers love.

Nationwide bus driver shortage impacts area

Published by admin on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 5:23pm

It’s not a secret that the U.S. is in a teacher shortage. But what you may not have even considered are the people who get students to and from school — bus drivers.
Throughout the country, school districts and private companies are experiencing a shortage of bus driver candidates.
“It’s an epidemic. Every transportation magazine that I pick up, that I get in the mail, every month there’s an article about shortage of drivers,” Mark Hulbert, assistant superintendent of operations at Reed-Custer School District, said during the November Board of Education meeting.

Kids can cook — and well

Published by admin on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 5:21pm

Kids and teens at the Fossil Ridge Public Library District are discovering the joys of cooking at the library district’s new cooking classes.
The classes, a collaboration of Tonya Michalec and children’s librarian Sarah Hopf, were first introduced in January and so far have been a success.
Michalec teaches both the kids and teen classes. She’s a cooking enthusiast who runs her own blog. She also used to be a reporter for The Braidwood Journal, and during her time at the newspaper she published her own spread of recipes each month.

District nearing decision on new cafeteria addition

Published by admin on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 5:20pm

A clearer timeline is in place for the cafeteria addition at Reed-Custer High School.
At the Reed-Custer CUSD 255 Board of Education meeting on Nov. 20, superintendent Mark Mitchell announced that on Dec. 11, school officials will find out the cost of the project. The Buildings and Grounds Committee will then make a recommendation regarding approval of the addition.
In mid-January, the district will decide whether to accept the bids for the project.

PACE bus program will stay

Published by admin on Tue, 11/19/2019 - 6:01pm

The city of Braidwood entered a partnership with Senior Services of Will County this month that will allow the city to keep its PACE bus program up and running.
Senior Services is providing the city with a $33,500 grant to continue its bus service.
The funding will extend until October of next year, and the city will work with Senior Services to apply for another grant to keep the program going.
The free service has always been intended for senior citizens and disabled adults, but now, the city is enforcing guidelines to ensure the target demographic is using it.

Mayor addresses published questions from public

Published by admin on Tue, 11/19/2019 - 6:00pm

Mayor Bob Jones responded during the Nov. 14 City Council meeting to “Sound-Off” comments from the public published in the Nov. 6 edition of The Braidwood Journal.
“Sound-Off” is a public forum in published weekly in this newspaper. People can voice their opinions on essentially any topic by sending in comments to The Free Press Newspapers, with the option of publishing anonymously or with their names attached.
Jones addressed questions aimed at him related to action and changes that occurred in the Braidwood Police Department during his administration.

Where imagination begins

Published by admin on Tue, 11/19/2019 - 5:59pm

It’s been 25 years since the Fossil Ridge Library bookmobile rolled into town, and the demand for books is still as strong as ever.
Sue Erickson has been working on the Fossil Ridge Public Library’s bookmobile for the past 15 years, and Bart Durbin has for the past nine years.
The two are out on the road five days a week, driving the bus to eight rural communities in Will, Grundy and Kankakee counties and providing access to books for all ages, magazines, DVDs and CDs.

Macha given two years probation

Published by admin on Fri, 11/15/2019 - 12:37pm

Kevin Macha, 29, a Joliet resident and former Reed-Custer Middle School teacher, pleaded guilty in Will County Circuit Court to possession of child pornography — a class three felony. He was sentenced two years of probation, and must register as a sex offender.
He was given a 180-day suspended jail sentence and will not serve time unless he breaks the terms of his probation. He received credit for the three days he’d already spent in jail, from the time of his arrest on Dec. 4, 2018, until he posted bond on Dec. 6.