Braidwood Journal

Braidwood City Council candidates make their final pleas for your vote

Published by admin on Tue, 03/28/2023 - 5:11pm

Election day is less than one week away.

The race for City Council in Braidwood has been feisty in 2023, with all but one of the four seats on City Council hotly contested, in a race that has been fraught with social media bickering and deep public interest.

As of the start of this week, 132 voters had already cast their ballots during early voting at City Hall. Four years ago, the total voters in Braidwood reached more than 1,300, a high turnout versus the county’s overall turnout of just 13% in 2019.

This year looks to be no different.

Reed-Custer School Board candidates lay out their plans

Published by admin on Tue, 03/28/2023 - 5:04pm

There are four candidates vying for three open seats on the Reed-Custer Board of Education in next week’s consolidated election. Each seat is a 4-year term on the board.

The Braidwood Journal asked each of those candidates a variety of questions on fiscal responsibility, plans to ensure student success for all students, including those with special needs, and teacher retention.

The candidates' answers to those questions are listed below in the order they appear on the ballot.

Election day is April 4.

Reed-Custer art students honored

Published by admin on Tue, 03/28/2023 - 4:56pm

Sprouting an Idea: A Seed Library

Published by admin on Tue, 03/21/2023 - 5:06pm

New ideas are taking root at Fossil Ridge Public Library District.

Patrons can now add vegetable, fruit, and herb seeds to their list of checkouts.

“The library is comprised of life-long learners and we want to provide our patrons with new opportunities and experiences to grow,” said Katelynn Clark, Adult and Teen Librarian and coordinator of the project.

This project grew with a lot of help from the community.

Clark reached out to the local Town and Country 4-H Club in Essex, to help build and paint the structure with professional supervision.

Ultimate Rides set for summer grand opening in Braidwood

Published by admin on Tue, 03/21/2023 - 4:57pm

Two and a half years after plans to move Ultimate Rides from its Coal City location to Hickory Street in Braidwood, an end date is officially in sight.

This week, city leaders from Braidwood and the owners of Ultimate Rides held a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony for the new dealership, with plans for the building to start going up over the next few weeks. Plans for the site include 11 bays on the north side of the building, as well as a vehicle display berm visible from I-55.

School, community signs defaced in Wilmington, Braidwood, Coal City

Published by admin on Tue, 03/21/2023 - 4:54pm

Local police are working together to try to find the person or persons who vandalized the signs at Wilmington High School, Reed-Custer High School, GSW High School, and the Coal City sign outside of Coal City High School.

The Wilmington Police Department posted an alert regarding the vandalism to their Facebook page on March 17. According to that post, criminal defacement took place at Wilmington High School between 1:15 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Friday.

Safety issues, truck repair concerns questioned, answered in Braidwood

Published by admin on Tue, 02/28/2023 - 5:32pm

Braidwood’s Public Property commissioner said he wants some answers when it comes to how the city keeps records, particularly when it comes to the fleet of vehicles utilized by public works.

Problems on the home turf at Reed-Custer

Published by admin on Tue, 02/28/2023 - 5:29pm

The new turf field at Reed-Custer High School needs a few fixes.

While work on the improvements is moving forward with warmer weather putting installation of the bleachers and press box a bit ahead of schedule, there has also unfortunately been some bad news with regard to the field.

Braidwood looks to address issues at WWTP

Published by admin on Tue, 02/28/2023 - 5:26pm

The city of Braidwood’s wastewater treatment plant went online in 2011, the 2 million gallon per day oxidation ditch plant promised to support long term growth for the city.

Now more than a decade into operation, there are some small issues and fixes that city leaders want to see addressed at the site.

During the Feb. 14 regular meeting of the City Council, Public Buildings and Property Commissioner Warren Wietting said he recently visited the city’s wastewater treatment plant, hoping to get a better understanding of the science behind that happens after you flush.

Braidwood coalition focused on funding

Published by admin on Tue, 02/14/2023 - 4:53pm

The Braidwood Area Healthy Community Coalition (BAHCC) is gearing up for additional activities, services and planning, starting with a plethora of grant applications that will hopefully help bring cash into the organization to help it stay afloat over the next several years.

On Feb. 13, coalition members met for their regular monthly meeting, discussing the grant application process for a handful of specific funding opportunities, including the hopeful extension of the federal Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant.