Free Press Advocate

Mayoral candidates make final plea to a full house

Published by admin on Tue, 03/25/2025 - 3:35pm

With one week to go in the election to decide who will serve as Wilmington’s mayor the next four years, the three candidates—incumbent Ben Dietz, former mayor Roy Strong and former building inspector Jayson Walinski—took the stage at Tuffy’s Lounge for a public forum on Monday.
Over the course of one hour, 20 minutes they took turns answering 25 questions presented by moderator Ralph “Tuffy” Stevens.

Excitement building over ‘Spring into Wilmington’ event

Published by admin on Tue, 03/18/2025 - 4:00pm

Buying a $20 passport and doing a little leg work could result in someone winning a new vehicle.
It’s just one of the prizes listed in the “Spring Into Wilmington” event, sponsored by the Wilmington Rotary Club, going on now through March 30.
Excitement is growing since Saturday when the shop Wilmington challenge kicked off with three ways to win:
1. Purchase a Passport: $20 entry for a chance to win three amazing prizes.

Candidates share why they want your vote

Published by admin on Wed, 03/05/2025 - 11:31am

There was plenty of common ground between candidates running for city council or for mayor Monday night during a forum that ended up being quite tame.
Pretty much all of them said they were running because they care about the community, wanting to see more commercial and residential development, better roads and sidewalks, and improvement of parks; words heard four and even eight years ago during the previous two elections.

Midewin loses 12 staffers, USDA blames Biden administration

Published by admin on Tue, 02/25/2025 - 3:41pm

In January, the Trump administration announced plans to downsize federal agencies. Though the news was disquieting, few believed this small pocket of Will County would be affected.
The very idea that federal downsizing would hit Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie never occur to those who worked there.
Thus, it was all the more shocking when between Feb. 14 and 18 the Sword of Damocles came down on Midewin. By that time, the U.S. Forest Service had fired 3,400 employees. The 12 from Midewin were the latest casualties. The entire educational staff was decimated.

Diocese of Joliet announces closings, mergers for area Catholic churches

Published by admin on Tue, 02/18/2025 - 4:15pm

Bishop Ronald Hicks, head of the Diocese of Joliet, announced Thursday the closing of four churches–including two in our area. The closures are part of the third phase of the diocese’s restructuring.
St. Lawrence O’Toole Chapel in Essex and St. Patrick in Manhattan, will close effective July 1. St. Patrick will be merged into St. Joseph of Manhattan.
In December 2024, Hicks expressed his thoughts and concerns about the restructuring.
“I wish the reality and data were different,” Hicks said. “I wish we didn’t have to make a lot of these hard decisions.”

New office suites for rent on Water Street

Published by admin on Tue, 02/11/2025 - 4:34pm

Business will soon be booming at 116 and 118 S. Water Street, Wilmington.
On Thursday, property owners and brothers Nick and Zack Martinez were hard at work, putting finishing touches on what soon will be the Water Street Professional Center.
Already, interest in the property is high, with potential renters dropping by with questions several times a week.

Scrap metal now being accepted during electronics drop-offs

Published by admin on Tue, 02/04/2025 - 3:56pm

Don’t throw that old frying pan in the trash bin. Now you can take it and other scrap metal items to a Will County electronics waste recycling drop-off held the second Thursday of the month in the parking lot of the city hall, 1165 S. Water St., Wilmington.
The Will County Electronics Collections is now accepting small scrap metal items including cookie sheets, pots and pans, car jacks, chains, keys, copper pipe and fittings, nuts, bolts, screws, hand tools like screw drivers and pry bars, metal door knobs, silverware, tool boxes, watches, wire hangers, wire screens and more.

Siphoning warm water to combat flooding has been a 37-year project

Published by admin on Wed, 01/29/2025 - 2:27pm

When winter rears its bitter head, residents living near the Kankakee River tend to get a wee bit nervous, and for a good reason.
On Jan. 26, 2024, the river crested to 15.6 feet on Jan. 26, 2024, those living near the river may be a tad nervous this winter. This is especially true after Will County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) issued a warning about the possibility of ice jams on the Kankakee River.

WHS gym dedicated to past wrestling coach Rob Murphy

Published by admin on Tue, 01/21/2025 - 4:16pm

Wilmington High School honored retired wrestling coach Rob Murphy on Thursday with a ceremony to rename the high school gymnasium in his honor.
The event took place at the start of an ICE Conference quad meet celebrating Murphy's remarkable career spanning nearly three decades at WHS.
Murphy, who retired in 2022, left an indelible mark on the school and the sport.

City may need a more dependable water source

Published by admin on Tue, 01/14/2025 - 4:16pm

James Gretencord, director of public works, approached the council last week to relay issues about a broken water main, sediment build up on water intake filters and the possibility of the water supply not meeting the need of the city.
Gretencord reported that a water main has broken three times in December.
Meanwhile, emergency maintenance was required to clear the river intake pipes of debris on Dec. 31. The situation was deemed critical.