Education
Meeting Briefs: Peotone School District 207-U for July 21, 2025
District Weighs Budget Cuts vs. More Debt: Peotone schools must create a state-mandated deficit reduction plan to address a recurring ~$2 million operating shortfall. The Board of Education is debating whether...
Summer Construction Projects Transforming Peotone Schools
Major construction projects are progressing on schedule across Peotone School District 207-U, with significant HVAC upgrades, new secure entrances, and extensive paving work transforming campuses ahead of the new school...
Peotone Schools to Launch “Go Big Blue” Unity Initiative
Peotone School District 207-U will rally under a new theme, “Go Big Blue,” for the 2025-26 school year in a comprehensive initiative aimed at unifying the district around common character...
Peotone FFA Alumni Propose Privately Funded Greenhouse to Expand Program
The Peotone High School agriculture program could see a major expansion after the Peotone FFA Alumni and Friends group presented a proposal to the Board of Education to privately fund...
Peotone School Board Approves Sweeping Personnel Changes, Fills Key Vacancies
The Peotone School District 207-U Board of Education approved a lengthy and significant personnel report during a special meeting on Monday, July 21, addressing numerous vacancies through new hires, internal...
Resident Alleges Financial Mismanagement, Underused Buildings at Peotone Board Meeting
A Peotone resident and village trustee, Jim Bowden, confronted the Peotone School District 207-U Board of Education during its special meeting Monday with a series of sharp allegations regarding building...
Meeting Briefs: Peotone School District 207-U for July 21, 2025
PES Pickup Route Scrutinized: Resident Kacey Dewall revisited concerns about the parent pickup route for Peotone Elementary School on Oak Street, citing ongoing issues with blocked driveways and mail delivery. District...
Will County Board Meetings
Report Finding Few Trucks Littering Sparks Debate on Cleanup Responsibility
Article Summary: A Will County report found that a very small percentage of waste-hauling trucks are the source of litter on roadways near the county landfill, sparking a debate among...
Will County Receives Detailed Update on Landfill Expansion Investigation
Article Summary: The Will County Landfill Committee received a comprehensive technical update on the site investigation for the planned horizontal expansion of the county landfill, confirming the project remains on...
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Landfill Committee for August 7, 2025
The Will County Landfill Committee on Thursday heard a detailed technical update on the ongoing investigation for the county landfill expansion, confirming that the complex project remains on schedule. Consultants...
Will County Health Department Seeks $1 Million to Avert ‘Drastic’ Service Cuts from Expiring Grants
ARTICLE SUMMARY: The Will County Health Department is requesting an additional $1 million in county funding for its 2026 budget to prevent the elimination of 11 critical staff positions, warning...
Will County’s “First-in-Nation” Veterans Center to House Workforce Services, Sparking Debate
ARTICLE SUMMARY: The new Will County Veteran's Assistance & Support Center will also become the home for the county's Workforce Services department, a move officials say will save approximately $250,000 in...
Improved Vendor Service Creates $1.2 Million Shortfall in Sheriff’s Medical Budget
ARTICLE SUMMARY: The Will County Sheriff’s Office is facing a more than $1.2 million shortfall in its budget for inmate medical services, a problem officials attribute to an ironic cause:...
Will County Public Works Committee Unveils 25-Year Transportation Plan, Projects $258 Million Gap
ARTICLE SUMMARY: Will County officials have presented "Our Way Forward 2050," a new long-range transportation plan that provides a 25-year vision for infrastructure projects while forecasting a $258 million shortfall in...
Will County Animal Protection Services Seeks New Facility Amid “Gaping Wound” of Space Crisis
Article Summary: Will County Animal Protection Services is seeking approval for a new facility, telling a county committee that its current building is critically inadequate for housing animals, leading to...
Board Confronts Animal Services Crowding, Explores Future Facility Options
ARTICLE SUMMARY: Will County officials are grappling with an ongoing animal housing crisis that has overwhelmed the county’s Animal Protective Services facility, prompting discussions about expansion, new construction, or even repurposing...
Illinois News
Illinois quick hits: ‘Lawsuit inferno’ bill takes effect after Pritzker signed 267 measures Friday
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square 'Lawsuit inferno' bill takes effect Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation which led the American Tort Reform Association to label Illinois...
State defends gun ban district court ruled unconstitutional
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) − Ahead of oral arguments over Illinois’ gun ban in the federal appeals court, attorneys for the state...
Pritzker acts upon 269 bills, vetoes 2, signs ‘lawsuit inferno’ measure
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – In a Friday announcement of the status of 269 bills, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation which...
Legislators criticize Illinois’ utility policies as ‘unsustainable’
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s law banning utility shutoffs during extreme heat and cold is sparking concerns over rising...
WATCH: Illinois In Focus Daily | Friday Aug. 15th, 2025
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – In today's edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop talks with gun...
Illinois quick hits: Ex-student sentenced for school gun, time served; fall semester beginning
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Ex-student sentenced for school gun, time served A former Chicago Public Schools student has been sentenced to five years in prison...
Illinois quick hits: Search continues for Gibson City suspect; manufacturing declines since 2000
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Search continues for Gibson City suspect Illinois State Police continue their search for a suspect wanted in connection with a Gibson...
National News
Judge expands restraining order against ‘Beto’ O’Rourke, adds ActBlue
By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square A judge has expanded a temporary restraining order against former U.S. Rep. Robert (Beto) O’Rourke and his organization, Powered by People, as well as ActBlue...
Reversing Biden’s precedent, students complete FAFSA in minutes at beta-testing event
By Tate MillerThe Center Square President Donald Trump’s Department of Education is working to restore the student aid FAFSA form after the Biden administration made what should be a couple-minute...
Trump, Zelenskyy to meet Monday in steps toward peace with Russia
By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square Following a “successful” meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump said he is going straight for a “peace agreement” in a...
Possible ‘agreement’ reached in Trump-Putin meeting; more discussion likely
By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square It appears an “agreement” was reached in the Friday meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American President Donald Trump, but the nature of that...
WATCH: Gun rights supporters celebrate 9th Circuit’s ruling against CA gun rationing law
By Carleen JohnsonThe Center Square Gun rights supporters are celebrating what they call a significant victory after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a mandate on Thursday overturning California’s...
Feds sue California over emission standards for trucks
By Jamie ParsonsThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Justice is suing California to stop what it calls “unlawful” emission standards for heavy-duty trucks. The California Air Resources Board is...
WATCH: UW-authored study on surgery times contradicts CMS basis for reimbursement cuts
By Carleen JohnsonThe Center Square New findings published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons contradict the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, claim that surgery...
