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
WATCH: Small business group: Pritzker-signed bills are wrong move
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) − Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation that he says will protect workers, but a small business advocate...
WATCH: Illinois In Focus Daily | Thursday Aug. 14th, 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 shares highlights from...
Chicago’s commercial property taxes spike to twice national city average
By Glenn Minnis | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Chicago business owners are now being forced to pay some of the highest commercial property taxes...
Illinois quick hits: Court rejects lawsuit against Texas Democrats; no charges for police
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Court rejects lawsuit against Texas Democrats An Adams County judge has rejected a lawsuit against 33 Texas House Democrats who absconded...
Illinois judge rejects Texas legislature lawsuit over absconding Dems
By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – An Illinois judge has rejected a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas against 33 House...
Illinois quick hits: Human trafficking law signed; Mercyhealth to pay for COVID vaccine discrimination
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Human trafficking law signed Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation requiring state agencies to develop a strategic unified plan to build...
WATCH: Nearly 400 people become U.S. citizens at Illinois State Fair
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Nearly 400 people from more than 70 different countries became naturalized U.S. citizens Wednesday at the Illinois...
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...
