News

Summer roadwork set to start

Published by admin on Tue, 05/15/2018 - 5:56pm

As summer fast approaches, the city of Braidwood is set for road improvement projects around town.

On May 8, members of the City Council approved two measures for upcoming road work.

The first measure was to award a bid for asphalt overlay and various street improvements, in the amount of $327,961 to Austin Tyler Construction.

“It was very competitive pricing, I think that will allow us to do more work,” said city engineer Todd Gereaux.

The council also approved an additional $280,000 in motor fuel tax (MFT) work for the upcoming season.

City aids BAHS with property cleanup

Published by admin on Tue, 05/15/2018 - 5:53pm

A piece of property that once housed a local church is now in the hands of the Braidwood Area Historical Society (BAHS). But, thanks to the city, the members of the BAHS have gotten a jump start on cleaning up the area.

On May 8, BAHS president George Kocek addressed the City Council, thanking them for assistance at the newly acquired property.

Fishing for a Cure Tourney raises $55,000 for Ronald McDonald House charities

Published by admin on Tue, 05/15/2018 - 5:51pm

Mother Nature threatened to make it a difficult day for anglers. But despite some early morning rain and cooler temperatures, the annual Fishing for a Cure tournament, hosted by Exelon’s Braidwood Station Nuclear Power Plant, still pulled in $55,000 for a good cause. The event took place on Saturday, May 13, with fishing on the cooling pond and a kid’s fishing derby on the pond at the Godley Park District.

Aldermen say no to Ward Two candidate

Published by admin on Wed, 05/09/2018 - 9:00am

    Mayor Roy Strong’s pick for alderman representing the Second Ward went down in a 4-3 vote last week. But that doesn’t mean the candidate can’t be seated.
    Since he took office last May, Strong has had to find replacements for both Second Ward aldermen. Alderman Larry Hall resigned late last year, and after a search that lasted several weeks, Dennis Vice was approved by the council and sworn in as Hall’s replacement. Now, Strong has to find somebody to fill the Second Ward seat vacated recently by Alderman Kirby Hall.

Despite challenges, Catfish Days will go on

Published by admin on Tue, 05/08/2018 - 8:13pm

    It’s just another year to the Catfish Days Committee — and they’ll get over this year’s challenges just like they did last year and the many years before that.
    Catfish Days in Lincoln Land 2018, celebrating Illinois’ 200th birthday, runs from July 26 to July 29. It’s the 20th year of the reborn festival.

American Legion picks up Memorial Day parade

Published by admin on Tue, 05/08/2018 - 8:11pm

    The Wilmington American Legion Lester J. Smith Post 191 will be hosting the annual Memorial Day weekend parade on Saturday, May 26.
    The Veterans of Foreign Wars Malcolm J. Mayo Post 5422 decided not to organize the parade this year. They’d done it for the last 10 years and public interest was waning. The American Legion, however, wants to keep the tradition going.

Drowning report unfounded

Published by admin on Tue, 05/08/2018 - 7:52pm

The Wilmington Fire Department and Wilmington Emergency Services and Disaster Agency water rescue team responded to a report of a possible drowning at the Kankakee River dam in Wilmington Tuesday, May 8, around 6:40 p.m.

They deployed their Creature Craft Waterwog rescue boats and searched for a victim for about an hour, but determined the call to be unfounded.

Outage concludes at Braidwood Station

Published by admin on Tue, 05/08/2018 - 6:30pm

Exelon’s Braidwood Station is back to full power this week.

Just after 6 a.m. on May 1, full power was restored to Unit 1 at the site, following a scheduled refueling outage that began on April 9. The unit was synchronized to the electrical power grid that morning, and reached full power by the afternoon of Thursday, May 3.

The scheduled outages create an economic boon to the city.

This most recent outage brought an additional 1,600 workers to the city for four weeks, benefiting local stores, gas stations, and restaurants.

City puts investment policy in writing

Published by admin on Tue, 05/08/2018 - 6:29pm

A local citizens group has questioned if the city of Braidwood is financially stable. But, city officials insist that things are looking good as the new fiscal year kicks off.

On April 24, the city’s outsourced finance director Maria Alexychuk gave a vote of confidence to the city’s financial practices, telling those gathered at the regular meeting of the City Council that the books look good for the city.

Public transportation becomes a reality in Braidwood

Published by admin on Tue, 05/08/2018 - 6:26pm

After months of planning and working through the contract, the city of Braidwood officially has its own public transport bus.

This week, Braidwood began operating its PACE bus service, bringing to conclusion months of work to bring a public transportation option to the city.

Mayor Jim Vehrs unveiled the new bus during this year’s Red Carpet Corridor Festival on Saturday, May 5. The mayor said the bus finally arrived on Friday night.