Crescent City, IL

Not unlike companies in the private sector, Kankakee County has been met with the challenging task of filling employee vacancies. County administrator Anita Speckman reported 20 vacancies at Tuesday’s county board executive committee meeting at the county administration building. She said it’s an unheard of problem for the county. That list has been whittled down to nine after the county recently published an ad in the Daily Journal about the openings.

KENTLAND, Ind. — A brief ceremonial groundbreaking took place June 17 to mark the start of construction for the new Kentland Bank branch, being built directly behind its current location. “This is exciting for us,” said Kentland Bank President Kirby Drey. “We are definitely looking forward to enhancing the downtown...

BOURBONNAIS — The Bourbonnais School Board on Tuesday approved new start and end times for the 2021-22 year that administrators hope will help fix the district’s problem with buses running late. School hours for students will be 7:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. for Liberty, 8:10 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. for...

Watseka officials will work with a resident on issues regarding burning at the yard waste facility south of the city. At Tuesday’s Watseka City Council meeting, the issue was broached by resident Merrill Crowley, who said it was the third time he had discussed it with the city since 2019. (See Times-Republic articles dated June 28, 2019, and June 26, 2020).

BOURBONNAIS — What started as a small-scale fish fry 46 years ago is now a highly anticipated, five-day event. The Bourbonnais Friendship Festival has been a staple in the community for years, but it’s not just the entertainment, food and carnival that are responsible for its longevity — it’s the people.

KANKAKEE — After no fireworks in 2019 and nearly no fireworks again in 2020, the City of Kankakee will again offer the annual Fourth of July fireworks show on July 4. The event will be held at Kankakee Community College, 100 College Drive, and gates will open at 4 p.m. The price of admission is $20 per carload.

DEMOTTE, Ind. — Matt Zacharias was the guest speaker for the DeMotte/Kankakee Valley Rotary Club meeting earlier this month and he spoke about the charity works of the Sanctified Souls Riding Club. Zacharias, President of Kniman Chapter, stated that there are currently 11 members in the chapter and they focus...

This annual family-friendly festival — a more than 40-year tradition for the community — will once again take place at the Bourbonnais Municipal Center. Due to last year’s pandemic-related cancellation, this year’s festival theme is “Once Upon a Time in Bourbonnais: Take Two.”. The festival kicks off at 5 p.m....

Just days after a severe weather outbreak struck the Chicago area, the threat of more showers and thunderstorms will return to the forecast on Thursday, and there is a chance of more severe storms developing in the coming days. According to the NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center, most of Illinois is...

Watseka's Jameson Cluver became a state champion June 17 in the 400 meter dash at the IHSA 1A State Track and Field meet at Eastern Illinois University. Coach Rich Dickte said he had a career best time of 49.89. "Jameson is only the third boy in school history to win an event at the state track and field meet," he wrote in an email.

June 23-27 This family-friendly festival will take place at the Bourbonnais Municipal Center. This year’s festival theme is “Once Upon a Time in Bourbonnais: Take Two.” There will be carnival rides and much more. » bourbonnaisfriendshipfestival.com. June 24. The tour welcomes ticket holders into five residential gardens and two bonus...

The 2021 Lil’ Mr. and Miss Firecracker have been announced. Nine children entered the 2021 Lil’ Mr. & Miss Firecracker contest, according to information from the Watseka Area Chamber of Commerce. This year’s contest consisted of a coloring contest for area children ages 3 through 7. Lil Mr. Firecracker is...

KENTLAND, Ind. — The Newton County Historical Society kicked off the start of its newest project to highlight the history of Newton County with a “meet-and-greet” with artist Rein Bontrager, who has been chosen to paint the 100-foot-long mural on the east wall of its Resource Center. “We started putting...

Herscher High School’s Drew Rogers triumphed in Friday’s 3200 meter Class 2A State Track Meet with a time of 9:17.23, almost four seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. He followed that impressive win with a 1600-meter Class 2A state record time of 4:13.26, also 4 seconds ahead of his closest competitor.

KENTLAND, Ind. — The Kentland Rotary Club met for lunch on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in the basement of the Kentland Bank Operations Center. Barry J. Gutwein, Ph.D., P.E. from Francisville, IN was the speaker. Dr. Gutwein received both a B.S and M.S. Degree from Purdue University and in 1991 received a Ph. D. Degree from Colorado State University, all in Agricultural Engineering.

Of the 282 citizens living in Buckingham in 2019, everyone said they were only one race, according to U.S. Census Bureau data obtained in January. Of those who said they were one race, the majority identified as white. An agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, the Census Bureau is...

By the time you’ve reached this page of today’s paper, you’ve hopefully noticed we’ve made a couple changes. Let us tell you about them!. As most COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted in Illinois, community events are again alive and well in the Kankakee County area. And that means a return of our community calendar.

Ryan Guertin, a licensed associate, was promoted to financial adviser with Peoples Investments, a financial wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services Inc. As a financial adviser, Guertin will help clients achieve financial goals by lending his expertise through a financial planning approach that covers aspects of a client’s life along with an array of options to meet specific needs, including investments, insurance and annuities, and personal trust services. Guertin graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with a degree in economics, finance and business administration. He holds a Series 6, 7, and 66 License and Illinois Insurance License.

Weather is something we all like to talk about and I have always had a fascination with Mother Nature. It seems we either love it or hate it. When temperatures climb above 90 degrees with 90 percent humidity, we like to complain. But, when humidity levels drop and a cool breeze blows out of the north in June, we are happy. This was the case at last week’s Ford County Fair as there was beautiful weather for the return of fair season here in Central Illinois.

There will be a Flower/Garden Tour from 9 a.m.-noon. July 1 in Hoopeston as part of Sesquicentennial Week. Organizer Claudia DeWitt has been a Master Gardener for 15 years and has been working on the garden at her home for 20 years. DeWitt said she has about “everything under the...