WAM 3 Communicator

  Image source: https://newcovncwc.com By Jessica Stevens   On Saturday the 26 th at 6am Glenwood Ave in Joliet was packed with cars all waiting to get into the Marathon Gas station for a gas giveaway hosted by New Covenant Worship Center, a church only a few blocks down the road from Marathon.   162 people waited in the long line for $20 worth of free gas handed out by the church as a community outreach event. With the help of volunteers from the church the gas was pumped into cars and gone in a little over 90 minutes. One of the volunteers said “That $20 might mean the difference for someone getting back and forth to work. It’s really a blessing, especially during these difficult times.”   Motorists weren’t the only ones who benefited from the gas giveaway. The owner of the Marathon Gas station made $3,000 in sales in a very short time.   The workers of the station did their best to keep the lines going smooth and orderly while the owner was at t...

Photo courtesy of patch.com By Sarah Vandermolen Although the number of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin continues to rise, some high schools will be conducting football this fall. According to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), "68% of Wisconsin's 11-player football programs statewide have opted to play a shortened fall schedule." Similar to what many college football teams had to decide between, Wisconsin high schools had the choice between a delayed and shortened fall season or an alternative spring season. According to a WIAA press release, "256 football programs elected for the seven week fall season" while "121 football programs opted for the WIAA-approved alternative fall season, which would open practice March 8 and run through May 3." Due to this decision, many divisions/conferences had to be adjusted in order to have the appropriate number of participants. According to kenoshanews.com , "In football only, Janesville Cr...

      By John Raspante      The Joliet Park District is working in full swing on a new $1.4 million addition to the six softball diamonds at the Inwood Sports Complex. Hoppy’s construction in Lockport is tearing up the grass infields in order to make way for new artificial FieldTurf.      “This has been a project on our list for ten years or so,” Joliet Park District Director Brad Staab said in an interview on Thursday. He also says he is hoping for all the work to be completed before the snow arrives this winter. The outfields for each softball diamond will remain grass, and once the renovations are complete, the park district plans to resume its softball leagues in March.      Softball is a big draw for the Joliet Park District, with there being more than 200 softball teams in its leagues annually. Once the FieldTurf is ready, the park district will also be able to host youth baseball, high school baseball, and girls’...

  Terrence Williams, who is featured above in this mugshot photo, was convicted of killing a dog in 2018, but now has gotten into more trouble after throwing feces and urine on the employees who work at the Will County Jail.  In October of 2018 Will County Circuit Judge Sarah Jones sentenced Williams to one year in the Illinois Department of Corrections after he pled guilty to abusing and brutalizing a dog. The felony of aggravated cruel treatment of animals came after court documents claimed “defendant picked [the] dog up and slapped (sassy) cracking skull of dog open, then kicked [the] dog back into owner’s yard. Dog passed away from the injuries sustained by defendant’s actions.” After serving 41 days in the Will County Jail as he was awaiting trial, Judge Jones game him good time credit for the 41 days. Williams was arrested three years ago this October on charges of unlawful possession of a stolen gun, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and a charge of criminal trespass ...

 By Shayna Griffith Image Credit: Yahoo News Supermercado Joliet supermarket located at the intersection of Cass and Collins Streets has been a recent hit in local dining with their taco stand. With the perfect weather in Joliet, customers from all around Will County are stopping in for outdoor dining and authentic hispanic food.  Supermercado Joliet taco stand is known for their hispanic food and speedy service. A reporter from the Joliet Patch claims he received his $8 taco meal only 90 seconds after ordering. Their fast and reliable service is very appealing to customers, so much so that Supermercado Joliet attracts a diverse range of customers all throughout the area. In an interview with the Joliet Patch , Supermercado owner Lucia Kulbartz said the taco stand serves customers of black, hispanic, and white races. Kulbartz says she is proud of the diversity her business attracts. When Supermercado Joliet isn’t selling tacos to hungry customers, they are selling hispanic fo...

 By: Paula Garcia The past July 1 st , The Harrah’s casino reopened to the general public in accordance with the Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Gaming Board regulations. Due to Covid-19 the hours of operation, food services and room capacity have changed in order to keep clients and personnel safe.   In the past month, according to SBC Americas , “ the  Hollywood Casino Joliet  and  Harrah’s Casino Joliet  will be restricted to within the hours of 8am to 11pm daily, and casino occupancy will be reduced during the mitigation period from 50% of fire code capacity to 25% of fire code capacity.” They also mentioned that the food and beverage services are suspended inside the casino but outside service and takeout are permitted. Not surprisingly, everybody is required to use facial masks, keep social distancing (6 ft) and other sanitizing requirements.   The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) has announced this week ...

    By John Raspante | image courtesy of Daily Journal         On Friday morning (September 18), Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that the coronavirus restrictions placed on Region 7, the greater Will and Kankakee County areas, have finally been lifted.      Three weeks ago, these counties reached a rolling positivity rate of 8 percent, which led the governor and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to place strict mitigations on Will and Kankakee Counties. These mitigations shut down all indoor bar and restaurant service and reduced the limit of people at social events/gatherings to 25.       In order to lift the restrictions, Region 7 had to cross the threshold of a rolling positivity rate of less than 6.5 percent for three consecutive days. As of Friday, Pritzker’s administration issued a news release stating that the region did in fact cross that threshold, with Friday’s rate down as low as 5.6 p...

  Image Source: myjewishlearning.com  By Jessica Stevens   Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, has been celebrated by many Jewish congregations online. Rosh Hashanah is a time where Jews and non-Jews can come together as a community beyond tribes. This two-day holiday gives those who practice it a time to reflect on their lives and gather with family and friends. The holiday starts with the blowing of a ram’s horn to signal that the new year has arrived. In 2020 coming together might be difficult for some, but thanks to the help of livestreaming, Rosh Hashanah services will continue.   Am Shalom of Glencoe streamed the celebration. Rabbi Steven Lowenstein of Am Shalom is no stranger to livestreaming services, Am Shalom has been broadcasting their worship for nearly nine years. What started as a single camera outreach to people who were sick or couldn’t come to service has evolved into an eight-camera production. Am Shalom has also delivered ...

  Photo courtesy of profootballtalk.nbcsports.com By Sarah Vandermolen In a recent press conference, the Big Ten Conference has revealed that they will be conducting football this fall after a unanimous vote. This announcement overwrites the decision the committee made in early August to cancel football this fall. In the weeks prior to the announcement, the Conference was considering a revote and began conducting a list of preventative measures that would need to be taken in order to ensure the safety of all players and staff. The Big Ten has stated that the fall football season will begin on October 23, and conclude on December 19 with a Championship Week. Each team in the conference will play a total of 8 games, not including the Championship Week. In an announcement on the Big Ten's official website, bigten.org , the conference stated, "The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) adopted significant medical protocols including daily antigen testing, enhanced c...

 By Shayna Griffith Image Credit: Joliet Herald-News Gov. Pritzker gave Will and Kankakee County restaurants and bars the green light to resume serving indoor guests during a press conference on Friday morning. This means that Will and Kankakee Counties will return to Phase 4 starting this week. In late August, restaurants and bars were ordered to temporarily end serving guests indoors as coronavirus cases increased in Will county, breaking the 8% threshold. However, as of Friday, Will and Kankakee Counties have reached the threshold to lift these restrictions as coronavirus cases decreased for three consecutive days with only a 5.6% positivity rate. Many small businesses are celebrating these lifted restrictions in the Joliet area since the outdoor-only seating mitigations were damaging their business. The Joliet Area Restaurant and Bar Guide posted the news to its Facebook page on Friday morning:  “ Great News. Will County is back in business. Per Governor Pritzker and the I...

    32-year-old Christopher McCullum, who’s mugshot is featured above via the Jolie Police Department, lead police on a high-speed chase around Joliet’s west side on September 17, 2020. McCullum remains in custody and was charged with possession of controlled substances, aggravated fleeing a peace officer, reckless driving, and driving with a suspended license after finally being caught once his vehicle was disabled.  According to police reports, an officer saw McCullum commit a traffic violation around 10:40 p.m. in the 700 block of Oneida Street, but when the officer attempted to pull McCullum over, he failed to stop and fled from the officers at a high rate of speed. McCullum finally came to a stop, but not by choice. The suspect’s vehicle struck the raised center median in the street near the area of Center and Pleasant, which disabled the car.  The police report goes on to show that investigators later located a “plastic bag of pills”. The police report claims t...

By John Raspante On Monday September 15, Will County Board Speaker Mimi Cowan announced that Nick Palmer, who has worked as the chief of staff to the Will County executive for sixteen years, will be promoted up to be the chief of staff to the Will County Board.   “We could not have found a better, more experienced individual than Nick Palmer to oversee county board matters and legislative issues,” Cowan praised Palmer for his many years of county government experience. “Nick has worked closely with the Will County Board for sixteen years and he will hit the ground running on day one when he assumes this post.” Palmer is best known in the area for working under Larry Walsh Sr, the county’s longtime executive who passed away earlier this year. Palmer ran for the Democratic nomination to be the next Will County executive but was beaten in the primary by State Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. After that loss, he faced the prospect of having to find a new job, but it turns out he wi...

Photo courtesy of channel3000.com By Sarah Vandermolen In August 2020, the Big Ten Conference announced that they are taking a step back from sports this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They stated that they would continue to work with medical experts in the event that anything changed in regards to the outbreak. Although University of Wisconsin Madison, a member of the Conference, released a statement supporting the decision, they have found a way for Badger fans to enjoy college football this year without the risk.  UW Madison revealed their project, titled the "Dream Season," early last week. According to wiscnews.com , it is a "partnership with Big Ten Network and American Family Insurance to bring a broadcast treatment to a Saturday at Camp Randall." The broadcast will include: performances from the UW marching band, the notorious Jump Around, and a smattering of other UW staples, all while watching "some of the best games in Badger history" states...

   Image Source: leadershiproundtable.org By Jessica Stevens   Leadership Roundtable and the Diocese of Joliet are partnering together for the organization’s inaugural Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative. Leadership Roundtable, a Catholic non-profit organization, has selected the Diocese of Joliet after a nationwide search for a diocesan partner to launch the Initiative. The national Advisory Committee of the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative and Leadership Roundtable reviewed applications from dioceses across the nation and selected the Diocese of Joliet for its commitment to listening to members of the Hispanic/Latino community and working to foster leadership that recognizes and represents the community in decision-making. Leadership Roundtable will be working closely with the diocese and its Hispanic Ethnic Ministries Office to begin training the first group of Hispanic/Latino Catholic leaders in January 2021. The Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiati...

(Mugshot from Will County Sheriff's Office)                   On Sunday September 13, 2020 The Joliet Fire Department responded to a call in the 1900 block of Brighton Lane, on the west side of Joliet around 3 p.m. in the afternoon. The house has a Plainfield mailing address but falls under the jurisdiction of the Joliet Police. Denise O’Malley, who’s picture is featured above, was arrested and now faces multiple felony charges after a shooting at her house.              O’Malley’s husband was rushed to the AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center by The Joliet Fire Department after he was shot multiple times. The man is 55 years old and according to the Joliet Fire Chief Greg Blaskey, he is in unstable condition. The shooting victim was found lying in the front yard of his house by paramedics. When he was found the paramedics noticed that...

 By Shayna Griffith Image Credit: Dan's Homemade Candies, Mokena, IL Dan’s Homemade Candies at 1003 Plainfield Road officially launched its Fall 2020 campaign on Wednesday. It was the store’s first day of the fall season selling their classic candy apples, and lines were out the door for the tasty treat. According to long-time store manager Karen Nolan, the fall season is always a very busy time for the business. Last fall, over 66,000 hand-dipped candy apples were sold. “Let me tell you, it’s a lot of work!” Nolan told the Joliet Patch . Dan’s Homemade Candies had a late start this season as they usually get their first bushel of apples in late August. But the business had to change the Michigan apple orchard they get their apples from each year which caused a delay in delivery. But the constant lines of customers waiting outside in the gloomy weather is only the beginning for them. As Halloween approaches, Dan’s Homemade Candies is to introduce a bigger variety of candy apples to...

  Photo courtesy of wiaawi.org By Sarah Vandermolen The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) has decided to continue with their Fall 2020 sport season. An article from the Wisconsin State Journal states "six options were presented by executive staff for the WIAA and outlines by assistant director Stephanie Hauser." In an 11-0 vote by the board, the WIAA decided that Wisconsin schools will have four sport seasons: a delayed fall season, a winter season, an alternative spring season (for schools who are unable to play sports this fall), and the traditional spring season. The alternative spring season was intended for schools that are heading back to classes with a "soft start" by having students attend online classes this fall. Due to the unknown risks and dangers that surround sports amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this alternative option allows for schools to suspend their sports for the current season while planning ahead for the spring. Due to the sch...

jca-online.org Jessica Stevens The Joliet Catholic Academy High School on Larkin Avenue will be going online temporarily due to multiple students testing positive for Covid-19. JCA will take a week to close the campus and deep clean the academy. Parents of Joliet Catholic Academy learned of the positive cases and the week of online learning through email and voicemail, although they did not learn how many students may have been exposed to Covid-19. The emails and voicemails did not say where the students may have been exposed to the virus but did reassure parents that they are performing contact tracing. Students with positive cases, and potential exposure have been told to quarantine at home for fourteen days. Joliet Catholic Academy originally planned to continue in-person classes when they thought there was only one positive case of Covid-19. They planned to deep clean and disinfect areas with possible exposure of the Covid-19 case but changed their plans when m...

            By: John Raspante      Illinois has just passed a total of 250,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, September 7 th .      The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported 1,381 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 after receiving the results of 28,975 tests in the 24 hours leading up to Monday. This brings the state’s rolling seven-day positivity rate up to 4.2%.      Illinois has now had a total of over 254,000 cases of the novel coronavirus and 8,179 people have died. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the state has administered a total of 4,447,347 tests. According to John Sahly from The Herald News , “As of late Sunday [September 6 th ], Illinois had over 1,484 COVID-19 patients in the hospital. Of those, 352 were in intensive care units, and 137 were on ventilators.”      On the local level, Will county will keep its new mitigations per the IDP...

  (photo credit to John Ferak) As September 7, 2020 passes by, so does the three-year milestone of an unsolved triple homicide in the suburb of Joliet, Illinois. Anthony McGee, Manny Hernandez, and Gabriella M. Rueda were all gunned down after what the Joliet Police Department believes was a party at McGee’s home in the Cumberland subdivision near County Line Road.    All of the victims were 22 years old when they suffered the gunshot wounds and the shootings are not believed to be random. McGee, who was released from prison several months earlier and grew up at the house.    The Joliet Patch had reported on McGee before in 2013, covering an incident when the young man was charged with armed robbery. McGee was accused of holding a knife to a 15-year-old’s throat during a crime. McGee also spent months in jail in 2015 and 2016 after being charged with a possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, and possession of marijuana.    Despite the ...

  Image Credit: Target Corporate Target and Walmart are among the many retail stores that announced they would not be holding the traditional ‘Black Friday’ sales this Thanksgiving as the country continues to battle coronavirus. Target announced on Monday that it would be focusing its holiday deals to an online format, one much more convenient and safe since coronavirus cases are expected to rise in the fall. Instead of opening doors on Thanksgiving night like usual, Target will be having all their in-store shopping doorbusters much earlier in October. Walmart also announced that it will not be having in-store shopping this Black Friday either. Many store owners are worried about this change and how it will affect their business, since Black Friday is one of the biggest days of the year for retail, coming in second behind Cyber Monday. Others see this as a blessing in disguise, since online shopping seems to be more successful than in-person shopping on Black Friday anyway. Likewis...

Two members of the Will County Emergency Management Agency (WCEMA) have achieved the designation of Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) from the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). During a year where a global pandemic, civil unrest, and unpredictable weather have affected our hometowns, Tom Murray (top right) and Allison Anderson (top left) of the WCEMA have definitely earned their certifications. Murray serves as the Chief Deputy Director and Anderson serves as the Deputy Director of the agency. To obtain this certification, Murray and Anderson had to submit an application that gave examples of their successes in emergency management and also pass a 100-question exam. According to Harold Damron, director of the agency, “Tom and Allison were evaluated on their education and training as well as their experience and contributions to the emergency management profession. Both are highly professional and dedicated members of our agency.” Emergency management is the or...

  Photo courtesy of wiscnews.com Several cases of COVID-19 have been linked to JustAGame in Wisconsin Dells, WI. The fieldhouse hosts a variety of sporting tournaments including basketball and volleyball. The recent cases have been linked to a volleyball tournament that was held in early July. The Fox47  website received emails on Friday, August 7, from a "coach whose team participated in a tournament at JustAGame." Within the emails, one from JustAGame owner Kyler Royston, it was revealed that someone within the facility tested positive for COVID-19. According to Royston, the fieldhouse will "continue with [their] prior guidelines and as an added precaution are now also requiring all individuals to wear a mask while inside the facilities with the exception of players, coaches, and officials when a game is in progress." This added precaution coincides with the recent Mask Mandate issued by Gov. Tony Evers. Royston was contacted by the Columbia County Health Departme...

Image Credit: WGN Radio JOLIET, IL-- Local business leaders have released an official letter to Governor Pritzker proposing to reverse the decision that would prohibit restaurants and bars to serve customers indoors. Jen Howard, president of the Joliet Chamber of Commerce, alongside other local business leaders, are not happy with the decision made by J.B. Pritzker in an effort to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases in Will and Kankakee Counties. The decision does not allow for restaurants and bars to offer indoor seating, and only permits them to serve customers in an open, outdoor area. This would remain in effect for at least two weeks, or until the Joliet and Kankakee area are below the 8% threshold that would allow for businesses to serve guests indoors as usual. The letter that was given to Governor Pritzker on Thursday afternoon addressed concerns that the Joliet Chamber of Commerce and neighboring chambers thought were ‘unfair restrictions targeted at the restaurant and bar ind...

By Jessica Stevens   Photo Credit Chicagocatholic.com          On July 17 th Pope Francis announced that Bishop Ronald A. Hicks, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Chicago, will be the sixth Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Il and will be installed at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus. Bishop Hicks is a native of Harvey, Il and grew up in South Holland, Il. He graduated from Quigley Seminary South in 1985 and received his bachelor’s in philosophy from Niles College of Loyola University Chicago in 1989, received his Master of Divinity degree in 1994, and his Doctor of Ministry degree in 2003 from the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Il.        Bishop Hick previously served as the Associate Pastor at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Chicago from 1994 to 1996, and then at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Orland Hills, Il from 1996 to 1999. Bishop Hicks was also the Dean of Formation at St. Jo...