WAM 3 Communicator

John Raspante             Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk has decided to recommend a member of the city’s police and fire board to fill the Joliet City Council vacancy created by the sudden resignation of Don “Duck” Dickinson.             Todd Wooten, a retired high-ranking member of the Joliet Fire Department, has served on the city’s police and fire commission board since O’Dekirk appointed him in 2015. By selecting Wooten for the City Council, O’Dekirk is nominating someone who is not planning to run for one of the three open seats on the council in the April 6 elections.             “Todd definitely has a strong personality, but he’s an independent thinker and I think he’s more of a straight shooter,” O’Dekirk said in a statement. “He’s not running for the position [in April] but he’ll be a strong voice for the people of...

By Sarah Vandermolen photo courtesy of channel3000.com The Badger's football team isn't the only sport falling victim to COVID-19. Sources say that four UW Madison hockey players have been pulled from the lineup for Saturday's game due to a positive coronavirus case. It is unclear which team member has contracted the virus, if any. According to a team spokesperson, the players are simply unavailable for the upcoming game.  The four members that have been removed from the lineup are forwards Roman Ahcan, Tarek Baker, Dominick Mersch, and Ty Pelton-Byce. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, "Pelton-Byce has missed the last three games because of a concussion." With the loss of these four players, the Badgers are down to nine forwards in their arsenal for Saturday's game. "The Badgers also have games scheduled Sunday against Arizona State, Thursday and Friday at Ohio State and Dec. 8-9 at Michigan State before a break for exams and the holidays," a...

 By Shayna Griffith Image Credit: eBusiness Weekly The coronavirus pandemic has set unprecedented challenges for small business, from early closing hours to complete shutdowns. It has not been an easy year for local business, and the Joliet Patch is looking to recognize a small business for 2020 Illinois Business of the Year. With Small Business Saturday and Black Friday last week, why stop supporting your favorite small business now?  Many small businesses are having to adjust to a new way of getting their products or services to their customers that they have never done before, such as curbside-pickup or expanded delivery. Despite the turbulent times, plenty of Joliet’s favorite businesses have continued to provide exceptional service to their customers. Now, the Joliet Patch wants to honor a local business that has been especially great this year. Any small business in the Chicago area is eligible for winning, one that has gone above and beyond to deliver exceptional serv...

            Love Walker, a 39-year-old Joliet man, was arrested and booked into the Will County Jail on November 27, 2020 following multiple physical altercations. According to the Joliet Police, they responded to a disturbance call on Thanksgiving night around 11:15 p.m. where Walker and his neighbor had gotten into a verbal altercation. For Walker, this altercation would lead to him putting an officer in a headlock, biting a St. Joseph Doctor, and biting an officer in the leg before being taken straight to the Will County Jail.              According to a police report, when the officers arrived on the scene “Walker was involved in a verbal altercation with his neighbors and was walking towards them in an aggressive manner.” The police report goes on to explain that as officers tried to gain control of the situation, Walker ran back towards his own home and push...

  John Raspante      Over the past few weeks, the WAM 3 Communicator has covered the scandal surrounding Joliet City Councilman Don “Duck” Dickinson. Dickinson filed a police report accusing Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk of blackmail over nude photos that Dickinson had sent to another consenting adult. O’Dekirk has repeatedly denied the allegations and accused Dickinson of filing a false police report. (For full coverage on that story, go here .)      After weeks of the growing controversy, Dickinson announced on Friday, November 20 that he is resigning from the Joliet City Council. The resignation was effective immediately, and Dickinson issued a formal letter of resignation to the city clerk just yesterday, November 23. Dickinson said in a statement that he is looking forward to returning to living a private life and spending more time with his children and grandchildren.      Before his resignation, Dickinson seemingly cut himself o...

By Sarah Vandermolen photo courtesy of nytimes.com Although most Wisconsin high schools decided to compete in fall sports this year, it seems some schools will not have the same luck for the winter sport season. Unlike other states, Wisconsin does not have a statewide mandate in regards to high school sports. For this reason, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) has left school districts to decide whether they will be participating in winter sports.  Due to the increase of COVID-19 cases, many high schools in Wisconsin have decided to suspend their winter sport season, while others are charging forward with competitions. However, even if schools decide to hold their winter season, not all high schools will begin on time.  According to rivertowns.net , "Locally, River Falls and New Richmond have suspended all athletics and activities through Dec. 7, while Hudson, St. Croix Central and Somerset are beginning as planned."  St. Croix Central athletic dire...

              Three suspects have been arrested after an alleged carjacking in Joliet on November 18, 2020. Rickie Jones (a nineteen-year-old from Chicago), Cornelius Aaron (another nineteen-year-old from Chicago), and a third suspect (an unnamed fifteen-year-old from Chicago) were all taken into custody and charged with aggravated robbery and vehicular hijacking after getting caught the same day. According to the Joliet Police Department, officers responded to a potential robbery at the 1400 block of Mason Avenue. Once on the scene, the responding officers learned that a food delivery driver had been robbed at gunpoint. The victim told officers that she completed a delivery and was walking back to her car when she was approached by three people with guns. One of the suspects pointed a handgun at the victim and demander her belongings along with her car. After a description was relayed of the potential suspects and the veh...