Plainfield

The Joliet region has been a busy place in 2024, with a lot of business development, infrastructure projects and new housing coming in. But the region also saw some tragedy with a mass shooting and the death of a toddler from neglect and drugs.

Former Joliet resident Kathy Mihelich and Judy Erwin of Plainfield started and organized the first Witches Night Out fundraiser in 2010

The Imagination Library is a book-gifting program, “which mails free, high-quality and age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five,” according to a news release from the Will County Executive Office.

Free mental health care is available in Will County. Here’s how to access some of those resources.

The primary objective is to provide unique recreational amenities for the southwest region of the Plainfield Park District.

The Plainfield Fire Protection District received a call Sunday morning that a semi-trailer truck traveling northbound at Interstate 55 just north of Route 30 had left the highway and landed onto train tracks below.

Celebrate New Year's Eve at one of these exciting parties and events in McHenry, Kane and DuPage counties.

The construction consisted of a new, mile-long road between Ridge and Steiner roads to redirect traffic - especially commercial vehicles – away from Plainfield’s downtown corridor as well as improve travel times to the western portion of Plainfield.

Collection boxes are located at the Joliet Police Department and at three Joliet businesses during normal business hours.

Iron&Glass Minooka will be donating to Wags 2 Wishes Animal Rescue in Plainfield during December.

The community is invited to attend Lucia Fest at the Church of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Covenant in Crest Hill.

Objections have been raised against three petitions filed by candidates seeking to run for the Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees.

Here are the Forest Preserve District of Will County programs for the week of Dec. 2. Online registration is available on the Event Calendar at ReconnectWithNature.org.

Steve Buresh said he’s planned some amazing cookies for December at his cookie store in Plainfield.

Will County Board members spent fewer than four minutes choosing their new leadership but close to six hours debating proposed changes to their rules and procedures.

For Plainfield resident Terri Horwath, hearing about the devastation that occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, brought her back to 1990 when her community was devastated by the F5 tornado.

The Plainfield Fire Protection District will again participate in the holiday fire safety campaign “Keep the Wreath Red” to raise awareness of fire safety during the holiday season.

Asphalt paving, streetlights, and pavement marking installation have been completed on the Indian Boundary Bridge in Plainfield.

Democrats plan to elect Joe Van Duyne as county board chair.

Smoothie King opened in Crest Hill this week and plans to open in Homer Glen in 2025. The speciality beverage company has several locations open across Will County.

Live entertainment at the Joliet Public Library and the Joliet Area Historical Museum, North Pole Christmas Market at the Renaissance Center and North Pole Park at Cass and Joliet Streets, ice sculpture demos, food trucks and parade.

"Shop local" in downtown Plainfield on Saturday through an artisan fair and a passport event.

A Will County judge granted the pretrial release of a Plainfield Township man accused of pistol whipping a woman and barricading himself in an incident that drew a major police response.

Devin Nier, 42, was arrested on Friday and charged with aggravated battery, and domestic battery, after barricading himself inside a home in unincorporated Plainfield Township Friday morning.

Dario Mercato in Plainfield serves Roman-style pizza by the slice or full sheet, according to its website. Roman-style pizza is a rectangular style of pizza that originated in Rome, Italy.

A man is in custody after keeping himself barricaded inside his Plainfield Township home for about two hours on Friday. Joliet, Plainfield and Will County police responded after getting a 911 call from a woman inside the home.

The 60,000-square-foot Village of Shorewood YMCA is being built in partnership with the village of Shorewood. Local officials gathered for a grounding-breaking ceremony for the facility on Thursday.

A ribbon cutting will take place at 4 p.m. at CIEL Senior Living at Plainfield, located 12446 S. Van Dyke Road in Plainfield, followed by an open house until 7 p.m.

Cookie Store, owned and operated by Steve Buresh, is now open at Route 30 and 143rd Street in Plainfield.

Henry Franzen, a fifth grader at River View Elementary School in Plainfield, is honoring veterans in two ways this Veterans Day.

Towns throughout Will County are hosting events to celebrate Veterans Day on Monday and Wednesday.

Plainfield native and Air Force veteran Michael Collins was a Plainfield police officer, Illinois state trooper, volunteer Plainfield firefighter, trustee of the Plainfield Fire Protection District and the village of Plainfield, and served three terms as Plainfield president.

A formerly homeless veteran who served overseas in Iraq credited the Family and Friends Homeless Veterans Program in Joliet with helping him get his life back together.

We Rock the Spectrum Shorewood provides a “safe, nurturing, and fun environment to foster learning, exploration and safe sensory experiences,” according to its website.

Joliet police officers are still searching on Monday for Jocelyn Buster, 27, of Joliet, who is accused of money laundering and vehicle fraud.

A Crystal Lake contractor faces over $287,000 in OSHA fines for safety violations that created fall risks for its employees, officials report.

Herbert Brooks Jr. appears headed back to the Will County Board, and he could by joined by teachers’ union leader Dawn Bullock and Kelly Hickey, a Naperville Democrat, based on unofficial vote counts on Tuesday.

Unofficial vote totals on Tuesday night show incumbent Laurie Summers maintained a lead over Robert Enright in the race for the Will County Coroner’s Office.

Unofficial vote totals show State Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel has a substantial lead over Will County Board member Katie Deane-Schlottman for Illinois Senate District 49 race.

Here are three races to keep an eye in Will County on as the votes roll in on Tuesday evening.

Democrats have maintained their hold over the Will County Coroner’s Office for 36 years and a Republican will once again try to win the office in Tuesday’s election.

Representatives from the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Plainfield Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce, Lockport Chamber of Commerce and American Business Association shared their best advice.

Shorewood's Anh’s Cakery & Cafe has opened a new store at 1151 Brook Forest Ave. in Shorewood.

The village of Plainfield recently dedication its new Emergency Management Agency building as the John J. Konopek Jr. Plainfield Emergency Management Agency Center, a 15,000-square-foot facility located at 14805 S. Wood Farm Road.

This week, the Illinois State Board of Education released school- and district-level data showing what percentage of Will County students were considered proficient in math and reading last year. Check out this chart to see if that's an improvement over the prior year.

Search our table to see what designation your Will County school received on the 2024 school report card.

One week from Election Day, over 90,000 Will County voters have already cast their ballots for president and other local races via early and mail-in voting.

Halloween is Thursday. Here's a guide to find out when trick or treat hours are for your Will County community.

Dave and Aubrey Appel of Plainfield, known for their "floating Max" from "Stranger Things" prop, created new horror props inspired by other pop culture themes.

Mr. Salty's Carnival Eats is participating at Lockport's Hayride of Horror in October and loves catering a variety of private and corporate events, even when the event is third shift.