Will County Front Headlines

The family of Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr. was joined by city officials and roughly 100 residents outside his boyhood home in Joliet for a ceremony dedicating Albert Avenue in his honor on Friday.

Hollywood Casino Joliet, 1401 Gateway Blvd., opened its doors for a media tour on Friday, July 11, 2025. The casino is still under construction and expected to open to the public on Aug, 11.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said coordinated efforts with health departments across the state helped prevent further spread of the measles outbreak this spring.

Bringing forth the freshest flavors of the season is the motivator at Bothwell Farms, offering its own retail locations in Manhattan and New Lenox, and delivering its produce to farmers markets in Will, Grundy and suburban Cook counties.

Visitors to Lake Renwick Heron Rookery Nature Preserve in Plainfield can see migratory birds at viewing programs very Saturday morning this summer.

A Joliet woman has been ordered to pay back $20,000 after she pleaded guilty to defrauding a federal COVID-19 pandemic relief program in 2021. 

The Forest Preserve District of Will County offers a range of opportunities that allow volunteers to contribute their time, energy and skills at various programs.

Joliet has provided nearly $210,000 so far to restaurants, bars and other small businesses to offset impact of construction from $20 million downtown improvement project.

The National Weather Service says threats for strong to severe thunderstorms and flash flooding will continue across northern Illinois through Saturday.

Joliet police officers are now able to do real-time translation in more than 50 languages thanks to a new technology the department implemented this week

As the sixth-fastest growing community in Illinois, Plainfield is looking to conduct a special census this year. The U.S. Census Bureau will be filling 60 jobs.

The free, family-friendly evening of food and music by the water takes place Saturday at the Forest Preserve District of Will County's Monee site.

The Will County Community Health Center will host a back-to-school health fair featuring dental exams, vaccinations and school physicals on Saturday.

Diane Matter is the second neighbor of the future Love's truck stop in Joliet to say they were offered $100,000 to annex into the city and keep quiet about it.

Megan Millen, Joliet Public Library executive director, said the renovation of the 20-year-old Black Road branch was part of the library’s strategic planning process, as was the renovation of the Ottawa Street branch.

A Joliet man remains missing since June 27 but police officers have located a vehicle they believe he was driving before he vanished.

The American Red Cross is urging all donors to give blood or platelets to keep the blood supply strong this summer. Several donor events are scheduled throughout Grundy, Kendall, LaSalle and Will counties.

A new law should give Illinoisans some relief against prescription drug prices – while protecting patient access in rural and underserved communities.

A Will County lawsuit has been filed against a Minooka ambulance driver over a May 23 crash that injured five people, including the driver. 

When Shorewood police were escorted to the assisted living facility’s women’s bathroom, they found the caregiver attempting to flush jewelry that belonged to an elderly resident of the facility.

A Braidwood man will remain in jail after prosecutors claimed he recklessly fired a gun on the Fourth of July in the direction of Interstate 55.

The intersection of Interstate 55 and Interstate 80 will have overnight closures starting Monday and running through Wednesday.

The City of Lockport raised its new city flag for the first time at a ceremony that also saw the flag's designer presented with his Eagle Scout Award.

State Rep. Natalie Manley and Joliet Junior College Office of Sustainability launched a new event to encourage sustainability and cutting down on single-use containers.

The City of Lockport has announced construction in its downtown Historic District will begin this week to improve road and water systems.

Joliet police are investigating a shooting which took place Saturday morning damaging two homes in the 800 Block of Richmond Street.

Joliet Police are investigating a shooting which damaged a vehicle in the 500 block of Garnsey Avenue on Friday night.

A Joliet father drowned after attempting to rescue his son who was struggling in the waters of Lake Michigan in Indiana. 

A 17-year-old boy is in stable condition after he was shot several times at Settler’s Park in Plainfield.

President Donald Trump on Monday placed a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, citing persistent trade imbalances with the two crucial U.S. allies in Asia

A Bolingbrook man has been arrested on a charge of possession of child sex abuse materials on his cellphone.

Auto enthusiasts can get out and show off their flashy and vintage cars at community cruise nights throughout Will County.

An officer responding to a disturbance at Riverwalk Homes in Joliet was almost struck by a pair of scissors and while other officers recovered a handgun in a separate incident, police said. 

The Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for independent-living duplexes at The Preserve at Heritage Woods in Minooka.

The Senior Fraud Seminar will be held from 9-11 a.m., Tuesday, July 8 in the Bolingbrook Community Room, located at 201 Canterbury Lane in Bolingbrook.

With spring here and temperatures slowly warming it is time to get out your bike and head out to these Will County trails.

First Secure Community Bank has been recognized by the Illinois Bankers Association as a recipient of the 2025 Illinois Community Service Award.

Owner of Sidelines Sports Bar contests Joliet's new ordinance, but the City Council voted 5-3 to end packaged liquor sales at midnight for taverns.

Megan Saunders, owner of the remote Springview Sweets Bakery and the Springview Sweets Market in Lockport, is once again competing in the nationwide Best Bakery competition.

The African American Business Association of Will County recognized eight local organizations and individuals at its Juneteenth CEO & Awards Gala.

The “Into the Wild Art Exhibition” runs Friday, July 5 through Aug. 30 at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook.

Wintrust Crossroads Sports Complex is a $70 million, 31-field complex at the crossroads of Interstates 355 and 80, next to Silver Cross Hospital, 45 minutes southwest of Chicago.

Joliet Junior College is celebrating the passage of a bill promoting dual credit education programs for high school students in Illinois.

The Lockport City Council approved a rezoning and construction plan for a new subdivision between Bruce Road and I-355 on Wednesday.

The Joliet-based Wish Upon a Star nonprofit will host its second Wishstock fundraiser to benefit seriously ill children in Will County.

Here are the Forest Preserve District of Will County programs for the week of July 7. Online registration is available at ReconnectWithNature.org.

The first mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile virus this year in Will County were found in Joliet.

Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon is joined by Three Rivers Public Library District in holding a walking book club.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is encouraging the public to be aware of ticks to prevent the spread of Lyme disease during these warm weather months.

A Joliet man was granted pretrial release in a case where he’s charged with unlawful possession of a gun that an 8-year-old child allegedly used in a May 15 shooting that wounded a 5-year-old child.