Parents held a 22-hour school sit-in in advance of a vote that could let go of teachers for poor student performance, a shooting at a nightclub left one dead, and other news. more ›

Plenty of TV shows make us want to gouge our eyes out. But a Joliet area man took it a bit further when he allegedly tried to pry out his uncle’s eyeballs with his thumbs. more ›

One man was killed and one was injured when their roadside argument spilled into oncoming traffic Saturday night. John M. Donahue, 63, was killed, and Aaron Wood, 25, suffered severe injuries to his legs and pelvis. The two exited their cars and started fighting along the side of the road, then stumbled into traffic, and a car struck both of them. more ›

A Joliet man asked his ex for some late-night lovin'. He got nunchuks and ninja stars instead. more ›

If, like us, the last fifteen or so times you've caught The Blues Brothers, it was on some random weekend afternoon on WGN and riddled with commercial breaks, and your appreciation for the classic could probably use a fresh perspective. So why not head to The Old Joliet Prison and watch it the way Jake and Elwood would have wanted you to? more ›

On Thursday night, 20 people were arrested in a prostitution sting in Joliet, after the "numerous" complaints that police had received about prostitutes working near Joliet Central High School, according to Cmdr. Al Roechner. "We were concerned about this activity and have spent the last few weeks making arrests and shooing away suspected prostitutes," he said to the Chicago Sun-Times. Between 8:30 p.m. and 1 a.m., undercover police posed as prostitutes and arrested 20 people who stopped to solicit sex. "Stopping this kind of activity is a quality of life issue," Roechner said to the Sun-Times. A list of the arrested individuals can be found here. more ›

We know competition for parking spots can be fierce, but we've never heard of anything like this. Five people were arrested at a Joliet apartment building Tuesday afternoon after a fight broke out over a parking spot. Yes, a parking spot. Jasmine Reardon apparently parked in the wrong parking spot, allegedly prompting a beat-down from two other women. Police were called and woman was arrested while another fled. But she came back for a second go-round a short time later. more ›

On Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, intruders broke into Silver Cross Field--home to the Joliet JackHammers, a Northern League baseball team--and stole 16 LCD flatscreen TVs that had recently been installed in the luxury suites. To get into the ballpark, the robbers cut surveillance camera cables and broke open a gate. more ›

One angry Joliet shopper took his frustrations too far this weekend. The shopper, Juan Varges, was asked to leave the Gonzales Supermarket at 652 Collins St. on Friday and returned later in the day brandishing a taser. Varges allegedly attacked the store's butcher but no injuries were reported. There was no report on whether or not the taser was discharged but Varges was charged with battery, criminal trespassing and unlawful use of a weapon. more ›

• Police hope surveillance footage will give them leads in a shooting that happened yesterday in the Irving Park neighborhood.
• Attorney General Lisa Madigan today said that Gov. Quinn is clear to sell Thomson Correctional Center to the federal government for housing terrorism suspects currently being held at Guantanamo Bay.
• Dwain Kyles and Calvin Hollins, the owners of E2 who were recently sentenced to two years in jail, have asked a judge to allow them to remain free pending their appeal.

Many of us have blamed our dogs for a variety of things. But for possessing marijuana plants? That's a new one (and we're totally adding it to our list). A man in Joliet got into hot water when an anonymous tip informed police he was cultivating a few marijuana plants. According to the police report, a woman who lives at the residence allowed officers into the yard where they found two living, growing marijuana plants plus a third dead one. WBBM 780 AM explains what happened next: more ›

An abandoned and "mutilated" ATM machine was discovered some woods near Joliet. Authorities have not determined - but are investigating the possibility - that it might be the ATM machine stolen with ninja-like stealth from Millennium Park last week. Officer Robert Perez of the Chicago Police Department News Affairs Office told the Sun-Times, "We don't know if this is connected to the one they found." Honestly, we hope this ATM machine - which was "cut open with a cutting torch and was in several pieces," according to police - isn't the Millennium Park one. It'd be such an amateurish, disappointing conclusion to a pretty nifty heist (again, not that we condone stealing an ATM machine). more ›

A fire on the west side of Joliet destroyed a four-unit condo and left two couples homeless Saturday morning, according to the Herald. more ›

• Chicago Now's one story up has the story of a family who is facing eviction from Section 8 housing after the death of their mother.
• The Clout College hearings continued today with a pair of admissions experts expressing surprise at the elaborate nature of the system in place at the University of Illinois.
• If you haven't heard it yet, please, go listen to Sen. Roland Burris's interview this morning on WBEZ's 848. While nothing new is revealed, Burris's reactions to questions like what he thinks the impact of his not seeking the seat in 2010 on his staff will be straddle the line between hilarious and horrifying.

Joliet's Empress Casino, closed since a large fire struck the complex in March, is finally set to reopen tomorrow. Empress marketing coordinator Kevin McMaster told Fox 32, "Everything is coming along great. It's amazing how fast things are coming together. We are crossing our last Ts and dotting our last Is for Thursday." The casino, which has been closed for 97 days, will have a few ceremonies before reopening to the public at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. [Fox 32] more ›

Yesterday, it appeared as if the robber known as "The Daybreak Bandit" had struck again, this time hitting a Harris Bank in Joliet at around 7 a.m. The man hid behind a dumpster and when an employee arrived to open the bank, he told the employee he was armed and forced them to open the bank. Today, local FBI officials confirmed that a suspect in the robbery was in custody along with an accomplice, though no charges have been filed. "The Daybreak Bandit" earned his nickname because he chose to rob banks in the early morning when workers were just arriving. The bandit's suspected of other robberies in Plainfield, Romeoville and Hinsdale and a $20,000 reward had been offered for his capture. [Daily Herald, Fox Chicago] more ›

Yesterday’s fire at the Empress Casino in Joliet has left it closed. Managers are meeting with insurance adjusters and the Illinois Gaming Board today to determine the extent of the damage. The closure puts about 850 people out of work for the moment. more ›

Ah, allergies. Many of have them and we're getting close to a particularly bad time of year for them. Some of us sniffle and drip our way through the days, suffering and loading up on various meds just to get us through the work day. One Joliet teacher, however, is squaring of with her school district over her right to wear an allergy mask she claims helps alleviates her severe allergies. more ›

A five-year-old Joliet girl is in stable condition after she and her sister were mauled by a Rottweiler yesterday afternoon. Kashae Mitchell and her 10-year-old sister, Lexiana Willhite, were attacked around 3:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon. Kashae was airlifted to Children's Memorial Hospital with bites to her head and face. Joliet police Chief Fred Hayes said, "This is a real serious dog mauling, a real vicious attack,. Apparently she has very serious facial injuries and head injuries caused by the mauling by this dog." Lexiana suffered bites to her arm and was treated at Silver Cross Hospital. Details are sketchy about the dog: while the girls' mother admits she's been caring for the dog, she says she's not the owner and the dog was allegedly left at the house by the girls' uncle. The attack occurred when the girls entered the dog's kennel to feed it. Animal Control took the dog and will put it to sleep and test it for rabies. more ›

Two men were charged with a hate crime after they beat a black man with garbage cans outside a Joliet gas station on Saturday night. Lucas M. Bailey and Jerry Bryant, both white, "are charged with aggravated battery, mob action, committing a hate crime and resisting a police officer." When police intervened in the beating, the pair swung the garbage cans at the responding officer. Real smart, guys. The victim sustained lacerations and bruises to the head, though his injuries were not life-threatening. To absolutely no one's surprise, both suspects have criminal records. more ›

The Wisconsin couple who died when their small single-engine plane crashed on New Year's Night at Joliet Regional Airport were killed by "blunt head and chest trauma" upon impact. The autopsy was performed on Saturday. Deborah Loiselle and Stuart Seffern died when Seffern's plane crashed on take-off from Joliet Regional. They had traveled from Orlando and stopped for fueling. The cause of the crash is still unknown. more ›

As NTSB investigators continue looking into the New Years Day crash that killed two at Joliet Regional Airport, a few more details are emerging. First, it appears as if the plane actually crashed on take-off. The plane landed as its passengers, Deborah Loiselle and Stuart Seffern, both of Madison, Wisconsin, hoped to refuel. Upon finding no one to help and no fuel at the site - given the holiday - the pair then attempted to take off, but the plane "took a hard left" causing the crash. It also seems that the pair had flown in from Orlando, Florida and not Buffalo, New York as several media outlets had initially reported. The plane originally landed about 6 p.m. Wednesday evening and attempted the take-off around 8:40 p.m. more ›

Based on personal effects and registration information, authorities believe the two people who died in last night's plane crash at Joliet Regional Airport were Stuart D. Seffern, 50, and his partner, Deborah A. Loiselle, 52, both of Madison, Wisconsin. Authorities had earlier identified Seffern as the owner of the aircraft. more ›

A small plane carrying two people - a man and a woman - crashed late yesterday evening in Joliet killing both on board. The crash happened at Joliet Regional Airport. According to FAA records, the Lancair 360 single-engine aircraft belonged to Stuart D. Seffern of Madison, Wisconsin. Neither victim has been identified, so it's unknown if Seffern was on the plane. Per the Trib, Joliet Regional is "an uncontrolled field" which means pilots land "at their own discretion." more ›

After the Tribune ran their exclusive yesterday about former Blagojevich aide and friend John Wyma wearing a wire, Blago denied the information supposedly gathered was true. Now Wyma says he never even wore a wire or recording device at all. Wyma's attorney issued a statement saying, "Today, there are news articles suggesting that John Wyma has worn a wire or otherwise recorded conversations as part of a federal investigation. Contrary to those stories, Mr. Wyma has not worn any wire or recorded any conversations; nor is he aware of any such recorded conversations." Well either Blago, Wyma, or the anonymous source must be lying, we can't wait to find out which one it is. more ›

So that story about Blago Buddy John Wyman wearing a wire? Yep, Blago saw it, and yep, he's denying everything. Via a spokesperson, of course. Per the Trib: "The Governor has been working on the things that matter most to the people of Illinois - creating jobs, keeping people in their homes, fixing the budget, and making sure that everyone has access to affordable health care. He woke up this morning and saw the article just like everyone else did. The Governor has not done anything wrong, improper or illegal." more ›

In a big step forward for federal investigators, former Blagojevich aide and influential lobbyist John Wyma cooperated with the feds and secretly recorded conversations with Governor Blagojevich to help the case against Blago. Wyma was also the chief of staff for Blago during his Congressional days, which makes the revelation even more eyebrow-raising. Earlier this fall, Wyma was named in a federal subpoena issued to Provena Health, a former Wyma client, regarding, "Provena's lobbying relationship with Wyma, the hospital's efforts to win state approval of a new heart program and a $25,000 donation the company's for-profit affiliate gave to Blagojevich's campaign fund." more ›

Another reason to never go swimming in any body of water in the area: Joliet's D.J. Johnston caught what may be a red-bellied piranha while fishing in the Des Plaines River last week. An expert at the Shedd Aquarium, who studied a photograph of the fish, agreed the fish is likely a piranha as Johnston claims the fish has pointed teeth. Shedd spokeswoman Melissa Kruth says the fish was likely a pet that was liberated by an irresponsible pet owner. "It was probably in someone's aquarium and they let it go...It makes an invasive species. It's bad." Thanks for making us feel better, Melissa. Seriously. We're not ones to get paranoid, but we remember that segment from Planet Earth all too well and piranhas (like the Wu-Tang Clan) ain't nothin' to fuck with. Don't believe us? Check this out (not for the faint of heart). more ›

Did you ever go through that "I have to have the loudest bass in the world coming out of my trunk" phase? Well, some of us did for a while - and we're glad we barely even own a vehicle at this point, let alone have the cash to trick out the stereo system. On top of that, it's an even better thing we don't live in Joliet. Cops there have given out over 110 tickets in the last few weeks for "noise violations" relating to huge stereos and loud exhausts. more ›