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The Bourbs Daily
Monday, June 8, 2026 ⛈ 81°/69° — Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Showers And Thunderstorms
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Editor's Note
Morning, Kankakee County. New week, let's go. Grab your coffee and let's see what we've got.
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View all news articles →
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🏛 This Week in Local Government
A busy week across K3 municipalities. Manteno approved a property tax rebate for homeowners and locked in contracts for three senior village officials after a clerk resignation. Kankakee County is acquiring 15 more blighted properties for demolition or rehab under a state housing program. Bourbonnais had the Harbor House grant and the solar farm moratorium second reading on June 1. Kankakee City voted on a 4-year deal to host the APBA national boat racing championship on the river.
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Manteno
Ordinance 26-03: Tax reimbursement for homestead property owners - village distributes funds back to residents from the 2025 tax year Village Clerk Allen Pickrel resigned; Steven Orth appointed as replacement Approved contracts for Village Administrator Chris LaRocque, Police Chief Alan Swinford, and Public Works Director Jim Hanley
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Bourbonnais
June 1: Harbor House grant $72,656 (Res. 26-1623); second readings of solar farm moratorium and TIF extension on agenda May 18: Introduced moratorium on commercial solar farms in residential zones (Ord. 26-2546) - second reading June 1 May 18: Police sergeants contract locked in through April 2029; new ambulance billing agreement authorized
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Kankakee City
Voted on 4-year deal to host APBA national outboard boat racing championship on the Kankakee River (2026-2029) Major development at 310-350 South Schuyler Ave (preliminary PUD plat) and two short-term rental permits up for vote Multiple downtown street closures approved for summer events: Juneteenth (June 13, 20), Sunset Stroll (June 26), Merchant Street Music Fest (July 23-27)
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Bradley
Authorized purchase of two Ford Escapes for public safety (R-05-26-03) Filed eviction action on two properties along Route 50 and 4000 Road North corridor (R-05-26-04) 315 Music Fest confirmed June 4-6 at the Sports Park: Buckcherry, Warrant with Dokken/Lita Ford/Firehouse, Chris Young
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Kankakee County
Accepted IHDA Strong Communities Program Round 2 funding to acquire 15 additional blighted properties for rehab or demolition Approved rezoning of Agriculture parcel to Rural Estate in Bourbonnais Township (ZBA Case 26-03) County Highway 2 (4000 South Road) designated Honorary Robert and Lucille Hayes Roadway
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👀 Watch for second readings: ⚠ Property Tax Reimbursement Ordinance 26-03⚠ Solar Farm Moratorium (Ord. 26-2546) - second reading June 1
Full meeting details →
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📅 Out & About in Kankakee County
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Summer reading officially kicks off in Manteno this morning with the library's launch party at 11. Storms arriving from the southeast make this a natural indoor Monday, and the county has no shortage of options.
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★ Featured
11:00AM
Summer Reading Kick Off Party
Manteno Public Library
Manteno Public Library opens summer reading season today -- free, open to all ages, no registration required. Show up between 11 and 1, grab a reading log, and kick off what could be a solid summer of books for your kids.
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4:00PM
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Bad Seed Club FREE FAMILY
Kankakee Public Library (RBJ Teen Zone)
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Plan ahead
Kid's Day at Splash Valley is tomorrow -- good timing if the storms clear tonight. See event
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See all 23 events on BradleyIllinois.com →
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📜 Dale's Corner
Before Refrigerators: The Ice Harvest
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Before mechanical refrigeration reached the county in the 1920s, the summer ice supply started in January. Ice harvesters would cut thick blocks from frozen ponds and rivers — some as thick as two feet — pack them tightly in sawdust, and store them in insulated icehouses that could keep ice usable from June through September. Local creameries, meatpacking operations, hotels, and households all depended on this supply. The Kankakee River and several farm ponds around the county were used for harvesting. It was cold, hard, dangerous work: men with hand saws and horse-drawn equipment working on ice that could be unpredictable. By the time electric refrigerators became affordable in the late 1930s, the commercial ice harvest industry had already mostly collapsed. But the icehouses stuck around longer — repurposed as storage barns, root cellars, equipment sheds. Some of those old structures are still standing on farmsteads around the county if you know to look for them.
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🎓 Around Town
March Tornado Leaves $30M Scar on KSD 111
The March 10 tornado didn't just knock out power — it punched thousands of holes in roofs across nine of KSD 111's twelve buildings. Total property damage is now pegged at $28.7 million, with roughly $21 million in roof damage alone. Ten buildings need full roof replacements, and the district pivoted fast, using emergency e-learning days while crews patched things up.
Learn more →
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Dale's Rule #67: A Monday in June still has to be a Monday, but it doesn't have to feel like one. The long daylight on both ends of the day is the trick. Get the hard stuff done early and save the evening for the porch.
— Dale
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⛽ Cheapest Gas in K3 Today
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Love's Travel Stop
— 3407 S State Rd, Kankakee
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$4.35
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Gulf
— 1184 N Convent St, Bourbonnais
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$4.35
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Casey's
— 1430 N Convent St, Bourbonnais
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$4.39
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Prices sourced from GasBuddy and may be inaccurate or out of date — always confirm at the pump.
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