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The Bourbs Daily
Monday, October 19, 2026 ☀ 69°/42° — Sunny
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Editor's Note
Good Monday morning, Kankakee County. Dale here. October 19th, and a couple of things worth noting on your way to the coffee pot. Early voting opens today across Illinois -- if you want to get your vote in before Election Day on November 4th, now is the time. No lines, no fuss, just show up at your county clerk's office with a valid ID and take care of it. Beyond that, it's a Monday in late October, the trees are in their last big show before the cold takes over, and the week is in front of you. Twelve days until Halloween. If you have been putting off the yard decorations, the window is closing. Here's what's happening around K3 to start your week.
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Social Security benefits to increase by 3.6% in 2027
Social Security recipients will see a 3.6% cost-of-living increase in their 2027 benefits. The adjustment, announced this week, affects millions of retirees and disability recipients nationwide. Read more ->
via Daily Journal
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View all news articles →
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📅 Out & About in Kankakee County
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Monday's quiet, which is fine after a loud playoff weekend. BTPD runs kids through 540 million years of Earth history at 5 PM, Bradley-Bourbonnais hosts an IHSA soccer regional doubleheader the same evening, and if you want something for the adults, The Fire Pit's got crushed glass and drinks at 6:30.
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★ Featured
5:00PM
Prehistoric Wildlife, Mass Extinction, Fossils
Bourbonnais Township Park District
BTPD's one-time program at its Bourbonnais building walks kids through fossils, trilobites, and Ice Age mammals that once roamed Kankakee County. Five dollars at the door, 5 PM, the kind of thing that makes a dinosaur-obsessed seven-year-old beg to stay up late.
FAMILY
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★ Also Featured
5:00PM
Boys V Soccer vs ALL (BBCHS)
Stadium
Bradley-Bourbonnais hosts an IHSA regional doubleheader at the Stadium, 5 and 7 PM. Win both and the varsity boys keep their season alive into next week; lose and it's over. Worth the drive-by if you're in Bradley tonight.
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Throwback
Yesterday's Halloween Downtown Kankakee, the Rotary Club's annual festival on the 200 block of Schuyler Ave, brought trunk-or-treat and games to downtown. If you missed it, there's plenty more fall fun on the way before the 31st. See event
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Plan ahead
Clear part of your weekend: Olivet Nazarene University's Homecoming and Family Weekend kicks off Friday in Bourbonnais, with alumni events, the 5th Quarter Fair, and a Saturday football game against Judson. See event
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See all 28 events on BradleyIllinois.com →
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📜 Dale's Corner
The River Walk in October
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October might be the best month to walk the river. The fishing crowds are gone. The summer kayakers have mostly put their boats away. The trails along the Kankakee in the State Park are quiet, and the canyon section along Rock Creek, with its limestone walls and the little waterfall, looks completely different once the leaves are down and you can see the actual structure of the land. In summer, the dense canopy hides the canyon walls. You know they're there, but you're walking through a green tunnel. In October, the walls come clear. You can see where the limestone layers step down to the water, where the creek has cut into the bedrock, where the bluffs overhang the trail. It looks less like Illinois and more like somewhere that should have a national park designation. The fall colors in the canyon are good — the oaks hold their leaves longer than the maples, and the contrast of rust and gold against the pale limestone is worth going out of your way for. Peak color in this county usually falls somewhere in the second and third week of October, depending on the year. State parks in Illinois are free. No sticker, no permit. You just drive in. Kankakee River State Park is about six miles northwest of Kankakee. The Rock Creek hiking trail is about three miles, and there's a 10.5-mile bike trail along the river. If you haven't been out there in October, put it on the schedule for this weekend while the leaves are still on.
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Dale says: Voting early is like getting to the potluck first -- you get the good stuff and you're done before the parking lot fills up.
— Dale
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🏛 This Week in Local Government
What your boards just did — and what they take up next.
Tonight's run (Mon. Oct. 19): FIVE MEETINGS OCCURRED TONIGHT (Bourbonnais VB 5:30 PM, Manteno VB 6:00 PM, Kankakee City Council 7:00 PM, K3 Historic Preservation 4:00 PM).
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Bourbonnais · Village Board
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Wed, Oct 14 Agenda →
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Finance Committee met Oct. 14 (4:00 PM): FY26 Annual Treasurer's Report, Riverside Property Assessment Appeal (former Cigna building), Clove Alliance Cosmic Bingo sponsorship… |
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Oct. 5 Regular Village Board Meeting occurred (5:30 PM) — Resolution No. 26-1656 (Appointing Deputy Village Clerks), Accounts Payable (General Fund and Special Fund bill… |
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Finance Committee met Sept. 30 (4:00 PM): Police Pension Actuarial Report, KACC SRO discussion, May–July 2026 financial results on agenda — outcomes not yet confirmed. |
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MEETS TONIGHT — ON THE AGENDA Mon, Oct 19 · 5:30 PM Agenda →
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OCCURRED TONIGHT (5:30 PM) — Agenda scraped: Approval of Oct. 5 minutes, General & Special Fund bill lists, Proclamation No. 26-400 (Rotary International Walk to End Polio)… |
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Proclamation 26-400 supporting Rotary International's Walk to End Polio ceremony expected. |
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Village Administrator vacancy watch continues following Michael Van Mill's departure. |
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Bradley · Village Board
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Mon, Oct 12 Agenda →
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Oct. 12 Regular Village Board Meeting OCCURRED TONIGHT (6:30 PM, Insurance & Finance Committee at 6:15 PM) — R-10-26-01: Resolution accepting SWPPP, Earthwork and Site… |
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Oct. 5 Fire & Police Commission met (6:00 PM) — officer resignation effective Oct. 21; 15-day disciplinary notification; lateral officer hiring (2 applicants). |
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Oct. 6 Planning & Zoning Commission met (6:30 PM) — gas station at 820 N. Bradley Blvd. considered; July 7 minutes approval. No outcomes confirmed yet. |
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COMING UP — ON THE AGENDA Mon, Oct 26 · 6:30 PM Agenda →
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Oct. 26 Regular Village Board Meeting (4th Monday) — no agenda posted yet |
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Kankakee · City Council
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WHAT HAPPENED Mon, Oct 5 Minutes →
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Oct. 5 City Council meeting occurred (7:00 PM) — zoning: rezone at 1338 E. Chestnut (R-1 to R-2), conditional use permit at 348–354 S. Foley Ave.; new firefighters Philip… |
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Sept. 21 City Council OUTCOMES CONFIRMED (minutes posted): ORD amending Ch. |
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Watch: Alderwoman Marczak flagged data centers / Kankakee River water usage as an issue to watch in future meetings. |
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MEETS TONIGHT — ON THE AGENDA Mon, Oct 19 · 7:00 PM Agenda →
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OCCURRED TONIGHT (7:00 PM) — Major agenda items: Fire Chief Garrick Kasper appointment; four emergency roof replacement contracts (~$372,850 total) to Langlois Roofing… |
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FIRE CHIEF APPOINTMENT: Garrick Kasper nominated for Fire Chief — significant personnel action pending council vote. |
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FOUR EMERGENCY ROOF CONTRACTS: Langlois Roofing — Fire Station #2 ($66,300), #5 ($124,250), #6 ($101,800), Hydroelectric Plant ($80,500) — competitive bidding waived on all… |
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Manteno · Village Board
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Mon, Oct 5 Agenda →
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Oct. 5 Regular Village Board Meeting occurred (6:00 PM) — RECONSIDERATION of PSA with B&F Construction Code Services (vetoed by Pres. |
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Oct. 12 Regular Village Board Meeting CANCELLED (scheduling error — confirmed earlier this week). |
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Sept. 21 outcomes still pending: Chief Rick Peterson fire bureau appointment, IGA for fire inspection services, Jim Paicz Building Inspector appointment, LIUNA CBA… |
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MEETS TONIGHT — ON THE AGENDA Mon, Oct 19 · 6:00 PM Agenda →
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OCCURRED TONIGHT (6:00 PM) — Agenda scraped: Ordinance 26-10 (surplus property sale), $191,575.06 bill payment, Annual Audit Presentation by Carmen Huizenga (Finance… |
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Annual audit presented by Carmen Huizenga — watch for any significant findings. |
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Exec session on pending litigation continues. |
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Kankakee County · County Board
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Thu, Oct 15 Agenda →
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COUNTY BOARD MET OCT. 13 (9 AM) — Lower Crossing Wind Project: Two reimbursement agreements with Lower Crossing Wind LLC (legal fees Res. #153, engineering costs Res. #154)… |
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Langlois Roofing contracts awarded for three county buildings: Animal Control (Bourbonnais), Admin + Old VAC (Kankakee), Highway Building (Res. #155-157). |
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Employee benefits renewals: Blue Cross Blue Shield medical, Delta Dental, ALLONE Health EAP (Res. #158-160). WIA fiscal agent designation (Res. #161). |
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Essex · Village Board
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Thu, Oct 8 Minutes →
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SEPT. 3 CONFIRMED: Official minutes now posted — Mayor Dvorak spoke with Constellation Energy about former nuclear site north of Essex. |
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OCT. 8 Regular Board Meeting occurred (6 PM, Village Hall). |
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October 1 meeting was CANCELLED — officially rescheduled to October 8 per village notice. |
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COMING UP — ON THE AGENDA Thu, Nov 5 · 5:30 PM Agenda →
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Next regular meeting — 1st Thursday of November (Nov. 5, 6:00 PM) — no agenda posted yet. |
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Watch: data center/Constellation ordinance development; any update on Oct. 8 closed-session litigation matter. |
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See all board meetings →
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🎓 This Week in Your Schools
School boards and parent groups — decisions made, and what is on deck.
Two K3 school board meetings were held TONIGHT (Tuesday, Oct. 13): BBCHS SD 307 regular board at 6:00 PM (700 W. North St., Bradley) with PSI/John Palan presenting the superintendent candidate profile (item 3) — the first public look in the BBCHS superintendent search.
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Bourbonnais SD 53 · Board of Education
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Tue, Sep 22 Agenda →
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FY27 budget hearing and adoption vote (item 7.01) — outcomes not yet confirmed |
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Termination of Dawn Pacheco on consent |
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PRESS Plus 122 policy package on second reading |
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Bradley SD 61 · School Board
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Fri, Oct 9 Agenda →
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Executive Committee met Oct. 9 at 7:00 AM (Yolk & Berries) — no minutes yet |
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Sept. 17 Regular Board: FY27 budget adoption, 17 hires, PRESS Issue 122 — no signed minutes yet |
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BBCHS SD 307 · Board of Education
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WHAT HAPPENED Mon, Sep 28
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FY27 Budget ADOPTED 5-0 (Czako/Brezinski) — CONFIRMED from signed minutes (doc 14708) |
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Dr. Matt Vosberg resignation ACCEPTED 5-0 on consent — CONFIRMED |
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BBEA 2026-2029 Master Contract CONFIRMED (95% union vote) |
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Kankakee SD 111 · Board of Education
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Mon, Sep 28 Agenda →
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Sunbelt Staffing LLC virtual school psychologist contract approved |
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Policy 8:20 (Community Use of School Facilities) 2nd reading adoption vote |
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Recall of RIF'd employees on consent; MGT Consulting discussion |
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Manteno CUSD 5 · Board of Education
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Tue, Sep 29 Agenda →
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FY27 Budget hearing and adoption vote — outcome not yet confirmed |
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Illuminate Financial Consultants Agreement (new vendor) |
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HS Graduation and Senior Awards Night dates FY27 approved |
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See all school board meetings →
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⛽ Cheapest Gas in K3 Today
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Casey's
— 421 N Dixie Hwy, Momence
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$4.29
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Gulf
— 1184 N Convent St, Bourbonnais
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$4.34
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Casey's
— 12545 E State Route 1 17, Grant Park
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$4.34
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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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Edited and published by Stan Gromer • The Bourbs, independent local news for Kankakee County •
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