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The Bourbs Daily
Monday, November 2, 2026 🌧 64°/59° — Patchy Drizzle
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Editor's Note
Good Monday morning, Kankakee County. Dale here. It is November 2nd, which means Election Day is tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3rd. If you have not voted yet, today is the day to confirm your polling place, make sure you know what is on the ballot, and plan your Tuesday accordingly. Today is the last day of early voting, at the County Clerk's office, 189 E. Court St., Kankakee. Polling places and hours: kankakeecountyclerk.gov or 815-937-2990. Also worth noting: this is the first Monday of standard time since the clocks fell back early Sunday, so it is darker earlier and the week feels slightly more like November than it should. The sun sets around 4:46 this afternoon, and that is just how November goes.
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View all news articles →
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📅 Out & About in Kankakee County
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Last day of early voting: the Kankakee County Clerk's office at 189 E. Court St. in Kankakee is open until 7 p.m., and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. After work, there is a line dancing class with Rod in Sun River Terrace.
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★ Featured
6:00PM
Line Dancing with Rod
Ralph J. Bailey Community Center
Line dancing class with Rod at the Ralph J. Bailey Community Center in Sun River Terrace, 6 to 8pm.
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See all 18 events on BradleyIllinois.com →
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📜 Dale's Corner
The Rural Cemeteries in November
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The small rural cemeteries around Kankakee County are worth a visit in November, when the leaves are down, the grass has stopped growing and the stones stand out against the gray light. The names on the stones tell the county's settlement history. Around Bourbonnais you will find French names. Noel LeVasseur went back to his native Quebec in 1837 to recruit more French Canadians to the settlement at Bourbonnais Grove, and by 1847 there were 77 French-Canadian families living there. In the Hopkins Park area, the stones tell the story of a community first settled in the mid-19th century by Black settlers escaping slavery, whose farms later helped feed Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland through the Great Migration. The county has a lot of people who are part of its story and whose names are nowhere except on a stone in one of these fields. If you are looking for a particular family plot, your local library or historical society is a good place to start.
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Dale says: Election Day is tomorrow. You know who to vote for, or you have been putting off deciding. Either way, look up your polling place before you head out.
— Dale
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🏛 This Week in Local Government
What your boards just did — and what they take up next.
Three boards meet Monday, Nov. 2: Bourbonnais (5:30 PM) takes up a zoning variance and a concessions agreement for the Grove at Goselin Park; Manteno (6:00 PM) considers pickleball court lights at Thies Park; and the Kankakee City Council (7:00 PM) has an ordinance ending a development agreement for 169 S. Schuyler Ave. Bradley's board next meets Nov. 9 after awarding a $1.55 million concrete and paving contract for the Mattel waterpark on Oct. 26.
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Bradley · Village Board
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WHAT HAPPENED Mon, Oct 26 Agenda →
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APPROVED 5-0: $1.55M concrete & paving contract for the Mattel waterpark to Abbey Construction Co. of Aurora (other bids: Gallagher Asphalt $1.64M, Kankakee Valley… |
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Construction kickoff event set for Tuesday, Dec. 8; a third waterpark contract, for additional concrete work, could be awarded Nov. 9 |
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COMING UP — ON THE AGENDA Mon, Nov 9 · 6:30 PM
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Next regular Village Board meeting |
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Kankakee · City Council
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MEETS TONIGHT — ON THE AGENDA Mon, Nov 2 · 7:00 PM Agenda →
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On the agenda: an ordinance terminating the city's Dec. 17, 2025 development agreement with HB Equities, LLC for 169 South Schuyler Avenue |
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Two conditional use permits for commercial short-term rentals in single-family (R-1) zoning are on the agenda: 665 N. Kennedy Drive and 838 N. Rosewood Avenue |
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An $84,100 Ayres proposal for a design report and drawings for the Kankakee hydroelectric facility relicensing application, and a $26,645 Norfolk Southern agreement to review… |
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Manteno · Village Board
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Mon, Oct 19 Agenda →
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Ordinance 26-10, authorizing the sale of surplus municipal equipment, was on the agenda |
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Payment of bills totaling $191,575.06 was on the agenda |
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Oct. 19 minutes are up for approval Nov. 2 |
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MEETS TONIGHT — ON THE AGENDA Mon, Nov 2 · 6:00 PM Agenda →
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Pickleball court lighting at Thies Park from KPI Electric is up for consideration: $7,727.40, with the village paying $6,327.40 after a $1,400 donation from Paddle Together |
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Compensation for the village's FOIA officer is on the agenda, along with bills of $115,962.24 |
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Discussion of a proposal to seal and paint the pavilion on the Square, and a project status update from Jim Hanley |
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Bourbonnais · Village Board
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MEETS TONIGHT — ON THE AGENDA Mon, Nov 2 · 5:30 PM Agenda →
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A variance for 2295 Prairie Chase Drive (case ZBA 26-10) is on the agenda for a first reading, with motions listed to suspend the rules and adopt it the same night |
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Up for adoption: an agreement with Liquid Concessions for food, beverage and alcohol concessions at the Grove at Goselin Park |
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First readings of three ordinances abating the 2026 tax levy for village bonds, and of an ordinance establishing a Return-to-Work program for village officers and employees |
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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.
Manteno CUSD 5's Sept. 29 minutes show the 2026-27 budget adopted 6-0.
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Bradley SD 61 · School Board
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Thu, Oct 15 Agenda →
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A girls wrestling co-op agreement was on the agenda |
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The 2027-28 school calendar was up for a vote |
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Approval of Policy 5.330 after its 30-day review and seven hires and transfers were on the agenda |
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MEETS TONIGHT — ON THE AGENDA Mon, Nov 2 · 12:00 PM Agenda →
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Finance Committee: the agenda lists the tax levy, Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) and bonds |
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Next full school board meeting: Nov. 12 at 7:00 PM |
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BBCHS SD 307 · Board of Education
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Thu, Oct 29 Agenda →
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The tentative tax levy was on the committee agenda |
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Rooftop solar, a September treasurer's report amendment and a water main easement agreement were on the agenda |
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AP Scholars, a report card review and an athletic update were on the agenda |
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COMING UP — ON THE AGENDA Mon, Nov 9 · 6:00 PM Agenda →
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Tax levy public hearing: the Oct. 29 committee agenda says the board will set it for 6:00 PM on Nov. 9 |
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The same agenda lists the audit presentation for the November board meeting |
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Full agenda not posted yet |
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Kankakee SD 111 · Board of Education
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MET — OUTCOMES NOT YET POSTED Thu, Oct 29 Agenda →
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Proposed boundaries and grade-band configurations were on the Curriculum Committee working session agenda |
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An ISBE Report Card update was on the agenda |
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COMING UP — ON THE AGENDA Mon, Nov 9 · 7:00 PM Agenda →
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Regular board meeting; agenda not posted yet |
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A special board meeting is also on the district's calendar for Saturday, Nov. 21 at noon; no purpose has been posted |
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Manteno CUSD 5 · Board of Education
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WHAT HAPPENED Tue, Sep 29 Minutes →
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Adopted the 2026-27 budget 6-0 after a public hearing with no public comment; a board member said the deficit is primarily due to the high school roof project |
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Set senior awards night for May 19, 2027 and graduation for May 23, 2027 |
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Approved a $12,000 one-year contract with Illuminate Financial Consultants and a $21,256.23 phone licensing renewal |
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See all school board meetings →
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⛽ Cheapest Gas in K3 Today
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Kroger
— 633 E Armour Rd, Bourbonnais
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$4.53
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Gulf
— 1184 N Convent St, Bourbonnais
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$4.53
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Casey's
— 1430 N Convent St, Bourbonnais
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$4.56
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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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