News

Repair, rebuild or demolish? Decisions needed for Coal City Intermediate School

Published by admin on Tue, 01/21/2025 - 4:29pm

The 289 students, teachers and staff who vacated the Coal City Intermediate School in early November won’t be returning any time soon.
That was apparent Wednesday night for the 60-some residents who attended a town hall meeting hosted by Coal City School District administrators.

WHS gym dedicated to past wrestling coach Rob Murphy

Published by admin on Tue, 01/21/2025 - 4:16pm

Wilmington High School honored retired wrestling coach Rob Murphy on Thursday with a ceremony to rename the high school gymnasium in his honor.
The event took place at the start of an ICE Conference quad meet celebrating Murphy's remarkable career spanning nearly three decades at WHS.
Murphy, who retired in 2022, left an indelible mark on the school and the sport.

Chlorine in water supply draws complaints

Published by admin on Tue, 01/21/2025 - 4:09pm

In response to calls received concerning the smell of chlorine in the Braidwood water supply, city administrator Tony Altiery said the water is safe to drink.
“We are really good on the numbers here in Braidwood,” Altiery said. “Braidwood’s chlorine level is .8 which is in an acceptable range. Coal City’s chlorine level is .7, and in Wilmington it was up and down. I want to make the community aware that we are within range of all the other communities. ”

Braidwood offers use of free sleds

Published by admin on Tue, 01/14/2025 - 4:24pm

City may need a more dependable water source

Published by admin on Tue, 01/14/2025 - 4:16pm

James Gretencord, director of public works, approached the council last week to relay issues about a broken water main, sediment build up on water intake filters and the possibility of the water supply not meeting the need of the city.
Gretencord reported that a water main has broken three times in December.
Meanwhile, emergency maintenance was required to clear the river intake pipes of debris on Dec. 31. The situation was deemed critical.

A new setup at Village Hall

Published by admin on Tue, 01/14/2025 - 3:55pm

The new year brings a new look for Coal City’s village hall. The main meeting room in the building at 515 South Broadway Street now features a large, U-shaped table for the mayor and village board of trustees.
Built by Mueller Custom Cabinetry, a local business, the new structure is part of an improvement project that also includes a fresh coat of “orange cognac-colored paint” for the walls of the meeting room, village administrator Matt Fritz said.
The shape of the new table is an improvement over the old, straight tables the board has been using for many years.

Running in honor of fallen State Trooper

Published by admin on Fri, 01/10/2025 - 9:35am

There was a bone-chilling wind on Saturday but that didn’t stop the heart-warming ceremony put on by Zachary Pruss, a runner with the national Running 4 Heroes campaign.
The Reed-Custer freshman led a one-mile run down Main Street in Braidwood in honor of Illinois State Trooper Corey Thompsen who died in the line of duty on Oct. 18, 2024, when his State Police motorcycle was hit by a truck while on patrol in Champaign County.

Wilmington native awarded Medal of Valor

Published by admin on Fri, 01/10/2025 - 9:32am

“The heavily armed shooter had already killed six people, including three nine-year-old students. The officers rushed to the scene, and as they arrived the shooter opened fire on them.”
-White House Briefing
Jan. 3, 2025

Coal City man dies after being hit by train

Published by admin on Wed, 01/08/2025 - 4:33pm

A 40-year-old Coal City man was killed in a train vs. pedestrian incident that occurred shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday at the North First Avenue Railroad crossing in Coal City.

The Grundy County Coroner’s Office said preliminary investigation indicates a train was traveling north through Coal City after crossing the Rt. 113 crossing when the engineer of the train noticed an individual on the tracks.Emergency braking was applied along with horn however the train struck the individual indentified at Scott Marizza of Coal City. 

2024 was a ‘giant’ year for Wilmington

Published by admin on Tue, 12/31/2024 - 2:31pm

The year 2024 was, quite literally, a giant one in the city of Wilmington. From the auctioning of Wilmington’s Gemini Giant, to the giant’s return in November––as well as the coming of a Local 150 100,000 square foot training center and a 1.65 million square foot Amazon Warehouse––2024 proved to be a year of growth including the start of a new fuel stop.
Here are some of the highlights published in the Free Press Advocate during 2024.
January
Record flooding