The future facility will include a men’s prison with capacity for 1,500 beds and a women’s prison with capacity for 800 beds, according to a news release from the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC).

“The men’s facility will also include infrastructure that would allow for additional housing units to be built, if IDOC were to decide in the future they were needed,” the release stated.

Old Stateville has been vacated, although the IDOC continues to operate its Northern Reception & Classification Center on the site. The center opened in 2004 and is located outside the walls of the original Stateville, which was built in 1925.

IDOC plans to close its Logan Correctional Center, a women’s prison located in Lincoln, and move inmates to the new Crest Hill facility.

Gov. JB Pritzker in 2024 announced the plan to demolish old Stateville and build a new prison on the site.

The latest announcement on Friday confirmed that the state will move ahead with the relocation of inmates now housed at Logan and provided other details on the construction plan.

The state has budgeted $900 million for the Crest Hill project, which is expected to take five years to build.

“This marks a major milestone in the state’s effort to modernize Illinois’ correctional infrastructure, as capacity replacements for some of its oldest facilities that are beyond their useful life: Stateville Correctional Center, built in 1925, and Logan Correctional Center, which includes buildings dating back to the 1930s,” the release stated.

“I have not stopped smiling since I got here,” said Chris Santee, a resident of Portage, Indiana, and member of the Midwest Garrison of “Star Wars” characters that joined the festivities. “It’s a joy incarnate for me.”

Santee is a formal reenactor.

Others like Emilee Keller of New Lenox were in costume on their own, although Keller’s Mandalorian outfit appeared as professional as any at the event.

Keller said she came to Star Wars Day for the first time last year and bought a Mandalorian helmet.

“I really liked the helmet a lot, so I decided to do the full body outfit,” she said.

Joshua Giese of Niles took a somewhat wacky approach to the day, wearing a stormtrooper helmet, tropical straw party hat, and blow-up swimming pool toy around his waist.

“I’m a trooper on vacation,” Giese said.

Frederica Malone of Chicago took video of the parade that launched the festivities and included her daughter, Galvana, who is in what is called the Galactic Academy.

“I think it’s great for kids and families,” Malone said of Star Wars Day. “It’s nice and wholesome.”

Star Wars Day is organized each year by the Joliet Public Library.

The fire was reported at 5:18 a.m., and the first crews arrived 10 minutes later, according to a news release from the Joliet Fire Department.

Those crews “found heavy smoke from [a] garage area and smoke from second floor windows,“ the release said. ”Responding crews were able to quickly bring the fire under control and prevent exposure to neighboring buildings.”

The situation was declared under control at 7 a.m., and there were no injuries, although one occupant of the building was checked at the scene, according to the release.

The Autobahn, a private motorsports club, is known for its Garage Mahals where members attach weekend residences onto garages where they store their cars.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to the release.

Joliet crews from Stations 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 were on scene. Water tenders from the Troy Fire Protection District, Elwood, and Rockdale fire departments assisted with water supply.

The Autobahn Country Club is in the 3400 block of CenterPoint Way.

Firefighters were notified of the blaze in the 2200 block of Fairmont Avenue about 2:30 a.m.

“Initial crews arrived on-scene and found a working fire in the detached garage, as well as in some small outbuildings, a motor home and several passenger vehicles,” according to the release.

The fire spread to the exterior of a house “where it was quickly extinguished by crews early in the incident,“ according to the release.

The occupants were home and got out safely. But they were unable to stay in the house and are being assisted by the Red Cross, according to the release.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Lockport Township district was assisted by firefighters from Homer, Lemont, New Lenox, Northwest Homer, Plainfield, Troy, Mokena and Romeoville fire departments, which either came to the scene or provided other assistance.

Roehr was hired as the community development block grant manager.

Luis Leon was appointed as her replacement on the city’s Plan Commission and its Zoning Board of Appeals.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved Mayor Terry D’Arcy’s appointment of Leon to both boards.

The city designates one member to serve on both the Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.

Leon is “a lifelong Joliet resident” who “has been heavily involved in community organizations,” according to a statement from City Hall.

The statement noted he has served for 10 years on the parish council for the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus.

The Joliet Public Library, which organizes the event, provided details on what’s happening.

Star Wars Day will start at 11 a.m. and end at 3 p.m.

The event begins with the march of costumed Star Wars characters, which starts at the Will County Office Building at 302 N. Chicago St. and goes south on Chicago Street before turning on Clinton Street to end on the front lawn of the Joliet Public Library Ottawa Branch at 150 N. Ottawa St.

The library will host Artist Alley, an exposition of Star Wars artists and authors in the Ottawa Street lobby.

The new City Square across Clinton Street from the library will be used along with the street for kids’ games, music and vendors.

A portion of Chicago Street will be shut down for use of the City Square.

Star Wars merchandise vendors will be at the Joliet Area Historical Museum, located in the 200 block of North Ottawa Street.

Food vendors include Auntie Anne’s, Cemeno’s Pizza, Gigi’s Sweets on the Go!, Lil’Deb’s Mobile Eats, Salubrious Stop, Smokin’ Z BBQ, Tacos Maui and TCBY.

Partners and sponsors making Star Wars Day possible include the City of Joliet, Joliet Township Government, Friends of the Joliet Public Library, Old National Bank, D’Arcy Buick GMC, Heritage Corridor Destinations, Joliet City Center Partnership, TBS (Today’s Business Solutions) and SMC Construction.

More information about Star War’s Day can be found on the website https://jolietlibrary.org/star-wars-day/.

But the facility in Romeoville now is looming as the biggest financial burden for the Senior Services Center of Will County, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week.

“The seniors of Will County, when they did come in [at the Ovation Center], they said, ‘I can’t believe we have such a nice place for seniors,’” Will County Auditor Kevin “Duffy” Blackburn, former treasurer at the Senior Services Center, said Thursday. “That’s why I feel sad and disappointed that it didn’t work.”

Blackburn said the Ovation Center was created to be an attraction for seniors and a revenue-generator for the services that they used.

Instead, it became a financial problem, failing to produce the revenue that was expected while becoming a burden on the agency’s budget.

Senior Services Center CEO Sheila Pardo this week declined requests from Shaw Local to discuss details of what has led to the agency’s bankruptcy.

But the bankruptcy filing by the agency pointed to the Ovation Center, claiming a bank loan to finance the facility as the lion’s share of the $8.4 million debt owed by the Senior Services Center of Will County.

The agency owes $7.8 million on the loan for the Ovation Center.

Other creditors include the state and federal government, with Senior Services owing $53,000 in taxes.

Senior Services has put an upbeat spin on the bankruptcy filing, saying in a news release that it was “designed to stabilize operations, strengthen the organization’s financial foundation, and ensure the long-term sustainability of services for older adults throughout Will County.”

Pardo, when interviewed by Shaw Local, said Senior Services was “going full speed ahead” with no plans to cut services, reduce staff or pull out of the Ovation Center.

She did not, however, return calls or respond to emails once the extent of the agency’s debt was identified.

The agency provides a variety of services to seniors to help them stay in their homes, deal with elder abuse and find companionship.

The Ovation Center was built to be a revenue generator for the agency.

Instead, the Ovation Center became a financial issue even before it opened as construction costs exceeded budget during the COVID-19 pandemic, when supply-chain problems were hiking project costs everywhere.

Duffy said costs exceeded the budget and led to the banquet center not being completed.

The banquet center was planned as a major revenue generator, serving as a venue for weddings and other events.

The 127,000-square-foot Ovation Center is a former Target store that has been turned into an indoor mall for senior services.

Blackburn said the Ovation Center, in large part, was an attempt to make Senior Services more self-reliant after a shortfall in state funding led to a financial crisis at the agency in 2015.

“It was planned to be a profit center and a revenue generator for the programs that they were doing,” he said.

Blackburned resigned from his position as treasurer and member on the board of directors in March 2025 because of an illness in the family.

At that time, despite the financial problems at the Ovation Center, it had not become a drain on the programs offered by Senior Services, he said.

Even under bankruptcy, services to seniors will continue as planned, according to Pardo.

“We are not cutting any services to seniors,” she said. “We’re going full speed ahead with the services that they need.”

“This was a huge lift to get this site open,” Love’s District Manager Bob Macnider said to the celebrants. “This was a long time coming and a big project.”

The truck stop, which has parking for 91 trucks, is located off Interstate 80 at the Briggs Street interchange.

It opened May 14.

At one time, it was expected to open in 2019. But construction was slowed down by a lawsuit eventually won by Love’s in a 2024 decision in a state appellate court.

Now that the fuel center is open, Love’s will not turn a deaf ear to its neighbors, Macnider said.

“We take the issues we hear from the community seriously,” he said.

But at least for Tuesday, Love’s employees, members of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and other community members were applauding the company’s arrival in town.

The Joliet location is uniquely numbered among Love’s 670 stores.

“It’s Store #777 – the luckiest store," said Cade McDougal, general manager at the Joliet location.

The Joliet location includes a Hardee’s restaurant, in-store fresh food, and trucker services that include showers and laundry facilities, along with nine diesel bays, many features that can be found at other truck stops.

“What sets us apart are our clean places and friendly faces,” McDougal said, invoking the company motto. “We take a lot of pride in that.”

Macnider suggested the company consider the opening of the Joliet store well worth waiting for.

“Joliet is kind of known as one of the major commerce interstate [locations] in the United States,” Macnider said. “It’s a premium location for us.”

City projections in 2018, when the Love’s project was approved, were that the location would draw 600 trucks and 2,400 cars a day.

City gas taxes from the Love’s location were estimated at a little more than $1 million a year, with sales taxes from store purchases estimated at $225,000 a year.

The number of cars and trucks coming out of Love’s already is backing up traffic on New Lenox Road, where the fuel center entrance is located, perhaps creating another truck traffic situation for the city to solve.

Worries about the number of trucks pouring onto New Lenox Road and Briggs Street were among the issues raised by those against the project.

Macnider said Love’s wants to hear about any issues involving the truck stop.

“Hopefully, you guys will learn that we’re good neighbors of this community also,” Macnider told the group gathered for the ribbon cutting.

He said Love’s likes to participate in fundraising projects for local schools and community organizations.

“If you have ideas, start peppering this team,” he said.

Joliet Economic Development Director Paulina Martinez alluded to Macnider’s offer during her comments at the ribbon cutting.

“That’s the kind of partnership, the kind of investment we are always looking for in the city of Joliet,” Martinez said.

The Illinois Department of Transportation on Tuesday announced the schedule for the $1.5 million project.

Daytime lane closures will occur starting Friday “weather permitting,” IDOT said in a news release.

Scott Street also serves as Illinois Route 53 and U.S. Route 6 from Chicago Street to Ruby Street.

“Access to residences and businesses within the work zone will be maintained throughout construction,” IDOT said in the release. ​

The square opened downtown in the last week of April.

In May, the City Council approved City Square rules, including a ban on sleeping on the property, limits on panhandling. and a prohibition against skateboarding.

The council last month also approved a new social district allowing outdoor alcohol consumption in a downtown area that includes the square.

Another proposal that would ban residents from the square and other city property for certain misconduct was put on hold when concerns were raised. The proposed ban and has not been brought back to the council for a vote.

The council on Tuesday approved the latest regulations for sidewalk cafes.

The new rules change an ordinance already in place, adding regulations while at the same time simplifying procedures for businesses, Dan Mangun, business services supervisor for the city, told the City Council at a workshop meeting on Monday.

“With City Square, we felt this was the perfect time to implement something like this and make changes where needed,” Mangun said. “We really tried to clean up our code and make it more simple for businesses.”

One topic of discussion on Monday was the type of fencing and furniture the city will require for sidewalk seating.

“I don’t want to see old wooden fences,” council member Jan Quillman said. “I don’t want to see chain-link fences.”

The new ordinance does not define the type of fence and furnishings allowed but does refer to “pre-approved standards.”

Mangun said the standards are not in writing but presented the council with a graphic that he said serves as “a visual reference of what we’re looking for.”

“Initially, we wanted every single business to have the same fencing, the same furnishing,” he said. “After talking with the businesses, we realized that was not obtainable.”

Fences are required for businesses selling alcohol, and current city code requires it be four feet high.

The new rules lower the fence height to three feet, giving cafe customers a clearer view of the downtown scene and activities in the square, Mangun said.

The rules also set hours for sidewalk cafes, which can be open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and until 10 p.m. on other days. Sidewalks cafes can do business from April 1 through Nov. 1.

The nonprofit agency has provided services to local seniors for more than 60 years and took a major step two years ago when it opened the Ovation Center complex in Romeoville after acquiring a closed Target store.

The agency filed for bankruptcy on Friday and issued a news release late Tuesday that provided no financial details about its debt.

But a bankruptcy filing list of creditors shows more than $8.4 million in debt to its four largest creditors, most of it from a bank loan on the Ovation Center.

The Senior Services Center of Will County also owes $53,000 in state and federal taxes, as well as $195,000 from a cash advance.

But CEO Sheila Pardo said Wednesday that Senior Services does not plan any major cuts due to the bankruptcy filing,

“We’re going to continue all of the services,” Pardo told Shaw Local. “No one has lost their job. We’re not furloughing. We’re actually hiring.”

Chapter 11 bankruptcy typically is filed when an organization can no longer meet its debt payments and seeks relief from creditors while continuing operations.

“We’re getting back to the mission,” Pardo said. “We are not cutting any services to the seniors. We are going full speed ahead with the services that they need.”

Pardo became CEO in October following Brianne Hetman, who headed the organization as it opened the Ovation Center in January 2024.

Pardo did not discuss details of the agency’s debt or what led to the bankruptcy.

But the list of creditors in the bankruptcy petition filed by the Senior Services Center of Will County outlines the agency’s debt.

Those creditors include:

• Providence Bank in South Holland, which has a $7.8 million claim connected to the Ovation Center property at 349 S. Weber Road in Romeoville. The listing notes that $4.5 million of the debt is covered by collateral, presumably the property itself. Another $3.3 million of the debt is unsecured.

• The Illinois Department of Revenue is owed $38,000 in state taxes

• The Internal Revenue Service is owed $15,000 in federal taxes

• Samson Funding in New York is owed $195,000 from a merchant cash advance

• The Illinois Housing Development Authority in connection with a $400,000 project grant

The opening of the Ovation Center appeared to mark a robust return to financial health for an organization that in 2015 announced a financial crisis, saying at that time that it needed outside help to pay off $400,000 in debt and avoid closure.

The Senior Services Center of Will County was stabilized under new leadership that eventually launched the plan to move operations from its smaller Joliet facility to the 127,000-square-foot space it now occupies on Weber Road.

Pardo noted that the Joliet building on Center Street has been for sale for nearly two years.

The Ovation Center, a spacious facility that includes a banquet center, activity rooms and rented offices available for businesses that serve seniors, was built to launch the agency into a future of new and better services.

Pardo said in the release, “The decision to pursue Chapter 11 was not made lightly. A series of financial challenges and external circumstances made reorganization unavoidable.”

“The reorganization process will allow Senior Services Center of Will County to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and dedicate resources where they have the greatest impact,” according to the release.

“Senior Services Center of Will County will continue providing services throughout the Chapter 11 process and will share updates with stakeholders as appropriate.”

Reporter Felix Sarver contributed to this story.

The Joliet motor sports club will expand the track to just over four miles, making it one of the largest motor sports tracks in the country, owners said.

“We want to keep the place fresh,” co-owner Mark Basso told the Joliet City Council on Tuesday before a vote approving the addition.

The additional half-mile will make the Autobahn track one of the longest in the country, Basso said.

It will be built on terrain that provides new opportunities for track elevation and banking, which will add to the driving experience for track members, Basso said.

The added track will cross through an area that is in the Cedar Creek Watershed Protection Area, which requires a special use permit from the city.

A staff memo on the project noted that the actual track surface will not be in the Cedar Creek Watershed Protection Area, but the permit is required because the lot on which it will be built is in the protection area.

No one opposed the permit, which was approved by the council unanimously and without discussion.

Basso and fellow owner Tim O’Donnell, who is president and CEO of the club, were the only people speaking on the matter.

“We’re really thrilled to be part of the Joliet community for the past 22 years,” O’Donnell told the council.

The two owners founded the club, which they said now is approaching 600 members.

The Autobahn Country Club opened in 2004.

“Autobahn was the first auto sports club in the world, which is pretty amazing,” Basso said. “It started an industry.”

The additional track will be built in an area within the north circuit of the Autobahn track.

Basso said it will be “the first of many” improvements being planned.

The additional track is expected to be built by October.

The collision happened about 11:14 a.m. Monday at Briggs Street in Joliet, Illinois State Police said.

The crash involved a driver going the wrong way on I-80 and hitting a semitrailer, police said.

Anthony Almaraz, 28, was pronounced dead at 12:08 p.m. Monday at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, according to the Will County Coroner’s Office.

Almaraz died in a crash that occurred on the westbound lanes of I-80 about 2,000 feet east of Briggs Street, according to the coroner’s office.

Illinois State Police did not clarify on Tuesday which vehicle Almaraz was operating.

“This crash is still under investigation and no further information is available at this time,” said Trooper Jayme Bufford.

All westbound traffic had been shut down at Briggs Street and traffic was diverted to U.S. Route 30 at the New Lenox interchange.

Westbound lanes were not reopened until about 4 p.m.

“We want to pay tribute to the soldiers who have given their lives for our country,” said Sandy Krzywanos of Plainfield.

“We just want to participate,” added her husband, Ron.

The event is organized each year by American Legion Marne Post 13, which was created in 1919 after World War I.

The Memorial Day tradition may go back to to the founding of the post said Past Commander Greg Roach, who served as master of ceremonies on Monday.

No one was quite sure when it started.

Past Commander Lee Perignon, a post member for 54 years, said the ceremony already was under way before he joined.

The turnout Monday indicated the tradition is still strong.

“It’s always good to see a whole great crowd that supports everything we do in the veteran community,” current Post Commander James Castaneda told the gathering. “It’s a good thing to see the crowd grow every year.”

Three bands from Plainfield Central, Plainfield North and Plainfield East high schools joined the ceremony along with other organizations.

It was a solemn ceremony in which Roach read off the names of those who have died in the current “Epic Fury” conflict.

Post Chaplain Dave LeVally gave prayers for those who died in service.

“Hear our prayers for those who gave their lives in service,” Levally prayed, “and accept the gift of their service.”