Jacqueline Traynere, Judy Ogalla and Steve Balich are three of the most outspoken members of a county board that typically has a lot to say on issues that frequently break down on party lines.

The political makeup of the county board, now evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, will be decided in November. But on Tuesday, when primary elections will determine who represents the party in the general election, the fate of three leaders of their parties is up for grabs.

They all face stiff challenges in an election in which primary challenges for county board positions are relatively rare.

“I don’t know how it will go,” Balich, R-Homer Glen, said of the Tuesday primary. “I know there are a lot of people who want to shut me up.”

Balich is an anti-tax Republican who takes positions that lean hard to the right of the political spectrum.

He is often at odds with Traynere, a Democrat from Bolingbrook who may lean as far to the left. She faces her own challenges in this election.

Traynere was convicted last week on misdemeanor charges of computer tampering.

Her primary opponents have been making the most of her legal troubles, she said.

“They have done a mailer that shows me in a jumpsuit behind bars,” Traynere said.

Her conviction is unlikely to lead to jail time.

Ironically, all three of the contested incumbents have a connection to the Traynere case.

Traynere was convicted of illegally gaining access to Ogalla’s email. Ogalla, a Republican from Monee, often has been at odds with Traynere on county board issues.

Balich, in 2024, held a press conference calling for an investigation into the situation before authorities took up the case.

“It’s all connected,” Balich said of the 2024 press conference, the Traynere conviction and the challenges in the Tuesday election.

But it’s not clear how.

Ogalla’s election challenge has nothing directly to do with Traynere.

She faces a stiff primary challenge from Neil “Muggsy” Gallagher, a candidate that Republicans have attempted to brand as a Democrat intruding on their primary.

“I absolutely consider him to be a Democrat running as a Republican,” Ogalla said.

She and others have pointed to Gallagher’s voting record. Since 2008, he has voted in six Democratic primaries and took one Republican ballot in 2016.

Gallagher survived 17 challenges to his candidacy in November to stay on the ballot.

Gallagher, a farmer, did not return phone calls for an interview this week, saying he was busy on the farm. Instead, he sent statements by email saying allegations that he actually is a Democrat are a “made-up attack” by Ogalla and describing himself as “a strong conservative Republican for 40 years.”

Ogalla said Gallagher’s candidacy is an attempt by Democrats, including County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, to “get me off the board.”

A former county board Republican leader, Ogalla has frequently faced off with Bertino-Tarrant on issues that divided the board.

The county board is made up of 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans, leaving Bertino-Tarrant as the tie-breaker on controversial issues that at times split the board evenly.

Eight county board districts are on the ballot in the primary and again in November, which creates an opportunity to change the board’s party makeup.

In the primary election, however, there are challenges in only the three districts that Ogalla, Traynere and Balich represent.

Each county board district is represented by two members. Typically, two or fewer candidates run in each party’s primary and then face off with the opposing party in the general election for the two board spots.

On Tuesday, there will be only one candidate in party primaries in six county board districts.

The only competition is in the Republican primary for District 2, the Republican primary for District 4, and the Democratic Primary for District 11 – all involving Ogalla, Balich and Traynere.

One exception could be the Democratic primary in District 4, where Kevin Koukol is trying to mount a write-in bid against the two candidates on the ballot, William Pratt and Sherri Boniecki-Cooling.

It’s a Republican-leaning district, however, and Balich, along with incumbent James Richmond, R-Mokena, are on the Republican ballot along with Michael Lepore and Pawel Tyrala.

Lepore is a village trustee in Homer Glen, where elected village officials mounted a successful campaign last year to remove Balich as Homer Township supervisor.

In District 2, Ogalla and incumbent Frankie Pretzel, R-New Lenox, are on the Republican ballot with Gallagher.

The contest, however, appears to be between Ogalla and Gallagher.

“The only person he (Gallagher) is attacking is me,” Ogalla said.

Gallagher, in his emailed statements on the campaign, described Ogalla as “my opponent,” accused her of being “a typical career politician,” and did not refer to Pretzel.

In Bolingbrook, Traynere is one of four candidates on the Democratic ballot.

Others are Sheldon Watts, Tyler Giacalone and Barbara Ann Parker.

The meeting on Monday will start at 4:30 p.m. instead of the previously announced time of 5:30 p.m., according to a notice issued when the council agenda was posted.

The public hearing for the proposed data center, however, will not be held until 5:30 p.m. as previously announced, according to the notice.

A city spokeswoman said the vote on the data center will follow the public hearing.

The data center hearing is likely to attract more than 100 people. About 80 people spoke to the Plan Commission on March 5 at a special meeting held solely for consideration of the data center.

The meeting lasted for more than five hours, and attendance was standing room only, with people standing in the hallway outside the council chambers during the meeting.

The Plan Commission recommended approval, sending the project to the City Council for a final vote.

The city published a legal notice on Feb. 28 that a public hearing on the data center plan would be held at a City Council meeting at 5:30 p.m. on March 16.

The city, in issuing the latest change in the council meeting schedule on Friday, noted that the hearing on the data center would proceed at 5:30 p.m. as previously posted.

The council presumably will take up other matters in the hour preceding the public hearing.

Hillwood and PowerHouse Data Centers issued a news release announcing the support on Friday ahead of a decisive vote by the Joliet City Council on the project.

The council will vote at a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday on whether to approve the annexation of 795 acres for the project, which would be a green light for developers.

The data center would be built in an area that is largely farmland in the vicinity of Rowell Avenue and Bernhard Road.

The 6,000 letters suggest widespread support for a project that has faced intense public opposition at public meetings.

About 80 people spoke out on the project at a Plan Commission public hearing on March 5, and all but nine of them opposed the data center. They presented a petition with more than 3,000 names of people opposed to the project.

The Plan Commission voted 7-1 to recommend approval of the data center to the City Council.

The council, which has the final say, is likely to approve the project.

City staff also is recommending approval. The city on Thursday announced that the data center developers will contribute $100 million to Joliet if the project is approved.

The money is in addition to an expected $310 million in property taxes and $40 million in property taxes that the data center is expected to generate over the next 30 years.

Such community contribution arrangements for big development projects are not unusual.

Developers of a 1,037-acre data center in Yorkville are making a $91 million community contribution to the city. The Yorkville City Council this week approved the $91 million community contribution agreement while also approving the project.

The Joliet City Council on Monday also will vote on the $100 million contribution agreement at the same time that it votes on whether to approve annexation for the project.

The 6,000 letters of support were described as coming from “local residents” in the news release from Hillwood and PowerHouse; it did not specify how many letters came from residents of Joliet and neighboring towns.

The data center has support from regional construction unions, which expect to get more than 7,000 jobs building the project.

Unions are among 12 “local organizations” that have submitted letters of support for the data center, according to the news release from the developers.

Those organizations also include the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.

The city of Joliet has not renewed a lease with Thirteenth Floor Entertainment, which has staged a haunted house at the prison since 2020.

A representative from Thirteenth Floor Entertainment said Tuesday that the company wants to continue running the haunted house but has been informed by Joliet that its lease will not be renewed.

Joliet leases the site of the former Joliet Correctional Center from the state and has sublet the former women’s prison to Thirteenth Floor Entertainment for the annual haunted house.

A representative for Thirteenth Floor said Tuesday the company was surprised to learn that it would not be welcomed back in 2026.

“The Old Joliet Haunted Prison has grown into a fall tradition that brings tens of thousands of visitors to the city each year, creates meaningful jobs for local residents, and supports local businesses throughout the season, so the news came as a surprise to us given the conversations we’ve had over the past two years about continuing the partnership,” Samantha Beranek with Thirteenth Floor said in an email.

Beranek added that “our hope is that we can work with the city to find a way to keep it here.”

The city, however, is working on arrangements to have Thirteenth Floor move out what equipment and props it has in the building, said city spokeswoman Ann Sylvester.

Sylvester, who also is the director of cultural affairs and special events for the city, said the removal of the haunted house is related to a new lease that Joliet negotiated with the state last year.

She said in an email that “under that agreement, all activities at the Old Joliet Prison now require state approval. At this time, Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group is not an approved use under the terms of that agreement.”

Sylvester said that the city notified Thirteenth Floor in January that its agreement with the city has expired “and that it must remove all of its property and equipment from the site. The city is currently working with Thirteenth Floor to coordinate the removal process.”

Elizabeth Fox of Minooka, who last year worked as a make-up artist at the Old Joliet Haunted Museum, said she and co-workers learned Tuesday that they would not be coming back in 2026.

She said it was the first time they had heard that the Old Joliet Haunted Museum had seen its last season.

Until then, Fox said, “Nobody was told 2025 was the last season, or even that it could be the last season.“

The City Council in December approved a three-year lease renewal with the state, giving no indication that any major changes were required.

The women’s prison is located on property that is across Collins Street from the main prison, which is managed by the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

The city in 2020 sought a contractor to run a haunted house at the women’s prison after interest was shown by a local group.

Thirteenth Floor, a national company headquartered in Colorado that also runs a major haunted house site in Schiller Park, eventually got the contract and opened in Joliet for the first time for the Halloween season in 2020.

City officials announced the deal on Thursday, just days ahead of a City Council vote on the project next week.

The council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday and vote whether to give final approval to the project after it received an OK from the Plan Commission at a special meeting last week.

Hillwood and PowerHouse Data Centers, the developers of the proposed 795-acre Joliet Technology Center, would commit “up to $100 million to improve Joliet’s sidewalks, streets and city services” under the community proposal, the city said in a news release.

The money is conditional upon city approvals.

Joliet would get $20 million after the developers close on the acquisition of the property, which is located mainly on farm land at Rowell Avenue and Bernhard Road, that would be annexed into Joliet for the project. The annexation is among the approvals going to the City Council for a vote on Monday.

Another $20 million would be given to the city each time approval is given for building permits for the four phases of the project.

The City Council will consider the $100 million proposal at its meeting on Monday, when it will also vote on whether to approve the project.

City Manager Beth Beatty lauded the $100 million proposal in a statement in the release.

“These commitments are an essential part of the city’s review process and help ensure that Joliet has the resources needed to support infrastructure and the needs of our community,” Beatty said. “This is a proactive approach to planning for a project of this scale while strengthening our long-term economic future and protecting residents.”

The project has faced intense community opposition at public meetings, where it also has received support from construction unions and some Joliet residents.

About 80 people spoke on the project at the Plan Commission meeting, including nine who voiced support.

The annual workshop open to the public at no charge provides expert advice on preparation and action for tornadoes and other emergencies.

This year topics will include nuclear readiness, according to a news release on the workshop.

Advance registration is required at www.willcountyema.org/workshop.

The workshop will be at Reed-Custer High School, located at 249 Comet Drive. Exhibits will be on display started at 8:30 a.m., and presentations will begin at 9 a.m.

Experts will lead presentations “on severe weather preparedness, nuclear readiness, and how community awareness and early action can help prevent acts of targeted violence,” the release stated. “Attendees will gain actionable steps they can take before, during, and after emergencies.”

The workshop is designed for people ages 12 and up.

“When seconds matter, being informed and prepared can make all the difference,” Will County EMA Director Allison Anderson said in the release. “This workshop empowers individuals and families with practical knowledge they can use immediately to protect themselves and support their communities during emergencies and disasters.”

This will be the third “When Seconds Matter: Public Preparedness Workshop” held by the county.

Linda’s Pizza, located at 723 Taylor St., was back to business at regular hours on Wednesday after boarding up the damage, the restaurant announced on its Facebook page.

No one was hurt at the restaurant.

Robert Lirot of Joliet was arrested on numerous charges and citations, Joliet police said in a news release on the incident.

The accident happened about 8:50 p.m.

Lirot was headed south on Raynor Avenue in a Chevrolet Traverse when “he turned left onto Taylor Street, struck the median, then hit an unoccupied parked Buick Regal before crashing into the front of Linda’s Pizza,” according to the release.

Linda’s Pizza is located on the corner of Raynor and Taylor.

No injuries were reported. But the pizzeria building “sustained extensive damage” and was examined by a city building inspector, according to the release.

“Officers determined that Lirot’s driver’s license was revoked, and he did not have proof of insurance,“ according to the release. ”Officers observed signs of alcohol impairment from Lirot and learned he had allegedly consumed prescription medication prior to driving. He completed field sobriety tests and was taken into custody without incident."

Police said Lirot was charged and cited with aggravated DUI, DUI-Drugs, DUI – Combination of Alcohol and Drugs, driving while license revoked, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and operation of an uninsured motor vehicle.

While at the police station, Lirot reported “a medical issue” and was taken to Saint Joseph Medical Center, according to the release.

After being released from the hospital, Lirot was released from police custody with a notice to appear in court, according to the release.

Lynch heard arguments Monday on the case seeking to remove Joliet City Council member Juan Moreno from office.

On next Monday, she will decide whether to end the case in one side’s favor or allow it to proceed to trial.

A decision against Moreno would mark the first time that a state’s attorney’s office in Illinois is able to remove an elected official based on pre-election residency requirements.

The Will County State’s Attorrney’s Office wants Moreno removed from office, saying he did not meet the required residency requirements before running in the 2025 election.

“This is an extraordinary ask to remove an elected councilman for an alleged pre-election violation,’” Moreno’s attorney Burton Odelson told Lynch at one ponet.

Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Pyles said the case was brought after an in-depth examination of Moreno’s residency that could not have been done in the time allowed for objections before candidates are placed on the ballot.

“We have a job to do,” Pyles said. “Somebody has to check the qualifications of a candidate who runs for office. I don’t like it. But somebody has to do it.”

The state’s attorney’s office contends that Moreno’s legal residency was in a house at 819 Baskin Drive, which is outside the city limits.

Moreno driver’s license, vehicle records and voter’s registration all indicated that he lived on Baskin Drive, and he voted in a March 2024 primary based on that address, Pyles said.

He did not formally change his address to Jonathan Simpson Drive, which is inside the city limits, until August 2024, just a few months before filing to run in the City Council election of April 2025.

Pyles contended that Moreno did not meet the one-year residency requirement for city candidates.

Moreno’s case is based on his moving away from his family and into the home of a relative at the Jonathan Simpson Drive address in time to meet the one-year residency requirement.

The move was made because of relationship problems with Moreno’s fiancee and the mother of his children, both sides agree.

Moreno’s attorneys argue that the move was sufficient to establish city residency.

Any challenge to Moreno’s residency should have been done before the April 2025 election, Odelson said.

“It’s not in the state’s province to come after him with the venom and the anger and the we’re-going-to-get-him attitude,” Odelson said at the hearing on Monday.

The last case to be brought against an elected official challenging pre-election residency was 50 years ago, Odelson noted.

“Since then nothing,” he said.

Pyles, however, pointed to that case and others as examples that a candidate could not use a temporary home to establish residency when official documents listed his address elsewhere.

Moreno moved in with relatives after leaving his fiancee and has shown a lease for the arrangement. But Pyles repeatedly emphasized that all legal documents continued to tie Moreno to the Baskin Drive address where he continued to get mail.

“Renting a room with a member of the family, I don’t think that meets the legal requirement of residency,” Pyles siad. “There isn’t anything for him to rely on to say, ‘I lived in the city of Joliet.’”

Lynch said she would tell attorneys of her decision on Monday.

The commission recommended approval of the 795-acre project with few questions despite more than four hours of public comment, most of which was against the plan.

“This meeting feels more like a formality than a discussion with your residents,” Candice Quinerly, one of the opponents, said to the commission.

The proposed Joliet Technology Center now goes to the City Council for a final vote on March 16.

Roughly 80 people spoke at the Plan Commission meeting. Nine spoke in favor of the project.

The debate centered at times over whether the proposed Joliet Technology Center is too promising to pass up or too problematic to pass approval.

Data center developers promise more than 7,000 construction jobs, 700 high-paying permanent jobs, and $310 million in property taxes over 30 years.

“There hasn’t been a job like this since they built the Braidwood Nuclear Station in the early ‘80s,” Doc Gregory, president of the Will & Grundy Counties Building Trades Council, told the commission.

Gregory said about 300 local union construction workers now are traveling out of the area to work on data centers.

“We need a project like this in our backyard,” he said.

That’s just where opponents say it shouldn’t be.

“The people south of Joliet, the people of south Will County – we’ve just been under siege," Tim Shanahan of Manhattan told the commission.

Joliet would annex the 795 acres, an area of farmland located roughly at Rowell Avenue and Bernhard Road on a site south of the Chicagoland Speedway, for the data center.

The annexation would extend the city boundaries toward Manhattan, as a previous annexation for the NorthPoint Development warehouse project, which also faced intense opposition, moved the Joliet city limits towards Elwood.

The industrial expansion of Joliet is eroding a rural lifestyle for people like Shanahan.

“Our way of life has been under siege for some time,” he said.

Unlike the NorthPoint project, the Joliet Technology Center faces opposition from people not necessarily living close to the future data center but opposed to what it represents.

Many opponents to the plan noted that it will help fuel the development of artificial intelligence, which they said poses problems for the future.

“How many jobs over the next 30 years is artificial intelligence going to take away?” David Kump asked.

Others pointed to issues of electricity demand, water usage and noise that have been linked to data centers.

A state report issued in December said Illinois faces an electricity shortage in the coming years, driven in large part by the addition of data centers.

The Joliet Technology Center, according to a city staff report, would use 1,800 megawatts of electricity a year.

“This is a massive project, and the amount of energy to be used is not to be trifled with,” Chris Carlson, an electrical engineer, told the commission.

Carlson said the proposed data center would contribute to “a new energy crisis” and one of that is being created “for what is perceived to be a need in the future.”

Proponents and even some opponents said Joliet would not be able to escape the impact on electricity bills, whether or not the Joliet Technology Center is built. If the city rejected the project, some form of it would be built elsewhere, they said, and have the same impact on local electricity bills.

City staff and the developers say the electricity demand for the data center will be self-contained and should not impact energy customers around the Joliet Technology Center.

“There really is no way for that cost to be foisted, or moved over, to other ComEd energy consumers,” Mark Pruitt with The Power Bureau, a consultant for the developers, told the commission.

With the number of issues under consideration, some opponents said they just needed more time to understand the project.

“My head is exploding with all this information,” Gianna Barone of Joliet said.

“Are we going to be safe?” Barone asked. “Can we get some guarantees? Can we get something in writing that says our electric bills aren’t going to go up?”

More time is not likely to be granted.

The city, after putting the project on hold in October, put it on a fast track for approval in less than a month.

The Joliet Technology Center was the only item on the agenda for the special Plan Commission meeting first announced on Feb. 20 in a legal ad posted in The Herald-News.

On March 16, the project will be one of many items at a combined City Council meeting, which will combine the usual workshop meeting with the regular council meeting in which the council votes.

David Silverman, attorney for the developers, noted that city staff for the past five months have been asking questions to prepare the city for the data center votes.

“We provided the answers,” Silverman said. “The city has provided the answers. We think it’s time to move on to the council.”

Those questions and answers, however, took place outside of public view. The city first provided its conclusions about the project on Tuesday, when it released the agenda for the Plan Commission meeting on the city website.

Some objectors to the project said they just wanted more time to figure it out.

“I think a lot of us here want more transparency,” Mary Simeone of Joliet told the commission. “We want you to take your time considering this project.”

Herrera mentioned the experience on Thursday when introducing herself on a discussion panel for an annual event held during March for Women’s History Month by the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry and its Council for Working Women.

“We need to talk,” fellow panelist Laura Franklin, vice provost of undergraduate academic affairs at Lewis University in Romeoville, quipped after Herrera mentioned her parliamentary experience.

Other panelists were Natalie Coleman, a former member of the Will County Board who heads the After the Peanut nonprofit for youth education, and Katy Leclair, president and CEO of the Joliet Area YMCA.

Herrera’s parliamentary experience actually was a four-month stint during her college years, she explained later.

But it did fit in with one answer she gave to a question about what the panelists would have advised themselves at age 20.

“I would say enjoy the ride,” Herrera said. “Never in a million years did I think I would be working in NASCAR after so many years in health care.”

Herreara had a 19-year career in healthcare administration before joining NASCAR, where she was director of community relations for NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race before coming to Joliet in December.

Other panelists had their own unique stories to tell.

Franklin said she started as a professional musician playing drums, a challenging pursuit for a woman.

She told the story of a clash with a bandleader during school days.

“He said, ‘Girls don’t play drums. Do you want to play flute?’ ” Franklin said. “I said, ‘No, I want to play drums.’ ”

Leclair has had a relatively stable career with the YMCA.

“I started at the Y 23 years ago, and I never left,” she said. “I was a lifeguard.”

Coleman’s life has taken a few turns.

She joined the ROTC in school, which led to Coleman being assigned to Iraq as a military police officer.

Despite rejecting a career in education while still in school, Coleman now is a professor at Governors State University. Coleman also is chief executive at the nonprofit After the Peanut, which she created to encourage and assist girls interested in studying the sciences.

“Our focus is to make sure that young girls who want to be engineers or doctors or whatever they want to be that we pour into them,” she said.

Chamber President Jen Howard commented on the panelists for the annual event.

“It’s not difficult to find female leaders who well represent our community to be here,” Howard said.

The council voted 7-1 to recommend approval of the project to the City Council, which will have the final vote on March 16.

Dozens of people spoke against the project, although about a dozen also spoke for it.

Public comment went on for hours as people questioned the impact of the project on electricity bills, whether the data center would.soak up local water supplies, and how it would contribute to the replacement of jobs with artificial intelligence.

“AI is intended to take away jobs from human beings and replace the need for them,” one opponent said.

David Silverman, attorney for developers Hillwood and PowerHouse Data Centers, acknowledged the anti-AI feeling in the room in his final comments to the commission before the vote.

“This is not a referendum on whether artificial intelligence is a good thing or not,” Silverman said.

Several of the backers for the project were representatives from building trades unions, which stand to get 7,000 to 10,000 jobs during the course of construction.

“I think it’s what the area needs,” said union pipefitter Jim Slowik of Joliet. “I am for this project.”

The data center would be built on farm land in an area south of the Chicagoland Speedway.

The data center plan originally was to be heard by the Plan Commission in October, but staff took it off the agenda for more review.

In the meantime, opponents had been coming regularly to Plan Commission and City Council meetings to speak against the project.

A petition with more than 3,000 signatures from people opposed to the data center was presented to the Plan Commission.

“That’s a lot of people,” Tia Quinerly, who started the petition drive, told the Plan Commission. “That means something. That means people care about this issue.

Developers Hillwood and PowerHouse Data Centers say the project will bring more than 7,000 construction jobs and 700 permanent jobs once fully built.

Many of the opponents said they believe the permanent jobs would be a fraction of what is promised.

The project also is expected to generate $310 million in property taxes over 30 years.

“The gathering aims to promote voter turnout and highlight the importance of civic engagement ahead of the upcoming primary election,” a news release from the church stated.

The primary election is Tuesday, March 17.

The Get Out the Vote event will be 1-3:30 p.m. in the church at 225 E. Clinton St.

The Rev. Lonnie Posley is pastor of New Canaanland Christian Church.

“The event is designed for the entire community, offering opportunities to meet local candidates, connect with fellow residents, and learn how to play an active role in shaping Joliet’s future,” the release stated.

All candidates are welcome to attend, according to the release.

The event will include “activities suited for all ages, refreshments, and informative sessions about the candidates running in the primary election,” the release stated.

For more information, contact Burneva McCullum at 779-279-4711.

Residents continue to question whether developers of the Joliet Technology Center have provided enough information for a vote.

“Why such a big data center?” Marjorie McNichols asked the City Council at its meeting on Tuesday. “Why are you moving so fast?”

The council will vote on the plan on March 16 in a faster-than-usual review process for the project.

But the plan was pulled from a Plan Commission agenda in October when staff said it needed more time to review issues raised by the public.

The proposed Joliet Technology Center would be built in an area south of the Chicagoland Speedway at Rowell Avenue and Bernhard Road that is primarily farm land.

Here’s what staff says on the key points related to the data center in their analysis for the Plan Commission.

Staff cites the same numbers projected by developers Hillwood and PowerHouse Data Centers, saying their Joliet Technology Center will generate up to 10,000 construction jobs and 700 “high-paying permanent jobs.”

The developers have committed to partnerships with local schools to develop training programs aimed at filling those jobs with local residents, the report said.

The data center over 30 years will generate $310 million in property taxes and another $40 million in utility taxes, city staff says.

The analysis says that “developments of this scale provide stable, recurring revenue” for city services.

Data centers have been linked to increased energy demands that have led to higher utility bills for consumers. A state report in December warned of a future electricity shortage in Illinois and cited demand from data centers as a primary cause.

The Joliet staff analysis, however, describes the Joliet Technology Center as being energy self-sufficient.

“ComEd has identified and planned a series of transmission and system upgrades that will allow the data center to operate without reducing reliability for existing residential or business customers,” the staff analysis states. “All required transmission and infrastructure improvements associated with the project will be funded by the developer.”

According to the staff analysis, the Joliet Technology Center “will secure and pay for its own electricity,” and exiting ComEd customers will not subsidize energy costs.

Opponents have portrayed the data center as a massive water consumer.

Staff recommends capping daily water use at 150,000 gallons a day, which, the analysis says, is below the expected 264,000 gallons a day that would be used if the area was developed as previously planned for light industrial use.

“The proposed data center campus would utilize a closed-loop system that recycles water and significantly reduces overall water usage,” the staff analysis says. “The city is comfortable that the planned water use will not strain the local system.”

Noise from from “cooling equipment and backup generators has been cited as a chief negative quality of life impact for adjacent property owners,” the staff analysis says.

Generators at the Joliet Technology Center would be “built within the interior of the site, so that any noise produced would be mitigated by the structures themselves, as well as by the landscape berms that must be installed,” the staff analysis states.

It describes land within a mile of the site as “largely vacant or under development for light industrial uses, though there are several preexisting farmstead residences scattered throughout the area in addition to a lower density single-family residential neighborhood south of Spangler Road.”

The city would require the data center to implement noise reduction techniques that meet state standards if the operation is determined to be a nuisance.

This is one area that has not been a point of contention because a data center would presumably generate less traffic than warehouses that otherwise could be built on the site.

The staff report cited a traffic study predicting the data center would not have a significant impact on intersections in the area.

City votes on the project are being arranged quickly after having been put on hold since October, suggesting the plan may be on its way to approval.

Staff is recommending approval of the data center in a report attached to the agenda for a special Plan Commission meeting on the matter behind held at 4 p.m. Thursday. The agenda came out Tuesday afternoon.

The city on Feb. 20 announced that a special meeting of the Plan Commission would be held to consider the plan for the Joliet Technology Center.

On Saturday, the city published a legal notice in The Herald-News that the City Council will conduct a public hearing on the data center project at a combined council meeting at 5:30 p.m. March 16.

Both meetings are outside the usual schedules for the Plan Commission and the City Council.

The Plan Commission normally meets on the third Thursdays of the month but will consider the data center project at a special meeting devoted solely to the project.

The City Council, which has the final say on development proposals, typically does not take up matters considered by the Plan Commission until the following month or two months later.

In this case, the City Council is likely to vote on the data center plan less than two weeks after a vote at the Plan Commission.

The City Council meeting will be a combined meeting, meaning it combines the usual Monday pre-council, or workshop meeting, with the usual Tuesday regular meeting, when the council typically votes on matters presented to them the night before.

The meeting was combined because of state law barring public bodies from holding meetings on Election Day, city spokeswoman Ann Sylvester said.

The primary election is March 17.

Data center projects have been controversial across Illinois, in part because of their demands for electricity and water for operations.

The city noted those concerns raised by area residents when the data center plan was pulled off of the Plan Commission agenda in October.

City officials have said little about the project until the city launched a web page dedicated to the data center plan on the city web site on Feb. 20.

But both the Plan Commission and City Council have heard from opponents, who have used opportunities to comment at public meetings to voice their opposition.

The usually development friendly Plan Commission is likely to hear from opponents at the Thursday meeting.

They may also hear from the influential building trades unions, which back the project with its promise to create 10,000 construction jobs.

Both sides came out in numbers at an open house held Feb. 12 by data center developers Hillwood and PowerHouse Data Centers.

“We want to be good neighbors,” Donald Schoenheider, executive vice president with Hillwood, said at the open house. “We want to be part of the community.”

Up to now, there has not been a showing of public support for the project, however, beyond the building trades unions, even though Schoenheider said the data center will create more than 700 permanent jobs that he said pay $125,000 and up at other data centers.

People have been skeptical about future jobs at the Joliet Technology Center.

The benefits and drawbacks of data centers have become a statewide and national issue, raising questions about their impact on electricity rates, employment, and water availability.

City Manager Beth Beatty in late January said staff was doing their “due diligence” in getting answers on questions being raised in the community.

The staff report to the Plan Commission notes the positive impact of the proposed Joliet Technology Center, including jobs and an estimated $310 million in property taxes over 30 years.

Water use, due to a closed-loop system designed for the project, would be less than what the city had expected in the area with light industrial development, according to the staff report.

The report also describes the future data center as being energy self-sufficient due to system upgrades being designed by ComEd for the project and paid for by the developers.

At full build-out, the data center will use 1,800 megawatts of electricity a year, according to the report.

“The data center will secure and pay for its own electricity, independent of residential or small business service,” the report states.

Ellis was a minister at St. Mark C.M.E. Church, located on the South End of Joliet where he lived his entire life.

The city will add the designation Larry Ellis Way to a section of Wallace Street between Joliet and Ottawa streets.

“Rev. Larry was a community leader, veteran and activist whose impact continues to resonate among South End locals,” the Rev. Cameron J. Moore, paster at St. Mark’s, wrote in a letter of support for the street designation.

Ellis died July 29, 2024.

Trista Brown, founder and leader of the nonprofit activist organization SpeakUp, submitted the application for the street designation to honor Ellis.

SpeakUp in 2021 gave its Margaret Graves Humanitarian Award to Ellis.

Brown in her application noted Ellis’s “exceptional involvement with St. Mark C.M.E. Church and commiunity initiatives.”

Councilwoman Suzanna Ibarra, whose District 5 includes the South End area, commented at the Feb. 17 City Council meeting at which the street designation was approved that Ellis regularly reminded her of the needs in the neighborhood.

“He knew the area very well,” Ibarra said. “He never failed to help anyone who needed help.”

“We estimate this work to continue until April 15 as weather conditions allow,” the Forest Service said in a news release. “We use prescribed fires to help reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires.”

The Forest Service in the release did not say when the controlled burns would start.

Details will be provided on the Midewin website, at the welcome center and at trailhead kiosks “usually 24 to 48 hours before,” according to the release. County emergency management officials will be notified when burning begins.

“Burn areas may close to the public for several days for public safety,“ according to the release. ”Watch for warning signs along roads near all prescribed fire areas before and during burns.

“Residents may experience smoke during the prescribed burns. For more detailed information about air quality, go to AirNow online or download the app. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road.

“We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a burn begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled.”

On Monday, Brandon Mercado-Morales, 25, of Romeoville was identified as the victim of the crash by the Will County Coroner’s Office. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased at 1:31 a.m. on Sunday, the coroner’s office said.

The Illinois State Police is investigating the accident that happened about 12:39 a.m. near Weber Road, police said.

It led to a second crash involving three vehicles but did not lead to any injuries.

Southbound lanes, however, were closed until 5:05 a.m. Sunday.

The pedestrian was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead there.

The death toll, which includes six American servicemen and 555 Iranians, includes Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to The Associated Press.

Ches Thurber, an associate professor of International Relations at Northern Illinois University, said the U.S.-Iran relationship has had serious issues for a long time, and the U.S. has had concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, its support for terrorism throughout the Middle East, and its repression of protesters earlier this year.

The Associated Press reported in a Jan. 15 story that nationwide protesters were sparked by Iran’s ailing economy, putting pressure on its theocracy. The Iranian government responded with a deadly crackdown. It also shut down the internet. More than 600 protests sprang up across Iran’s 31 provinces, which led to 2,615 dead and 18,470 arrests.

“What we haven’t seen from President Trump yet is kind of a coherent case for why these amounted to a situation in which it was necessary to use force immediately, especially coming off of last year, where we used force to take out these nuclear sites,” Thurber said. “At the time, President Trump seemed to indicate that he solved the nuclear problem for the foreseeable future.”

Thurber said the operation in Venezuela that saw the removal of Nicolás Maduro from power was, in Trump’s eyes, successful, and that made him more bullish on his ability to take out foreign leaders.

“You have these protests happening in Iran, and he’s thinking, well, I should do the same thing here,” Thurber said. “This is the chance to do it. The problem was, at the time, the US didn’t have the military assets in place in the region in order to do what President Trump wanted to do effectively.”

Over the past couple of months, Thurber said, the US has moved assets to the Middle East so it could conduct sustained strikes.

Thurber said Iran’s nuclear program had the capabilities to enrich uranium to the levels that could be used for a nuclear weapon, and they wanted to keep that on the table.

“They put everything on hold while we had this agreement with Iran, the nuclear deal that Obama struck, and then President Trump ended that nuclear deal in his first term,” Thurber said. “After that, we saw the Iranians return to enriching uranium.”

The response to the attack on Iran, which was not approved by Congress, has been swift, with many democratic lawmakers condemning the strikes.

Republicans voiced support.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, whose 16 District spreads through La Salle County and into Grundy County, posted a statement on X in support of the attacks on Saturday morning.

“Rather than engage in good-faith negotiations, the Iranian regime has continued to fund terrorist organizations, destabilize the Middle East, murder its own citizens, and threaten the security of the U.S. and our allies,” LaHood said.

“Last night’s Operation “Epic Fury” was a direct consequence of Iran’s actions and its refusal to pursue a peaceful path forward,” LaHood continued. “President Trump and his team made every effort to provide the regime with a diplomatic off-ramp, but the safety and security of the American people must always remain our top priority.”

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, is set to issue a statement later this week on the issue.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations also has condemned the bombings. On Saturday, calling the Trump Administration’s actions the start of “another unnecessary, unjustified, and unconstitutional regime-change war in the Middle East.”

“We call on the American people to vocally oppose this illegal war before American soldiers and more people across the Middle East lose their lives,” CAIR said in a statement condemning the war. “We call on Congress – especially Democratic leaders – to reject the demands of AIPAC, listen to the American people, and take every action possible to stop this war of choice, including by supporting the Massie-Khanna War Powers Resolution.”

The Massie-Khanna War Powers Resolution refers to a bill Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie and California Democrat Ro Khanna plan to introduce in the House of Representatives this week to restrain the attacks without approval from Congress.

Additionally, on Sunday, CAIR issued a second statement calling for an investigation into the American-Israeli bombing that reportedly left more than 140 people dead, including dozens of students, at an all-girls elementary school in southern Iran.

“We strongly condemn the massacre of Iranian schoolgirls and teachers at an elementary school perpetrated during the U.S.-Israel bombing of Iran,” the civil rights group said in a statement, which referred to the bombing as a war crime.

“Relevant congressional committees must conduct a swift, transparent, and independent investigation into this war crime,” the statement continued. “If the U.S. did indeed commit this massacre, Pete Hegseth and any U.S. military officials involved in ordering the attack must be removed from their posts... We need answers. We need accountability. Most importantly, we need an end to this illegal war before more people die.”

CAIR has urged Americans to contact their local members of Congress and the White House to demand an end to the war.

Thurber said these conflicts have a massive humanitarian cost.

“One is remembering just how brutal the Iranian regime has been to civilians,” Thurber said. “Thousands, by some estimates, potentially 10s of thousands of protesters that were killed earlier this year, but then also in the current war and the current strikes.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that “this is not Iraq. This is not endless,” but he also said more American deaths are likely in the weeks ahead.

President Donald Trump said strikes on Iran could last several weeks, though he said the US is prepared to go on for longer.

Thurber said how the conflict in Iran plays out depends on decisions that Trump hasn’t made yet.

“I think he saw an opportunity to take out the leaders of Iran, some senior leaders, and then he wanted to see how things played out, how they played out in the country in terms of what kind of new leadership emerged in Iran, with maybe a long-shot chance that there would be some type of uprising and change in regime, but also to see how things played out domestically,” Thurber said.

In the past, Thurber said, Americans have rallied around wars once they begin. That has not seemed to be the case this time: A Reuters poll from Monday shows that 43% of Americans disapprove of the attack on Iran.

“We’ve seen a number of polls come out today that show a surprising lack of support for this military operation,” Thurber said.

• Eric Schelkopf contributed to this story

The test is 9 a.m. at the Will County Building, which is located 302 N. Chicago St. in downtown Joliet.

The public test is being done in accordance with the Illinois Election Code in preparation for the March 17 primary election, according to a news release from the county clerk’s office.

“Test ballots will be run through the ballot counters by county clerk staff in full view of observers,” the release states. “The public test will showcase the optical scan voting equipment that will be used in the upcoming election. The purpose of the test is to ensure that all voting equipment is operating properly and accurately tabulating votes prior to Election Day.”

The public is invited to attend the test.

Those who want more information can call the Will County Clerk’s Office at 815-740-4615 or visit the site www.willcountyclerk.gov.

“It’s crazy,” Benson said. “It’s trying to squeeze in a one-size-fits-all standard formula that doesn’t fit all communities.”

Benson said Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposal threatens local government, but it is just the latest mandate from Springfield imposed upon local cities and counties for larger political goals.

“These legislators are out of control,” Benson said. “They have no idea of the impacts that they are creating.”

Pritzker pitched what is called the Buiding Up IL Development, or BUILD, initiative in his State of the State address on Feb. 18.

On the surface, it’s a push for affordable housing by tearing down zoning restrictions that otherwise limit multi-family housing, especially in subdivisions designed for single-family homes.

Multi-family housing is typically a flashpoint in local communities, where homeowners often see apartment living as an incursion into the lifestyle they want in the neighborhood.

The Pritzker proposal would pave the way for not only more multi-family construction but the conversion of single-family homes into apartments that would allow several families to move into houses first built for one-family occupancy.

It would eliminate certain restrictions, including mandated parking spaces typically set by local authorities.

“It’s basically state mandating development in your community,” Benson said. “It’s ridiculous.”

Oswego Village Administrator Dan Di Santo said he can appreciate the goals of the governor’s proposal. But he also is concerned about the proposal taking control away from municipalities.

“Bringing affordable housing to the state and bringing an increase in housing supply to the state I think are noble causes and goals,” Di Santo said. “I believe local governments are the best to determine zoning issues in their jurisdiction.”

He noted the village has been seeing a housing boom. The majority of Oswego is in Kendall County, which continues to be the fastest growing county in the state.

“We’re not having hard time with developers being able to build homes here,” Di Santo said. “They’re doing it as a bigger rate than anyone else in the state. And I believe that our planning and zoning commission and the Village Board do a great job in looking at every project on their own merits, not just in terms of the land use, but also, the neighboring properties and how they impact them.”

Di Santo noted the village’s Comprehensive Plan calls for diverse housing.

“We want Oswego to be open to everybody,” he said. “And so housing is a great way to make that a reality. Look at what we’ve approved over the past decade. We’ve approved multi-family housing. We’ve approved townhomes. We’ve approved two-family dwellings. We approved more single-family last year than we ever had. We have small-lot single-family. We have large-lot single-family. We have a very diverse housing stock in Oswego and it’s only getting more diverse. So I think a lot of the goals of this BUILD program, Oswego already meets.”

The BUILD proposal is not the first state initiative taking away local authority for the sake of a cause set in Springfield.

Apartment builders now must install electric vehicle conduit to every parking space, a requirement that Benson said has slowed down multi-family housing in Lockport because of the additional costs.

The state also has taken away county government authority over zoning for solar farms, a mandate aimed at easing development of alternative energy project that have at times face opposition from people who live next to the facilities.

Benson’s fears are well-represented with state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, who said she agrees with the governor that housing affordability is a serious issue, but stripping control from local governments is not the solution.

“The state should partner with municipalities instead of dictating policy from the top down, like they did with the previously enacted bill that takes away local control for siting and zoning regarding wind and solar farms,” Rezin said. “Incentives and collaboration work better than mandates, and the governor’s proposal represents another example of government overreach by the state attempting to override local decision-making.”

Local cities and villages are just beginning to respond to the BUILD initiative.

The city of Joliet did not provide anyone for an interview on the BUILD plan.

Instead, Joliet provided comments through email attributed to Director of Community Development Dustin Anderson and not indicating any position regarding BUILD.

“The Governor’s BUILD plan is just one way to address the state’s housing shortages, and we look forward to further conversations with the governor on his plan,” one of the comments attributed to Anderson said.

The statements attributed to Anderson said it was ‘too early" to support or oppose the BUILD initiative.

Rezin said she’s anticipating hearing from officials in her district, which covers Bureau, Putnam, La Salle, Grundy and Kendall counties, asking her to oppose the bill after there’s language in the bill to analyze.

“If you give up the power and give it to Springfield, the question is, do they really care about what’s happening in your community or not?” Rezin said. “”I would say local officials know their communities better than anyone else. Zoning decisions should be made by locally elected leaders who answer directly to the residents"

Members of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus also have expressed concerns about the proposal.

“We urge for the continuing role of local governments in land use planning,” Neil James, executive director of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, said in a statement. “Our member communities as well as those throughout the state vary widely in geography, population density, infrastructure capacity, and housing demand, and that is why it is crucial that we preserve local control, because our local leaders are best positioned to craft solutions tailored to their residents’ needs.”

Romeoville Mayor John Noak, chair of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, said the group appreciates the governor’s focus on housing and the importance of increasing supply across Illinois.

“As discussions move forward, we look forward to collaborating with the administration to ensure statewide policy goals are implemented in ways that respect the diversity of our communities while supporting locally driven planning decisions,” he said.

Grace period registration for the March 17 primary election is also available at early voting locations for those who need to register to vote or update their registration, according to a news release from County Clerk Annette Parker.

Early voting began Feb. 5 but only at the county clerk’s office at 302 N. Chicago St. in downtown Joliet.

That site will remain open. The 22 additional sites had been scheduled to open Monday. They are at:

• The city/village offices of Braidwood, Naperville, Channahon, Elwood, Frankfort, Manhattan, Mokena, Monee, New Lenox, Plainfield, and Romeoville

• The offices of Crete, Homer, Lockport, Troy, and Washington townships

• The Joliet Park District building at 3000 W. Jefferson St.

• The Spanish Community Center in Joliet

• The Prairie Activity & Recreation Center in Plainfield

• The Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook

• Frankfort Public Library

• Naperville Public Library, 95th Street location

• Governors State University, across from the Paul Bunyan statue

“Following survey feedback from local township and municipal clerks, some early voting hours have been adjusted,“ according to the release. ”The clerk’s office worked collaboratively with each early voting site to establish dates and times that best met their abilities and requests."

A complete list of early voting locations, dates, and hours is available at willcountyclerk.gov.

The Lockport Township Fire Protection District was called to the 200 block of Bluff Street about 6:15 p.m., according to a news release from the district.

Firefighters “found a small fire in a detached garage,” according to the release. “Crews made a quick attack and were able to extinguish the fire.”

The fire was limited to the garage, and no one was injured.

The fire appeared to be accidental but is under investigation with no cause determined, according to the release.

“The incident was elevated to the general alarm level, bringing in equipment and personnel from Bolingbrook, Lemont and Northwest Homer to help cover the rest of the district,” according to the release.

Joe Matise said he and his wife, Jennifer, plan to open the space they have called The Matise in the spring, which could be April or May depending on how final construction proceeds.

“We’re looking to wrap up all significant construction in the next six to seven weeks,” Matise said Friday. “We’re looking to be open in mid-spring.”

Opening the old church as a new venue will be a significant moment. Other developers have taken on the project without success since 2012, when the city brought in a developer to save the church at a time it was believed to be slated for demolition.

The Matise would be a banquet space for weddings and other events on Fridays and Saturdays, while providing a music venue the rest of the week, Matise said.,

The City Council on Tuesday will vote on a liquor license for The Matise.

A liquor commission report attached to the agenda notes that the facility would be a banquet hall with live music.

The Matises have been working on the Joliet project since 2023. The church has been under previous ownership a few times as other developers sought to retrofit the building for night clubs, apartments and other potential uses since 2012.

The church at 113 N. Ottawa St. was built of Joliet limestone in the years 1877 to 1882.