The year of 2025 proved as the years before it to have big stories that carried the news.

Along with community growth, there were challenges, new ownership and legal matters.

Here is a look at the top five stories selected by the Daily Journal staff.

Mattel teams with Bradley on proposed waterpark

How do you top the inaugural year of a 315 Sports Park opening in Bradley?

Village officials announce they are teaming with an international toymaker for their proposed nearly $100-million indoor waterpark.

The partnership was announced by all parties during a Bradley board meeting earlier this month.

Mattel Inc., an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California, has signed on to be the title brand for the now-anticipated $90 million indoor waterpark in Bradley, immediately southeast of the Northfield Square mall property.

“This is instant brand recognition,” Bradley Mayor Mike Watson said. “... I’m very excited for this opportunity.”

The goal is to break ground in the spring or summer of 2026. The 2-plus-acre indoor park is tentatively set to open in late 2027.

The property, which had been a corn field this past year, is anticipated to be transformed into 25-30 acres of waterpark amusement and attract nearly 400,000 people within its first full year of operation.

Sullivan sentenced to life in prison

Darius Sullivan was sentenced to life in prison for the December 2021 murder of Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and 80 years for the attempted murder of Sgt. Tyler Bailey.

Sullivan was found guilty following a two-week jury trial in the Kankakee County Courthouse.

The officers responded to a complaint of dogs barking in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Comfort Inn.

Sullivan shot the officers when they came to their hotel room to talk about the dogs and arrest Sullivan, who was wanted on an outstanding warrant.

The trial for Sullivan’s co-defendant and girlfriend, Xandria Harris, is set to start in February.

In November, Harris was sentenced to 10 years after being found guilty for direct contempt of court, earlier this year.

During Sullivan’s trial, Harris refused to answer questions in the case, although she was ordered by a judge to after permitting prosecutors to question her through use of immunity.

Gotion employee totals grow; still faces lawsuit

The Gotion plant in Manteno is set to employ 450 people by the end of 2025, a company representative told the village board in November.

The plant is a $2-billion investment, spanning 153 acres and featuring 1.5 million square feet of operations.

Even though the company had come into Illinois and Manteno touting the production of batteries to propel the anticipated, rapidly-growing battery-powered vehicle industry, the site currently is focused on commercial and residential energy storage units.

A civil lawsuit brought by Concerned Citizens of Manteno and Manteno resident Brian Kovaka against Gotion, 333 South Spruce LLC and the village of Manteno continues with its next court date set for February 2026.

The lawsuit originally was filed in December 2023 regarding Manteno’s rezoning of the then-proposed lithium battery factory at the former Kmart distribution center at 333 S. Spruce St. in Manteno for Gotion, a Chinese manufacturer.

Momence suffers economic blows

The city of Momence suffered the loss of three manufacturing plants in 2025.

But within the past two or so years, Momence has turned into a punching bag, absorbing one blow after another.

First, AAF Flanders, on the city’s southeast side along Illinois Route 114, closed in April 2023. Almost 115 jobs were lost.

Then, a February 2025 late-night fire at the Gilster-Mary Lee plant, a producer of hot chocolate mixes, gutted the Momence facility. Some 80 jobs were lost when the Chester, Illinois-based company announced it would not rebuild.

Only a few months later, Johnsonville Foods, a longtime sausage links production plant based in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, announced it was shutting down its Momence location. Almost 275 jobs were lost.

Then in October, the Baker & Taylor book publishing company, an employment anchor on the city’s southwest side since 1962, announced the entire company was closing. Momence would lose another 320 primary jobs.

In total, the city has lost almost 800 primary jobs.

“You can’t give up. We have big places available now. Someone, somewhere will need those spots,” Momence Mayor Chuck Steele said. “I can’t see the Baker & Taylor site being vacant for too long. I have high hopes this can be done quickly.”

Prime Healthcare takes ownership of St. Mary’s Hospital

In March, Prime Healthcare took over running St. Mary’s Hospital in Kankakee.

Since formally taking ownership of the nonprofit St. Mary’s Hospital, Prime has eliminated the childbirth, labor and delivery services in Kankakee, as well as patient care managers.

These actions occurred less than 50 days after the sale was closed, Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe argued in a filing for a temporary retraining order.

In Prime Healthcare’s motion to dismiss, they argue that Prime requested a voluntary suspension of its Level II trauma designation to the state based on its lack of OB surgical coverage.

The health care company said every service-line change has followed all applicable requirements of the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The sides are due back in court March 23, 2026.