A nearly $70 million expansion is set for Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School.

A $90 million waterpark development with the iconic toy company, Mattel, is slated to begin.

The much-anticipated trial for Xandria Harris, the second person involved in the December 2021 death of Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and the injury of a second officer, Sgt. Tyler Bailey, is set to begin in February in the Kankakee County Courthouse.

These are just a few of the top stories that the Daily Journal will be following during 2026.

Here is a snapshot of these stories.

BBCHS Expansion

The Daily Journal will continue to report on the $70 million facility project that is planned to transform Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School.

District 307 is currently in the construction document phase, working alongside BLDD Architects and PSI Construction.

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Renderings show updated plans for Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School's Building Better facility project. (ADM)

Coming up, the second and final sale of bonds intended to pay for the work is expected in February.

Also in February, construction documentation is expected to be presented to the school board. Approval would then be sought to begin the bidding process.

It is also expected that the work area will be fenced off during the week of spring break, with construction to start in early April.

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Blueprints show updated overall first floor plan for Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School's Building Better facility project. (Provided by BLDD Architects)

The district also continues to whittle down costs to stay within budget, which includes $62 million from taxpayers and $8 million from reserves. The last estimate provided in November was around $70.67 million.

Bradley water park movement

One of the most impactful commercial developments appears ready to unfold on a 40-acre plot of farmland near the Northfield Square mall property.

Teamed with nationally recognized toy and amusement company Mattel, the village appears set to begin development of a 2-plus-acre, $90 million indoor water park on property immediately southeast of the mall.

Already named the Mattel Wonder Indoor Water Park, the development is projected to break ground in late spring or early summer.

The village has already sold nearly $80 million of government obligation bonds for park development.

Mattel, headquartered in El Segundo, California, joined the project only about two months ago and Bradley is one of five such parks the company plans to construct.

Xandria Harris trial

The trial for Xandria Harris is scheduled to start at the end of February.

Harris’s co-defendant, Darius Sullivan, was found guilty in 2024 in the December 2021 death of Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and the injury of a second officer, Sgt. Tyler Bailey.

Sullivan was found guilty by a Kankakee County jury and is serving a life sentence.

Harris’ trial is expected to last three weeks. She is claiming Sullivan abused her, and she feared for her safety and that of the couple’s three children.

Her defense appears to be based on her fear of Sullivan for taking part in this brutal, late-night crime, which took place in Bradley’s Comfort Inn near the Interstate 57 interchange.

Kankakee riverfront project

While the start of the $5 million development of the East Riverwalk at South Schuyler Avenue and East River Street experienced some unusual delays, the project began in the early autumn months of 2025.

A major step was accomplished just as the winter cold was settling into the region, as the 295-foot-long retaining wall, comprised of steel piles and precast concrete panels, was set into place.

As the concrete wall was put into place within the waters of the Kankakee River, officials estimated that perhaps up to 15% of the project was completed.

That percentage means much work is yet to be completed. The bulk of the construction is set to be put in place this year as the city moves forward on developing plans for the ultimate 4-mile riverwalk.

The walk stretches between the Frank Lloyd Wright property at South Harrison Avenue and continues along the river as it reaches the Riverside Medical Center campus.

Gotion motion

While the Manteno Gotion Illinois plant went from planning board meetings to actual manufacturing in 2025, there is still much to be done with the development at the former Kmart Distribution Center along South Spruce Street.

With approximately 450 workers at the 153-acre site, the China-based company anticipates an influx of on-site workers.

As the Gotion workforce continues to expand, officials estimate the employee count could triple in 2026 and reach as high as 1,400 jobs.

And while expansion of the workforce continues to increase, the enforcement of local fire codes also has gained the attention of fire protection district officials.

The main issues thus far have been the establishment of a fire brigade at the site and the adoption of an emergency action plan in case of a fire.

Also upcoming is the return to court on Feb. 4, 2026, for the status of compliance with case management with Kankakee County Circuit Judge Lindsay Parkhurst in the civil lawsuit brought by Concerned Citizens of Manteno against Gotion, 333 South Spruce LLC and the village of Manteno.

Kankakee downtown developments

Will there be a new downtown Kankakee deli attracting diners, and will this be the year a proposed downtown apartment development finally begins?

First, the deli.

Ownership of the New York City Deli, which has had a restaurant along North Convent Street in Bourbonnais in place since 2013, announced plans for a second site, this one in the 200 block of South Schuyler Avenue in the heart of the downtown district.

Owner Stephen Girard of Chebanse confirmed in August his plans for a second location.

The plans were greeted with considerable excitement. Plans are to have the site, inside the Standard Title property, ready for customers by early April.

Now the apartment development.

The construction of the now $22 million, three-story, 47-unit residential apartment building is somewhat less defined but eagerly anticipated.

Milwaukee-based development firm J. Jeffers & Co. has been targeting a parcel at East Station Street and South Dearborn Avenue as the site for a three-story, market-rate apartment.

Talks of the downtown residential development have been in discussion since 2018, and in June 2025, the Kankakee Plan Board approved a Planned Unit Development concept.

The venture gained its long-awaited River’s Edge Redevelopment Zone programming assistance in early December.

If this project is to move forward, construction will need to begin this spring, per agreement with the city administration.