The Kankakee Art League awarded an art award scholarship to Olivet Nazarene senior Ainsley Sasportas.

Alexis McCullough, 17, the former Miss Kankakee’s Teen 2025, was recently crowned Miss Chicago’s Teen 2026.

The Kankakee East Riverwalk project is moving forward and the goal remains for a mid- to late-summer completion, officials said.

Kankakee Fire Department Capt. Christopher Salazar has been promoted to the position of deputy chief.

In this weekend’s “A Taylor-Made Life,” Taylor Leddin-McMaster talks about spending time with her nieces by gifting experiences rather than tangible items.

Escape the cold and stock up on farmers’ market goods at the inaugural Kankakee Farmers’ Market winter market on Saturday, Jan. 24 from 8 a.m. to noon inside The Majestic in downtown Kankakee.

From Capitol News Illinois: In a joint statement from IDPH and the Illinois Department of Human Services released late Tuesday, the agencies confirmed a single case at Shapiro Center — home to adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities

St. Rose of Lima Chapel will present "Nuns Acting Out," an interactive comedic musical, Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m.

Work on the Kankakee East Riverwalk has reached between 20% to 25% complete at the 1-acre park along the riverbanks at the South Schuyler Avenue and East River Street intersection. The $5-million project, proposed in 2017, broke ground in January 2025 and has been taking shape over the past year.

Wright in Kankakee hosts its very first Decades Trivia Night from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, February 13.

A single-family home in Kankakee that sold for $455,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Kankakee County in the past week.

Catch up on the week’s top Kankakee County news in minutes. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you, for the week of Jan. 11-17

The Kankakee School Board passed a resolution finalizing the closure of Edison Primary School and approved contracts for asbestos abatement in the most damaged areas of the building on Monday.

While the Kankakee East Riverwalk remains months away from completion, the city gained a $990,000 state OSLAD grant for the West Riverwalk.

Weekend events by the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Foundation are set to observe, reflect and celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

A list of recent births at Riverside Medical Center.

The Will County Coroner's Office has identified Makenna Maurisak, 24, as the driver killed in the Thursday morning collision.

KCC's Fast Path program is accepting applications for Fall 2026

Temo Guerrero, a 2025 graduate of the registered nursing program at Kankakee Community College, has been awarded The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nursing Students.

A Kankakee man now faces several felonies, including a hate crime charge, in a Christmas Eve incident at Mac & Frankie’s in Bradley.

The driver of a passenger vehicle was killed when it collided with a Manhattan School District bus carrying students Thursday morning in southeastern Will County.

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly introduced articles of impeachment against the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, regarding self-dealing for personal benefit and obstruction of Congress. Kelly said Noem used her position to guide a federal contract to a firm operated by a friend

In this weekend’s “A Taylor-Made Life,” Taylor Leddin-McMaster check out a list of local events to keep you busy while awaiting warmer weather and sunshine.

Winter weather forced road closures on Interstate 57, U.S. Route 45 and Illinois Route 17 in Illinois

Explore KCC Day to be held Feb. 16 at KCC’s Riverfront Campus

Food Pantry’s next mobile drive-through pantry is Thursday, January 15, from 11:00 a.m. to noon, in Bourbonnais.

Patrick Kerrwood was welcomed as St. Mary’s Hospital New Chief Executive

The long-vacant TTC of Illinois building in the Shoppes at Meadowview complex is set for demolition.

Kankakee County Treasurer Nick Africano’s civil motion against the city of Kankakee was dismissed Friday regarding body camera footage from a Dec. 3 incident involving Kankakee police.

About 100 people gathered for a protest and vigil held in Bourbonnais as part of the nationwide ICE Out for Good Weekend of Action events on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in the wake of the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Iroquois Federal Foundation awards grants to nonprofits working in affordable housing, education, health and human services, youth programs, and general community improvement.

Kankakee followed through on its pledge to alert residents of their responsibilities for living along the designated snow route.

Influenza infections are surging statewide as a new strain of the virus continues to spread, and Kankakee County is no exception.

As the first full week of 2026 begins, take a look back at Kankakee County’s top news and feature pictures from 2025, selected by Daily Journal photo editor Tiffany Blanchette.

Kankakee expanded its firefighting force by four on Monday.

Catch up on the week’s top Kankakee County news in minutes. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you, for the week of Jan. 4-10

One year ends and another begins, there is no better time to reflect on the news stories that inspired happy feelings in 2025.

Riverside Healthcare is welcoming Didi Omiyi, MD, to its team of orthopedic surgery providers.

A list of recent births at Riverside Medical Center.

Bourbonnais Police Department launches Autism/Special Needs Awareness Program

Kankakee leadership has growing concerns regarding an East Court Street building in which the roof has collapsed.

Edison Primary teachers and staff packed up their classrooms this week as they prepared to start the second half of the school year in other buildings due to the school's recent emergency closure.

No charges will be filed against Kankakee County Treasurer Nick Africano for a Dec. 3 incident where he was cited for misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

A year after two brothers were fatally shot at an early New Year’s Day gathering in a residence on Kankakee’s eastside, Kankakee police investigators have been unable to make an arrest.

In this weekend’s “A Taylor-Made Life,” Taylor Leddin-McMaster talks about time moving so quickly that it is important to slow down and prioritize what is important.

Riverside Healthcare upgrades its imaging technology

Kendall County Judge Jody Gleason on Tuesday made the decision after reading a doctor’s evaluation of Darryl Lee Jr., 19, who is charged with killing a man using a hammer and knife and injuring another person Oct. 22 at the Chick-fil-A restaurant in Oswego.

With 2025 in rearview mirror, there are many stories from the just-concluded year which will impact the Kankakee County region moving forward into 2026.

At an emergency meeting Tuesday, the Kankakee School Board approved the immediate closure of Edison Primary due to structural issues in the building, which had been home to 185 students in kindergarten through third grades.

The Kankakee Police Department announced that it issued 18 seat belt and two child safety seat violations over the Dec. 12 through Jan. 5 holiday enforcement campaign.