From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois abortion advocates are urging lawmakers to do more to protect reproductive healthcare as the legislative session moves into its final days and the federal landscape keeps shifting

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 May 17-23

Coal City United Methodist Church is hosting a free senior gathering on June 3 with devotions, lunch, and activities—plus free transportation for those who need it.

The process used to pay for the construction of a gas storage facility at the Bourbonnais Township facility by the highway commissioner has become a point of contention with the township board of trustees.

A single-family home in Manteno that sold for $385,000 nears the top of the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Kankakee County in the past week.

The state now offers a brewery, brew pub, distillery & winery directory on the ILCC website

Following these simple food safety practices, you can protect your family and friends from food borne illness and make the most of your summer cookouts.

Down 2-0 after five innings, Gardner-South Wilmington softball came back to top Grant Park in an extra-inning regional title thriller. And more in Saturday's Daily Journal roundup.

Hantaviruses are a group of zoonotic viruses that infect rodents. The rodent transmits the virus to humans through their urine, droppings, saliva or – less commonly – their bites, according to the World Health Organization.

Jim Edmonstone, of Greene Forensic Accounting Solutions of Chicago, presented results of a financial forensic audit in a special board meeting.

A residential home in Kankakee that sold for $45,500 tops the list of the best real estate deals in Kankakee County in the past two weeks.

In this week's column, Dennis Marek writes gambling may not be brought into the body as alcohol or drugs, but it is otherwise the same.

Don’t let high food and gas prices this Memorial Day weekend dampen your plans. Here are ways you can celebrate and stay within a tight household budget

Bradley-Bourbonnais softball won its fifth straight regional title with a 2-0 win over host Normal Community in the Class 4A Normal Community Regional championship Friday, May 22, 2026.

Peotone's girls soccer team beat Beecher 2-1 in the IHSA Class 1A Manteno Regional championship, earning its fifth straight regional title, while Herscher beat Reed-Custer 3-1 for its 10th straight regional crown. That and more in Friday's Daily Journal roundup.

The Seneca Fighting Irish softball team defeated the Bishop McNamara Fightin’ Irish 9-2 in the IHSA Class 2A Seneca Regional championship game Friday to win its third straight regional title and sixth in the last 10 years.

Peotone claimed a 2-1 victory over Beecher in the IHSA Class 1A Manteno Regional championship on Friday, May 22, 2026.

Quinn Zdralevich scored the tie-breaking goal in the 70th minute, and Providence went on to beat Kankakee 2-1 for the Celtics' third straight regional title.

The Beecher softball team secured the program's fourth straight regional title and 11th in the last 12 seasons with a 14-6 win over Manteno in Friday's IHSA Class 2A Manteno Regional championship game.

Beecher secured a 14-6 victory over Manteno in the IHSA Class 2A Manteno Regional championship on Friday, May 22, 2026.

University of Illinois Extension and Illinois 4-H are urging schools, after-school programs, and families to take small, concrete steps to help youth feel supported.

From Capitol News Illinois: The Illinois Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to advance a bill that would regulate how large artificial intelligence model developers handle transparency and catastrophic risk

For prospective homebuyers eyeing the real estate market in the area of Kankakee County, here's what sold for $150,000 or under over the past week.

From Capitol News Illinois: The Illinois House advanced a bill that would regulate the maximum price certain prescription drugs can be sold for in the state

American Legion Auxiliary Post 766 will distribute red poppies on National Poppy Day, May 23, to raise funds for local veterans and their families.

Kankakee County Sheriff’s Police are investigating a hit and run accident in western Kankakee County that left a man in serious condition.

A Kankakee man was charged by the Kankakee County State’s Attorney’s Office with criminal trespass to a residence when a person is present and battery following an alleged incident that occurred Monday in Herscher.

Jerome Simms, of Kankakee, was sentenced last week to six years in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm as a felon.

From Capitol News Illinois: The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday dropped all charges against the remaining “Broadview Six” protesters, citing apparent prosecutorial misconduct in the grand jury proceedings

From Capitol News Illinois: As state lawmakers work to pass a school funding plan for the upcoming fiscal year, some are expressing frustration over how this year’s budget has been implemented

Wilmington's McKenna Van Tilburg advanced to Saturday's state finals in four events and Milford/Cissna Park's Addison Lucht advanced in three to lead a group of Class 1A girls track and field athletes in Thursday's prelims. That and more in Thursday's Daily Journal roundup.

From Capitol News Illinois: Senate Republicans are calling on their colleagues and the governor to opt into a federal school choice tax credit program.

From Capitol News Illinois: A Cook County judge has rejected a petition to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate and charge federal immigration agents accused of abuses during “Operation Midway Blitz” this past fall

Kankakee County Circuit Judge Lindsay Parkhurst ruled that Concerned Citizens of Manteno, Illinois, and Manteno resident Brian Kovaka can file a fourth amended complaint against the Village of Manteno, 333 South Spruce LLC, Gotion, Inc., and Gotion Illinois New Energy Inc.

Despite gas prices above $5 a gallon, AAA expects to see 45 million Americans journey 50 miles or more over the extended Memorial Day weekend.

Chicago Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower and positional coaches met with reporters Thursday at Halas Hall in Lake Forest as the team continued its offseason workouts. Here are three of the most-interesting things the Bears said Thursday.

A Kankakee County jury found a Texas man guilty of second-degree murder in a 2021 shooting in Bradley that left one man dead and two others injured.

A 37-year-old Bourbonnais woman was sentenced to one-year in federal prison Tuesday for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.

Both Sandwich and Seneca high schools chose this week to leave their current conference homes, the Kishwaukee River and Tri-County, respectively, to become the 9th and 10th members of the Illinois Central Eight Conference.

Although the Disaster Loan Outreach Centers in Kankakee County have closed, the U.S. Small Business Administration is still accepting applications for physical damage loans until June 8.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation that a major gun rights organization says would effectively ban one of the nation’s most popular types of firearms

Volunteers are needed to help place over 6,000 American flags on the graves of veterans at Kankakee cemeteries Thursday and Friday beginning at 8 a.m. ahead of Memorial Day.

An attorney for a Wilmington man charged with a felony traffic violation that led to a crash that killed an Illinois State Police trooper was given more time to discuss his client’s options.

In this week’s “A Taylor-Made Life,” Taylor Leddin-McMaster writes about hitting the point of burnout and slowly learning how to take things off the plate.

The rate at which ComEd customers are charged for energy usage is increasing. Additionally, a temporary credit to Illinois customers is disappearing. Data centers for the artificial intelligence industry are among the factors driving the demand

From Capitol News Illinois: A bill heading to the House would allow minors to consent to receiving birth control without parental consent. The governor also says he will sign a measure to ban “junk fees,” or unlisted charges tacked onto the total of cost of ticketed events

Jeff Mullinax is the new president of the Bourbonnais Township Park District Board of Commissioners, replacing David Zinanni.

Marc Silverman predicts a 12-5 finish, another division title, and several statement wins in a loaded 2026 schedule for the Chicago Bears

The Coal City High School Theatre Department's performance of "Frozen: The Broadway Musical" has been named the Best Production at the 2026 Illinois High School Theatre Awards presented by Broadway in Chicago.

A 3,427-square-foot single-family residence, built in 1999, has changed hands.