When Heritage FS entered into an acquisition agreement with Pence Oil Company in September of last year, both parties agreed to change very little. Heritage FS saw the legacy that the Pence family had built over their nearly six decades in business and wanted to honor that. Over the months, the station has slowly worked on changing its uniform logo and the truck decals, but the same people that worked there on August 31 still work there today. The station is still full-service, washing windows and pumping fuel for customers, and will continue to offer BP-branded gasoline. “That was our intention from beginning,” said Heritage FS General Manager, Bill Romshek. “We were not about to come in and make major changes that weren’t necessary. Terry (Pence) and Rich (Moyer) know how to run their business and we didn’t want to mess with it.” Instead, Heritage FS was looking for a way to support the Pence family’s plan to continue to be a part of the Watseka community. But sometimes things don’t work out as planned. The Pence Oil Company headquarters building, sitting just east of the station, began to fail over the winter. “We first noticed the ceiling sagging out in the shop area,” said Terry Pence. “We had a structural beam installed to keep everyone who works in the building safe, but that turned out to only be a temporary solution.” Once the engineers came in and began evaluating the building, originally built in the 1940s, they determined the building needed more than roof repairs to keep the building functional. “It really is a safety issue at this point,” Romshek added. Unfortunately, that means the original headquarters will need to come down this summer. “We do not know what the timeline for taking the building down will be, but we wanted the community to know this was a safety measure,” Pence said. While this was not in the original plan when Heritage FS and the Pence family began working together, both parties are looking for the silver lining. “This wasn’t in our game plan,” Romshek said. “But we can now look at what kind of facility will really serve the area and our fuel delivery customers for years to come.” “It will be sad to see the landscape of main street change, but that’s the curse of time,” Pence said. “We feel confident, with the commitment that Heritage FS has made to community, that a new look will be accepted.”

 A shooting late Friday night in Hopkins Park left two men dead and three other men wounded, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff's Department.

At 11:51 p.m., sheriff’s deputies, along with officers from neighboring agencies, responded to the area of 13100 East Central Street after several reports of gunfire in the area, the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department said in a release Saturday.

When officers arrived, they located large groups of people that were present at a nearby banquet hall, many of whom were fleeing the scene, the release said.

Once on scene, officers located five victims who had sustained gunshot wounds, two of whom were later pronounced deceased — one on scene and one at a local hospital, the release said.

On Saturday, the Kankakee County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Edward E. Colon, 32, of Chicago, and Milton J. Sykes, 44, of Kankakee.

Autopsies on both individuals were completed Saturday, and determined both individuals died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Sheriff’s detectives continue to investigate the incident and are asking anyone with any information to contact KanComm at 815-933-3324.

You can also remain completely anonymous by calling CrimeStoppers at 815-932-7463. Information provided that results in the identification, apprehension and/or conviction of those responsible could result in a cash reward.

This story will be updated when further details are made available.

On Friday, May 17, 2024 at 4:44am Newton County 9-1-1 Communications received reports of a two vehicle crash at the intersection of US 41 and US 24.

The preliminary investigation indicates a west bound 2023 Ram truck (pulling a car hauler) (driven by a 54 year old Chicago, IL man) disregarded the red light and struck a south bound tractor/trailer that was driven by a 36 year old Kirkland, WA man.  There was dense fog at the time of the crash.

The two drivers were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

The impact caused the vehicles to come to rest on the railroad tracks.

As of 9:00 am, the clean-up and removal efforts continue.  Expected continued delays and restrictions until the scene has been cleared.

Assisting agencies:  Kentland Fire, Kentland Police, Newton County 9-1-1, Newton County EMS and Newton County EMA

The Iroquois County Public Health Department, in collaboration with local community leaders and partners, is putting together a comprehensive health plan for Iroquois County. The Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs (IPLAN) seeks to address local challenges relating to physical, mental, and environmental health across a five-year span. In order to accurately assess the county’s health status, ICPHD has created a survey that is available to all Iroquois County residents. The survey will prompt participants to answer questions relating to their general demographic information, personal health, and concerns about their community. All survey responses are completely anonymous. Over the next month, copies of the 2024 IPLAN survey will be available at a multitude of Iroquois County establishments. The digital version can be accessed using the QR Code that’s featured at the bottom of this press release and on ICPHD’s webpage. ICPHD strongly encourages every Iroquois County resident to participate. A large sample size is important in understanding the health disparities that exist within our county. 

 A Cissna Park man is dead and an Ashkum woman is hurt after a crash in Iroquois County on Monday morning.

Just before 9:40 a.m., Iroquois County Sheriff’s Deputies, Crescent EMS, and Watseka Fire arrived at the scene in rural Watseka. Authorities said the accident happened at the 1600 East and 1900 North intersection.

An investigation suggested that 77-year-old Rodney Windhorn of Cissna Park was traveling south on 1600 East. Meanwhile Rhonda Kollmann, 66 of Ashkum, was traveling east. Windhorn failed to stop at the fully marked intersection, hitting Kollmann’s van.

The Iroquois County Sheriff’s Office said Windhorn was pronounced dead at the scene. Kollmann was hurt and taken to a nearby hospital, then ultimately airlifted to another one for further treatment.

Illinois State Police assisted the Sheriff’s Office at the scene. The incident remains under investigation.

 The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that Kankakee County has been awarded $2.9 million to rebuild and modernize a local road that will help connect to the new Gotion factory planned in Manteno. The grant is the largest ever through IDOT’s Economic Development Program, which works with communities to plan and advance transportation improvements that support projects that create and sustain new jobs. ?

“Under the leadership of Gov. JB Pritzker, IDOT is working more closely than ever with our local partners to get them the resources they need to succeed,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “This grant keeps a vital improvement on track and ensures long-term economic growth and stability for Kankakee County.”

The investment from IDOT will assist the county in the $9.6 million reconstruction of Kankakee County Highway 9 (9000N Road) from just east of U.S. 45/52 to just east of Spruce Street. The project consists of building one lane in each direction with a center turn lane, shoulders and a traffic signal at Spruce Street, which will lead to the new factory entrance. A shared bicycle and pedestrian path will be included as well.

The county will oversee the project, with advance work likely to begin in the fall and construction starting next spring.

In September, Gov. Pritzker announced that Gotion after a nationwide search had picked Manteno for a new, state-of-the-art $2 billion electric vehicle lithium battery manufacturing plant, bringing 2,600 new jobs to the region. Gotion's decision put Illinois on the map as a leading hub for EV manufacturing.

“The road to a clean environment assuredly includes next gen energy storage technologies,” said Kankakee County Board Chairman Andy Wheeler. “But the road to producing these products is still paved with asphalt. Getting 2,600 employees and hundreds of trucks in and out of this facility every day is a very good problem to have. Thanks to the funding from the state of Illinois, we are able to rise and meet this opportunity with a geometry that mitigates long-term traffic impacts.”

Iroquois Home Health has been proudly serving our community for nearly 30 years. Thanks to their dedicated team, Iroquois Home Health recently moved into the top 25% of agencies nationwide in Medicare's April Home Health Value Based Purchasing Model report. This means that they are doing a great job of improving patients' quality of life by including greater strength and mobility, addressing medical needs, such as wound care, medication and disease management, as well as patient education. In addition, Iroquois Home Health is also in the top performing quartile based off of patient satisfaction surveys. This is a result of our team helping patients restore their abilities after an injury or surgery as well as safely achieving their optimal goal of independence so they can transition into or stay in their own home. Iroquois Home Health nurses are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 815.432.6175 or visit imhrh.org to learn more.