Braidwood Journal

Grieving mother seeks justice for son killed by hit-and-run driver

Published by admin on Tue, 12/09/2025 - 2:27pm

At 8:29 a.m. Nov. 25, a mother’s worst nightmare came true.
It was then that Tashondra Smith of Dallas, Texas, learned her son De’Avion Smith, 25, had been killed in a hit-and-run accident.
On that Tuesday morning, Illinois State Troopers responded to a report of a person on the ground on southbound Route 53 at Thele Road in Elwood.
Upon arrival, Troopers found De’Avion Smith’s body. Nearby was his bicycle, the very one he had used to get to his job at Amazon because his car was in the shop.

Custer Township special meeting

Published by admin on Thu, 12/04/2025 - 2:58pm

The Custer Township Board will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. to approve and pass the property tax levy for the 2026 fiscal year.

The meeting will take place at the Custer Town Hall, 35332 Grant Ave., Custer Park and is open to the public.

State Police seek witnesses to fatal hit and run

Published by admin on Tue, 12/02/2025 - 3:50pm

ELWOOD—The Illinois State Police (ISP) is requesting the public’s assistance with a fatal crash investigation.
On Tuesday, Nov. 25, at approximately 8:29 a.m., ISP responded to Route 53 southbound at Thele Road in Elwood for a report of a person on the ground. Upon arrival, Troopers located a male bicyclist who was struck by a vehicle.
The bicyclist, DeAvion Smith, 25, of Joliet, was transported to St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet and was pronounced deceased at 9:17 a.m.

RC 2nd graders tell how to cook a turkey

Published by admin on Tue, 11/25/2025 - 4:14pm

In preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday the following turkey recipes were submitted by second grade students in Ms. Natalie Pacholski class at Reed-Custer Elementary.
What you should know is each submission, with some writing prompts from their teacher, appears as written by the students who are just learning the art of writing and these recipes are 'not' kitchen tested.

Braidwood eyes fourth TIF to facilitate proposed data center

Published by admin on Tue, 11/18/2025 - 3:41pm

The Braidwood city council took action last week to establish a fourth TIF (Tax Increment Financing) district where a proposed data center may be built.
When a TIF district is created, the current property value is “frozen” at the baseline for a specific period of time.
In response to a question by Commissioner Warren Wietting, whose business lies within the city’s third TIF District, city attorney Bryan Wellner explained.

Smiles, Support and Stories: The heart of the RCHS English Department

Published by admin on Tue, 11/11/2025 - 3:02pm

The English Department at Reed-Custer High School is being featured for the month of November. There are eight teachers dedicated to English instruction for approximately 375 students.
Mrs. Melissa Rankin teaches JJC Rhetoric and English 12, as well as being a Teacher Leader. Students had the following to say about Mrs. Rankin: Gives great feedback and wants to see her students grow, very nice and understanding, and always greets people with a smile on her face.

“Skinny Kid” from Braidwood muses on his life in books

Published by admin on Tue, 11/04/2025 - 1:16pm

It has been said that writers are vagabonds who possess restless souls that long to wander, hither and yon, to gather fodder for to stimulate their imagination.
This is certainly true of author, Thomas Raymond Kennedy, who craves adventure. He was born and raised in Braidwood, and lived for a time in Wilmington, as well.
On Oct. 25, the Braidwood Historical Museum hosted a book signing featuring Tom Kennedy, who happily shared his stories about Braidwood and Wilmington with people he’d known in his younger days.
Truck driving man

Mastodon station has a target date for completion

Published by admin on Tue, 10/28/2025 - 4:15pm

The walls are taking shape for the Mastodon Station in Braidwood as construction workers make progress on what will be the city’s largest fueling center.
According to Dave Smith, CEO of Ridgeway Petroleum, the target date for the grand opening of the Mastodon station at Division Street and Coal City Road will be late spring, 2026.
“The projected opening date, I would just say is dependent upon the weather,” Smith said. “If there would be a date, it would be June 1. It may be sooner, but I think that's the fairest number I can give ”

Box City of Hope spends a night at RCHS

Published by admin on Tue, 10/21/2025 - 4:08pm

On Oct. 10, members of the RCHS Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) made their way to the front of the high school once again, to set up camp as well as bring awareness to hunger and homelessness.
Box City of Hope, an annual event hosted by the student organization, gives students a chance to understand the hardships faced by those experiencing homelessness, while raising funds and collecting goods for the local pantry.

Two additional warehouses coming to logistic center

Published by admin on Tue, 10/14/2025 - 2:28pm

Wilmington city officials were told Tuesday that two more warehouses—to serve “Fortune 100” companies—will be built at the Ridgeport Logistics Center Intermodel Terminal Facility off Interstate 55 and Lorenzo Road.
Michael Stellino, attorney for Ridgeport, updated aldermen of the latest developments following a public hearing to amend the boundaries for Ridgeport’s TIF District.