Jeff Bonty

Illinois

Court Reporter at Kankakee Daily Journal

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Articles

Paul Schore looks back on 28-year career as Bourbonnais trustee, mayor

5 days ago | shawlocal.com | Jeff Bonty

BOURBONNAIS – Paul Schore had his first brush with politics as a 10-year-old. He helped his father, Bernard, put up election posters in the village. Back in the 1960s, Schore’s father was the part-time police chief for the village, which was far from its population growth in the late 1980s and forward. His father and mother, Marie, built a home on West River Street. Little did Schore know the impact he would have on the former sleepy, little village for the past 28 years.
Mail-in ballots added to election results

1 week ago | shawlocal.com | Jeff Bonty

KANKAKEE – The final votes for the 2025 Municipal General Election were counted Tuesday. The results did not affect any close races, Kankakee County Clerk Dan Hendrickson said. There were 140 mail-in ballots counted during Tuesday’s final count. Those were postmarked by midnight April 1, the day of the election. Thirty-five other mail-in ballots received were postmarked after April 1, Kankakee County Clerk election results showed.
It takes a community to design public parks

1 week ago | shawlocal.com | Jeff Bonty

KANKAKEE – Bird Park on Kankakee’s west side is getting its first update in years. The $1.2 million project will bring Kankakee Valley Park District’s flagship park into the 21st century. Families and their children once again will be able to enjoy the splash pad, which was constructed more than 20 years ago. It goes along with upgraded playground equipment, a meditation garden as well as improvements at the Don Palzer Band Shell and the baseball fields on the park’s north side.
Positive trend: 2024 local crime stats

1 week ago | shawlocal.com | Jeff Bonty

KANKAKEE – Crime within the Kankakee-Bradley-Bourbonnais metro area is trending downward and that is the direction official – and the general public – are seeking. This trend is based on statistics each department submitted to the FBI, which the agency publishes annually in its National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRIS). “[Our numbers] did go down as far as NIBRS,” Kankakee Police Chief Chris Kidwell said.
Keast tops Zinanni in Bourbonnais mayoral race

3 weeks ago | shawlocal.com | Jeff Bonty

BOURBONNAIS — Jeff Keast will be changing titles as a member of the Bourbonnais village government. On Tuesday, Keast, currently a trustee and member of the Bourbonnais Citizens Party, defeated People’s Choice Party candidate David Zinanni in the mayoral contest. Unofficial results showed Keast with 1,863 votes (59%) to Zinanni’s 1,291 (41%). Keast is replacing current longtime Mayor Paul Schore, who he defeated in February’s primary. Schore was running for his fifth term.
Bourbonnais gets ready for village’s 150th anniversary

3 weeks ago | shawlocal.com | Jeff Bonty

BOURBONNAIS – The Village of Bourbonnais is getting ready to celebrate its sesquicentennial. The 150th anniversary celebration kicks off with the Soirée de Bourbonnais – an outdoor formal gala – Saturday, May 17, at The Grove at Goselin Park, 700 Main St. NW. Residents can celebrate Bourbonnais from 6 to 10 p.m. with French-inspired hors d’oeuvres and desserts, fine wine, a cash bar, live music and an elegant evening of dancing underneath the stars. Tickets are available online at bit.ly/3XFggKF.
Riverside Healthcare provides local stroke procedures with new neurointerventional system

3 weeks ago | shawlocal.com | Jeff Bonty

KANKAKEE – Providing top healthcare procedures in the Greater Kankakee County area starts with the dedicated team at Riverside Healthcare. From the person seated at the front desk to its president and CEO, Phil Kambic, they are all members of the team. “It’s always about the team, the team, the team. That is very important,” Dr. Jehad Zakaria reiterated during an interview with members of the neurosurgical team that leads Riverside’s new neurointerventional biplane angiography system.
Palmer’s last stand

4 weeks ago | shawlocal.com | Jeff Bonty

KANKAKEE – Kankakee Valley Park District Commissioners Don Palmer and Ray Eads were ribbing each other before Monday’s board meeting. The two are leaving the board, opting not to run for re-election in next Tuesday’s municipal general election. Palmer was passing out a hardcopy to his fellow commissioners for a presentation he would give near the end of the meeting. Eads joked he had written Palmer’s name on his ballot. Without missing a beat, Palmer said he placed Eads name in as a write in.
Trustees approve 4-year contract with public works employees

1 month ago | shawlocal.com | Jeff Bonty

BOURBONNAIS — Bourbonnais village trustees approved a four-year contract with its Public Works employees at Monday’s board meeting. The contract is retroactive to May 1, 2024 when the last contract expired. Bourbonnais board attorney Patrick Dunn said employees will get a 7% raise in the first year, 3% in both the second and third years and 4% in the fourth year. Dunn said negotiations went on for nine to 10 months,“They were always good conversations,” Dunn said.
School board candidate charged with misdemeanor battery

1 month ago | shawlocal.com | Jeff Bonty

KANKAKEE – A candidate running for a seat on the Kankakee School District 111 board, Dajon Casiel, has been charged with Class A misdemeanor battery following an incident last year involving a current Kankakee High School student. It is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. Due to the incident, the 19-year-old Casiel has been temporarily banned from Kankakee High School during school hours.