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🌱 Patch AM: Jim Lanham, Your Next Mayor Of Joliet? Candidate Aims To Stop Joliet Data Center From Ever Happening

Happening soon: Junk in the Trunk Flea Market in Gardner on the Joliet Patch calendar

Tuesday September 1st Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Morning Joliet! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☕️️

Before we get to what's happening, a big thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Joliet PatchAM possible. Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

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In today's newsletter:

  • Mayoral hopeful vows to fight Joliet data center and 'Pedophile Palace'
  • Teen explorer dies after 100-foot fall near Old Joliet Prison site
  • Will County deputy benched amid new FLOCK camera investigation

Also on today's calendar: Junk in the Trunk Flea Market in Gardner and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What is the 1 way to guarantee winning a small fortune at the casino? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Tuesday: Hot and humid, with a high of 94 and low of 71 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Wednesday: Hot and humid, temps: high: 94, low: 72.
  • Thursday: Humid with a thunderstorm, with a high of 92 and low of 71 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Jim Lanham, Your Next Mayor Of Joliet? Candidate Aims To Stop Joliet Data Center From Ever Happening (patch.com) — Joliet residents are getting an early look at mayoral hopeful Jim Lanham, who is campaigning hard against the massive Joliet Data Center project and pushing for tougher action on problem properties like the NewDay Apartments. He outlines concerns about power grid strain, zoning rules, neighborhood safety and equal attention for District 5, while still praising current Mayor Terry D'Arcy and Councilman Joe Clement.
   

2. Boy, 16, Dies After 100-Foot Fall At Abandoned Property Near Old Joliet Prison Site: Joliet Police (patch.com) — Residents in Joliet are grappling with news that a 16-year-old boy died after a roughly 100-foot fall inside an abandoned rock quarry structure near the Old Joliet Prison site on the city's east side. Joliet police and fire crews responded just before 1 a.m. Sunday, finding the teen critically injured and four other juveniles who had been exploring the vacant industrial property with him. Authorities say the boy, identified by family as Tony Reed Jr., fell through an opening in an upper level of the structure, and the Will County Coroner's Office will determine the official cause and manner of death.
   

3. FLOCK Camera Misbehavior By Will County Sheriff's Office Employee? Deputy Placed On Administrative Leave (patch.com) — People following law enforcement issues in and around Joliet now have another FLOCK license plate reader controversy to watch, this time involving a Will County Sheriff's deputy placed on administrative leave. The Sheriff's Office, in a statement shared with Joliet Patch, says the deputy is under internal investigation for potential policy violations tied to the camera system, with details withheld to protect the ongoing inquiry.
   

4. VIDEO: After Motorcycle Collision, Driver Fails Field Sobriety Tests In Milano Bakery Parking Lot (patch.com) — Joliet residents are seeing new police body camera footage from an Aug. 16 crash where a 72-year-old motorcyclist was critically injured at South Chicago Street and Fifth Avenue. The video shows Joliet officers conducting field sobriety tests on 44-year-old Frederick Lamar Caldwell in the Milano Bakery parking lot before arresting him on aggravated DUI charges under the SAFE-T Act.
   

5. Illinois makes $91.8 million investment in Will County road projects (shawlocal.com) — Major road work is underway or coming soon on several key Joliet routes, including Cass, Jefferson, Scott, Collins, Chicago Street, and Jackson Street bridges and corridors. Backed by $91.8 million in Rebuild Illinois funding, these projects bring lane closures, detours, and long-term bridge work that will affect how residents drive across town and over the Des Plaines River for years.
   

📸 Around Joliet

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Obituary: Patricia J. Peeples —Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Read on Patch
  • 9 myths about library cards —Joliet Public Library Read on Patch
  • Film Screening at the Old Joliet Prison "Route 66: The Main Street of America" —Mike Brick Read on Patch
  • Obituary: Patricia Liccardi —Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Read on Patch
  • The older I get, the more I realize that a good day doesn't always need to be exciting
    Sometimes it's just a clean house, something good cooking in the kitchen, music playing in the background, your dog sleeping nearby, and knowing you… (Nextdoor Timber Oaks)
  • Kelly Services posted a job opening for Forklift Operator in Joliet. Apply here.
  • Aspen Dental posted a job opening for Dental Office Manager in Joliet. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Joliet here.

Ok Joliet! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: By starting with a large fortune. (Thank you Kourtney Z. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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