🌱 Patch AM: What’s holding up the Summit Hill 161 teacher contract deal?

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

In today's newsletter:

• What's holding up the Summit Hill 161 teacher contract deal?
• Could this chatty Mokena rescue cat be your new best friend?

Also on today's calendar: ⭐️Final Market at the Barn of the Season⭐️ and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: How do billboards talk? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Saturday: Breezy in the morning, with a high of 80 and low of 58 degrees.
• Sunday: Mostly cloudy, temps: high: 73, low: 54.
• Monday: Turning sunny and warmer, with a high of 84 and low of 61 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• 7 Months In, Summit Hill 161 Teachers & Board Of Education Still Negotiating For Contract (patch.com) — Summit Hill District 161 teachers in the Mokena area are still working without a contract after seven months, as their union and the school board negotiate pay, insurance, and planning time to avoid a strike. Both sides have publicly posted their latest offers, and additional bargaining sessions are set for Oct. 15 and 19 while they seek a deal that protects students and taxpayers.
   

• Skin-and-Bones Senior Cat Abandoned in a Carrier Chats Up Every Person She Meets Like She Is Making Up for Lost Time (thenewstribune.com) — A senior cat named Alani, found abandoned in a carrier in Mokena, is recovering at NAWS and charming everyone she meets with her nonstop "chats." As her health stabilizes, the shelter and her foster advocate are seeking a local adopter ready to give this 10- to 12-year-old, social, talkative cat a comfortable, patient forever home.
   

📸 Around Mokena

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Mokena

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★ Featured events ★

Saturday October 10
• ⭐️Final Market at the Barn of the Season⭐️ →
  8101 151st St, Orland Park
  9:00 am
• FREE Yoga in the Garden →
  19224 S Schoolhouse Rd, Mokena
  12:00 pm
Sunday October 11
• Mindful Community Fall Picnic →
  Back Pavilion, 9310 Birch Ave, Mokena
  4:30 pm
Saturday October 17
• MEN WHO COOK for the Will County Children's Advocacy Center →
  Joliet Junior College Event Center, 1215 Houbolt Rd, Joliet
  6:00 pm
Sunday November 8
• Believe - A Santa Experience →
  The Ranch, 9436 W Steger Rd, Frankfort
  10:00 am

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Sunday October 11
• Flower Dance Quilt - Session 2 →
  Top Shelf Quilts, 19081 Old LaGrange Road, Suite 100, Mokena
Tuesday October 13
• Tuesday Social Sew →
  Top Shelf Quilts, 19081 Old LaGrange Road, Suite 100, Mokena
• Supan's Machine Repair →
  Top Shelf Quilts, 19081 Old LaGrange Road, Suite 100, Mokena
Wednesday October 14
• BEGINNING PATCHWORK & QUILTING CLASS - SESSION 3 →
  Top Shelf Quilts, 19081 Old LaGrange Road, Suite 100, Mokena
• National Stop Bullying Day
  Mokena SD 159 Mokena, IL 60448
• Project Finishing Day →
  Top Shelf Quilts, 19081 Old LaGrange Road, Suite 100, Mokena
Saturday October 24
• FREE! Halloween Mayhem at Main Park →
  Main Park 10925 W. La Porte Road, Mokena
  12:00 pm

📣 Mokena Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Mokena PatchAM possible:

• Will County Children's Advocacy Center — 815-774-4565
• Family Focus Travel — (630) 290-7059
• Mindful Way Studio — 7082523015
• The Curve Clinic PLLC — (815) 524-8945
• Dean's Greens Farmstand at Boley Farm — (708) 275-8353
• Clearway Exteriors — (866) 328-1110
• High Ho Gems, Inc. — (312) 315-6866
• Smile Obsession — 8155341779

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Obituary: Robert L. Arko —Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Read on Patch
• 2026-2027 Noonan Academy Student Council Announced —Stephanie Kush Read on Patch
• Obituary: James Michael "Jim" Will —Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Read on Patch
• Noonan Academy Standout Student of the Week —Stephanie Kush Read on Patch
• ZZ Top & Genesis Tribute Concert —Mike Brick Read on Patch

• Looking to find some where to board my dog.
  I am planning a vacation. We would be gone 5-6 days. Any recommendations on boarding? (Nextdoor Arbury Hills)

• Meijer posted a job opening for Deli Bakery Clerk in Mokena. Apply here.
• Circle K posted a job opening for Store Assistant (Bonused) in Mokena. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Mokena here.

🗞 Nearby News

Frankfort

• Patch's Best 2026 Halloween Yard Haunts: Will, Kendall, Grundy Counties (patch.com)
• Eldora draws 50 entries for Clash on the Wabash (dirtondirt.com)

New Lenox

• Beth Conaghan, Realtor in New Lenox, IL, Opens Permanent Office on Maple Street With Chamber Ribbon Cutting (digitalmarketreports.com)
• 'How Wrong This Decision Is': SWAT Commander Rebuked Call Not To Send Team To New Lenox Barricade (patch.com)

Ok Mokena! 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: "How do billboards talk?" — Sign language (Thank you Ellen S. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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