UPDATES 12/23/25 10:30am

• Kankakee Police update weekend homicide 

Kankakee City Police released more information today about that shooting Sunday evening that took the life of a 35-year-old Kankakee man. In a press release, City Police say Travis L. Hayes and another man allegedly tried to force their way into an apartment in the 12-hundred block of East Oak Street just before six Sunday night. The press release says Hayes was armed with a shotgun and the 47-year-old man who lived in the apartment struggled with Hayes before shooting him. Hayes was taken to the hospital where he died of his wounds. Kankakee City Police say the gun involved with the shooting will be submitted to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Tracing System. The other man thought to have been involved in the alleged attempted break-in has been located and questioned by City Police. They ask anyone that witnessed the incident call their office at 815-933-0426.

• Fire displaces nine

Nine people and their pets were displaced by a fire in Kankakee this morning. Kankakee City Fire Department personnel were called to the attic fire in the 900 block of West Park Drive about 7:30 this morning. Fire Chief Bryan LaRoche says the fire was contained to the attic and was quickly put out. There were no reported injuries. The fire was thought to have been electrical in nature.

• Powerball jackpot grows

The Powerball jackpot is rolling over again with no grand prize winner on Monday night.  That puts it at a staggering one-point-seven billion dollars with next drawing on Christmas Eve.  There were a number of million-dollar winners on Monday, with those tickets sold in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

• Bradley announces lighting contest winners

Bradley Mayor Mike Watson announced the winners of the 7th Annual Bradley Holiday Homes Lighting Contest at last night's village board meeting.

• Bradley Trustees approve proposal for waterpark plans

Bradley Trustees passed a resolution to approve a proposal for the conceptual design layout for the Mattel Waterpark at Monday night's Village Board meeting. Bradley Mayor Mike Watson says there will be a multiple designs to choose from.  It was just two weeks ago when the Bradley Village Board announced their future waterpark would now be Mattel branded. They hope to break ground on the project along I-57 in Bradley sometime this Spring or Summer. 

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