WVLI News Update

• Notable Night Sky News for Monday January 5, 2026

Let's find out now what's going on overhead this week, with our Notable Night Sky News, here's Madeline Shepley, Astronomy Professor and Director of the Strickler Planetarium at Olivet

IDHS reports "incident"

The Illinois Department of Human Services says they've had a "security incident" involving internal planning maps.  The IDHS discovered in September that maps created by the IDHS Division of Family and Community Services' Bureau of Planning and Evaluation on a mapping website were publicly viewable due to incorrect privacy settings.  Two groups were impacted, including more than 32-thousand customers with the IDHS division of rehabilitation services and just over 670-thousand Medicaid and Medicare Savings Program recipients.  IDHS says they're sending notices to the individuals affected by this incident.

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Grant Park Fire battles New Year's Eve Fire

There was a fire in rural Grant Park on New Year's Eve. Few details are available, but just before midnight New Years Eve, Grant Park Fire posted on Facebook they were working with mutual aid departments on the scene of a structure fire in the area of 14-thousand East and Route 17. We'll have more details for you as they become available.

Monee Fire truck struck on I-57

The Monee Fire Protection District reports they had a fire truck hit while working a crash on I-57 yesterday afternoon. In a Facebook post, the department said they were working a rollover accident on the interstate, with the engine positioned at an angle with warning lights on to signify the lane was closed, when the engine was hit by a car that failed to reduce speed and pull over. Four people from the car were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. No fire personnel were injured by the crash. 

Kankakee City Police report storage unit burglarized

Around four thousand dollars worth of items were reported stolen from a storage unit on Kankakee's northside Wednesday. According to Kankakee City Police reports, officers were called to the storage unit in the 1200 Block of North Kennedy Drive just after twelve Wednesday afternoon in reference to the burglary. When police arrived, the victim stated the storage unit was destroyed and his toolbox worth around one thousand dollars, along with a designer bag collection worth around three-thousand dollars, was missing. There were no signs of forced entry. The victim claimed they were the only one with a key to get inside the unit.

IN State Representative to file 10 Commandments law

An Indiana State Representative has introduced a bill to require school corporations to post the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library.  The bill will be filed when the Indiana General Assembly gathers next week and will be sent to the Committee on Education.  It follows a motion filed by Governor Mike Braun and Attorney General Todd Rokita requesting a federal court strike down an injunction that blocks the placement of the Ten Commandments at the Indiana Statehouse.

New Public Health laws for 2026

Several new laws designed to strengthen public health initiatives in Illinois went into effect at the start of the new year.  Among the new initiatives taking effect is a measure that authorizes the transmission of limited information regarding suspected overdoses reported by first responders covered under the Emergency Medical Services Systems Act.  This data will help state and local public health officials track and respond to overdose events.  Another new law requires every appropriate health care professional who is attending to a pregnant patient to conduct a test for prenatal syphilis at the time of the first examination, and again during the third trimester. 

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• City Police make arrest in December 21st Homicide

Kankakee City Police report they've made an arrest in the December 21st shooting death of a Kankakee man. City Police Tuesday arrested 47-year-old Joseph N Harris on First Degree Murder charges. Harris originally told police he was in his apartment in the 12-hundred block of East Oak Street just before six in the evening December 21st, when 35-year-old Travis L. Hayes, who was allegedly armed with a shotgun,  and an accomplice tried to force their way into his apartment. Harris told police he and Hayse struggled over the shotgun which went off striking Hayse who later died of his injuries. In a press release, City Police say after talking to the alleged accomplice and looking at security footage they re-interviewed Harris, who allegedly admitted he'd been in possession of the shotgun and hadn't struggled with Hayes before the shooting. Kankakee City Police Chief Chris Kidwell says the investigation into the shooting continues. 

• Peotone Police look for help to identify a burglar

Peotone Police are looking for help to identify the person responsible for a burglary to the Circle K gas station in Peotone. In a Facebook post, officials say it happened in the early morning hours last Saturday morning and the suspect forcibly broke open a door to get inside. There's no word on what was taken during the burglary. Photos of the suspect are on the Peotone Police Department Facebook page. They ask anyone with information about the burglary to call their office.

• Edison Primary School deemed unsafe

Kankakee School District 111 students that attend Edison Primary School won't be going back to school next week as planned. Instead, those students will be on remote learning from January sixth through the ninth, that after a structural assessment of the school found problems with the 1958 addition to the building. Because of the findings, student and staff from the school will be relocated with students expected to resume in-person learning on Monday January 12th at their new site. A Facebook post from the district says more information will be shared as it becomes available.

• Top Google searches of 2025

Google is out with the top searches of 2025. Charlie Kirk was the highest trending search of the year. Meanwhile, the hit Netflix animated movie "KPop Demon Hunters" came in second followed by the hot collectible Labubu dolls in third. Other hot search topic for 2025 included the government shutdown and tariffs. Google's compiled the list from data between January 1st and November 25th.

• Kankakee County Board Chairman shares wishes for the New Year

As we near the end of 2025 and look towards a new year in 2026, we're asking local municipal leaders what their New Years Resolutions are for their community. Kankakee County Board Chairman Matt Alexander-Hildebrand.  Alexander-Hildebrand also pointed to the upcoming six-million-dollar renovation to the Kankakee County Courthouse which will focus on things like HVAC, generator and elevator upgrades while adding a 10th courtroom to the building. 

• Crime Stoppers Tip of the Week

Kankakee County Sheriff's Police are looking into a burglary in rural St. Anne. Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Trent Bukowski has our Crime Stoppers Tip of the Week.  Tips to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and could result in a cash reward

• Sheriff's Department "Don't Drink and Drive"

It's New Year's Eve, that means lots of parties and other celebrations.  Kankakee County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Trent Bukowski reminds you not to drink and drive.  Law enforcement around the State will have extra patrols on the road looking for drunk or distracted drivers. 

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• Fire displaces family of four

Kankakee Fire Department personnel were called out to a house fire in the 13-hundred block of South Kensington Avenue last night. According to reports, the call came in about 8:30 last night with a report of fire on the first floor of the home and four people trapped on the second floor. Kankakee Fire, with the help of other departments contained the fire within 20 minutes and all four people were rescued from the second floor without injury. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

• Feds confirm Iroquois County tornadoes

The National Weather Service has confirmed four tornadoes touched down in Iroquois County Sunday. The first in the Clifton area was rated an EF-0 tornado with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles and hour. Another that ran from Clifton to St. Anne started off as an EF-0 west of Clifton then increased to an EF-1 with maximum winds of 95 miles an hour as it neared St. Anne on the Iroquois-Kankakee County border. The third in Martinton was rated EF-U with unknown intensity  and a fourth was identified in the Stockland area, but it wasn't rated because no damage from the storm was confirmed. Iroquois County Emergency Management says no homes were destroyed by the storms, though one home was significantly damaged and the family had to be relocated to a hotel while the damage is repaired. 

• Indiana SNAP changes start 1/1

Indiana will no longer allow SNAP users to use the benefit to purchase candy and sugary drinks as of January 1st.  Governor Mike Braun says the move is part of the state's "Make Indiana Healthy Again" plan.  The Hoosier State is one of the first in the U.S. to make the change.  Braun signed the bill making the change in April.

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• Rough weather spawns Sunday tornadoes

The old adage "if you don't like the weather, hang around a little bit, it'll change" is certainly something we've experienced here in the last 24 hours or so. Sunday brought near 70 degree temperatures and rain, with a high temp yesterday of 66 degrees recorded about three yesterday afternoon at the Greater Kankakee Airport. There was also about an inch of rain recorded yesterday at the airport. Then there was a series of tornado warnings issued for Kankakee and surrounding communities starting about four yesterday afternoon. The first for a storm near St. Anne, where reports say a funnel cloud was spotted on the ground south of St. Anne in Iroquois county. The National Weather Service is sending crews to Iroquois County today to assess damage from the storm to see if it was caused by a tornado or straight line winds. The storm continued to cause tornado warnings to be issued as it moved eastward with Newton, Jasper and Benton Counties in Indiana under warnings for a time as well yesterday afternoon. The warnings were all issued by the National Weather Service which spotted rotation in clouds in radar data. Damage from the storms was reported in Gibson City where the roof was blown of a building  and a truck was blown over in Livingston County. Winds at the Greater Kankakee Airport have been running in the 30 to 40 mile an hour range overnight, with gusts up to about 50 miles an hour at times.

• Fire destroys home in Bradley Sunday

Firefighters from Bradley and surrounding communities responded to a house fire in South Center Avenue in Bradley last night. Reports say the call for the fire came in about 6:30 last night and started in the basement before spreading into the attic of the two story home. Windy conditions kept firefighters busy protecting surrounding houses. Few other details are available at this time, but it appears the home was a total loss.

• Will County Deputies make arrest after shots fired in Homer Glen

Will County Sheriff's Police report an arrest after shots were fired in Homer Glen Sunday morning. In a Facebook Post, Will County Sheriff's Deputies say they were called to the 16-thousand block of Twin Oak Court in Homer Glen just after 8:30 yesterday morning for a report of shots fired. When they got there, a neighbor confirmed hearing shots, then deputies heard gunfire as well. The Will County Sheriff's Office SWAT team and Crisis Negotiations team were called in and a short time later a person of interest was taken into custody. No other information is available at this time. 

• Kankakee man arrested in Joliet Christmas Eve

A Kankakee man was arrested in Joliet after he allegedly attacked his girlfriend and her family on Christmas Eve.  Fox 32 Chicago reports 37-year-old Manuel Guerrero was arrested just before 11:30 Christmas Eve night after Joliet Police were called to the 600 block of Ruby Street  in Joliet for a domestic disturbance. Reports say officers found several people, including Guerrero at the home with injuries. Reports go on to say the argument happened while Guerrero and his girlfriend were on their way home from a gathering in Elwood, then escalated when they got to her apartment in Joliet. Guerrero allegedly punched the victim, threw her down and choked her after she pepper sprayed him. He then allegedly pepper sprayed her, her 63-year-old mother and 13-year-old daughter. Guerrero was taken to the Will County Jail.

• Manhattan woman died in crash

A Manhattan woman died in a crash in Frankfort Saturday night. In a press release, Will County Coroner Laurie Summers says 32-year-old Victoria A. Stanek of Manhattan died just before midnight Saturday night, following a crash at Route 45 and Steger Road. No other information is available at this time. <

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• Arrest reportedly made following a fire in Kankakee Wednesday

Kankakee City Fire Department personnel were called out to a home in the one-thousand block of East Maple on Christmas Eve for a garage fire. When they got there they found heavy fire coming from the detached garage that belonged to a vacant house. The fire was put out quickly and reports are one person was arrested by Police on suspicion of arson.

• Sprinklers help contain Beecher fire

Firefighters from the Beecher Fire Protection District were called to a fire in a commercial building in the 34-hundred block of East Brunswick Road Wednesday evening. When they got there, firefighters found fire in the kitchen area of the large banquet facility and the building sprinkler system already working. Reports say the fire was contained to the kitchen area of the building. No injuries were reported.

• What to do this weekend around Kankakee County

There's still plenty to do around Kankakee County to keep you in the holiday spirit. With a look at a few of the events, here's Angelina Gear, Executive Director of Visit Kankakee County

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• Firefighter reported injured battling Tuesday evening blaze

There are reports of a firefighter being injured while battling a fire in Essex last night. Few details are available, but what we do know is Essex fire was called to a house fire on Kody Alan Drive in Braidwood Tuesday evening. It's thought a firefighter fell through the floor of the home and had to be rescued. We'll have more details for you as they become available.

• Crime Stopper Tip of the Week

Local law enforcement officials are looking into a theft from a storage unit earlier this week. Kankakee County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Trent Bukowski has our Crime Stoppers Tip of the Week.  Tips to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and could result in a cash reward.

• Bradley Police Holiday safety message

Officer Megan Lanie with the Bradley Police Department has a few tips to help make this Christmas Holiday a safe one.  The National Traffic Highway Safety Administration says in 2023, which is the last year for which numbers are available, there were more than one-thousand traffic related deaths over the Christmas Holiday period

• Kankakee County Sheriff's Department "Don't Drink and Drive"

For a lot of us, the Christmas Holiday has begun, Kankakee County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Trent Bukowski has some tips to make Christmas travel a little safer.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expects there to be some 500 traffic related deaths nation-wide over the Christmas Holiday period

• Beware the Holiday Blues

It's that time of year where Holiday Blues could set in for some. Riverside Psychiatry Resident Doctor Breanna Wennberg has some tips on how to cope with those feelings.  Doctor Wennberg says when those Holiday Blues last for longer than a week or two, that's a sign there is something more serious going on like Major Depressive Disorder. 

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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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• Man shot/killed Sunday evening 

Kankakee City Police are investigating after a man was shot to death in the City Sunday evening. In a press release, City Police say it was just before six last night when they were called to the 12-hundred block of East Oak Street for a report of shots fired. The caller told dispatchers someone was trying to break into his apartment and he had shot at them. When they got there, City Police say they found a 35-year-old man lying outside the apartment where the attempted break-in had allegedly happened. Reports say the man was taken to the hospital where he later died of his wounds. The shooting is under investigation.

UPDATE: 12/22/25 10:06am: Fatal shooting victim identified:

 We know the name now of the man who was shot and killed in Kankakee Sunday evening. Kankakee County Coroner Bob Gessner identified the shooting victim as 35-year-old Travis Hayes of Kankakee. Kankakee City Police say they got a call just before six last night from a person who said someone was trying to break into their apartment  and he'd shot him. Hayes was found outside the apartment where the attempted break-in had allegedly happened. Hayes was taken to the hospital where he died about a half hour later. Kankakee City Police and the County Coroner's office continue to investigate the shooting.

• Gas prices down for holiday travelers

Gas prices are down as people hit the roads for the Christmas Holiday. Triple-A says the average cost for a gallon of gas is two-dollars-94 cents across the Land of Lincoln, that's more than 30 cents cheaper than it was a this time last year. Triple-A says gas in Kankakee County is running 2.80 a gallon on average down a penny overnight and down 11 cents in the past week. Gas in Iroquois County is also running 2.80 on average. It's 2.98 on average in Ford County, 2.99 in Livingston County, 2.94 in Grundy County and 2.85 in Will County.

Across the State Line, Triple A says a gallon of gas will set you back two-dollars-66 cents on average in Newton County, 2.90 in Benton County and 2.80 in Jasper County. A gallon of gas is running 2.76 on average across the Hoosier State. The Nation-wide average is two-dollars-85 cents a gallon.

• Griffith IN police make arrest in ice cream heist

Griffith Indiana police say they have arrested a suspect for the theft of 62-hundred-dollars worth of ice cream.  Christopher Stewart is accused of stealing 258-cases of ice cream over several weeks and admitted to police he stole and re-sold it.  The thefts happened in northwest Indiana and Stewart is charged with two Level 6 Felonies for theft and one misdemeanor for leaving the scene of a crash.  The Level 6 Felony charges carry a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence if he is convicted.

• Newton County, IN authorities warn of scam

The Newton County Sheriff's Police are reporting another scam going around the area. In this one, the victim got a call saying someone was being released from custody and would be arriving at the victim's home within an hour. The scammer then pressures the victim to pay for "an emergency protective order" by picking from their "tiers of safety" program. The scammer asks for the money to be sent to an individual and not a business. A Newton County resident was scammed out of some 13-hundred dollars.  Authorities remind you that legitimate law enforcement or court services do not demand immediate payment over the phone or ask how much money someone has available. Anyone receiving similar calls is advised to hang up and report the incident to law enforcement.

• Beecher Police look for attempted armed robber

Beecher Police are asking for help to identify those responsible for an attempted armed robbery in the Village. On their Facebook page, Beech

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🎙️ Listen to Bill Dyche’s exclusive interview with Gayla Peevey, the iconic voice behind “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”

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