Friday, October 24, 2025

A Kankakee man is charged in a deadly stabbing at a Chick-fil-A in suburban Oswego. Police say Tracey Land was making a delivery to the restaurant on Route 34 early Wednesday when Darryl Lee Junior of Kankakee broke into the business and attacked him with a hammer and knife.  Land died following the attack.  Lee reportedly left the restaurant and stabbed another man from behind.  That victim remains hospitalized in stable condition.  Lee faces a number of charges, including murder and attempted murder.

Despite recent rains, drought concerns across the area have increased. According to the latest map just released today by the US Drought Monitor, some 20 percent of Kankakee County is now considered to be in moderate drought, that number up from just three percent last week. The remaining 80 percent of the county is considered to be just abnormally dry. The map shows about seven percent of Iroquois county to be in severe drought, 70 percent of the county in moderate drought and the remaining 23 percent considered abnormally dry. The map shows 86 percent of Ford County and 78 percent of Livingston county now considered to be in severe drought. Meanwhile 88 percent of Grundy County is considered to be in moderate drought, up about 20 percent from last week’s numbers. 36 percent of Will County is considered to be in moderate drought, 56 percent abnormally dry and the remaining seven percent without any drought concerns at all

Across the State line, about 52 percent of Newton, 37 percent of Jasper and five percent of Benton Counties considered to be in moderate drought, with the rest of those counties considered just abnormally dry. The map includes data gathered by the US Drought Monitor through Tuesday of this week.

 If you’re looking for something different to do with the family this weekend, you might consider the Ooky Spooky Light show at the Strickler Planetarium at Olivet. Madeline Shepley is the Planetarium Director

Show times are six and 7:30 this evening and then 4:30, six and 7:30 tomorrow night at the Strickler Planetarium on Olivet’s Campus.

 

What to do around Kankakee County this weekend

Time now to find out what’s going on around Kankakee County this weekend. With a look at a few of the events, here’s Nicole Gavin, Executive Director of Visit Kankakee County

 During Thursday morning’s meeting of the Kankakee County Board’s Finance Committee, Finance Director Steve McCarty gave an update on the budget for the new fiscal year

Four family members of Illinois Republican candidate for Governor Darren Bailey are dead after a helicopter accident.  Bailey’s campaign announced that his son, Zachary, daughter-in-law Kelsey, and grandchildren, 12-year-old Vada Rose and seven-year-old Samuel, were all killed.  The couple’s other child, 10-year-old Finn, wasn’t on the helicopter.  The crash happened Wednesday night in Montana, only a week after Bailey announced that he was making a second run for governor.  Zachary was flying the aircraft at the time of the incident, which is under investigation.

Saturday is National DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day and Illinois State Representative Jackie Haas will co-host a drop off drive at Northfield Square Mall in Bradley.