Monday, November 24, 2025

A person was shot and killed late Sunday night on Kankakee’s east side. According to a press release from Kankakee City Police, the homicide occurred just before 10:30 Sunday night in a parking lot in the 900 block of East Court Street. When officers arrived on the scene after reports of several gunshots fired in the area, they found 20 year old Donnie E. Smith of Chicago lying in a parking lot with gunshot wounds. Smith was transported to a local hospital where he later died of his injuries. Kankakee city detectives urge anyone with information to reach out to their office or call crime stoppers at 815.93 CRIME. Information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward and callers can remain anonymous.

A fire destroyed a home in Keener Township, Northeast of Roselawn, Indiana Thursday. Keener Township Fire Department says they responded to a two story home around nine Thursday morning on Potomac Drive. Fire conditions prevented crews from making entry into the home and parts of the interior started to collapse. Two people were in the home at the time of the fire and were able to get out safely.  No injuries were reported. Crews remained on scene for almost three hours and were assisted by four other departments. No one was injured in the blaze. 

Four semi trailers were broken into at a truck stop in Bourbonnais Thursday morning. According to Bourbonnais Police, the break ins happened around two Thursday morning at a truck stop on Quebec Drive when a semi driver who was sleeping in his truck was awakened by two people breaking into his trailer. When the driver got out of his truck to look, he saw the pair had fled east towards I-57. Police say nothing appeared to be missing from the semi trailers. Kankakee City Police reported a similar incident happened overnight Thursday in the 2200 block of East Court Street where a semi trailer was broken into but nothing was taken. 

A Kankakee woman has been arrested after allegedly posting a sexually explicit video of someone else on social media without their consent. According to Kankakee City Police, the victim in the video reported the incident to officers on September 25th. 20 year old Omauriyah A. Armstrong was arrested Thursday and charged with Non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images.

Someone stole several gallons of diesel fuel from a semi truck on Kankakee’s east side Wednesday. According to Kankakee City Police reports, the theft happened just before midnight Wednesday at a trucking business in the 1300 block of Stanford Drive. Video security footage appears to show a white semi hauling an Amazon trailer pulling up to the victims truck, and the driver getting out to siphon fuel from the parked truck. Afterwards, the driver got back in his truck and headed west bound on Grinnell Road. The victim estimates around 65 gallons of diesel was stolen from his truck. Police were able to obtain the trailer number of the Amazon semi through the surveillance footage.

A doctor and nurse at a Northwest Indiana hospital are fired a week after a pregnant Chicago woman was prematurely discharged.  Shortly after Mercedes Wells was released last week from Franciscan Health Crown Point, she gave birth on the side of a road.  Hospital President and CEO Raymond Grady announced that the physician and nurse involved with Wells care are no longer employed.  He added that the medical facility will be changing policies involving pregnant patients by mandating cultural competency training for all labor and delivery staff.  There will also be doctors exams for all pregnant patients leaving the Labor and Delivery unit.

A multiple vehicle crash happened on the northbound lanes of I-57 near Manteno late Friday afternoon. Illinois State Police say the accident happened just before five early Friday evening near milepost 321, just south of County Highway Nine. Six vehicles were involved in the crash that resulted in minor injuries. Northbound lanes of I-57 were closed down for about an hour Friday. 

Winter weather from a few weeks ago reminds us it’s time to get our cars and trucks ready for the driving conditions ahead. Bill Perakis, who owns the Meineke on William Latham Drive in Bourbonnais says the first thing to remember is to take care of your tires. 

 Perakis says another common problem involves the cooling system for your car.

Perakis adds batteries are another big problem in the winter. Best thing to do, get your car checked out before the real winter weather hits our area.

Illinois District 53 Senator Chris Balkema reminds you to travel safely this week for the Thanksgiving holiday.  

Senator Balkema added it’s important to go out of our way and look after others who might be hurting around the holiday season.

Time now to find out what’s happening in the sky overhead this week. With a look at our notable night sky news, here’s Madeline Shepley, Astronomy Professor and Director of the Strickler Planetarium at Olivet.