Services Set for Terry Marketti

The Grundy County Sheriff passed away suddenly on Dec. 14

Funeral services have been set for Terry Marketti, 56, of Gardner. Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Dec. 17,  at the St. Lawrence Catholic Church, 165 East Rice Road, in South Wilmington. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in his name to any Grundy County Organization Terry was associated with would be appreciated. A list of the organizations are found on the bottom of this post. Beginning at 10 a.m., Dec. 18, a funeral mass will take place at  St. Lawrence Catholic Church in South Wilmington, with Rev. John Hornicak officiating. Interment Braceville-Gardner Cemetery, Braceville, IL. Marketti was born July 26, 1956 in Joliet, IL to the late Charles C. and Matilda “Tillie” (nee Batusich) Marketti, Sr. Terry had been the Grundy …

• Photos (1)

Kevin Callahan Named Grundy County Sheriff

Callahan was named as replacement by Sheriff Terry Marketti before his untimely death on Friday.

Grundy County Remembers Sheriff Terry Marketti

Marketti was pronounced dead in his home Friday morning. He died of natural causes.

Two Illinois State Troopers Injured After Traffic Stop on Interstate 80

State Police are describing the vehicle stopped as a rolling meth lab.

Two Illinois State Police Troopers inhalation injuries Friday afternoon when the car they stopped turned out to be a rolling meth lab, Illinois State Police said. The District 5 troopers stopped the car at 3 p.m. Friday on Interstate 80, westbound at mile marker 106. The area is west of Morris and east of Seneca. During the stop of the 2012 Volvo 4-door, troopers became suspicious for a number of reasons, including the behavior of the driver, Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Jeff Padilla said. "A search of the vehicle discovered the chemicals consistent with the production of methamphetamine," he said. "Both troopers suffered inhalation burns and were transported to Morris Hospital with non life-threatening injuries." Padilla said the …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Joliet Junior College Hosts 9/11 Commemeration Ceremony

The school hosted an outdoor ceremony as well as speaker Grundy County Coroner John Callahan, who helped in identification efforts following the attack.

Every year that Joliet Junior College has hosted a 9/11 ceremony, attendance has grown. Some professors bring their whole classes out," Rachel Rose, Joliet Junior College Communications & External Relations said. On Tuesday, she estimated about 150 people came to campus for the outdoor ceremony and a great deal followed the crowd inside to hear the speaker, Grundy County Coroner John Callahan. Callahan has been the coroner for 17 years. "I know a lot of you folks were very young when this happened," he said addressing the crowd, which included a number of JJC students. "Who would have ever thought this could happen in the greatest country we live in?" Callahan went to New York following the 9/11 attacks as part of Disaster Mortuary …

•  2 Comments
• Videos (1)

Benson to Battle Rezin in 38th

Democrat Christine Benson won her primary and is set to take on Republican incumbent Sue Rezin.

Christine Benson bested her three-candidate field in the Democratic Primary by a wide margin. But now she has to contend with a Republican incumbent whose vote total more than doubled that of her and her two competitors combined. Benson, the Superintendent of Schools for Streator Elementary District 44, beat out Kevin Kunkel and Tom Ganiere to get on the November ballot for the 38th Senate District race. But she is going to have an uphill battle on her hands when she takes on Sue Rezin, R-Morris. Rezin has been a member of the Illinois Senate since 2010. But Benson believes she is up to the task. "I'm absolutely up for the challenge and I'm excited for the race this fall," Benson said, telling how she is already used to the hard work and …

• Photos (1)

Grundy County Fugitive Leaped Out Hospital Window, Ran Over Guard's Foot

The man captured by the Shorewood cops had escaped through a Morris Hospital window and ran a stolen SUV over a correctional officer's foot.

The Crest Hill man captured by the Shorewood police after a desperate high-speed chase leaped to freedom from a Morris Hospital second-story window and ran a stolen sport utility vehicle over a guard's foot during his getaway, police said. The erstwhile fugitive — 25-year-old Craig Hufford of 2109 Plainfield Road — was taken to the hospital Friday morning after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Grundy County jail. Hufford was in custody on burglary charges as well as on a warrant out of Michigan for home invasion. A correctional officer accompanied Hufford to the hospital, but the Crest Hill man made his escape from the window of a bathroom, Grundy County Sheriff Terry Marketti said in a statement. Hufford jumped "from a second-…

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)

Infamous Steve

10:06 am on Sunday, January 8, 2012

you make no sense.   more ›

Walnut Trails' Jenny Wicevic Has Passion for Teaching, Finding What Works

The special education teacher helps children learn skills they can use in their daily lives.

Some of the students in Jenny Wicevic’s class can’t talk, some need help manipulating small objects, others move with difficulty, or are in chairs with wheels. But nothing stops Wicevic from recognizing the potential in the 6- to 8-year-olds in her classroom at Walnut Trails School in Shorewood. “I have to figure out where are they at,” she said. “What do they need next? And what’s important to improve their quality of life.”  Special education students from all over the Grundy County area come to the bright classroom, which seems to have a seriousness of purpose that underscores the need these children have to develop. One child works with an iPad, identifying signs for caution, poison, and stop and go lights. Another child in a sturdy …

• Photos (2)