County Authorizes Condemnation for Francis Road Project
June 3, 2025/
The committee authorized the State’s Attorney’s Office to proceed with condemnation cases for right-of-way acquisition needed for Francis Road improvements between Gougar Road and Interstate 80.
Eight property parcels are involved in the condemnation proceedings, including properties owned by the Joliet Park District, Commonwealth Edison Company, and several private property owners.
The Francis Road project will reconstruct the roadway to current standards and improve drainage in the corridor. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2026 pending completion of right-of-way acquisition.
County officials said attempts to negotiate voluntary acquisitions were unsuccessful, necessitating the legal condemnation process.
Today Jul 20
85° 61°
Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Sunny
Latest News Stories
500-plus fugitives arrested across two states
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – More than 400 fugitives have been arrested in Illinois, and another 117 in Missouri, over the last...
WalletHub study examines the financial independence of US states
By Christine JohnsonThe Center Square Idaho is the nation's most financially independent state, while Kentucky ranks as the least financially independent, according to a new WalletHub study. Ahead of the...
Michigan’s Democrat primary in U.S. Senate race narrows
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow announced Sunday she is suspending her campaign for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. Her departure narrows the party’s...
DOJ, states could secure 53 million eggs in price manipulation settlement
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a multi-state settlement that could deliver more than 50 million eggs and $3.3 million. This comes after a joint...
WATCH: State fails to investigate daycares with no children despite media reports
By Carleen JohnsonThe Center Square Many Washington state daycare providers receive large taxpayer subsidies, but an investigation by The Center Square found several that had few, if any, children and...
Illinois Quick Hits: Woman sentenced for voting twice
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A Hoopeston woman has been sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $2,500...
Embattled state lawmaker resigns after investigation into ‘unethical’ behavior
By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – After two days of calls for his resignation by Democrat leaders, embattled Illinois state Rep. Harry Benton,...
Everyday Economics: What jobs data actually show and why Fed is changing how it talks
By Orphe DivounguyThe Center Square Last week's jobs report release was June's, and it came in soft. Payrolls rose just 57,000, against a roughly 115,000 consensus, and April and May...
Watchdog; Bill mandating more reporting from tax-exempt hospitals ‘common sense’
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Thousands of hospitals subsidized by American taxpayers could face heightened fiscal scrutiny under new legislation heading to the U.S. House floor. Currently, nonprofit hospitals must...
New statewide tenant law signed; Chicago seeks to push further
By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law into effect that lawmakers say intends to increase renter protections...
Illinois Quick Hits: 179 charged in ‘badgeless’ federal enforcement
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros says 179 people have been charged in...
Trump defies severe storms to deliver late-night ‘America 250’ speech
By Carleen JohnsonThe Center Square President Donald Trump delivered a weather-delayed speech Saturday highlighting American exceptionalism while warning of the growing threat of rising democratic socialism and communism movements as...
Funeral ceremonies begin for Iran’s Khamenei amid fragile ceasefire
By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Hundreds of thousands of Iranians gathered Saturday to begin a days-long funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Large crowds converged on Tehran to pay...
