I was born in Joliet and grew up across from Nowell Park on the city's far east-side where I delivered the Joliet Herald-News. I attended grade school at St. Mary Nativity on Broadway. Some of my favorite memories growing up revolve around St, Joseph's Park where I played Little League baseball and had several Catholic Youth Organization basketball games.
At 13, our family moved out to Plainfield where I went to high school. By the time I was 16, I knew I wanted to be a journalist. As a teen, I made a few extra bucks as a sports stringer for The Plainfield Enterprise taking photos and covering Plainfield's high school football and basketball games.
In December 1995, I graduated with a journalism degree from Eastern Illinois University. I have had a strong passion and commitment for public service journalism ever since. I am grateful to have covered so many different places throughout the greater Midwest.
I worked for The South Bend Tribune (1996-1998), the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights (1998-2000), Green Bay Press-Gazette (2000-2003) Omaha World-Herald (2003-2012) and on the statewide investigative team for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, where I was based at The Post-Crescent in Appleton, from 2012 until 2017.
Obviously, Joliet and Plainfield have grown dramatically since I left Illinois in 2000 - but so has journalism and how readers consume their news. I'm thrilled to be joining Patch as the Joliet Editor at this point in time when more and more people prefer to access their local news information through web-only platforms and mobile devices.
Joliet and Will County always seem to have a lot of news going on, and I will do my best to bring you a superior news product.
“The Joliet Police Department holds itself to the highest standards of integrity and accountability," Chief Bill Evans remarked last year.
The next Joliet City Council meeting is June 3, 2025. The Defendants request that the deadline be extended to June 5, 2025.
Ivan Gonzalez Franco now faces the prospect of giving up his 2013 Buick Enclave to the Will County State's Attorney Office of Jim Glasgow.
Jonathon Skinner said Blissful Bytes is a military-owned Joliet restaurant. He served in the U.S. Army and is the chef-owner.
Two-term mayor Bob O'Dekirk, who faces Joliet businessman Terry D'Arcy in next spring's election, is calling for lowered fuel taxes.
Joliet resident Bob Hernandez went to Friday night's bloody crime scene and produced a Facebook Live video for his followers.
Shorewood police investigated the June 6 incident at the Home Goods that led to more lewd conduct charges for the Bolingbrook man
Joliet police alerted 911 dispatchers that the stolen Wilmington ambulance was traveling at least 75 mph along West Jefferson Street.
This opinion column is by Joliet Patch Editor John Ferak, who previously covered the Netflix case made world famous by "Making A Murderer."
A celebration of life will be held from 5-7 pm on Thursday, July 15, 2021 at the Chicago Street Pub in downtown Joliet.
In December 2017, Chris A. Perez put a gun to his brother Ricardo's forehead and shot him dead during a dare, Patch previously reported.
Surrounded by thousands of acres of farmland, a dog hotel is under construction this summer along Ridge Road in rural Minooka.
The victim was taken by Joliet Fire Department ambulance to St. Joe's hospital for treatment of her injuries, police said.
Joliet police responded to PS Fuels at 928 Jefferson Street Tuesday afternoon after Amarion Denwiddie fired his gun at a car, police say.
"We're definitely going to be unique. Southern California meets Tex-Mex meets Cajun eclectic blend," its owners told Joliet Patch.
In 1963, Dick Portillo invested $1,100 into a small trailer to open the first Portillo's hot dog stand in Villa Park, the restaurant states.
On Tuesday, high weeds lined the Kmart's entrance, spare tires sat in the parking lot, and no building contractors were on the site, again.
The Hammel Woods Dam project should be completed in October, but weather and other factors could affect the timeline, officials say.
Corey Copeland, 32, jumped into the dirty canal early Saturday morning following a traffic stop near East Jackson Street, police said.
A new true-crime podcast is reexamining the murders to shed light on whether Christopher Vaughn was justly charged, tried and convicted.
