English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Joliet, IL

JOLIET — Last month's unanimous 5-0 vote by Joliet's board of zoning carried absolutely no weight when it came time for the Joliet City Council to make the final decision on the proposal for Joliet's first marijuana dispensary on West Jefferson Street. The Council voted 7-2 in favor of the redevelopment on Tuesday night.

At the meeting, Council members Cesar Guerrero, Cesar Cardenas, Jan Quillman, Joe Clement, Pat Mudron, Suzanna Ibarra and Mayor Terry D'Arcy voted yes. Only Larry Hug and Sherri Reardon voted no. Reardon said that although she believes in the benefits of medical marijuana, "I don't believe in the location on Jefferson Street, so I vote no."

Leading up to Tuesday night's vote, Dustin Anderson, who took over as Joliet's director of community development last year, recommended that the Joliet City Council approve a special use permit for the Bisa Lina Dispensary. The business intends to redevelop the empty NAPA auto parts building on West Jefferson Street into a marijuana dispensary.

On March 20, the Joliet Zoning Board voted unanimously against putting a dispensary at 2121 W. Jefferson St. Representatives with the marijuana company told Joliet they will have security guards on the property during regular business hours, and they expect to generate about $360,000 in new sales taxes for the city of Joliet annually.

Last year, the Joliet City Council went along with city manager Beth Beatty's recommendations of raising the property taxes and raising the fuel taxes on unleaded and diesel in order to help Joliet generate more money for the 2025 operating budget.

Representatives with Bisa Lina Dispensary have assured Joliet that the empty NAPA store next to the Walgreens pharmacy along Hammes Avenue will become a thriving and prosperous property, once they remodel the building and open it for business.

At Monday's pre-council meeting, Councilwoman Ibarra suggested that the new West Jefferson Street dispensary would become a regional attraction because Bisa Lina intends to offer some of the lowest prices for its marijuana products compared to other competitors in the Chicago region. The company already has a location along North Avenue in Carol Stream.

After Tuesday night's vote, Hug told his fellow Council members that now that Joliet has approved three marijuana stores, with the other two operated by RISE, Hug suggested that Joliet consider a cap on how many marijuana stores Joliet will have.

Hug wanted to know if Joliet wants to operate three, 10, 100 or 1,000 marijuana stores. While Joliet has been for many decades as a prison town, "We don't want to become the pot capital either," Hug pointed out.

A firefighter was injured while battling a large fire at a facility in the Joliet area Monday morning.

WILL COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- A firefighter was injured while battling a large fire at a facility in the Joliet area Monday morning.

Chopper 7 flew over Rovanco Piping Systems, located at 20535 SE Frontage Road near Shorewood, as part of the facility went up in flames.

Monday morning, thick black smoke could be seen billowing as close to 30 fire departments rushed to the 150,000-square-foot facility near Interstate 55 to respond.

"She said she thought a car went through the house. That's how much the house shook," said Cynthia Braley, whose family lives nearby.

Neighbors took cellphone video showing the large fire and heavy smoke after at least four explosions woke them up.

"The windows rattled, and then around 20-30 seconds later, here's another loud explosion," witness Patrick Bernard said. "I walked outside. I noticed the whole back of the Rovanco building was pretty much leveled already. With all the fire it looked like an airplane had crashed, a small airplane. There were flames everywhere."

"She said she thought a car went through the house. That's how much the house shook," said Cynthia Braley, whose family lives nearby. "Incredible. I mean, the heat must have been crazy because, I mean, you see the whole building just like melted with the steel."

RELATED: Fire destroys vehicles at Burnside auto repair shop, video shows

The Troy Fire Protection District said they got calls around 4 a.m. They said two employees reported seeing smoke inside the facility and called 911 and evacuated.

Because there are no hydrants in the area, crews had to bring water from outside. One firefighter was burned in the face and wrist while responding.

"They went inside with a hand line to make a stop at that building and try to save the office area," Troy Fire Protection District Chief Paul Hertzmann said. "Unbeknownst to them, the fire had traveled over their heads in the ceiling area. When they pulled to check, the whole ceiling fell on them, and that's how he got burned."

The firefighter is stable at Loyola University Medical Center.

"The fire had a good head-start on us, and a fire like that construction, where it's all open inside, and it's all wooden beams and insulation, there is no protection from the fire spreading. So, it already had a significant head-start, and the fact that we had to bring all the water in caused a delay," Hertzmann said.

Fire crews were expected to remain on the scene Monday to battle hotspots in the smoldering debris.

And while a strong westerly wind helped to move the smoke over an empty field and away from the expressway and nearby homes, residents did receive text messages warning them for a time against going outside.

While there were chemicals stored inside the facility, officials believe most of it burned off. But, they said they would still be contacting the Environmental Protection Agency to see if sending out air monitors is warranted.

The chief estimates the facility had $25 to $30 million worth of damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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Jesse Barfield, a beloved former Major League Baseball player and part of Joliet's legacy, got his start playing at Belmont Little League.

John Ferak, Patch Staff

(The following edited press release is from Tori Zalewski, manager of events & marketing at the Joliet Slammers.)

JOLIET — The Joliet Slammers issued a Monday morning press release announcing a new partnership with Belmont Little League, marking the first-ever collaboration of its kind between the Slammers and a local youth baseball organization.

As part of the partnership, the Slammers will provide essential resources, including uniforms, to ensure the Belmont Senior Baseball Team is equipped for the upcoming season. Beyond financial support, this collaboration paves the way for additional opportunities with other local leagues as the Slammers continue fostering youth baseball in the region.

"The Belmont Little League is a wonderful organization, and this partnership is a special one for us," said Night Train Veeck, EVP of the Joliet Slammers. "Jesse Barfield, a beloved former Major League Baseball player and part of Joliet’s legacy, got his start playing at Belmont Little League. Supporting the next generation of players in our community is a really fun, full-circle moment for our organization that represents the next direction for the Slammers in the Joliet Community."

The partnership will also include special events and interactive experiences for Belmont Little League players and families, strengthening the bond between the Slammers and the local community. One such event will be the Major League Baseball Play Ball Initiative at The Fields of Belmont Athletic Club Park on Saturday, June 14th, where members of the Slammers Organization will lead fundamental skills stations to help young athletes develop their game. The MLB Play Ball Initiative in partnership with the Slammers will also provide support and equipment, further ensuring accessibility for aspiring ballplayers in the Joliet area.

Find out what's happening in Jolietfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

As the 2025 season approaches, fans of the Slammers and supporters of Belmont Little League can look forward to seeing the positive impact of this community collaboration both on and off the field.

About Belmont Little League

Belmont Little League has a rich history of fostering young talent and promoting the love of baseball in the Joliet area. Established in 1951, the league has been a cornerstone of the local youth sports community, providing children of all ages 3-16 years old the opportunity to learn the game of baseball in a safe and supportive environment. Belmont Little League prides itself on teaching not only the fundamentals of the sport but also the value of teamwork, discipline and physical well being.

JOLIET — After slightly more than four years and two different companies operating the kitchen of the Sidebar Cafe on the fifth floor of the Will County Courthouse, the cafe has been shut down for good and building contractors have walled off the kitchen and turned into a private conference room.

In January, there was a sadness in the Sidebar Cafe as Blissful Bytes owner Jonathan Skinner began informing lawyers and courthouse employees that his contract with Will County Government had come to an end after just two years of operation. Blissful Bytes served delicious meals for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, and Skinner's lunch specials changed constantly, sometimes featuring a Chicago style hot dog, a chicken alfredo pizza and a buffalo chicken wrap.

Plus, there were always two homemade soups available for lunch.

Now that Will County government has ended its contract with Blissful Bytes, county officials decided they no longer want to be in the business of operating a restaurant.

Within days of shutting down Blissful Bytes, building contractors arrived and began interior remodeling, closing off the kitchen and installing a large windowless white wall in its place.

Find out what's happening in Jolietfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Additionally, a few new vending machines were installed next to the pop machines.

Now, the fifth floor Sidebar Cafe includes vending machines that can make Starbucks coffee. Others sell Michelina's frozen dinners as well as small bags of Doritos, Cheetos and Frito Lays products.

Back in November 2020, when Sidebar Cafe opened, Joliet Patch reported that Quest Food Management Services was awarded the contract by the Will County Board to operate the cafeteria inside the new courthouse. Quest Food Services was started in 1985, in Lombard. Quest said it ranked No. 33 in the Food Management Magazine's Top 50 food management companies in the U.S.

Then, by 2022, Quest was gone from the Will County Courthouse, and Jonathan Skinner's Blissful Bytes took the Sidebar Cafe over.

Will County Spokesman: More Vending Machines Coming Soon

On Thursday, Mike Theodore, director of communications for Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, issued the following statement in regard to the state of the Will County Courthouse's Sidebar Cafe restaurant.

"Will County has transitioned away from a café on the fifth floor of the Courthouse to full-service vending," Theodore explained. "This move offers greater accessibility and expanded hours of food service, while reducing county costs from hosting a food service. The county has contracted with a vending company to offer full-service vending machines, which include a variety of beverages, snacks, frozen food, and coffee. A 'cold food' machine will be installed in the near future, offering salads, sandwiches, and wraps."