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Now, tables are socially distanced. Masks are over familiar faces that finally returned. People are now spending money amid dropping sales. Many just took their business across the county border.
Bars and restaurants in Will and Kankakee counties will be able to resume serving customers indoors at 5 p.m. on Friday, as Gov. JB Pritzker lifts tougher COVID-19 mitigations that were imposed on that region of Illinois last month, due to rising virus cases.
"I'm hopeful that Region 7 might become a testament to the community's ability to turn the ship around in the right direction," Pritzker said.
Starting Wednesday, all customers at restaurants and bars in Illinois must wear a mask covering their mouth and nose whenever they are interacting with waitstaff and other employees; including when placing orders, when food or drinks are brought to their table, or when picking up a carryout order.
Meetings along with social gatherings must be limited to 25 people or 25% capacity.
A gold coin worth over $1,000 was dropped into one of The Salvation Army red kettles in Kankakee County.
Police in Kankakee County didn't have to stage a raid to find one wanted fugitive – it just so happens that all it took for him to surrender was a PhotoShop request.
The posts, which have since been removed from Twitter and Facebook, featured a picture of the "Make America Great Again" slogan imposed onto a red Ku Klux Klan mask, along with the words "What's the difference between a Klan hood and a MAGA hat? The Klan hood was made in America."
Mussman's Back Acres egg farm, located in Kankakee County, reported a chicken coop fire around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. Mussman's is a wholesale egg distribution facility.
The sudden disappearance of retired high school teacher Daniel Jarski last weekend has sparked massive search efforts.
Jeremy Boshears, 32, has been charged with a felony count of concealing a homicidal death in the shooting death of 24-year-old Kaitlyn Kearns.
Kaitlyn Kearns, of Mokena, was reported missing Tuesday. She was last seen alive leaving her job tending bar in Joliet early Monday.
Kankakee sculptor George Grey Barnard had formed the 10-pound plaster hand from a picture of Lincoln before crafting a statue.
Four men are dead at two different crime scenes. But police now think they're related.
Detectives in Kankakee County were investigating four homicides over the weekend in rural Pembroke Township, including a triple homicide Sunday afternoon.
On April 1, Kamron Taylor escaped from the Jerome Combs Detention Center after attacking a guard who was making rounds.
The Kankakee County State's Attorney's office was reviewing mountains of evidence, as authorities try to piece together exactly how a convicted killer escaped the county jail, and made it to Chicago before he was captured.
Authorities have increased the reward for information leading to the arrest of a convicted killer who escaped from a Kankakee jail earlier this week.
A massive manhunt continued early Thursday in central Illinois, a day after a 23-year-old convicted killer escaped from a Kankakee County jail by overpowering a guard and donning his uniform.
A manhunt was underway in Kankakee County on Wednesday, after a convicted killer escaped from the county jail.
Microsoft Corp. says it has agreed to buy electricity from a new wind farm in Illinois for the next 20 years in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint.
While the threat of flooding has eased in much of the Chicago area, there's still concern about the Kankakee River, because of ice jams in the water.
Illinois State Troopers will be using a mobile speed camera van on I-57 on Tuesday to enforce work zone speed limits.
With a high-profile triple murder trial underway in DuPage County with a camera in the courtroom, Cook County's chief judge was left wondering when Chicago would be able to follow suit within its own court system.
Brandt Clarke scored twice to help Los Angeles break out of an offensive funk, Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves and the Kings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-0 on Saturday night to split a two-game set.
His father, Rod, is an NHL great who is currently the head coach of the Wolves' affiliate, the Carolina Hurricanes.
Families who have lost loved ones serving in the U.S. military were treated to a trip to Walt Disney World.
Des Plaines police said the USPS driver claimed that he temporarily lost control of his vehicle, leading to the crash.
Chicago police said Damoni Gray, 12, was last seen on Nov. 28 in the area of the 7600 block of South Essex Avenue.
Two people who survived an early September U.S. attack on an alleged drug boat were waving overhead before they were killed in a now-controversial second strike, according to two sources.
The Supreme Court said Friday it will decide the legality of President Trump's executive order that seeks to end birthright citizenship.
President Trump has led the charge to create more GOP-friendly congressional districts in the 2026 midterm elections.
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is set to retire in 2026, but before he leaves Congress he is making one last attempt to pass the DREAM Act.
Former Chicago Tribune publisher and editor-in-chief R. Bruce Dold passed away this week.
A condo owner in Country Club Hills says he's forced to sell his home after his condo association failed to reimburse him for repairs to his leaking roof. Edward Hadnott's condo has sat empty since a major roof leak in 2022.
The U.S. stopped minting pennies this week, and some groups have issued a warning about the headaches that can create for some businesses and consumers.
Why is one school in the west Chicago suburb of Lisle paying a water bill three times higher than another? The answer has to do with a private utility company.
The Food and Drug Administration is warning about additional cookware brands that could be leaching lead into your food.
Walgreens said it will close its office space in Chicago's Old Post Office building.
The newest measles vaccination numbers released by Chicago Public Schools shows immunizations are finally moving in the right direction.
Two pregnant Black women recently faced alarming neglect at hospitals in Indiana and Texas, highlighting racial disparities in maternal care.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed a bill aimed at protecting vaccine access in Illinois.
Roseland Community Hospital on Monday celebrated the opening of a new sickle cell treatment clinic.
Consumers with the imported pans should throw them away due to the severe health risks posed by lead, the agency warns.
U.S. Steel says it'll resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois amid strengthening demand.
Traffic at O'Hare International Airport is growing faster than expected, and this has Chicago city leaders wanting to make big changes to future construction plans at the airport.
Small Business Saturday was disrupted by the winter storm for many business owners in Chicago, but in the Rogers Park neighborhood, a group of business owners came together to draw customers.
Three different times over the past year, popular and longstanding Chicago stage theater spaces have made headlines for their demise. But it's not all bad news by any stretch.
A federal judge has called out an immigration enforcement agent for using artificial intelligence to write the narrative of a use-of-force report as just a small part of a scathing opinion that rebutted federal officials' narratives about appropriate force used against protesters and others during an ongoing immigration crackdown in Chicago.
Frank Gehry was known for designing the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
Netflix on Friday said it will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO.
Starting Wednesday, riders on the Chicago Transit Authority system will hear a recognizable Chicago voice during their commutes.
Three different times over the past year, popular and longstanding Chicago stage theater spaces have made headlines for their demise. But it's not all bad news by any stretch.
Joe Colborn, better known as Joe "JoBo" Bohannon on Chicago radio, died this week.
The village's tree lighting event brought plenty of holiday spirit and a Christmas parade.
The annual Snowball Express event was put together in partnership by the Gary Sinise Foundation and American Airlines.
Saturday morning’s eruption sent lava fountains up to 100 feet high.
Authorities hunted Saturday for the last of three inmates who escaped from a Louisiana jail after removing concrete blocks from a deteriorating wall.
Nicole Pokrzywa, 36, and William Cosmen, 38, were charged on Saturday with one count of desecration of a corpse.
A winter weather advisory will take effect overnight for the Chicago area and parts of Indiana. Here's what you can expect.
Elgin police officers were told by the agent that the crash occurred while they were conducting an enforcement activity.
Des Plaines police said the USPS driver claimed that he temporarily lost control of his vehicle, leading to the crash.
A man and a woman were charged after authorities said they buried an infant child at a home in Wilmington, Illinois, last year.
Families who have lost loved ones serving in the U.S. military were treated to a trip to Walt Disney World.
A Chicago woman battling ALS said she's been struggling just to get a disabled parking space in front of her Bridgeport home.
Days after new Cook County Chief Judge Charles Beach ordered an urgent review of the county's electronic monitoring program, Sheriff Tom Dart said this crisis isn't new, and that he's been warning lawmakers of problems for years.
Charles Beach was sworn in on Monday as Cook County's first new chief judge in 24 years, and takes over amid a political firestorm over what appears to be systemic issues with how accused criminals are being monitored before trial.
Some Chicagoans found out the hard way on Monday that the overnight winter parking ban is in effect.
The electronic monitoring system in Cook County has come under increased scrutiny, after a woman was set on fire in a horrific arson attack on the Blue Line, with critics demanding answers as to why the suspect wasn't already behind bars.
Brandt Clarke scored twice to help Los Angeles break out of an offensive funk, Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves and the Kings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-0 on Saturday night to split a two-game set.
His father, Rod, is an NHL great who is currently the head coach of the Wolves' affiliate, the Carolina Hurricanes.
Pascal Siakam scored a season-high 36 points, Bennedict Mathurin added 28 and the Indiana Pacers beat the struggling Chicago Bulls 120-105 on Friday night.
Sitting in 1st-place in the NFC standings isn't the only feel-good story for the Bears, as cornerback Nahshon Wright was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Month.
The Bulls dropped to 9-12 with their fifth loss in a row.
The special edition locket was inspired by the James Bond film "Octopussy," which revolves around a plot to steal a rare Faberge egg.
Authorities say the FBI has arrested a man suspected of placing pipe bombs outside RNC and DNC headquarters on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
A woman from Chicago's northwest suburbs appeared in court Thursday for a shooting that killed another woman in the South Loop in September.
The man charged with pushing a CTA passenger onto the tracks at a Blue Line station in Chicago's western suburbs on Monday was ordered held in jail, after repeatedly interrupting the judge and prosecutors during his first court appearance on Wednesday.
A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to take a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of an immigrant rights group.
