Good morning, Joliet.

Shaw Local has released an on-demand audio playlist of Will County’s five most-read stories from Aug.

2-8 (using Everlit’s AI technology for easy listening). Residents can enjoy the narrated news on the go, including near the Saint Joseph Medical Center outpatient entrance in Joliet.

State Rep. Natalie Manley and Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel hosted their fifth annual back-to-school fair at Richland Elementary School in Crest Hill, serving over 200 families and 428 children with backpacks, vaccines, cakewalk games, free books and taekwondo lessons.

They will host the next fair in August 2027.

DuPage Township and Solstice at Joliet are hosting a free senior care expo on Aug.

20 in Bolingbrook at the DuPage Township Levy Senior Center, 251 Canterbury Lane, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The expo will connect seniors and caregivers with local service providers, live entertainment, and food trucks.

The city will remove 375 costumes + props and set pieces from the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre that are too damaged for reuse.

A full inventory review under new management found these items have little or no resale value.

Romeoville kindergarten teacher Nancy Gaby Valladolid won July’s Preserve the Moment photo contest with her close-up of a bumblebee collecting nectar from anise hyssop at Isle a la Cache preserve; her photo shows young learners the value of pollinators.

Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox was named a top hospital in Illinois on Forbes’ Top Hospitals by State list after earning a 5-Star rating from CMS in May—making it the only hospital in Will and Grundy counties with this honor and ranking high on outcomes, practices, value, and experience.

In July, 45 commercial property transfers were recorded in Will County — the median sale was a 1,994 sqft property on 183rd Place in Orland Park that sold for $375,000, and transactions in Joliet and nearby towns ranged from modest deals to multi-million-dollar sales.

The 2026 IHSA football season preview for the CCL White Division features four teams set to compete; DePaul Prep will debut a new coach while IC Catholic, Joliet Catholic and St. Laurence build on last season’s successes.

Key matchups will shape the division standings.

The preview of the Chicagoland Christian Conference lays out team details, schedules and key players for 2026 high school football.

Coaches and players look to start strong, update rosters and overcome past struggles — setting up an exciting season in local matchups.

Providence Catholic held its IHSA football practice on Friday, Aug.

7 at New Lenox as it prepared for the upcoming season plus photos captured active drills in session.