Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, May 29 through June 3

Once again, a bit of a blur-zoom week of scrambling to meet deadlines with being one day short. I'm so glad I had the discipline and foresight to work six hours on Sunday and a couple hours early Monday evening. It made Monda that more relaxing and this week less impossible.

Tired today, looking forward to a couple of enjoyable days! And yes, that includes working on Before the Blood.

In the meantime, here's the other writing and editing I do.

Check out the health, faith, and arts and entertainment calendars. Three of them can be found at the link below. http://www.theherald-news.com/lifestyle/ Gotta Do It, runs each Sunday and often stays on the home page through the week.

Feature briefs for Tuesday (health), Thursday (faith), Friday (Arts and Entertainment), and Sunday (People) are also edited (texted and photos) by the lady of this blog, but only the stories have bylines.

Another option: I do post the briefs and calendars on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.

And if you do peek at these stories, to quote our editor Kate Schott, "Thank you for reading The Herald-News." :)

Joliet area veterans share their stories in film, print and discussion (VIDEO EXTRA)

One is Raymond “DeVere” Johnson of Joliet. A documentary, “The Last Signal,” is being produced about his reunion with a former World War II shipmate.

The second is Joliet native Philip J. Harris, vice commander of the California state command of the National Association of Black Veterans Inc. Harris recently took part in a panel discussion about post-traumatic stress disorder in conjunction with Soledad O’Brien’s documentary “The War Comes Home: The New Battlefront.”

The third is Christos Dragatsis of Joliet, who tells his military history in a new book, “Heart of a Veteran.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/05/19/joliet-area-veterans-share-their-stories-in-film-print-and-discussion/ae8q3l7/


AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE: Minooka Purple Heart recipient committed to service and American values (VIDEO EXTRA)

 “He was proud of his Purple Heart,” Daniel said. “He actually put it on a necklace and gave it to his wife, who he actually based his life around: his wife of 63 years and his family.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/05/23/minooka-purple-heart-recipient-committed-to-service-and-american-values/argo9im/

Pets of the Week: May 30

Click on the caption of each photo to find out about that pet, including where he or she can be adopted.

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/05/26/pets-of-the-week-may-30/acnn0zf/

Joliet Central High School supports special needs teen in his campaign for prom king

“He has a spirit that instills inspiration in everyone he encounters,” Patty Edwards, adapted physical education teacher said. “He’ll say, ‘Hello’ to you and be friendly, and if someone is missing from my class, he always welcomes them back by saying, ‘We missed you. You’re part of the JT family.’ He makes everyone feel special.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/05/24/joliet-central-high-school-supports-special-needs-teen-in-his-campaign-for-prom-king/a5p3tk/


Leap of Faith Arts Ministries in Plainfield is more than dance and music

“We include prayer time and Bible study time and service projects,” Becca Heye, executive director, said. “We want to be sure we’re giving back to the community. We want the kids to learn, starting from the time they are very young, that serving others is a way of worship. It should be part of their culture as Christ followers.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/05/31/leap-of-faith-arts-ministries-in-plainfield-is-more-than-dance-and-music/a1zq9am/

Former Joliet resident to sign copies of seventh novel at Joliet Junior College

“The Reason for Time” is Burns’ first historical novel. It revolves around the Chicago race riots of July 1919. For this book, Burns said she concentrated on perfecting two areas: structure and voice. Burns felt the protagonists in past novels picked up her voice, so she worked hard to make the voice of the protagonist sound like the Irish-American she is.

“That’s what attracted my current publisher,” Burns said. “The unique and wonderful voice of the character.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/05/23/former-joliet-resident-to-sign-copies-of-seventh-novel-at-joliet-junior-college/akkwx7f/