Community News: May 14, 2019

Check out the awesome things people are doing.

If you live within the Herald-News' coverage area (most of Will and Grundy counties in Illinois), and you'd like to share your organization's news or upcoming events, email the information to new@theherald-news.com.


Principal at St. Joseph School, Lockport, honored

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/05/13/principal-at-st-joseph-school-lockport-honored/ae507zx/


St. John Church in Joliet to host memorial service on May 19

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/05/13/st-john-church-in-joliet-to-host-memorial-service-on-may-19/av71z05/


IDPH working to increase vaccination rates

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/05/13/idph-working-to-increase-vaccination-rates/aqf6er7/


Troy school raises more than $6,000 for cancer research

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/05/13/troy-school-raises-more-than-6-000-for-cancer-research/ashok4v/


Wilmington boy makes big impact on public policy

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/05/13/wilmington-boy-makes-big-impact-on-public-policy/al0vcih/


Edward Cancer Center to offer annual Camp Hope

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/05/13/edward-cancer-center-to-offer-annual-camp-hope/avoon82/


New Lenox students 'perform surgery' as part of their reading lesson

https://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2019/05/13/917138b5b81e4570bebd1441754db23f/index.xml


Registration open for Edward’s Camp Breathe Easy for kids with asthma

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/05/13/registration-open-for-edwards-camp-breathe-easy-for-kids-with-asthma/aia5r2z/


Troy school raises more $8,000 to donate for research on childhood cancer

https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/05/13/troy-school-raises-more-8-000-to-donate-for-research-on-childhood-cancer/ay39odv/


NEWSLETTERS

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http://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/will-county-go-guide/#//


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http://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/locallit/


Sign up for The Munsonville Times

https://www.bryonyseries.com/munsonville-times

Illustration by Christopher Gleason for "Staked!" Follow him at www.artworkbytopher.com.

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, May 13 through May 18

So it's a busy Friday! (Don't I always say that?)

But seriously, folks.

Today is full of work, and the same is true about tomorrow, except it's only half full.

And then, (except for church), it should be fiction all the way!

Quick side note: If you've missed some of the blog tour posts, you can catch up HERE.

And now for the stories and where to find me and everything else:

Non-bylined features:

Monday through Saturday I assembled my non-bylined works - brief posts and calendar listings - into one convenient file and posting them on Facebook in the evening, so readers can easily choose the ones they want to read.

 One can also find those event listings, the Gotta Do It calendar, as well as the pets, health, faith, and arts and entertainment calendars, under the sections tab on the left hand side of http://www.theherald-news.com/. Click on "features" and the topics drop down.  Gotta Do It runs under "people."

Community news? Again, under the sections tab, under features, and by topic. Updates are posted on these days in print and web (and some only on web on other days as I have the time): Monday (pets), Tuesday (health), Thursday (faith), Friday (arts and entertainment), and Sunday (people).

Social media:

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

BryonySeries stuff: I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries. And assorted related content at www.facebook.com/BryonySeries. And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

If you're a writer anywhere in the world, you're welcome to jon WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/writeonminooka/?ref=bookmarks. We're based in Joliet, Illinois, but we love to meet and interact with writers outside our area, too.

Books and Such

Information on my books (including where to buy) along with upcoming events is at www.bryonyseries.com.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News. And for reading this blog. And if you've read (or plan to read) any of my books. And for those who came out to WriteOn Joliet's open mic night last night. Your support is greatly appreciated.

'Something they can make their own' 

Joliet foster mom distributing 'angel bears' to foster children 

"I thought, 'Maybe if they had a Teddy bear,'" Janet Palkon said. "A Teddy bear is never going to talk back. You can tell anything to a Teddy bear and it's never going to share it with anyone. Just holding it can make them feel loved, that someone is in their corner."

http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2018/05/09/1f9a51609e584646823c7302145a8dc7/index.xml

An Extraordinary Life: Joliet native's musical legacy lives on

“I didn’t know he was a musical arranger. I didn’t know he was nominated for a Grammy,” Alfreda Marentic, Fred's wife, said. “I didn’t know he was Teacher of the Year. I didn’t know he’d taken his students to Florida for band conventions. I didn’t know any of these things about him. I only knew he was kind and sweet and nice. And I knew he was a family man, which was important to me.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/05/09/an-extraordinary-life-joliet-natives-musical-legacy-lives-on/a2vyci/

'When the big C comes knocking at your door'
Shorewood prostate cancer survivor supports other men

Because Hileman pursues a healthy lifestyle, he wasn't surprised that his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level and digital rectal exam – both screening tools for detecting prostate cancer – were normal at his 2013 physical.

So Hileman was shocked when he experienced rectal bleedingin February 2014.

http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2018/05/07/c66aca086ae64f5a8043aeab178504ca/index.xml


Mystery Diner: HopScotch and Vine offers bright, gourmet summertime destination 

I ordered the Firecracker Shrimp Po' Boy for my entree. It came with two sides, and I chose a salad with Greek vinaigrette and French fries with sea salt. My coworker ordered the peanut butter and jelly burger because he was feeling more adventurous than I.

http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2018/05/10/8f4bd065320149949df553ae69c79b85/index.xml

Joliet man hopes his book brings people back to God

Although Tom Donnan, who said God speaks to him through dreams and revelations, is diligent about sharing God’s communications, response from others is lacking, “which is devastating to me,” he said.

But Donnan realizes why people are not embracing the message.

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/05/16/joliet-man-hopes-his-book-brings-people-back-to-god/ab6qbx4/


Making art from pieces of the Joliet prison

The idea is multifaceted: local artists will repurpose select items from the prison into a limited number of art pieces and then donate them to the Joliet Area Historical Museum. The museum will sell the pieces in the gift shop and put the funds back into the prison, Adamowski said.

http://www.theheraldnews.com/lists/2018/05/08/72115f7f84f644d3b54f25fbe2612767/index.xml?page=1

Morris man refurbishes and sells bikes and lawn mowers

You won't be believe how early this man opens his garage door for business.

http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2018/05/17/97cc3dbbcab9405bb3f957847534b39a/index.xml

LocalLit author spotlight: Former Plainfield resident Anne Anderson of Sandwich

My desire to write a book surfaced after the death of my husband on April 24, 2015. I felt the need to put down on paper my first year of grief with the hope that people will find that they can survive the loss of a loved one.

I have include 13 tips and suggestions on what to say, and, more importantly, what not to say, to someone in deep grief.

http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2018/04/16/2ea6ffe468ee422889a1ebe672f3f4f7/index.xml

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Dec. 4 through Dec. Dec. 9

Here's an awesome thing: I made deadlines for the week by yesterday. That's always my goal, so I can spend Fridays with interviews and making briefs, but lately the goal has eluded me. Happy Friday!

Here's another awesome thing: Up until this week, my blog post with the most views was a link to a nineteenth century vampire story, The Vampire, by Jan Neruda. One of my story roundups has surpassed it,with 1244 views as of this morning. I'm not sure why this post received so many views, but here's the link: http://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2016/11/story-round-up-features-in-herald-news_25.html.

The proof copy for Cornell Dyer and the Missing Tombstone arrived yesterday with random formatting errors and one cover error. So one of my projects for this weekend (among my weekend editor duties and working on Before the Blood) is to read through the book and note them.

Onto the real work:

First, the non-bylined work: 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 throughout 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.

I also have a list of Santa Sightings in the Joliet area at https://goo.gl/Hq06Hr.

Also, a few weeks ago, The Herald-News began a weekly Mystery Diner feature, a goal of mine that was finally approved. I'll catch up on the links this Monday and begin posting these with the regular roundup.

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 of course, I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries.

FYI: videos have not been attaching to stories, although they do run for a time on the home page. If you'd like to watch a video, and it's not showing up for you, message me, and I'll manually attach it.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News.


Channahon couple decorates for cancer research (VIDEO EXTRA)
Kris and Kristen Koppers light up their homes and the lives of others

“Last year, we gave out jingle bells from his sleigh,” Kristen said. “This year, we’re not sure what we’re doing, but we will have hot chocolate again.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/11/29/channahon-couple-decorates-for-cancer-research/awdvbrn/

An Extraordinary Life: Single mother of four inspired new hot dog venue in Joliet

Jeff Reid recently opened Jerrie’s Dogs & Fries in memory of his mother

Of course, the signature hot dog is the Jerrie dog, prepared the way Jerrie liked her hot dog – topped with mustard, tomato, relish, pickle, cucumber, sport peppers and celery salt.

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/11/29/an-extraordinary-life-single-mother-of-four-inspired-new-hot-dog-venue-in-joliet/ajbjivg/?page=2

Pets of the Week: Dec. 5

The Herald-News presents this week's Pets of the Week. 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/2016/11/27/pets-of-the-week-dec-5/a1q0zf0/

New Lenox church offers a drive-thru Living Nativity

United Methodist Church offers dramatic retelling of Jesus’ birth

“One of the nice things about this event is it’s calm,” Beth Darin, co-coordinator, said. “You drive through and listen to the story in this beautiful setting. It tells the story on a non-intrusive level and you get to enjoy it that way. ... You take away from it what you need to take away.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/12/03/new-lenox-church-offers-a-drive-thru-living-nativity/aw7m2gx/

Lincoln-Way Area Chorale performs at Carnegie Hall

Jackie Pletsch, a soprano, said the experience “took her breath away.”

“I started to cry and then thought, ‘I can’t cry. I have to sing,’ ” Pletsch said.

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/12/07/lincoln-way-area-chorale-performs-at-carnegie-hall/auvpo13/