>> SOUTHWEST OF SOUTH YOU WILL
BE IN JOLIET NAMED AFTER THE
FRESH CANADIAN EXPLORER WHO
SETTLED THERE.
THE SPRAWLING SOUTHWESTERN
SUBURB IS STILL GROWING THE
THIRD LARGEST CITY IN ILLINOIS
AFTER CHICAGO AND AURORA
ACCORDING TO 2020 CENSUS DATA.
AMANDA VINICKY AND MARISSA
NELSON TRAVELED TO JOLIET FOR
OUR LATEST "CHICAGO TONIGHT" "IN
YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SERIES" AND
AMANDA JOINS US OUTSIDE OF
STATESVILLE PRISON RIGHT NOW.
>> YES, ONE OF THE OTHER PRISONS
STATEVILLE IS OPERATIONAL AND
THIS NOT SO MUCH.
THIS IS A SPRAWLING SUBURB AND
IN FACT SEVERAL PEOPLE I SPOKE
WITH TODAY DESCRIBED IT AS A
MINI CHICAGO.
THERE IS A LARGE TRAIN STATION
AND TRANSIT NETWORK AND COLLEGES
A THEATRE THE RIALTO.
A BASEBALL TEAM THE MINOR LEAGUE
JOLIET SLAMMERS AND A FOOTBALL
TEAM IT IS NOT PRO FOOTBALL,
HIGH SCHOOL BUT JOLIET CATHOLIC
HIGH SCHOOL HAS ENOUGH
CHAMPIONSHIPS IT IS A SOURCE OF
LOCAL PRIDE.
AND ALSO JOLIET HAS SOMETHING
THAT CHICAGO DOESN'T HAVE...
A CASINO.
ALSO SAYS THE MAYOR BOB
O'DEKIRK.
>> JOLIET IS A BIG UNION TOWN A
LOT OF HISTORY IN THIS TOWN AND
A LOT OF CHARACTER A LOT OF
NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE HAVE DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS
LIKE A MINI VERSION OF CHICAGO
WHERE JOLIET WAS ITS OWN CITY
AND DIFFERENT PARISHES AND
ETHNIC GROUPS.
IT WAS BUILT ON THE STEEL MILLS
THE IRON WORKS THE RAILROADS AND
THE QUARRIES AND THE RIVER.
IT IS AN OLD RIVER TOWN.
HEAVY INDUSTRIAL AND
BLUE-COLLAR.
>> AND IF YOU HAVE NOT MADE YOUR
WAY TO JOLIET YOU MIGHT HAVE
SEEN THE LIMESTONE FROM THE
QUARRIES USED TO BUILD CHICAGO'S
WATER TOWER AND THE ILLINOIS
STATE CAPITOL BUILDING AND THE
JOLIET CORRECTIONAL CENTER.
THAT IS THE PRISON THAT BECAME
FAMOUS WHEN JOLIET JOHN BELIEU
CHICAGO WAS RELEASED FROM THE
BLUES BROTHER MOVIE.
THE CITY IS LEASING IT AND DOING
TOURS.
AND ALSO, HAUNTED HOUSES HERE
RIGHT BEHIND ME BY A DIFFERENT
ORGANIZATION.
WE WILL HAVE MORE ON THAT.
STILL, THE STATEVILLE
CORRECTIONAL CENTER IS HERE AND
THE WILL COUNTY JAIL.
THE FICTIONAL BLUES BROTHERS MAY
NOT HAVE GOTTEN IN SUCH WILD
SHENANIGANS HAD BLAKE BENEFITED
FROM THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY
AGAPE THEY HELP THOSE WITH HIV
AND PREVIOUSLY INCARCERATED
PEOPLE REENTER INTO SOCIETY.
>> SOME OF THE THINGS THAT MIGHT
BE STRESSFUL FOR THEM WE ARE
LIKE PUT SOME OF THAT ON US.
LET US TAKE CARE OF THE THINGS
THAT MIGHT FEEL IMPOSSIBLE FOR
YOU RIGHT NOW AND WE KIND OF
COME UP WITH GOALS, TO SORT OF
HELP THEM GET OVER THE BARRIERS,
GET THROUGH THE BARRIERS SO THEY
DON'T END UP GOING BACK INTO A
CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM.
>> A MAJOR ISSUE IN JOLIET RIGHT
NOW ON THE FRONT END OF THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, THERE
HAS BEEN A LOT OF TURNOVER AT
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING
THE LAST POLICE CHIEF FIRED
AFTER JUST ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS ON
THE JOB.
AND LAST YEAR IN JANUARY, A
37-YEAR-OLD MAN DIED WHILE IN
POLICE CUSTODY.
THAT PROMPTED AN UNPRECEDENTED
MOVE ON THE PART OF THE ILLINOIS
ATTORNEY GENERAL THAT OPENED A
PROBE LAST MONTH INTO THE JOLIET
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
MICHAEL DEVITO IS PRESIDENT OF
THE BLUE SHIRTS POLICE UNION AND
THAT CAME AS A SHOCK BUT HE SAYS
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE
CONFIRMED THAT THIS
INVESTIGATION IS NOT ABOUT ANY
ONE INCIDENT OR OFFICER.
>> LOOK, WE'RE GOOD AT WHAT WE
DO.
THE MEN AND WOMEN HERE DO OUR
JOB.
WE DO IT RIGHT.
WE'RE RESPECTED AGENCY.
THE FACT THAT THEY ARE HERE
LOOKING AT US DOESN'T MEAN THAT
WE'VE DONE ANYTHING WRONG.
AND I EXPRESS THAT WE SHOULD
COOPERATE FULLY WITH THIS
INVESTIGATION AND THAT WE SHOULD
CONTINUE TO DO THE JOB EXACTLY
AS WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE IT.
>> ANOTHER ISSUE FOR JOLIET AS
IT IS ELSEWHERE, OF COURSE,
GETTING THROUGH RECOVERING FROM
COVID.
IT HAS BEEN HARD ON LOCAL
BUSINESSES INCLUDING THE CLUSTER
OF RACETRACKS JUST OFF OF OLD
ROUTE 66.
THE SPEEDWAY LOST A NASCAR RACE
TO WISCONSIN A BIG DEAL.
AND ALSO THE DIRT OVAL 66 TRACK
WHICH HOSTS MONSTER TRUCKS AND
DEMOLITION DERBIES WAS CLOSED
FOR 20 MONTHS REOPENING IN MAY.
THIS IS THEIR LAST WEEKEND FOR
THE SEASON AND IT IS A SPECIAL
HALLOWEEN EVENT.
THE EVE OF HAUNTED DESTRUCTION.
THERE'S GOING TO BE LAWN MOW
ERASES AND ALSO SCHOOL BUS
RACES.
IN FACT THE TRACK PRESIDENT
MAYBE RACING BEHIND THE WHEEL OF
ONE OF THOSE BUSES.
>> WE WILL HAVE 12 SCHOOL BUSES
AND THEY WILL RACE IN A FIGURE
EIGHT STYLE AND CROSS THE MIDDLE
AND THE FIRST ONE TO RUN 10 LAPS
WILL WIN.
PEOPLE ARE AFRAID BECAUSE THEY
ARE BIG BUT THEY ARE REALLY SAFE
TO DRIVE.
IT'S FUN TO WATCH WE'LL PAINT
THEM DIFFERENT THEMES, HALLOWEEN
THEMES, MOVIE THEMES LIKE THAT.
>> IT WILL BE A HALLOWEEN
COSTUME CONTEST.
SEVEN JOLIET RESTAURANTS FORMED
THE JOLIET REGION FOOD AND
BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION.
AND CEMENO'S PIZZA CO-OWNER SUE
SCHULTZ SAYS THEY EXCHANGED
SUPPLIES AND THERE IS A STAFFING
SHORTAGE SO THEY SHARE WORKERS.
>> WE HAVE DIFFERENT
DISTRIBUTORS SO WE'RE ABLE TO
SHARE INFORMATION, BUY TOGETHER
AND COMPETITION IS SUCH A GOOD
THING.
IT'S NOT LIKE BACK IN THE DAY,
WE HAVE TO BAND TOGETHER AND
HELP EACH OTHER OUT BECAUSE WE
ARE A FAMILY.
THE RESTAURANTS WE ARE ALL IN
THE SAME COMMUNITY.
>> CEMENO'S PIZZA HAS BEEN
PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS.
SUE SCHULTZ HAS BEEN WORKING AT
THE RESTAURANT SINCE SHE WAS 12
YEARS OLD AND JUXTAPOSITION OF
JOLIET.
YOU HAVE A LOT OF FAMILIES WHO
HAVE BEEN HERE FOR GENERATIONS.
THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD HOMES 100
YEARS OLD OR MORE.
AND AGAIN THIS IS A SPRAWLING
SUBURB THAT IS RAPIDLY ANNEXING
YOU HAVE SOME NEIGHBORHOODS AND
HOMES THAT ARE JUST ABOUT 10
YEARS OLD OR SO.
WE WILL HAVE MORE ON BOTH THE
HAUNTED HOUSE HERE THE HAUNTED
PRISON AS WELL AS ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA.