Kankakee Community College Hosting Free Screening of Aldo Leopold Documentary

Kankakee Community College is sponsoring a free screening of the documentary "Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time" on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. at Kankakee Community College in the Workforce Development Center Conference Hall, Room D140.  According to KCC's website: "Trisha Steele, who has completed the Aldo Leopold Foundation’s Land Ethic Leaders program, will be in attendance and will facilitate a discussion following the film.  The movie and discussion at KCC is a Green Happenings event, sponsored by the Council for Community Sustainability and the KCC Student Life Office."


Aldo Leopold is considered a father of the conservation movement.  His collection of essays in "The Sand County Almanac" has sold millions of copies and in the essays Leopold describes his idea of a land ethic, the responsible relationship between people and the land.  For more information on Leopold and a preview of the film, view the trailer from "Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time":

Kankakee Winter Farmers' Market starts Saturday, November 5, 2011

Downtown Kankakee's Majestic Center will host the 2011-2012 Kankakee Winter Farmers' Market

Kankakee's Winter Farmers' Market will begin Saturday, November 5th, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Majestic Center at 150 N. Schuyler Ave. in downtown Kankakee.  The market will continue through April.  The market will be closed December 24th and 31st.

Canasta at 2011 Kankakee Merchant Street Music Festival

Photos from the 2011 Kankakee Merchant Street MusicFest at the historic Train Depot in Downtown Kankakee:

2011 Merchant Street Music Festival in Kankakee, Shapiro Clock Tower in Background

Container train rumbles through during the 2011 Merchant Street Music Festival in Kankakee, Illinois

Chicago-based band Canasta at the Merchant Street Music Fest in Kankakee

Canasta at the Kankakee Merchant Street MusicFest

Canasta plays as night falls on the 2011 Kankakee Merchant Street MusicFest

Canasta at the Kankakee Merchant Street MusicFest

2011 Kankakee Merchant Street MusicFest

After a windy and rainy start to Friday morning, the skies cleared in time for the Merchant Street MusicFest 5p.m. opening.

The Merchant Street MusicFest continues tomorrow, Saturday, July 30th from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. near the historic railroad depot in Downtown Kankakee.  Admission to the fest is free.

2011 Kankakee Merchant Street MusicFest 

2011 Kankakee Merchant Street MusicFest at the Historic Downtown Depot

 

Gazebo at the Merchant Street MusicFest

Wind 'N Oaks Farm offers fresh fruit and vegetables at the Merchant Street MusicFest

2011 Kankakee Merchant Street MusicFest

AFSCME Members Picket outside Shapiro Developmental Center in Kankakee

The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees took to the picket line today in Kankakee to "to stand up against Gov. Quinn's efforts to cancel state employee pay raises," according to AFSCME Council 31's website.


Furthermore, AFSCME Council 31 stated on their  website "Governor Quinn's attempt to wipe out negotiated pay increases is a flat-out assault on the union contract.  AFSCME local unions all across the state will be holding informational pickets on Tuesday, July 12 to stand up against this attack on collective bargaining in Illinois.
"We've seen the attacks on collective bargaining rights around the country," said Council 31 executive director Henry Bayer, "and we don't want to let that happen in Illinois. If the Governor can get away with blatantly violating the union contract, you can be sure that other employers will follow suit.""


Here is a video of the picket line outside of Kankakee's Shapiro Developmental Center:

Thee Olde Time Farm Show at Perry Farm in Bourbonnais

Perry Farm in Bourbonnais hosted the 2011 Thee Olde Time Farm Show.

The Show featured antique tractors, especially David Bradley equipment.  David Bradley owned David Bradley Manufacturing Company, which moved in 1895 to what was then "North Kankakee" and what is now known as Bradley, Illinois.   In 1910 the Bradley family sold to Sears, which operated the factory in Bradley until 1962.

Photos from Thee Olde Time Farm Show:

Vintage David Bradley check at Thee Old Time Farm Show in Bourbonnais, Illinois

Furst and Bradley Manufacturing Tractor Seat at Thee Olde Time Farm Show at Perry Farm

Visitors can also view a large collection of vintage John Deere tractors.  On display are a John Deere 60, a John Deere 80, a John Deere Model A, and many more.

Vintage John Deere tractors at Thee Olde Time Farm Show at Perry Farm

A newspaper for David Bradley employees published during the late 1940s and early 1950s.  There was a large display of these newspapers that described life for David Bradley employees.

A steam engine and vintage threshing machine thresh wheat at Thee Olde Time Farm Show at Perry Farm

David Bradley equipment at Thee Olde Time Farm Show at Perry Farm



Wheat Threshing Demonstration


Here is a John Deere Small Engine running an ice-cream making machine:

Photos from the Downtown Kankakee Farmers' Market

Kankakee Farmers' Market in Downtown Kankakee

Local honey for sale at the Kankakee Farmers' Market

Kids check out antique tractors at the Kankakee Farmers' Market

Wind 'N Oak Farm of Wilton Center sells mushrooms, lettuce, and other produce at the Kankakee Farmers' Market

Wind 'N Oaks Canned Goods for Sale at the Kankakee Farmers' Market

Kankakee Farmers' Market

Honey produced in Kankakee County and Wilmington, Illinois for sale at the Kankakee Farmers' Market

Members of St. Roger's Abbey sold pastries at the Kankakee Farmers' Market

Flash Mob at Bourbonnais Friendship Festival

Kankakee's Acting Out Theatre Company ---a local theatre group---surprised Bourbonnais Friendship Festival attendees with a choreographed group dance, also know as a "flash mob":

Check it out!:

Herb Festival this weekend at Basu Natural Farms in Pembroke Township

Basu Natural Farms in Pembroke Township will host an Herb Festival this weekend.  Located at 13643 E. 2000 South Road in Pembroke, IL 60964,  activities will include a farmers market, herb walks, children's games, guest speakers, seminars, drummers, African dancers, positive hip-hop, soul food and vegetarian dishes from the farm, an open mic and more.  The Herb Festival will take place May 28th and 29th, 2011, starting at noon.


Basu Natural Farms' onsite museum--which features thousands of artifacts---will also be open.

Get Kankakee Election Results

Many Kankakee county towns and cities will have elections in today's April 5, 2011 Consolidated Election.  Many towns--such as Bonfield, Hopkins Park, Sun River Terrace, Union Hill, Kankakee, Aroma Park, Chebanse, Bradley--will elect trustees and there are many school board races.

To get election results, go to the Kankakee County Clerk's election results page, where results will be reported as precincts report after polls close today.

Kankakee Community College hosting Job Fair April 5, 2011

Kankakee Community College is hosting a job fair April 5, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kankakee College Center.  The job fair is open to the public.  Professional attire is required and you should bring many copies of your resume.

Several Kankakee County employers will be at the job far, such as: Provena St. Mary's, Sears Logistic Services, Riverside Health Systems, and many more.

For more information, contact the KCC Office of Continuing Education and Career Services: 815-802-8202 or e-mail careerservices@kcc.edu. 

Hispanics now 9% of Kankakee County Population, an increase of 105% since 2000

The New York Times has released a new map which shows the results of the 2010 census, including changes in racial and ethnic concentrations and patterns of housing development for each county in the United States.

For Kankakee County, total population in 2010 was 113, 449, an increase of 9.3% since 2000.  According to the map, in 2010 whites comprised 73% of Kankakee's population, blacks comprised 15%, asians comprised 1%, and those identifying as multiracial comprised 2%.  Go to the map for more info, including information on neighboring counties.

Robbins Family named Farm Family of the Year

The Robbins Family has been named the 2011 Farm Family of the year by the Kankakee Daily Journal:






Jim Robbins spoke at the ceremony, highlighting how important it is for farmers to reach out to non-farm neighbors to explain what farmers do and how they help feed a growing population.


Robbins also discussed the importance of farm exports to the US economy at the event.


In March of 2008, Jim Robbins was featured in a Newsweek article highlighting the importance of grain exports during the economic downturn:


"Jim Robbins's 3,000-acre family farm in Peotone, Ill., may not seem like a vital cog in the global economy. And yet Robbins, a fourth-generation corn and soybean farmer, exports 90 percent of his crops. Each year they either roll on trains to the Pacific Northwest or float on barges down the Illinois River, the first leg of their journey to Asia. "The containers that are bringing everything from China and Taiwan, we're shipping them back with corn, soybeans and soybean meal," he says."


Congratulations to the Robbins family!

Governors State University's leaving Kankakee Education Center in downtown Kankakee

 In May 2006, Governors State University partnered with Kankakee Community College to open the "Kankakee Education Center" in downtown Kankakee.  In order to bring affordable education to the Kankakee area, "GSU worked with Kankakee Community College to make the Center a reality," according to the GSU website.


The Kankakee Education Center is located at 187 S. Schuyler Avenue in the historic Clock Tower Centre.

Governors State University signage in the windows in the Clock Tower Center in downtown Kankakee

Due to low enrollment, GSU announced it will not renew its lease in the building, as reported by the Daily Journal.

Kankakee's Riverside Medical Center Earns Magnet Nursing Recognition

Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee has achieved Magnet Status.  According to Riverside: 

"Riverside Medical Center’s commitment to the highest quality of patient care has not gone unrecognized.  The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet ® Recognition Program has unanimously voted to credential Riverside Medical Center as a Magnet® Credentialed Organization.  


The Magnet designation is one of the highest honors a hospital can earn with respect to the standard of nursing care provided. With this credential, Riverside joins the Magnet community—a select group of 378 healthcare organizations out of nearly 6,000 U.S. healthcare organizations.[i]

“Magnet recognition provides our community with the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of patient care,” said Phil Kambic, Riverside Medical Center president and CEO.

To achieve Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that demands widespread participation from leadership and staff. The process begins with the submission of an electronic application, followed by written documentation demonstrating qualitative and quantitative evidence regarding patient care and outcomes. If scores from the written documentation fall within a range of excellence, an on-site visit will occur to thoroughly assess the applicant. After this rigorous on-site review process, the Commission on Magnet will review the completed appraisal report and vote to determine whether Magnet recognition will be granted.
In particular, the Magnet model is designed to provide a framework for nursing practice, research, and measurement of outcomes. Through this framework, ANCC can assess applicants across a number of components and dimensions to gauge an organization’s nursing excellence. The foundation of this model is composed of various elements deemed essential to delivering superior patient care. These include the quality of nursing leadership and coordination and collaboration across specialties, as well as processes for measuring and improving the quality and delivery of care.
Magnet recognition has been shown to provide specific benefits to hospitals and their communities, such as

• Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help, and receipt of discharge information;[ii]
• Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue;[iii]
• Higher job satisfaction among nurses;[iv] and
• Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave position.[v]"

Check out this awesome video of Riverside nurses and staff as they learned they had earned Magnet Recognition:

The Labor Unions of Kankakee, Illinois have united together

Kankakee Labor Union Employees have created a website and Facebook page called "Kankakee Employee Labor Unions United."