• Many retailers want to get you to spend those government checks that are now being sent to taxpayers. But some are even willing to pay for it. Kroger, the national grocery chain with a new store in Bourbonnais, is among retailers aggressively vying for the tax refund and government stimulus checks that are starting to arrive in bank accounts and mailboxes nationwide. Sears also said Tuesday it will offer a 10 percent bonus to anyone who converts their check into a Sears or Kmart gift card. Home Depot and Meijer Stores also are among the chains offering incentives, with many more expected to join in over the weeks ahead.
• “Believe every victim.” That was one of the main messages of “Take Back the Night,” an annual event designed to protest violence against women. Organized by the Zonta Club of Kankakee, a women’s service club, a crowd of 75 gathered Tuesday night at the gazebo near the Ludwig Student Center on the Olivet Nazarene University campus.
•or the 57 law enforcement officers from throughout the region, Tuesday’s training exercise in Kankakee was as real as it gets — minus, of course, the real danger. Over the din of crowd noise blasting across the parking lot at the Splash Valley Aquatic Center, police clad in black crowd-control gear trained to respond as a cohesive and professional unit to potential riots or homeland security emergencies they may face in the future.
• Almost an entire year after the fact, the Manteno High School girls’ soccer team hasn’t forgotten what it felt like to watch Peotone end the Panthers’ season at the Herscher Sectional. Maybe the devastation many of the Manteno players experienced influenced the outcome of Tuesday’s contest with the Blue Devils. Perhaps it was a need for revenge that lit a fire inside the Panthers. Whatever the cause, Manteno put forth an inspired effort and burned the Blue Devils in a 6-0 landslide on Tuesday, as the Panthers not only got back at Peotone but took a huge step toward earning a share of the Interstate Eight title.
• River Valley Metro director Rob Hoffmann can’t get his hands on the state funding he said legally belongs to the area’s public bus system, so he’s appealing to local residents to help get the money released. Without the additional funds, Metro can’t decrease wait time between buses, offer service on Sundays and holidays or carry people to the south Kankakee Wal-Mart, he said.
