Presidents Day is not just about weekend sales and holidays from school, although it is important to note the following:

• The Rock Island and Heritage Corridor Metra lines will operate on a normal schedule.
• All city, county, state and federal offices and most schools are closed.
• The U.S. Post Office, including its locations on McDonough Street and downtown, will be closed; there will be no regular mail delivery.
• Banks have the option to close.
• Financial and stock markets will be closed Monday.
• Although Joliet City Hall will be closed, trash collection in the city remains on a regular schedule.

Beyond that, however, there is also a complex and detailed history of the holiday we know as Presidents Day.

Depending on what state you are from, some Americans may remember years where both Abraham Lincoln's and George Washington's birthdays were holidays. In more recent years, though, the holiday has been consolidated into a single day, celebrated on the third Monday in February.

Interestingly, the actual holiday honors George Washington and bears only his name in state and federal law.

Washington’s birthday was first officially celebrated on Feb. 22, 1880. It was one of a growing list of federal holidays authorized by Congress a year earlier. Although it originally applying only to federal workers in Washington, D.C., the observance expanded to include all federal workers in 1885.

In 1971, this practice became the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This act took Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day and moved them to specific Mondays in the year from their previous date-specific observances.

Since then, U.S. Code designates the third Monday in February a holiday in honor of Washington’s Birthday.

And just in case all of this wasn't complex enough, Ancestry Magazine states Washington was born on Feb. 11, 1731, not Feb. 22, 1732, under the Julian calendar in use at the time. The British Empire didn’t switch to our current Gregorian calendar until 1752.

So where did all this confusion come from? It seems to have started with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. An early draft of the bill changed Washington’s birthday to Presidents Day, but that language changed back after public outcry.

Shortly after the Act took effect, erroneous newspaper reports quoted a proclamation in which President Richard Nixon stated all presidents should be honored on the third Monday of February, but no such proclamation exists. Popular usage of the Presidents Day moniker evolved over the years, especially in retail advertising, to replace Washington’s Birthday.

Throw in the hodgepodge of state holidays celebrating Lincoln, Washington, or both and it is easy to forget the roots of this federal holiday.

New legislation introduced Friday would prohibit all Illinois minors from using sunless tanning beds.

Senate Bill 2244, introduced by Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont), would ban Illinois minors age 17 and younger from sunless tanning.

Currently, minors ages 14 to 17 are allowed to tan if they provide a parent's signature.

Radogno said in a press release that lawmakers need to take more serious action to prevent the "potentially deadly effects" of tanning.

“Just as we don’t give children the option to smoke, they shouldn’t be allowed to tan indoors—which medical studies show is a dangerous, and even deadly, practice,” Radogno said in a statement. “The light from indoor tanning beds is considered a Class 1 carcinogen, and many respected medical experts agree sunless tanning does increase the risk of cancer.”

In 2009, experts at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization, moved tanning beds and other sources of ultraviolet radiation into the top cancer risk category—the same classification given to arsenic and mustard gas, according to Radogno. 

“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of developing melanoma due to tanning bed use increases by 75 percent for people under age 35, and the British Medical Journal agrees the earlier people start tanning, the greater the risk they will develop skin cancer,” she said. “There are plenty of safe tanning alternatives available, and there is absolutely no need for young people to take this unnecessary health risk.”

Illinois, California and Vermont are among states that have recently passed laws to restrict minors from visiting indoor tanning salons. California and Vermont are the only states with an outright ban on minors under age 18.

On Feb. 11, Oregon lawmakers introduced a bill that would require anyone younger than 18 to show a doctor's note before using a tanning bed.

In 2010, 14 different states worked to pass legislation prohibiting minors from tanning indoors, and in 2012 that number increased to 20, Radogno said.

Do you think minors should be banned from sunless tanning beds? Tell us in the comments.

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This article was submitted by Valley View School District 365U:

With an eye on creating an edible garden at the school, Martinez Middle School is looking for parents and other members of the community who would like to serve on a committee to explore the possibility.

“There are many benefits to school gardening,” said Stacey Morelos, who heads of the Romeoville school’s Ecology Club that will oversee the project. “But the most important benefit is encouraging healthier eating habits in our students.”

Following successful pilot edible garden projects this year at Tibbott Elementary School and Jane Addams Middle School in Bolingbrook, Valley View School District 365U’s Nutrition Services Department (formerly Food Services) is offering $5,000 grants to VVSD schools that can show that they are serious about creating edible gardens. Some of the grants include funding for spring 2013 startups and some involve startups during the 2013-14 school year.

Grant recipients are required to form a committee that can develop a workable timeline and budget, identify a location, put together a plan that connects the garden to the school cafeteria and classrooms, and develop community events and activities that will highlight the new garden.

While the edible garden will serve as a living classroom for students, everything that is grown will also be served in the school’s cafeteria.

Through the leadership of Ecology Club members and advisors, several Martinez staff members have already been identified as potential committee members. But now the Ecology Club is reaching out to the community as well.

Any community members interested in serving on the committee should contact Stacey Morelos at 815-886-6100, x339 (MorelosCS@vvsd.org) or Barb Abney (AbneyBM@vvsd.org).

Cristian E. Sanchez, 24, 114 Yarrow, Romeoville, arrested by the Will County Sheriff's Office and booked into the Will County jail on Feb. 17 on a charge of driving on a revoked/suspended license.

Alicia M. Trujillo, 21, 1645 Clover, Romeoville, arrested by the Will County Sheriff's Office and booked into the Will County jail on Feb. 17 on charges of driving on a revoked license and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

Jesse Haygood, 23, 2313 Gray Hawk Drive, Plainfield, arrested by the Romeoville Police Department at about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 31 in the 300 block of North Independence and charged with theft under $500 and criminal trespass to a motor vehicle.

Miguel Espana, 35, 16110 Michigan St., Crest Hill, arrested by the Romeoville Police Department at about 2:40 p.m. Feb. 2 at Weber Road and Grand Haven and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, unsafe tire and failure to notify the state of an address change.

Donaciano Beltran, 52, 300 Dartmoor, Romeoville, arrested by the Romeoville Police Department at about 12:45 a.m. Feb. 3 on Troxel Avenue, south of Hayes, on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, no insurance and improper lane usage.

Edgar Quintana, 30, 6736 W. 63rd Place, Chicago, arrested by the Romeoville Police Department at about 9:10 p.m. Feb. 2 at Route 53 and University Parkway and charged with illegal transportation of alcohol and no seat belt.

Antonio Zamarron-Cruz, 32, 4415 S. Washtenaw, Chicago, arrested by the Romeoville Police Department at about 9:10 p.m. Feb. 2 at Route 53 and University Parkway and charged with illegal transportation of alcohol.

Jose Santillan, 29, 3018 W. 40th Place, Chicago, Edgar Quintana, 30, 6736 W. 63rd Place, Chicago, arrested by the Romeoville Police Department at about 9:10 p.m. Feb. 2 at Route 53 and University Parkway and charged with resisting a peace officer.

Bolingbrook-McCauley Funeral Chapel & Crematorium

• Ronald A. Soucek, 72, of the Carillon in Plainfield. He was a husband, father and grandfather.

Overman-Jones Funeral Home

• Doris C. Civinelli, 82, of Plainfield. Memorials for the wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother can be made to Misericordia/Heart of Mercy Center, Chicago.

Patch Funeral Home Guide

Are you looking for more information about local funeral homes and services? Would you care to review the services provided by a local funeral home? Click on the funeral home names to see the Patch Places listing for each business to write a review or learn more about the funeral home.

Plainfield:

• Overman-Jones Funeral Home

Bolingbrook: 

• Bolingbrook-McCauley Funeral Chapel & Crematorium

Romeoville:

• Anderson Memorial Chapel

The first witness in the hearing to determine whether convicted wife-killer Drew Peterson will get a new murder trial testified that attorney Joel Brodsky attacked her in the law office they shared.

"There was an incident where he physically attacked me and the police had to be called," Chicago attorney Reem Odeh said during the hearing Monday morning.

Odeh and Brodsky were law partners before she quit his firm and withdrew from the Peterson case in 2010. Peterson was in jail at the time and she visited him there to break the news in person.

Odeh said Brodsky was enraged by her departure. He attacked her when she dissolved their partnership, she said.

Peterson attorney Joseph "Shark" Lopez discussed Odeh's testimony during a break in the hearing.

"I don't know if they had a pushing and shoving match," Lopez said. "They had some sort of a physical altercation."

The attorneys still representing Peterson are trying to convince Judge Edward Burmila to grant him a new trial. They have based their case on Brodsky failing to adequately represent Peterson.

Peterson's attorneys have blamed Brodsky for blowing the trial.

One other witness, John Marshall Law School professor Clifford Scott-Rudnick has testified. He will take the stand again this afternoon.

Scott-Rudnick said Brodsky committed ethical violations by entering into a publicity contract with Peterson.

A wrongful death lawsuit against Peterson also was briefly addressed. Brodsky officially withdrew from the case. Peterson attorney Steve Greenberg asked Judge Michael Powers to sanction Brodsky but the judge set the issue for a later date.

Brodsky appeared in court for the civil matter and is expected to be called later in the hearing for a new trial.

"He's all right," Lopez said of Brodsky. "He looks a little nervous."

Get all the Drew Peterson news on our Facebook page

On Tuesday morning, National Public Radio listeners heard about a movie review of "Identity Theft" that attacked not only the movie, but also actress and Plainfield native Melissa McCarthy. Tony Sarabia, a host at the Chicago-based NPR station WBEZ (91.5-FM), talked to Nico Lang, who posted a blog on the NPR Web site taking Rex Reed to task for his scathing review.

Among other things, Lang had this to say:

"...McCarthy paid her dues, working her way up through The Groundlings and character acting in everything from Gilmore Girls to Samantha Who and The Back-Up Plan."

In his original New York Observer review, Reed referred to McCarthy as "cacophonous and tractor-sized" as well as saying she is a "gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious with equal success."

The review, which was dated Feb. 5, has seen the response of many media outlets, including the Huffington Post. On Feb. 8, Ashbey Riley referred to what Reed did as fat shaming and raised the question of a double standard when it comes to obesity in women versus men. On Feb. 10, a post by Juliet Jeske also asks about the discrepency and points out what she sees as a need for women of real body size to be in Hollywood. Lastly, on Feb. 15, the Huffington Post reported that McCarthy's cousin, Jenny McCarthy has come to the defense of the Plainfield native,

"Anyone to attack like that is just wrong and hurtful," she said in the story, "and it doesn't do anyone any good. Not even Rex Reed." Adding, "She's very, very, very talented and people know that. So, he can go to hell."

McCarthy is not only from Plainfield, but has admitted using a 5th grade teacher as inspiration in her role on Mike and Molly.

For her part, McCarthy has not responded to the review. But Reed has.

"I have too many friends that have died of obesity-related illnesses, heart problems and diabetes. … I have helped people try to lose weight, and I don't find this to be the subject of a lot of humor," Reed said according to a story in the Hollywood Reporter.

So, we put the question to you, Patch readers:

What did you think of the Rex Reed review of "Identity Thief"? Tell us in the comments.

Welcome to "Hey Mom and Dad"—a weekly feature when we ask our Facebook fans to share their views on parenting. Every week, we get the conversation started by taking a look back at a question we asked parents the week before on Patch Facebook pages from around the area.

It's that time of the year when summer camp plans are in the works for many families, and parents are deciding whether their kids are ready for overnights. Whether it be sleepovers with friends or sleep-away camps, it can be tough to know when your kids are ready for a night away from home. That brings us to this week's question...

When can you start sending your children on overnights away from home? How do you know when kids are ready?

Take a look at what people had to say and join the conversation in the comments section.

Heather R. I did it for the first time when my boys were 8 and 11. The camp was 4 nights and about 6 hours from home but a very good family friend was volunteering at the camp and looked after them a bit. Typically, I would probably say 10 or 11 is a good age. Of course, your child has to feel comfortable with it. via Oswego Patch Facebook

Joshua M. None I would never ever send my kids to a camp where god knows what can happen I can teach my boys anything about survival or nature or anything rather than some pedophiles. via Bolingbrook Patch Facebook

Nikki S. My daughter started overnight Girl Scout camp in first grade. Her first year was 3 days, then a week 2nd and 3rd, two weeks 4th and 5th, and 3 weeks 6th and this year. She is planning on being a camp counselor in the future. The responsibility and independence she has gained from these experiences are of immense value, and we wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. via Joliet Patch Facebook

So what's your take? Tell us in the comments. 

The downtown law firm that neighbors the former St. Mary Carmelite Church has filed suit against the city and developer to stop the shuttered building from being converted into senior housing.

The lawsuit filed by Kavanagh Grumley & Gorbold contends that putting 40 apartments into an old church is not the best use for the site, especially given that the Joliet City Council recently rejected a housing project for veterans based on a density that was far less, a story in the Joliet Herald News said.

“It seems a little incongruous to me to say 22 units per acre is too dense but 88 units per acre is OK,” attorney Richard Kavanagh told the paper.

Developer Celadon Holdings, of Chicago, received the council's approval in July to transform the 52,000-square-foot building into four floors of apartments. The project also calls for an elevator, private rooftop garden, atrium common area and fitness center.

City Attorney Jeff Plyman told the paper the same standards for density do not apply for senior housing because residents require less space.

The veterans housing development, which proposed 73 one-, two- and three-unit apartments on a little more than three acres of former Silver Cross Hospital property, was essentially rejected when the council decided it could not approve it before re-evaluating the city's density standards. Because that review could not be finished before the Veterans of America had to submit the project for funding, it could not proceed.

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Drew Peterson's longest serving attorney tried to argue his way out of testifying at a hearing to determine whether the convicted wife-killer needs a new murder trial, but couldn't dodge his trip to the witness stand.

But even after attorney Joel Brodsky failed to convince Judge Edward Burmila he didn't have to testify, he wasn't asked too many uncomfortable questions about the trial he has been blamed for blowing.

Instead, Peterson lawyer Steve Greenberg stuck to questions about Brodsky's financial dealings with Peterson. He also asked about a contract Brodsky and Peterson entered into with Florida publicist Glenn Selig.

The ABC network paid Peterson and Brodsky $10,000 for "licensing rights" to Peterson's photographs and videos, according to testimony. A Seattle production company paid $15,000 in a similar deal, Brodsky said.

While the network and production company ponied up thousands, a website set up to solicit donations for Peterson's legal defense netted a mere 11 cents, Brodsky testified.

The money from ABC, the production company and the website all went into a fund from which Brodsky withdrew money to pay himself, according to testimony. Brodsky admitted to taking money out, but was uncertain if he had written permission from Peterson to pay himself.

"I'm not sure," Brodsky said. "I may. I may not."

Peterson was found guilty in September of murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio. This week's hearing is Peterson's last chance for a new trial before Judge Burmila hands down a prison sentence of 20 to 60 years in prison.

Brodsky was the fourth and final witness to testify on the hearing's first day. He was preceded by his former law partner, Reem Odeh, who claimed Brodsky physically attacked her after she quit their practice. Odeh also testified that Brodsky threatened her on her way into court.

A John Marshall Law School professor followed Odeh and said Brodsky committed ethical violations in his dealings with Peterson.

An Elmhurst woman who attended Peterson's murder trial was called to the stand to recount how she eavesdropped on a conversation between Brodsky and Greenberg in a courthouse hallway. The exchange supposedly overheard by Jennifer Spohn concerned whether or not Peterson's lawyers would call Savio's divorce attorney, Harry Smith, as a witness.

Peterson's fate ended up hinging on Smith as, after finding Peterson guilty, members of the murder trial jury said the attorney's testimony clinched the conviction.

"I heard Mr. Greenberg say, 'We should not put Harry Smith on the witness stand,' and I heard Mr. Brodsky say, 'Yes, we're doing it, we need him,'" Spohn recalled.

Spohn said Greenberg then told Brodsky, "I filed 74 effing motions to keep him from testifying and you're going to undo it all."

After the hearing, Greenberg said the decision to call Smith was the worst courtroom move he's seen in his 27-year career. Brodsky refused to answer questions about calling Harry Smith or to comment on whether, in hindsight, he considers it a mistake.

Greenberg said he plans to call retired Cook County Judge Dan Locallo as a witness on Wednesday. Locallo will share his thoughts on the decision to call Smith and whether Brodsky's contract with Peterson and a publicist was a conflict, he said.

Greenberg has also said he planned to call Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow to the stand. Last week, Glasgow filed court papers claiming Greenberg failed to take the proper steps to make a prosecutor testify, and now Greenberg does not sound so certain he will be following through with the state's attorney.

Asked if he thought he would be testifying Wednesday, Glasgow said, "I doubt it, seriously."

Greenberg's co-counsel Joseph "Shark" Lopez said Brodsky looked "a little nervous" in Judge Burmila's courtroom, but Brodsky didn't agree.

"I don't think I looked uncomfortable," he said, and noted, "I've been on the witness stand before."

Check out all the latest Drew Peterson news on our Facebook page

Two men brazenly hauling away copper from the old Joliet Correctional Center were nabbed Monday afternoon when Joliet police just happened to spot them as they drove by, Joliet Cmdr. Al Roechner said.

Shaun Wesley Matheny, 30, and Dawson Abbitt, 19, both of Lockport, are accused of breaking into the closed 1127 Collins St. prison sometime prior to being discovered at 2:50 p.m. and helping themselves to sheets of copper they planned to sell, Roechner said.

Police officers noticed Abbitt along a prison fence while doing a routine patrol down Collins Street and stopped to see what he was doing, Roechner said. They found him pushing a cart containing sections of cut copper plates through a fence opening, he said.

The pair admitted they'd had been inside the prison -- made famous in the 1980 movie "The Blues Brothers" -- several times and sold the metal they found to Berlinsky Scrap Corp. in Joliet, Roechner said.

Both were charged with burglary and are being held in the Will County jail -- Matheny in lieu of $10,000 bond and Abbitt in lieu of $5,000 bond.

According to jail records, which are incomplete, Matheny has several previous arrests under his belt, including one on a robbery charge in August 2009 and two for felony theft in May 2009 and in February 2008.

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The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in America, according to CNN Money, has jumped more than 13 percent over the past 32 days, to $3.73.

In Romeoville, the news is worse. Prices are exceeding the average by anywhere from 22 cents to 29 cents per gallon, a check of prices posted at about 6:45 p.m. for on gasbuddy.com showed.

Gas prices ranged from $3.94 at all of the stations along Independence Boulevard to $4.01 at the BP station at 418 N. Weber Road.

CNN Money is crediting the price increase to a combination of factors, including rising crude oil prices, production cuts and refinery closings. 

The Chicago Tribune reported last week a number of refinery issues in the area have affected gas prices, including an overhaul of BP's Whiting refinery and a fire at a refinery in Ohio.

AAA predicts local refinery issues will continue to push gas prices up in the months to come, according to the Tribune article.

The Romeoville Police Department took the following property crime reports:

Two new cell phones, valued at a total of $374.76, taken from a business in the 400 block of South Weber Road. Report made at 3:32 p.m. Jan. 28.

Cash and several pieces of jewelry, valued at a total of $7,100, taken from a residence in the 400 block of Kingston Avenue. Report made at 6:24 p.m. Jan. 29.

Several political signs, valued at a total of $30, taken from a site in the 1000 block of North Independence. Report made at 4:21 p.m. Feb. 1.

A gas tank access door and gas cap lock were damaged on a vehicle parked in a public lot in the 200 block of South Highpoint. Damage estimated at $64; report made at 5:19 p.m. Feb. 1.

A landscaping brick was used to smash the rear window of a vehicle parked in the driveway of a residence in the 300 block of Hemlock. Damage estimated at $350; report made at 6:45 a.m. Feb. 2.

The vehicle registration taken from a car parked in the driveway of a residence in the 600 block of Iola. Loss estimated at $20; report made at 3:18 p.m. Feb. 2.

Three empty trailers, valued at a total of $52,000, taken from the rear of a business in the 500 block of Anderson Drive. Report made at 10:23 a.m. Feb. 4.

A photograph valued at $200 taken from a vehicle parked in the 400 block of Melissa Circle. Report made at 3:40 p.m. Jan. 19.

A residence was broken into but nothing taken in the 100 block of Highpoint Drive. Report made at 4:08 p.m. Feb. 8.

Two windows were broken on a vehicle parked in the 300 block of Haller. Damage estimated at $300; report made at 7:37 a.m. Feb. 11.

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Rakeem M. Roberts, 21, 1180 Maggie Lane, Romeoville, arrested by the Bolingbrook Police Department and booked into the Will County jail on Feb. 19 on three counts of felony retail theft.

The following arrests were made by the Romeoville Police Department at 2:05 a.m. Feb. 8 in the 0 to 100 block of University Parkway. The address for the Lewis University campus is 1 University Parkway.

• Devon Doby, 18, 10012 S. King Drive, Chicago, charged with possession of cannabis.
• Tai Cole-Jay, 20, 5760 Abbey Drive, Lisle, charged with possession of cannabis and possession of drug equipment.
• Lazerick Mohomes, 19, 128 Olympic Drive, Bolingbrook, charged with possession of cannabis.
• Bruce Jackson, 21, 1 Tiger Court, Bolingbrook, charged with possession of cannabis.
• Jordan Vargas, 20, 268 Braemar Glen Court, Bolingbrook, charged with possession of cannabis and possession of drug equipment.

Also arrested at Lewis at about 1:40 a.m. Feb. 3 was Sean Hicks, 22, 1006 Sandpiper Court, Bartlett, who was charged with resisting a peace officer.

Other Romeoville police arrests include:

Alba Gonzalez, 31, 108 Murphy Drive, Romeoville, arrested at about 5 a.m. Feb. 8 at Normantown Road and Dalhart and charged with no valid driver's license and disobeying a traffic light.

Albert Cruse, 21, 6708 S. Wabash, Chicago, arrested at about 1:30 a.m. Feb. 9 on Route 53, south of Airport Road, and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, no insurance, expired registration and speeding.

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Are you blessed with insight and good humor? Or just bored today? Share your wit with your neighbors by entering Patch's comic caption challenge. Just add your dialogue for today's comic in the comment section of this post. Our only requirement is that you keep it clean!

At week's end, we'll pick the winning punchline based on how many of us here at Patch giggle and smile at your contribution. The user who produces the winning punchline will get a personalized proof of the comic, with the winning words and a credit line, from cartoonist Chuck Ingwersen and Patch.

Congratulations to Teegan Jones, who provided the winning punchline to last week's Cow Hospital cartoon:

I'm sorry we don't accept your H-M-MOO insurance.

Drew Peterson's lead attorney may have taken a dive during the convicted wife-killer's murder trial in hopes of boosting his fame, a retired judge testified Wednesday morning.

If attorney Joel Brodsky had somehow managed to win Peterson's murder trial, "The spigot could be turned off. The interest could probably wane," retired Cook County Judge Daniel Locallo testified.

Peterson attorney Steve Greenberg referenced the Casey Anthony case and pointed out that no one is very interested in her attorney, Jose Baez, since he beat the murder case brought against the Florida mother.

Locallo also said Brodsky was "prejudiced" against Peterson because of a contract the two of them signed with a Florida publicist. He also said Brodsky's decision to call his slain wife's divorce attorney as a witness was a huge mistake.

"So far I haven't heard any explanation for why he made this renegade, obviously ineffective move," Greenberg said of Brodsky calling Smith to the stand.

Peterson was found guilty in  September of murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Brodsky, who Greenberg said insisted his co-counsel call "coach," is no longer part of the defense team. Peterson's remaining lawyers have since blamed Brodsky for losing the case and are trial to get Judge Edward Burmila to grant a new trial.

Greenberg and attorney Joseph "Shark" Lopez said they may call one more witness Wednesday afternoon. They would not identify the witness or disclose whether Peterson will testify.

Check out all the Drew Peterson news on our Facebook page

Joliet City Manager Tom Thanas, irked that a local priest called immigrant detention center supporters "racist," not only refused to retract a sarcastic comment he made about the Catholic church but criticized their position on the issue as hypocritical.

For weeks, members of different religious groups have been attending Joliet City Council meetings to speak against a detention center being built in Joliet. At each meeting, Thanas explains that no plans have been presented so all discussion on the subject is "academic."

But Thanas seemed to have reached the boiling point Tuesday night when the Rev. Peter Jankowski, pastor of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, told the council that those who support immigrant detention centers are racists.

"I've come to realize that the phrase illegal alien or Joliet detention center has turned into a code to slander people of our country with different colored skin," Jankowski said.

"We have a saying in the country. You can dress up a pig, but it's still a pig, and this pig is called racism. This is racism of the worst kind. It's like saying slavery is OK or internment camps are OK."

Although Thanas did not respond at the time Jankowski spoke, he was moved to do so later when City Councilman Larry Hug suggested he apologize for a sarcastic comment he made earlier in the meeting about the Catholic diocese moving its headquarters to Crest Hill but returning to criticize city actions.

"You know what, Larry, I am not going to apologize because I've had five Catholic priests come to the podium and lecture me, and the last one, Father Jankowski, talked about racism. If someone is in favor of a detention center, that person's a racist," he said.

"I have to tell the Office of Human Dignity of the Catholic diocese to look at its own religion and deal with some of its own human dignity issues that have gone on in the Catholic church for the last 30 years before they come to this city council chamber and lecture me about racism." 

The comment was a veiled reference to the ongoing problems the Catholic church has had with pedophile priests.

The idea of a possible immigrant detention center being built in Joliet emerged in October. Thanas went to Washington, D.C., to hear more about the project -- which is to be built somewhere in Chicago or its surrounding suburbs -- and to determine if Corrections Corporation of America might consider Joliet as a location.

Thanas has stayed in contact with private prison firm and plans to travel at his own expense to tour a CCA immigration facility in Houston, but the company has not approached the city about building anything here, he said.

And Tuesday, Thanas stressed again that some of the information community members are circulating about a potential detention center is inaccurate.

Many opponents believe the need to keep the center filled will result in immigration officials looking for illegal immigrants locally, causing families to be divided and Joliet's economy to be irreparably harmed if undocumented workers are deported or move from the area out of fear.

Jankowski said that with immigration reform on the horizon, neither the Obama administration, nor Republicans, support such centers.

That's not true, Thanas said. The president supports the continued use of detention centers but only to rid the country of those illegal aliens committing serious crimes, he said.

"This is a key part of the administration's efforts at immigration reform," Thanas said.

"Right now, the people who are in the process of deportation are criminals. These are people who are pedophiliacs, they're drug dealers, they're violent criminals, they're tax cheats," he said. "It's not the government that's breaking up the family, it's the criminal that's breaking up the family."

Detention centers not only remove detainees from federal prisons, where it costs $400 to $500 a day to house them, but expedite the deportation process because a judge will be on site to hear cases, he said.

Jankowski also told the council he felt compelled to speak for the Hispanics in the community because he was tired of hearing them referred to as "those people" and he wanted to ensure their voices were heard because they have "very little to no representation on this council itself."

"Let's learn from the lessons of our past. Instead of incarcerating immigrants, let's try to love them. Instead of trying incarcerate immigrants, let's learn to talk to them."

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Back in August 2011, Will County Habitat for Humanity ReStore opened its doors on Larkin Avenue. Since that time, the non-profit store has seen nothing but growth.

"We are 27 percent over last year," Annette Leck, executive director for Will County Habitat for Humanity said.

And as they grow, they are making changes and additions that will help merchandise move faster and bring more customers through the door. About three months ago, the ReStore began a new pricing structure. After items are in the store for a month, the price drops to 25 percent off the original price. Then, a month after that, 50 percent and finally, a month after that, 75 percent.

"That's the major change because things fly out of here so fast," Leck said. "If you like it today, you better get it because it will fly out of here."

She added that there are some things that remain for more than a month, but there are not a lot.

In addition to the new pricing structure, the store has begun providing refurbishing services.

The popularity of the store and its success is a win/win situation for Will County. The money made in the store goes to build Habitat for Humanity homes in Will County.

"It doesn't go anwhere but Will County," Dan Dunn, ReStore manager said. "It's a revenue source for Habitat."

The store relies on donations from individuals and businesses in the community and they often come through in a big way. The new sign out front was donated by Ed Prodehl, of Coldwell Banker Honig Bell. Even with that donation, the ReStore had to pay about $10,000 to get it installed and working. But that cost was lessened by a $2,000 donation from the Shorewood Police Department.

The store has seen donations from local businesses like Red Lobster, who donated everything from decorations to booths when they renovated their restaurants, to perhaps one of the most unusual items from Home Depot.

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A new Aunt Martha's Health Center has opened inside Presence St. Joseph Medical Center to provide services for those who lack insurance or are under-insured.

Located adjacent to the Joliet hospital's emergency department entrance at Glenwood Avenue and Madison Street, the 4,500-square-foot clinic operates in partnership with -- but independently of -- the hospital, spokeswoman Jan Ciccarelli said. It has its own staff of physicians and nurse practitioners.

The goal is to get people who don't think they can afford medical treatment to view Aunt Martha's as their doctor's office, clinic manager Kelli Wall said. It's where they can go for routine primary, preventative, ob-gyn and behavioral health care services -- and lab tests -- without having to consider the expense first, she said.

"It's so important that people take care of their health," Ciccarelli said. "Prevention can make such a big difference. ... We want people to get medical treatment when then need it."

Many people who lack insurance or have plans that don't cover a lot will wait too long to seek care and that's when they end up at St. Joe's emergency room, Ciccarelli said. By that time, what might have started as a treatable illness has progressed into a dire situation, Ciccarelli said.

And those cases that are not true emergencies -- people come in because the hospital can't legally send them away -- can be referred to Aunt Martha's for treatment rather than taking time, space and resources away from patients who need immediate care, she said.

Patients who come to the clinic on a regular basis will have a doctor or nurse practitioner assigned to oversee their care, and pay only what they can afford, Wall said.

Each case is handled individually, she said, with payment on a sliding scale tied to the patient's income and insurance. Someone who has no income and no insurance might not pay anything, she said. 

The new health center's hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Appointments can be made by calling 877-692-8686, but walk-ins are also welcome.

The center is part of the larger Aunt Martha's Youth Center organization, which also has facilities at 409 W. Jefferson and 311 N. Ottawa and later this year will open another new clinic on the site of the former Silver Cross Hospital.

Aunt Martha's began in 1972 in Park Forest as a drop-in center for troubled youth but has grown to become a health care and social service agency that provides such things as primary health and dental care, mental health counseling, child welfare, juvenile justice, prevention and youth development, according to its Web site.

It's funded through individual, group and business donations, local United Way chapters, and money provided by federal, state and county governments, the site said.

The lawyers for convicted wife-killer Drew Peterson argued for two days that he was deprived of a fair trial by an attorney more worried about becoming a media darling than representing his client.

Now the arguing is over, and on Thursday Will County Judge Edward Burmila will decide if Peterson gets a do-over on his murder trial or will instead punch a one-way ticket to prison.

Peterson attorney Steve Greenberg finished the two day hearing with an emotional argument blaming former co-counsel Joel Brodsky for single-handedly losing Peterson's murder trial.

Greenberg said Brodsky disregarded advice from other attorneys on the defense team and insisted on calling the lawyer who represented Peterson's slain third wife, Kathleen Savio, during their divorce.

Brodsky apparently hoped to prove that Peterson's now missing fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, was planning to squeeze money out of Peterson before divorcing him. Instead, the divorce attorney, Harry Smith of Wheaton, repeatedly hammered home to the jury that Peterson killed Savio.

"The witness was called and he gave damning testimony," Greenberg said.

"Harry Smith's testimony was probably the most incriminating piece of evidence that was brought against Mr. Peterson, and it was brought out by the defense," Greenberg said. "There's just absolutely no reason to have called him."

Smith was the second-to-last witness called by Peterson's lawyers. Jurors later said his testimony clinched their decision to vote guilty.

After the hearing, Brodsky agreed when asked whether he thought Greenberg was making him the "scapegoat" in the losing effort. Brodsky also produced and read from email messages he claims prove that Greenberg was on board with the decision to call Smith as a witness. Greenberg said Brodsky was misrepresenting the messages and taking his words out of context.

Five witnesses testified over the course of the two day hearing, including Brodsky, Brodsky's former law partner, and a retired Cook County judge who said Brodsky may have intentionally lost the murder trial in hopes of increasing his notoriety.

The retired judge, Daniel Locallo, also said Brodsky was "prejudiced" against Peterson due to a media contract they entered into with a Florida publicist.

After the hearing, Peterson attorney Joseph "Shark" Lopez said prosecutors "had a hard time responding to some of our arguments."

Greenberg also insisted that prosecutors had no answer for his claim that Brodsky failed Peterson.

"If you put in a statement that your client committed a murder," he said, "it's ineffective."

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