Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Joliet Slammers Part Ways With Manager Mike Pinto, Who Collected 900th Career Win During 2025 Season

Make time for Annual Meatloaf Dinner on the Joliet Patch calendar

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Friday October 9th Patch AM
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Hi Joliet! We have the latest buzz right here. Let's keep you in the loop and get this morning started right! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Slammers cut ties with manager Mike Pinto after dismal season
  • Fairlane Drive murder suspect accepts plea, sentencing set for November
  • Explore Old Joliet Prison by flashlight for a chilling October night

Also on today's calendar: Annual Meatloaf Dinner and 13 more events.

Today's riddle: Why did the cookie go to the hospital? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Friday: Variable clouds with showers, with a high of 72 and low of 55 degrees.
  • Saturday: High clouds and very warm, temps: high: 80, low: 58.
  • Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high of 75 and low of 54 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Joliet Slammers Part Ways With Manager Mike Pinto, Who Collected 900th Career Win During 2025 Season (patch.com) — Joliet baseball fans are seeing major change as the Slammers cut ties with field manager Mike Pinto after a rough 42-60 season, just a year after celebrating his multi-year extension and 900th career win. Team leaders praised Pinto's role in building culture and connecting with the Joliet community, but say they'll now search for a new manager to guide the club into the 2027 season.
   

2. Fairlane Drive's Gunshot Murder: Jailed Son 'Has Accepted' Will County State's Attorneys Plea Bargain Offer (patch.com) — Residents following Joliet's Fairlane Drive murder case are learning that defendant Jakeem Williams has accepted a plea offer after more than three years in the Will County Jail. Court records describe how six close-range shots in the family's Joliet garage killed his parent, and a November 6 hearing at the Will County Courthouse will reveal the plea details and potential sentence.
   

3. Joliet's Spookiest Experience Now Open In October For Scary Flashlight Tours: 'From Horror To Hope' (patch.com) — Joliet residents can explore the historic Old Joliet Prison after dark this October with self-guided flashlight tours that highlight the site's eerie past and stories of reform. Running Thursday through Saturday evenings, the experience supports the Joliet Area Historical Museum and complements regular daytime tours at the Collins Street landmark. Visitors are encouraged to dress for an outdoor hike across the 16-acre grounds.
   

4. Joliet homeless shelters get federal boost as winter nears (thetimesweekly.com) — Joliet's homeless shelters are getting a major federal funding boost just as colder nights arrive, with the City Council directing grant money to Daybreak Center, MorningStar Mission, and Prairie State Legal Services. The support will fund renovations, new kitchen equipment, and eviction-prevention services, helping Joliet residents secure warm beds, hot meals, and more stable housing heading into winter.
   

5. Ventura calls for Flock Safety accountability in light of charges against Joliet police lieutenant (shawlocal.com) — A Joliet state senator is demanding tighter safeguards on Flock Safety license-plate cameras after a Joliet police lieutenant was indicted for allegedly misusing the system to track a colleague's car. Local officials are now debating bans, permit revocations, and oversight of the cameras, raising big questions about how Joliet balances crime-fighting tools with residents' privacy and accountability.
   

📸 Around Joliet

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Joliet Public Schools District 86 Announces September Students of the Month —Joliet Public Schools District 86 Read on Patch
  • Why Joliet's Next Mayor Must Understand the History Behind Our Deepest Divide —Alexa Martinez Read on Patch
  • Obituary: Marlene M. Tough —Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Read on Patch
  • Kitten food has more calories!
    Consider doing kitten food in the winter months. I still give mama kitty kitten food because she is post partum, and she just deserves some extra… (Nextdoor Buy and Sell)
  • BlueChip Pros posted a job opening for General Cleaner Macys Joliet Mon to Sat 7a-11a in Joliet. Apply here.
  • University of St. Francis posted a job opening for Assistant Football Coach - Part Time in Joliet. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Joliet here.

Ok Joliet! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "Why did the cookie go to the hospital?" — Because he felt crummy. (Thank you Sanda J. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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