Melanie Jongsma

April 27–May 1 in Lansing, Illinois by Melanie Jongsma LANSING, Ill. (May 1, 2020) - In a week that included rain showers at least part of most days—and cooler than average temperatures—Lansing residents somewhat gladly stayed indoors, in spite of a growing sense of quarantine-induced cabin fever. The biggest change came...

COVID-19 quarantine impacts businesses' ability to advertise by Melanie Jongsma LANSING, Ill. (April 29, 2020) - With Governor Pritzker's stay-at-home order extended through May, owners of The Lansing Journal made the decision not to take on the expense of producing and mailing a print edition of the newspaper next month. The...

by Melanie Jongsma LANSING and LYNWOOD, Ill. (April 25, 2020) - The tears streaming down Erika Pettis's cheeks were an indication that this parade was more than just a parade. "I'm, like, super happy to see people," she said, laughing and wiping her face. Pettis is the Assistant Superintendent for...

April 19–25 in Lansing, Illinois by Melanie Jongsma LANSING, Ill. (April 25, 2020) - Lansing residents found ways to announce birthdays and other life milestones, Lansing businesses continued to make adjustments, and Lansing schools reconnected with students through neighborhood parades. Plus, on Thursday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced the stay-at-home order...

Unique partnership with Kilgus Farmstead redirects milk that would have been dumped by Melanie Jongsma CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (April 24, 2020) - It was last week when Supervisor TJ Somer and his wife saw an ABC7 report about Illinois farmers being forced to dump large quantities of milk because of the...

Modified order goes into effect May 1 by Melanie Jongsma SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (April 23, 2020) - In Thursday's 2:30pm press briefing, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker shared some graphs and data that show coronavirus cases will not likely reach their peak in Illinois until mid-May. For that reason, he is extending—though modifying—the...

Prom, graduation, and Signing Day by Melanie Jongsma LANSING, Ill. (April 22, 2020) - Using a combination of Zoom meeting technology and Facebook Live, representatives of District 215 held a virtual "Town Hall"-style meeting with constituents for an hour on Wednesday evening. Teresa Lance (Superintendent), Jake Gourley (TF South Principal), Paul...

Enhancing our online services by Melanie Jongsma, Managing Editor LANSING, Ill. (April 18, 2020) - One of the advantages of being a digital as well as a printed source of local news is that we can publish news every day. That kind of frequency has been especially important throughout the COVID-19...

LANSING, Ill. (April 18, 2020) - Items for approval and discussion are included in the agendas posted below:Village Board—4/21/20 agenda (PDF) These are items that were discussed at the previous Committee of the Whole meeting and are now up for vote. Committee of the Whole—4/21/20 agenda (PDF) These are new items brought...

by Melanie Jongsma LANSING, Ill. (April 18, 2020) - Saturday marked the 11th annual Community Clean-up Day—with a COVID-19 twist. Instead of hosting a typical group event, the Village instead offered to support individuals and families who conducted their own clean-up events while while observing safe social distancing. The Village...