INSIDE THIS EDITION COMET SPORTS $1.00 Lost tortoise finds Comet graduate Vol. 62, Issue 43 1section • 14 pages its wayhome picks fantasyteam Not over 75% advertising www.braidwoodjournal.com WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020 | A FREE PRESS NEWSPAPER Indoor dining at bars, restaurants to close in Will County Region 7 hits grants from the Illinois Department increases, hitting 8.2% on Oct. 15, Public health officials are observ- of Commerce and Economic “WE’RE GOING TO SEE THE 8.3% on Oct. 16, and 8.6% on Oct. 17. ing businesses blatantly disregarding three days of Opportunity. By county, Will County saw its mitigation measures, people not Pritzker said on Tuesday after- RIPPLING EFFECTS OF THESE three day average rise to 8.4% on Oct.. social distancing, gathering in large positivity above 8% noon that positive cases were trend- TRENDS.” 15, 8.5% on Oct. 16, and 8.9% on Oct. groups, and not using face coverings. ing upward across the state. State offi- 17. In Kankakee County, the average Mayors, local law enforcement, STAFF REPORT cials said that Illinois was officially in was 7.2%, 7%, and 7.3% on those state’s attorneys, and other commu- the second wave of the virus. JB PRITZKER same days, respectively. nity leaders can be influential in GOVERNOR Bars and restaurants in Will “We’re going to see the rippling Region 7 also had six days of hos- ensuring citizens and businesses fol- County will have to shutter their effects of these trends,” Pritzker said pital admission increases. low best practices. indoor dining services once again at as cold weather approaches. Prior to the announcement of Several counties are taking swift the end of this week. Starting on Pritzker also said that conract 4 mitigations under the Restore new mitigation efforts, Will County action to help slow spread of the Friday, Oct. 23, heightened resur- tracing indicates that bars and restau- Illinois Plan. had already entered the warning level virus, including increasing testing gence mitigations will go back into rants are “significant spreading loca- On Tuesday, the Illinois for COVID-19. opportunities, stressing the impor- place. tions” across the state. Department of Public Health (IDPH) Although the reasons for coun- tance of testing to providers, hiring That means no indoor dining at This is the second time that metrics showed Region 7, which con- ties reaching a warning level varies, additional contact tracers, working bars and restaurants, and meetings Region 7 has hit the resurgence met- sists of Will and Kankakee Counties, some of the common factors for an with schools, and meeting with local and gatherings will be limited to 25% ric. The last mitigations were in affect had once again hit a positivity rate for increase in cases and outbreaks are leaders. of capacity. from late August to mid-September. COVID-19 above 8% for three straight associated with gatherings in people’s As of Tuesday afternoon, the Four of the state’s 11 regions have IDPH will track the positivity rate days. homes, weddings and funerals, bars IDPH is reporting a total of 350,875 hit that standard. in the region to determine if mitiga- A sustained positivity rate above and clubs, university and college par- cases in Illinois, including 9,277 Gov. JB Pritzker announced tions can be relaxed, if additional mit- 8% triggers a failsafe metric, which ties as well as college sports teams, deaths, in 102 counties. Tuesday that the businesses inside igations are required, or if current then puts in place additional mitiga- family gatherings, long-term care The age of cases ranges from regions that are under resurgence mitigations should remain in place. tions in a region. facilities, correctional centers, younger than one to older than 100 mitigations will be given priority for If the positivity rate averages less According to the IDPH, Region 7 schools, and cases among the com- years. $220 million in business interruption than or equal to 6.5% over a 14-day has sustained nine days of positivity munity at large, especially people in period, the region will return to Phase their 20s, according to the IDPH. SEE COVID,PAGE 2 Smith defends hiring decision amidst opposition BY BRIAN MURPHY a target on my back, I need CORRESPONDENT direction from you guys,” Altiery said. “I have no prob- Despite procedural items lem doing what you guys want, being the only items on the I just would like something in agenda, tensions ran high dur- writing from you directing me ing the Braidwood City to do that.” Council meeting on October Smith defended his 13. All council members were actions and said he followed present for the meeting and the proper procedures. the building was sanitized “Everything I've laid out multiple times prior to the there I'm within my rights. I'm meeting after recent issues picked apart but I'm trying to with Covid-19. do the best I can; I did nothing City Administrator Tony wrong. We do the best we can, Altiery sought the advice of and I think we do a good job.” council members during his Smith said. “I don't mind peo- Administrator's Report, spark- ple asking questions but when ing a disagreement between you start harassing the work Commissioner Fay Smith and that we're doing, that don't go Altiery. Public comments from so good. If you want to know Ray McShane and Nicole anything, we keep a record of Shores were also directed at everything we do.” Smith about recent decisions Altiery suggested a spirit related to hiring and city of cooperation between the expenses. two would be preferrable. Altiery said he will need to “Let's work together for a be informed appropriately change. I don't want to have a about decisions moving for- disagreement with you Mr. ward and he was concerned Smith, I would like to work about the potential legal issues together. We are doing every- that could arise if proper pro- thing we can and there's going Photo by Eric Fisher tocols are not followed. to be a lot more coming,” SHE COOKS, HE CLEANS - Marilyn and George Lestina who have operated Marilyn’s Kitchen in Braidwood have retired from the cater- “I got a letter stating we Altiery said. Following Altiery's com- ing business after nearly 28 years. Marilyn said it has gotten physically and mentally harder each year to operate and the Covid-19 moved one part-timer to full time. All these rules and regu- pandemic has greatly impacted her business. lations indicate it was not SEE COUNCIL, PAGE 2 done properly and since I have A community’s cook retiring BY ERIC FISHER It was at the time of a she signed up for culinary arts time when she was influenced PUBLISHER health scare that meant the at Joliet Junior College. by the French cooking of days of preparing wedding “I was very lucky to be American cooking teacher Reed-Custer RAD members It’s been a 28-year chal- meals for as many as 700 were able to learn a base of quality, and TV personality Julia Child. lenge of feeding tens of thou- over. So was the work sched- quantity cooking from JJC,” “Just watching her cook celebrate Red Ribbon Week sands of people but the flames ule of seven days a week she said. “I've always loved to anything, that was such a big inside Marilyn’s Kitchen in almost every week. cook and the program just thing back in the day. She was BY MARNEY SIMON The flowers were planted Braidwood are burning out. “My husband (George) enhanced that. My sister-in- the only one on TV doing that EDITOR around the Welcome to Marilyn Lestina, owner of said you know life's too short law also loved to cook so we at the time, so she was a great Braidwood sign at Coal City Marilyn’s Kitchen and the so it was a big change for me put together a catering service inspiration.” The novel coronavirus Road and Route 129. renowned Lestina’s Catering, at the time. It still wanted to for fun and everything kind of Yet, Marilyn soon learned pandemic has forced everyone The plan was one of is retiring. Her last hurrah will cook so that’s when I down- exploded from there.” her clients wanted many of to make some drastic changes dozens of activities designed be serving Thanksgiving din- sized into Marilyn’s Kitchen.” Her partner soon took a the same dishes. Favorites to their day to day lives in to encourage social distancing ners from her small commer- Her love of cooking start- new job so Marilyn bought her served at receptions became 2020. and are part of Red Ribbon cial kitchen on North Division ed at an early age, more so to out of the supplies they had fried chicken, pulled pork, But, the pandemic has Week in 2020. Street. avoid having to wash dishes. purchased together. She and Italian beef sandwiches, also affected all sorts of events “Plant the Promise” cele- “It has been a very gratify- Growing up in a family with George put up a shop on their mostaccioli and a specialty, and activities, ones that often brates the week by planting ing, wonderful journey,” seven siblings meant there property and it took off from rainbow Jell-O salad. They require a lot of hard work to those tulip bulbs, which will Lestina commented. “There were a lot of dishes to do. there. were requested so often that pull off.