village board swears in trustees. see page 2. schools
sports
Elementary attendance swap approved
Chemistry helping Wildcats page 9
page 5
T HE ENTERPRISE Your Complete Source For Plainfield News Since 1887
thursday, May 7, 2015
Volume 127 no. 40
enterprisepublications.com
serving Will and Kendall counties
20 pages
Village named one of Illinois’ safest cities
Area literacy program expands pop culture experience
Plainfield ranked 7th safest ‘big city’ with more than 30,000 residents
BY LAURA KATAUSKAS STAFF REPORTER ith a tribute to decades of iconic music and all things “pop culture,” area groups celebrated the 2015 Great Read community literacy initiative last week at Bolingbrook’s Fountaindale Public Library. From a trivia contest pitting Star Wars against Star Trek to book discussions on “Sex, Drugs and Coco Puffs,” the increasingly popular reading program promoted literacy throughout Will County by demonstrating how these themes can interact with all types of media. “It’s like putting cheese on broccoli,” said the event’s organizer Tom Hernandez. “The big picture is all about reading and celebrating the love of literature. It’s still all about teaching people about the power of reading, but the programs help enhance all it has to offer.” This year’s theme was all about having fun, opening the program to capture not only the lit lover but fans of graphic novels, as well. At the final gala, Fountaindale was rocking to the music of Skip Griparis, who performed hits from Elvis, the Beatles and more. Through his music and comedy, the entertainer highlighted key moments in pop culture over the decades. The program also featured its annual art contest, which is open to all ages.
75 cents
By PaT Schager
for the enterprise
news@enterprisepiblications.com @PlainfieldNews
TOP: District 202 students Michael Kazak, left, and Madelea Perales, right, won the Great Read 2015 Art Contest in the elementary and teen categories. Tom Hernandez of District 202 organized the event. MIDDLE: The audience cheers for performer Skip Griparis. (Photos By Rachel Crotteau | For The Enterprise)
See ‘GREAT READ’ on Page 19
Plainfield is one of the safest places to live in Illinois. A study by ValuePenguin, a research organization that collects FBI data, concluded that Plainfield ranked 7th safest in the category of “Big City.” The category includes cities and towns with populations greater than 30,000. Plainfield’s population was listed at 40,639 in the study. Using stats from a 2013 FBI Uniform Crime Report Program study of property and violent crimes, Plainfield earned the rank of 59th safest city overall with a weighted score of 250. The number of violent crimes account for 90 percent of a city’s “crime score,” and property crimes make up 10 percent of the score. The lower the score for a city, the safer the city was deemed to be by the organization. Property crimes are categorized as burglary, larceny or theft, car theft and arson. Violent crimes are crimes against people, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Plainfield’s 2013 results included 49 violent crimes and 1,056 property crimes. “We have a quality of life in Plainfield and high standards maintaining property values that help keep a lower crime rate”, said John Konopek, chief of police for the Plainfield Police Department. The list in the FBI study was comprised
inSiDe
see safe | Page 3
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