If you’re trying to keep up with Joliet without scrolling through Facebook all day, here’s what’s actually making news lately, pulled together from what Joliet Patch has been covering.
There was a plan in motion for a gas station, a car wash, and a fast-food spot going in near the CarMax on Route 59 — the kind of development that usually sails through without much drama. Instead, it got yanked off the City Council agenda before a vote could even happen. No word yet on whether it’s dead for good or just delayed while something gets sorted out behind the scenes.
A Homicide Ruling, Six Months Later
The death of Terhan Gordon has now officially been ruled a homicide, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office — and that determination came a full six months after his remains were first discovered. That kind of gap usually points to a case that took real forensic work to piece together, and it likely means investigators are now treating this as an active homicide investigation rather than an open question about how someone died.
Another Arrest for a Repeat Offender
Kazimierz “Casey” Zaborski, 64, is back in jail — his third stint behind bars in 2026 alone — this time for violating a stalking order. Repeat violations like this tend to raise questions about whether the existing legal consequences are actually working as a deterrent, and it’s the kind of story locals often follow closely if they’re concerned about their own safety or that of someone they know.
A Little Local History, For Fun
Not everything in Joliet news is heavy. The Joliet Fire Department, for instance, didn’t actually use uniform patches at all until around 1975 — before that, firefighters just didn’t wear them. Once they adopted the practice, they eventually settled into the red, fairly standard-looking patches you’d recognize today.
The police department’s patch has its own look: blue and yellow, framed in black, with a star in the center and “Joliet Police Department” spelled out around it. Small detail, but it’s the kind of thing that becomes part of a town’s visual identity over time.
