Just a nerdy human panicking through life!

A hiker at Savage Gulf State Park in Grundy County was bitten by a snake on the trail, and didn't survive.This happened on Monday afternoon at about 12:30 p.m.,

The Grundy County Finance Committee unanimously moved a memorandum of understanding that would make the county the sponsor for a federal port-infrastructure grant application from Triple R (RRR) Grundy LLC; Foth would manage grant reporting and compliance and the item was referred to the full board by voice vote.

At its May 12 meeting, the Grundy County Board approved two intergovernmental agreements to standardize road‑use agreements for energy projects, authorized a $55,600 study to stabilize Nettle Creek, passed a resolution opposing House Bill 5626, approved a resolution supporting Senate Bill 3450 to restore local solar authority, and agreed to serve as public sponsor for a Triple R Grundy PIDP grant application.

County staff detailed a split of the existing combined solar-and-wind ordinance into separate solar and wind ordinances to meet state energy siting requirements; the board voted to recommend the draft to the Land Use Committee, while a public commenter submitted written objections citing procedural and substantive deficiencies.

Grundy County's elections clerk told the committee early voting began Feb. 9, about 400 voters have used the courthouse and remote sites, the office mailed 1,140 vote-by-mail ballots with 642 returned, and the county completed a state-mandated equipment test and scheduled an additional public test to meet statutory timing.

The committee recommended one-year extensions for special-use permits for Coal City Solar CS2 LLC and CS3 LLC, citing executed interconnection agreements, closed financing, environmental determinations and progress toward construction; both items will go to the full Grundy County Board on March 14.

The committee recommended forwarding a joint federal funding agreement for the Rice Road Bridge replacement to the full Grundy County Board. The project is budgeted at $2,750,000, with approximately $2.2 million federal funds and a $550,000 local match to be covered by motor fuel tax funds.

The committee voted to forward a proposal asking the full board for $10,000 from the county's opioid settlement funds to expand a Crossroads Counseling pilot providing 24–48-hour clinician follow-up to behavioral-health police calls; presenters said the pilot has recorded 33 referrals and used $5,303 of a $10,000 grant so far.

Michelle Hennepinburg presented a county resolution urging state lawmakers to advance HB 1140 and SB 284 ("Andrew's Law") to strengthen grooming statutes, ban certain plea bargains and restrict registry access to child-focused private businesses; the committee voted to send the county resolution to the full board.

The county board placed the FY2025 amended budget and the FY2026 tentative budget on file for public inspection, approved a two‑year non‑union wage increase plan (5% for 12/1/2025 and 3% for 12/1/2026), and voted to keep Simple Communications as the county’s IT managed‑services vendor.

The committee recommended hiring Standard Valuation Services (SVS) to complete a commercial and industrial revaluation for Grundy County at a cost of $250,000, funded from general fund professional services; the project is expected to take about one year.

County board selected Standard Valuation Services for a commercial and industrial reassessment to create a single, modernized baseline for industrial/commercial property values; project cost $250,000 from general fund professional services.

After extensive public comment and split committee recommendations, the Grundy County Board voted down three proposed community solar projects in Saratoga Township — USS Delta, USS Keeneland and USS Montgomery — citing local opposition and land-use concerns. Zoning board panels had recommended approval but land-use committees recommended denial; de

The Grundy County Finance Committee recommended a 5% nonunion employee wage increase effective Dec. 1, 2025, and forwarded tentative amended FY2025 and original FY2026 budgets and an updated tax-levy worksheet to the full county board.

US Solar seeks approval for three solar farms, facing community opposition over environmental impact.