Mold Remediation in Joliet, IL

Bisa Lina expects to serve 300 to 700 customers per day at this location, with peak periods between 4 and 8 p.m., the city of Joliet noted.

Patch Staff

|Updated Fri, Mar 14, 2025 at 10:18 pm CT

JOLIET — In recent years, Joliet's homeless population often congregated in the vicinity of West Jefferson Street and Hammes Avenue. Next week, the city of Joliet will review a proposal to bring an adult marijuana dispensary to that general area. The proposed cannabis dispensary at 2121 West Jefferson Street aims to attract 300 to 700 customers every day, according to city documents.

Joliet's zoning board will discuss the proposed special use permit for the project at next Thursday's meeting, set for 2 p.m. at City Hall. The zoning board consists of Ralph Bias, Ed Hennessy, Bob Nachtrieb, Jim Riggs, Brigette Roehr and Debbie Radakovich.

The dispensary would take over the former NAPA Auto Parts store next to the Walgreens. Before the marijuana store can celebrate its ribbon-cutting event, the “Bisa Lina Cannabis Dispensary" must obtain that special use permit from the Joliet City Council.

According to the city of Joliet memos:

Veltiste Wellness is a vertically integrated cannabis company focused on health and wellness. If the special use permit is approved, the building at 2121 W. Jefferson Street will be leased to Veltiste who will operate the dispensary under the name “Bisa Lina Cannabis Dispensary.”

Find out what's happening in Jolietfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Veltiste Wellness operates a dispensary under this name in Carol Stream. Their cultivation operations are based out of Battle Creek, Michigan. Veltiste operations team and partners have operated and consulted with many dispensaries in several markets including California, Oklahoma, and Michigan.

According to Bisa Lina, the new Joliet dispensary would be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The company aims to employ around 20 people, with four to seven employees onsite at any given time, including one security guard.

Bisa Lina expects to serve 300 to 700 customers per day at this location, with peak periods between 4 and 8 p.m. and with Thursday and Friday being the highest-traffic days.

During peak hours, the new Joliet dispensary expects to serve 50 to 80 customers per hour. During off-peak hours, 15 to 40 customers per hour are expected. If there is ever a need to implement a waiting line, there is an adequate area for line queuing on the sidewalk that extends along the east side of the building.

According to Bisa Lina, many of the customers at other facilities pre-order their products, limiting the time they spend in the store. Bisa Lina estimates that the average visit by a customer will be less than ten minutes.

She currently owns and operates two restaurants in Las Vegas, and a third restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Patch Staff

(The following edited press release is from Jessica Gallen of Laughlin Constable Public Relations.)

JOLIET — PENN Entertainment issued a press release on Wednesday announcing that it has partnered with celebrity chef and entrepreneur Giada De Laurentiis to open upscale restaurants at its new land-based Hollywood Casino sites in Aurora and Joliet. The new dining experiences will bring De Laurentiis’ signature fusion of classic Italian cuisine and modern California influence to the Chicagoland region for the first time.

De Laurentiis owns and operates two restaurants in Las Vegas, and a third restaurant in Scottsdale, Ariz. She has authored 11 cookbooks, including her most recent release “Super Italian: More Than 110 Indulgent Recipes Using Italy’s Healthiest Foods.”

“I am thrilled to partner with PENN Entertainment to bring fresh restaurant concepts to their exciting new Chicagoland properties,” De Laurentiis announced. “The two spaces are complementary but ultimately offer different aesthetics. Joliet’s Sorellina, meaning ‘little sister’ in Italian, will be light, young and casual. Aurora’s Sorella, meaning ‘sister’ in Italian, is more formal and refined. Both focus on using high-quality Italian ingredients to create a truly unforgettable culinary experience.”

Sorellina by Giada will debut at the future Hollywood Casino Joliet, currently being constructed at the Rock Run Collection development and expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2025 (pending regulatory approvals). Sorella by Giada will open its doors at the future Hollywood Casino Aurora which is expected to open in the first half of 2026. Each restaurant will have its own unique menu of pizza, pastas and more, with shared features including:

Find out what's happening in Jolietfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

“Giada is a world class chef, author, and restauranteur, and we’re excited to collaborate with her to bring an amazing dining offering to the new Hollywood Casino Joliet,” said Ruben Warren, Vice President and General Manager of Hollywood Casino Joliet. “Sorellina is the type of elevated experience that is foundational to making our new property a regional entertainment destination.”

About Hollywood Casino Joliet

The new Hollywood Casino Joliet, expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2025 is located within Rock Run Collection, a new super-regional commercial and residential development adjacent to the Interstate 80 and Interstate 55 interchange in Joliet.

The best-in-class facility will feature approximately 1,000 slots and 43 live table games, including high limit slots and table games, a baccarat room, a retail sportsbook, high quality bars and restaurants including Sorellina by Giada, an approximately 10,000 square foot event center with meeting areas, and approximately 1,330 parking spaces. PENN estimates its construction of the Joliet facility will support 450 construction jobs and 615 permanent jobs at the new facility, growing PENN’s current team in Joliet by 200 team members.

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The new Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee met for the first time Wednesday, getting started on its role to bring public input into the first comprehensive plan for Joliet since the 1950s.

Topics on the first day included truck traffic, housing and getting the public involved in the process before the expected completion of the plan by fall 2026.

“We want you to communicate with community members about the importance of getting involved in this project,” City Planner Jayne Bernhard told the 17-member committee.

Only two members of the public came to the meeting, despite past criticism that Mayor Terry D’Arcy’s selections for the committee were too loaded with community leaders and lacking in average people.

The meeting took place at 10 a.m., a time when most average people are scheduled to work.

But Bernard said there will be other opportunities for public involvement, including working groups, public workshops and interviews with key people.

D’Arcy, who is a member of the committee, cited legendary architect Daniel Burnham’s “make no little plans” quote at the meeting.

“It’s our job that we think big,” D’Arcy said, noting that Joliet is Illinois’ third largest city at about 150,000 and has room to grow and become the second largest.

“We’ve got enough water to move this city to 400,000 people, and we have to think that way,” D’Arcy said.

The plan is for the committee to continue meeting at 10 a.m. on the first Wednesday of every month.

Business taken care of Wednesday included the election of a chairman and vice chairman.

Banker James Roolf was unanimously elected chairman.

“This is an immense project to undertake but so important to do,” Roolf said.

He noted the size of Joliet, and the reach of the city borders into Kendall County, saying the committee needs to keep in mind all areas.

“We need to challenge ourselves to think of the city as a whole,” he said.

The Rev. Wendell Martin, a Joliet pastor, was unanimously elected vice chairman.

Noting that he grew up in the area of Route 53 and Laraway Road, Martin pointed to changes in the city over the decades.

“It’s just crazy to see how different that area is from what it was,” Martin said, adding that he looks forward to making plans for the future of that section of the city.

Martin is pastor of Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, which, like his boyhood home, is in the southeast area of the city that has seen the biggest growth of truck traffic from the expanding logistics industry.

“I love this city,” Martin said, “and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

U.S. Steel has begun tearing down buildings at its former steel plant in Joliet.

Demolition could be seen taking place Wednesday on industrial buildings closest to Collins Street at the site.

Steel operations ceased at the Joliet plant in 2001, and the vacant property over the years has become an attraction to trespassers.

Demolition is seen as an opportunity to put the 51-acre site to new use.

All buildings will be torn down, Mayor Terry D’Arcy said.

“We don’t feel like anything’s salvageable, so everything’s coming down,” D’Arcy said.

The one building city officials hoped to keep was destroyed in September, when the limestone Main Office Building burned down.

Part of the burnt-out structure still stands amid a pile of rubble. Most of the building was destroyed by fire and demolished.

The fire appeared to accelerate the drive to tear down buildings on the site, although U.S. Steel already was in the process of getting the needed permits from the city for demolition.

Those permits were issued last week, and demolition began this week, according to a U.S. Steel spokesman.

U.S. Steel confirmed that every structure, about 20 in all, on the site will be demolished. A timeline for completion has not been set.

Maybe the only thing that will be left is a limestone arch from the front of the main office building that was salvaged from the fire at the Main Office Building.

“We can repurpose that as a monument to our steel heritage,” D’Arcy said. “We’re working with U.S. Steel on the transition of the property.”

Joliet still calls itself the City of Steel and Stone, a remnant from its days as a steel and limestone production center.

There is no specific plan for the U.S. Steel property, although D’Arcy has proposed converting it into a youth sports complex since running for mayor in 2023.

At a first meeting for the city’s new Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee on Wednesday, D’Arcy referred to the U.S. Steel demolition as creating a major opportunity for future redevelopment in Joliet.

City officials have been looking for new uses for the site since at least 2011.

Trespassing has been an ongoing problem and even a fatal one. In July, a dead body was found in a pump house. The body was discovered by urban explorers who had entered the property.

Steel operations on the site went back to the 19th Century. The Main Office Building at 927 Collins St. was built in 1891.

This Sunday, March 2nd, thePrep Baseball Illinois team is hosting the Joliet Preseason ID at Rhino Sports Academy in Shorewood, IL. This is an open event for all high school classes (2025-28), and gives our staff an ample look at the area's top players.

For a closer look at the showcase details and the technologies we'll have on-site to assist our in-person evaluation for all in attendance, click HERE. For a complete look at those registered to attend this event, view the most up-to-date version of the roster by clicking HERE.

EVENT HISTORY

We've been hosting this event for the past 4 years, and it's consistently provided us a look at prominent players who've later gone on to receive invitations to select events, like the Prep Baseball Future Games and Illinois State Games. Among the players in attendance at this event in 2024, there are already 17 commitments among them.

OF Constantine Coines (Maine South, 2025; Lewis University) was in attendance last year for the Joliet Preseason ID where he put together an all-around impressive day. The outfielder threw 87 mph from his position and ran a 6.87 60-yard dash. At the plate, Coines had a max EV of 91.4 mph while averaging 88.3 mph.

RHP Nolan Hooper (Yorkville Christian, 2025; Lewis University) had a loud bullpen at this event last year where he was up to 88 mph with his fastball, sitting 86-88 mph. Hooper flashed his curveball at 74-76 mph with an average spin rate of 2409, a slider at 72-75 mph with -18.4 in. HM and a changeup at 81-82 mph.

C Zach Pomatto (Joliet Catholic, 2025; Northern Kentucky) had an impressive BP round at the 2024 event where he powered balls at 97 mph off the bat while showing off a 1.94-2.10 pop time and throwing 81 mph from the chute. This performance propelled Pomatto to be invited to the 2024 Illinois State Games.

C Nick Sichel (New Trier, 2026; Richmond) participated in last year’s event with a max EV of 90 mph and a 2.09-2.21 pop time while throwing 76 mph from the crouch. This was Sichel’s first of three events in 2024 where he improved at each one, eventually getting the nod for the Illinois State Games.

C Brandon Stinson (Kenwood Academy, 2025; Prairie View A&M) was another backstop that was a winner from this event in the past. Stinson flashed a 1.94-2.09 pop time and threw 76 mph from the squat. At the plate, Stinson had a max EV of 89 mph.

We're looking forward to checking in on the next crop of talent from this event to earn next-level attention in the coming weeks, months, and years.

2025 ROSTER

This year's roster is already shaping up nicely, just like in years past.

RHP/C Jack Bullington (Marist, 2028) former Illinois Junior Future Gamer, Bullington is a name to watch on Sunday. At 6-foot, 180-pounds, the right hander has been up to 80 mph in the past with high spin and working a three pitch mix. The slider has been 66-69 mph and the changeup at 70-73 mph. We have also seen EVs up to 95 mph with fluid actions over this past summer.

C Evan Mendiola (York, 2026) will be in attendance for the second year in a row. The backstop is bound to breakout this weekend as we have seen the backstop improve with each appearance. Most recently we have seen the catcher flash a 2.08 pop time with EVs, up to 97 mph.

SS/RHP Alec Novotney (Marquette Academy, 2026) the 51st ranked prospect in the state’s 2026 class and former Illinois State Gamer has shown well on the mound as well as at the plate in front of our staff. At the plate, Novotney has been up to 90 mph with a bat speed avg. of 70 mph. On the mound, the right hander has been clocked at 87 mph with the fastball and feel for offspeeds.

Perusing the event roster, we’re set to meet a majority of players who’ve not yet attended a Prep Baseball showcase, and we’re eager to add more names to our follow lists.

EVENT CHECK-IN PROCESS

Because of the high number of prospects set to attend Sunday’s event, it is imperative that you read our adjusted showcase itinerary below, which will allow our staff to swiftly and efficiently educate and evaluate the players set to attend.

Additionally, in an effort to continue and develop contactless check-in strategies, upon arrival, players will scan a QR Code with their smart phone camera that will lead them to a Google Form. On that Form, players will enter their name (matching the spelling on their PB profile) and hit submit. Upon submission, players will be prompted to click a link that will direct them to their jersey color and number, located next to their registered name.

ITINERARY

+ Check-in times:

MORE EVENT DETAILS

Click HERE to learn more about our tech partners that have enhanced our players showcase experience. Partners like TrackMan, Vizual Edge, and Blast Motion have helped both our in-event evaluation process, as well the compilation of our post-event scouting reports – and they're also a tool for our players to learn more about their measured and collected data, that can be applied to improve upon their game.

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