More local news

n COMMENTARY

Friday, January 17, 2014 The Daily Journal A3

EDITOR: MIKE FREY 815-937-3343 mfrey@daily-journal.com

Flourishing Fieldhouse for sale

Business could change hands for right price
The Fieldhouse on Heritage Grill and Pub in Bourbonnais is listed For Sale or Lease, but co-owner Joe Nugent assures there is absolutely no talk of closing the 164-seat former Aurelios Pizza location near Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center. The MLS listings are just something we do because in our minds [his and partner Chris Curtis] LEE PROVOST everything is HEARD IT ON for sale at the THE STREET right price, Nugent told The Daily Journals Dennis Yohnka. From the beginning, we said if it was a good deal for someone else and a good deal for us, wed sell or lease. Were still having fun here, but if something came along, wed sell. And, who knows, down the road, we might open another place. Nugent stressed, though, that the listing showing the 3,600-square-foot bar and restaurant for sale is just testing the waters. People might see the listing and think were ready to close, but that is definitely not the case, he said. Real estate is picking up, so were getting busier at work, but like I say: Were still having fun over here. In addition to co-owning the Fieldhouse, the two men are partners with the Kankakeebased Nugent Curtis Real Estate firm. Curtis, who is also a 6th Ward alderman in Kankakee, said hes also looking at a way to free up some time. He said after the real estate company, his alderman duties and the restaurant, there isnt much time left for family and he wants that to change. The pair bought the property in February 2011 and opened serving pizza will not be easy. The chain has 6,400 restaurants in the U.S. Ladonna Russell, executive director of the Workforce Board of Grundy, Livingston & Kankakee Counties, has a problem. A good problem. She has a $217,000 Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity grant to help educate and retrain longterm unemployed workers, but shes having difficulty getting people to sign up for the training even though shes sent out more than 1,000 letters to idle workers. Long-term unemployed are defined as those whove received unemployment benefits for 26 weeks. The training will be completed at Kankakee Community College and focuses on the transportation, warehousing and logistics industries. Russell said those are the areas where people can get to work the quickest. When a worker completes the program, she said they are guaranteed a job. The money covers the cost of tuition and classroom materials. Acceptance into the program is on first-come, firstserved basis and the application deadline is March 31. The program will be open to 32 students. Considering Kankakee Countys 10.7 percent unemployment rate, Russell said there should be interest. Those interested can call Russells office at 815-802-8963 or apply in person at 202 N. Schuyler Ave., Suite 201. The grant is available for the unemployed who reside in Kankakee County or those who worked for a business in Kankakee County. This is about getting people back into the workforce as quickly as possible. This is about getting new skills or refining old skills, she said.
The Daily Journals Lee Provost writes about business rumors, comings and goings and other noteworthy interests regarding the local economy. Anyone with information to share should contact Provost at 815937-3364 or lprovost@daily-journal.com.

Editors note: The following is a roundup of area arrests for serious crimes. Unless otherwise stated, all of the people listed have been arrested but not yet charged. They are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Unless otherwise stated, the following are taken directly from police reports.

Battery

Joe Nugent stands behind the bar at the Fieldhouse on Heritage Grill and Pub in Bourbonnais.
the Fieldhouse on May 15 of that year. Weve built up something thats successful. This is not a fire sale, he said. This will allow me to focus more time on my family and on the real estate company. Former Chicago Bulls center Bill Cartwright was in the Bradley-Kankakee area Tuesday, and if you didnt see him, you werent looking very hard. At 7-feet, 1-inch, the former 16-year National Basketball Association player is not easy to miss. While Cartwright had a very successful career by anyones standard, the 56-year-old did not stop moving when he unlaced his Nike shoes for the last time after the 1994-95 season with the Seattle SuperSonics. While eating lunch in downtown Kankakees One Sixty Four North restaurant, Cartwright explained he not only operates an employment background investigation business in suburban Des Plaines, but he also owns a French restaurant, Froggs French Cafe in the northern Illinois community of Highwood and an Audi car dealership in Waukesha, Wis. I guess you could say Im an entrepreneur, he said. I might be the only black man you will meet with a French restaurant. Shifting from French to Italian food, did you see what Pizza Hut is up to? The company announced plans to start offering pizza by the slice for the first time, and two test locations were selected this week. The Bourbonnais carry-out location in the Jewel grocery shopping center is not one of them. One test location is in York, Neb., and the second is in Pawtucket, R.I. A slice will cost between $2 and $3 and will take three to four minutes to heat up. Theyll be made with new recipes more in line with the thinner pies sold in the nations northeast region, the company noted. Pizza by the slice is not new to the Kankakee region, thats for sure. Johnnys Pizza on South Schuyler Avenue in downtown Kankakee has been selling pizza by slice for lunch for years. Back to Pizza Hut. The test restaurants demonstrate how established restaurants are scrambling to reinvent themselves to keep pace with the changing face of fast or at least faster food. Were seeing the trends for quick and ready products, said Carrie Walsh, Pizza Huts chief marketing officer in an Associated Press story. Changing Pizza Huts way of

The Daily Journal/Mike Voss

Kevin J. Sheehan, 46, of Bourbonnais, was arrested by Bourbonnais police for beating a family member at 9:02 p.m. Sunday. Sheehan was charged with domestic battery and taken to Jerome Combs Detention Center. Robert Gibson, 31, of Milford, was arrested by Iroquois County sheriffs police on Wednesday for domestic battery. Gibson was taken to Iroquois County Jail. Clinton C. Camp, 45, of Columbia, Mo., was arrested by Bourbonnais police at the River Valley Metro Mass Transit District bus station, 1137 E. 5000N Road, at 4:18 p.m. Saturday for battery. Camp hit a woman on a bus. He was taken to Jerome Combs Detention Center.

DUI

Megan M. McCoin, 36, of Bourbonnais, was arrested by Bourbonnais police in the 1600 block of North Convent Street at 10:27 p.m. Saturday for driving under the influence. McCoins vehicle was found in a ditch. Her blood alcohol level was .196. She posted bond and was released.

Theft

A catalytic converter was reported stolen to Kankakee police from a vehicle parked in the 500 block of South Third Avenue at 7:37 p.m. Monday. No suspect information has been reported.

n ILLINOIS

Too dangerous for a gun?

Potential gun owners now screened for mental issues
BY JOHN OCONNOR The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD A state database unveiled this week will collect information designed to keep people with mental-health problems from having access to guns, just a week after Illinois residents began applying for licenses to carry concealed weapons. The Department of Human Services announced the system under which mental health professionals must report patients who pose a clear and present danger to themselves or others. The information is entered into a database that is checked against the Illinois State Police roster of residents with Firearm Owners Identification, or FOID, cards. Only the state police may revoke a FOID or concealed-carry license. The program, which replaces one that focused on inpatient psychiatric admissions, takes effect a little more than a week after gun owners began applying for licenses to carry concealed weapons. The new concealed carry law broadens the scope of the Illinois FOID Mental health Reporting System, both (in terms of) who must report and what information they must report, Human Services Secretary Michelle R.B. Saddler said in a prepared statement. We are partnering with our sister state agencies and many statewide associations and others to ensure that clinicians and facilities understand the importance of the new reporting requirements. As of Monday, 20,194 applications for concealed-carry permits had been deemed eligible to move to a 30-day period in which local law enforcement agencies may object to an application, state police spokeswoman Monique Bond said. Those who must be reported to Human Services are those declared in court to be mentally disabled; admitted to an inpatient facility within the last five years; otherwise determined to be a clear and present danger; or determined to be developmentally disabled. Also, those who make a serious threat of physical violence or pose an immediate threat of injury to themselves must be reported. Outpatient clients treated for depression or anxiety will not be reported.

n KANKAKEE

An answer to a Prayer

Garden of Prayer Youth Center Director Michael Maloney answers reporters questions Thursday after accepting a $2,500 donation for the Kankakee center from AT&T. The money was part of the AT&T Investing in Illinois Awards program that contributes funds to organizations and programs that improve lives in their communities by advancing education, economic growth, new technologies and essential community services. State Rep. Kate Cloonen, D-Kankakee, and John Quinn, AT&T Illinois External Affairs Director, were on hand for the presentation.

The Daily Journal/Mike Voss

n ILLINOIS

Bona fide firefighters exempt from health care provision

BY NICOLE LEOnHARDT nleonhardt@daily-journal.com 815-937-3385
Volunteer firefighters and emergency responders have been exempted from a potentially costly provision of the Affordable Care Act, according to U.S. Department of the Treasury. Obamacare would have required fire departments with more than 50 employees to provide health insurance to volunteers who work more than 30 hours per week or face financial consequences for not complying. While few Illinois fire departments would have been affected by the requirement, it was a financial concern for Bourbonnais Fire Protection District, a department that relies on 12 full-time firefighters and more than 40 volunteers. Bourbonnais volunteers work 24 hour shifts putting them at risk of working more than the 30 hour maximum. To avoid having to purchase health insurance for volunteers many of which have healthcare through full time employers the department would have had to strictly regulate hours. We have to stay vigilant and it takes more than one person to do that, Bourbonnais Chief Ed St. Louis told The Daily Journal last week. Increasing administration staff or using software to track hours in an effort to avoid purchasing health care or paying penalties for not providing it also would come at cost. But late last week, Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy Mark Maze announced on the Treasury Notes blog that following review that bona fide volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers would be exempt from the provision. Who classifies as a bona fide volunteer has not yet been determined, said a spokeswoman for the treasury department. Regulations pertaining to the exemption have not been released yet.

Percentage of volunteer and career firefighters in Illinois.