Week in photos: March 1-7, 2021
-
Tiffany Blanchette
Photojournalist
 Ava, 5, of Kankakee, dressed as Little Debbie for a photo series recreating icons organized by her mom, Ashley Borggren. READ MORE.
 Bourbonnais Elementary School District teacher Jean Whetsel hits a cow bell during the second day of a strike Friday morning along North Convent Street after a contract agreement between the teachers union and the school board was not reached. READ MORE.Â
 Dan and Lisa Trahan, of Bourbonnais, hold their 2-year-old twins, Audrey and Michael, in front of their new home. The family is one of many that jumped into the home-buying pool of 2020, contributing to a 17.5 percent increase in county housing sales from 2019. READ MORE.Â
 On March 1, the Watseka Kiwanis Club met and hosted speakers from UpliftedCare. Formerly known as Hospice of Kankakee Valley, the organization recently rebranded and spoke to the Kiwanis group about its reasoning for rebranding and the services it provides. Pictured here are (left to right) Mary Thompson with UpliftedCare; Katie Canada with UpliftedCare; Stu Swalls, program committee chair and board member; Alex O’Brien, a new member; and Curtis Luecke, president. At the meeting, O’Brien was inducted as a new member. He is the first assistant state’s attorney in Iroquois County and was sponsored for membership by Curtis Luecke. Kiwanis next meeting will be noon March 15 at the Unit 9 School District Office.
 Kankakee Fire Department’s James H. Stokes Jr. poses for a portrait outside of Station No. 6 after his retirement following 40 years of service. READ MORE.
 Bourbonnais Elementary School District teachers and supporters march along North Convent Street on Tuesday afternoon as about 150 gathered to demonstrate ahead of the school board’s 5:30 p.m. bargaining meeting with the teachers union. Prompted by a year of contract negotiations, the Bourbonnais Education Association said teachers would strike without a contract agreement. READ MORE.Â
 Pet of the Week: Buddy. READ MORE.
 Fiona Walsh, 7, and her brother Brennan, 5, right, hold their favorite stuffed animals while wearing firefighter hats gifted to them after they donated stuffed animals and books to the Kankakee Fire Department for use in comforting other children that the department may help. The donation was part of an effort throughout Lent to help the kids start learning about giving back to their community, their mother, Megan, said. READ MORE.Â
Tiffany Blanchette
Photojournalist
Tiffany has been a photojournalist with the DJ since 2014 & Photo Editor since 2018. She covers everything from daily news, sports and Lifestyles magazine shoots. A Herscher grad, Tiffany received her B.A. in Journalism at Southern Illinois University.
