A caravan of Will County politicians cruised into the sunrise toward the state line Saturday morning.

They were headed to knock on doors in an attempt to sway undecided voters in today's tight Indiana primary.

For the most part, party leaders say, Democratic political machines in Will County back Sen. Barack Obama over rival Sen. Hillary Clinton because of the Obama¹s Land of Lincoln roots. Illinois Democrats, like Wheatland Township¹s Nick Palmer, who is deputy chief of staff for Will County Executive Larry Walsh, have brushed shoulders with Obama for years.

National Democratic Party leaders are watching Naperville for the first time in recent history.

They have placed the 13th Congressional District race on the party's list of targeted races, making it one of five congressional races in Illinois to receive special attention.

Democratic candidate Scott Harper said he found out about the upgrade recently. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, committee chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, had visited Harper's Naperville campaign office a week earlier.

(Crain’s) — Canadian National Railway Co.’s planned purchase of a suburban rail route is expected to face few obstacles from federal regulators, industry observers say.

That’s sure to further anger residents from Barrington to Frankfort, already outraged over the prospect that CN’s acquisition of the Elgin, Joilet & Eastern Railway would bring more freight trains rumbling through their communities.

In a report released last month, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, which oversees the nation’s railroads, urged the railroad and the communities to settle their differences on their own.

CREST HILL -- Legislators have found a way to keep Stateville Correctional Center open.

“The word is out that Stateville is not going to be closed,” said state Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, D-Joliet. “I am proud that we have been able to accomplish this.”

While Wilhelmi offered no details, an official announcement is scheduled for Monday morning.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- They lined up shoulder to shoulder inside the gray high-rise downtown, their politics as diverse as their backgrounds. An ex-felon who needs health insurance, followed by a high school student seeking empowerment, followed by a Marine Corps veteran who wants to prevent his country from crumbling.

Like hundreds of others, their quests led them to the Wake County voter services office this month to register as Democrats for the first time. The line of newcomers that snaked across the checkered tile floor was emblematic of those that have formed across the country this year: black voters, young voters, lifelong Republicans switching parties -- all registering in record numbers, and all aligning as Democrats.

State senators on Thursday passed legislation providing for a south suburban airport authority with most of its leaders appointed from Will County.

Sen. Debbie Halvorson's bill, which now awaits action in the state House, also received local support from the Will County Board.

The authority governing the planned Peotone-area airport would be led by a board consisting of seven members: five from Will County, one from Cook County, and one from Kankakee County, according to a statement from Halvorson's office.

National Democratic Party leaders are watching Naperville for the first time in recent history.

They have placed the 13th Congressional District race on the party's list of targeted races, making it one of five congressional races in Illinois to receive special attention.

Adding up the money

Democrat Scott Harper has raised more money in his race against 13th District Rep. Judy Biggert than any other Democratic candidate in the last 10 years. Biggert's 2006 opponent, Joe Shannon, raised $55,719 in total.

Democratic candidate Scott Harper said he found out about the upgrade last weekend. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, committee chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, had visited Harper's Naperville campaign office a week earlier.

JOLIET -- The Will County Democratic Central Committee selected Joliet accountant Kevin "Duffy" Blackburn as its candidate to run for Will County auditor in the November election.

Blackburn is an accountant with the firm of Wermer, Rogers, Doran & Ruzon.

"I am honored to be the Democratic nominee for auditor and to be on the same ticket with County Executive Larry Walsh, Circuit Clerk Pam McGuire, State's Attorney James Glasgow, Coroner Pat O'Neil and Recorder of Deeds candidate Karen Stukel," Blackburn said. "Completing that ticket, the voters of Will County now have an auditor candidate who is qualified, energetic and ready to work hard."

It is with great disappointment that we must point out that the Chicago Tribune has once again failed to recognize the regional approach Will County has taken to plan an airport to be built entirely within our borders.

Your April 3 editorial "Pick up the Peotone pace," regarding the proposed airport in Will County, misrepresents our approach to making the airport a reality.

Thousands of hours have been put into researching, reaching out and consensus building. In listening to and learning from our regional partners, we have come up with a plan endorsed by a coalition of business and labor leaders that includes the Will County Center for Economic Development, the Joliet Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce, the Southland Chamber of Commerce and the Building Trades Councils from Cook, Will, Kankakee and Grundy Counties.

The Democrats have added a sixth “race to watch” in Illinois -- Democrat Scott Harper’s challenge to five-term incumbent Republican Rep. Judy Biggert in the western suburbs.

Harper reported Thursday raising $247,410 as of March 1, “which is more than any Democratic candidate in this district has ever raised for an entire cycle,” Harper’s website says.

Biggert, 70, a former state representative, easily dispatched Republican primary challenger Sean O’Kane by 59,000 votes to 17,000 in February in the 13th Congressional District, but Harper, 47, a marketing expert, took 86,000 votes in that primary. And last time around, Democrat Joseph Shannon, with virtually no campaign, took 42 percent of the vote from Biggert.

Kendall County was the fastest growing county in the nation from 2000 to 2007 and the fourth fastest growing from 2006-2007, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released today.

Will County ranked 54th from 2000-2007. It did not make the top 100 counties list for 2006-2007, and did not make the top 100 counties list for numeric growth. It ranked 134th.

The 16,111 growth in Will County from 2006 to 2007 is the smallest gain so far this decade. Starting in 2000 with a base population of 508,391, Will County added 25,095 people in 2001; 26,130 people in 2002; 28,910 people in 2003; 29,320 people in 2004; 24,779 people in 2005; 25,592 people in 2006

JOLIET -- Will County Clerk Pamela J. McGuire announced her office is accepting credit or debit card payments via the Internet at its public access terminals on the second floor of the Will County Courthouse, 14 W. Jefferson St.

"If an individual needs to make immediate payment and only has the option to pay by credit or debit card we can accommodate them," McGuire said.

"Our public access terminals located in room 228 are equipped with instruction books and a clerk is available to assist them should they experience a problem. Their confirmation receipt will be sent to their designated e-mail address, should they choose not to wait for an official court receipt.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is vowing to battle Canadian National Railway Co.'s plans to buy the EJ&E Railroad.

That's a good thing for all the area residents who are concerned about increased train traffic in their area, but as a practical matter, we'd be surprised if even a U.S. senator could derail a railroad under a full head of steam.

Still, it's heartening to see Durbin make the effort to get involved on behalf of his constituents in several cities, including Naperville, that the old EJ&E tracks traverse

(In what has been heralded as a monumental agreement, the tax assessment settlement between Exelon, Will County and 10 local taxing bodies is scheduled to be approved by the 12th Judicial Circuit Court Thursday.

After nearly a year of negotiations, Will County Executive Larry Walsh says the agreement, which encompasses five years from 2007-2011, not only allows for cash grants to the taxing bodies, but will promote fiscal stability for all the districts, as well as Exelon.

"I applaud Exelon for a commendable show of corporate citizenship and feel this settlement is a fantastic example of how the spirit of collaboration can accomplish a successful end result for all involved," said Executive Walsh, who led negotiations for the cash grants. “However, it’s also important to acknowledge that this could not have been achieved in such a positive manner if it wasn’t for our Supervisor of Assessments, Rhonda Novak and her hard-working staff at the County. They were responsible for moving the discussions forward, while continually refining the numbers for accuracy and reliability."

J. D. Ross was approved as Will County’s first representative to sit on the Regional Transportation Authority board at Thursday's Will County Board meeting.  

Recommended by County Executive Larry Walsh, Ross will begin serving as one of three new seats represented on the board April 1.

"I am very pleased that J. D. will be representing Will County on the RTA board," said Walsh.  "As I mentioned when I nominated him, J. D.’s not only knowledgeable and competent, but also is respected in the community for his unbiased and ethical behavior. This is exactly the type of individual we want representing us on this board."

If Frankfort wants to avoid a dramatic increase in train traffic through the heart of town, the community that boasts of its 1890s charm needs to prepare for a fight, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Wednesday.

Durbin, D-Ill., came to Frankfort to pledge his opposition to the Canadian National Railway Co.'s plans to acquire the EJ&E Railroad.

"Most railroads believe they were here before everyone else," Durbin said.

Government officials get excited with the promise of new money, and so it is with the new sales tax revenue Will County will receive from the mass transit funding bill agreed to by the governor and the Legislature. The bill promises almost $20 million in new dollars to the county in its first full year of collection.

As the fastest-growing county in Illinois and one of the fastest growing in the country, Will County government is under a lot of pressure to expand public services. It's only natural that county officeholders and department heads want to latch on to any source of new money for their needed projects.

In a stunning upset Saturday that could be a sign of trouble for Republicans this fall, a little-known Democratic physicist won the special election for a far west suburban congressional seat long held by former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Rookie candidate Bill Foster scored a comfortable victory over Republican dairyman Jim Oberweis, who lost his fourth high-profile contest in six years, after an expensive and highly negative contest.

Foster had 53 percent to Oberweis' 47 percent with all of the unofficial vote counted.

To Lockport High School graduate Nate Ewing, casting his first vote in the Super Tuesday primary was a matter of life and death.

"I'm in the military. I have friends in the military. I know two people who have been killed in Iraq by roadside bombs," said Ewing, an 18-year-old Prairie State College student from Lockport who is in the Army Reserves.

It's not my right to vote," he said solemnly. "It's my duty."

The Year of the Youth Vote, as Presidential Year 2008 is being billed by Time Magazine, is happening here, Will County's young politicos say.

Like many areas of the country, Will County is facing uncertain economic times.

Soaring energy prices, higher costs for food and stagnating wages, combined with escalating property tax bills and a flood of mortgage problems have taxpayers reeling.

And now some county board members want to give themselves a hefty raise?

A proposal to increase salaries for the 27 county board members was wisely placed in the executive committee several days ago. This plan would increase a county board member's average part-time annual salary in December from $22,500 to more than $31,000, said county Finance Director Paul Rafac.

NEW LENOX — Less than three weeks after getting the Republican nomination for the 11th U.S. House District, New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann will withdraw from the race.

In a statement his campaign intends to release to all media outlets later today, Baldermann said he will file paperwork on Monday officially taking his name off the ballot. “As the mayor of New Lenox and the police chief of Chicago Ridge, I have reached the conclusion that I cannot ably serve the citizens of those two municipalities while also running a full-time campaign for Congress,” the statement reads. “Through I tried to make it work, I’ve learned that it’s just not possible to essentially have four full-time jobs — mayor, chief, father of five and congressional candidate.

JOLIET -- The Will County Board won't rush to hand out raises.

Members want more time to think about the idea. So the proposal will go back to the executive committee for more discussion, Chairman Jim Moustis, R-Frankfort, said Thursday during the county board meeting.

The subject of salary hikes emerged during the Feb. 7 executive committee meeting. It had been quite a few years since county board members had gotten a pay raise, and their salaries should be comparable to those of other countywide elected officials, Moustis suggested.

Baldermann, who won the Republican Party primary earlier this month over two opponents with more than 60 percent of the votes, said he decided to withdraw in order to fulfill his duties as New Lenox mayor, Chicago Ridge police chief and a father of five.

State Sen. Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete) won the Democratic Party primary.

One of the benefits of being on an elected board is that you are in a position to raise your own salary.

By the same token, one of the problems with being on an elected board is that you can raise your own salary though you may lose your seat if you do.

Of course that latter fate largely depends on how safe your position is in the first place. In areas heavily weighted toward one party or another, an incumbent may be subjected to a primary challenge, but if he or she gets through that it is almost inevitably clear sailing at general election time.

JOLIET -- The next chairman of the Will County Board could get a big fat raise.

The salary might triple, in fact.

Although Jim Moustis, R-Frankfort, is the current chairman, his term is about to end. He is up for re-election in November, and a new chairman will be chosen afterward. It might be Moustis. Then again, it might not.

After board member Cory Singer, R-Frankfort, proposed the pay raise Thursday during the executive committee meeting, the other members talked at length about it. Some agreed, but others didn't.

JOLIET -- With a new state sales tax soon to generate millions to fix roads and to solve public safety problems, some Will County officials want to cut property taxes.

Others worry that a tax break might cost the county too much.

Approved earlier this year, the new sales tax is part of the state's mass transit bill. It increased the sales tax in the collar counties by a half cent. Half of that money goes to fund the ailing RTA and CTA, and the other half comes back to the collar counties to pay for roads and other issues of public safety.

On Feb. 7, Will County Board Chairman Jim Moustis, R-Frankfort, suggested that it was time to cut the part of the county tax bill that funded roads.