April 29, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Hackler to be honored with street sign

Former Mayor B.J. Hackler used to spend a lot of time on Lincoln and Main Streets in St. Joseph.

If he wasn’t at the village hall on Lincoln, he could usually be found in his beauty shop on Main Street.

Now the intersections of those roads will bear his name.

The St. Joseph Village Board is expected to vote tonight to place an honorary street sign on the corner of Lincoln and Main honoring the former Mayor who died in September.

Hackler was mayor for 36 years, volunteered with the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, was a member of the American Legion and was a member of the St. Joseph United Methodist Church.

In September, current St. Joseph Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges said the loss of Hackler was difficult for the tight-knit community to comprehend.


“B.J. has been such a big part of this community for so long,” Fruhling-Voges said, “it’s going to be really hard to even think about St. Joseph without expecting to see him somewhere about town.”


But now residents can look at the corner of Lincoln and Main and remember the mayor who dedicated so many years to the community he loved.


“B.J. made people smile, and he made it his life’s mission to always take care of people. I believe those probably are the two greatest factors that made him everyone’s favorite mayor and a cherished friend,” Fruhling-Voges said

Banner
Related Posts

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Jan. 12, 2021

January 12, 2021

January 12, 2021

I will live blog tonight. Pavlov media will give a presentation. Susan Monte from Regional Planning will be there. We...

School districts wait to support TIF

February 25, 2025

February 25, 2025

School Districts in St. Joseph are waiting to take a stance on the village’s proposed TIF district.The district, which the...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board

April 28, 2020

April 28, 2020

We are here and zooming in. #safetyfirst Jeff Van Buskirk will be replacing Roy McCarty on the village board. They...

Live at Ogden Village Board, Feb. 10

February 10, 2022

February 10, 2022

I am here so you don’t have to be. Ogden Youth League is going to take place this summer. The...

Parents hold tailgate at St. Joseph IGA

November 15, 2025

November 15, 2025

Parents of the St. Joseph-Ogden Football team wanted to rally the community. So, Shawna Waller, Billie Hayes, Adrienne Umbarger and...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, August 27, 2024

August 27, 2024

August 27, 2024

I am making my triumphant return to the live blog. On tap tonight, approving the women’s club Christmas Parade, maybe...

‘I am proud of all of us’ by Kristen Costa

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

To the St. Joseph-Ogden High School Class of 2020, when I began writing this speech, I didn’t even know where...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, April 22 2025

April 22, 2025

April 22, 2025

Consent agenda approved as presented.Approving the recommendation to go to bid for streets and sidewalk repairs. These are sidewalks and...

Email billing to start next month for sewer

July 28, 2022

July 28, 2022

Starting next month St. Joseph residents can get their sewer bills in their email. The paperwork to sign up is...

Q and A with SJO Hall of Fame inductee Bobbi Busboom

October 3, 2025

October 3, 2025

1. How does it feel to be inducted into the hall of fame? To be honest, I thought it was...

McKinney, Umbarger lift SJO football to win at Rantoul

October 3, 2025

October 3, 2025

Getting to the playoffs is the expectation for the St. Joseph-Ogden football team.Nearly four decades of sustained success and consistent...

Cooper looks to make a difference in Ogden

April 5, 2021

April 5, 2021

Kelly Cooper wants to make a difference in Ogden.  That is why she ran for village board in 2017 and...

LIVE AT ST. JOSEPH VILLAGE BOARD, JULY 25, 2023

July 25, 2023

July 25, 2023

I am here so you don’t have to be. This agenda is super short- lots of special event permits and...

Comments
Leave a Reply