Addison convicted felon allegedly found in possession of loaded machine gun
Pre-trial release denied for defendant currently on parole for second-degree murder
Park District offers free swim for veterans on July 4
As part of a comprehensive initiative offering veterans opportunities to stay active utilizing park district facilities and services, the Bensenville Park District is offering a free swim day at the Bensenville Water Park and Splash Pad, 1100 W. Wood Street, on Thursday, July 4.
Veterans will be treated to a free day at the water park from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 4. Proof of military service may be required.
“We honor and deeply appreciate the service and sacrifice of our veterans and active military personnel,” Board President Rich Johnson said. “Their unwavering dedication and bravery protect our freedom, and this is just one way to say ‘thank you.’”
at NEDSRA.org.
In addition to the summer veterans’ events, White Pines hosts the annual Veterans Day Breakfast at 9 a.m. November 11, in partnership with the Village of Bensenville and Fenton High School. Each year, the breakfast features a keynote speaker as well as recognizes the contributions of the military community. The event also recognizes the winners of Fenton’s “Defending Freedom” essay contest and features performances by Fenton musicians. The event is free for Bensenville veterans and HMHB veterans.
The park district previously held a veteran golf outing June 24, which enabled veterans to golf for free and enjoy a free lunch.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin has announced that Judge Leah Bendik granted the state’s motion to deny pre-trial release for an Addison man currently on parole who was allegedly found to be in possession of a loaded machine gun.
Edgar Martinez, 29, appeared at First Appearance Court and is charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon—machine gun (Class X felony), two counts of armed violence (Class X felony), one count of resisting a police officer causing injury (Class 4 felony), one count of possession with intent to deliver cannabis (Class 3 felony) and one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (Class 4 felony).
On Thursday, June 27 at approximately 11:10 a.m., the United States Marshals Service was conducting surveillance on an apartment located in the 800 block of S. Addison Road, regarding parolee Edgar Martinez who had failed to contact his parole officer. Martinez is currently on parole for second-degree murder. It is alleged that while surveilling the
apartment, agents observed a man, later identified as Martinez, exit the apartment with a black backpack and get into an Uber.
Agents stopped the Uber a short distance later at which time Martinez allegedly attempted to flee on foot, leaving the backpack behind in the Uber. Martinez was immediately apprehended by the agents. It is alleged that Martinez was combative and fought with the agents, injuring the elbow and head of one. It is further alleged that inside Martinez’s backpack agents located a loaded Glock 17 9mm handgun with an extended magazine with 24 rounds and a switch that allowed the weapon to be fired in fully automatic mode as well as approximately 270 grams of cannabis, fifty-five grams of cannabis flower and 25 grams of cocaine.
“The allegation that Mr. Martinez, who is currently on parole for second-degree murder and is not legally allowed to possess a firearm, was in possession of a loaded weapon that had been modified to fire as a fully automatic weapon is extremely concerning,” Berlin said. “Public safety is a collaborative effort between local, state and federal authorities.”
Martinez’s next court appearance is scheduled Monday, July 22 for arraignment in front of Judge Brian Telander.
Additionally, Veterans are invited to join in the Wood Street Fitness Aqua Zumba class at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 3, followed by a Healthy Minds Healthy Bodies (HMHB) picnic, offering the camaraderie of other veterans and service members in the HMHB community at the Bensenville Water Park & Splash Pad. Veterans may register for the picnic in advance through NEDSRA
Johnson also announced the installation of veteran parking spaces at the Deer Grove Leisure Center, Fischer Farm, Veterans Park, the water park and White Pines Golf Club. The installation is to take place in July. For more information about the Bensenville Water Park and Splash Pad information may be found at BvilleParks.org/waterpark.
Edgar Martinez
Pritzker calls U.S. Supreme Court emergency abortion ruling
‘small respite’ as state protections await his signature
Democrats passed measure in May that sought to codify federal law if it was stricken down
By Andrew Adams CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
Abortion remains legal as an emergency medical procedure in Idaho, for now, after a June 27 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, while a bill that would cement those protections in Illinois law awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature.
The 6-3 decision saw the three liberal justices concur with the order. Three of the court’s conservatives—Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett—concurred separately.
The dismissal sent the case back to the lower courts and reinstated a temporary injunction on Idaho’s law banning all abortions except as “necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman” or in the case of rape or incest.
The case originated after the Jus-
tice Department sued Idaho shortly after its abortion ban went into place in the summer of 2022. The Justice Department claimed the state was in violation of the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, or EMTALA, which it said allowed medical professionals to perform abortions to prevent “grave harm,” not just death, in order to resolve medical emergencies.
The June 27 order dismisses the case as “improvidently granted,” meaning the court decided it shouldn’t have agreed to hear the case at this stage.
It does not permanently resolve the case, as it will continue in the lower courts and could potentially end up in front of the high court’s justices again.
“Today’s ruling thus puts the case back where it belongs, and with the preliminary injunction in place,”
Justice Elena Kagan wrote in a concurrence with the court’s dismissal.
The decision drew ire from the high court’s dissenters, with Justice Samuel Alito writing that, having already agreed to hear the question, there was “no good reason to change course now.”
“Apparently, the Court has simply lost the will to decide the easy but emotional and highly politicized question that the case presents,” Alito wrote. “That is regrettable.”
The decision drew cautious support from abortion-rights activists.
Gov. JB Pritzker, in a statement issued through his abortion-rights organization Think Big America, accused Republicans of “fighting to let hospitals refuse care for dying women.”
“Today’s ruling offers a small respite from some of the harshest outcomes, but it is not the broad pro-
“ Today’s ruling offers a small respite from some of the harshest outcomes, but it is not the broad protection that women and healthcare professionals are owed.”
– Gov. JB Pritzker
tection that women and healthcare professionals are owed,” Pritzker said in the statement.
Pritzker, a longtime proponent of abortion rights, is expected to sign
a bill sometime soon that would enshrine protections similar to the federal EMTALA law in Illinois statute.
The proposal, House Bill 581, would codify abortions as a “stabilizing treatment” that doctors must offer when necessary, in emergency situations such as ectopic pregnancy, preeclampsia, and fertility loss related to pregnancy complications.
The measure passed on partisan lines.
Its chief sponsor, Rep. Dagmara Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, said that the “primary reason” the bill was introduced was to preserve the status quo in case a Supreme Court decision casts doubt on EMTALA’s coverage of abortion procedures.
“While the Supreme Court preserved EMTALA for now, it has not ruled out future legal battles,” Avelar told Capitol News Illinois.
Advocates say court ruling paves way for law ensuring abusers have guns confiscated
Urge passage of ‘Karina’s Bill’ when lawmakers return in the fall
By Hannah Meisel CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal law that bars those under domestic violence-related restraining orders from owning guns, victim advocates say Illinois lawmakers should pass a measure to ensure firearms are actually confiscated in those situations.
The legislation has been stalled for more than a year, despite efforts this spring and last fall to resurrect it after the high-profile murder of Chicago resident Karina Gonzalez. She and her 15-year-old daughter Daniela were allegedly shot to death by her estranged husband less than two weeks after a judge issued an order of protection against him. Jose Alvarez remains in Cook County Jail.
But after the high court ruling, advocates say there is nothing else standing in the way of lawmakers taking up the bill, which last summer was rebranded “Karina’s Bill” after Gonzalez’s murder. The bill would clarify existing state law and require law enforcement to take guns from those subject to certain domestic violence orders of protection.
Amanda Pyron, executive director of Chicago-based domestic violence advocacy organization The Network, said it “hit a lot of us really hard” that the Supreme Court decision was published on the one-year anniversary of Gonzalez’s order of protection against her husband.
“I think it says a lot about our state that it took this long and we hope it will say something different about our state if we get it passed in (the General Assembly’s fall) veto session,” Pyron said of lawmaker inaction on Karina’s bill during a call with reporters on Monday.
“ In the instance where you’ve got to go confiscate the firearm, literally you have to bring sometimes four officers to one situation in order to remove the weapon.”
– Gov. JB Pritzker
State Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, a chief sponsor of Karina’s Bill, said in a statement June 21 that while the high court’s ruling is “a great relief for survivors of gender-based violence,” the decision “merely preserve(s) the status quo.”
“Here in Illinois, we should move forward by enacting Karina’s Bill, which will provide clear guidance for getting guns out of the hands of abusers, and ensure those weapons are removed sooner—all within a framework that justices have now overwhelmingly endorsed,” she said.
Hirschauer pushed an earlier, broader version of the bill through the Illinois House in May 2023, but it failed to advance in the Senate. Gonzalez and her daughter were killed two months later.
Under existing state law, when petitioning a court for a domestic violence order of protection, a victim can ask for 18 specific “remedies,” including the confiscation of the alleged abuser’s firearms. But state law is less than clear on how firearms should be surrendered—or forcibly taken by law enforcement if need be.
Karina’s Bill would clarify that firearms must be surrendered or confiscated within four days of a victim being granted a domestic violence order of protection against their abuser—a change from an earlier version of the
bill that stipulated a 48-hour timeline. It would also explicitly allow a judge to issue a search warrant for those weapons when law enforcement goes to serve the order of protection.
Although advocates had been waiting for the Supreme Court decision, they say lawmakers could have taken up Karina’s Bill this spring during the General Assembly’s regular legislative session.
But the pending high court case wasn’t the only barrier; law enforcement groups like the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police have expressed concerns about smaller, more rural police departments’ abilities to follow the law’s directive to confiscate weapons within four days of an order of protection being issued.
Even Gov. JB Pritzker, while generally supportive of the bill, pointed out last month that law enforcement officers could be going into volatile situations when serving a search warrant for firearms.
“In the instance where you’ve got to go confiscate the firearm, literally you have to bring sometimes four officers to one situation in order to remove the weapon,” he said. “And if somebody doesn’t want to give it to you, it becomes quite complicated and maybe dangerous.”
The latest version of the legislation would allow federally licensed gun dealers to store any guns seized or surrendered by someone under a domestic violence order of protection with the firearm remedy—a change made after smaller police departments said they wouldn’t be able to store all of those guns themselves.
Pyron and other advocates said the bill has been tweaked and is ready for lawmakers to take it up again when they return to Springfield in November. She also warned that the General Assembly’s consideration of Karina’s Bill is made even more urgent by a recent “upward trend” in domestic violence-related gun homicides in Illinois.
According to The Network’s analysis of statistics compiled by the Gun Violence Archive, Illinois saw a near-doubling of domestic violence shooting deaths from 2020 to 2023. Four years ago, 37 such victims died of gunshot wounds, compared with 70 last year. Pyron said that as of April 30, 34 people had died in domestic
violence-related shootings in 2024—a 55 percent increase from the previous year.
The number of domestic violence victims injured, but not killed, in shootings is also increasing, she said. The Network’s latest annual report containing 2023 data has not yet been published.
The Lombard Historical Society (LHS) will present Flavor Bombs & Compound Butters at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 11. Unleash a symphony of flavors in your cooking with this program. This is a free event, but registration is required as space is limited. For more information about this event, or the Lombard Historical Society, visit lombardhistory.org, email info@lombardhistory. org, or phone 630-629-1885. Discover how to effortlessly infuse dishes with explosive taste using basic ingredients and minimal expertise. Whether as pastes or butters, these flavor bombs, crafted from fresh and dried herbs, are your secret weapon for enhancing your menu. Elevate your kitchen prowess with this easy-to-master technique we will sample to enjoy the richness we make throughout the program.
A happy family
This family shows off some of the giveaways they received, while the little boy in front scopes out all the things to do at the event on Friday, June 21.
All smiles
On Friday, June 21, Grand Subaru held a special event after having collected food for the Bensenville-Wood Dale Food Bank. These two picked up a few goodies at the Park District booth.
A butterfly face
This young lady manages to toss a beanbag right into the target spot after having her face painted with a butterfly. A beanbag toss and face-painting were just two of the many activities available at Grand Subaru’s special celebration.
July offers fun in the sun at Fischer Farm
In addition to the popular weekly Fischer Farm Camp sessions for ages 6 to 10, the Bensenville Park District is offering a number of activities at its urban farm, located at 16W680 Old Grand Avenue in Bensenville.
Weekly farm camp
Explore and enjoy farm life at farm camp at Fischer Farm. Each week, participants will interact with farm animals and learn about working and living on a farm past and present. Campers will go on hikes, churn butter, take care of sheep and goats and feed chickens. Through farm chores, creative crafts and field trip adventures, campers will travel back through time as they enjoy summer. Fees are $155 for a week-long session, $135 for those living within Bensenville Park District boundaries. Registration is due by the Wednesday prior to each weekly session at the Deer Grove Leisure Center, 1000 W. Wood St. Sessions are held July 8, 15, 22, 29 and August 5.
National Cow Day is July 9
Celebrate National Cow Day at Fischer Farm July 9. Fischer Farm started out as a dairy farm when the Fischer family settled in 1836. The family’s dairy farm success was evident by 1919. The cow-themed program in celebration of National Cow Day honors the foundation on which the farm was started. Adults are $15, $10 for in-district residents. Ages 4-12 are $5 and must be accompanied by a paid adult. Kids 3 and under are free with a paid adult.
Fireflies program
Bring the family out and become immersed in the glow of Fireflies on Saturday, July 13 from 8-9:30 p.m.
Experience the magic of these creatures, discovering the science behind these staples of summer. Then craft a glowing creation to take home. Once the stage is set, take a short hike around the farm to seek out this incredible insect for a closer look. End the night by the light of a campfire and roast marshmallows. Kids ages
4-12 are $5 and must be accompanied by a paid adult ($15, $10 in-district). Kids 3 and younger are free by a paid adult.
Learn about bees July 20
All ages are invited to meet at the beehive to explore these small, buzzing insects in Beein’ a Pollinator, on Saturday, July 20 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Attendees will learn why these little black and yellow animals are important to our ecosystem. The fee for adults is $15, $10 for those in district. Kids ages 4-12 are $5 and must be accompanied by a paid adult. Kids 3 and under free with a paid adult.
Monarch Mania July 27
The month of July concludes with Monarch Mania from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, July 27. In this caterpillar- and butterfly-filled program, participants will make monarch butterflies to help learn about the stages of these delicate creatures. Then they’ll help staff release some mon-
archs and watch them fly away on their journey south. Adults are $15, $10 for in-district residents. Ages 4-12 are $5 and must be accompanied by a paid adult. Kids 3 and under are free with a paid adult.
Farm scavenger hunt
Fischer Farm visitors are also invited to get familiar with the farm by participating in this free farm scavenger hunt. Pick up cards at the farm gift shop. Once everything is found, bring the card back to the gift shop for a prize. Get a bonus for sharing one new thing learned during the hunt.
“While at the farm, be sure to stop in the gift shop and try some our own fresh eggs, lamb, pork, honey and homemade honey-lavender soap,” said Fischer Farm manager Christine Shiel.
Registration for all programs is required in advance at least one week before the start date, except summer camp.
For more information, visit BvilleParks.org/fischerfarm.
Garcia
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Opinion
Slices of life
Dating after 50 – Part 3 (of perhaps more)
This column idea started innocently enough. Dating after 50. How much could there be to write about such a narrow topic?
Turns out that might be a facetious question.
The original column spurned a part two, and now, here, a part three.
I’m not promising this is the last because I guess dating after 50 is complex, interesting and just a little bit hilarious.
Who would’ve guessed?
Certainly not me because—I’ve said it before, but I’ll write it again. My last dating experience ended in 1987. So, I’m beyond unqualified to write on the topic. Still, here I go: dating life in the 20s versus the 50s.
In your 20s: You hope to find love, get married and maybe one day change diapers.
In your 50s: You hope to find love, get married and never have to change any diapers (but I guess that depends).
20s: You desire someone with a good heart (figuratively).
50s: You desire someone with a good heart (literally).
20s: You value someone who brings you flowers.
50s: You value someone who brings you an extra jacket.
20s: You hope to date someone who, like you, collects vintage vinyl records because it’s the hot new thing.
50s: You hope to date someone who, like you, owns dozens of vinyl records because it used to be a thing.
20s: You met your current person after swiping right.
50s: You met your current person after side-swiping their car in the CVS parking lot.
20s: After a good date you check your notifications.
50s: After a good date you check your voice mail.
20s: You’d like to find someone who, like you, prefers their coffee Americano (iced) with a double shot of espresso, a dollop of whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon (Ceylon).
50s: You’d like to find someone who, like you, prefers their coffee
By Jill Pertler Columnist
black, like a real American drinks it.
20’s: You are attracted to someone with a good set of values.
After 50: You are attracted to someone with a good set of teeth.
20s: You enjoy sharing a good night out at the club.
After 50: You enjoy sharing a good club sandwich.
20s: You met your first girlfriend at hot yoga.
50s: You met your first spouse when she was wearing a hot toga.
20s: New Year’s Eve involves a kiss at midnight; then let the party begin!
50s: New Year’s Eve involves a kiss at midnight; then let the sleeping begin!
20s: You look for someone who is low maintenance.
50s: You look for someone who is good with home maintenance.
20s: Your definition of risky business involves Bitcoin.
50s: Your definition of risky business involves Tom Cruise in his underwear dancing on a couch.
Dating is an adventure at any age, but after a certain one— say 50 or more—life becomes interesting in a whole new way. An infinite future gives way to a finite one (which has always been finite; we just never realized it). The challenges of parenting give way to the joys of grand parenting. The certainty of youth gives way to the wisdom of age.
The through it all, a few things remain constant. Laughter is one that comes to mind.
At least I hope it is a constant. If it isn’t, it should be, for all of usat any and every age.
Jill Pertler is an award-winning syndicated columnist, published playwright and author. Don’t miss a slice; follow the Slices of Life page on Facebook.
Glenbard District 87’s new school day structure
By David F. Larson
they serve in common subject areas.
Summer is here—a time for rest, travel and outdoor activities. While we are enjoying the sunshine and warm weather in the present, we are also looking forward to some big changes coming to Glenbard District 87 in the fall.
Our four high schools will adopt a hybrid block schedule twice a week, and we will move our start and dismissal times later each day. These changes are part of our focus on providing students with a highquality learning experience that meets their needs and prepares them for life after high school.
What is changing
Starting in the 2024-25 school year, we will implement a hybrid block schedule on most Wednesdays and Thursdays. The schedule will feature:
• Four 90-minute periods.
• Students will attend their odd period classes on Wednesday and their even period courses on Thursdays.
• 40-minute lunch periods will occur during the third block. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays will retain the same schedule as this past year: eight periods per day, with Glenbard Hour (student support time) on Mondays and Fridays. Each high school will now feature three lunch periods.
Glenbard will also be moving school start and dismissal times 30 minutes later each day of the week:
• New start time: 8 a.m. New dismissal time: 3 p.m.
• The length of the school day does not change.
• Early dismissal on Tuesdays will continue for teachers to participate in Professional Learning Communities. This is a time that teachers collaborate to discuss ways to achieve better results for the students
• Research indicates a later start time has physiological benefits for adolescents that lead to better engagement and increased student learning.
Hybrid block and deep learning experiences
We are excited to launch a hybrid block schedule that will provide our students with deeper learning experiences. This schedule will also intentionally develop Glenbard’s Profile of a Graduate competencies within the classroom. Our vision of a Profile of a Graduate is a student who communicates, thinks critically, creates, collaborates, embraces diversity and is self-empowered.
This extra time in each class will benefit our students in numerous ways:
• Deep learning and authentic experiences for all students;
• Additional time for projects, labs and other hands-on activities;
• Experiences in classes that mirror college and work scenarios;
• Focus on fewer subjects per day on hybrid block days (four classes instead of eight);
• Less starting and stopping, transition time between classes;
• Less time on refocusing and warming up to a new subject and class;
• More time for collaboration between students.
Planning and preparation
Changes of this magnitude require patience and persistence. Students, teachers and staff will all be going through an adjustment period at the beginning as they navigate the new schedule. However, Glenbard teachers and administrators are putting in the work to make this a successful transition.
Throughout the 2023-24 school year, our talented educators participated in the district’s numerous professional development offerings. These sessions prepared them to effectively plan and teach
for deep learning in a block period. They learned about topics such as: student-led discussion and activities; student supports within the class; student choice; and teaching about our Profile of a Graduate. This focused professional development will continue in the 2024-25 school year.
Built-in student support time
This past school year, we successfully introduced the Glenbard Hour into our school day schedule.
The twice-weekly Glenbard Hour (Mondays and Fridays) is a designated resource time that allows students to access their teachers for academic support. It also reduces the need for students to arrive early or stay after school to seek assistance.
Most Glenbard Hour sessions are devoted to student agency, where they use this time in areas that benefit them most. Examples include:
• Students getting help from their teachers;
• Test and lab retakes;
• Future planning through college/ postsecondary presentations;
• Extending students’ learning;
• Students collaborating with peers.
The Glenbard Hour also features advisory sessions on topics such as:
• Course selection;
• Postsecondary planning;
• Career exploration;
• Skill development in selfmanagement, self-awareness, responsible decision making, relationship building and social awareness;
• Safety drills;
• Surveys;
• Award ceremonies and more.
I’m confident that our hybrid block schedule and changes to start and dismissal times will enhance our students’ learning experience and best prepare them for their future endeavors.
David F. Larson, Ed.D., is superintendent of Glenbard Township High School District 87.
Lombard Park District: now that the library is gone and the building is torn down, before you do anything, how about having a publicized town hall meeting so people can provide their input on what to do with that area of the park? Let’s be open. So keep us all posted; put some information out there in the paper on the emails and all that. Thank you. A taxpayer.
Editor’s note: The following is a response from the Lombard Park District: “Updates regarding the Lilacia Park property have been made public at lombardlilactime.com and lombardparks.com. Helen Plum Library and Lombard Park District are working on transferring the old library property to the Park District, which is anticipated in the coming weeks. Initially, the area will be used as a grassy space while long-term plans are developed. The Park District will host community engagement events and meetings to gather input on future plans for the added space. For updates on the project, please visit lombardparks.com.”
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Quick question: I know you don’t write many things in there about Lombard or answer questions about the Village of Lombard. I’m just wondering if you people are actually newspaper reporters, or do you work for the Village of Lombard? Thank you.
* * *
I read that in Batavia someone asked for a religious flag to be
flown at their city hall. The council was going to propose a policy about using flagpoles as “a public forum,” according to a Daily Herald article. Government property should not be a venue for displaying any kind of flag except for the United States, Illinois and municipal flags. I don’t see this as a violation of free speech, because people are entitled to display whatever flag they want on their own private property. Just don’t allow it on government property, which technically belongs to all of us.
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Hello. There are numerous people on the street corners of Lombard asking for money. Many of the people look able enough to get a real job with benefits. They stand out there in the heat and cold for hours, so they are pretty resilient. I am not judging because I do not know their personal struggles. I am worried about the man I’ve seen on the corner of Highland and Roosevelt Road most days. He seems to be elderly and looks like he may have had a stroke. That is no place for this guy to be at his age and condition. Has maybe the Lombard Community Service Officer made contact with him to see why he needs to be out there and what his daily struggles might be? Or maybe a DuPage social worker can check on him to get him help. This is no way for a human being to live out what time he may have remaining. I would talk with the guy myself but I have no resources or authority to help him. Someone
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please help this man! Thanks. *
I am trying to figure out why Democrats are so angry and they seem so desperate to stop the GOP from winning any elections. I have come to the conclusion that it comes down to one word: envy. Hatred rooted in envy appears to be the most intense kind of hatred. If you think I am wrong, listen to Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech. It is full of divisive, hateful rhetoric. Trump’s state of the union speech, on the other hand, calls for unity and is positive and pro-American. * * *
To the Speak-outter who had their property tax payments lost in the mail: just go to your local bank. Chances are you can pay right there over the counter. If they won’t do it, then the bank probably is not worth being a patron of. I pay mine every year at my bank.
There have been two commentaries (June 13, June 20) in Speak Out regarding the self-imposed pay raises that our “trusted” state legislative reps and state senators have doled out to themselves in recent past legislation. I agree with both commentaries fully. Our taxpaying body should have a say in whether our “betters” deserve a pay raise; our say being via statewide vote during election cycle voting. There have been two substantial pay raises for our public servants in the last few years, both self imposed and elected on within house. I cannot digest another one in the next year or two. Somehow, some way, in defying the super-majority Democratic held state legislatures, some smart political attorney or dedicated activist has to concoct a way to put a leash on these taxpayer-sucking mosquitoes and rein in their lust for more personal monetary gain at our expense. It only increases taxes, taxes, taxes. If there is anyone out there capable of mounting a movement to keep these leeches in check, let yourself be known. I will do all I can to aid in your crusade to make sure that any future money grabs are only
approved by the people.
* * * At what time are we Democrats going to say enough is enough and use the common sense we were born with? We can’t win the 2024 presidential election with a candidate who obviously has some sort of dementia, is all for open borders and running are economy into the ground. With all the people who claim to be Democrats, it’s hard to believe the party can’t come up with a candidate we can be confident to vote for. Nov. 5 will be here faster than you can say. Abracadabra and a great president will appear.
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It’s time to change the state from blue to red. Look what’s happened to this state; it mimics what’s happening to our country. We need to go red this year to end this craziness that the one-party system has created here in Illinois. Thank you.
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What the heck is our Democratic Party thinking? They have no positive agenda or future to offer the American people for the upcoming election. Our country is being invaded by people we don’t know. The Russians and all of our adversaries are closing in. The economy and inflation are out of control. Now they’re trying to keep a president in power that can’t even talk to us, much less world leaders. Joe Biden used to fall asleep as vice president when Obama made public addresses years ago. Who is really running the party? We need Superman to change things around and it’s going to take years
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Please, people, don’t blow off the noisy fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend. Why should we have to medicate our pets or remove them from the noise, so you can engage in an illegal activity? And consider the people with PTSD, for whom that M80 is a trigger. Oh, just tell them to go away somewhere where it is quiet so you can be selfish and blow off your fireworks? I really hope the police can put out extra manpower and patrol the streets all over town
to prevent people from blowing off fireworks. I know there is not much they can do after the fact, except when the evidence (residue) is right in the driveway or yard, and even then they can’t prove who did it. But if people know there could be a patrol vehicle on the block at any time, maybe they will think twice about it.
* * *
I was listening to a program one day where they were talking about underfunded pensions in Illinois.
Wanting to do more reading about this online, I came across a PDF file from 2020 that was over 700 pages long and listed public employees who retired and were getting a pension of at least $100,000 or more a year. This list included those who worked at elementary school districts, high school districts, state colleges and universities, and state judiciary workers. This list was an eye-opener for me. In most cases, each retiree made up the entire amount they contributed to the pension fund during their working years within two years after retiring. I noticed one person who retired from a school district around here. Their pension was a little over $215,000 a year, and their estimated lifetime payout is nearly $5 million. I looked online for a more recent list than 2020, but couldn’t find one. Is it any wonder why this state is in big trouble funding pensions?
* * *
Any fair-minded person could see in the debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden that something is wrong with Biden. He stumbled over his words, lost his train of thought and had these blank stares where he didn’t blink. And he had a week to prepare for the debate. He is clearly unfit to serve another term as president. I heard one Democrat on CNN who was a former Obama advisor (Van Jones) say while he loves Biden, he failed and Democrats should look to replace him. The only problem is Kamala Harris is waiting in the wings. She’s got worse approval ratings than Biden and is a leftwing extremist.
Casten releases statement on Chevron decision
On Friday, June 28, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of the 6th Congressional District, which includes parts of Lombard, released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the 1984 decision in Chevron v. National Resources Defense Council:
“Today we received yet another anti-majoritarian decision that is detrimental to our federal agencies,
particularly the ones doing important work to combat the climate crisis. The Court consistently fails to fulfill the will of the American people. This decision will prevent public servants from using their experience and subject matter expertise to implement policy effectively. It will limit the federal government’s ability to protect consumers, keep people healthy, and protect our planet.
“The Court’s failures are an issue Congress can and must fix. Last year, I introduced the Restoring Judicial Separation of Powers Act to revert the Court’s jurisdiction to align with Article III of the Constitution and fix the structural problems which allow the Court to be gamed for political advantages. I urge Congress to swiftly consider this legislation before more harm can be done.”
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out& about Jane Charmelo
Longtime funeral director retires Next generation continues a tradition
To hear John Brust tell it, his career path was headed in a direction other than becoming a funeral director, but a tradition and a sense of responsibility steered him toward the family business.
“I was not going to go into it [the funeral business],” the Brust Funeral Home owner and director began, because he had studied English and religion in college, and was planning to go to graduate school—possibly to major in creative writing, or go to seminary school.
However, having worked at the funeral home since he was 12, Brust already had a feel for the business.
“We were all [he and his three siblings] working in the funeral home,” doing odd jobs such as cleaning, he continued, adding that one recollection is when, during the major snowstorm of 1967, “I shoveled all day!”
But Brust’s background in the funeral business, and as a multi-generation Lombardian, actually starts before he was even born.
“My family was all from Lombard on both sides,” he recounted.
For example, Brust’s great-greatuncle Dr. Emil “Jim” Brust was the second chief of staff at Elmhurst Hospital, and he counts Lombard’s Graue, Deicke and Marquardt families as being part of his family tree.
His grandfather, Fred Brust, took care of horses at a funeral home, and during World War I was an embalmer for the U.S. Navy before becoming a funeral director in DuPage County.
After World War II, his own father, John “Jack” Brust, decided not to return to the University of Illinois, but instead, “He went to mortuary school,” Brust narrated, while working as a paymaster at a factory.
“He and my mom saved their money,” he said, and in 1952 opened Brust Funeral Home after purchasing an old farmhouse on Main Street in Lombard.
His grandfather also worked there until the 1970s, because at the time, “It was too much for one man,” he said.
Brust said he worked on the family’s Christmas tree farm to put him-
Coming events
Villa Park Library program on fertilizer July 11
Come to the Villa Park Public Library on Thursday, July 11, at 6 p.m., to learn how best to take care of your plants. Bill Karges will lead an in-depth discussion on what’s in all those bags and bottles of fertilizer. Learn what the numbers and chemicals on the fertilizer labels mean, how to properly apply fertilizer, and
self through college, and “I worked there [at the funeral home] whenever I wasn’t on the farm.”
When his mother, Anita, passed away in 1978, Brust said he decided he would help out at the funeral home, and made the choice to go to mortuary school.
“Some of it was responsibility. I was the eldest son,” he commented.
He attended Worsham College of Mortuary Science, and actually ended up teaching there part-time, while working full-time at the funeral home.
Besides, he fell in love with his future wife Karen, and wanted to get married, and “being a struggling poet [or] waiting for me to finish seminary …” Brust trailed off.
During his time as a business owner—which includes adding a second Brust Funeral Home in Villa Park in the 1990s—Brust has volunteered for many local organizations, such as the Lombard Rotary Club and the Lombard Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and he has been a supporter of the local blood drives, the Lombard Historical Society, Friends of the Helen Plum Library, the Elmhurst Dahmenchor, Germanfest, Lilac Time events and the Partnership for Educational Programs (PEP).
His professional affiliations have included being president of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association and also having membership in the Order of the Golden Rule Funeral Home Association.
He also served on the governing board and church council, and as a lector and volunteer at St. John Ev. Lutheran Church in Lombard.
Brust coached his children—Kate, John, Maggie and Ted—in their sports pursuits, such as soccer, basketball and softball, both at Glenbard East High School (his alma mater) and through travel sports programs.
Now, after being president and CEO of Brust Funeral Home since his dad retired in 1990, Brust himself has decided it is time to retire.
For one, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted him, he shared candidly, saying, “COVID was a very difficult
time for me,” adding that when family members and friends were forced to be apart, “People forgot how to interact with each other.”
Add to that, “I felt like I had seen many funeral directors get old and lose their compassion,” Brust observed, emphasizing that being compassionate is one of the key requirements of the funeral business.
“I’m 70 years old,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s a hard business. When you know a lot of people … thousands of tears.”
However, “You do meet a lot of courageous people,” the director said, from the families of loved ones to the clergy who hold their hand and pray with them—and sadly, he added, some of those clergy he has had to bury as well.
“It’s been a privilege to deal with many of those people,” Brust said with emotion.
“I’m ready to let the next gener-
ation take over,” he said of his son Ted, but “I’m not going to be completely gone from town.”
The retiring director said he will be available as a consultant and to fill in on occasion when his son is away.”
Brust reiterated that “It was a privilege to serve the people of Lombard my entire career,” but added he would be remiss if he didn’t emphasize that “I could have never done it without a very good team.”
the differences between chemical and organic options. Registration is required. For more information, visit the library’s website at www.vppl. info or call 630-834-1164.
The Villa Park Public Library builds, connects, and partners with our community to encourage exploration and discovery. The library nurtures this growth through education, literacy, technology, and fun.
Service league ice cream social July 11
GFWC Lombard Service League will be holding an Ice Cream Social for prospective, new and continuing members on July 11 at Hi View Restaurant at 7 p.m. Members will have an opportunity to order their choice of ice cream treats while socializing with each other. This event is open to any member or guest who
is interested in attending. If you plan to attend or wish to know more about the club, please call or text 630-9880625. Lombard Service League is a member of the General Federation of Women’s’ Clubs and the Illinois Federation of Women’s’ Clubs. Their mission is to provide help and service to those in the Lombard area as well as support state and national programs of the General Federation.
Wildlife center seeks donations of newspapers Willowbrook Wildlife Center is asking for donations of old newspaper to line the cages of the native wild animals they’re rehabilitating. The center can accept your newspapers from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday and on Wednesday from 9 a.m. until noon. You can call them at 630-942-6200.
Photos courtesy of Brust funeral home Rock Valley Publishing
Funeral Director John Brust is retiring after 34 years as president and CEO of Brust Funeral Home Ltd.
In one photo, he is shown with his father, John “Jack” Brust, who founded Brust Funeral Home in 1952. He is also pictured with his son Ted, who is taking over for his dad.
DuPage County allocates $626,000 to support local food pantries
The DuPage County Board recently voted to provide $626,144.05 through its Local Food Pantry Infrastructure Investment Program to assist local food pantries.
The allocations will allow 13 food pantries to fund capital equipment purchases or information technology investments.
“Food insecurity continues to be a pressing need in this county. We believe these investments will build a framework that will support food pantries into the future and continue to find new and innovative ways to get fresh food to those who need it most,”
said Human Services Committee Chair Greg Schwarze. The county provided the following allocations for food pantries:
• Abundant Children and Family Services: $50,368 for a cargo van.
• Addison Township: 78,617.98 for freezers, a pickup truck, and technology upgrades.
• Bloomingdale Township: $98,690 for a walk-in cooler and backup generator.
• DuPagePads: $81,300 for ovens, a refrigerator, cabinets, sinks, shelving, and a table
• Hands of Hope Food Pantry: $60,000 for
a cargo van and forklift.
• HCS Family Services: $74,665.03 for a refrigerated van
• Highpoint Church Care Centers: $32,370 for commercial refrigerators and freezers.
• REACH Ministries: $34,664.03 for a cargo van.
• Roselle Community Food Pantry: $12,509.94 for a refrigerator, freezer, and computers.
• St. Andrew United Methodist Church: $3,000 for tables, shelving, and bins.
• St. Pius X Conference/St.Vincent de
Paul: $784 for a laptop.
• Village Baptist Church of Aurora: $3,298 for a commercial refrigerator and freezer.
• York Township: $95,877.07 for a cargo van, forklift, shelving, and card check system.
In the last two years, DuPage County has provided more than $7 million to local food pantries and nonprofits to assist in the fight against food insecurity.
To learn more about the program, visit the county’s Food Infrastructure Program website.
Montini Catholic congratulates 2024 Brian Grigsby Memorial Scholarship recipient
Montini Catholic congratulated recent graduate Skye Houston during Montini Catholic’s Founder’s Day Award Ceremony on May 17. She was awarded the Lasallian college preparatory high school’s Brian Grigsby Memorial Scholarship, awarded each year to the student who best exhibits school spirit and leadership.
College news
• The Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.) Dean’s List for the spring semester of the 202324 academic year consisted of 760 students. To qualify for the Dean’s List, students must earn a GPA of 3.50 or better during the semester, based on 4.0 for straight As. The following students from Lombard were among the 760 students: Lauren Huber, Mackenzie Huber and Madison Reaber.
• Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) students who are ranked in the top 20 percent of undergradu-
Obituaries
RICHARD A. CRABBE, 63
Richard A. Crabbe, age 63, of Lombard, formerly of Plainfield, passed away May 1, 2024, at his home.
A Memorial Gathering will be held on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, from 3-6 p.m. at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard.
Info: www.brustfuneralhome.com or 888-629-0094.
THOMAS A. EMSLIE, 72
Thomas “Tom” A. Emslie, 72, of Lombard, died Monday, April 29, 2024, at his home after a brave battle with cancer.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, July 14, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Morton Arboretum, 4100 IL-53, Lisle, Ill., in the Sycamore Room at the Visitor Center’s West Pavilion.
Info: www.brustfuneralhome.com or 888-629-0094.
ANGELINE LUNDSTRUM, 88
Angeline “Angie” Lundstrum, nee Wozniak, age 88, of Lombard for over 55 years, passed away June 30, 2024.
Angie was the loving wife of the late Leonard; loving mother of Maria (Michael Underhill) Lundstrum of Wisconsin, Leonard L. (Julie Reinhart) Lundstrum of Naperville, Trinette (John) Wenzel of Lombard, Greg Lundstrum of Schaumburg and David Lundstrum of Lombard;
Houston was most appreciated this past school year as a core leader of Montini Catholic’s Peer Ministry Team, a faith-based ministry group whose mission is to inspire and motivate by example and to encourage students to engage in faith-based activities at Montini and in their communities. She played a huge role by facilitating events and activities
throughout the school year. It was her leadership prowess and her ability to ‘command a room’ that earned her the respect from her fellow students as well as faculty and staff members. She received Montini’s Student of the Month accolades during her junior year and the Homecoming Queen title last fall. “Skye has truly demonstrated
ate students within each division for the spring semester 2024 have been named to the Dean’s List recognizing academic excellence. They include the following students from Lombard: Benjamin Elias, Hunter Heneghan and Elaine Wesling.
• Anna Seelbach of Lombard was named to the University of Mississippi’s spring 2024 Honor Roll. Seelbach, majoring in Music, was named to the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, which is reserved for students who earn a semester GPA of 3.754.00. Judith Roelle of Lombard also
grandmother of Lucas, Erik, Rachel, Sam and Ryan. She was preceded in death by one brother, Larry Wozniak.
Angie was a graduate of Lourdes Catholic High School in Chicago.
She had lived in Lombard since the mid-1960’s. Angie was a longtime member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lombard; and was active with the Adoration Chapel.
She was a retired realtor who had worked for both Century 21 in Glen Ellyn and for Hinsdale Coldwell Banker in the 1990’s.
Above all, Angie was a loving mother and grandmother who en-
was named to the university’s spring 2024 Honor Roll. Roelle, majoring in General Business, was named to the Dean’s Honor Roll, which is reserved for students who earn a semester GPA of 3.50-3.74.
• Stephanie Dasbach of Lombard was named to the Winona State University Dean’s List for the spring semester. To be named to the Dean’s List, a student must be an undergraduate enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours for a grade) and achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.5.
joyed spending time with her family. A Visitation will be held on Friday, July 5, from 8:30 AM until the time of a Prayer Service at 9:30 AM at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard, thence processing to 10:00 AM Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 114 S. Elizabeth St., Lombard. Interment will follow at Assumption Catholic Cemetery, Wheaton.
Memorials in Angie’s name to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 114 S Main St., Lombard, IL 60148. Info: www.brustfuneralhome.com or 888-629-0094.
exceptional leadership on Montini Catholic’s Peer Ministry Team,” said Katie Miller, moderator. “She has gone above and beyond to help with our programs. She is also a great example for her peers and remains a strong and responsible leader in the halls and in the classroom. We are so impressed with her dedication to the team as well as her amazing leadership qualities.”
Coming events
At Founder’s Day, Houston was also awarded the Mother Teresa Award for Campus Ministry as well as the St. John Baptist De La Salle Award.
Angela James concert to be rescheduled
The Lombard Historical Society’s Angela James concert was cancelled due to weather and will be rescheduled. Visit lombardhistory.org for updates.
Art at the Peck Tuesdays
The Lombard Historical Society is offering Art at the Peck on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. through Aug. 13, for all ages. Visit lombardhistory.org for details.
Two Wood Street Yoga
Fitness Dayz set for July
Park District will run two Fitness Dayz yoga events at Fischer Farm and White Pines Golf Club in partnership with Wood Street Fitness during the month of July. The yoga sessions are designed to promote health, wellness and community engagement and are open to participants of all skill levels. Patrons can unwind and find inner peace during a yoga session at Fischer Farm, 16W680 Old Grand Ave. Yoga at the Farm takes place on Saturday, July 13 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Vinyasa yoga focuses on synchronized movements with breath and aims to enhance strength, flexibility and mental clarity. The event is free and open to all ages. A week later, on Saturday, July 20 from 8-10 a.m., those ages 21+ can recharge and refresh with an hour-long yoga flow with two hours of mimosas among the sounds of nature and nearby waterfall and fountain at White Pines’ Sunrise Yoga & Mimosas. The fee is $25 for the event which will be held outside the Pavilion at White Pines, 500 W. Jefferson. Sign up in advance by calling 630-766-0304 ext. 300. For more information, visit BvilleParks.org/park-n-play.
Police Reports
The Addison and Bensenville police departments recently reported the following arrests and citations. Persons who are charged with domestic battery are not named in order to protect the victim’s privacy. Readers are reminded that an arrest does not constitute a conviction, and that suspects are considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Juveniles age 17-or-younger are not named.
Addison
June 18
Jose R. Coronel Zavala, 37, of Addison, was charged with title/registration possession offenses, driving while license expired more than a year and operating wipers without headlights in the 300 block of E. Fullerton at 10:35 p.m.
June 17
Silverio Aguilar-Pena, 30, of Addison, was charged with DUI, driving while license suspended, transportation of alcohol by a driver and operating wipers without headlights near Lake and Grand at 4:53 a.m.
Agustin Calixto Simon, 28, of Addison, was charged with failure to reduce speed, driving while license expired and two counts of DUI in the 500 block of Neva at 2:55 a.m.
John W. Dalton, 29, of Downers Grove, was charged with burglary, retail theft of displayed merchandise and criminal trespass to a building in the 100 block of W. Lake at 11:31 a.m.
June 16
A 27-year-old Addison man was charged with interfering with reporting domestic violence and two counts of domestic battery in the 1-100 block of S. Ruga at 8:26 p.m.
June 15
Ivan F. Naranjo Cardona, 47, of Elgin, was charged with two counts of DUI, making an improper U-turn and no insurance near Lake and Marcus at 11:20 p.m.
June 14
Alfred P. Kolek, 53, of Addison, was charged with theft of lost/mislaid property under $500 at 2:41 a.m.
June 13
Rachael V. Moreno, 25, of Addison, was charged with violation of an
Follow the ‘Olmec Trails’ to the DuPage Forest Preserves Iconic heads on display at four preserves
throughout the county
order of protection in the 800 block of Meacham, Elk Grove Village, at 12:11 a.m.
A 24-year-old Addison woman was charged with two counts of domestic battery in the 300 block of W. Park at 10:26 p.m.
June 12
Derek Robert Westbrook, 29, of Addison, was charged with criminal damage to property and aggravated assault at 12:23 a.m.
A 55-year-old Addison man was charged with two counts of domestic battery in the 300 block of N. Mill at 3:15 a.m.
Bensenville
June 26, 9:09 a.m. in the 100 block W. Roosevelt Ave., a complainant reported an unknown suspect used their information to make a fraudulent check and withdrew money from her account. This incident is under investigation. BEPC2400504
June 25, 10:23 p.m. near W. Grand Ave. and S. York Road., Gonzalo G. Figueroa-Carrillo, 37, of Bensenville, was arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol. Police said Gonzalo refused to provide a breath sample, and a search warrant was obtained for his blood. He was released with pending charges awaiting lab results. BEPC2400502
June 24, 6:17 p.m. in the 200 block of W. Main St., Michelle D. Ayers, 52, of Bensenville, was arrested for harassment through electronic communications. Ayers was later transported to DuPage County for processing their warrant. BEPC24007428
June 24, 9:17 p.m. in the 100 block of W. Irving Park Road, Ixzel Hernandez, 27, of Bensenville, was arrested for criminal trespass and two Cook County warrants. Also, Javier Jimenez, 32, of Chicago, was arrested for possession of a stolen motor vehicle. The vehicle was allegedly stolen out of Schiller Park. BEPC2400498
June 24, 11:51 p.m. in the 100 block of W. Irving Park Road, a complainant reported their credit card stolen from a gas station This incident is under investigation. BEPC2400499
June 19, 6:55 p.m. in the 200 block of W. West St., police said Fabian R. Diaz, 33, of Bensenville, was arrested on an original in jurisdiction warrant. BEPC2400478
This summer, visitors to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County can experience the rich cultural heritage of the ancient Olmec civilization through “Olmec Trails: Culture and Legacy.”
This new outdoor exhibit features hand-painted large-scale renditions of iconic Mesoamerican stone sculptures and not only highlights the culture of the ancient Olmec civilization but also provides the physical and mental benefits of getting outside.
Twelve of the 33 colossal stone heads are on display at four forest preserves: St. James Farm in Warrenville, Kline Creek Farm in West Chicago, and Fullersburg Woods and Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook.
“The Forest Preserve District is thrilled to be part of the ‘Olmec Trails: Culture and Legacy’ public art exhibit,” said Anamari Dorgan, the district’s director of Community Engagement.
“Showcasing these magnificent works of art in our open spaces aligns perfectly with our mission to connect people to nature and cultural heritage.
Being a part of this collaborative exhibit enriches the forest preserve experience for our residents and visitors by highlighting the importance of preserving and celebrating diverse artistic and historical traditions in a natural setting,” she said.
Crafted by the Olmecs between 1400 BCE and 400 BCE, the original Olmec heads originated in south-
ern Veracruz, Mexico, and are celebrated globally for their artistic and historical significance.
“Olmec Trails: Culture and Legacy” is organized by the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage in coordination with Meztli Mexico and in partnership with the College of DuPage Public Art Project and the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau. The “Olmec Trails” exhibit not only honors the indigenous roots of Mexican heritage but also highlights the importance of public art, featuring the creativity of over 30 contemporary artists from North America.
For more information and a map of locations throughout the county, visit the “Olmec Trails” exhibition’s webpage at www.theccma.org/olmectrails.
As Illinois session ends, lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate wetland protections fails
The U.S. Supreme Court reversed a major Clean Water Act provision protecting wetlands. Illinois lawmakers attempted to codify protections into state law during this year’s session. The bill will be brought up again during the fall veto session.
By Jennifer Bamberg INVESTIGATE MIDWEST
In 2006, 19-year-old Jessica Whiston inherited 20 acres of land that her grandparents once farmed in Quincy, Illinois. The land had sat dormant since the 1980s and was overgrown, but Whiston and her husband Bradley worked to turn it into a productive farm. The couple were eventually able to produce 100,000 pounds of vegetables a season.
In July 2015, a powerful storm tore through Quincy, downing massive trees and knocking out power for several counties. Seven and a half inches of rain fell in less than an hour, causing the creek behind the farm to overflow. Six feet of black water, inundated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides and runoff from animal operations nearby, flooded her fields.
“We lost everything,” said Whiston. “We didn’t have enough money to replant and we didn’t have any money to pay our mortgage. I just thought, ‘Well, that was it. We tried really hard and there’s no coming back from this.’”
Severe weather caused by climate change, such as more frequent flooding, was one issue Illinois lawmakers tried to address during this year’s legislative session, which ended May 29.
Among the bills that did not pass is a piece of legislation that sought to restore protections for wetlands stripped last year in a United States Supreme Court decision. In May 2023, federal protections for wetlands were gutted, weakening Clean Water Act protections for millions of acres of wetlands across the U.S.
An Illinois bill, SB 771, or the Wetlands Protection Act, that would have
reinstated those protections in the state passed in committee, but failed to make it to the chamber floors of the General Assembly. The bill will be considered again during the veto session this fall.
“We’re definitely disappointed the legislature didn’t act right away,” said Jennifer Walling, executive director for the Illinois Environmental Council. “They need to. This is an election issue, and we could be in even worse shape with a different president.”
Sponsors of the bill said a law is needed for Illinois to fill the gap left by the Supreme Court decision. The reinstatement of regulations would ultimately help reduce flooding in vulnerable communities and improve water quality, proponents said.
One major opponent of the legislation was the Illinois Farm Bureau, which also signed onto the federal lawsuit that eventually reversed wetland protections. Chris Davis, the farm bureau’s director of state legislation, said its opposition stemmed from not enough protections for landowners.
“Illinois Farm Bureau agrees wetlands provide certain benefits and supports reasonable efforts to discourage their conversion,” Davis said in an emailed statement. “However, this should not mean that, in all instances, wetland conversion is unnecessary or that private landowners should solely bear the cost of protecting wetlands.”
Sen. Laura Ellman (D-Naperville), sponsor of the senate Wetlands Protection Bill, said that she’s still committed to working with the farm bureau this summer.
“I still want to engage with the farm bureau, in spite of them never being able to support the bill or probably even be neutral,” she said, “to help make our bill better and to serve their members, our Illinois farmers. They can still help make the bill better.”
House bill sponsor Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin) did not return requests for comment.
For Liz Rupel, lead organizer with the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, the 2024 legislative season was “a mixed bag” when it comes to conservation in agriculture. While some conservation bills passed this legislative session, including increased funding for socially-disadvantaged farmers, more money for cover crop assistance programs, and funding toward planting native wetland and prairie plants, other bills that could have an impact did not pass, she said.
One of the “most devastating setbacks,” she said, is budget cuts for an important agricultural conservation program. The Soil and Water Conservation District’s operating budget was slashed in half. The organization provides technical assistance to farmers who implement conservation practices, like planting cover crops to prevent dust storms or installing or restoring a wetland on their property to prevent flooding.
Changing the tide of perception
Proponents of the bill said the farm bureau’s messaging is far from accurate.
“They are terrifying their members,” said Paul Botts, executive director and president of the Wetland Initiative.
According to Botts, a lot of the tension around wetland regulations and agricultural practices comes from a combination of culture, myths and misunderstanding.
“Many people in this country have the idea and have been told by authoritative voices that if a place becomes wet, it might legally now be officially a wetland,” Botts said. “That is utterly untrue, has never been true since we’ve had the concept of definitions of wetlands in law and science.”
Since 2013, the Wetland Initiative has worked with farmers to develop small wetlands on their land to treat agricultural runoff.
Quantum technology companies set for big tax incentives under new law
By Andrew Adams CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
Gov. JB Pritzker last week gave final approval to a plan to bolster the state’s tech industry, including an incentives package—backed by $500 million in the state budget—aimed at making Illinois the nation’s leader in quantum computing.
Economic development package also expands film, EV industry tax breaks computers can store more information than atoms in the observable universe,” David Awschalom, professor of quantum science and engineering at the University of Chicago, told Capitol News Illinois.
The package also expands tax credits for the film industry, extends a tax credit program for research and development by five years, and broadens the eligibility for companies seeking tax credits under programs initially launched to help the electric vehicle and microchip industries.
Proponents of the legislation, which include a who’s who of business leaders and representatives of organized labor, say it will help attract businesses to the state, encourage growth and generate jobs. The programs will generate an estimated $21 billion in new state revenue over the next 30 years, according to the governor’s office.
The largest new program set up in the legislation would designate a “quantum campus” somewhere in the state. Businesses in that area would receive tax breaks on construction, materials purchase and use taxes, similar to an existing enterprise zone program.
This is tied to $500 million in capital funding, which was approved earlier this month as part of the state’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
That includes $100 million in funding for construction at the site, $200 million for a cryogenic facility and $200 million in matching funds for federal grant programs. That’s on top of $200 million the state spent on quantum computing four years ago.
The legislation signed last week also opens up some existing programs to quantum computing companies, notably the Manufacturing Illinois Chips for Real Opportunity, or MICRO, program, created in 2022 to boost the semiconductor industry.
While site selection for the quantum campus is underway, it will likely be in or near Chicago, which is already home to the Chicago Quantum Exchange, a partnership between major universities in the region and Chicagoland’s two national labs, as well as the Bloch Quantum Tech Hub, a federally supported research hub. The city is also home to several quantum startups such as EeroQ, qBraid and memQ.
The technology has attracted significant attention—with governments around the world putting billions into researching it—for its potential to upend computing, communications and several fields of research.
Quantum technologies rely on the often counterintuitive behavior of subatomic particles, which exist in multiple positions at once until they are observed and can be “entangled” so that when an action is taken on one particle, the same effect is felt by another particle. These properties, if properly engineered, result in machines that can be orders of magnitude more powerful than building-sized supercomputers.
“Even modestly sized quantum
Other benefits of the technology when compared to traditional computing come from the speed at which it operates. In 2019, a research team at Google published a paper claiming that their computer conducted a task in 200 seconds that would have taken a modern supercomputer roughly 10,000 years to complete.
That machine utilized 53 qubits— short for quantum bit, the basic unit of information in computing. With each additional qubit, according to Awschalom, machines double in performance, leading to exponentially more powerful computers.
Last year, researchers at IBM unveiled what they say is a quantum computer chip with 1,121 qubits.
Still, the field is young enough that its future remains uncertain. Quantum machines can be “noisy,” since simply observing their components causes them to change their behavior. This requires that the core pieces of the machine be sealed off from the outside world, making a subfield of research into quantum error correc-
tion an unsolved technical issue. At this early stage, it’s also hard to nail down exactly how quantum technology will be used. Awschalom said the development of quantum technology could be as impactful as early research into the transistor in the 1940s and 50s—a component that makes modern computers possible.
“No one at the time thought about integrated circuits, no one could see putting billions of them on a chip. That wasn’t even on people’s radar” he said. “Now what about GPS? Now what about my cell phone? So today with the birth of this new technology, one of the most exciting things is it’s likely the very highest impact things are still in front of us. We may not even see them yet.”
Pritzker said the state needs to capture the industry at this early stage— when few people can explain what a quantum computer is and practical use cases are still theoretical—to avoid repeating mistakes made 30 years ago with the internet. He pointed out that the first web browser and early internet startups like PayPal and YouTube were created in Illinois.
“We were poised in the early 90s and late 80s to be the leading state for development of the internet and most
people had no idea what the internet was in 1990…” Pritzker said. “Nobody in the state had a strategy for ‘how do we keep those companies or the development of that industry in Illinois?’ There was no strategy and it got up and left.”
In an application for a funding designation from the federal government, the Bloch Quantum Tech Hub—Chicago’s federally supported research hub—claimed that by 2035, it would generate “$8.7B in annual economic output and create 5,3008,000 high-paying jobs.”
Incentives for green tech, film, R&D
The Pritzker administration and Illinois lawmakers’ attention to quantum computing mirrors state involvement in other industries, such as electric vehicles, semiconductors
and the film industry.
Under one of the newest of these, the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles Program, the state has given $1 billion in credits to 10 manufacturing companies in Illinois that have some connection to the electric vehicle industry or renewable energy. These deals are expected to create 4,600 new jobs and require companies to retain 7,200 existing jobs, according to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
The law signed last week expands the program to now include companies in their research and development phases, steel manufacturers with net zero carbon emissions and companies that build electric aircraft.
Intersect Illinois, an economic development agency created by then-
See QUANTUM, Page 10
• Quantum
(Continued from page 9)
Gov. Bruce Rauner, has brokered many of the largest business deals in the state since its creation 8 years ago. Its chairman told Capitol News Illinois that tax credit programs are a “key part” of the state’s toolkit, but not the only reason companies set up shop in the state.
“State incentives such as the REV (Reimagining Energy and Vehicles) Act have helped to attract significant
investment and thousands of good paying jobs from EV companies including Rivian, Gotion and TCCI,”
Intersect Illinois chair John Atkinson said in a statement. “At the same time, those companies noted the state’s infrastructure and workforce as reasons for growing here, along with state support—it’s the complete package.”
Pritzker defended this indus-
try-specific model of economic development as a way to give Illinois the edge in industries where the state has a “right to win” and expand the number of industries Illinois can rely on during economic downturns.
“When we go through difficult economic times as a nation or across the world, Illinois tends not to get, you know, drawn down as much as some other places that have one or
Worship Services Directory
Timothy Evangelical
two industries that they rely upon,” Pritzker said last week.
In addition to programs boosting Illinois’ industrial strategy, the new law also expands one of Illinois’ most popular and longest-running tax credit programs.
The Economic Development for a Growing Economy program, or EDGE, created 25 years ago to incentivize business relocation and
Coming events
Plum Library program July 12
Firefly Family Theatre Presents: Under the Stars
expansion, will now offer 15-year benefits packages for companies set to create over 100 jobs, five years longer than what is currently offered. In 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, the program handed out $38.2 million in credits to 38 companies around the state, according to reports filed with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Sunday Worship at 10:15 am
Lent and Easter Services at 7 p.m.
Sunday School & Bible Study 9 am
“The Crucial Hours”
Wednesday Service at 7 pm
Second Lenten Service March 9, 2022
Rev. David Ernest “Satan Has Asked to Sift All of You” Jerusalem Lutheran, Morton Grove Matthew 27:15-26
Adult Bible Study after Wednesday Service
Saturday, July 27 Game Night at 4 pm
Everyone is Welcome!
Third Lenten Service March 16, 2022
Rev. Paul Spaude “What to Remember When Your are St. Matthews, Niles Seized with Remorse”
All services are live streamed. Watch on our website or on Facebook. sainttimothy.org
Fourth Lenten Service March 23, 2022 Rev. Jonathan Bergemann “I Will Keep the Passover” Good Shepherd, Downers Grove Matthew 26:18
Friday, July 1, at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Visit Spark the Firefly and her friends for a night in Firefly Grove. Under the Stars includes puppets, original music, interactive movement, and lots of summer fun.
Registered event for families with children of all ages; Helen Plum Library card is required. Register at helenplum.org.
Operation EDDA Homeless Persons Survival Movement
Guardian Corps of America (GCA) is a direct outreach organization working directly with homeless veterans on the streets in the greater Chicagoland area providing food, clothing, sleeping gear and hygiene kits (care
packages), and works directly with homeless veterans and helps assist in the transition to permanent housing. Your donation will help support and achieve that mission. For information and to make a donation, visit www. usaguardian.org.
Versiti/Knights blood drive July 13
The Fr. Boecker Council 6090/ Christ the King Council 10027 Knights will host a Versiti blood drive Saturday, July 13, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 114 S. Elizabeth St., Lombard. Appointments are appreciated but walkins are welcome. All attempting donors will be entered for a chance to win a grill/accessories. Visit www. versiti.org/IL or call 800-7TO-GIVE to schedule an appointment.
Fifth Lenten Service March 30, 2022
Rev. Tom Nicholson “They Bound Him” Resurrection, Aurora John 18:12
Sixth Lenten Service April 6, 2022 Rev. Phil Schupmann “The Semblance of Legality” Resurrection, Aurora Luke 22:66
Weekend Masses: Saturday: 4 PM (Vigil) Sunday: 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30 AM and 6 PM
Daily Masses: Monday—Friday: 6:15 and 8:15 AM Saturday: 8:15 AM
Confessions: Saturday: 3-3:45PM
Adoration:
SCOTUS ruling could upend federal corruption cases for Madigan, allies
Court narrows scope of federal bribery law used to charge former speaker, ‘ComEd Four’
By Hannah Meisel Capitol News illiNois
The U.S. Supreme Court last week narrowed the scope of a federal bribery law prosecutors have relied on in their cases against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and several of his allies convicted of bribing him.
A jury last spring found those allies—former lobbyists and executives for electric utility Commonwealth Edison—guilty on all counts, while a judge earlier this year pushed Madigan’s trial to October in order to wait for the high court’s decision on the federal bribery statute.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled that the federal bribery statute—referred to as “Section 666”— does not criminalize “gratuities” given to a state or local public official after he or she has already performed an official act.
The high court’s decision narrowing the scope of Section 666 only to bribes, which require a quid pro quo, bolsters defense arguments made during last spring’s ComEd case.
Prosecutors alleged the utility bribed Madigan with jobs and contracts for the speaker’s allies in exchange for favorable legislation in Springfield. But attorneys for the “ComEd Four” argued the utility’s legislative wins were due to a multi-year strategic campaign, including spending big to contract with some of Springfield’s most influential lobbyists.
An attorney for close Madigan confidant
Mike McClain, a longtime Springfield lobbyist who is a defendant in both bribery cases, predicted last week that the ComEd case will have to be retried.
“We will be asking the court to vacate the conviction at a minimum,” attorney Patrick Cotter told Capitol News Illinois.
As for the case in which McClain is a co-defendant with Madigan, Cotter said his legal team would likely challenge the charges that rely on the federal bribery statute and may make other arguments, including that the grand jury indicted Madigan and McClain under an “incorrect” law.
Former U.S. Attorney Scott Lassar, who represents former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, had vowed to appeal the case after the trial concluded last spring, but a delay in the ComEd defendants’ sentencings has prevented that so far.
“The Supreme Court decision makes clear that what Anne Pramaggiore was charged with is not a crime,” Lassar told Capitol News Illinois.
An attorney for Madigan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week’s high court decision stems from a 2021 conviction of a northwest Indiana mayor who accepted $13,000 from a company that had recently won contracts to sell garbage trucks to the city. Former Portage, Indiana Mayor James Snyder argued that payment was a “gratuity” and not a bribe.
Second annual Elmhurst Lifelong Learning Summer Institute to feature legendary
radio personality Terri Hemmert
American Industrialist Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”
In 2023, some local lifelong learning advocates planned the Inaugural Elmhurst Lifelong Learning Summer Institute. The pilot program exceeded all expectations and this year, with funding from Community Bank of Elmhurst, the program is available to the general public.
The Summer Institute is a three-evening program (July 15, 16 and 17), featuring a different presenter each night. Each presentation will be held at a different Elmhurst institution.
On Monday, July 15, Classic Cinemas President, CEO, and Chief Popcorn Eater, Chris Johnson, will present, “A Behind the Scenes Look at the Business of Modern Cinema” at York Theatre (150 N. York Street). After his presentation, attendees can stay for a special free showing of the 1980 hit comedy ‘Airplane’. Popcorn and refreshments will be provided courtesy of Community Bank of Elmhurst.
Elmhurst University professor, Jim Kulich Ph.D., will present, “Bring Your Data to Life” on Tuesday, July 16, in the Founders Lounge at the
Frick Center on the University’s campus (190 S. Prospect Ave.).
Dr. Kulich is the director of the University’s Masters in Data Science program. After his presentation, attendees will be treated to a special tour of the Barbara A. Kieft Accelerator ArtSpace on campus.
Capping off this year’s program on Wednesday, July 17, renowned American radio personality, musicologist and Beatles expert, Terri Hemmert will present, “A Legendary Career in Radio and the Fab Four.”
Hemmert, a graduate of Elmhurst University, began her on-air career as a student disc jockey at the school’s radio station, WRSE-FM. Her presentation will be held at Community Bank of Elmhurst (330 W. Butterfield Road at Spring Road) and be followed by a heavy appetizer and cocktail reception.
Each evening’s program will begin with refreshments at 6:30 pm, with the interactive presentation beginning at 7:00 pm. The cost of the Summer Institute is $20 for one attendee and $30 for two members of the same family. This cost includes an Elmhurst Lifelong Learning Summer Institute polo shirt and three nights of interesting presentations and refreshments.
Space is limited and registration information is available by emailing or calling Ms. Nancy Brook at Community Bank of Elmhurst (nbrook@communityelmhurst.com or 630-782-1234). Deadline for registration is Monday, July 8.
Writing for the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said when crafting the law, Congress was deliberate in its use of the word “rewarded.” He gave a hypothetical example of a bribe where a quid pro quo agreement was made before the official act but the payment was made after the act.
“An official might try to defend against the bribery charge by saying that the payment was received only after the official act and therefore could not have ‘influenced’ the act,” Kavanaugh wrote. “By including the term ‘rewarded,’ Congress made clear that the timing of the agreement is the key, not the timing of the payment, and thereby precluded such a potential defense.”
He also wrote that a gratuity offered and accepted “may be unethical or illegal under other federal, state, or local laws” but treating it the same as a bribe would set “a vague and unfair trap for 19 million state and local officials” who are often given gifts.
The court’s three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson writing for the minority that the Justice Department’s reliance on Section 666 has not been “the dragnet for public school teachers, soccer coaches, or trash collectors that the majority conjures.”
“Rather, the real cases in which the Govern-
ment has invoked this law involve exactly the type of palm greasing that the statute plainly covers and that one might reasonably expect Congress to care about when targeting graft in state, local, and tribal governments,” Jackson wrote. “After today, however, the ability of the Federal Government to prosecute such obviously wrongful conduct is left in doubt.”
The high court’s acceptance of the bribery case in December, in addition to health issues faced by U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, who oversaw the ComEd trial, indefinitely delayed the ComEd defendants’ sentencings originally scheduled for January.
Leinenweber died earlier this month after a battle with lung cancer and the case has been transferred to U.S. District Judge Manish Shah. Last week, Shah scheduled a status hearing in the case for July 9.
Cotter told Capitol News Illinois he didn’t “have an opinion” about whether the scheduled Oct. 8 start date for Madigan and McClain’s trial would have to be pushed.
But he said in both cases, June 26 was “a good day” after the Supreme Court’s decision.
“It’s been a very long war and it’s not over by a longshot, but today we won an important battle in that war,” Cotter said. “But it doesn’t mean the war is over.”
Terri Hemmert
At the Olde Tyme Base Ball game held at Elmhurst University on Sunday, June 23, representatives from the “A League of Our Own” World War II Girls Baseball Living History League came to the event, wearing authentic uniforms from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Pictured are (from left): Barrister “The Right Honorable Dandy” Dave Oberg, Rebecca Tulloch, Gabby Meeks, Joy Hyznyz and Chantale Shea. Hyznyz shared that when she was five years old, she was told she couldn’t play baseball because she was a girl, so she proved them wrong!
Old Tyme Base Ball brings out ‘Towns’
and ‘Gowns’
Representatives from WWII Girls Baseball Living History attend
By Dee Longfellow FOr rOck vaLLEy PubLisHiNG
Sunday, June 23 was a beautiful day for baseball on the Elmhurst University College Mall, where Elmhurst University staff and alumni (the Gown team) and City of Elmhurst staff and elected officials (the Town team) battled it out in this year’s “Town vs. Gown” old-fashioned baseball game, played by the wildly different rules of 1858.
Decked in authentic 1850s garb, Dave Oberg from the Elmhurst History Museum served as “barrister,” or umpire, and did a fine job of not only calling the balls and strikes, but exchanging old-time banter with the players and the audience.
Representatives of “A League of Our Own” WWII Girls Baseball Living History League came to the event wearing their authentic uniforms from those days of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Due to other commitments, Elmhurst Mayor Scott Levin and University President Dr. Troy VanAken were unable to be participate this year—they are usually the captains of the Town and Gown team, respectively.
Instead, this year’s “Town” team was led by former Elmhurst Mayor Steve “Tater” Morley, while John “No-Quit” Quigley, of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce and an Elmhurst University alum, served as cap-
tain of the “Gown” team.
Before the game, each player was invited to announce his own “nickname,” bringing up monikers like “The Mitten,” “Squints,” “Stonewall,” “Black Foot,” and many others. If there was a prize for the best nicknames, it likely would be given to Scott “The Half-Italian Stallion” LaMorte and his son Luke “The Quarter-Italian Stallion.”
The “Town” team was down going into the seventh and final inning, but they rallied for five runs to tie the score in the bottom of the seventh. But the “Gowns” came back score again, ultimately winning the game 13-12.
But just wait till next year!
Summer cookout cost hits record high
Increase due to inflation, supply chain disruptions
By Tammie Sloup
The cost of a summer cookout continues to climb with inflation and supply chain disruptions driving grocery store prices.
American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual marketbasket survey reported an Independence Day cookout will cost $71.22 for 10 guests this year—a 5% jump from last year at $7.12 per person. The cost rose nearly 30% from five years ago and is a record high since AFBF began the survey in 2013.
The cookout favorites include a dozen items, such as cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, homemade potato salad, strawberries and ice cream, among other products.
“As families and friends gather to celebrate the 4th of July, this survey is a reminder that inflation continues to strain all our wallets. Farmers are no exception to this — we often shop at the same grocery stores as our neighbors and friends — but in addition to higher food costs, we are also feeling the pressure of increased production expenses,” Illinois Farm Bureau President Brian Duncan said.
“The price of fuel, fertilizer and other necessary inputs that are used to grow America’s food supply have all gone up in recent years.”
Ground beef and lemons saw the highest price increases, while prices dropped for chicken breasts and potato salad.
The retail price for 2 pounds of ground beef increased 11% to $12.77. Lemonade will cost $4.19, up 12% from 2023.
AFBF Economist Bernt Nelson said constricting cattle supplies, drought and citrus greening disease are driving those increases.
“The range on the prices of lemons was astronomical. We saw a 3-pound bag of lemons as high as $19 in some instances, and so that really pulled up the price of making two and a half quarts of lemonade,” Nelson told RFD Radio.
The survey found two exceptions
to the price increases. Chicken is down 4% from last year, at $7.83 for 2 pounds. Potato salad is also 4% less expensive than last year, at $3.32. Chicken supplies have stabilized, and potato crops have recovered from the previous year’s poor weather.
Illinois’ cookout cost is 37 cents higher than the national average at $71.59. Compared with the U.S., the average price of chips in Illinois was 26% higher at $6.17, but ground beef and lemons were lower by 9% and 12%, respectively.
“Inflation really is the biggest underlying factor to most of these price increases, and that really has caused a lot of stress to the consumer, and it’s leading them to have to make difficult decisions when they’re at the grocery store,” Nelson said. “It’s something we haven’t thought of in a while, because we haven’t had real high inflation for quite some time. But when we’re at the grocery store and consumers are evaluating this, they’re having to decide what foods to select to fit their budget, and when things become more costly, these decisions become more critical for a lot of people.”
The U.S. still has one of the most affordable food supplies in the world, with America’s families spending a smaller percentage of their income on food than any other country.
“It is also important to remember that higher grocery store prices don’t necessarily mean that farmers are benefiting. We are price takers, not price makers,” Duncan said. “Yet, despite these challenges, America still has one of the most affordable food supplies in the world thanks to the many programs included in the farm bill. That’s why it is crucial for Congress to work together to pass a new, modernized farm bill.”
This story was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com.
DuPage County announces annual road construction plan
The DuPage County Division of Transportation recently announced its 2024 Construction Program, focusing on maintaining and improving the county’s infrastructure.
The Construction Program proposes $36.1 million in federal and county funds to maintain existing infrastructure, while implementing projects to improve safety and relieve congestion. Fifty-seven lane miles of DuPage County highway are due to be resurfaced under the plan. These projects will improve rideability and extend the service life of existing pavement.
“Our goal for the annual Transportation Construction Program is to maintain or improve the safety and accessibility of our roads in a comprehensive and cost-effective manner,” said Transportation Committee Chair Mary FitzGerald Ozog. “Our larger projects aim to reduce
the congestion, ensure the state of good repair of our capital facilities, and improve the overall mobility for residents, workers, and visitors in DuPage County.”
The major road projects in 2024 include:
• Completion of the intersection improvement at 87th Street and Woodward Avenue
Reconstruction of the Geneva Road bridge over the West Branch DuPage River.
• Reconstruction and widening of Fabyan Parkway in West Chicago west of Illinois Route 38/Roosevelt Road.
• Intersection improvements on Lemont Road from 83rd Street to 87th Street.
• Roadway and intersection improvements on Naperville Road between Ridgeland Avenue and Interstate 88.
• Reconstruction of the Warrenville Road bridge over the East Branch DuPage River.
• York Road reconstruction from Devon Avenue to north of Illinois Route 19/Irving Park Road.
In addition to these larger projects, major roadways to be resurfaced include:
• Finley Road from Butterfield Road to Ogden Avenue.
Meyers Road from Roosevelt Road to Butterfield Road.
• Warrenville Road from Illinois Route 53 to Finley Road.
Winfield Road from Warrenville Road to Diehl Road.
• Medinah Road from Irving Park Road to Army Trail Road.
• Villa Avenue south of Lake Street to North Avenue.
• Swift Road (Collins Avenue to St. Charles Road).
• St. Charles Road (Riford Road to
Illinois Route 53).
The County Board approved the annual Construction Program as part of its five-year Transportation Improvement Program, which runs through 2028.
The plan dedicates more than $327 million in federal and County funds over the next five years for road safety and congestion projects. Approximately $50 million will be allocated to improve rideability and extend the service life of existing pavement.
Another $32 million will be utilized for bridge repair. The plan also includes a new highway maintenance facility as part of the Division of Transportation’s ongoing effort to modernize its services.
The program also emphasizes new and improved bikeways and multiuse paths, as well as drainage projects that will relieve areas of chronic flooding.
For additional information on DuPage County transportation projects, or to learn more about the fiveyear Transportation Improvement Program, please visit the county’s website.
event
Bullet journaling for beginners at Villa Park Library
Want to try bullet journaling but are too intimidated by the museum quality examples on Pinterest to try? Come to the Villa Park Public Library on Wednesday, July 10, at 7 p.m. to learn the basics of bullet journaling, including, but not limited to sample layouts and possible uses to find the right fit for you. Registration is required. For more information, visit the library’s website at www. vppl.info or call 630-834-1164.
PUZZLE Page
SUDOKU
Fun by the Numbers
Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How
It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
CLUES ACROSS
1. Six (Spanish)
5. Invests in little enterprises
9. Large dung beetle
11. Gored
13. Partially paralyzed
15. Still a little wet
16. Legal field media company
17. Not working
19. 500 sheets of paper
21. Church structure
22. Sheep disease
23. Small drink of whiskey
25. Weaving tradition
26. Pestilence
27. Body part
29. Nabs
31. Places to stay
33. Witnesses
34. Looked for
36. Arranges
38. Political action committee
39. Middle eastern nation (alt. sp.)
41. Hair-like structure
43. Parts producer
44. Greek city
46. Subway dwellers
48. Norm from “Cheers”
52. Clean a floor
53. Vied for
54. Canned fish
56. Inspire with love
57. Sent down moisture
58. Wrest
59. Partner to carrots
CLUES DOWN
1. Mounted
2. Assign
3. Wrath
4. Self-immolation by fire ritual
5. Parts of an organism
6. Person from England
7. Tropical plants of the pea family
8. Body part
9. Practice boxing
10. Containers
11. Contrary beliefs
12. Bleached
14. Pre-Islamic Egyptian
15. A group of similar things
ordered one after another
18. Innermost spinal cord membranes
20. Cassava
24. A restaurant’s list of offerings
26. Annoy constantly
28. Orchestrate
30. Z Z Z
ABOVE GROUND
ALGAE
BACKFLOW
BACKYARD
BROMIDE CALCIUM
CHLORINE
CLEANER
COVER DEPTH
DRAIN
FLOCCULANT FLOW
HEATER
IN-GROUND LINER
POOL PUMP SCALE
SHOCK
SKIMMER STABILIZER VALVES
32. Astute
34. Highly decorated tea urn
35. Teach to behave
37. Endurance
38. Urinating
40. Barbie friend dolls
42. Repents
43. Man-eating giant
45. Jewish calendar month
47. Accelerated
49. Husband of Sita in Hindu
50. Lump of semiliquid substance
51. Lying in wait
55. Cease to exist Answers on page 16
Sports
Waves swim to a pair of decisive home victories
Lombard moves to 3-3; Waves will finish their regular season with this Saturday’s home meet
The Lombard Waves won two home meets last week to improve their 2024 DuPage Swim and Dive Conference record to 3-3. The Waves defeated the Hanover Park Sailfish 478-145 on June 26 at Paradise Bay Water Park. Lombard completed its week with a 464-135 home win over the Glendale Heights Dolphins on Saturday.
The Waves who won three individual events during Saturday’s meet against Glendale Heights included Connor Wedel, who raced to his victories in the 11-12 boys level. He won the 100-yard individual medley, completing the race in 1 minute, 27.02 seconds. He also won the 50-yard butterfly, which he finished in 45.10 seconds, and the 50-yard breaststroke (44.08).
Lombard’s Allie Walden delivered three first-place performances in the 13-14 girls division on Saturday. She won the 50-yard freestyle (31.49), the 50-yard butterfly (34.71) and the 50-yard backstroke (38.98).
Abigail Schnittker of the Waves swam to three wins in the 15-18 level of Saturday’s meet against Glendale Heights. She won the 50-yard freestyle (27.09), the 100-yard freestyle (59.29) and the 50-yard backstroke (31.27).
Lombard’s two-time individual champions in Saturday’s meet included:
8-and-under girls: Avery Norman (25-yard freestyle; 20.91; 50yard freestyle; 46.00)
8-and-under boys: Daniel Petrine (25-yard butterfly; 36.14; 25yard backstroke; 26.88)
Lombard swimmers dominated the relay events in Saturday’s meet, winning all but one of the relay races.
The Waves’ 8-and-under boys foursome of Joshua DeKoekkoek, Daniel Petrine, Marshall Victor and Collin Molloy won two races on Saturday. The four boys won the 100yard medley relay (2:11.37) and the
100-yard freestyle relay (1:41.77).
Lombard’s 11-12 boys quartet of Luke Bolotin, Connor Wedel, Lucas Jackson and Matthew Goosman raced to two relay victories in Saturday’s meet. The four Waves won the 200-yard medley relay (3:05.44) and the 200-yard freestyle relay (2:38.23).
The Waves’ 15-18 boys relay foursome of Mason McKenna, Adriano Bifero, Adam Hollis and Benjamin Bates produced a pair of firstplace finishes on Saturday. The four boys won the 200-yard medley relay (1:56.25) and the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:42.09).
The Waves will complete their
2024 regular season with a home meet against Roselle this Saturday, July 6. Some Lombard swimmers will close out the season by swimming in the conference’s White Division ‘B’ Meet on July 13. Other Waves will wrap up the season by competing in the White Division ‘A’ Meet on July 20.
chris fox photos Rock Valley Publishing
The Lombard Waves won a pair of home meets last week to even their season record at 3-3. The Waves defeated Hanover Park at Paradise Bay Water Park on June 26. Lombard then beat Glendale Heights on Saturday, June 29. The Waves who won three individual events during Saturday’s meet included Connor Wedel, who swims in the 11-12 boys level. He is pictured above during his first-place swim in the 50-yard butterfly. Lombard’s Allie Walden, who competes in the 13-14 girls division, also won three individual events on Saturday. She is pictured (top left) during her victory in the 50-yard backstroke. Daniel Petrine of the Waves won two individual events in the 8-and-under boys level on Saturday. He is shown (bottom left) just before his winning effort in the 25-yard backstroke. One more photo from Saturday’s meet shows Lombard’s Emily Olsen, who won two races in the 11-12 girls division. She is pictured below during her victory in the 50-yard breaststroke. The Waves will complete their regular season with this Saturday’s home meet against Roselle.
Mariners conclude their regular season with two home meets
Villa Park swimmers will compete in the upcoming Blue Division meets
The Villa Park Mariners completed their 2024 DuPage Swim and Dive Conference regular season with a pair of home meets last week.
The Mariners dropped a 394-250 decision to the Bartlett Barracudas at Jefferson Pool on June 26. Villa Park closed out its regular season with Saturday’s home loss to the talented Itasca Dolphins. Itasca outscored the Mariners 447-169.
The Mariners finished their regular season with an overall record of 5-3.
Villa Park’s Penelope Kuhl won three individual events in the 8-and-under girls level during last week’s meet against Bartlett. She earned her victories in the 25-meter freestyle, which she completed in 20.86 seconds, the 25-meter butterfly (24.47) and the 25-meter backstroke (25.70).
Leighton Stempel of the Mariners also won three events in the June 26 meet against the Barracudas. Swimming in the 9-10 girls division, she won the 100-meter individual medley (in 1 minute, 46.91 seconds), the 50-meter butterfly (51.56) and the 50-meter backstroke (50.55).
Elin Stempel of Villa Park duplicated the success of her younger sister by winning three individual events against Bartlett. Competing in the 11-12 girls level, she won the
Last home meet as Mariners
The Villa Park Mariners recognized their two outgoing “senior” swimmers—Tia Kelly and Annabelle Thompson—during Saturday’s home meet against Itasca. Kelly (left) and Thompson (right) are pictured at the end of the meet—their final home meet as Mariners. Kelly spent nine years with the Mariners, while Thompson swam with the Villa Park program for 12 years. Kelly and Thompson are both members of Willowbrook High School’s Class of 2024. Kelly will attend Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. Thompson will attend Lake Forest College and play for the school’s women’s soccer team.
The Villa Park Mariners completed their 2024 regular season with last week’s home meets against Bartlett and Itasca. Bartlett defeated the Mariners in a June 26 meet at Jefferson Pool. Itasca beat Villa Park on Saturday. The Mariners finished their regular season with a 5-3 record. Villa Park’s Leighton Stempel won three individual races and swam on two first-place relay teams in the 9-10 girls division during last week’s meet against Bartlett. She is pictured (above left) during her victory in the 100-meter individual medley. Another photo (above right) from the June 26 meet shows Olivia Palutkiewicz of the Mariners during her first-place swim in the 13-14 girls
same three events as her younger sister, racing to victories in the 100-meter individual medley (1:33.64), the 50-meter butterfly (42.49) and the 50-meter backstroke (42.18).
Villa Park’s Maddie Lynch delivered a pair of first-place performances during her team’s June 26 meet. She won the 100-meter freestyle (1:40.50) and the 50-meter breaststroke (58.80) in the 9-10 girls division.
Phoebe Aldana also provided the Mariners with two individual wins against Bartlett. She won the 100-meter individual medley (1:23.57) and the 50-meter back-
stroke (39.70) in the 13-14 girls level.
Villa Park’s other individual champions in the June 26 meet against the Barracudas included:
8-and-under boys: Tre Tarsitano (25-meter backstroke; 32.44) and Henry Porebski (25-meter breaststroke; 33.64)
Villa Park’s 9-10 girls foursome of Ariana Knudtson, Maddie Lynch, Leighton Stempel and Ruth Aldana won two relay events during the June 26 meet. The four Mariners swam to victories in the 200-meter medley relay (3:29.26) and the 200-meter freestyle relay (3:07.78).
The Mariners’ 11-12 girls quartet of Elin Stempel, Lydia Aldana,
50-meter freestyle.
Ary Carrola and Colleen Pienkos also won two relay races during last week’s meet against Bartlett. The foursome won the 200-meter medley relay (2:47.05) and the 200-meter freestyle relay (2:32.08).
Villa Park has a bye this Saturday, July 6. Some Mariners will complete the season by swimming in the conference’s Blue Division ‘B’ meet in Hanover Park on July 13. Other Mariners will close out the season by competing in the Blue Division ‘A’ Meet in Carol Stream on July 20. The Blue Division includes three other teams—Carol Stream, Hanover Park and Wood Dale/Addison.
What’s up? Drone’s up!
Chris Fox photos Rock Valley Publishing
level’s
Chris Fox photo Rock Valley Publishing
Kevin patriCK photo Rock Valley Publishing
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CERTIFICATE NO. 79454 was filed in the office of the County Clerk of DuPage County on JUNE 11, 2024, wherein the business firm of GLEAM & GLOW SOLUTIONS,1258 FORDHAM DRIVE APT 304, GLENDALE HEIGHTS, IL 60139 was registered; that the true or real name or names of the person or persons owning the business, with their respective post office address(es), is/ are as follows: Minjbolor Tumur, 1258 Fordham Drive Apt 304, Glendale Heights, IL 60139. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and Official Seal at my office in Wheaton, Illinois, this 11TH day of JUNE, A.D. 2024. Jean Kaczmarek DuPage County Clerk (Published in The Lombardian June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457462
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Candice Adams Clerk of the Circuit Court 8085-943716
(Published in The Lombardian June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457411
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE EIGHTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DU PAGE COUNTY, ILLINOIS
PUBLICATION NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE (ADULT NAME CHANGE)
CURRENT LEGAL NAME: VICTORIA ABBASSIAN ARDESTANI
Case Number: 2024MR000370
My current name is: VICTORIA ABBASSIAN ARDESTANI. I wish my name to be changed to: VICTORIA ABBASSIAN. The court date for the Request I filed is scheduled on: AUGUST 13, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. at 505 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, IL, DuPage County, in Courtroom #2005.
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LEGAL NOTICES
Dated: 6/13/2024
Candice Adams Clerk of the Circuit Court 8085-943717
(Published in The Lombardian June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457417
NOTICE
Lombard Elementary School District 44 may implement an e-learning day in the event the District may be closed due to an emergency. A public hearing will be held on July 16, 2024, at the regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting to discuss an e-learning plan.
(Published in The Lombardian July 7, 2024) 458035
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CERTIFICATE NO. 79459 was filed in the office of the County Clerk of DuPage County on JUNE 20, 2024 wherein the business firm of QUE CHIMBA GTO, 9 N. IOWA AVENUE, ADDISON, IL 60101 was registered; that the true or real name or names of the person or persons owning the business, with their respective post office address(es), is/are as follows:
Maria D. Rodriguez, 9 N. Iowa Avenue, Addison, IL 60101.
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In Print and Online Every
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(Published in the Addison Independent, Bensenville Independent & Villa Park Review June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457730
PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN That at 9:00am on July 11th 2024 a sale will be held at 60 E Hill St Villa Park IL 60181 to sell the following articles to enforce a Mechanics Lien existing under the laws of the State of Illinois against such articles for the labor/ towing services, skill, or material expanded upon a storage furnished for such article at the requested of the following designated person, unless such articles are redeemed with in thirty days of the receipt of the notice. Owner Deaunte Lester 52 W 99TH St Chicago IL 60628 and Lienholder Navy Federal Credit Union PO Box 25109 Lehigh Valley PA 18002 Lien amount $4015.00 For further information regarding this sale you may contact Laura Huntsha 630/880/8387.
(Published in the Addison Independent, Bensenville Independent & Villa Park Review June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457648
MECHANIC’S LIEN NOTICE
This notice is to enforce a Mechanic’s Lien pursuant to Chapter 770 ILCS 45/1 et seq, and 90/1 et seq., against: White Jr. Silvester, Ally Financial for the
following vehicle, 2012 Dodge Ram VIN number 1C6RD7LT0CS161684, for the amount owed of $8,430.80. A sale will be held at Windy Auto Sales, 865 Fairway Dr., Bensenville, IL 60106 after June 27, 2024, unless redeemed by owner within 30 days of the date of the first publication of this notice.
(Published in the Addison Independent, Bensenville Independent & Villa Park Review June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457578
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CERTIFICATE NO. 79471 was filed in the office of the County Clerk of DuPage County on JUNE 27, 2024 wherein the business firm of SAVVY S.C., 226 GLEN ELLYN ROAD APT. 301, BLOOMINGDALE, IL 60108 was registered; that the true or real name or names of the person or persons owning the business, with their respective post office address(es), is/are as follows: Thomas J. Contreras, 226 Glen Ellyn Road Apt. 301, Bloomingdale, IL 60108. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and Official Seal at my office in Wheaton, Illinois, this 27TH day of JUNE, A.D. 2024.
Jean Kaczmarek
DuPage County Clerk
(Published in The Lombardian July 4, 11 & 18, 2024) 458084
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Gardening for a hummingbird’s travels
draw the attention of hummingbirds -
A few suggested plants native to Illinois and the U.S. that they prefer include red columbine (Aquilegiatall red varieties of zinnia (Zinnia elegans).
Supporting beyond the blooms When blooms are scarce, hummingbird feeders work well for supplemental food. A ratio of 4:1 water to white granulated sugar can be used in hummingbird feeders. Other additions to landscapes include water baths, trees for perching within 10 to 20 feet of the garden dead branches and twigs may be substituted, and fuzzy plants for nesting materials. Avoid using insecticides since hummingbirds also eat insects, and do not use systemic herbicides because they are persistent in flowers. With the importance of supporting pollinators, plan to incorporate plants for hummingbirds in gardens. Hopefully, adding hummingbird-preferred plants will allow more growers the chance to experience these incredible creatures in action. They certainly aren’t afraid of humans, so many are able to experience a quick, close encounter.
Nancy Kreith is a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator for Cook County. Gardeners Corner is a quarterly newsletter from gardening experts around the state. Each issue highlights best practices that will make your houseplants, landscape, or garden shine in any season. Join the Gardener’s Corner email list at go.illinois.edu/GCsubscribe for direct access to timely tips.
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14TH NOON - MIDNIGHT Ride
