VPR061324

Play at the plate

Fishing derby champion

Graduation day at Willowbrook

The Villa Park Parks and Recreation Department and the Villa Park Sportsmen’s Club conducted Saturday’s Family Fishing Derby at North Terrace Park. The free event, which ran from 9 a.m. until noon, included a youth fishing derby. Villa Park resident Brianna Billing, age 7, won the prize for catching the largest

Freshman Lindsey Rugg of the Willowbrook softball team is pictured while attempting to score a run during Friday’s game at Downers Grove South. Rugg tried to score from second base on a single by sophomore Katelyn Cox in the top of the second inning, when the game was tied at 2-2. Downers Grove South’s catcher tagged Rugg out at home plate for the third out of the inning. The Mustangs went on to defeat the Warriors 7-3 in the West Suburban Gold Conference contest. Wil-

Willowbrook High School’s Class of 2021 celebrated its commencement with two separate ceremonies in the school’s main gymnasium on Sunday morning. The entire class includes over 470 students. About half of those students attended the

fish—a 25-inch catfish—during the youth fishing derby. She is pictured with her grandfather—Greg Billing. In addition to receiving a certificate for catching the largest fish, Brianna won a fishing pole, along with some bait, bobbers and tackle.

lowbrook rebounded from Friday’s loss to post an 11-2 win in Saturday’s game at Hinsdale Central. The Warriors bashed three home runs in the second inning of Saturday’s non-conference battle against the Red Devils of the West Suburban Silver Conference. Senior Annemarie Knudtson, freshman Isabella Dugo and sophomore Kayleigh Dennison provided the home runs. Dennison (No. 5) is pictured in the background of the above photo. For more about the Warriors, see page 14.

Arbor Day in Villa Park

ceremony that began at 9 a.m. The others participated in the ceremony that started at 11 a.m. The photo shows members of the Willowbrook Senior Choir performing during the day’s first service. For more photos, see Page 4.

Villa Park Village Trustee Cheryl Tucker, Villa Park Village President Albert Bulthuis, Villa Park Village Trustee (and Village President-Elect) Nick Cuzzone and Leslie Allison-Seei—chair of the Villa Park Community Pride Commission. Arbor Day is observed on the last Friday of each April. The National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Villa Park with Tree City USA designation for 36 straight years. To receive that recognition, a community must have a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program and an Arbor Day observance.

Brushing off concerns of overspending,

Pritzker signs $53.1 billion state budget

Illinois’ largest-ever spending plan increases education, human services, infrastructure funding

By Andrew Adam, Jerry Nowicki and Hannah Meisel CaPiTol news illinois

Gov. JB Pritzker last week signed the state’s $53.1 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the largest in state history.

The signing caps months of work—and tension—among top Democratic leaders in Springfield and within the governor’s office.

Pritzker said the budget is a demonstration of “fiscal responsibility,” pointing to the $198 million that will head to the state’s “rainy day” fund, bringing it to a record balance of over $2.2 billion. It will also make the full payment into the state’s pension systems that is required by law.

House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park flanked Pritzker at the signing alongside Democrats’ chief budget negoti-

ators in the state’s downtown Chicago office building.

Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, the lead budget negotiator for the Senate, pointed to several programs that he said will benefit vulnerable Illinoisans, including a tax credit for low-income families and increased wages for those who work with disabled people.

That tax credit will cost $50 million. Qualifying families with children under age 12 will receive a credit of 20 percent of the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit in calendar year 2024 and 40 percent in the following year, which is projected to cost $100 million. Pritzker had proposed such a credit for children up to age three, but lawmakers expanded the credit.

But even some of the budget’s strongest boosters hinted at the contentious process that produced it.

“This, by no means, was an easy

budget, but this is a good budget that invests in families all over the state of Illinois,” Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, said Wednesday.

Democrats who control the General Assembly pushed the budget package over the finish line last week after a marathon all-night session in the Illinois House that highlighted internal strife within the majority party.

Upon Pritzker’s signing of the budget, Republicans were quick to criticize it, echoing initial opposition shared last week. The Senate’s top Republican, Sen. John Curran, R-Downers Grove, denounced the budget’s use of state funds to provide health care benefits for noncitizen residents of the state, calling the situation “grossly unfair” in a statement.

The budget includes $629 million, including $440 million general funds, for that health care program, as well as $182 million to provide

Farmers market offers variety of vendors

The Lombard Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry Farmers Market (Tuesdays, now through Oct. 1, 3-7 p.m.) will offer a variety of products, such as produce, bread, coffee, handmade soaps and more. In one photo (below) is a new vendor, Jerry Callison of Northern Illinois Worm Farm (www. northernillinoiswormfarms.com) from Big Rock, Ill., a vermicompost business that sells freshlyharvested, all-natural, locallyproduced live micro-organisms for retail and bulk sales. Providing entertainment was musician True Adkins (right) (www.facebook.com/ TrueAdkinsMusician), who will be appearing on the first Tuesday of each month. Chamber President and CEO Rick Galfano mentioned that JL Vintage Odds and Ends, 8 S. Park Ave., Lombard (www.facebook. com/jlvintageoddsandends), is sponsoring the musical entertainment for the weekly farmers market. “They’re tied into the local band scene,” he explained. Visit lombardchamber.com or on Facebook for more information.

shelter, health care and other services for recently arrived migrants, many of whom have been bused to the state from Texas.

Republicans uniformly voted against the budget package with the exception of a measure that does away with the state’s 1 percent tax on groceries, but even some Democrats balked at the budget and voted against either the spending or revenue plans last week.

Though they ultimately voted for the budget, a few Democrats took time during the Senate’s debate on the budget package to express mild disappointment with spending priorities, saying they wished the state had more resources for youth employment programs and public universities.

But while a trio of Democrats’ ‘no’ votes on the spending and revenue bills had no bearing on the budget’s

passage in the Senate, a bloc of opposition in the House nearly derailed its budget vote in the wee hours of the morning last Wednesday.

Amid attendance issues as the night wore on, it took Democratic leaders three tries—and a temporary waiving of the chamber’s own rulebook—to get the minimum 60 votes needed to pass the bill containing new taxes. Earlier in the evening, the spending bill passed by a narrow margin.

During debate over the revenue bill, State Rep. Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates, lamented that leadership didn’t consider spending controls he’d suggested earlier this spring in his role as chair of the House’s committee on appropriations for general services.

Those suggestions included a hir-

See BUDGET, Page 17

DuPage

County to host

Fair on Friday

In honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, DuPage County will host a Senior Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, June 14 at 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton.

The event will feature agencies that provide services for older adults and their caregivers in the county. Everyone who attends the event will get a free raffle ticket for a chance at a donated gift basket. The event will be held in the first-floor auditorium and feature more than 30 providers.

Some of the agencies that will be attending include DuPage County Community Services, NAMI DuPage, Senior Home Sharing, Prairie State Legal Services, Hair on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, several local libraries and police departments, and more. For more information, call (630) 407-6500.

Jane Charmelo PhoTos Rock Valley Publishing

Villa Park man accused of leaving the scene of accident

Reportedly struck 13-year-old bicyclist with his vehicle

DuPage County State’s Attorney

Robert Berlin and Villa Park Chief of Police Michael Rivas announced last week that Judge Joshua Dieden has denied the state’s motion to detain pre-trial a Villa Park man accused of fleeing the scene after he struck a bicyclist with his vehicle.

Joel Lazaro, 50, appeared at First Appearance Court and is charged with one count of failure to report an accident involving personal injury (Class 2 felony) and one count of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury or death (Class 4 felony).

On June 3 at approximately 7:07 p.m., Villa Park police officers re-

sponded to a call of a hit and run involving a vehicle and a bicyclist near Elm Street and Princeton Avenue.

Following an investigation into the matter, it is alleged that the bicyclist, a 13-year-old boy, was on his bike crossing the intersection at Elm and Princeton, when a black 2013 Toyota Venza, allegedly driven by Lazaro, went through the intersection and struck the boy.

It is alleged that Lazaro dragged the boy approximately 25 feet before the boy became dislodged from the vehicle.

It is further alleged that after striking the boy, Lazaro drove away without checking on the boy’s condition.

Through their investigation, authorities identified Lazaro as the suspected driver of the Toyota. At approximately 9:26 p.m., officers with

the Villa Park Police Department went to Lazaro’s home where they allegedly observed the Toyota Venza in the driveway with apparent signs of being involved in an accident on the front side of the vehicle.

Lazaro was taken into custody without incident at that time. The boy was transported to a local hospital for medical attention for non-life-threatening injuries.

“It is alleged that after striking a young boy on a bike with his vehicle, Mr. Lazaro fled instead of remaining at the scene to aid his victim,” Berlin said.

“What I find particularly disturbing about this case is the allegation that hours later, after Mr. Lazaro had time to consider the situation, he still never called police or attempted to alert anyone to the crash. I thank the Villa Park Police Department for

their swift response to this incident and fine police work that led to the apprehension of the defendant.”

“The alleged actions of the accused are reprehensible.” Rivas said.

“When a driver of a motor vehicle strikes anything on the roadway, that driver has an obligation to stop and report the incident. In this case, the accused allegedly knew he struck a bicyclist, a 13-year-old boy, and sped away from the scene without offering aid or information. The accused also had time to reflect on his actions and contact police. Villa Park officers located the vehicle and conducted a thorough investigation.

“We thank the Villa Park officers and investigators for their hard work in bringing the accused to justice.”

Lazaro’s next court appearance is on July 1, for arraignment in front of Judge Margaret O’Connell.

Sheriff’s office alerts residents of scam callers

Scammers reportedly demand gift cards to clear a bogus arrest warrant

The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents that individuals posing as DuPage County Sheriff’s Deputies are calling county residents.

“These scammers claim there is an arrest warrant against you and demand gift cards to clear it up,” noted a statement from the sheriff’s office. “This is a scam. The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office will never ask for money over the phone.”

If you receive a call like this, do not provide any personal information or payment, advised the sheriff’s office. Instead, immediately contact your local police department. If you live in unincorporated DuPage County, call 630-407-2400.

“Stay alert and protect yourself from fraud,” related the statement from the sheriff’s office. “Share this information to help keep our community safe.”

Fishing, family and fun

Saturday morning’s Family Fishing Derby at Villa Park’s North Terrace Park included a youth fishing derby that featured prizes in multiple categories. For the second straight year, Villa Park’s Genevieve Smolek won the first prize for catching the most fish—75—during the three-hour event. One year ago, she won the first prize after catching 56 fish the event. Two years ago, she finished second in the same competition. Genevieve, age 9, is pictured (above left) with her first-place certificate and her prize on Saturday. Also pictured (bottom left) is Villa Park’s Alexander BormanFull, age 4, who won the first prize for catching the smallest fish—a 3¼-inch bluegill. The Villa Park Parks and Recreation Department and the Villa Park Sportsmen’s Club held the free Family Fishing Derby. The Villa Park Sportsmen’s Club noted that Mickey’s Drive-In, 105 W. St. Charles Road, supplied several of the prizes for the youth fishing derby.

Judge grants state’s motion to detain second of two Elmhurst teens accused of carving swastikas into playground equipment

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Elmhurst Chief of Police Michael McLean have announced that Judge Demetrios Panoushis granted the state’s motion to detain an Elmhurst juvenile accused of carving swastikas into an elementary school’s playground equipment last month.

The juvenile, who is one of two individuals charged in the case, will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance. On May 25, co-defendant Christopher Jackson, 18, appeared at First Appearance Court, where Judge Kenton Skarin granted the state’s motion to detain him pre-trial. The juvenile is charged with one count of hate crime—school property (Class 3 felony), one count of criminal damage to government supported property (Class 3 felony) and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

Jackson is charged with one count of hate crime—school property (Class 3 felony), one count of criminal damage to government supported property (Class 3 felony) and one count of criminal damage to property (Class 4 felony).

On May 20, Elmhurst police officers responded to Edison Elementary

School, located at 246 Fair Ave., for a report of criminal damage to property.

Upon their arrival, officers observed multiple swastikas and Nazi phrases carved into plastic playground equipment. Following an investigation into the matter, it is alleged that the juvenile and Jackson carved the swastikas and phrases into the equipment with a knife. Damage to the playground equipment is estimated at approximately $4,471.36.

“I find it very disturbing that two teens, one of whom is a juvenile, are accused of hate crimes for allegedly defacing school property with offensive symbols and phrases,” Berlin said.

“As I said before, DuPage County is an extremely welcoming community to all, but we most certainly do not welcome the type of behavior alleged in this case. I thank Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 for bringing this matter to the attention of authorities and I commend the Elmhurst Police Department for their quick identification of the defendants.”

The juvenile’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 21. Jackson’s next court appearance was scheduled to be held June 6 for the defense’s motion to remove pre-trial detention.

Content appearing in the Villa Park Review may not be reprinted without permission of the publisher or editor. Requests should be directed to Independent@rvpublishing.com or 630.834-8244.

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to: THE VILLA PARK REVIEW 240 N. West Avenue, Elmhurst, IL. 60126

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Joel Lazaro

CHRIS FOX PHOTOS Rock Valley Publishing

Opinion

Analysis: Democrats tap gaming cash cow to help fill state budget gap

Taxes to increase on sports betting, video gambling

By Hannah Meisel Capitol News illiNois

In order to boost infrastructure spending and avoid a projected fiscal cliff facing the state in the next couple of years, Democrats who control state government are betting on two of its most rapidly growing revenue sources: sports wagering and video gambling.

The industries—both legalized within the last 15 years—have developed into two of the most robust markets in the nation; Illinois’ sportsbooks collectively have the fourth-largest handle among all states, while Illinois’ video gambling industry is by far the largest of any state.

When proposing his budget plan in February, Pritzker suggested increasing taxes only on sports betting. But despite pushback from some Democrats – and the sportsbooks’ massive spend on lobbying to kill the tax hike – the governor got above and beyond what he’d requested from the legal gambling industry, even as some of his other proposed new revenues were left on the cutting room floor in the final weeks of the General Assembly’s spring legislative session.

In the end, Illinois’ growing video gambling industry will see a 1 percentage point tax hike that’s estimated to bring in another $35 million next year for infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, the state’s burgeoning sports betting industry will see a more substantial increase in taxes from a flat 15 percent rate to a graduated structure ranging from 20 percent on the lowest-earning sportsbooks to 40 percent for the highest earners.

The change is projected to generate an extra $200 million, which will be directed to the state’s General Revenue Fund, Illinois’ main discretionary spending account. Those promised windfalls would bolster already sizeable sources of revenue for the state. In the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023, Illinois netted $142 million in taxes from sportsbooks, while video gambling terminals in bars, restaurants and dedicated gaming cafes generated $814 million.

Taken together, the two made up almost half of the near-$2 billion the state took in from all forms of wagering last fiscal year, which also includes growing revenues from the state lottery and casinos.

Organized labor, a top funder and ally for Democrats, balked at the plan to deposit the extra tax dollars from sportsbooks into GRF instead of dedicating it to infrastructure projects,

where current sports betting revenues are directed. And major sportsbook operators threatened to stop advertising or even withdraw from the state as the legislature’s scheduled adjournment date drew near last week.

But Pritzker was undeterred, pointing consistently to East Coast states like New York and three others, which have all implemented tax rates over 50 percent on their online sportsbook operators. Before the tax hike’s passage last month, the governor brushed off opposition, saying the sportsbooks “have made literally tens of millions of dollars from the state of Illinois,” later noting that the major sportsbooks subject to the highest taxes in the new graduated structure “don’t reside in the state of Illinois.”

“Our focus was on asking... companies that can pay more to pay more,” he said after the tax increase’s passage last week. “And indeed, we kept the tax on sportsbooks lower than the top states in that arena.”

In pushing the tax hikes through the General Assembly, the governor and legislative Democrats are making a bet that sports betting and video gambling companies need Illinois as much – or more – than Illinois needs their tax revenue.

Sports betting

Under the new tax revenue package, sports betting revenues going forward will be split between the state’s General Revenue Fund (58 percent) and Capital Projects Fund (42 percent).

Pritzker’s office predicts the graduated structure will bring in the same $200 million extra for GRF that increasing the flat tax would have.

Sportsbooks’ new tax rates will depend on their annual revenues.

• Earnings below $30 million annually will be taxed at 20 percent.

• Earnings between $30 million and $50 million annually will be taxed at 25 percent.

• Earnings between $50 million and $100 million annually will be taxed at 30 percent.

• Earnings between $100 million and $200 million will be taxed at 35 percent.

• Earnings above $200 million will be taxed at 40 percent.

The final plan marks an evolution from Pritzker’s February proposal, which sought to increase the state’s current 15 percent tax on sports betting operators to 35 percent.

But not all Democrats were on board with the governor’s idea, with

Slices

of

life

Dating after 50 - Part 1

No one plans to date after 50, but you never know the details life will hand you: divorce, death of a spouse, boredom, aloneness—it all leads to one thing.

You find yourself being half of a couple in a couple’s world.

Such a conundrum. You were once half the age of 50 and probably a couple, now you are twice as old and twice as alone—or at least it feels that way; it’s the hand you’ve been dealt.

Dating at 20 is one thing. It is beautiful. You are beautiful and the people around you (and willing to date you) are equally beautiful.

You all wear the magical cloak of youth, and that cloak is dazzling and vivid—nothing short of spectacular. It is healthy. It has a headful of hair and a six-pack of abs. Your body literally exudes glitter.

Then, time passes. The years go by and take with then the newness of youth, not to mention the glitter. Aging happens. Gravity happens. Baldness happens. Weight gain happens. Wrinkles happen. Aches and pains happen. Suddenly, but not so suddenly you aren’t thirtysomething anymore. You aren’t even forty-something.

Welcome to life.

As an added insult, you look to the seat beside yourself and find your ride has died or at least left the vehicle, bringing a whole new meaning to the term “empty nester.”

And you find yourself

By Jill Pertler Columnist

contemplating that dreaded word: Dating.

Dating in your teens and 20s is flashy and bright. It is exciting! It is the norm. Everyone is doing it, so hop on board!

Dating after 50 isn’t quite what it was 30 or so years prior. To start with, the dynamics have changed. Oh, hell, everything has changed.

Well, except for you. You remain a youthful example of glittery goodness—even at age 59 (or so).

Full disclosure here: I am not an expert on dating. I have’t been on a date in more than 35 years. I definitely don’t have the resume or expertise to give dating advice, but I can make observations.

I’ve compiled a list of the differences between dating in your 20s versus dating after 50. There were so many variables, I couldn’t fit them all into one column, so here’s a start. Part two is forthcoming.

During the 20s: He’s got a fancy new car!

After 50: He’s got a fancy new golf cart!

20s: You look forward to creating a future together.

Letter to the editor

After 50: You look forward to an early bird dinner together. 20s: You look for someone with a nice package of good qualities.

After 50: You look for someone with a nice retirement package. 20s: You hope for a partner who forgets about your flaws.

After 50: You hope for a partner who can remember what happened yesterday.

20s: You appreciate someone who can roll stiff joints.

After 50: You appreciate someone who doesn’t have stiff joints. 20s: You hope to find someone who is passionate about their career.

After 50: You hope to find someone who is passionate about pickleball.

Dating after 50, in some ways, is more complex than decades earlier. It involves grown kids and maybe even grand babies. There are exspouses and dead ones. Money affluence or shortfalls. Mortgages, second homes and retirement plans. Travel histories and hopes. Viewpoints on religion, politics, fine wine, sail boats, tattoos, pick-up trucks, convertibles and Harleys. And, at it’s best, love, which is a feeling and a way of life that never grows old.

At least I hope not.

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.

Reader: ‘Diversity alone has no intrinsic value’

I believe way too many people today have been brainwashed into believing that “diversity is our greatest strength.” This notion has impacted our schools, government policies, military, hiring and firing practices, college admissions, housing, etc.. Diversity alone has little or no intrinsic value. It only becomes a

strength when mixed into the American melting pot. Our country’s founding fathers long ago recognized this; and the American melting pot was a major reason why America succeeded and grew into a strong nation that countries and people around the world envied. We used to be a strong nation, respected world-wide.

Please think about this in November. United we stand and divided we fall!

“Identity politics” as we have today in America only works when a country is veering hard towards becoming a totalitarian nation. Marilyn Fawell Lombard

I heard on a news program that the state budget included a cost-of-living pay raise of about 5 percent for state lawmakers. I went online and checked into it. It’s true. So now, your friendly neighborhood state reps and senators are going to be getting $93,000 per year. Did you know they voted themselves a pay raise in January of 2023 that increased their pay from $73,000 to $85,000? They sure did, and now this! I wonder if the representative and senator in my district have anything to say about the extra $20,000 they’re getting, especially since many taxpayers like me have had to tighten our budgets or take second jobs to make ends meet. Probably not. None of them will get my vote in November, but their opponents will.

Comedian Michael Rapaport’s shows have been canceled in numerous places, including a club in Batavia, because he is reportedly pro-Israel. Venues have received threats, calls, etc., and have backed down. Whether it was libraries, coffee houses, etc., and drag shows, or performances of any kind that someone objects to, these bullies against free speech are winning, and it’s time we stand up to them. First off, change the channel, don’t attend an event, or if you feel the need, protest peacefully outside. These often anonymous threats—cowardly so—some hinting at violence, need to be prosecuted to send a message that this kind of bullying won’t be tolerated. It seems that those who try to instill fear not only are demonstrating their intolerance of free speech, but they are really the ones who are afraid; afraid someone might not subscribe to their way of thinking, and that surely must feel like a threat.

* * *

I am not good at networking but would like to suggest to someone

who is, to consider forming a group of retired electricians, plumbers, landscapers, etc., who would do repairs or other work for low-income seniors on a volunteer or sliding-scale basis, say, depending on the nature of the job. These professionals charge a lot just to walk in the door, which often puts a repair out of reach for low-income seniors like me. I know York Township has a few handyman options but they are very limited. Or maybe these professionals could sign up to be on the township’s handyman list and charge a nominal fee for their services. I believe this would be a great example of “Lombard Strong,” for our seniors. *

I saw the article about the District 87 superintendent retiring at the end of the 2024-25 school year (May 30 issue). It was no surprise that the statement from the district praised the superintendent’s performance. I didn’t see any information in that statement about the district’s academic progress. According to the latest state report card information at illinoisreportcard. com, 37 percent of the district’s students were proficient in math, while 40 percent were proficient in English/Language Arts. Isn’t that rather pathetic? As for Glenbard East, 25 percent of its students were proficient in math, while 31 percent were proficient in English/Language Arts. According to the report card, 32 percent of Glenbard East’s students were chronically absent. I’m not saying the superintendent is solely responsible for these alarming numbers. But why does the district paint a glowing picture and pat itself on the back when there are clearly major problems?

* * *

Democrats love to label people they oppose as “election deniers.” That’s rich. Democrats should take a look in the mirror. They repeatedly referred to Trump as an “illegitimate” president.

How Speak Out works

• Speak Out is a forum in which readers can express their opinion anonymously concerning local, state, national and international topics. Each call is limited to 200 words whether the caller calls 630-629TALK or emails their opinion to speakout@rvpublishing.com.

• The views expressed by callers are their own.

• All calls are checked by four editors. If a consensus of editors believes a particular call is deemed to be in poor taste, erroneous, inaccurate, libelous, doesn’t make sense, or if claims stated in a call cannot be verified, the call will not be published.

• With regard to calls of a political nature, it is not possible to have an equal balance of calls with liberal and conservative viewpoints during any given week. The editors of Speak Out don’t have control of who calls in, what their political leanings happen to be, and the topic(s) they want to discuss.

• If you have further questions about Speak Out, email: news1@ rvpublishing.com.

Hillary Clinton’s team concocted the hoax that Trump colluded with Russia. The media ran with that hoax and played it up for years. And now, a leftwing city attorney and a corrupt judge held a sham trial that charged Trump with felonies for a years-old business entry. Where’s the crime? Legal experts can’t even name the crime.

* * *

Obama received about 69.5 million votes in 2008. He received about 65.9 million votes in 2012. Hillary Clinton received nearly 65.9 million votes in 2016. Joe Biden received about 81.2 million votes in 2020. Sure, we’re just supposed to accept that. Whatever you think of Obama and Clinton, they were both historic figures who had plenty of passionate support. A Biden “rally” in 2024 couldn’t fill up a college gymnasium. But 80 or so million people will vote for him? Biden is senile, incompetent and corrupt. I don’t know how many ballots there will be for him this year, but will 80 million living, eligible voters vote for him? No chance.

* * *

If you’re going to paint the mural on the side of your building, maybe the village could offer some cash incentives, some grants, some funding

Coming events

‘Tuesdays with Terra’ June 18 Tuesdays with Terra, a monthly one-on-one constituent meeting with state Rep. Terra Costa Howard, will be held from 1:30 -3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, at the Helen Plum Library, 411 S. Main St. in Lombard. If you have an issue you’d like to discuss or an idea you want to share, or even if you just want to talk about our state government and the work we do, she would love to meet with you. As always, registration is required. To make your appointment, please reach out to her office at 630812-9292 or email reptch42@gmail. com.

Fostering diversity luncheon June 19

Join the Lombard Chamber for a special June luncheon with guest speaker Wes Becton. Wes’s timely talk will be “Fostering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace and in the Community.” As we all try to understand our roles in today’s business and social culture, Wes defines what equity, diversity and inclusion truly means. Wes is a frequent speaker and lecturer on the topics of leadership and diversity. Embassy Suites by Hilton, 707 Butterfield Road, Lombard. Wednesday June 19, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Members, $45; non-members, $55. Visit lombardchamber.com for more information and registration.

Jazz Soirée at Cantigny June 21

Foodies and jazz aficionados looking for a special night out are invited to Cantigny’s first-ever Jazz Soirée at the Robert R. McCormick House on Friday, June 21, from 7 to 10 p.m. The one-of-a-kind evening is a prelude to the Cantigny Jazz and Wine Fest on June 23, the first “signature” event on Cantigny’s summer schedule.

Soirée guests can expect an unforgettable experience featuring

to do that; they’ll give you some money to go toward the cost of it because it’s going to advertise and promote Lombard. People are going to come from all over the place to see the beautiful murals. Think about it.

* * *

Yeah, just when the WNBA had a chance to showcase all their talents, they decide to showcase their thugs. I’m done. Goodbye. * * *

Lock him up. Lock him up. Oh, lock him up. Bye, Don.

* * *

Now that Trump was found guilty and called a convicted felon, all the public has to do is figure out what the crime was. Usually, a crime involves a victim or breaking an established law. This is America. Anybody got an answer?

* * *

I can’t blame people for their feelings about Donald Trump; I cannot stand the man but at the same time, another four years of Joe Biden? Will he be working from his nursing home or assisted living facility? Oh, and now he (or maybe his minions) decides to tighten up the borders? He did away with Trump’s border initiatives as soon as he got into office; is

creative cocktails, fine dining and exciting entertainment inside the historic home of Colonel Robert R. McCormick. All-inclusive Jazz Soirée tickets are $175 per guest. Reservations are accepted online at Cantigny.org. Tickets for the Cantigny Jazz and Wine Fest on Sunday, June 23, are also available online. The festival spreads throughout the Cantigny gardens and grounds, with five performers on two stages from noon until 6 p.m. For more information about Cantigny, including hours, permanent attractions, and upcoming events, please visit Cantigny.org.

Lombard Farmers Market

Visit the Lombard Farmers Market on Tuesday, June 18, from 3-7 p.m. in downtown Lombard on the corner of S. Park Ave. and W. St. Charles Rd. Enjoy live blues music from Scott “Madman” Madden, sponsored by JL Vintage Odds and Ends. Shop seasonal fruits, vegetables, bread, treats for your pets and other handcrafted goods. The Lombard Farmers Market is brought to you by the Lombard Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry. For more information, including schedule changes, follow us on Facebook @LombardChamber.

Plum Library program

“Mix & Match: Using Annuals and Perennials Together” Wednesday, June 19, at 6:30 p.m. Combining perennials and annuals can give your garden continuous color from the very early part of spring until the latter part of fall. Learn how to put these two groups of flowers together to keep your garden lively all season long. This presentation is given by horticulturist Sharon Yiesla, owner of “Sharon Yiesla, Horticultural Services.” To register, visit helenplum. org or call (630) 627-0316.

Genealogy club to meet at Plum Library

Join the Helen Plum Library

he just now realizing that the influx of illegal individuals has put a strain on our economy, housing, education and health care systems—and it finally needs to stop? Hmm, the timing sure smacks of pre-election maneuvering.

* * *

A Crystal Lake man was released pre-trial on a DUI charge—driving at twice the legal threshold. Guess what? He was again intoxicated—while being responsible for a 19-month-old who wandered onto a street. Again, another slap on the wrist; being told not to consume alcohol or go to any establishments that sell alcohol for purchase or consumption. Perhaps an alcohol monitor or drug testing should be required for anyone arrested for a DUI while awaiting trial, to possibly prevent a potential tragedy such as this.

The state budget just passed was $53.1 billion, up from $38.5 billion when Governor Billionaire first took office. How much has your family’s budget gone up since Pritzker became governor? Big money JB and his rubber stamps in the Illinois Legislature sure like to spend our money, don’t they?

Genealogy Club for a roundtable discussion to share your research findings, hear success stories from other members and seek solutions to brick walls. This program will be in-person and held in the Conference Room (2nd floor). Registration required. Visit helenplum. org/event/genealogy-club-56865 to register.

Villa Park Library programs

Come to the Villa Park Public Library on Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15, from 2-4 p.m. for a Father’s Day Craft Open House. Children of all ages can celebrate Dad, Grandpa, Uncle or another loved one by creating a gift for them. Young children will need some adult help. Registration is not required, but supplies are limited. For more information, visit the library’s website at www.vppl.info or call 630834-1164.

TAMMY MAE ANTON, 49

Tammy Mae Anton, 49, of Glendale Heights, passed away May 30, 2024, at her home.

Visitation was held on Wednesday, June 12, at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard. Info: www.brustfuneralhome.com or 888-629-0094.

DIANE B. KERN

Diane B. Kern, nee Ruehl, of Barlett, entered God’s heavenly Kingdom on June 6.

Prayers were held on Tuesday, June 11, at Brust Funeral Home, with a Mass of Christian Burial at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 114 S. Elizabeth St., Lombard. Interment followed at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in River Grove. Info: www.brustfuneralhome.com or 888-629-0094.

New mural result of finding ‘a solution to a problem’

If you have noticed that the south wall of the dark-tan-colored strip mall on Main Street (by Aspirations Dance Company, 350 S. Main St.) has a new look, you can thank a Lombard resident—who saw a need and tapped into her artistic vision to make it happen.

Titled “Dream in Lilac,” the mural was recently completed by Oksana Kwitkowski, a 14-year Lombard resident who “got in touch with my art again” and took a risk—a roughly 15-foot by 50-foot one—to bring what she envisioned as a sense of hope and positivity “to our evolving community.”

As Kwitkowski, a mother of three, tells it, her background in art helped prepare her to undertake the monumental task of painting the mural, which took her roughly 50 hours—starting over the Memorial

Lombard resident Oksana Kwitkowski used her artistic talent to paint a lilac-themed mural on the south side of a

Because it was her first time painting on an exterior wall, she felt some hesitation at first, but decided that a mural, representing the Lilac Village, would liven up the building. Kwitkowski said the idea was to elicit positivity among residents and passersby.

Day weekend and being completed on June 3.

She recalled that as a child, she loved art since she was as young as 5 years old. “Both of my parents were kind of artistic,” she said.

Her dad would draw cartoons “to make us laugh” (she has a sister who is an artist in Colorado); her mother would draw animals, and was “really great at small details.”

In addition, “They [her parents] would buy me canvasses. I felt like they were never large enough,” she said with a chuckle.

Living in Lisle at the time, she was in her high school’s art honor society and was asked to paint the backdrop for a play, which she considered an honor and a great opportunity to paint on a large surface.

After high school, Kwitkowski attended College of DuPage, where she studied interior design, graphic design and architecture.

“I was exploring different options” within the art field, she said, adding that she ended up studying to become a hairdresser, and working in the same salon where her mom is a nail technician.

Kwitkowski said that while “Art and creativity have always been a big part of me,” she put it aside while raising her children, although “I painted murals in the girls’ rooms,” and occasionally sold her art to family and friends.

But the desire to paint something more nagged at her, and when she saw what in her mind was a blank “canvas” on the south side of the strip mall, she just couldn’t get it out of her head.

But that was a few years ago, Kwitkowski noted, saying that the building was repainted a shade of lilac—and when the reactions were not so positive, it struck a chord with her (it was since repainted).

“I thought to myself, this could be a great mural project to uplift the community and cheer up the owner of the building,” she noted, yet, “I kind of put it on the back burner.”

She admitted to having some self-doubt about painting on such a big space, plus, “I’d never done an exterior mural.”

At the same time, though, Kwitkowski remembers thinking, “It’s a cool building; a neat mural would kind of perk the building up.”

Call it serendipity, but back in the early days of 2024, when she and her children were studying at Sky Centers Martial Arts in Lombard, “We had a monthly worksheet that was on creativity,” she described.

“That worksheet was so inspiring to me,” Kwitkowski continued. “It said, ‘Find a creative solution to a problem,’ and so there it was. The opportunity to challenge myself.”

She contacted the building owner and proposed a sketch of what she had in mind, and they went through all the proper channels with the village to make sure it was a workable project.

After getting the go-ahead, “I definitely did my research before painting on brick,” Kwitkowski said, and wanted to keep her vision of the mural’s purpose: “To represent Lombard; opportunity and what that means to [residents].”

She drew the mural and created a grid in order to paint the mural to scale, which originally was going to be about 15 feet tall by 16 feet wide.

However, “It was too short for the wall size. It wouldn’t show as well,” Kwitkowski described. “I changed my design at the last minute and made it 50 feet [horizontally] instead.”

“The excitement made me go larger,” she added with a laugh.

During the 50 hours she devoted to the project, Kwitkowski recalled one 12-hour day where she took short breaks for lunch and dinner,

“ For the first time doing a mural like this, i learned a lot. i t was a good learning experience. i t puts your patience to the test; it’s always a challenge.”

– Oksana Kwitkowski

and got sunburned over the course of the day when the temperature reached 90 degrees. That hot temperature also affected how the paint dried, she recounted.

Now looking at the finished product, “For the first time doing a mural like this, I learned a lot. It was a good learning experience,” she said. “It puts your patience to the test; it’s always a challenge.”

But one of the rewards was “the words of encouragement. I’ve met a couple people who appreciated my art,” Kwitkowski said modestly.

And speaking of encouragement, she hopes other businesses will consider having murals or other artwork painted on their buildings.

“I hope there will be more murals around the community,” Kwitkowski commented optimistically.

oksana kwitkowski Photos Rock Valley Publishing

Main Street strip mall.

Oksana Kwitkowski

Judge blocks law that would have banned newly slated candidates from ballot

Banning post-primary slating in middle of election cycle unconstitutional, judge says

By Hannah Meisel Capitol News illiNois

A Sangamon County judge on June 5 blocked the Illinois State Board of Elections from enforcing a new law that would have prevented certain General Assembly candidates who didn’t run in the March primary from getting on the November ballot.

The move doesn’t void the bill in its entirety, but rather blocks it only for this year’s general election for the 14 named plaintiffs in the case.

Democrats who control the legislature quickly moved the measure from introduction to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk last month, claiming banning the practice of post-primary “slating”—long used by both parties – was in service of empowering voters. It applies in races where no candidate ran for a seat in the party’s primary.

But Republicans cried foul, alleging the majority party passed the law to protect its incumbents from GOP challengers. Four such candidates sued last month, with 10 others joining them last week, and after Judge Gail Noll’s order June 5, they will appear on the November ballot—if they survive the normal process of challenges to their nominating petitions.

“The General Assembly could make the revisions effective for the next election, rather than in the midst of the current election,” Noll wrote in her 12-page order. “Changing the rules relating to ballot access in the midst of an election cycle removes certainty from the election process and is not necessary to achieve the legislation’s proffered goal.”

Noll echoed the plaintiffs’ ar guments from a June 3 hearing, in which their attorney stressed that they weren’t taking a position over the constitutionality of the law eliminating the slating process for candidates to the General Assem bly.

Rather, Noll said, she sided with the candidates’ contention that the law’s application during the current election cycle violated their consti tutional rights because it “imper missibly burdens their right to vote and to have their names placed on the November ballot.”

The plaintiffs were represent ed by the Liberty Justice Center, a libertarian outfit behind lawsuits intervening in state law and poli tics—including one that ultimately resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court striking down “fair share” union dues in 2018. In a statement, LJC attorney Jeffrey Schwab applauded Noll’s ruling.

tions.”

Neither the attorney general’s office nor attorneys for House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, who intervened in the lawsuit in favor of the law, immediately responded to a request for comment as to whether they would appeal the ruling.

Though the June 5 ruling was aimed at the state Board of Elections, it won’t change what the board was already doing, as elections officials continued to collect nominating petitions from prospective candidates despite Pritzker signing the law on May 3.

The June 3 hearing coincided with the June 3 deadline for slated candidates to submit the requisite signatures to get on the ballot—75 days after the March 19 primary as prescribed by state law. As of 5 p.m. on Monday, 16 candidates, all Republicans, filed to run in the November election via the slating process.

Objections to those petitions were

due at the close of business on Monday, June 10. As of June 3, however, no objections had been filed.

Fourteen of the 16 candidates filed were plaintiffs in the suit, including one who filed his nominating petitions to the board of elections just minutes after the governor’s signature on the law last month.

The only candidate who turned in signatures to get on the ballot before May 3 was Jay Keeven of Edwardsville, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Katie Stuart, also of Edwardsville. He was not party to the lawsuit.

Without naming him, Noll pointed out that the law would “arbitrarily treat” Keeven differently than the other 15 candidates. Even if she didn’t rule on the merits of the candidates’ voting rights being violated, Noll wrote, the law’s application in the middle of the current election cycle is still discriminatory because it “does not apply the same rules to all potential candidates.”

Scholarship recipient

Glenbard East High School honored several members of its Class of 2024 during last month’s Local Scholarship Awards Night ceremony in the school’s Biester Auditorium. The scholarship recipients included Kayla Hickman, who received the $2,500 Lombard Area AAUW Dickson/Mosillo Scholarship. She is pictured (right) at the awards ceremony with Glenbard East Principal Antoine Anderson (left). The AAUW (American Association of University Women) encourages women to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Hickman took on a variety of leadership roles during her time at Glenbard East. She was a Senior Leader and the president of the school’s chapter of the Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society. She was also the communications director of the school’s Key Club. Hickman, who is a Lombard resident and a 2022 Lilac Princess, excelled academically at Glenbard East and was named a National Merit Finalist. She will attend the University of Michigan, where she will major in biology on a pre-medical path. Hickman plans to pursue a career in reconstructive surgery.

“The General Assembly can change the rules for elections, but they can’t do it in the middle of the game to keep challengers off the ballot,” he said. “We are proud to stand up for these candidates and against yet another scheme to suppress competition in Illinois elec-

Shorewood man charged with murder; suspect was with Romeo Nance when Nance shot and killed a victim in Joliet

Nance reportedly killed eight people, including seven of his own family members, in January in the DuPage River. Hansen refused to provide any further information regarding the location of the firearm. Detectives were able to determine the location of the firearm through other investigative means.

Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley announced on Friday, May 31, the arrest of Jon W. Hansen, 24, of Shorewood, for three counts of murder, along with attempted first degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm. Hansen was reportedly with Romeo Nance prior to the shootings of at least two victims.

According to police, Nance shot and killed seven members of his own family in two Joliet homes. He also shot and killed an eighth victim in Joliet before fleeing the area.

One day later, while being pursued by authorities in Texas, Nance shot and killed himself.

On Jan. 21, at approximately 4:27 p.m., the Will County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call regarding a shooting that occurred at the Pheasant Run Apartments in unincorporated Joliet Township. Deputies were advised that there was a subject laying on the ground bleeding from the head.

Deputies located a critically injured male, later identified as Toyosi Bakare, 28, of Joliet, and began to perform life-saving measures. Bakare had a single gunshot wound to his head.

Bakare was transported to St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet in critical condition. He later died from his injuries.

Once detectives and investigators were on the scene, it was clear that robbery was not the motive of this crime. Deputies located money in the area where Bakare was shot.

While deputies were securing the crime scene, they learned that another shooting occurred in Joliet a short time earlier. The victim of that shooting— Mario Guerrero—reported to police that the suspect vehicle in this incident was a red Toyota.

Video surveillance recovered at the scene showed the suspect vehicle both entering and exiting the Pheasant Run Apartments complex. Detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Joliet Police department began to collaborate and investigate these two shootings that appeared to be random but connected.

Police Reports

The Villa Park Police Department recently reported the following arrests and citations. 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. Persons charged with domestic battery are not named in order to protect the privacy of victims.

Juveniles age 17 or younger are not named.

June 4

Michael D. Whitney Jr., 30, of Chicago, was issued citations for unlawful possession of cannabis by a driver, driving while license suspended, no brake lights and no insurance near S. Ardmore and E. Jackson at 10:33 a.m.

A complainant in the 300 block of N. Ardmore reported at 6:07 a.m. that he was riding his bike when a

By 8 p.m. on Jan. 21, law enforcement was able to identify a suspect vehicle—a red Toyota Camry. Detectives utilized License Plate Reader (LPR) cameras to track the suspect’s vehicle throughout the Will County area. The suspect vehicle was known to be used by Nance, a Joliet resident who had an extensive criminal history.

On Jan. 22, shortly after noon, detectives went to contact the registered owner of the suspect vehicle. Detectives received no response at that residence. Knowing the house across the street was also associated with the suspect and his family, detectives attempted to make contract with residents inside of that home. Upon approaching the residence, they noticed blood on the outside of the door and bullet holes on the exterior of the house.

Detectives attempted to contact occupants inside the residence and under exigency circumstances made entry into the home, locating two deceased individuals. Detectives notified the Joliet Police Department of their findings and additional police personnel began to respond to the scene. Members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Joliet Police Department then made entry to the residence across the street—Nance’s home—and discovered five more deceased individuals.

Shortly before 6 p.m. on Jan. 22, members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office who were coordinating with the United States Marshals Service were advised that Nance was believed to be traveling southbound in Texas.

By 8 p.m., a helicopter had located the suspect vehicle on I-35, and Texas law enforcement were mobilizing ad-

driver of a vehicle swerved at him and yelled at him.

A suspect at a store in the 1-100 block of E. North removed over $500 worth of merchandise from display shelves and left the store without paying for the items.

June 3

Tashia N. Allen, 35, of Chicago, was charged with retail theft—possessing displayed merchandise exceeding $300 at a store in the 1-100 block of E. North at 2:10 p.m. Joel Lazaro, 50, of Villa Park, was charged with failure to report an accident involving personal injury, leaving the scene of accident resulting in personal injury or death/ driving too fast for conditions or failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident after he allegedly struck a bicyclist with his vehicle at W. Elm and N. Princeton at 7:07 p.m. and fled from

ditional personnel to stop the vehicle.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office learned that Nance pulled his vehicle into a gas station located in Natalia, Texas. Task Force Officers with the United States Marshals Service observed Nance exit his vehicle with a firearm and flee on foot once he observed law enforcement.

Fearing he was about to be caught, Nance shot himself as law enforcement pursued him on foot.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the 9mm handgun used by Nance to end his own life is the same weapon used to murder Bakare.

After these incidents played out, attracting national media attention, detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Joliet Police Department began to conduct interviews in hopes of determining the motive behind the murders.

Detectives were able to determine that Hansen was with Nance prior to the shootings of Bakare and Guerrero. Guerrero reportedly sustained a non-life-threatening wound.

In addition to killing Bakare, Nance reportedly murdered seven members of his own family—his mother, brother and three sisters, as well as his aunt and uncle.

On Jan. 27, detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Hansen regarding these incidents. Hansen made statements to detectives indicating that he was with Nance on Jan. 21, beginning around 3:30 p.m.

Hansen further stated that he was with Nance when the two random shootings occurred in the Joliet area. Hansen stated that the gun used to shoot Guerrero in Joliet was the given to him by Nance just after the shooting.

Hansen also stated he was with Nance when Bakare was shot and killed at the Pheasant Run Apartments in unincorporated Joliet Township. Hansen stated that the gun used to shoot Bakare was a 9mm Glock Ghost Gun.

Hansen later told detectives that he threw the gun given to him by Nance

the scene.

A 57-year-old Villa Park woman was charged with two counts of domestic battery in the 100 block of N. 3rd at 6:40 p.m.

A complainant in the 600 block of W. North reported an unknown suspect entered their vehicle and removed several items.

May 31

Police said two juvenile suspects removed merchandise from a display shelf at a store in the 900 block of S. Route 83 at 10:39 p.m. and attempted to leave the store without paying for the items. Loss-prevention personnel stopped the juveniles and retrieved the items. The suspects were given trespass notices.

A complainant in the 700 block of W. Vermont reported that unknown suspects threw a rock at their window, causing it to break.

On Feb. 5, detectives met with members of the Plainfield Fire Department to conduct an article search in the DuPage River in Shorewood. A Plainfield Fire Department diver located a loaded black Springfield Armory XDS pistol by dragging a magnet on the bottom of the riverbed.

On May 31, detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office obtained

an arrest warrant for Hansen. Judge Sarah Jones signed the no-bond arrest warrant regarding the shooting investigations that occurred in unincorporated Joliet Township and Joliet. Upon obtaining the warrant, Hansen was taken into custody without incident by members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office and transported to the Will County Public Safety Complex for processing. Hansen invoked his right to remain silent regarding the allegations. He is currently incarcerated at the Will County Adult Detention Facility awaiting his initial court appearance.

Martial arts champions

Carrie O’Connor (left) and Sarah Collinson (right) of Joe’s Dojo in Villa Park earned first-place honors in their respective division at the recent Midwest League of Champions Tournament in Aurora. O’Connor claimed first in kata, weapons and sparring in the advanced women’s division of the June 2 tournament. Collinson placed first in kata, weapons and sparring in the intermediate women’s division. Joe’s Dojo, which is located at 341 S. Ardmore Ave., offers karate classes for students of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels.

May 30

Martin G. Hart, 55, of Elmhurst, was charged with battery causing bodily harm in the 1000 block of S. Villa at 7:35 a.m.

Johnny E. Polk, 62, of Villa Park, was issued citations for a loud noise violation for three alleged incidents in the 400 block of W. Division that reportedly occurred at 2:57, 3:13 and 3:51 a.m.

A female juvenile, age 16; a male juvenile, age 17; and a male juvenile, age 14, were charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle in the 700 block of N. Wisconsin at 1:22 p.m.

May 29

Police said Nicholas A. Gibbons, 39, of Villa Park, was arrested on the above date on an original complaint and warrant for violation of an order of protection for an inci -

dent that allegedly occurred May 5. Johnnie N. Willett III, 33, of Dolton, was charged with battery-causing bodily harm in the 1-100 block of E. Hill at 9:58 a.m.

A complainant at a store in the 900 block of S. Route 83 reported at 2:03 p.m. that unknown suspects removed items from display shelves and left without paying.

A complainant in the 600 block of W. Roy reported that four unknown juveniles took a bicycle without permission and returned it damaged.

A complainant in the 600 block of W. Merle reported damage to their fence and outdoor lights.

A complainant at a store in the 900 block of S. Route 83 reported at 10:35 p.m. that unknown suspects removed merchandise from display shelves and left without paying for the items.

Jon W. Hansen Romeo Nance

Stalled bills: ‘Dignity in Pay Act,’ Prisoner Review Board changes fail to move

While more than 460 measures passed, several highly publicized bills stalled

By Alex Abbeduto, Cole Longcor and Dilpreet Raju

Capitol News illiNois

A bill eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities failed to pass the General Assembly ahead of its May adjournment, although sponsors say they hope to pass it when lawmakers return in the fall.

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established minimum wage law, but created an exemption for businesses, rehabilitation and residential care facilities to pay workers with disabilities less than minimum wage if they obtain a special certificate permitted in Section 14(c) of the law.

The measure would have given providers more than 5 years to stop using 14(c) certificates in Illinois.

Although the bill ultimately advanced out of the House 78-30 with bipartisan support, it was never called for a vote in the Senate.

In a written statement for Capitol News Illinois, bill sponsor Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, said she is continuing conversations with House colleagues and advocates of the measure. She said 14(c) certificates leave behind workers with disabilities.

“Other states have recognized this and put an end to the practice,” Castro said. “It’s time we join them.”

The measure could come for a vote during the veto or lame duck session later this year.

The measure has been negotiated for more than 5 years, and late amendments were added to it in an effort to draw bipartisan support.

“I think that, you know, the process is ongoing, and we just have to be patient,” bill sponsor Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, said following the measure stalling. It followed a similar arc last year, stalling in the final stretch after sponsors announced they had an agreement.

This year’s measure would have codified a transition grant program aimed at providing financial aid to organizations shifting away from 14(c) sheltered workshops. The Illinois Department of Human Services budget included $2 million for the current fiscal year, and another $2 million was to be allocated moving forward as well.

It also would have included more 14(c) certificate holders and representatives from the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities on an existing task force aimed at ensuring a smooth transition for certificate holders.

The Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities advocated in favor of the amended legislation this year after initially opposing ending 14(c) participation in Illinois. Advocates, including Mah, said eliminating the certificates would build upon rights for people with disabilities by removing one barrier they face when entering the workforce and seeking

higher-paying and more rewarding employment.

But opponents said eliminating the certificates without enough of a ramp could force those with high support needs out of the workforce entirely.

Prisoner Review Board changes

Changes to the state’s Prisoner Review Board seemed well on the way to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk until an early-morning scramble to pass a budget-related bill on the House’s final day of session preempted a vote in that chamber.

“We as leaders and lawmakers had an obligation to take action,” bill sponsor Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, wrote to Capitol News Illinois after the bill failed to pass. “Instead, we abandoned victims, once again.”

House Bill 681 was brought to the Statehouse following a pair of resignations from the PRB, which faced criticism after the board approved early release of Crosetti Brand— who then fatally stabbed 11-year-old Jayden Perkins while attacking his former partner and Perkins’ mother, Laterria Smith.

The measure would have subjected PRB case hearings to open meetings laws, mandated more training and created a task force to oversee the board. It also would have required the board to publish information on its website to direct survivors of violent crimes on how to submit an oral or written victim impact statement.

HB 681, which passed previous legislative hurdles without opposition, would also require the PRB to inform survivors of an individual’s early release within 24 hours, should the survivor have an order of protection or request to be notified.

Cassidy said during a committee hearing that the governor’s office expressed concern that a late Senate amendment went too far in requiring livestreaming of certain meetings. At a news conference the morning after session adjourned, Pritzker said he was fine with parts of the bill but still had serious pause.

“Some aspects of it, frankly, are just unacceptable,” he said. “It’s not about transparency, to be honest with you. It’s about what’s actually possible, what’s doable.”

He also was concerned about how funding was absent from the bill.

Cassidy wrote the bill’s creation of an almost 30-person task force to oversee the PRB could have helped address the concerns the governor shared.

The task force would be comprised of state agency directors and representatives, domestic and gender-based violence advocates, and four members of the Illinois General Assembly – chosen by majority and minority leaders in both chambers.

“We should be convening that task force this summer and doing the detailed work that two weeks at the

end of session can’t accomplish,” she wrote. “Instead, we have to wait until we reconvene in the fall to try again to make meaningful and lasting change that will actually make us safer.”

Medical release hearings

House Bill 5396, which would change how the Prisoner Review Board handles medical release hearings, made it through the House but didn’t pass the Senate before adjournment Sunday.

The bill would amend the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act, which took effect in 2022, clarifying a petitioner’s rights during medical release hearings and requiring the PRB to publish a decision letter outlining their reasons for denial.

The bill previously passed the House 72-34 in April but was never assigned to a substantive committee in the Senate.

Karina’s Bill, homicide reporting

Lawmakers once again declined to pass a measure known as “Karina’s Bill,” which would change the state’s order of protection laws.

The bill is named after Karina Gonzalez, who was killed along with her daughter in Chicago in 2023. Gonzalez’s husband, Jose Alvarez, allegedly shot them while having an order of protection against him for a previous domestic violence incident.

Karina’s Bill would require law enforcement to confiscate firearms when an emergency order of protection is granted with a firearm remedy. It would also require a judge to issue a search warrant in cases where the remedy is granted, provided the judge finds there is probable cause that the individual possesses a firearm and is a threat to the victim.

The proposal would also prohibit gun owners from transferring firearms to another individual instead of surrendering them to law enforcement along with their Firearm Owner’s Identification, or FOID, card.

Advocates for victims of domestic violence have long been calling for the change, which this year was contained in House Bill 4469 and Senate Bill 2633.

Neither bill cleared a substantive committee this year, signifying they were never close to passage.

Eliminating the tip wage credit

House Bill 5345, a proposal to eliminate the tip wage credit at the state level, was sent back to the Rules Committee in the House—a procedural step indicating it wasn’t close to passage.

Under current law, the minimum wage is $14 per hour but a tipped employee can be paid $8.40 an hour if their tips bring them to $14. If they do not receive enough tips then their employer is required to make up the difference.

Proponents, including the One Fair Wage advocacy organization and several legislators, have said that eliminating the tip wage credit will help solve systemic issues of poverty and harassment. Opponents such as the Illinois Restaurant Association say that repealing the tip credit will force owners to raise prices, cut hours and benefits, and potentially lay off staff.

Bill sponsor Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, D-Cicero, said at a news conference in May that she will continue to work on the bill in the coming months.

Threats to libraries

House Bill 4567, an initiative of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who under law also serves as state librarian, would treat threats made against libraries the same as a threat made to schools.

The measure also would have made clear that state library grants can be used for safety upgrades.

People found guilty of threatening libraries could face a disorderly conduct charge under the bill, which cleared the House 89-20 in late May. Although the Senate did not consider the measure before adjourning, it could still take up the bill when lawmakers return in the fall.

Giannoulias said in an April news release that it was spurred by several bomb threats made to libraries in Illinois.

Junk fees

The Junk Fee Ban Act, proposed in House Bill 4629, passed the House 71-35 in April and later cleared a Senate committee unanimously, but it never made it to the floor for a vote.

The bill would remove back-end hidden fees by requiring companies to show customers the full price of any goods or services. Bill sponsor Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, previously described junk fees as “hidden, deceptive, predatory fees.”

Montini Catholic announces 2024 Gold and Silver Awards for Excellence

Montini Catholic High School has recognized students who’ve received Academic Gold and Silver Awards for Excellence.

They were selected by teachers, coaches and administrators for displaying exceptional success academically, athletically, artistically and in serving others.

Every spring, during Montini’s Founder’s Day ceremony, students are called to the stage to receive much deserved accolades for their accomplishments.

The following recently received Gold and Silver Awards for Excellence.

Athletics Male: David Mayora (Gold) and Quinn Boyer (Silver)

Presented by Athletic Director, Brian Casey

Athletics Female: Victoria Matulevicius (Gold) and Alyssa Epps (Silver)

Presented by Athletic Director, Brian Casey Business: Daniel Petersen (Gold) and Hugh Flannery (Silver)

Presented by Social Studies Department Chair, Jim Ryan

Digital Art: Trinity Smith (Gold) and Francesca Arroyo (Silver)

Presented by Art Teacher, Christie Blatchley

English: Riley White (Gold) and Trinity Smith (Silver)

Presented by English Department Chair, Sarah Pittenger

Fine Arts: Caitlin Ude (Gold) and Mikaelah Thomas (Silver)

Presented by Art Teacher, Christie Blatchley

French: Rory O’Connor (Gold) and Fabian Deleon (Silver)

Presented by World Language Department Chair, Beth DiMarco

Mathematics: Samuel Hemmersmeier (Gold) and Lucy Rizzi (Silver)

Presented by Math Department Chair, Chrissy McManus

Music Instrumental: Kassandra Gutierrez (Gold) and Collin Angelakos (Silver) (Lombard)

Presented by Music Director, Donnie Glowinski

PE Male: Quinn Boyer (Gold) and Joseph Giannola (Silver)

Presented by PE/Health Department Chair, Nikki Gorman

PE Female: Erin Grimlsey (Gold) and Isabel Evenson (Silver) (Villa Park)

Presented by PE/Health Department Chair, Nikki Gorman

Science: Tanner Sebben (Gold) and Marin Ferris (Silver)

Presented by Science Department Chair, Sandy Deiber

Social Studies: Marin Ferris (Gold) and Riley White (Silver)

Presented by Social Studies Department Chair, Jim Ryan

Spanish: Hailey Goetz (Gold) (Lombard) and Sarah Paradis (Silver)

Presented by World Language Department Chair, Beth DiMarco

Student Activities: Ruben Galvan (Gold) (Lombard) and Anjay Dhir (Silver) (Lombard)

Presented by Student Government Moderator, Alexxis Johnson

Student Government: Hailey Goetz (Gold) (Lombard) - Isabel

Worship Services Directory

St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church

547 N. Main St., Lombard, IL 60148 630-627-2435

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

Evenson (Silver) (Villa Park)

Presented by Student Government Moderator, Alexxis Johnson

Technology Education: Anjay Dhir (Gold) (Lombard) and Dhruv Patel (Silver)

Presented by Technology Director Pete Farina

Theology: Michael Ranquist (Gold) and Quinn Boyer (Silver)

Presented by Campus Minister Michael Blanchette

Protect yourself: tick season safety tips for a healthy summer outdoors

As warmer weather arrives, DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) urges residents to protect themselves and their families against diseases spread by tick bites while enjoying outdoor activities.

Ticks are a threat year-round, but they are most active from April to September and live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or on animals.

Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other tick-borne diseases can cause fever, headache, rashes, flu-like illness, and other symptoms that can be severe.

Check for ticks daily on children, pets, and yourself when returning from outdoors, even from your own yard.

It’s especially important to check under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and on the hairline and scalp. If you find a tick attached to your skin, safely remove the tick as soon as possible. Removing ticks right away can lower the chance of illness.

How to remove a tick:

• Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.

Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by either:

• Putting it in alcohol.

• Placing it in a sealed bag/container.

• Wrapping it tightly in tape.

• Flushing it down the toilet. If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor. Tell the doctor about your recent tick bite, when the bite occurred, and where you most likely acquired the tick. Early treatment is vital.

To prevent tick bites and diseases, follow these essential tips:

• Know where to expect ticks.

• Use EPA-registered insect repellents. Treat clothing and gear with permethrin.

• Treat dogs and cats for ticks as recommended by a veterinarian.

• Shower soon after being outdoors.

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, June 22 Game Night at 4 pm

Third Lenten Service March 16, 2022

• Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick. If the mouth-parts break off and you cannot remove them easily with tweezers, leave them alone and let the skin heal.

Everyone is Welcome!

Rev. Paul Spaude “What to Remember When Your are St. Matthews, Niles Seized with Remorse” Matthew 27:3-4

All services are live streamed. Watch on our website or on Facebook. sainttimothy.org 456171

Fourth Lenten Service March 23, 2022

Rev. Jonathan Bergemann “I Will Keep the Passover” Good Shepherd, Downers Grove Matthew 26:18

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)

Maundy Thursday Communion 7 p.m., April 14

Sunday: 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30 AM and 6 PM

Good Friday Tenebrae 7 p.m., April 15

Visitation Catholic Church

779 S. York Street

Elmhurst, IL

630 834 6700

www.visitationparish.org

Confessions: Saturday: 3�3:45PM Sunday: 5�5:45 PM

Adoration:

Easter Sunrise 6:30 a.m., April 17

Easter Breakfast 8 a.m., April 17

Daily Masses: Monday—Friday: 6:15 and 8:15 AM Saturday: 8:15 AM

Easter Festival 10:15 a.m., April 17

Available in Our Lady Mother of the Eucharist Chapel 24/7

DuPage County residents with questions about ticks may call the Health Department at (630) 6827400. DCHD has tick removal kits available for residents at health department locations.

Find a DCHD location near you at www.dupagehealth.org/Facilities. For additional information, go to Tick-Borne Diseases | DuPage County Health, IL and Illinois Tick Surveillance Map (arcgis.com).

• After removing the tick, clean the tweezers or tick removal tool with alcohol and thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

Montini Catholic celebrates its 2024

Academic All-Stars

Montini Catholic High School recently rolled out the red carpet to honor members of its Class of 2024 as Academic All-Stars. Each year Montini invites seniors who have excelled academically throughout their high school years to a celebratory banquet in their honor. The dinner was attended by recipients and their families. A total of 47 seniors achieved the honor of being named a Montini Catholic Academic All-Star, which involves attaining a 3.95+ GPA and/or being named an Illinois State Scholar. Congratulations to (front row sitting left to right): Mia Egan (Lombard), Ava Goree, Trinity Smith, Victoria Matulevicius, Riley White, Cecily Polanco (Addison), Stephanie Hoeflich (Addison), Alyssa Epps and Jasmin Baker-Rohlehr. Second row: Marin Ferris, Lucy Pacelli, Sarah Paradis, Hailey Goetz (Lombard), Mariella Herrmann (Lombard), Betsy Beirne, Colleen Considine and Ja’Niyah Hall. Third row: Michael Pogorelec, Tyler Pavlik, Sam Hemmersmeier, Gabriel Bianco (Lombard), Rory O’Connor, Mason Esquivel, Hugh Flannery and Frank Flores. Back row: Dhruv Patel, Anjay Dhir (Lombard), Tanner Sebben, Ruben Galvan (Lombard), Daniel Petersen, Michael Ranquist and Zander Montgomery (Lombard). Not pictured: Dominic Catalano (Lombard), Fabian Deleon, Anthony Dinkel, Jasmine Gonzaga (Lombard), Erin Grimsley, Kassandra Gutierrez, MaryKate Lewan, Anthony Manganello, Nicole Navas, Matthew Paulino (Lombard), Lucy Rizzi, Cole Stumbaugh, Igor Vitale and Thomas White III (Lombard).

A fond farewell

York Township seniors and staff are sad to see a longtime staple of the congregate dining program retire after many years of service. Rosemary “Bunny” Clark’s 82nd birthday and retirement were recently celebrated together by York Township Supervisor John W. Valle before lunch. Valle said, “We would like to thank Bunny for everything she has done over her time of service here at York Township. New horizons await and the township wishes her a long, happy and healthy retirement.”

Lake County physician sworn in as president of Illinois State Medical Society

Piyush I. Vyas, M.D., was sworn in as president of the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) during its recent annual meeting. He was previously elected president-elect in 2023.

Dr. Vyas received his medical degree from MS University of Baroda in Baroda, India, and completed his radiology residency at Cook County Hospital.

Dr. Vyas is board-certified in diagnostic radiology. Since 2004, he has

been an attending physician at Lovell Federal Health Care Center, where he served as chief of radiology and nuclear medicine until 2018. Since 2018, he has been the associate director of Clinical Support Services. He was also assistant professor of radiology with Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science from 2005 to 2016 and served as vice chairman of radiology from 2012 to 2016.

• Gaming

(Continued from page 4)

some expressing concerns about overleveraging a nascent industry, which has threatened to stop advertising or even operating in Illinois if the tax hike is passed.

A nationwide industry group dubbed the Sports Betting Alliance, which represents both big players and emerging sportsbooks, launched a campaign against the tax increase that generated more than 56,000 emails and calls to the governor’s office and lawmakers, according to a representative for the group. Last month, sportsbook giant FanDuel pushed alerts to its Illinois users via its app, urging them to take similar action.

“This tax hike will mean worse products, worse promotions, and inevitably, worse odds for Illinois customers—not to mention provide a massive leg up to dangerous, unregulated and illegal offshore sportsbooks who pay no taxes and adhere to none of Illinois’ sports betting regulations,” Sports Betting Alliance President Jeremy Kudon said in a statement.

The sportsbooks contend that they earn only a small amount of every dollar wagered, as the rest is paid out in winnings. From that small amount, they say, everything from payroll to marketing must be paid—including taxes.

Sportsbooks claim taxing them more could backfire as they may decide to spend their marketing dollars in other states, and without special promotions to entice the casual and occasional bettors, those users could drop off entirely.

In House floor debate over the revenue package that contained the sports betting tax hike, state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said the reach of the sportsbooks was drilled into him while watching the NBA playoffs.

“It seems like every other commercial I see is from one of these sportsbooks, and they’ve got celebrities and they’re buying up all these timeslots,” he said. “I guess I’m hard-pressed to think of DraftKings and FanDuel as small mom-and-pop Main Street Illinois businesses that are struggling to get by.”

Like in many other states, DraftKings and FanDuel have cornered roughly three-quarters of Illinois’ sports betting market. Their ability to do so was aided by unforeseen circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Illinois became the 15th state to legalize sports betting as part of a massive gambling expansion law passed in 2019. Lawmakers, sports enthusiasts and gambling interests had been champing at the bit to legalize sports wagering for a year prior to its passage after a U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a federal ban on the industry outside of Nevada, which had been grandfathered in.

Though the law that legalized sports betting in Illinois had intended for casinos to get an 18-month head start in the sports betting market before big online operators like DraftKings and FanDuel became licensed, those companies got around the law by partnering with downstate casinos to operate their sportsbooks.

They were also helped by Pritzker’s COVID-era suspension of the law’s

requirement for in-person registration at casinos, allowing bettors from hundreds of miles away to start gambling almost as soon as they downloaded a certain sportsbook’s app.

The first bets were placed at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines on March 9, 2020, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered both professional sports nationwide and gambling activity in Illinois.

Even so, by the end of 2020, Illinois’ overall handle – the amount bettors spent wagering – had launched to fourth among states, and it’s consistently stayed that high ever since.

The industry has generated $415 million in tax revenue for the state in the four years since the market launched, according to the Illinois Gaming Board’s latest available data, which is current through the end of March 2024.

The rate of growth in wagers and the corresponding growth in tax revenue has slowed from its initial explosion, but still grew 23 percent between the third and fourth years of legal sports betting in Illinois.

Online wagering is infinitely more popular than placing bets at a “retail” sportsbook like a casino or pro sports stadium. According to a September report by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, 98.8 percent of all wagers in Illinois were made online in the fiscal year that ended in June 2023.

Tax revenues reflect that disparity. Illinois Gaming Board records show tax receipts made from online bets netted the state nearly $399 million in the last four years, compared with just $16 million from in-person bets.

That dynamic is echoed in other states that have legalized both online and in-person betting, meaning it’s most useful to compare states’ online sportsbook markets. Since Illinois launched its market, 21 other states and the District of Columbia have launched their online sports wagering markets.

At the time Illinois’ market launched four years ago, the state’s 15 percent tax rate was on the higher end of those that came before it, but nowhere near the 36 percent rate in Pennsylvania or the 51 percent tax adopted imposed by both Rhode Island and New Hampshire on online sportsbooks.

But since then, several more states have launched their online markets with tax rates higher than Illinois’ 15 percent, including Delaware at 50 percent and New York with a 51 percent tax on online operators.

Ohio became the first state to hike its sports betting tax last year when Republican Gov. Mike DeWine pushed to double the state’s tax rate from 10 to 20 percent just six months after its market launched, though he insisted it was motivated by concern over sportsbooks’ aggressive advertising, and not a revenue decision. New Jersey lawmakers are also weighing hiking its tax on online operators from 14.25 to 30 percent.

Despite other states taking similar steps to Illinois, the companies threatened to push the nuclear button in the final days of session, with a source close to DraftKings and

FanDuel telling Capitol News Illinois that “all options are on the table, including withdrawing from the state.”

But skeptics say the companies are making more from Illinois’ market than they let on, especially as parlay bets—multiple wagers bundled together into one bet – have overtaken any other sort of bet in popularity, upending models that were used to arrive at Illinois’ 15 percent tax rate during negotiations five years ago. Parlay bets made up more than 60 percent of all sports wagers made in fiscal year 2023, according to state records.

Because bettors are more likely to lose their parlay bets than straight bets like on the outcome of one game or a point spread, the sportsbooks earn much more from these riskier bets.

Sportsbooks also promote parlay bets, often enticing bettors with offers to make the parlays.

Sportsbooks – particularly ones focused on their retail operations –did end up getting a tiny concession in a last-minute amendment before lawmakers OK’d the new tax structure

this week. Revenues made from inperson bets will be differentiated from revenues made from online wagers before they’re taxed, meaning overall revenues will be slightly slower to cross higher tax thresholds in the graduated structure.

Unused licenses

State Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, a lead sponsor of the 2019 law that ushered in sports betting, was not buying the doomsday threats from the sportsbooks.

“Nope,” he told Capitol News Illinois when asked whether he felt the sports betting companies’ complaints had merit.

Instead, Rita said, lawmakers should focus on the number of sportsbook licenses made available under the 2019 law that still haven’t been awarded. He speculated there could be many reasons sports betting companies haven’t tried for the three online-only “master” licenses or six of the seven tied to sports venues.

Before session ended, a House committee focused on gaming issues

convened just such a hearing, in which committee members were told the license fees were far too high. Rita asked those testifying to the panel to identify problems in the current law that allowed the licenses to go unused.

John D’Alessandro, representing the ownership of the Chicago Wolves minor league hockey team, said the organization had mostly stopped pursuing a venue-specific sports betting license because the team would likely never see a return on the $10 million investment in a license fee – especially because bets could only be placed in person or within a roughly five-block radius of the venue.

“It’s very overpriced in the market,” he said of licenses compared with those in other states. “You have a very high fee, you have no online capabilities...the economics don’t make sense.”

Only DraftKings has pursued a venue-specific sportsbook. Last summer, it opened a 17,000-squareSee GAMBLING, Page 22

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Sports

Waves and Mariners face off in the season’s opening week

Lombard outscores Villa Park 353-271; both teams end the first week with 1-1 records

The Lombard Waves and Villa Park Mariners opened the 2024 DuPage Swim and Dive Conference season last week with separate meets on Wednesday, June 5. The Waves and Mariners then squared off in Saturday’s meet at Jefferson Pool in Villa Park. Lombard defeated the Mariners 353-271 in Saturday’s contest.

The Waves began their season with a 342-266 loss at Bloomingdale on June 5. Villa Park won its season opener on June 5, posting a 339-146 victory at Butterfield.

Lombard swimmers who won multiple individual races during Saturday’s meet in Villa Park included Marco Garavito, who delivered three wins in the 13-14 boys division. He won the 100-meter individual medley in 1 minute, 24.54 seconds. He also won the 50-meter backstroke (40.54 seconds) and the 50-meter breaststroke (46.47).

The Waves’ two-time individual champions in Villa Park included Tommy Allen of the 9-10 boys level, who won the 50-meter freestyle (55.77) and the 50-meter backstroke (59.53). Lombard’s Evan McNulty also earned two wins in the 9-10 boys division on Saturday. He picked up his wins in the 100-meter individual medley (2:07.89) and the 50-meter breaststroke (57.62).

Molly Gierman of the Waves won two races in the 9-10 girls division on Saturday. She finished first in the 100-meter freestyle (1:24.37) and the 50-meter backstroke (47.17).

Connor Wedel of Lombard swam to a pair of wins in the 11-12 boys level on Saturday. He won the 100-meter individual medley (1:40.05) and the 50-meter butterfly (50.07).

Adam Hollis provided the Waves with two wins in the 15-18 boys division on Saturday. He won the 50-meter freestyle (27.16) and the 50-meter butterfly (31.18). Lombard’s Mason McKenna also swam to two wins in the 15-18 boys level on Saturday. He earned his victories in the 100-meter freestyle (1:04.99) and the 50-meter breaststroke (39.50).

The Waves who earned one victory during Saturday’s meet in Villa Park included:

8-and-under girls: Camille Medinger (25-meter breaststroke; 40.19)

8-and under boys: Joshua DeKoekkoek (25-meter freestyle; 29.79); Daniel Petrine (25-meter butterfly; 37.45) and Jack Kueking (25-meter backstroke; 29.99)

9-10 girls: Avery Dryden (50-meter freestyle; 54.20) and Hannah Rogers (100-meter individual medley; (1:48.88)

9-10 boys: Bryce Goffron (100-meter freestyle; 2:06.26) and Cooper Wedel (50-meter butterfly; 55.73)

11-12 girls: Emily Olsen (50-meter freestyle; 38.05) and Valencia Garavito (50-meter backstroke; 46.63)

11-12 boys: Henry Damasius (100-meter freestyle; 1:38.49) and

The Lombard Waves who won individual events in Saturday morning’s meet against the Villa Park Mariners included Marco Garavito, who won three races in 13-14 boys division. He is pictured (above left) during his win in the 50-meter backstroke. Another photo (above middle) from Saturday shows Lombard’s Connor Wedel, who won two races in the 11-12 boys level. He is shown during his winning effort in the 50-meter butterfly. One more photo (below) from the meet shows the Waves’ Emily Reichert during her first-place performance in the 13-14 girls division’s 100-meter freestyle. Lombard’s Mikey Magrini earned one individual win and swam on two winning relay teams in the 11-12 boys level. He’s pictured (above right) during his win in the 50-meter breaststroke. Lombard beat Villa Park 353-271 in Saturday’s meet. The Waves opened their season with a 342-266 loss at Bloomingdale on June 5.

Mikey Magrini (50-meter breaststroke; 56.96)

13-14 girls: Caitlin Hageman (50-meter freestyle; 33.87); Emily Reichert (100-meter freestyle; 1:22.35) and Cate Ford (50-meter backstroke; 47.39)

13-14 boys: Samuel Gibson-Werstler (50-meter freestyle; 38.63); Aalee Khan (100-meter freestyle; 1:19.18) and Maximilian Pollak (50-meter butterfly; 41.79)

15-18 girls: Natalie Slusher (50-meter breaststroke; 44.71)

15-18 boys: Benjamin Bates (100-meter individual medley; (1:24.80)

Lombard’s winning relay teams in Villa Park included the 8-and-under girls foursome of Madeline Dahm, Natalie Rogers, Claire Wedel and Lucy Blevins. The four Waves won the 100-meter freestyle relay (2:08.82).

The Waves’ other winning relay teams in Villa Park were:

9-10 boys: Bryce Goffron, Javier Garavito, Cooper Wedel and Jimmy Cali (200-meter medley relay; 4:04.24); Goffron, Cali, Garavito and Alex Dola (200-meter freestyle relay; 3:43.80)

11-12 girls: Valencia Garavito, Riley Petrine, Kelsey Plis and Emily Olsen (200-meter medley relay; 3:06.26); Matilda Sproule, Garavito, Plis and Olsen (200-meter freestyle relay; 2:47.98)

11-12 boys: Henry Damasius, Connor Wedel, Mikey Magrini and Joshua Massengale (200-meter medley relay; 3:29.38); Massengale, Lucas Jackson, Magrini and Wedel (200-meter freestyle relay; 3:03.27)

13-14 boys: Samuel Gibson-Werstler, Marco Garavito, Maximilian Pollak and Omotayo Solola (200-meter medley relay; 2:50.79); Garavito, Gibson-Werstler, Nathaniel Petkus and Pollak (200-meter freestyle relay; 2:45.99)

15-18 boys: Mason McKenna,

Adriano Bifero, Adam Hollis and Ben Wagner (200-meter medley relay; 2:10.74); Bifero, Samuel Ebihara, Wagner and Hollis (200-meter freestyle relay; 1:55.63)

Seven Mariners post multiple individual victories against Lombard

The Villa Park swimmers who won multiple individual races in Saturday’s meet against the Waves included Penelope Kuhl, who earned four first-place finishes in the 8-and-under girls division. She won the 25-meter freestyle (20.79), the 50-meter freestyle (48.95), the 25-meter butterfly (26.52) and the 25-meter backstroke (27.24).

Ary Carrola of the Mariners swam to three first-place finishes in the 11-12 girls level during Saturday’s meet. She won the 100-meter individual medley (1:30.49), the 50-meter butterfly (42.81) and the 50-meter breaststroke (52.08).

Villa Park’s Phoebe Aldana also won three individual titles on Saturday. Competing in the 13-14 girls division, she won the 100-meter individual medley (1:24.46), the 50-meter butterfly (38.18) and the 50-meter breaststroke (42.04).

The Mariners’ two-time individual champions on Saturday included Henry Porebski of the 8-and-under boys level. He swam to first-place finishes in the 50-meter freestyle (1:22.45) and the 25-meter breaststroke (37.75).

Villa Park’s Chris Spears swam to two victories in the 11-12 boys division on Saturday. He earned his wins in the 50-meter freestyle (40.81) and the 50-meter backstroke (53.43).

Maisie Thompson of the Mariners won two individual races in the 1518 girls level on Saturday. She won the 50-meter freestyle (34.46) and the 100-meter individual medley (1:30.34). Her older sister, Annabelle

Thompson, also won two individual titles in the 15-18 girls division, swimming to victories in the 50-meter butterfly (40.94) and the 50-meter backstroke (39.82).

The Mariners’ other individual winners on Saturday were: 9-10 girls: Leighton Stempel (50-meter butterfly; 57.69) and Maddie Lynch (50-meter breaststroke; 58.60)

11-12 girls: Teia Fragoso (100-meter freestyle; 1:38.06) 15-18 girls: Tia Kelly (100-meter freestyle; 1:18.66) 15-18 boys: Jurgen Carrola (50-meter backstroke; 40.78)

Villa Park’s winning relay teams in Saturday’s meet included the 9-10 girls quartet of Ruth Aldana, Maddie Lynch, Leighton Stempel and Ariana Knudtson. The four Mariners won the 200-meter medley relay (3:34.33) and the 200-meter freestyle relay (3:18.10).

The Mariners’ 15-18 girls relay team of Annabelle Thompson, Allison Smaczny, Maisie Thompson and Tia Kelly also won two races on Saturday. The four girls won the

200-meter medley relay (2:39.97) and the 200-meter freestyle relay (2:21.94).

Villa Park’s other winning relay teams in Saturday’s meet against Lombard included:

8-and-under boys: Sawyer French, Brycen Newell, Ethan Aldana and Henry Porebski (100-meter freestyle relay; 2:27.24) 13-14 girls: Brooke Turner, Phoebe Aldana, Sophia Maffia and Belle Knudtson (200-meter medley relay; 2:57.98); Knudtson, Megan Usry, Maffia and Aldana (200-meter freestyle relay; 2:28.67)

The Waves are competing in the DuPage Swim and Dive Conference’s White Division this year, while the Mariners are battling in the Blue Division. The 12-team conference features three four-team divisions (White, Red and Blue). Each team’s regular season includes an eight-meet schedule. Lombard’s season continues with this week’s meets against Bartlett and Woodridge. The Mariners’ schedule this week includes meets against Wood Dale/Addison and Roselle.

Chris Fox photos Rock Valley Publishing

Mighty Mariners

The Villa Park Mariners opened their 2024 DuPage Swim and Dive Conference season with a 339-146 victory at Butterfield on June 5. The Mariners then faced the Lombard Waves in Saturday morning’s meet at Jefferson Pool. Lombard outscored the Mariners 353-271. The Villa Park swimmers who won multiple individual races on Saturday included Ary Carrola (above), who turned in three first-place finishes in the 11-12 girls division. Phoebe Aldana (below) of the Mariners also won three individual titles, racing to victories in the 13-14 girls division. Additionally, she swam on two winning relay teams. One more photo (bottom) shows Villa Park’s Leighton Stempel, who won one individual race and contributed to two winning relay teams in the 9-10 girls level. All of the pictured Mariners are shown during their victories in the 50-meter butterfly.

• Budget

ing freeze for state workers and only giving state agencies 95 percent of the funds they said they would need for the fiscal year—allowing them the opportunity to lobby for the remaining 5 percent next May if the money ended up being truly needed.

He warned about a looming fiscal cliff before voting against the bill, saying, “at this rate, ladies and gentlemen, we’re gonna run out of taxpayer dollars to spend.”

Asked about Crespo’s comments for the second time on June 5, Pritzker pushed back, claiming “most Democrats” wouldn’t agree with Crespo’s ideas. The governor’s criticism followed social media posts from two of his top deputies aimed at Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who earlier this week told Quincy-based TV station WGEM that she’d have liked to see “perhaps some more cuts across the board.”

The governor also painted Mendoza’s suggestions as more in line with Republicans than the pair’s shared party.

“Well, I want to remind all of you that across-the-board budget cuts— this idea is not an idea that Democrats believe in,” Pritzker said. “This idea that you can just go across the board and cut 5 percent of the budget and not have a very deleterious effect on people all across the state.”

Revenues and taxes

While more than $1.1 billion in added revenue was needed to balance the books, the final revenue plan – which Pritzker did not sign on Wednesday but said he planned to without changes –doesn’t include any personal income tax increases for Illinoisans.

The final plan did not slow the increase of the state’s standard deduction, a sum millions of Illinoisans subtract from their taxable income each year. It will grow to $2,775 after lawmakers scrapped Pritzker’s plan to cap it at $2,550.

But businesses claiming previous-year losses on their taxes will be on the hook for another $526 million collectively after lawmakers voted to extend an expiring cap on corporate net operating losses.

The cap will actually increase from $100,000 in the current fiscal year to $500,000, but the move is considered revenue-generating because without the change in law, there would be no such cap in place for FY25.

Other revenue measures include:

• $200 million raised by increasing the tax rate on sportsbooks from 15 percent to a graduated rate of 20 percent to 40 percent based on revenues.

• $101 million raised by capping a tax discount claimed by retailers at $1,000 monthly.

• $200 million raised by redirecting $150 million from the Road Fund and $50 million from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Fund to public transit, freeing up that amount in general revenue spending.

• $25 million raised by subjecting “re-renters” of hotel rooms to an existing state hotel tax.

• $35 million in infrastructure funding raised by increasing the tax on video gambling revenues by one percentage point.

An associated budget bill that is yet to be signed eliminates the state’s gro-

cery tax beginning in 2026, but it gives municipalities the authority to install their own such tax without a referendum to make up for the revenue lost from the state’s tax.

Education

Pritzker’s plan included several increases for K-12 and higher education, including the annual $350 million bump in K-12 education funding, called for by a 2017 law that overhauled Illinois’ school funding formula. Other increases include:

• Another $32.7 million increase for transportation and special education reimbursements for schools.

• Full funding for Pritzker’s “Smart Start” plan aimed at adding 5,000 preschool seats across the state and providing workforce grants. That includes $75 million in additional Illinois Early Childhood Block Grant funding, about $200 million to stabilize operational funding for child care providers and $5 million to expand a Department of Human Services home visiting program.

• $14 million to launch the newly created Department of Early Childhood, which Pritzker has promised would streamline services currently provided by three different state agencies.

• $45 million for a teacher vacancy pilot program to help underserved districts with teacher retention.

• A 2 percent, or $30.6 million, increase for community colleges and public universities.

• A $10 million increase to Monetary Award Program grants for lower-income college students.

• $575 million for deferred maintenance and construction at higher education facilities, including $450 million for universities and $125 million for community colleges.

Health care and human services

The budget also allocated $10 million to erase more than $1 billion in medical debt for an estimated 300,000 Illinoisans through partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt. House Bill 5290, which has not yet been signed, laid out that applicants must earn 400 percent of the federal poverty level or less. Other health and human services funding include:

• A $1 hourly increase for direct service professionals who serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in community-based settings.

• An increase totaling $70 million for Community Care Program workers serving older adults who can’t live independently.

• $4 million to create a statewide maternal health plan and distribute grants to community-based reproductive health care providers.

• A $70 million increase for safety net hospitals.

• A $90 million increase for Home Illinois, a program created last year to address homelessness, bringing total funding to $290 million.

• $1 million for a low-income diaper program.

• $13 million for the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act grants – a line-item Pritzker had proposed drastically cutting but lawmakers ultimately funded in full.

• $50.3 million to the Department of Children and Family services aimed at

increasing staff size by 392 positions and providing “rate reform” for the providers that partner with the state.

State government and infrastructure

The budget included funding for a 5 percent pay hike for lawmakers’ base salary to $93,712, as well as salary increases for constitutional officers, such as the governor, comptroller and treasurer. State law sets the pay for those individuals to increase annually with inflation, and lawmakers took no action to stop it from occurring in FY25. Pritzker, a billionaire, does not take a state salary.

The budget also included $5.3 billion in appropriations and bonding authority for road and bridge projects, with over $3.5 billion in new bonding authority for other infrastructure. Some of that funding includes:

• $900 million for renovation at state prisons, including a possible tear down and rebuild of Stateville and Logan Correctional Centers.

• $500 million to support the development of a regional quantum information science and technology campus. Another bill allowing the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to designate “quantum campuses” also lays out infrastructure and business incentives to lure developers of new-age higher-speed computing technology to the state.

• $157 million for additional funding to support construction of the new Illinois Department of Public Health laboratory in the Chicago area and rehabilitation of the Carbondale laboratory.

Coming event

Advocacy breakfast hosted by AgeGuide

Elected officials, aging network providers, local partners and concerned citizens are invited to a community discussion about current issues facing Illinois older adults, caregivers, and families. The Advocacy Breakfast Collaboratives, hosted by AgeGuide Northeastern Illinois, and sponsored by AARP Illinois, give participants an open forum to speak with elected officials about their concerns and advocate for continued funding for important older adult services provided under the Older Americans Act. Participants can choose between two in-person events and one virtual event. Breakfast will be served at the in-person events. The first in-person event will be held on Tuesday, June 18, from 10 a.m. to noon at The Ovation Center (349 Weber Road, Romeoville), hosted in partnership with Will County Senior Services. The second in-person event will be held on Thursday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to noon at The Schreiber Center (101 N. Cedar Lake Road, Round Lake), hosted in partnership with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The virtual event will be held online on Friday, June 21, from 10-11:30 a.m. Participants can register for their preferred event at www.ageguide.org or contact AgeGuide at 630-293-5990 for assistance in registering for the event of their choosing.

CHRIS FOX PHOTOS Rock Valley Publishing

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. Native American people

5. Very long periods of time (Brit.)

10. Schoolboard accessory

12. Rods

14. One who renews

16. Sculpted body part

18. Chatter incessantly

19. __ King Cole, musician

20. Plates on a turtle’s shell

22. University of Utah athlete

23. The world of the dead

25. Singer Redding

26. Former Yankee great Mattingly

27. Prefix indicating wrongly

28. Unhappy

30. Anger

31. Dark brown or black

33. Restaurants have a lot of them

35. Made a mistake

37. Damp

38. Type of gasoline

40. Actor LeBlanc

41. Perform in a play

42. One’s mother

44. Prohibit

45. Swiss river

48. Part of a banana

50. Indian hand clash cymbals

52. Relative biological effectiveness (abbr.)

53. Agave

55. Noted journalist Tarbell

56. Computer firm

57. Type of record

58. Bacterium that can cause infection

63. Sheaths enclosing the spinal cord

65. A narrow opening (as in a rock wall)

66. Pattern

67. Very eager to see something

Utilize 3. Writing utensil

Places to perform

Subsides

Consume

Athleisure clothing brand 8. California town

Atomic #50 10. The Muse of lyric and love

Creates anew

Humorous commentaries

Cool!

Most ignoble

Soggy dirt

Designed to be useful

Hebrew unit of liquid capacity

High schoolers’ test

One-time internet accessory

City in India

Furniture

34. You have likely chatted with one

35. Pass or go by

36. Proof of purchase

39. A digital tape recording of sound

40. More (Spanish) 43. Disfigured 44. White (Spanish)

46. Building occupied by monks

47. Georgia rock band

49. Device that generates intense beam of light 51. State of agitation 54. Make by braiding

Local area network

Unit of work or energy

Indigenous person of Thailand

Liquefied natural gas

Distance to top

HANDYMAN BILL

Classifieds

Announcements

CLASSIFIED IN-COLUMN ADS cannot be credited or refunded after the ad has been placed. Ads canceled before deadline will be removed from the paper as a service to our customers, but no credit or refund will be issued to your account.

DISCLAIMER NOTICE This publication does not knowingly accept fraudulent or deceptive advertising. Readers are cautioned to thoroughly investigate all ads, especially those asking for money in advance.

7 CEMETERY PLOTS Willing to sell as a group or individually. Located at Roselawn Memory Gardens 3045 WI-67, Lake Geneva, WI 53147. This is a private sale. Contact Randy, the seller at randy@slpublishers.com.

Misc. For Sale

CHAR BROIL OUTDOOR

GRILL FOR SALE. On/off switch with 4 burners, easy propane access, like new. Estate sale item. $75 or best offer. 760-774-7744

Personals

LOOKING FOR A COMPANION

60+ year old woman looking for a male companion who is interested in going out to dinner, concerts, shows, movies, etc. If interested, please call 630-782-1006

Campers and RVs

1994 WINNEBAGO WARRIOR 22’ V8 454 engine, 97,200 miles. Newer tires, new battery, new sub floor and flooring. Rooftop A/C works great. Rust free, runs good and ready for travel! Some updates have been done to the interior, but still needs some minor finishing. Asking $11,500. Located near Rockford. Call 815520-0997.

Estate Sales

103 PINE ST., ELMHURST, Thursday, 6/13, Friday, 6/14 & Saturday, 6/15, 9am-5pm. lots of vintage, collectibles, furniture and much more! Too much to list!

104 W. DIVISION, VILLA PARK, Friday, 6/14, 9am-3pm & Saturday, 6/15, 10am-3pm, vintage furniture, vehicles, collectibles, h’hold, kitchen, garage, garden & much more!

Elmhurst Garage Sales

708 S. MITCHELL AVE., ESTATE SALE, FRIDAY, 6/14, 8am4pm. Household items, antiques and much more!

NOTICE

CERTIFICATE NO. 79437 was filed in the office of the County Clerk of DuPage County on MAY 21, 2024 wherein the business firm of AT HIS FEET PRODUCTIONS, P.O. BOX 2582, NAPERVILLE, IL 60567 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:

Derrick Wilson, 28 Robin Hill Dr., Naperville, IL 60540; Cynthia Wilson, 28 Robin Hill Dr., Naperville, IL 60540. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and Official Seal at my office in Wheaton, Illinois, this 21ST day of MAY, A.D. 2024. Jean Kaczmarek DuPage County Clerk

(Published in The Lombardian May 30, June 6 & 13, 2024) 456252

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: CARLOS MANUEL CAYETANO

Case Number: 2024MR000324

My current name is: CARLOS MANUEL CAYETANO. I wish my name to be changed to: CARLOS MANUEL LEON. The court date for the Request I filed is scheduled on: JULY 18, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. at 505 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, IL, DuPage County, in Courtroom #2005.

/s/ Carlos Manuel Cayetano

Dated: 5/28/2024

Candice Adams Clerk of the Circuit Court 8085-943096

(Published in The Lombardian June 6, 13 & 20, 2024) 456643

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

ADDISON TOWNSHIP ROAD DISTRICT BUDGET

Notice is hereby given that the Road District Tentative Budget and Appropriation Ordinance for the Township of ADDISON Road District, in the County Of DUPAGE, State of Illinois, for the Fiscal Year beginning June 1, 2024, and ending May 31, 2025, will be on file and conveniently available for public inspection at ADDISON TOWNSHIP, 401 N. ADDISON RD., ADDISON, IL Monday, June 10, 2024, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday 9:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M.

Notice is further given hereby that a Public Hearing of the Addison Township Road District Budget and Appropriation Ordinance will be held at 7:00 P.M. on WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2024, at 401 N. Addison Rd., Addison, IL

By Order of

ADDISON TOWNSHIP

PAMELA JOY MORETTI TOWN CLERK

(Published in the Addison Independent, Bensenville Independent & Villa Park Review June 13, 2024) 457018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

ADDISON TOWNSHIP BUDGET

Notice is hereby given that a Tentative Budget and Appropriation Ordinance for the Township of ADDISON, in the County Of DUPAGE, State of Illinois, for the Fiscal Year beginning June 1, 2024, and ending May 31, 2025, will be on file and conveniently available for public inspection at ADDISON TOWNSHIP, 401 N. ADDI-

LEGAL NOTICES

SON RD., ADDISON, IL Monday, June 10, 2024, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday 9:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M.

Notice is further given hereby that a Public Hearing of the Addison Township Budget and Appropriation Ordinance will be held at 7:00 P.M. On WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2024, at 401 N. Addison Rd., Addison, IL

By Order of ADDISON TOWNSHIP

PAMELA JOY MORETTI TOWN CLERK

(Published in the Addison Independent, Bensenville Independent & Villa Park Review June 13, 2024) 457017

VILLAGE OF LOMBARD NOTICE TO BIDDERS FOR 641 N. MAIN STREET DRAINAGE BASIN

TIME AND PLACE OF OPENING BIDS

Notice is hereby given that the Village of Lombard, Illinois, acting through the Department of Public Works, will receive bids via online electronic bidding only through Quest Construction Data Network (QuestCDN) until July 9, 2024 at 11:00 AM, local time for the 641 N. MAIN STREET DRAINAGE BASIN. Paper bids will not be accepted and will be returned to the bidder unopened. Bids will be publicly read at the Public Works Facility, 1051 S. Hammerschmidt Avenue, Lombard, Illinois immediately after bids are due.

Bid proposals for this project will be considered to determine the lowest responsible bidder. Judgment on the award of the contract shall be based not only on cost, but also on past performance, experience, and ability to perform the work. The Village of Lombard reserves the right to accept the proposal deemed to be in its own best interest based on all of the above considerations and other considerations the law allows in determining the definition of ‘responsible bidder’. Bids will be acted upon by the President and Board of Trustees.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK

The proposed work is officially known as “641 N. MAIN STREET DRAINAGE BASIN”. The proposed project consists of removing the existing bituminous pavement structure from the property. The existing building on the property will be demolished and removed by a separate contract. Drainage improvements include excavation and development of a new stormwater detention pond with associated storm sewer infrastructure which will include stormwater sewer with manholes, catch basins and inlets. New site improvements include a new bituminous parking lot with curb and gutter which will be constructed on a new aggregate subbase. A fenced pickleball area consisting of three (3) separate courts will be constructed on the site for recreational use. The project will also include the construction of a concrete sidewalk which will be placed around the perimeter of the new stormwater detention pond and connect to the new parking lot and E. Goebel Dr., and other miscellaneous items necessary for a complete project.

All of the above, as well as other project details, are further described in the contract documents for the said work prepared for the Village of Lombard by Robinson Engineering Ltd. (REL).

PRE-QUALIFICATION OF BIDDERS

Pre-qualification of Bidders per Section 102 of the Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction in Illinois will be required of all Bidders on this proposal for all tasks associated with the scope of work. Requests for the required pre-qualification must be submit-

• Gambling

ted to Mr. Mike Barbier at BarbierM@villageoflombard.org by no later than 4:00 PM on June 26, 2024.

AVAILABILITY OF CONTRACT DOCUMENTS

Prospective Bidders must purchase contract documents through Quest Construction Data Network (QUESTCDN). This can be done via a link on the Village of Lombard website (www. VillageofLombard.org) or the QUESTCDN website (www.questcdn.com). QUESTCDN is a web- based platform for construction project advertisements, bid documents, and plan holder lists. Prospective bidders will need the seven-digit QUESTCDN project number (9165285) to locate the job.

There is a $22.00 non-refundable cost for downloading the contract documents in a pdf format. An online bidding cost of $20.00 will be charged to those contractors who choose to submit an electronic bid through QuestCDN. Bids will not be accepted from any prospective bidder who has not purchased contract documents through QuestCDN. Only online bids through QuestCDN will be accepted.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, plans and specifications may be examined at the following locations:

1) Office of the Director of Public Works, 1051 S. Hammerschmidt Avenue, Lombard, Illinois 60148; 2) QUESTCDN. The Village electronically posts Plans, Advertisements, Plan Holders Lists, and Addenda to QUESTCDN. For any additional services or assistance contact QUESTCDN at 952233-1632 or info@questcdn.com.

3) Subscribers to Dodge Data & Analytics may view the documents through their service agreement. For any additional services, data subscribers should contact Dodge Data & Analytics. Telephone: 877- 784-9556. Web: www.construction.com

4) Subscribers to ConstructConnect may view the documents through their service agreement. For any additional services, ConstructConnect data subscribers should contact ConstructConnect, Telephone: 877- 737-6482. Web: www.ConstructConnect.com

HOWEVER, AN EXAMINATION OF SAID PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS AT ANY OF THESE LOCATIONS OR ONLINE SHALL NOT RELIEVE THE PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS FROM THE CONTRACT DOCUMENT PURCHASE REQUIREMENT SET FORTH ABOVE.

REJECTION OF BIDS

The Village reserves the right to defer the award of the contract for a period not to exceed sixty (60) calendar days after the date bids are received to accept or reject any or all proposals, and to waive technicalities.

PRE-BID MEETING

A pre-bid meeting will not be held. Any question(s) must be submitted to Mr. Mike Barbier at BarbierM@villageoflombard.org by no later than 4:00 PM on June 26, 2024. Questions submitted after the deadline shall not be acknowledged.

All work under this contract shall comply with the Prevailing Wage Rate Act of the State of Illinois, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq. and Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act (30 ILCS 570/).

VILLAGE

OF LOMBARD, ILLINOIS

By:

_______________

Elizabeth Brezinski

Village

Clerk

(Published in The Lombardian June 13, 2024)

457138

foot space adjacent to Chicago’s Wrigley Field offering bar and restaurant service to customers while it awaited final licensure from the Gaming Board, which came in March. Illinois’ license fees are some of the highest in the nation. Pennsylvania also charges $10 million for an initial license fee and New York charges a $25 million fee for online operators, other states charge in the hundreds of thousands, or even have no license fees. New York does not charge landbased sportsbook operators a license fee or charge for renewals, while Illinois charges $1 million every four years for license renewals.

A representative from the state’s Gaming Board testified that only one sportsbook has even applied for the $20 million online-only master sports betting license but ended up withdrawing.

Video gaming

Taxes on Illinois’ ever-growing video gambling industry will grow to 35 percent – up from the 34 percent rate it’s been sitting at since 2020.

That extra tax would generate an estimated $35 million next year, according to estimates from Pritzker’s office. The $814 million in taxes video gambling terminals generated for the state in the 2023 fiscal year is part of $4.8 billion the industry has made for state infrastructure projects since the very first gaming terminals launched in 2012, according to the Illinois Gaming Board.

Upping the tax on video gaming

was a last-minute addition to Democrats’ revenue package in recent days; Pritzker had not mentioned any desire to do so earlier this spring.

The 2009 law that legalized video gambling implemented a 30 percent tax on the industry and limited most establishments to five terminals apiece. But as part of a massive gambling expansion in 2019, the General Assembly upped the tax to 33 percent with an automatic bump to 34 percent in 2020.

In exchange, restaurants, bars and gaming cafes have been allowed to add a sixth terminal, while so-called “large truck stops” were allowed to install up to 10 machines. In addition, the maximum bet for each hand doubled from $2 to $4.

Despite the pandemic shutting down video gaming terminals for months at a time in 2020 into 2021, the industry’s growth was undeterred, with revenues rebounding to neardouble pre-COVID levels by the end of last fiscal year.

Nearly 46,000 video gaming terminals were in operation statewide at the end of the 2023 fiscal year, according to state records. On average, 238 new terminals came online each month last year.

Though the video gambling industry balked at the proposal to once again hike taxes on its terminals, a last-minute counterproposal to allow bars and restaurants to increase the maximum number of terminals to seven didn’t pan out.

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