Remember Flash? The dog rescued from a frozen pond Dec. 15 in St. Charles Township who now has a forever home in Woodstock? Flash is actually a malamute, not a husky as originally described – a slightly bigger dog, but with similar coloring and features. Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District pulled him from an icy pond in sub-zero weather, after neighbors in the Crane Road Estates subdivision heard his frantic barking.
A man knocked on the door of an 89-year-old Crystal Lake woman, told her he repairs chimneys and driveways and then stole $15,000 from her after she let him in her home, authorities say. Anthony Miller, 42, of Schaumburg is charged with theft by deception of between $10,000 and $100,000 and of someone who is older than 60, both Class 2 felonies, according to a criminal complaint in McHenry County court.
Just nine days before it was to hit the auction block at this year’s Stupor Bowl in Dixon, police are searching for a signed Chicago Bears helmet that has gone missing and is presumed to have been stolen. Dixon police on Thursday were continuing their search for the culprit who may have stolen the Chicago Bears replica helmet signed by player Cole Kmet. The helmet, donated by the team, was considered to be the most valuable item set for auction at the Feb. 7 Dixon Public Schools Foundation’s Stupor Bowl that raises funds for the district’s schools.
The decision to close Edison Primary School came sooner than expected. At an emergency meeting Tuesday, the Kankakee School Board approved the immediate closure of Edison due to structural issues in the building, which had been home to 185 students in kindergarten through third grades. The decision came in the midst of a series of public hearings intended to gain community input on the school’s closure at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.
After trying for almost two years to purchase part of Blackberry Oaks Golf Course for expanding Kennedy Road, the city of Yorkville is reaching for another club in its bag – eminent domain. The impasse between the city and club centers on 0.84 acres of perspective right-of-way and 0.11 acres of temporary easement of the golf course’s property. The proposed easement is 30-feet by 1,225-feet. The city has offered the golf course $1,800 which the city says is based on an “estimated fair market value cost,” according to city documents.
A dozen people spoke out against the proposed closure of A.O. Marshall Elementary School in Joliet during a public hearing Thursday. Since Dec. 11, Joliet Public Schools District 86 officials have held two public hearings to gather input from the community on the proposed closure of the elementary school. A third hearing is planned for Feb. 4 at the school, 319 Harwood St.
A new business park anchored by a Pilot Travel Center gas station and convenience store is headed for DeKalb’s south side after the City Council greenlit the project this week. Unanimous council action on the DeKalb Commerce Center will allow development to begin on 114 acres at the southeast corner of Peace Road and Fairview Drive. Mayor Cohen Barnes expressed excitement about the project. He said the idea is to bring in more tax money, fuel and sales taxes for example, beyond property taxes. Officials said the project has been a long time in the making for the city.
Six people were charged in La Salle County with defrauding the government of COVID-19 relief funds. The first one to stand for sentencing is going to prison. Ebony Green, 29, of University Park, appeared Thursday in La Salle County Circuit Court and was sentenced to five years in prison for scamming her way into a PPD loan for more than $20,000. When offered a chance to speak, Green wept and pleaded for leniency so she could continue caring for her six children. “I made a horrible mistake,” Green said, “but I’m asking for probation to be a good mother to my children.”
