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Tag: illinois

A gun was discovered inside a vehicle in the parking lot of Antioch High School.

A handgun was discovered inside a vehicle in the parking lot of Antioch High School on Tuesday morning.

According to police, the gun was discovered during a routine canine scent search of vehicles.

When it was discovered, the student, a 21-year-old man in an alternative schooling program, was arrested.

“I would like to recognize District 117 on its commitment to ensuring the safety of students at our high school,” said Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow.

The investigation is still ongoing, and no potential charges have been announced at this time.

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The president of the Chicago police union is “willing to talk” with the mayor-elect, but he predicts that cop exodus will continue.

According to the head of the Chicago police union, the majority of members “does not want to work for Brandon Johnson as mayor,” and as many as 1,000 officers could leave the force.

According to John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge 7, union members’ morale is “in the basement,” and the mayoral election only increased members’ concerns.

“There was a lot of the membership waiting to see what would happen last night, and there is a lot of somber reality for members to choose between: do they stay or do they go?” Wednesday, he stated.

“And if several hundred of them leave within the next sixty days, I will not be the least bit surprised.”

Paul Vallas was nominated for mayor by the Fraternal Order of Police. As a former city budget director and schools chief, Vallas was seen as a more conservative candidate who had run on a law-and-order platform.

Johnson has attempted to distance himself from his previous statements in support of the defund-the-police movement.

Catanzara, president of the FOP, declares, “We shall see where this goes.” I’m willing to talk.”

Catanzara stated that he hopes to have a better relationship with Johnson than he did with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has had public disagreements with officials from the union.

Catanzara stated, “I hope he has a little thicker skin.” He shouldn’t have applied for this position if he can’t handle criticism. However, it is absurd to believe that we will get along and become the best of friends.

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A man was struck and killed at a Northwest Side intersection.

A man was struck and killed in a Northwest Side intersection early Wednesday morning.

Police were called to the intersection of Armitage and Cicero around 5 a.m. on a report of a pedestrian struck.

According to police, a 56-year-old man was driving southbound on Cicero when he collided with a 46-year-old man in the intersection.

The man was taken to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead there. The driver received traffic tickets.

There was no other information provided.

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The first commercial electric air taxi route will be opened in Chicago

Chicagoans may before long have the option to fly over air terminal traffic on their way downtown.

According to a joint press release from Archer Aviation Inc. and United Airlines, the first commercial electric air taxi route will start in Chicago in two years.

On Thursday, Archer and United made the announcement that they would be launching a commercial electric air taxi service. They said that Chicago was chosen because it was “the third most populous city in the United States, a center for business, innovation, and investment, and home to United’s headquarters.” Because of this, it is a one-of-a-kind city for Archer and United to develop.

According to the press release, Archer’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will travel from O’Hare International Airport to Vertiport Chicago, the largest facility in North America for vertical aircraft takeoff and landing, which is in the Illinois Medical District near the Chicago Loop.

Six battery packs provide power, and the vehicle has a top speed of 150 mph. There is room for one pilot, four passengers, and luggage in the aircraft. In normal traffic, the journey from O’Hare to downtown Chicago can take more than an hour, and it can take even longer during rush hour.

Bryan Benhard, Archer’s chief growth and infrastructure officer, stated, “This is definitely the transportation of the future… it is safe, sustainable, affordable, and quiet.” Instead of driving an hour to an hour and a half from downtown to O’Hare in ten minutes for the price of an Uber, people will take this aircraft.

According to the press release from Archer, trips will be available for between $100 and $150 through a mobile app.

In 2025, the service is expected to go live. Simultaneously, an enormous development project on Chicago’s fundamental interstate that interfaces the city’s midtown region to ORD is supposed to make traffic bad dreams.

According to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, “This exciting new technology will further decarbonize our means of transportation, taking us another step forward in our fight against climate change.” I’m happy that Chicagoans will be among the first in the country to use this innovative and convenient mode of transportation.

Archer won’t just make a stop in Chicago. The creator of the e-taxi wants to bring the program to other major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles and New York City.

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After 5 pediatric deaths, Illinois’ top doctor issues a warning about strep throat.

The state’s top doctor is warning about strep throat cases in children.

Illinois health officials issued a warning about an increase in dangerous strep throat cases, citing at least five pediatric deaths in the state.

The invasive Group-A strep throat is the focus of the warning.

Severe strep complications occur when the bacteria migrate to other parts of the body and become invasive.

“Germs are being found in parts of the body where you don’t usually see them. They’ll be found in the bloodstream, the lungs or even in the joints,” said Dr. Michael Cappello, with Advocate Children’s Hospital

Dr. Cappello, vice-chairman of Advocate Children’s Hospital, stated that the hospital has seen patients with invasive Group-A strep, with some requiring intensive care.

All, however, were successfully treated.

The cause of the increase in pediatric cases is unknown.

“With the increase in viral infections in the respiratory surge in the winter, that presence of the virus — if you get the Group A virus on top of that, the virus is working on immune system, it could be breaking it down a little bit,” Dr. Cappello said.

Although Group-A strep bacteria can cause common and generally mild illnesses, doctors advise parents to contact their health providers if their children develop severe symptoms such as scarlet fever.

“It’s when you get a rash that almost makes you look like sunburn,” said Dr. Arti Barnes, with IDPH. “Diffused red rash of the body and then the skin on the fingertips might start peeling off.”

To avoid group A strep infections, doctors advise covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, washing your hands frequently with soap and water, and ensuring that everyone in the house is up to date on flu, COVID, and chickenpox vaccines.

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Skokie fire officials say a girl was hit by a school bus in the north suburbs.

According to fire officials, a school bus struck a girl in north suburban Skokie on Monday afternoon.

Skokie fire Battalion Chief Gabe Millard said the girl was attempting to cross the street near Dempster and Karlov Avenue when a small school bus from a nearby school struck her.

She was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance, but her condition was not immediately known.

The front of the bus had visible damage, and paramedics could be seen at the scene with the girl on the ground.

Skokie police are looking into the incident.

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Eric Carter has been appointed interim superintendent of the CPD.

Following David Brown’s resignation, First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter has been selected to lead the Chicago Police Department on an interim basis.

Carter has been the CPD’s second-in-command since July 2020.

During his tenure as first deputy superintendent, he oversaw all deployment operations, including the bureaus of patrol, detectives, counterterrorism, and special operations, according to the Chicago Police Department.

“It is my privilege to serve as Interim Superintendent and lead the brave men and women of CPD,” said Interim Superintendent Carter. “We will continue the progress we made under the leadership of Superintendent Brown to build trust in our communities and strengthen safety across every neighborhood.”

Carter is a 30-year veteran of the CPD who has served in multiple divisions. He is a Marine Corps veteran and a graduate of Saint Xavier University with a master’s degree in public and non-profit corporate management.

WGN Investigates reported on Wednesday that after announcing his resignation, David Brown checked out of his office earlier than the planned departure date of Thursday.

Brown was brought to Chicago in 2020 by Mayor Lori Lightfoot from Dallas, where he had previously served as police chief.

Previously, former LAPD Chief Charlie Beck was the last interim superintendent following the Eddie Johnson scandal.

Carter may only hold the presidency for a few months. Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas, candidates for mayor of Chicago, criticized Brown on the campaign trail and pledged to replace him.

The election runoff takes place on April 4.

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Father shocked after single mother was killed while attempting to push a stalled vehicle in the suburbs.

After their mother was hit and killed while attempting to push her stalled vehicle last month in Bolingbrook, their father is heartbroken and concerned for the future of his grandchildren.

Bob Cawthon told WGN News on Wednesday, “This is the worst thing that’s ever happened in my life.

Back on February 22, Jenna Cawthon, his 30-year-old daughter from Bolingbrook, stalled her car while driving to work close to 107th Street and Joliet Road.

She tried to push her car out of the way because Cawthon described her as a “can do” person. “A good Samaritan looked and said ‘hey she needs help.’”

The witness made a U-turn, got out of his car, and as he crossed the street to assist, Jenna was hit from behind and killed, according to a police report Cawthon saw.

The call that no one wants to receive was made to her father, who is currently residing close to Pittsburgh.

“‘Your daughter has passed,’ I was like, ‘what?’” Cawthon said. “It was a shock.”

Next on his mind were his grandsons, Devyn, 4, and Donavan, 13, who were both boys.

Although the boys weren’t in the car, they now have to deal with the mother’s passing.

She had just enough insurance to cover the modest cost of a funeral, according to Cawthon. “You do not think you’re going to die when you’re 30.”

Now that the boys are in their father’s custody, Cawthon has turned to GoFundMe to ensure their care.

By Wednesday afternoon, it had amassed almost $9,000 in donations.

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The FBI has released images of suspects wanted in connection with an armored car robbery in Orland Park.

The FBI is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying four suspects wanted in connection with an armored car robbery in Orland Park.

Last Saturday, three men jumped out of an SUV armed with semi-automatic pistols and forced the driver into the truck, according to authorities. According to authorities, the trio stole the contents of the vehicle before a fourth suspect, the getaway driver, rode away.

The incident took place outside an Xfinity store on the 14220 block of 95th Avenue.

There were no reported injuries.

Anyone with information is urged to get in touch with the FBI in Chicago, where tips can be submitted anonymously.

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A Walmart manager in Joliet has been charged with stealing $135K.

A former manager at a Joliet Walmart was arrested after allegedly stealing approximately $135,000 in cash from the store last year.

On Nov. 27, officers were called to the Walmart in the 2400 block of West Jefferson Street in response to a report of a previous theft.

Melissa Vanderwall, 47, of Romeoville, was working as a night manager when she allegedly emptied a large amount of cash from recyclers used to restock cash registers, according to an investigation.

Melissa Vanderwall WGN 9

Vanderwall allegedly left the store with a shopping bag containing $135,988. It was caught on surveillance video, and a warrant for her arrest was issued.

She turned herself in to the Joliet Police Department on Monday, according to police.

Vanderwall is charged with theft and burglary.

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Three armed robberies were reported overnight in Hyde Park, according to the UCPD.

The University of Chicago Police Department issued a warning after three armed robberies were reported in Hyde Park early Sunday morning.

Two of them occurred around 2:30 a.m. at a gas station in the 5000 block of South Cornell Avenue, according to the notice.

According to the notice, in both of those cases, three or four people were involved and fled in a red Nissan after stealing property from people.

According to the notice, a person walking on the sidewalk in the 1400 block of East 52nd Street was struck by one person and robbed a little more than an hour later, around 3:40 a.m. They drove away in a red car.

The Chicago Police Department is investigating these incidents.

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Customers flee as an armored truck driver is robbed in Orland Park.

The driver of a Brink’s armored truck was robbed in broad daylight outside the Orland Ale House in Orland Park on Saturday, sending people inside the bar ducking for cover.

“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Kris Muschler, the general manager at Orland Ale House.

The masked suspects jumped inside the Brink’s truck around 2 p.m., according to a photo shared with ABC7.

“My wife was up front and she came running back and said someone is holding up the armored truck out front,” Muschler said.

According to witnesses inside the bar, the suspects pushed the lone Brink’s driver up against the armored truck.

“We ran up, we locked the door. I got on the phone [and] called 911 right away,” Muschler said.

As the armed robbery unfolded just feet from the bar’s entrance, Muschler said people hid behind the bar’s counter and in the kitchen.

“We told everybody, ‘let’s get to the back.’ We had the front door locked. We just want everyone to get to the back and if you felt more comfortable going in our kitchen, go in our kitchen,” Muschler said.

Orland Park police said the suspects got away with some money but did not say how much.

Brink’s said in a statement that their employee was not injured but declined to comment on the investigation.

“We can confirm there was an incident involving one of our crews in Chicago today. Because this is an active investigation, we cannot provide details, but we are pleased to share that our employee was not hurt.”

According to an Orland Park official, the village is collaborating with the FBI to determine whether this armed robbery is linked to other crimes in the area.

Three men shot an armored truck driver at a strip mall in Chicago’s West Chatham neighborhood on Tuesday.

The driver survived, but the suspects, according to police, escaped.

The Village of Orland Park also released a statement, saying, “The incident is still under investigation at this time. We are working in conjunction with the FBI due to possible connection to a string of similar offenses that took place elsewhere in the region. There were no injuries as a result of this incident. We will release further information as it becomes available.”

Orland Park Police have not said whether any arrests were made in connection with Saturday’s attack.

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Owners and employees of a car dealership in Des Plaines were kidnapped, beaten, and burned for hours; two suspects are in custody.

Three Des Plaines car dealership employees were kidnapped, beaten, robbed, and burned last month by two suburban men.

George P. Athanasakos, 24, of Wood Dale, and Brandon D. Bratcher, 27, of Hanover Park, face three counts of aggravated kidnapping and three counts of armed robbery.

Bratcher was also charged with residential burglary on one count.

According to police, three victims, two men and one woman, were abducted from their car dealership at 622 E. Northwest Hwy. in Des Plaines on Feb. 10.

Two of the victims are dealership owners, and the third is an employee.

The victims, Anthanasakos and Batcher, were discovered to have known each other through the purchase and refurbishment of vehicles.

The victims and Bratcher were at the dealership when several masked offenders armed with rifles and handguns entered.

The perpetrators robbed the victims of their personal belongings before binding their hands and feet, covering their heads, and forcing them into a vehicle.

The victims were then transferred to another location where they were beaten repeatedly, burned with a hot object, and restrained all evening.

The victims were then driven back to the car dealership the next morning, where the offenders demanded a large sum of money and threatened them with violence if they did not pay, according to police.

One of the victims correctly identified Athanasakos and Bratcher as suspects in this case.

Des Plaines investigators apprehended Athanasakos in Palatine on Feb. 16. Des Plaines police arrested Bratcher in Arlington Heights on March 1.

Both suspects are being held in jail without bail.

According to police, the three victims were targeted, and there is no danger to the public.

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A Chicago man has been charged in an East Side shooting.

A 20-year-old man was charged last month in connection with a shooting in Chicago’s East Side neighborhood.

Police say Thomas Olsen, of Chicago, was arrested on Thursday after being identified as the suspect who shot and injured a 31-year-old man on February 6 in the 10000 block of South Avenue North.

He was apprehended by the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force in the 2400 block of South Commercial Avenue.

Today, Olsen was scheduled to appear in bond court.

He is charged with aggravated battery, a felony.

At this time, no additional information is available.

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The mayor of Calumet City was injured in a four-car accident.

Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones was injured in a four-vehicle crash in the south suburbs on Wednesday night.

Two cars collided around 8 p.m. in the 300 block of River Oaks Drive causing a chain-reaction crash involving Jones, officials said.

Jones was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries. A 60-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman were also treated at a nearby hospital.

Two other men, 47 and 62, were treated at the scene by Calumet City Fire Department members.

According to reports, all of the injuries were minor.

As officials investigate the crash, no charges have been filed.

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A Gage Park shooting kills a Chicago police officer.

A source tells local news that a shooting late Wednesday afternoon in the Gage Park neighborhood resulted in the death of a Chicago police officer.

According to sources from the police, the officer was shot in the leg and the face. It appeared as though a long line of police cars were getting ready for a procession that would depart Mount Sinai Hospital following the death of an officer in the line of duty.

After the incident, Chopper 2 observed a police-escorted ambulance heading to Mount Sinai near 52nd Street and Spaulding Avenue.

According to sources, a suspect was reportedly chasing and threatening a girlfriend during a domestic dispute when police were first called to the scene.

Witnesses at the Gage Park scene reported hearing three or four loud bangs and spotting officers hurrying to the officer’s body near a playground.
Local media reported that police were preventing people from entering the area near the officer’s shooting scene, according to a man walking his dog nearby. Very few homes were accessible.

According to the man, he could not believe what had occurred. He claimed to have lived on the Southwest Side for 20 years, and while there have been times when crime has fluctuated, he had never heard of a police officer being shot and killed there.

The officer, who was in critical condition, was transported.

Along California and Ogden avenues outside the hospital, a number of police squad cars gathered at the hospital and around it.

No additional information was available. At 7:45 p.m., police were scheduled to hold a press conference to discuss the incident. The shooting occurred shortly after Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office announced that CPD Supt. In order to start a new job in Texas, David Brown will step down later this month. First Deputy Supt will take Brown’s place. Until a new mayor is sworn in, Eric Carter will serve as interim mayor.

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During an argument with a passenger, an Illinois man intentionally drove his car into a tree, according to the sheriff’s office.

A Gurnee man has been charged with intentional driving into a tree while arguing with his passenger on Wednesday morning.

Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the area of 29th Street and Lone Oak Road in Beach Park for a traffic crash around 7:45 a.m.

Deputies arrived to find a Nissan Murano that had collided with a tree. According to the sheriff’s office, the Nissan sustained significant damage.

The Nissan’s driver, a 68-year-old Gurnee man, and his passenger, a 38-year-old Zion woman, were trapped and had to be extricated from the vehicle by the fire department.

According to the sheriff’s office, the driver and passenger were taken to area hospitals with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

The driver and the victim, who are in a relationship, were arguing, according to preliminary information. During the argument, the driver threatened to end their lives, accelerated, and veered off the road.

He drove directly into a tree, the sheriff’s office said.

The driver faces charges of aggravated domestic battery and reckless driving. Additional fees may apply.

The driver’s name will not be released until after his hospital discharge.

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2 Chicago men charged in Douglas Park murder

In the death of a 22-year-old man in Chicago’s Douglas Park neighborhood, two men have been charged.

Moses Maldonado, 21, and Nicholas Samudio, 22, both of Chicago, are charged with first-degree murder in the death of Tomas Villa, according to police.

Villa was found shot to death in the 2700 block of West 18th Street around 2:15 a.m. on Sunday. According to police, he was discovered on the street between two vehicles.

The two suspects were apprehended around 6:23 p.m. that evening in the 2700 block of South Homan Avenue. Officers discovered them in possession of a car that had been stolen in January.

Today, Maldonado and Samudio were due to appear in bond court. They are also accused of resisting and obstructing police.

At this time, no additional information is available.

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A man from Aurora has been charged with possessing suspected child pornography.

An Aurora man was arrested on suspicion of possessing suspected child pornography.

Aurora police executed a search warrant in the early morning hours of February 23 at a home in the 1300 block of Valayna Drive.

According to police, officers seized multiple electronic devices containing suspected child pornography.

Jeremy Lenerville, 40, was arrested and is being held at the DuPage County Jail on a $250,000 bail.

If he posts bond, he is not allowed to have unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18, and he must surrender all firearms, ammunition, and his FOID card.

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A Chicago man has been charged in connection with a fatal shooting in East Garfield Park.

Last month, a man was charged in connection with a fatal shooting on Chicago’s West Side.

According to police, Luther Phillips was arrested on Monday for a shooting that occurred on January 20 during a gathering in East Garfield Park.

A 36-year-old man was killed at a home in the 300 block of North Hamlin Avenue around 10:30 p.m. when a fight broke out and Phillips pulled a gun, according to investigators.

Phillips was arrested in the 10000 block of O’Hare Street and is facing first-degree murder charges.

At this time, no additional information is available.

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