Author: Paul Stukel

A 30-year-old homeless man has agreed to a sentence of 15 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for a guilty plea to the offense of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm at Police Officers, a Class X felony. Judge John A. Barsanti accepted the plea. On September 9, 2023, the offender, identified as Odessian Torres, fired seven shots from an illegally owned firearm in the direction of City of Elgin police officers performing their official duties. In doing so, he also severely damaged a stop signed owned by the City of Elgin, hitting it with three…

The Shout Section Big Band and Jamie Vargo and Carl Linder of Vargo’s Dance in Geneva will be hosting SWING DANCE Night at The Venue this Sunday (and every fourth Sunday of the month) from 7pm-10pm. The Venue is an incredible space with lots of room for swing dancers and swing dancing. And the sound is unrivaled. Dance lessons will be held at 7:00pm and the Shout Section Big Band will be playing all swing-danceable music and band hits at 7:30pm-10:00pm. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased here. ($5 extra at the door.) The Venue is located at…

A 54-year-old Naperville man is dead after being struck by a vehicle on Route 59 in Aurora Tuesday morning. At approximately 8:46am Tuesday, the Aurora Police Department and Aurora Fire Department responded to a vehicle-versus-pedestrian crash at the intersection of North Illinois Route 59 and Fox Valley Entrance 1. The crash involved a black 2018 Infiniti Q50 that struck a 54-year-old male pedestrian. Officers found the victim, later identified as Derrick Davis, a resident of the 2500 block of Arcadia Circle in Naperville, in the middle through-lane of Illinois Route 59 suffering from serious injuries. The Infiniti had stopped at…

An 8-year-old boy was hit by a vehicle while crossing North Kirk Road just north of the Wilson Street intersection Tuesday afternoon. According to Batavia police, at approximately 4:22pm Tuesday, the boy was struck by a 2014 Cadillac ATS in the 200 block of North Kirk Road. The juvenile was taken to a local hospital for treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. An investigation of the incident concluded that the boy was crossing the roadway from the east side to the west, approximately 300 feet north of the North Kirk Road and East Wilson Street intersection, in an area that was not…

A 22-year-old West Chicago man was sentenced to ten years in prison after entering into a plea deal related to a fatal head-on collision in 2023. DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced today that Jaime Damian appeared in Court this afternoon where he entered an agreed plea of guilty to one count of Aggravated DUI – Accident Causing Death (a Class 2 Felony) and one count of Aggravated DUI – Great Bodily Harm (a Class 4 Felony) in front of Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh, who handed down the sentence. On September 14, 2023, at approximately 1:25pm, Damian was…

According to a report in Entertainment Weekly, St. Charles resident and NKOTB founder Donnie Wahlberg and his fans got some good news recently. He will be the lead in a long-discussed spin-off of the hit series Blue Bloods beginning this fall. The working title of the series is Boston Blue. In the new series,. Wahlberg will reprise his popular roll as Danny Reagan, an old school, tough-as-nails New York Detective with a big heart. It is unclear how or if the plot will incorporate any former characters from the Blue Bloods ensemble, and speculation about Tom Selleck’s involvement as NYPD…

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra will be presenting a special concert, “Melodies of Resistance,” featuring the Chicago Bandura Ensemble on Sunday, February 23 at Journey of Hope United Methodist Church in Elgin. The week of February 24th marks eleven years since Russia first started its war on Ukraine and three years since the start of the full-scale invasion. This concert is designed to honor the resilience of the Ukrainian people, commemorate all who have perished through the power of music, and thank the American people for their support. Experience the captivating sounds of the Chicago Bandura Ensemble as they perform on…

A 23-year-old Campton Township man was arrested early Saturday morning for brandishing a weapon at a St. Charles bar and pointing it at passing vehicles. At approximately 12:21am Saturday, St. Charles police officers were dispatched to a bar in the 0-99 block of North 3rd Street for the report of a person inside that business who was armed with a handgun. Officers who were already on foot in the area conducting regular bar checks immediately responded and stopped the person as he was exiting the business. The person was found to have a loaded handgun in his waistband. An employee…

In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, the folks at Trend + Relic in St. Charles held their annual “Galentine’s Day” event on February 7, featuring their incredibly diverse products and, among other things, a live charcuterie demo from Campbell Creations and crazy yummy cookies from Cookies By OO’s. As ever, our intrepid Kevin Ketchum was onsite checking out the fun. (Photo credit Kevin Ketchum)

A 39-year-old Texas man is in custody following an investigation by Naperville police into the online exploitation of a Naperville teen. In February 2023, a male juvenile reported to Naperville Police that he had sent explicit photos of himself online to someone purporting to be a 16-year-old female, who then threatened to release the photos publicly unless he sent the suspect electronic payments. “This is called sextortion, and it’s a growing problem in our society that every family should be aware of,” said Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres. “Twenty-seven incidents of sextortion have been reported to our department in the…