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Chicago Tribune
15-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Niles grocery store raising money for family of employee killed in suspected DUI collision
Owners of a local grocery story are expressing their condolences for the death of one of their employees by hosting online and in-store fundraisers for her and the woman's surviving family members. Bogdana Mygal, 33, of Des Plaines, was pronounced dead July 5 at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville after being transported there following a multi-vehicle collision in a Lake County suburb. A man is facing driving under the influence charges in connection with the fatal incident that also saw Mygal's husband and 4-year-old daughter sustain injuries. 'She came from the Ukraine with her husband and no other family. They came here to have a better life. She wanted the best for her and her family. Her daughter was her world. It just breaks my heart,' Joanna Antonik, co-owner of Deli 4 You Market, told Pioneer Press by phone. Deli 4 You Market, a full-line Polish and European grocery store chain, has five Chicagoland locations, including in Norridge and Niles – the latter is where Mygal worked for three years before her death. Antonik owns the stores with her mother, Margaret. 'We always enjoyed working with her. She was extremely liked, super nice to customers, co-workers, and so helpful. She was a wonderful person,' said Antonik. The Niles store has set up a memorial at the cash register where Mygal usually worked. Also at the check out lane is a jar where people can deposit cash as part of a fundraiser. An online fundraiser is running on the GoFundMe website where, as of Tuesday, more than $54,000 has been raised. The initial goal was $50,000 but is now changed to $70,000. Antonik said she and her mother also plan to provide food from the store to the family as the fundraising is managed. 'I just felt the community wanted to help and I wanted to open this up to them,' Antonik said. 'It's not going to help with everything, but with something financially. We're very grateful we have such a great community that wants to support the family.' According to the Lake County sheriff's office, Mygal, her husband and 4-year-old daughter, were traveling from a Fourth of July celebration on July 5 at 10:15 p.m. when they were involved in a three-vehicle collision on West Russell and Frontage roads in Wadsworth Mygal, a passenger in the family's 2016 Chevrolet Volt, was taken from the scene to hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The Lake County Coroner determined she died of blunt force trauma. Her husband and daughter also suffered serious, but non-life threatening injuries, according to authorities. Andrew Willard, 58, of the 600 block of West Natalie Lane, Addison, was charged July 8 with aggravated DUI causing death, DUI and traffic violations for allegedly traveling at a high rate of speed and failing to stop at a stop sign at Frontage Road, striking both the vehicle Mygal was in with her family and another vehicle – which were both stopped at the intersection. The driver and passenger in the other vehicle, as well as Willard, suffered serious, but non-life threatening injuries, Covelli said. 'Crash investigators believe Willard was more than twice the legal limit for alcohol when he crashed,' according to a sheriff's office news release. Willard is being held in the Lake County Jail on pre-trial detention. He is scheduled to appear in court again July 30. Mygal started working as a cashier at Deli 4 You three years ago when the deli opened in Niles, Antonik said. The team at the Niles store saw she was eager to work, be part of a new store and the team, and thought her energy was infectious. Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer. Pioneer Press staff contributed.
National Post
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- National Post
Number of EV charging stations growing in Canada but gaps in network remain
An electric vehicle charging station powering up a Chevrolet Volt in Quebec. Photo by Postmedia/File OTTAWA — Canada continues to fall behind on efforts to build up a network of electric vehicle charging stations, even as the rising number of chargers along key corridors makes it easier for Canadians to take their EVs on longer trips, researchers say. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors There are a little more than 35,000 charging stations across the country right now — well short of the 100,520 Canada needs to meet its policy goals for electric vehicles, researchers with the Montreal-based consultancy Dunsky Energy and Climate said in a report released last year. In a 2021 analysis commissioned by Natural Resources Canada, Dunsky estimated Canada needed 52,000 chargers by this year. It revised that target in a report released in February 2024 to take into account the need for charging infrastructure for commercial fleets and secondary roads. Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again According to the most recent data from Natural Resources Canada, 88 per cent of Canada's charging ports are in B.C., Ontario and Quebec — provinces which accounted for 92 per cent of new EV sales last year. Jeff Turner, director of mobility at Dunsky Energy and Climate, said the shortage of stations is hardest on EV drivers who live in multi-unit residential buildings and may rely on on-street parking. 'The analysis that we did puts a pretty strong emphasis on the importance of an equitable transition to EVs,' Turner said. 'And so we put a big focus on the need to support folks who can't charge at home.' The federal government issued a call for proposals for public and private EV charging stations last year and is expected to announce funding for those projects by January. Turner said that funding should boost the number of charging stations after the summer construction season ends. 'We're sort of in a bit of a waiting period for the most recent funding to really start to have a big impact,' he said. Turner said a growing number of charging locations along key highway corridors — particularly between Toronto and the Atlantic region — has made it easier for Canadians to take their EVs for longer trips. 'Folks really fixate on this idea of the road trip is the biggest barrier holding them back from switching to an EV,' said Turner, adding he drove from Montreal to Halifax twice last year in his EV. 'We're now at a point where most new EVs coming to the market can charge back up to 80 per cent in maybe 30 to 35 minutes. Some of the fastest-charging EVs could do that in under 20 minutes.' Starting next year, Ottawa will require that 20 per cent of all new light-duty vehicles sold be zero-emission vehicles, which include gas-powered plug-in hybrids. That benchmark is set to climb annually to reach 100 per cent in 2035.
Chicago Tribune
07-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Wadsworth-area crash leaves 1 dead, 5 seriously injured
A Niles woman was killed over the weekend when her car was struck by a suspected drunk driver near Wadsworth, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said. The woman, 33, was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of Russell Road and Frontage Road when her car was hit at about 10:15 p.m. Saturday. Authorities have not yet released her identity. Police said a Porsche Macan driven by a 58-year-old Addison man was westbound on Russell at high speed when it failed to slow and ran into the rear of the Chevrolet Volt in which the Niles woman was a passenger. The force of the collision pushed the Volt into a Mercedes-Benz that was also at the stop sign. The Volt driver, a 35-year-old man, and a 4-year-old girl, both of Niles, were brought to a hospital with what police said were serious but not life-threatening injuries. The Mercedes-Benz driver and a passenger were also brought to a hospital with serious injuries, police said. The Porsche driver was also hospitalized with serious injuries, police said. Speed and alcohol impairment appear to be factors in the crash, police said. The Porsche driver will likely face criminal charges after he is discharged from the hospital, police said.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Two car vs. semi crashes on I-90 in Boone County cause minor injuries
BOONE COUNTY, Ill. (WTVO) — A driver suffered minor injuries in a collision with a semi on I-90 on Monday; while rescue personnel were on the scene, a second car vs semi crash happened, also resulting in injuries. According to the Boone County Fire Protection District 2, around 6 p.m., crews were dispatched to Mile Marker 31 in Garden Prairie where a black Buick had collided with a semi truck. The driver was out of the car and walking around with minor injuries when responders reached the scene. Authorities said they were sent to the hospital as a precaution. While the rescuers were on the scene, they were dispatched to a second accident near Mile Marker 19 in Belvidere, where a white Chevrolet Volt had collided with a semi. Officials said the vehicle had minor damage and one person was also taken to the hospital. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Ford said it's made a breakthrough in battery tech to make cheaper EVs with longer range
Ford said it's made a breakthrough in battery tech to make cheaper EVs with longer range Show Caption Hide Caption When will replacing EV battery be cheaper than cost of gas car engine? Experts predict that by 2030, the cost of replacing an electric vehicle battery could be cheaper than a new gas-powered car engine. Straight Arrow News Ford Motor said it has made a breakthrough in electric vehicle battery technology. Ford expects to be able to offer more affordable EVs with longer range by the end of the decade. Ford Motor Co. said it is getting closer to offering car buyers more affordable and longer-range electric vehicles thanks to a breakthrough it made in battery technology, though the announcement lacked details, leaving some experts underwhelmed. Charles Poon, Ford's director of electrified propulsion engineering, on April 23 announced that the Dearborn-based automaker plans, by the end of the decade, to offer lower-priced EVs that can travel farther on a single charge thanks to its work on new battery cell chemistry. "Today marks a pivotal moment in Ford's electrification journey and for the future of electric vehicles," Poon wrote in his LinkedIn post. "After intense research and development at our state-of-the-art Battery Center of Excellence, Ion Park (in Romulus, Michigan), I'm thrilled to share that the Ford team is delivering a game-changing battery chemistry: Lithium Manganese Rich (LMR). This isn't just a lab experiment. We're actively working to scale LMR cell chemistry and integrate them into our future vehicle lineup within this decade." Poon said the Ford team is already producing its second generation of LMR cells at its pilot line. But experts said lithium manganese batteries aren't new. The first-generation Chevrolet Volt used cells with manganese spinel cathodes, said Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at Telemetry Insights. He said spinel refers to a specific type of 3D molecular structure. Tariffs shake the auto industry: Ford stops shipping Michigan-built vehicles to China due to soaring tariffs There are other battery formulations as well, Abuelsamid said, explaining that Our Next Energy, a battery startup based in Novi, is developing manganese cells and the Gemini hybrid battery pack. Gemini as an architecture designed to double the range of EVs by using two cells: a lithium iron phosphate cell for daily driving and an anode-free cell for longer trips. "The big advantage of manganese is that it's plentiful, cheap and very stable (it doesn't readily experience thermal runaway the way nickel chemistries do)," Abuelsamid told the Free Press in an email. "At least some varieties of manganese cells don't last as long, though." LMR is an answer Ford spokeswoman Emma Bergg clarified to the Free Press that while LMR has been researched by many companies, the technology poses challenges with voltage decay and gas generation. What is unique about the Ford LMR development is that the automaker is directly addressing these issues while "not sacrificing energy density," Bergg wrote in an email. Abuelsamid said manganese cells have had a short charge cycle life, and Ford's comments imply that they may have found a way to address this, but Ford did not provide details on how. Sam Fiorani thought the clarification suggested progress more than a breakthrough. "'Directly addressing' does not sound like they've 'found a solution,' but rather getting better and working toward an eventual produceable solution," Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, told the Free Press. In his post, Poon said Ford's LMR battery technology has the potential to make a "step change," by giving its EVs enhanced safety and stability comparable to lithium iron phosphate batteries as well as a higher energy density than even high-nickel batteries, which provide longer range on a single charge. Poon said Ford is also targeting a significantly lower cost than current mid-nickel batteries, which would bring down the prices of EVs. Batteries represent at least a third of the cost of an EV, and Ford believes lowering prices on EVs is key to achieving true cost parity with gasoline-powered vehicles. "Ford started by offering nickel cobalt manganese batteries and later added lithium iron phosphate batteries in 2023," Poon wrote. "LMR is the answer to 'what next?'' But battery technology for EVs is in its infancy compared with the development of internal combustion engines, said Fiorani. "There will be many improvements over the coming years and decades as the automotive industry is finally focusing on this technology," Fiorani said. He said efforts such as LMR batteries, however, cannot be overlooked because they show promise in getting EVs positioned as a practical replacement for gasoline-powered vehicles, ultimately leading to broad EV adoption. But he exercises caution without further details from Ford. "Like all of the reported breakthroughs over the last few years, LMR has its shortcomings and isn't likely the panacea we're looking for at this point," Fiorani said. "Getting over the problems with voltage decay and short charge-cycle life are huge hurdles to jump." Losing cobalt cuts costs, child labor Ford's current all-electric lineup includes: Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning pickup and the E-Transit van. In the first quarter, Ford reported it sold 22,550 all-electric vehicles, an 11.5% increase from the year-ago period. Ford Chair Bill Ford has long advocated for greater EV affordability. At the Detroit Auto Show in January, Bill Ford said that the company is working hard on making EVs more affordable because EV affordability will be "the catalyst for much wider adoption." Ford's news comes after the New York Times reported on Monday that China's CATL — the biggest supplier of batteries for the world's EVs — said it had made technological advances that would allow it to make batteries that are cheaper, lighter, faster to recharge and more resistant to cold — all while providing greater driving range. CATL said most of the changes will not be widely available in new EVs for a couple of years, but its new system would allow a driver to charge an EV in five minutes with enough juice to drive 320 miles. Wall Street autos analyst David Whiston with Morningstar told the Free Press that Ford's announced battery cell technology advancements might eliminate or reduce the need for cobalt, an expensive mineral often mined with child labor, making it a human rights concern. Whiston admitted he is not an expert on battery chemistry, but said LMR batteries use more abundant elements rather than cobalt for the cathode, so sourcing LMR is easier and cheaper. Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@ Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
