Latest news with #GeorgeVanDusen
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Skokie strengthens immigration protections ordinance
Though not officially labeled as a Welcoming City on paper, the Skokie Village Board approved measures to restrict assisting federal immigration agents in certain cases. The village will also be able to give limited help to those in the immigration booking system. The updated Human Relations Chapter of the village's code does not conflict with federal law, as it still requires the village and its police department to assist federal officers in serving criminal warrants, officials said. The Village Board unanimously approved the changes to the village's code at its March 17 meeting. The new addendums in the Human Relations chapter state that the village shall not assist immigration officers who do not have a criminal warrant, assist in information sharing, arrest or detain someone based solely on their immigration status. The village is also mandated to notify foreign nationals of their right to contact consulates within 48 hours of their booking, support programs available for immigrants who are victims of qualifying crimes and who are potential witnesses for prosecution of a crime, and to respond promptly to requests for visa supporting documents and visa certifications. Those mandates and restrictions were already in practice in Skokie, according to Mayor George Van Dusen, but the Village Board approved updating to reinforce its stance. Under President Donald Trump's first term in office, the Village Board approved amendments to its Human Relations chapter in 2017 to create safe zones in health care facilities, schools and universities. Michael Lorge, the village's corporation counsel said at the time that the village granted legal protections to its residents that are commonly seen in 'sanctuary cities.' After Trump was sworn in for his second term, Fred Tsao, the senior policy council for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) wrote an email to Lorge and Trustee James Johnson and two other recipients saying the village's ordinance is strong, but it could be strengthened if its language were to be clarified. Van Dusen defended the integrity of the 2017 protections at a Village Board meeting Feb. 3, and said the Board created those protections before the state approved the TRUST Act. The subject came back to the Village Board as an honorary proclamation at the Feb. 18 meeting reiterating the village's support for all immigrants. 'Mr. Tsao, with (ICIRR) made some suggestions to us,' Van Dusen said after the proclamation was read by Trustee Khem Khouen. 'In the (Police) Chief's guidance, he states the following, 'Under prohibited activities: No compliance with immigration detainers, administrative warrants or custody transfers without a criminal warrant. No sharing of information about individuals in custody, including release dates.'' 'Under stops, arrests and detentions: No stops, searches, arrests or detentions based solely on immigration status.' 'The Chief reiterates, ICE administrative warrants do not justify arrests or detentions,' Van Dusen said. 'Individuals in custody cannot be denied services, benefits or programs based on immigration status.' 'Facilities must notify foreign nationals of the right to contact consulates within 48 hours of booking,' he said. Van Dusen said the police department does so to build community trust and treat all individuals equitably, regardless of immigration status. Khoeun thanked Van Dusen for explaining the ordinance publicly, and filed a motion to clarify the village's intentions in its Human Relations Chapter. 'We want to make sure that it's explicit so that we're future-proofing it as well, regardless of who's here,' she said, while adding to her motion a provision for the village to work with ICIRR to be proactive in making changes to the village's code if necessary. The motion was seconded by Trustee Keith Robinson; the Village Board had approved a first reading of it on March 3.
Chicago Tribune
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Skokie strengthens immigration protections ordinance
Though not officially labeled as a Welcoming City on paper, the Skokie Village Board approved measures to restrict assisting federal immigration agents in certain cases. The village will also be able to give limited help to those in the immigration booking system. The updated Human Relations Chapter of the village's code does not conflict with federal law, as it still requires the village and its police department to assist federal officers in serving criminal warrants, officials said. The Village Board unanimously approved the changes to the village's code at its March 17 meeting. The new addendums in the Human Relations chapter state that the village shall not assist immigration officers who do not have a criminal warrant, assist in information sharing, arrest or detain someone based solely on their immigration status. The village is also mandated to notify foreign nationals of their right to contact consulates within 48 hours of their booking, support programs available for immigrants who are victims of qualifying crimes and who are potential witnesses for prosecution of a crime, and to respond promptly to requests for visa supporting documents and visa certifications. Those mandates and restrictions were already in practice in Skokie, according to Mayor George Van Dusen, but the Village Board approved updating to reinforce its stance. Under President Donald Trump's first term in office, the Village Board approved amendments to its Human Relations chapter in 2017 to create safe zones in health care facilities, schools and universities. Michael Lorge, the village's corporation counsel said at the time that the village granted legal protections to its residents that are commonly seen in 'sanctuary cities.' Van Dusen defended the integrity of the 2017 protections at a Village Board meeting Feb. 3, and said the Board created those protections before the state approved the TRUST Act. The subject came back to the Village Board as an honorary proclamation at the Feb. 18 meeting reiterating the village's support for all immigrants. 'Mr. Tsao, with (ICIRR) made some suggestions to us,' Van Dusen said after the proclamation was read by Trustee Khem Khouen. 'In the (Police) Chief's guidance, he states the following, 'Under prohibited activities: No compliance with immigration detainers, administrative warrants or custody transfers without a criminal warrant. No sharing of information about individuals in custody, including release dates.'' 'Under stops, arrests and detentions: No stops, searches, arrests or detentions based solely on immigration status.' 'The Chief reiterates, ICE administrative warrants do not justify arrests or detentions,' Van Dusen said. 'Individuals in custody cannot be denied services, benefits or programs based on immigration status.' 'Facilities must notify foreign nationals of the right to contact consulates within 48 hours of booking,' he said. Van Dusen said the police department does so to build community trust and treat all individuals equitably, regardless of immigration status. Khoeun thanked Van Dusen for explaining the ordinance publicly, and filed a motion to clarify the village's intentions in its Human Relations Chapter. 'We want to make sure that it's explicit so that we're future-proofing it as well, regardless of who's here,' she said, while adding to her motion a provision for the village to work with ICIRR to be proactive in making changes to the village's code if necessary. The motion was seconded by Trustee Keith Robinson; the Village Board had approved a first reading of it on March 3.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Skokie declares state of emergency following water main break; residents air grievances
Skokie trustees voted unanimously Feb. 18 to declare a state of emergency in the village for the next two months following a Feb. 14 water main break that flooded a neighborhood, closed businesses, a mall and schools, required a boil water order and generally disrupted life for the suburb of 65,000 people, plus the northwestern section of Evanston. The declaration of emergency will be used to assist the village to apply for state and federal relief funds, according to a news release from the village. Mayor George Van Dusen asked residents who had suffered flood damage, business loss or other afflictions to file insurance claims and to contact the village via email with information on the damaged items, an estimate of their value and any related photos. Contact information is available on Village officials said information shared with the village is not an application for reimbursement. 'This information is needed to document the flood experience, water outage and financial impact in the village and will assist regional and local officials in requesting disaster assistance, ' a statement from the village said. The emergency declaration will be in effect until April 7 and can be extended in increments of seven days by the village manager or the mayor and board of trustees, according to the declaration. At the Village Board meeting, the village's communications person, public works director and fire chief presented a summary of the the broken water main incident and how the village addressed it in the days afterward. Public Works Director Max Slankard said the repairs to the water main were done by an outside contracting group because, 'it is of such size that it goes beyond the scope and capability of the village's equipment to handle that.' . Some residents went to the podium to tell of their experiences during the meeting's public comment period, where each speaker gets three minutes. Resident Michael Likhite, however, made it clear that he couldn't encapsulate the experience of having his basement flood four times over into a three minute testimony. He and many of his neighbors on the 9300 block of Bennett Avenue woke up on the morning of Feb. 14 to car alarms from vehicles damaged by the flooding. 'When we awoke Friday morning, (Feb. 14) at 6 o'clock hearing horns honking outside… I came down to one of the scenes I've never seen in life (and) I hope to never see again. Our house was encased in ice,' Likhite said. 'Hear that again. Our home was encased in ice,' Likhite repeated for emphasis. Likhite said he and his family went through most of Feb. 14 alone, and that firefighters did not make it to his door until later in the afternoon. 'We felt hidden. It was getting scary.' 'I wish I could say 'better late than never, but it (was) too late,' Likhite continued. 'If you've ever had loss like in a flood or anything — and this is not California fires… we are not the floods of Mississippi, I get that — but we lost a lot of personal mementos, pictures.' Kathleen Schmidt, a resident on Lyons street, spoke about the post-traumatic stress that has encumbered her family. 'My autistic child said last night she couldn't sleep 'cause she didn't want to flood again. My child who was sick from school today because she has anxiety called me five times during the school day to ask if I was okay.' 'I'm getting emotional because my kids are now traumatized,' Schmidt said. 'They saw the water getting close — it came within three feet of our house,' she said, adding that her home was not flooded. 'They see me in the water and the water rising and they're freaking out about me and hoping I'm okay.' Van Dusen empathized with the residents affected by the water main break. 'I know what it's like to flood, it's happened to me… I'm not comparing my circumstance with yours, believe me.' Van Dusen told Likhite. 'There's a feeling that you have no control… hopefully we will never have something like this happen again.' After Schmidt spoke, Van Dusen invited more residents to share their stories with the village. 'I can assure you we're not the only ones who are interested in finding out what happened and what kind of preventive measures can you take,' Van Dusen said.
Chicago Tribune
21-02-2025
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Skokie declares state of emergency following water main break; residents air grievances
Skokie trustees voted unanimously Feb. 18 to declare a state of emergency in the village for the next two months following a Feb. 14 water main break that flooded a neighborhood, closed businesses, a mall and schools, required a boil water order and generally disrupted life for the suburb of 65,000 people, plus the northwestern section of Evanston. The declaration of emergency will be used to assist the village to apply for state and federal relief funds, according to a news release from the village. Mayor George Van Dusen asked residents who had suffered flood damage, business loss or other afflictions to file insurance claims and to contact the village via email with information on the damaged items, an estimate of their value and any related photos. Contact information is available on Village officials said information shared with the village is not an application for reimbursement. 'This information is needed to document the flood experience, water outage and financial impact in the village and will assist regional and local officials in requesting disaster assistance, ' a statement from the village said. The emergency declaration will be in effect until April 7 and can be extended in increments of seven days by the village manager or the mayor and board of trustees, according to the declaration. At the Village Board meeting, the village's communications person, public works director and fire chief presented a summary of the the broken water main incident and how the village addressed it in the days afterward. Public Works Director Max Slankard said the repairs to the water main were done by an outside contracting group because, 'it is of such size that it goes beyond the scope and capability of the village's equipment to handle that.' . Some residents went to the podium to tell of their experiences during the meeting's public comment period, where each speaker gets three minutes. Resident Michael Likhite, however, made it clear that he couldn't encapsulate the experience of having his basement flood four times over into a three minute testimony. He and many of his neighbors on the 9300 block of Bennett Avenue woke up on the morning of Feb. 14 to car alarms from vehicles damaged by the flooding. 'When we awoke Friday morning, (Feb. 14) at 6 o'clock hearing horns honking outside… I came down to one of the scenes I've never seen in life (and) I hope to never see again. Our house was encased in ice,' Likhite said. 'Hear that again. Our home was encased in ice,' Likhite repeated for emphasis. Likhite said he and his family went through most of Feb. 14 alone, and that firefighters did not make it to his door until later in the afternoon. 'We felt hidden. It was getting scary.' 'I wish I could say 'better late than never, but it (was) too late,' Likhite continued. 'If you've ever had loss like in a flood or anything — and this is not California fires… we are not the floods of Mississippi, I get that — but we lost a lot of personal mementos, pictures.' Kathleen Schmidt, a resident on Lyons street, spoke about the post-traumatic stress that has encumbered her family. 'My autistic child said last night she couldn't sleep 'cause she didn't want to flood again. My child who was sick from school today because she has anxiety called me five times during the school day to ask if I was okay.' 'I'm getting emotional because my kids are now traumatized,' Schmidt said. 'They saw the water getting close — it came within three feet of our house,' she said, adding that her home was not flooded. 'They see me in the water and the water rising and they're freaking out about me and hoping I'm okay.' Van Dusen empathized with the residents affected by the water main break. 'I know what it's like to flood, it's happened to me… I'm not comparing my circumstance with yours, believe me.' Van Dusen told Likhite. 'There's a feeling that you have no control… hopefully we will never have something like this happen again.' After Schmidt spoke, Van Dusen invited more residents to share their stories with the village. 'I can assure you we're not the only ones who are interested in finding out what happened and what kind of preventive measures can you take,' Van Dusen said.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
How long will the boil order remain in effect after the Skokie water main break?
SKOKIE, Ill. — Residents in the north suburbs are facing boil orders and significantly reduced water pressure after a water main break in Skokie caused widespread flooding and road closures on Friday morning. 'This morning the village experienced a major break in its water system, resulting in a shutdown of water service and the issuance of a boil water order,' Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen said during an update from city officials on Friday. The break occurred in one of the village's primary transmission mains that serve customers in Skokie from its wholesale supplier at around 5:15 a.m., near East Prairie and Emerson Street. Skokie water main break causing widespread flooding, icy conditions, road closures The break has impacted the water supply in the village and a boil order has been issued for the area and for parts of Evanston as well. City officials in Evanston released the following map showing where the boil order is in effect: Mike Charley, the Director of Health and Human Services for the village said all Skokie water customers are advised not to drink their tap water without boiling it until further notice. Charley said boiling water kills bacteria and other organisms that may be present. 'This boil order impacts all Skokie water customers, including those in all of our ZIP Codes 60076, 60077, and 60203,' Charley said. Charley advised impacted residents to take the following precautions until further notice: Bring all water to a boil for at least five minutes and let it cool before using or using bottled drinking water. Use properly boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation until further notice. Officials said untreated water can still be used for flushing toilets, showering, and washing hands, but non-essential use is advised against and bottled water should be used to the extent possible. Amid the issues caused by the break, the village is distributing bottled water directly to critical facilities, including senior care and living facilities. According to Charley, the boil order will likely remain in place through at least Saturday afternoon as the State of Illinois requires that the village collect two clean water samples, which have to be drawn 24 hours apart before the boil order can be lifted. PHOTOS: Water main break coating Skokie in ice, water The boil order can only be lifted after the second clean sample is collected and residents and businesses will be notified once it is determined that the water is safe to drink. If either of the samples show contaminants, two more sets of samples must be drawn 24 hours apart. Village officials offered an update on the situation in a press conference on Friday afternoon. The full news conference can be viewed in the video player below. City officials said they will continue to provide updates to the public about the situation through the village website, Facebook and Instagram pages. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
