Latest news with #Naperville-based
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Snapshot of food insecurity in Illinois and the U.S.
Before July 4, food insecurity was already a growing issue across the United States. Here are some of the reasons why: The legislation expanded work requirements for SNAP recipients in the following categories who were previously exempt: If SNAP recipients in those categories don't find 80 hours of work per month, they will lose their benefits. Nearly 2 million Illinoisans were using SNAP benefits in 2024 — 15.7% of the state for the seventh-highest percentage in the nation, the Illinois Policy Institute reported. SNAP recipients are not the only ones in need of food assistance, though. Mike Havala, president and CEO of the Naperville-based nonprofit Loaves & Fishes Community Services, explained the 'SNAP gap' at a roundtable event in Geneva earlier this month. Here's the idea: Many people in the 'SNAP gap' and on SNAP benefits depend on food pantries to supplement the limited food they can afford. Because of the 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' even more people will need help from nonprofit food banks and pantries.
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville company makes renting a ‘Back to the Future' DeLeorean just a phone call away
With its gull-wing doors, stainless steel exterior and illuminated circuits, the DeLorean time-traveling machine in the movie 'Back to the Future' captivated audiences and car lovers 40 years ago and still does today. Seeing one in real life is a dream for many, according to Naperville resident Jason Alspaugh, who says he's been enamored with the car since he was a kid. 'I think everybody has the same feeling. It's magical,' Alspaugh said. 'Number one, what is that? And is that a real car?' The 46-year-old said he noticed that people who owned 'Back to the Future' time machine replicas rented them out for parties and special events but had no way to meet the demand beyond a local basis. Alspaugh realized he could create a one-stop-shop through which people across the country could rent the fictional car, and that's how Naperville-based DeLorean Rental was born. The first 'Back to the Future' movie hit screens in 1985, four years after the DeLorean DMC-12 went into production. Only about 9,000 were manufactured before company owner John DeLorean went out of business in 1982. The car captured the public's imagination, but was short-lived thanks to an economic recession at the time coupled with John DeLorean's indictment on drug and fraud charges, of which he was later acquitted. However, its futuristic look made it perfect for it to serve as Doc Brown's time machine in 'Back to the Future,' sending Marty McFly to the 1950s, where he encounters his parents while they are in high school. Two more installations of the movie came out in 1989 and 1990 featuring the time-traveling vehicle. Like John DeLorean, Alspaugh picked an inauspicious time to launch his new business — just before COVID-19 put the economy into a spin and ended almost all social events and large gatherings for months. 'For the first few years, all we were doing was very small birthday parties,' said Alspaugh, who works full time as a product manager. 'People were masked up. You had to wipe the car down. And I started with just a couple cars.' Over time, things picked up. People started reaching out to Alspaugh to have their time machine replicas made available for rent through his company. He now has access to more than 80 cars from coast to coast and even some in Germany, Spain, France and Canada. The company also has expanded to include other types of rental vehicles, including Batman batmobiles, 'Jurassic Park' Jeeps and the 'Ghostbusters' Ectomobile. 'A lot of these car owners do rent out their cars on a local basis, wherever they are throughout the country,' Alspaugh said. 'But what makes it easier for them to have me do it is they don't have to create a website, they don't have to do the social media, they don't have to do the (price) quoting. I do all of that. All they have to do is show up to do the gig.' For time machine DeLorean owner Scott Mulhollen, who lives in Ohio, partnering with Alspaugh has allowed him to take his vehicle to such diverse locations as Las Vegas, Tennessee and even Canada. 'He knows he can trust me as a business owner,' Mulhollen, who also has his own rental company called Ohio Time Machine Rental, said. 'He knows he can count on me to be able to get to those clients when he's under a crunch. And that's what's provided me the opportunity to be able to go these different distances for these clients.' There is no one type of person who rents the time machine, Alspaugh said. Past renters include everyone from fans of the film who want to use the time machine for a wedding or graduation party to businesses looking to use it for a commercial or special event. It cannot be rented to drive due to restrictions by insurance companies. 'This is a 40-year-old car. There's no airbags. There's a lot of sharp components in the car, time circuits, things that insurance would never allow us to rent it out for somebody to drive,' Alspaugh said. He estimates there are about 200 DeLorean time machine replicas in the world. When fans first started making their own, they would examine the vehicle in great detail by watching the movies on VHS tapes. Social media has made it easier for people to share tips on building a replica or to find parts and advancements in technology have made it more convenient to build the parts needed, he said. 'A lot of these parts that go on the DeLorean time machines, they're old aircraft aerospace parts from the '50s and '60s. They're just not available anymore,' Alspaugh said. Time machine builders will have these parts manufactured to be as true to the original as possible, he said. Easier, however, does not translate into cheaper, Alspaugh said. Building a time machine is still a costly endeavor, with a used DeLorean DMC 12 typically costing $50,000 to $90,000 and modifications running from $15,000 and $40,000. Completed time machines can sell for between $150,000 to $250,000, he said. 'Believe me, this is not a cheap hobby,' DeLorean time machine owner Edwin Pineda said. 'The only way you can actually get your money back is if you put it to rent for events and all this stuff.' Pineda, who resides in Los Angeles, reached out to Alspaugh for help with renting his DeLorean. Thanks to DeLorean Rental, Pineda has taken it to places he never imagined, like the 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' late night television show. 'It was a last-minute idea that they had on the show and (Alspaugh) called me right away,' Pineda said. 'He says, 'You know what, Edwin, the Jimmy Kimmel show, they need a car. But they need it in the next two hours. I was taking care of some business with my kids when he called me, but as soon as he said that it was for the Jimmy Kimmel show, of course, I dropped everything.' The price to rent a DeLorean time machine can vary greatly depending on location, Alspaugh said. In the Chicago area, the cost is between $250 and $400 per hour, with a two-hour minimum. For Alspaugh, one of the best parts of DeLorean Rental is the people he's met through the company, including some of the 'Back to the Future' cast members. 'Christopher Lloyd is just the nicest human being you'll ever meet,' said Alspaugh, referring to the actor who played Doc Brown in the 'Back to the Future' movies. 'They always say, 'Never meet your heroes.' That is not true when it comes to the 'Back to the Future' cast. They could not be nicer.' What brings him the deepest sense of joy, however, is seeing people's faces light up when they see the time machine in person, Alspaugh said. He's seen everything from people jumping up and down to strangers breaking down in tears. 'To do something that I love is amazing, but to see the reactions of people as you're driving down the road and people are just losing their minds trying to get a picture … it doesn't get any better than that,' he said. 'That is the apex for me — being able to share this with other people.'
Chicago Tribune
02-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Norridge Public Works awarded ‘gold' standard for water education efforts
The Norridge Village board took a moment at the June 25 meeting to publicly thank Public Works Department staff after the department picked up a 'gold' award from a clean water advocacy organization. The Illinois Section American Water Works Association recognized the village of Norridge with gold status as part of the Naperville-based nonprofit organization's Water Ambassador Program. It was the fourth year in a row Norridge got the honor, and it was awarded at the WaterCon Convention in April. The Norridge Public Works Department excelled in promoting 'where water comes from, the importance of the repairs and the infrastructure to ensure that (community) water is safe,' said ISAWWA Executive Director Annie Storey, who attended the Village Board meeting. 'The award is all about communicating to your consumers, to your community members.' While Public Works Department Director Syed Mansoor – who stepped into the role in February – officially accepted the award at the convention, Storey made another presentation of it during the board meeting. The village was given a street sign designating Norridge a 'Water Ambassador Community' and a certificate. 'Being a small community, (the Public Works Department) runs everything from water to street to resident complaints for garbage cans — anything that kind of falls in between,' Mansoor told Pioneer Press after the board meeting. They are 'the backbone of the whole village.' According to the organization's website, the ISAWWA Water Ambassador Program was established in 2021 and helps educate communities on water and wastewater use. The program was created to 'elevate public perception, knowledge, and consumer education of the water industry.' It operates on four standards 'based on the frequency and method of communication,' including its elected official education, consumer education and conservation efforts. Mansoor explained that Norridge has two pump houses responsible for carrying the water the village buys from the city of Chicago to the village's customers – residents, businesses and more. After completing upgrades to one pump house last year, he said the village is now looking to work on the other one, which is estimated to cost about $4 million. Renovating the village's storm water lift is also being planned.
Chicago Tribune
26-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Kaneland School District files lawsuit against Sugar Grove over Crown development's TIF district
Kaneland School District 302 is moving forward with taking legal action against the village of Sugar Grove to challenge the tax increment financing district planned for the controversial Crown Community Development project at Interstate 88 and Route 47, according to a lawsuit filed on June 13 with the 16th Judicial Circuit Court. At its May 12 meeting, Kaneland's school board voted to authorize the district to possibly take legal action over the TIF district for the development project. The lawsuit was filed on June 13 with the Kane County Circuit Court, according to case information on the county circuit clerk's website. The project, called The Grove, is a planned 760-acre mixed-use development, commonly called the Crown development in reference to its developer, Naperville-based Crown Community Development, according to previous reporting. The planned development, which the village OK'd last September, is designed to include nearly 400 acres of residential properties, a walkable town center, more than 120 acres of commercial development and about 240 acres for a business park. The lawsuit filed by Kaneland is over the TIF district for the project. A TIF district is a sort of economic development incentive, in which the value of a property is essentially frozen, and the extra or 'increment' taxes created by developing the property go into a special fund used to pay for costs related to improving the area. According to an original proposal, 10% of the TIF funds were to go to the village for any improvements it needs to make in the area, but, in August, then-Sugar Grove Village President Jennifer Konen said Crown had agreed to give another 10% of the funds to be distributed among the other taxing bodies, of which Kaneland is expected to get $26 million. The original TIF agreement also included payments from TIF district funds to offset the cost of schooling for students living in the new housing at the development. Kaneland was previously in negotiations with Sugar Grove to create an intergovernmental agreement about the TIF district, according to past reporting. But, not satisfied with those terms, the district floated the possibility of taking legal action against the village in February. A spokesperson for Kaneland said the district declined to comment on the lawsuit until the village had been served. As of Thursday morning, Sugar Grove's Village Administrator Scott Koeppel said they had not been served. In the complaint, Kaneland says that the establishment of the TIF 'will deprive the school district of incremental property taxes levied against the Redevelopment Project Area for 23 years.' The lawsuit is arguing that there is an 'actual controversy' over whether the area qualifies for tax increment financing, per the filing. The district is making this argument in a few ways. It is arguing that the project area should not be considered 'blighted,' which was part of the rationale for its qualifying as a TIF district, and that the TIF district is not contiguous. It is also alleging that the village has not provided sufficient proof that development would not have occurred in the area without the creation of the TIF district and providing financial incentives to the developer. Per the lawsuit, the school district is asking Sugar Grove to dissolve the TIF district. The Crown development has seen significant community backlash as the project has progressed, including a majority of voters supporting a non-binding referendum in April asking the village to reverse course on the development entirely. In the same election, incumbent Village President Jennifer Konen, who was in support of the project, was ousted, according to past reporting. Pat Gallagher, the primary proponent of the petition for the advisory referendum, told The Beacon-News he felt the situation with the Kaneland lawsuit was avoidable, but he's supportive of it as 'the most appropriate next step.' Sugar Grove Village President Sue Stillwell said in a statement that 'regardless of the nature of the litigation and any dispute,' she is 'committed to fostering a positive, collaborative relationship with the Kaneland School District as well as the other taxing bodies.' According to a statement from Crown Community Development on Tuesday, construction at The Grove has not yet begun, but Crown is working with the village to secure the required permits to begin development.
Chicago Tribune
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville News Digest: Food trucks, entertainment offered Friday at Whalon Lake; DuPage County's Senior Resource Fair being held Friday
The Forest Preserve District of Will County will present an evening of food and family entertainment from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 13, at Whalon Lake in Naperville. Several food trucks will be on site, including Lil' Deb's Mobile Eats, Grumpy Gaucho and Tacos Maui. The Dock on Front Street will be serving adult beverages, a news release said. Children can search for critters like beetles, spiders and caterpillars to check out under a microscope, play lawn games and jump in a bounce house. Free Crumbl cookies will be available, and vendors at the event will include Hidden Oaks Nature Center, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and which will be selling merchandise. No advanced registration is required. Whalon Lake is on Royce Road, west of Illinois Route 53. For more information, go to DuPage County will host a free Senior Resource Fair, connecting seniors with 40 agencies that provide services and programs, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, June 13, at the JTK Administration Building, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton. Representatives from area agencies that provide health care, social services, nutrition, meal programs, legal help and mental health services will be on hand, a county news release said. Information about other community support organizations, including respite care, adult day programs and in-home care, will be available. Coinciding with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, the fair also provides education on how to recognize and report self-neglect or abuse of older adults and adults with disabilities, the release said. The county offers several services for older adults, including home-delivered meals, money management assistance, a community care program and more. For more information, go to The second annual Solstice Century Ride cycling event will be held Friday, June 20, to raise money for six area nonprofit charities providing mental health and housing insecurity programs, organizers said. Riders are asked to collect $1,000 or more in donations by completing 100 miles of cycling through the Whalon Lake Forest Preserve near Royce Road and Illinois Route 53. Money raised will help support Hesed House, DuPage PADS, 4:13, SamaraCare Counseling, Grow Wellness Foundation and Max's Mission. The event begins at 6 a.m. and is organized by Zac Larson, a Naperville-based wealth advisor and avid cyclist. A celebration for riders, donors and volunteers with dinner, music and drinks will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. For more information, go to
