Latest news with #TraceyCollins
Chicago Tribune
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Food takes center stage at Aurora Greek Fest
Sheri Sadler of West Chicago and her family were seeking out some Greek food in Aurora on Friday afternoon that wasn't served in a high-end restaurant, but tasted like it should be. 'We've been coming here for well over a dozen years – myself, my brother, my dad,' she said Friday on the first day of the three-day Aurora Greek Fest at St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church at 1855 Fifth Ave. in Aurora. 'It's the food that keeps bringing us back.' The church's largest fundraiser of the year, which officials say nets nearly $100,000 over a three-day weekend, runs through Sunday. It is the first of two Aurora Greek Fests planned at the church this year, with the other set for the fall. Admission to the fest is free. A portion of the proceeds from the festival will go to two local organizations that help veterans in the Fox Valley area, church officials said. The event, according to the church's website, is 'a taste of Greek hospitality, culture and most importantly, delicious Greek food' including Greek entrees like chicken, moussaka, gyros and more as well as a plethora of homemade pastries. Co-chair of this year's fest Tracey Collins of Naperville said she has been a member at the church for over 20 years and that in addition to an outdoor dining tent with music and dancing, the fest has daily raffles 'in addition to our annual one on Sunday.' 'We usually see about 3,000 people,' she said of Greek Fest. 'Probably 80% of them have been here before and the rest are first-timers or those who came once before. Over the past few years, our attendance has been pretty steady. We do a big social media push – it's how we market, as well as word-of-mouth from people and members of the church.' Each day, Collins said the event 'would have about 75 volunteers working' and that there is never an issue about people showing up. Chris Procopos was supervising the grills at the event on Friday and said work began for the weekend fest about two weeks ago. 'Through the weekend, we'll go through 800 pounds of pork, and about 1,500 pounds of chicken, which always sells out,' he said. Kay Van Vreede of Naperville on Friday said it was her second time at the fest and that she was back because 'of the delicious food.' 'My favorite is moussaka. I'm not Greek but I'm honorarily Greek today,' she said. Kay's friend Cassandra Flambouras of Chicago said she is Greek and that this was her first time at the event. 'I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe the food was going to be good. At the Greek festivals, you get the best food,' she said. Longtime volunteer Christina Parhas of Lake Zurich said while she now lives far away, 'I am a native of this parish.' 'My mother and father are founders of this church along with so many others,' she said on Friday. 'Seeing all these people, they love it,' she said of the fest at St. Athanasios. 'They love the interaction, they enjoy touring the church. The food is all homemade and is made with love and I think they feel it. And we love to share our culture.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Eric Adams' unsealed documents shed new light on how NYC mayor wanted Turkey to fund reelection campaign with missed detail from original indictment
Mayor Eric Adams planned to collect campaign donations in Turkey for his 2025 re-election bid, according to newly unsealed documents from his high-profile corruption case. The extensive filing, obtained by The Post Friday night, showed that Hizzoner attended a lavish January 2022 dinner with two staffers, where he expressed interest in visiting Turkey to solicit additional funds from local businessmen for his mayoral race. Adams 'welcomed the offer of foreign contributions' — and told his staff in a private area to coordinate and 'arrange the contributions,' the filing states. View this document on Scribd The scorching detail was included in court documents when Adams was indicted last September — when he became the first sitting New York City mayor to face criminal charges. Though the 1,785 pages of court filings — made public after The Post and other outlets fought for access — shed some light on Adams' murky plans when federal prosecutors requested a warrant for the mayor's electronic communications during their investigation. The court filings also exposed Adams' alleged efforts to block federal investigators from accessing his personal cellphone after a September 2024 raid at Gracie Mansion uncovered a stash of electronics — including a satellite phone on his nightstand. Adams' longtime girlfriend, Tracey Collins — who had a cushy high-ranking six-figure position in the Big Apple's Department of Education — allegedly helped arrange admission for the Turkish Consul General's child into MS 255 Salk School of Science, one of New York City's most competitive and sought after schools, court filings revealed. The feds recovered alleged text messages detailing the admission scheme after executing a search warrant on two iPhones. Collins, who retired from her position working as senior adviser to Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos in November, was described in court papers as taking trips to India, Hungary, Turkey, Jordan, Oman and Ghana with Adams starting in 2016. She was never charged with a crime. Adams was hit with a five-count indictment accusing him of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in luxury travel from foreign officials seeking to buy influence at City Hall. The historic case was controversially dismissed in April after the mayor, a moderate Democrat, appeared to align himself with President Trump in the months following his notorious charges. The mayor has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing.
