Author: Voxtrend News
Luis Diaz Inestroza — a native Honduran, a father, a Kansas City, Kansas, homeowner and small business owner who entered the United States illegally 13 years ago— was driving to work in July when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pulled him over in his truck. His company’s name, “Diaz Repair and Remodeling,” was emblazoned across the doors. Besides entering the United States when he was 15, Diaz Inestroza had done nothing wrong. He had no criminal history. There was no previous warrant for his arrest. In fact, said Megan Galicia, Diaz Inestroza’s Kansas City attorney, when ICE agents first turned…
After years of apathy, NBA owners suddenly are clamoring to get in on the booming business of the WNBA. The owners of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers were awarded expansion franchises that will enter the league over the next five years. Houston Rockets ownership is preparing a second bid to bring back the Comets. And Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca is attempting to close a purchase to move the Connecticut Sun to Boston. By 2030, nine of the 18 WNBA teams could be operated by primary NBA owners. That’s in addition to two teams helmed by owners…
Illinois students could be held to new standards for school testing, a shift the state school board says will better prepare them for college and postsecondary education careers while accurately measuring performance levels. The Illinois State Board of Education announced proposed changes to state standardized testing Tuesday — including the ACT, the Illinois Assessment of Readiness and the Illinois Science Assessment — that would create consistent measures of student performance on all state exams and make it easier to understand and track students’ progress. It would also adjust the proficiency threshold for each exam section based on grade level, determining…
Karen Bozarth was all about spreading goodwill toward men – and women and children. And not just at Christmas, her favorite holiday season, but throughout the entire year. Her last Facebook post, on July 25, in fact, was a happy reminder that Christmas was only five months away, part of her monthly countdown that was but a small indication of how much Aurora’s “Christmas Lady” loved that magical time of year. Karen, who had been battling heart issues, died in her Aurora home on Aug. 7 at age 61. But those who loved her – and there are many –…
Jim Lovell will forever be associated with his travels to space, but his impact on Earth – notably in his adopted hometown of Lake Forest – is eliciting many positive memories from his friends and neighbors. Lovell, the famed astronaut who became a national celebrity when he was the commander of the Apollo 13 mission in April 1970 to space that nearly ended in disaster after an explosion. Lovell and his crew were rescued and he became a national figure. Lovell, who Tom Hanks later portrayed in the popular 1995 movie about the flight, died August 7 in Lake Forest.…
Appeals court upholds Lake court bailiff’s firing The Indiana Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a Lake Superior Court bailiff’s firing by a temporary judge in 2020. Susan Mills appealed her dismissal by Judge pro tempore Jamise Perkins, who fired her for bringing “inadmissible” evidence into a jury room in a murder trial. Perkins was forced to declare a mistrial. Perkins was appointed in June 2020 to fill in after Judge Clarence Murray announced his retirement due to health problems. He was permanently replaced by then-Magistrate Natalie Bokota. Mills had worked there since 1999. She was appointed chief bailiff in…
SPRINGFIELD — As national Democrats continue looking for a message that will resonate with the American public enough to put them back in power, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Tuesday it could be as simple as: “America is too expensive.” Speaking in Illinois’ state capital about President Donald Trump and GOP funding cuts to public aid and benefit programs, the New York City congressman argued high costs continue to plague average Americans. “Housing costs are too high. Grocery costs are too high. Utility costs are too high. Insurance costs are too high. Child care costs are too high,”…
A man from St. Charles Township has been sentenced to nine years in state prison after pleading guilty to a child pornography-related charge, according to a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office on Monday. On Aug. 30, 2023, investigators with the Kane County Child Exploitation Unit executed a search warrant at a home on Bittersweet Road in St. Charles Township, according to information presented in court by Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Rodgers. Phillip E. Obenauf, 33, of St. Charles Township, was present at the home, where investigators seized several of his electronic devices, officials said.…
With next year’s midterm elections setting up a possible generational shift for Illinois’ representation in Washington, candidates and their supporters are on the streets collecting the petition signatures needed to secure a place on the March primary ballots. A slew of candidates are vying for four U.S. House seats being vacated by veteran members of Congress — two of whom are retiring, while the other two are seeking to become Illinois’ next U.S. senator. The fourth House seat officially opened up when 83-year-old U.S. Rep. Danny Davis announced in late July that he would not seek a 16th term representing…
This month marks yet another turning point in the checkered financial history of Chicago Public Schools. With a projected $734 million deficit, as estimated by the interim CEO, the Board of Education must pass a budget by the end of August. The decisions made in the coming days will determine whether CPS begins a path to fiscal stability — or plunges into a tailspin that will make recovery brutally painful. Closing the gap was already a herculean task when it stood at $529 million, before the interim CEO added $175 million in the form of a pension reimbursement that City…