Biggert, Officials: Battling Heroin Epidemic Begins With Education

U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert joined local officials Monday night in hosting a heroin prevention and education forum at North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall.

Heroin. Just the word alone can be intimidating to hear. But for many teens in Naperville and surrounding communities, it has been accepted as the drug of choice. After seven deaths due to overdoses within the past year and a series of educational forums that followed, parents and officials are becoming well aware of the drug’s popularity and dangers.  “Heroin abuse has reached alarming levels in Naperville and in our communities throughout the past year,” said U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert Monday night at a heroin forum at North Central College's Wentz Hall. “We must stop heroin use in its tracks before warning signs turn into body bags.” Biggert was one of nine panelists to speak at last night’s event focusing on heroin prevention and education…

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Fabulous Noodles Named "Restaurant Worth Leaving Chicago For"

The Tavern Road spot was one of 36 suburban restaurants to receive the honor from Chicago Reader. Which establishments would you say are worth a commute?

  Chicago Reader recently compiled a handy list of restaurants throughout the suburbs they believe Chicago residents would consider worthy of the commute. Fabulous Noodles, 4663 Old Tavern Rd., was one of 36 restaurants recognized. "The chef at Taiwanese-owned Fabulous Noodles prepares amazingly good renditions of Cantonese classics...," writes Reader restaurant critic Mike Sula. "Yet he also has the chops to switch gears and deliver a rock-solid version of northern-style vegetarian chicken (marinated tofu skin rolled and filled with bamboo shoots and shiitakes) or Hong Kong-style wonton noodle soup..." Read their full list of recommendations for the western suburbs, and the other Fabulous Noodles dishes they praised.   Review Fabulous …

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Heroin Doesn't Discriminate, Police Say

The heroin epidemic is growing in the suburbs and it effects every type of family regardless of social status or wealth. The drug doesn't discriminate.

  Parents who think they have a child who may be involved in drugs should act on their gut instincts. Don’t just snoop, be a cop. That was what parent Amy Miller told a packed audience of parents, children, teachers and community members attending a drug forum Thursday night at Neuqua Valley High School. Miller’s daughter Megan was 18 and a senior at Neuqua when she died Jan. 29 from a heroin overdose. “Don’t pick your battles, fight them all,” Miller said. “When the health and wellbeing and life of your child is at stake you have to do everything.” Miller was a participant at the Community Forum on Drugs. Indian Prairie School District 204 and Naperville School District 203 partnered for the programs. Another forum was held earlier this …

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Naperville Police, School Districts Partner for Heroin Discussions at Naperville North, Neuqua Valley Next Week

Two meetings will be held next week to help educate residents, parents and students, about the heroin problem in Naperville.

  Naperville is not the only community struggling with a heroin problem; it is an issue in communities around the Chicago area and across the country, according to one police department official. The Naperville Police Department has said there is a growing heroin problem here that needs to be addressed. In addition to a handful of heroin overdoses in the past year, police recently arrested a Naperville teen for alleged unlawful delivery of a controlled substance. Police know that the best way to try and curb the heroin problem in town is to have the support, understanding and cooperation of residents in the community. Several presentations have already been held this year to discuss the problem. Two more meetings are scheduled for next …

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Police: South Side of Naperville "Ground Zero" for City's Heroin Problem

Hundreds of people attended a Monday night program at the 95th Street Library, which offered statistics, information on heroin and graphic images of drug deaths.

The recent arrest of a 17-year-old Naperville teen charged with dealing heroin, coupled with e-mails sent by Naperville district 203 and 204 as well as Lisle District 202, led to a massive turnout Monday night for a program about heroin’s grip on the area. Naperville Police Chief David Dial started the program at the 95th Street Library by sharing the harsh statistic that Will County has had eight heroin-related deaths since the start of the year. “I’m told young people, they don’t know what they are getting into,” Dial said. “… They know the difference between right and wrong and they know it’s illegal. They think they can beat it, but they can’t.” Detective Mike Umbenhower said police are the last line of defense when dealing with a …

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Singles Clubs Connect People Looking for People in Western Suburbs

Common interests, personal backgrounds and similar ages are some of the components that can forge bonds.

The focus of Valentine’s Day is on sweethearts, lovers and couples. But what if you are looking for that someone to complete you? You can look no further than a nearby singles club. Clubs bring singles together in a variety of ways, whether it’s through mutual interests such as skiing, golf and cooking; via ethnic backgrounds, religious affiliations and careers; or by age. One of the most successful clubs, considering its longevity, is the St. Charles Singles Club. In its 35th year, the club boasts 225 members from 45 suburbs. Billed as a club for singles 40 and older, the club offers four to five events a week, such as pinochle nights, movie nights and Saturday breakfasts; but the main events are its dances, which are held the second and …

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Program Tackles Growing Heroin Use

A program is being held Monday at the 95th Street Library to address the use of heroin in the community.

More than a week after a Naperville teen was charged with dealing heroin, announcements went out Thursday to families in both Naperville School District 203 and Indian Prairie School District 204 about a program being held Monday to inform parents about the use of heroin in the community. Districts 203 and 204 sent the joint message to families in both districts requesting that parents be part of the conversation, the message said the focus of the meeting would be drugs in the community. The program titled: “The Rising Tide of Heroin Abuse in Naperville” is being sponsored by the Naperville Public Library in cooperation with the DuPage Child Abuse Prevention Coalition, the Naperville Police Department and the Naperville Fraternal Order of …

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Toy Donations Down in Tough Economy

Non-profit in 'woeful' need of toys, especially those for young girls.

For nearly 20 years, a local non-profit has been helping to make Christmases for financially struggling families a little brighter. Toy Express, an organization that serves Chicago's western suburbs, collects new, unwrapped gifts at local fire departments to be offered to families on financial assistance in DuPage County. Fire departments serve as drop off points for the presents, which are then collected and brought to a donated storefront. Parents can then make appointments to come to the store to pick out toys for their kids. "From the very beginning, they thought families would be interested in being able to choose from the gifts donated—whatever sparked interest in their little one," said Cindy Bokhart, who, along with her husband, …

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Jeff Ward: Notes on West Suburban Civilization

Jeff Ward: Why I Won't Set Foot in Chicago

A commuter tax? What will they think of next?

I refuse to set foot in the city of Chicago. Even if it means having to endure a decade long yearning to gaze upon that Wrigley Field ivy, I won’t do it. That’s how serious I am. I may miss the Lyric and long to see Mr. Muti and his crew, but they, the Planetarium and the Field Museum will just have to get along without me. My aversion to the “City that Works” started with the installation of 200 red-light camera intersections, most of which have seen their yellow light times reduced to the legal three-second minimum—or less! It continued with privatized street parking rates that make the most hardened loan shark blush, and it ended with a 10.25 percent sales tax, the highest in the nation. The only force on the planet that can make me …

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MaryfromIL

5:58 pm on Sunday, January 6, 2013

Jason, It is a myth that CPS test scores aren’t improving. According to the state in 2012, C.P.S. has steadily improved in all areas of the ISAT test. In fact, in 2002 the overall picture was 41.1%, which is failing. In 2012 C.P.S. leaped to 74%. That is an 80% increase in 10 years! http://www.examiner.com/article/chicago-public-school-test-scores Here is the State Report Card link for those test…   more ›