(PLAINFIELD) A man has been arrested and charged with robbing a Target store at gunpoint last month in southwest suburban Plainfield.
Antonio S. Epps, 32, is charged with robbing the Target on Aug. 28 at 12800 Route 59 in Plainfield, according to a statement from Plainfield police.
Officers were called to the store at 9:22 p.m., and when they arrived employees told them a man had entered the store and approached the electronics counter, police said. He displayed a handgun and ordered the clerk to open a locked cabinet before running off with “several thousand dollars’ worth of Apple products.”
Epps, of the 4000 block of Main Street in Skokie, was arrested Sept. 22 after a multi-agency investigation into several Target robberies, police said. He confessed to the Plainfield robbery and is being held at the Will County Adult Detention Facility on a $500,000 bond for robbery charges.
(PALATINE) A man died Sunday evening after the motorcycle he was driving crashed into a car that turned in front of him in northwest suburban Palatine.
Officers responded shortly after 1 p.m. to the crash on North Rand Road and East Winslowe Drive, according to Palatine police.
Corey Hindes, 54, was driving the motorcycle north on Rand and entering the intersection with Winslowe on a green light when a southbound Mercedes car attempted to turn left in front of the bike, authorities said. The motorcycle struck the passenger side of the Mercedes.
Hindes, who lived in the 300 block of East Knob Hill Drive in Arlington Heights, was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he was pronounced dead at 7:06 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Monday determined he died of blunt force head injuries he suffered in the crash and his death was ruled an accident.
The driver of the Mercedes, an 89-year-old man from Mount Prospect, was cited for failing to yield while turning left, police said. He was scheduled to appear in court Nov. 1.
The Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) Team is assisting Palatine police in the investigation.
PokemonGO was introduced on Wednesday, July 6, and since has taken over cities across the world with players of all age running around searching for virtual cartoon characters.
The map above was created by a PokemonGO user, and shared on Reddit. Check it out!
Southport Art Festival
Date: Saturday, July 16 – Sunday, July 17
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Lakeview
Traffic Alert: Southport at Waveland will be closed to traffic.
The festival will showcase the work of more than 75 of the city’s most diverse artists who work in a variety of mediums, including oil, acrylic, watercolor, jewelry, sculpture, photography, glass and mixed media. Attendees can look forward to seeing Chicago-based standout artists, edgy photographers and abstract painters. In addition to supporting the arts and viewing incredible artwork that is available for purchase, festival guests also will have the opportunity, through live art demonstrations and booth chats to speak one-on-one with the artists.
Restaurants in the Southport Corridor area will be open for business, serving up summer favorites.
Info from the BenFest website: This year’s BenFest has something for every age! Come join us for three days of family fun including great bands, cuisine from local restaurants, activities for the kids and a chance to win some great prizes. This year’s Grand Prize Drawing is a cash prize for $10,000.
Get started supporting BenFest 2016 now! Become a sponsor, volunteer or purchase your entry and activity wristbands ahead of time through advanced purchasing (new this year). Click here to get started!
St. Benedict Parish BenFest is conveniently located on the northside of Chicago in the North Center neighborhood and can be reached via CTA buses (Irving Park or Western Avenue Routes) and the Brown Line El.
The Main Entrance to BenFest is located at 2215 West Irving Park Road. There are also additional entrances located at the 3900 blocks of North Bell Street and Leavitt Street.
Travel Alert: Leavitt closed south of Irving Park Road
Windy City Smokeout
Date: Friday, July 15 – Sunday, July 17
Time: Friday – 2:00 p.m.
Saturday – 12:00 p.m.
Sunday – 12:00 p.m.
Location: Grand Avenue and Chicago River
Line up includes Old Dominion, Chase Rice, Billy Currington, Frankie Ballard, Corey Smith, Big & Rich with special guest Cowboy Troy, Phil Vassar, Jessie James Decker, Whiskey Myers, Walker Country and Whiskey Jam perform at the annual fest, which also features beer and barbecue vendors. Read more here!
Celebrate Clark Street World Music Festival
Date: Saturday, July 16 – Sunday, July 17
Time: Noon each day, Saturday 11:00 p.m. close, Sunday 10:00 p.m.
Location: Rogers Park
This festival is one of the last independent street festivals in Chicago that is locally managed and organized by a community organization – Rogers Park Business Alliance.
The festival reflects the unique diversity in Rogers Park by presenting music from all four corners of the world encouraging audiences to dance and experience local, national and touring bands.
The festival provides two live music stages, food from local restaurants, beer, wine and micheladas from local bars, interactive entertainment throughout the festival area, an Art Lot, kids’ activities and especially a meeting space for the community. This information and more on their website!
Traffic Alert: Clark Street will be closed all weekend between Morse and Estes
Laid Back Festival
Date: Saturday, July 16
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
It’s A Celebration of Music & Food, featuring Gregg Allman, Peter Frampton, Blackberry Smoke, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band and more!
Date: Friday, July 15 – Sunday, July 17
Time: Friday 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Location: Toyota Park
It’s that time of year again! Chicago Open Air is right around the corner! It’s July 15th through July 17th at Toyota Park. You don’t want to miss this three day festival of rock, craft beer, and man food. Get your tickets before they sell-out!
RED, GREEN, PINK, BLUE LINES
July 15 – 17, Friday through Sunday
Increased Capacity and More Frequent Service
How does this affect my trip? Red Line:Friday through Sunday, daily — Longer trains will operate between 95th/Dan Ryan and Howard until 11:59 p.m. On Sunday, longer trains will begin operating from Howard earlier, at 5:00 a.m..
Green Line:Friday — Longer trains will operate from Cottage Grove, 10:22 a.m.to 11:59 p.m., from Ashland/63rd, 9:30 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., and from Harlem/Lake, 11:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m..
Saturday and Sunday, daily — Longer trains will operate between Harlem/Lake and Ashland/63rd – Cottage Grove from 11 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Pink Line:Fri — Longer trains will operate between 54th/Cermak and the Loop from 10 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Trains will run every 12 minutes from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, daily — Longer trains will operate between 54th/Cermak and the Loop from 11:00 a.m. to 11:59 a.m. on Saturday, and 7:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.on Sunday.
Blue Line:Friday to Sunday, daily — Longer trains will operate between Forest Park and O’Hare from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
** Note: Forest Park-bound Blue Line trains will not stop at Irving Park due to ongoing construction. See alert on the Customer Alerts page.
Why is service being changed?
Added service is being provided for the convenience of customers attending Pitchfork and the Rock and Roll Half Marathon.
BLUE LINE July 15 – 16 10:00 p.m. Friday – 5:00 a.m. Saturday
10:00 p.m. Saturday – 6:00 a.m. Sunday
Boarding Change, Delays Between Montrose and Addison
How does this affect my trip?
Board/exit trains on the O’Hare-bound side of the platform at the Irving Park station.
Trains in both directions will operate on the same track between Montrose and Addison, resulting in minor delays.
Allow extra travel time.
Why is service being changed?
We are performing station construction to improve the Irving Park station as part of the Your New Blue modernization program.
Jul 17 – 18 10:00 p.m. Sunday to 4:00 a.m. Monday
Boarding Change, Delays Between Irving Park and Logan Square
How does this affect my trip?
Board/exit all trains on the O’Hare-bound side of the platform at the Belmont and Addison stations.
Trains in both directions will operate on the same track between Irving Park and Logan Square, resulting in minor delays.
Allow extra travel time.
Why is service being changed?
We are performing station construction to improve the Addison station as part of the Your New Blue modernization program.
ORANGE LINE July 15 – 16 Friday and Saturday nights
10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. next day
July 17 – 18 10:00 p.m. Sunday to 4:00 a.m. Monday
Boarding Change, Delays between Pulaski and Western How does this affect my trip?
Board/exit all trains on the Midway-bound side of the platform at the Kedzie station.
Trains in both directions will operate on the same track between Pulaski and Western, resulting in minor delays.
Why is service being changed? We are performing track maintenance to ensure that trains continue to operate safely along the Orange Line.
RED LINE July 15 – 18 9:00 p.m. Friday to 4:00 a.m. Monday
How does this affect my trip? 95th-bound trains will not stop at Jarvis, Morse, or Loyola stations.
For service from these stations, take a Howard-bound train to Howard and transfer to a 95th-bound train.
For service to these stations, take a 95th-bound train to Granville and transfer to a Howard-bound train.
Allow extra travel time.
Why is service being changed?
We are performing track maintenance to ensure that trains continue to operate safely along the Red Line.
Traffic Restrictions & Road Projects
Union Pacific Railroad to Temporarily Close IL-176
From TravelMidwest.com: The Union Pacific Railroad will be closing the railroad crossing on IL-176 east of US-41. The closure is necessary to replace and widen the existing railroad crossing. During this time, the Lake County Division of Transportation will reconfigure the North Shore Bike Path at the railroad crossing by creating a separate railroad crossing of the bike path. The work will begin Monday, July 25 at 6 a.m. and is scheduled to reopen to traffic in the early evening of Saturday, July 30.
Click for larger map.
Detour Route: IL-43 to IL-137 to IL-131.
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(PLAINFIELD) A 9-year-old girl was killed and a man was critically wounded in an ATV crash in southwest suburban Plainfield Tuesday night, police said.
Authorities were called to the area near 135th Street and Ridge Road about 6:55 p.m., police said. Upon arrival, police found the girl “severely injured” and not breathing,” according to a statement from Plainfield police. A man was also “severely injured,” but was conscious.
Officers performed CPR on the girl until paramedics arrived, and she was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where she died, police said.
The man was taken to Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, but his condition was not disclosed, police said.
Investigators believe the ATV was traveling south on the asphalt path along Ridge Road, onto grass when it entered a rock-lined culvert, where it crashed.
(PLAINFIELD, IL) The Will County Coroner has identified a Plainfield North High School teacher who police say was fatally stabbed by her husband.
Police found 47-year-old Susan Cunningham unresponsive inside her home Tuesday night. She was not breathing and had been stabbed several times. She was pronounced dead at an area hospital.
Cunningham taught physical education and health at Plainfield North High School. District officials say she had been with the school since 2006 and previously taught at Plainfield Central from 2002-2006. She had been on medical leave this year.
Police say after the stabbing, 46-year-old Craig Cunningham was fatally struck by a vehicle on I-55 just north of Route 126.
The Will County coroner’s office says he walked into traffic before he was hit.
(PLAINFIELD) A blaze at a southwest suburban home early Thursday may require the complete teardown of the structure, a fire official said.
Firefighters were called to a home near Fox River and Ottawa streets in Plainfield at 1:30 a.m. and found the second-floor “well involved” with fire, Plainfield Fire Protection District Chief Dave Riddle told a reporter at the scene.
People on the first floor had exited on their own, Riddle said. One woman could be seen being taken away by an ambulance at the scene.
The second floor had too much fire to enter right away, and firefighters had to saw the top of the roof to release flames, Riddle said. In the meantime, officials discovered that a person thought to be on that floor had already exited without injuries, Riddle said.
The building is in a historic part of town, Riddle said. While construction makes it harder for firefighters to enter the building, he said the type of wood used in the home helped keep the flames contained.
The exact time of extinguishment wasn’t known but it appeared flames were put out by 2:40 a.m. Companies from nearby Troy and Lockport helped, Riddle said.
“At this point right now I’d say (the home) may be a total loss,” Riddle said.
(PLAINFIELD) A southwest suburban teacher has been charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old female student at the school where he taught, police said.
Brian Smith, 32, faces one count of criminal sexual assault, a Class 1 felony, according to a statement from Plainfield police.
The sexual encounter took place in February in a storage room adjacent to Smith’s classroom at the Plainfield High School Central Campus, police said.
But Smith and the teenager had been communication through various social media applications for about a month prior to the incident, police said. Some of the messages were sexual in nature and included both text messages and photographs.
About a week after the sexual encounter, officials were notified by an acquaintance of the student and the girl was subsequently interviewed by investigators, police said. She gave a detailed account of the encounter.
On Thursday, Smith confessed to police and was taken into custody, police said.
“At this point in the investigation, it appears that this was an isolated incident,” a statement from Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 said.
Smith had been employed as a science teacher with School District 202 since August 2014, according to the statement He has not been in class since the morning of Feb. 23, and a substitute teacher has assumed his duties.
He will not be permitted on school grounds and has been directed to have no contact with staff or students pending the determination of his employent status by the superintendent and the Board of Education, according to the statement.
Counseling services will be available to students beginning Monday, according to the school district.
Anyone who may have additional information for the investigation is asked contact Plainfield police at (815) 436-6544.
Smith, of the 3700 block of Saratoga Drive in Joliet, was ordered held at the Will County Adult Detention Facility on a $600,000 bond, according to the Will County state’s attorney’s office. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
