Category: News
Several families displaced but no injuries reported after fire ravages Niles apartment building
Several families were displaced when an early morning fire tore through the upper floors of a three-story residential building in Niles, according to fire officials.
In a Niles Police Department news release and the Niles Fire Department Facebook page, authorities explained that firefighters responded around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 12 to the 8200 block of Dempster Street on a call of a structure fire.
Several area fire department assisted the Niles Fire Department in putting out a destructive fire in the 8200 block of Dempster Street Nov. 12, 2025 in Niles. (Courtesy Niles Fire Department)
Upon arriving on the scene, emergency responders encountered a second-floor apartment that was “fully engulfed in flames,” according to the police department. Police officers entered the building and safely evacuated residents. No injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by multiple mutual aid departments in extinguishing the blaze.
The cause of the fire was not immediately determined, and officials said an investigation continues. The building was declared uninhabitable, according to authorities.
Emergency responders reported that at least four families were displaced, and the police department worked with the American Red Cross to find temporary housing for the families, as well as help them with other supports.
The Niles Fire Department was aided by departments from Winnetka, Park Ridge, Morton Grove, Des Plaines, Glenview, Evanston, Lincolnwood, Skokie, Mount Prospect, Wheeling, Northbook and the North Maine Fire Protection District.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/red-cross-aided-after-dempster-street-fire-in-niles/
FIFA accused of ‘monumental betrayal’ over 2026 World Cup ticket prices
Soccer fans have accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal” after the latest prices for World Cup tickets began to circulate on Thursday.
The governing body allocates 8% of tickets to national associations for games involving their team to sell to the most loyal fans.
And a list published by the German soccer federation revealed prices ranged from $180-$700 for varying group stage games. The lowest price for the final was $4,185 and the highest was $8,680.
Those group-stage prices are very different from FIFA’s claims of $60 tickets being available, while the target from United States soccer officials when bidding for the tournament seven years ago was to offer hundreds of thousands of $21 seats across the opening phase of games.
Fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described the current prices as “extortionate.”
“This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is,” it said in a statement.
The English Football Association shared pricing information with the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC) on Thursday evening, which showed that if a fan bought a ticket for every game through to the final it would cost just over $7,000.
FIFA said in September that tickets released through its website would initially range from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the final. But those prices are subject to change as it adopts dynamic pricing for the first time at the World Cup.
FIFA tickets are available in four categories, with the best seats in Category 1.
In the price list published by the German federation, there were only three categories.
The lowest priced ticket was $180 for Germany’s opening group game against Curacao in Houston. The lowest price for the semifinal was $920 rising to $1,125.
The FSE called on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales via national associations “until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found.”
The Associated Press approached FIFA for comment.
Latest phase
FIFA launched its third phase of widespread ticket sales Thursday, with fans now able to apply for specific matches for the first time through its “Random Selection Draw.”
Following last week’s draw for the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, an updated schedule has been published.
That means fans know when and where the likes of Lionel Messi and Argentina will play. Previous ticket ballots were blind as the qualification period had not even been completed and the draw was yet to take place.
Now participating nations have been placed in groups, with their paths through the tournament determined. For instance, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could go on to meet in the quarterfinals in Kansas City if both Argentina and Portugal top their respective groups.
Not that fans are guaranteed to get tickets to the games they apply for.
The draw opened Dec. 11 at 11 a.m. ET (1600 GMT) and closes Jan. 13, 2026.
FIFA says ticket applications can be made at any point during this window and the timing of entry will not impact the chances of success. Fans can apply via FIFA’s website for a maximum of four tickets per household per match and a maximum of 40 tickets throughout the tournament.
Fans will need a FIFA ID to apply for tickets and can pick which matches and which pricing category they want to apply for.
Successful applicants will be notified by email in February and charged automatically.
Prices
The last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994 prices ranged from $25 to $475. In Qatar in 2022 prices ranged from around $70 to $1,600 when ticket details were announced.
Tickets for the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 are already going for in excess of $11,000 on secondary resale sites.
For this tournament FIFA has also set up its own resale platform where it charges a 15% fee based on the total resale price.
FIFA said that closer to the tournament any remaining tickets will go on general sale on a first-come, first-served basis.
It did not reveal a time frame for the release of those remaining tickets.
AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/fifa-world-cup-ticket-prices/
After Polar Vortex US Freeze, Global Warming Returns Before Christmas
After Polar Vortex US Freeze, Global Warming Returns Before Christmas
The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast have been locked in an extended period of unseasonably cold weather, with multiple rounds of accumulating snowfall over the past several weeks.
Another surge of Arctic air is expected to arrive this weekend and persist into early next week. However, there is good news for those hoping for a break from the cold: the latest model guidance indicates a significant warm-up is likely across much of the eastern half of the Lower 48 heading into Christmas.
In energy markets, U.S. natural gas futures surged in recent weeks amid the cold spell across the eastern half of the Lower 48. Traders have since begun selling NatGas futures as emerging signs of a warm-up appear.
From the peak of $5.4 per MMBtu last Friday, NatGas futs have tumbled into a bear market ….
The warm-up will lower heating demand – hence sliding NatGas futs.
What meteorologists are saying:
Hey if you’re going to swing big just remember you’re going to miss big if you do! 😶🌫️
Taking this on right on the chin for the colder forecast calls beyond 12-20 no doubt!
A very warm holiday is dialed up right now but with that said I do think winter makes a come back! I’ll… pic.twitter.com/1KnNXBqYwX
— BAM Weather (@bam_weather) December 11, 2025
This is amazing. Can’t wait to hit the links this Christmas ⛳️
Merry Torchmas! pic.twitter.com/71GXsF7UYT
— Eric Webb (@webberweather) December 11, 2025
Seems many of the “Make Global Warming Great Again” prayers across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast may be answered in the coming week – potentially cutting the odds of a White Christmas in these regions.
Reminder:
Major Climate Crisis Study Retracted Over “Inaccuracies” As Doom Narrative Collapses
There’s an informational war on your mind.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/11/2025 – 15:40
https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/after-polar-vortex-us-freeze-global-warming-returns-christmas
OPEC Maintains Bullish Oil Demand Outlook, IEA Trims Oil Glut Forecast
OPEC Maintains Bullish Oil Demand Outlook, IEA Trims Oil Glut Forecast
Oil prices are lower this morning despite a less-hawkish-than-feared Fed cut and a double-whammy of relative optimism from OPEC and the IEA…
IEA Trims Oil Glut Forecast as Supply Surge Halts
OilPrice.com’s Tsvetana Paraskova reports that the oil market still faces record oversupply next year, according to the monthly report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), but the glut estimate is now trimmed by about 230,000 barrels per day compared to the November forecast.
The market is headed to as much as 3.84 million barrels per day (bpd) of supply exceeding demand in 2026, the IEA said on Thursday in its closely-watched report for December.
While this still is a considerable glut, it’s lower than the 4.09 million bpd implied oversupply expected in the November report.
In today’s report, the IEA said that the projected global oil surplus in the fourth quarter of 2025 has narrowed since last month’s report, “as the relentless surge in global oil supply came to an abrupt halt.”
Total global oil supply dipped by 610,000 bpd in November compared to October and by a whopping 1.5 million bpd from September’s all-time high, the IEA noted.
OPEC+ accounted for 80% of the decline over October and November, reflecting significant unplanned outages in Kuwait and Kazakhstan, while oil output from sanctions-hit Russia and Venezuela plunged.
Russia’s total oil exports are estimated to have plummeted by about 400,000 bpd in November to 6.9 million bpd, as buyers assessed the implications and risks associated with more stringent sanctions.
Buyers, especially in Russia’s second-biggest crude oil customer, India, are steering clear of any Rosneft and Lukoil-related cargoes, for fear of running afoul of the U.S. Administration while India and the United States are still locked in difficult trade negotiations.
The IEA noted in its report the apparent disconnect between the current global oil surplus and inventories near decade lows at key pricing hubs.
Despite record volumes of oil piling up on water, benchmark crude oil prices eased only marginally in November, because “in stark contrast to the broader picture, crude and refined product stocks in key pricing hubs have seen only marginal builds,” the agency said.
OPEC Holds Firm on Bullish Oil Demand Outlook for 2026
As Charles Kennedy reports at OilPrice.com, global oil demand will rise by about 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) next year, supported by solid economic growth, OPEC said in its monthly report ton Thursday, keeping its demand forecasts unchanged from last month.
Unlike other forecasters, investment banks, and analysts, OPEC continues to expect robust demand growth in 2026 that will be higher than the estimated increase for 2025 of about 1.3 million bpd, forecasts in the cartel’s Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) showed on Thursday.
Figures about the balance of supply and demand in OPEC’s report also suggest that the cartel expects a balanced market next year.
Demand for crude from the OPEC+ producers is expected at 43.0 million bpd in 2026, up by 60,000 bpd compared to the projection for 2025, OPEC said.
At the same time, crude oil production by the countries in the OPEC+ pact averaged 43.06 million bpd in November, a rise by 43,000 bpd from October, compared to the available secondary sources in OPEC’s report.
After December, OPEC+ producers will be pausing their targeted monthly production increases during the first quarter of 2026.
OPEC expects rival non-OPEC+ oil supply to grow by about 600,000 bpd next year, versus growth of some 1 million bpd expected for 2025.
The rise in non-OPEC+ output is expected to be driven by offshore start-ups across Latin America and the Gulf of Mexico, increased NGLs production in the U.S., Argentina’s tight oil production, and the scaling of oil sands projects in Canada. Latin America is projected to lead non-OPEC+ growth, accounting for about two-thirds of the total, followed by Canada and the U.S.
This projection, while not new for OPEC, reiterates the cartel’s view that U.S. oil production growth will slow down next year.
Signals have started to emerge in the shale patch and from industry executives that WTI crude prices below the $60 per barrel mark will put the brakes on America’s shale growth.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/11/2025 – 15:20
Chicago Cubs add Hoby Milner to revamped bullpen on a $3.75 million, 1-year deal
The Chicago Cubs added Hoby Milner to their bullpen on Thursday, agreeing to a $3.75 million, one-year contract with the left-hander, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the move was pending a physical.
Milner matched his career high with 73 appearances for Texas this season, finishing with a 3-4 record and a 3.84 ERA. He held lefty hitters to a .208 batting average and a .526 OPS.
The move reunites Milner with Craig Counsell, who managed Milwaukee for nine seasons before he was hired by the Cubs in November 2023. Milner pitched for the Brewers for four years before signing with the Rangers last December.
The Cubs are remaking their bullpen after they made the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz and Caleb Thielbar — three key relievers for the Cubs this season — are free agents.
The Cubs finalized a $14.5 million, two-year contract with right-hander Phil Maton last month. Maton played for St. Louis and Texas last season, going 4-5 with a 2.79 ERA and five saves in 63 games.
Milner, who turns 35 in January, made his major league debut with Philadelphia in 2017. He is 13-9 with a 3.82 ERA in 367 career games, also pitching for Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Angels.
He had his best season with the Brewers in 2023, going 2-1 with a career-low 1.82 ERA in 73 appearances.
More Cubs news
Cubs have said all the right things about Matt Shaw — but could Alex Bregman still be an option?
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Cubs could have 8 players in the World Baseball Classic. Here’s a look at where each stands.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/chicago-cubs-hoby-milner-bullpen/
Planned addiction recovery program on Crete horse ranch launches fundraising campaign
Second Story Ranch, a planned live-in addiction recovery center in Crete set to operate out of a 68-acre horse ranch, purchased its property in March and secured zoning approval from Will County in September. Now, the main thing it needs is money.
“I think I said to somebody, hey, the good news is we bought a farm,” said project director Jim O’Connor. “And the bad news is, we bought a farm.”
The Second Story Foundation launched a public capital campaign Dec. 2 to raise the money needed to construct the project’s planned buildings: Housing for men in recovery to live long term, a 7,000-square-foot communal lodge and a pair of single-family homes for project leadership.
Across the different housing options planned for the ranch, O’Connor said, the property should be able to house a maximum of 30 people at a time.
The project has secured $500,000 in private donations and a $250,000 grant from the Will County Opioid Program,according to a news release. The projected budget to get the program fully operational is $4.25 million.
Right now, O’Connor said, the project is in the engineering and design phase of construction, which he expects will take until April.
“What we really need, if I’m being blunt and straightforward, is we’re looking at about 4, 4 1/2 million that we need committed,” O’Connor said. “And if we have that by April, we’re putting shovels in the ground in June. And then we are built and operational toward the end of 2026.”
One funding source where O’Connor sees potential is in the Illinois Opioid Settlements Initiative.
Like every state, Illinois has a fund comprised of money secured from settlements with pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers like Purdue Pharma, that settled lawsuits regarding their liability in the opioid epidemic for massive sums.
Illinois has received more than half a billion dollars in opioid settlement money to date, according to the Illinois Opioid Settlements Initiative website. Of that, more than half goes to an account intended to fund work to remediate the impact of the opioid epidemic, including recovery programs like O’Connor’s.
“If the Opioid Settlement Fund is going to invest $5 million, $10 million, $20 million in recovery housing, we’re the single best project in the state going right now,” O’Connor said. “And we may be the only one that’s able to say, if you give us the money, we can spend it right away on exactly what it’s supposed to go to.”
The Will County Board approved the zoning for the project by a vote of 17-2 in September.
Ranch hands tend to the horses Wednesday at Second Story Ranch in Crete. (Evy Lewis/Daily Southtown)
“I wanted to look and say, before we open this public phase, do we truly have everything we need to knock this out of the park?” O’Connor said. “And it turns out we do. We really do.”
While the live-in element of the program is a work in progress, the horse farm is operating and providing work to people in recovery. Many of the farm’s workers live in recovery homes in Joliet, and work on the property on a temporary basis, O’Connor said.
“The guys that’ll come here, and the guys who go into recovery homes, they don’t have other options,” O’Connor said. “If you’ve got a girlfriend or a boyfriend that’ll put you up, or you can live in your parents’ basement, that’s what you do.”
One of the ranch hands at the farm, Skip Wheeler, was the Second Story Ranch’s first full-time employee. Wheeler first encountered O’Connor in 2023 as a participant in a different recovery program O’Connor was running.
“He gave me my first shot at actual sobriety,” Wheeler said. “I never thought I would be sober. I thought I was going to be what I was forever.”
War of Will is one of the dozens of horses stabled at Second Story Ranch in Crete. (Evy Lewis/Daily Southtown)
Wheeler plans to live on the property in the main ranch building once some renovations are complete.
“I think this place is going to be a wonderful place. It’s gonna help so many people in very special ways, I think,” Wheeler said. “It’s just going to be all around great, I think, for anybody involved.”
In addition to caring for the horses, men living on the ranch will also raise crops and look after the myriad other tasks that come with the upkeep of a 68-acre working ranch.
“A farm grows, breaks, needs fixing,” O’Connor said. “So the jobs are in things like carpentry, maintenance, land management, landscaping and agriculture.”
One thing that will set the Second Story Ranch apart from other recovery housing programs is that O’Connor has no intention of charging rent, nor of billing Medicaid for the care of his clients.
While O’Connor is hoping for funds from the sources like the opioid settlements to get the project moving, he said he doesn’t want the ranch to be reliant on government funding to operate, especially in a time of increasing cuts and instability for programs like Medicaid.
A sign for Second Story Ranch sits against a stable wall. (Evy Lewis/Daily Southtown)
“We’re looking across the board at Medicaid cuts, Medicaid work requirements, work requirements for people to stay on Medicaid, SNAP cuts and work requirements for people to be on SNAP. We’re also looking at Housing First programs being defunded,” O’Connor said. “What comes next is us saying we’re not waiting around for government programs to save us.”
The ultimate goal of the program is to provide a bridge between short-term 28-day recovery programs and long-term stability.
“Alcoholism and addiction, at the level that we’re talking about, is just a litany of loss and isolation and unhealthy relationships and despair,” O’Connor said. “There are not many programs or places people can go that will give them the care, the love, the time and the structure to rebuild a life.”
elewis@chicagotribune.com
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/crete-horse-ranch-recovery-fundraising/
Explosión de gas daña casas y despide humo denso en California
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Una explosión de gas provocó un gran incendio en un vecindario del Área de la Bahía de San Francisco el jueves, dañando varias casas y enviando humo denso al aire.
Medios locales informaron que hay posibles heridos por la explosión en Hayward.
Un portavoz de Pacific Gas & Electric Co. afirmó que un equipo de construcción dañó una línea de gas subterránea alrededor de las 7:35 de la mañana La compañía reportó que no eran sus trabajadores.
Trabajadores de servicios públicos aislaron la línea dañada y detuvieron el flujo de gas a las 9:25 de la mañana, según PG&E. La explosión ocurrió poco después.
___________________________________
Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
Afternoon Briefing: Bears announce this year’s Changemaker award winner
Good afternoon, Chicago.
It hasn’t been a good year for the immigrant community in Chicago, said Matt DeMateo, a resident and grassroots leader in the Little Village neighborhood.
His team at New Life Centers of Chicagoland, an organization focused on helping underserved families and reducing street violence, had to shift its focus earlier this year to find ways to protect families affected by Operation Midway Blitz, the federal government’s most recent immigration enforcement in the city.
The operation, DeMateo said, filled Chicago’s immigrant communities with fear. Families stopped leaving their homes. Kids stayed home from school. Parents missed work. People were afraid to go to church. Still, DeMateo, the chief executive, rallied his team to keep their heads up, pushing to provide the resources their communities needed.
The Chicago Bears surprised DeMateo, naming him the Inspire Change Changemaker Award winner in recognition of his work supporting immigrant and low-income families on Chicago’s Southwest Side.
Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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Yolanda Rivera, center, the mother of Krystal Rivera, is comforted by Krystal’s sister, Jackie Rivera, and stepfather, Rico Thompson, during a press conference, Dec. 11, 2025. The family filed a civil lawsuit against her partner, fellow Officer Carlos Baker, who shot Rivera in a friendly fire incident, as well as the city and Chicago Police Department. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Family of Krystal Rivera files suit against CPD, partner who shot her, while alleging pair had romantic relationship
In late May, Chicago Police officer Krystal Rivera ended an off-and-on romantic relationship with her partner, fellow officer Carlos Baker, according to her family and attorneys.
Just days later, Baker shot and killed her while the two tactical officers tried to arrest a weapons suspect on the South Side. Rivera, 36, was the first CPD officer to die in a friendly fire incident in nearly 40 years. Read more here.
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People walk past the entrance to the Chicago Public Media and WBEZ newsroom at Navy Pier on July 15, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
WBEZ back to local programming after 16-hour power outage
WBEZ-FM 91.5 was back on the air live and local this morning after nearly a day without power forced the station to vacate its Navy Pier studios and run network programming.
ComEd replaced a damaged transformer and restored electricity to the studios at 1:46 a.m., allowing the station to return to normal programming in time for morning drive after a 16-hour disruption. Read more here.
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Browns defensive end Myles Garrett sacks Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on Nov. 16, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Can Myles Garrett set the NFL sack record vs. the Chicago Bears? Here’s what the numbers say.
Cleveland Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett is in rare territory.
His 20 sacks through 13 games puts him just 2½ shy of the single-season NFL record set by Michael Strahan in 2001 and matched by T.J. Watt in 2021. Read more here.
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British actor Ian McKellen speaks at a “Shakespearean Breakfast” by the Royal Shakespeare Company at Middle Temple Hall in London on Nov. 12, 2025, to launch a new curriculum for teaching Shakespeare in schools. (Richard A. Brooks / AFP)
Ian McKellen will perform Shakespeare — and Gandalf — in Chicago
The actor Sir Ian McKellen, a Shakespearean actor also known as the wizard Gandalf in all three “Lord of the Rings” films, is coming to Chicago Shakespeare Theater for a one-night benefit performance in January. Read more here.
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., joined at left by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., speaks to reporters after a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate rejects extension of health care subsidies as costs are set to rise for millions of Americans
The Senate rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year. Read more here.
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Zelensky Floats Holding Referendum On Giving Up Land For Peace
Zelensky Floats Holding Referendum On Giving Up Land For Peace
“I am definitely in favor of elections,” Ukraine’s President Zelensky said Thursday. “The most important thing is that they are held legitimately.” He’s presenting a position of willingness to compromise amid the increasing pressure from Trump. Is this but a ruse to buy time?
President Trump is meanwhile pressing European leaders to force Zelensky to accept the US peace plan which hinges on major territorial concessions and a cap on Ukraine’s armed forces. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the US president held a tense call with his German, French and British counterparts, where he conveyed his frustrations with Zelensky for not seriously engaging with the US proposal.
The Ukrainian government has submitted a response to Washington, but “big gaps” remain, WSJ says. This back-and-forth over what Europe-Ukraine vs. Washington finds an acceptable compromise is nothing new.
But the truly new proposal from the Ukrainian side is that it is now floating the possibility of a popular referendum on the matter.
“Territory and security guarantees remain the primary sticking points for Ukraine. Zelensky maintains that Ukraine has no legal or moral rights to cede land to Russia,” WSJ lays out by way of context. “Moscow has demanded Ukrainian withdrawal from the eastern province of Donetsk, which Russia hasn’t been able to take fully by force.”
Ceding territory by vote? WSJ continues…
Zelensky has long said that as president he can’t unilaterally decide the fate of Ukrainian territories, which must be approved by the Ukrainian people.
In early fall, 54% Ukrainians opposed ceding land, even if it meant continuing the war and risked the country’s independence, compared with 38% who were open to some territorial concessions, in a poll conducted by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
But at this point there may actually be more willingness to take such a step on the part of the Ukrainian masses. After all, there’s greater awareness at this point of how poorly the army is faring along the front lines.
There’s also a power crisis ahead of what promises to be a harsh winter. Ukraine simply can’t get the parts to repair its energy grid fast enough, amid unrelenting Russian drone and missile strikes.
Zelensky has emphasized a big caveat to the possibility of elections – whether a vote for the presidency or on the issue of giving up land: his international backers must help guarantee a safe and fair vote.
This means Russia might have to agree to a temporary ceasefire while any potential election proceeds, according to Kiev’s thinking. Such could prove a tall order – and maybe for Zelensky this exactly the point.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 12/11/2025 – 15:00
Endeavor Health donates $5M to help Loaves & Fishes expand operations
Loaves & Fishes Community Services will receive $1 million a year for the next five years through the largest grant in the organization’s history — a new Impact Award from Endeavor Health.
Naperville-based Loaves & Fishes is the first to receive the large-scale award from Endeavor’s Community Investment Fund. The money will help the nonprofit food pantry add on to its distribution hub in Aurora to increase efficiency, better partner with other agencies and assist more people.
The pantry plans an expansion dubbed “Hub 2.0” to add 32,000 square feet to its Aurora distribution facility at 580 Exchange Court, doubling its total space and quadrupling cold storage areas.
Mike Havala, CEO of Loaves & Fishes Community Services in Naperville, says the organization will be able to expand its reach and better collaborate with other food pantry partners thanks to $1 million a year grant for the next five years from the Endeavor Health Impact Award. (Endeavor Health)
The warehouse, which opened in 2021, is “the hub of the hub-and-spoke model, where food comes in and gets sorted, stored, inventoried and goes out to multiple spoke locations,” Loaves & Fishes CEO Mike Havala said. The pantry delivers food to 13 spokes from the hub, including sites in Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield, helping it serve 10,000 people a week.
“Unfortunately, because the demand has grown so quickly over the last number of years, we’re out of space and already at capacity at the hub in its current form,” Havala said. “By doubling the size of that hub, it allows us to do so much more, including opening up more spokes out in the community. It facilitates more collaboration with other organizations.”
Endeavor chose Loaves & Fishes from a field of 85 applicants for the inaugural Impact Award, citing the potential of the Hub 2.0 plan to improve the health of local residents through consistent access to fresh, healthy food.
Jeff Zakem, Endeavor’s director of community impact and equity, runs the Community Investment Fund. He said the Impact Award aims to support organizations that present innovative ideas to address the complex societal factors affecting public health — including access to health care, behavioral health care, food insecurity, housing insecurity and workforce development.
“All of these really have large contributions to health outcomes,” Zakem said. “As you think about the health of an individual, it’s important to also consider these social drivers of health.”
Endeavor officials said Loaves & Fishes’ Hub 2.0 proposal hits a sweet spot for promoting health through its potential to increase food delivery to a broader swath of those in need.
“Their proposal was a unique opportunity to invest in a way that grew their infrastructure and grew their opportunities to drive partnerships through procurement, shared space and nutrition programming,” Zakem said.
With $1 million a year coming from the Impact Award, Loaves & Fishes plans to break ground next year on the hub expansion, Havala said. The additional space is expected to become operational in spring 2027.
Havala said the extra room will allow new shared storage with pantry partners and more “cobuying” of supplies, so pantries can share shipments to lower costs.
“That really moves the needle in getting the most out of our dollars,” Havala said.
The new Impact Award isn’t the first time Endeavor Health has supported Loaves & Fishes. Previous Endeavor grants in 2022 and 2024 helped the charitable food provider expand its mobile food program and increase evening and weekend hours at its grocery market in Naperville, Havala said. Plus the hospital system has a history of providing volunteers and hosting events that benefit Loaves & Fishes.
Endeavor’s creation of the Impact Award follows $31.2 million the system has granted through its Community Investment Fund since 2022 across its nine-hospital service area in Chicago and the north and west suburbs.
Endeavor’s team will remain connected with Loaves & Fishes throughout the five-year Impact Award period and will look for opportunities for the hospital system’s reach and expertise to further support the mission of providing healthy food.
“Our goal with the Community Investment Fund is also to develop relationships,” Zakem said. “This isn’t just a financial award and ‘good luck.’ This is a partnership.”
Marie Wilson is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/loaves-naperville-aurora-grant-expand-hub-endeavor/
