Florida Dem. Rep. Indicted On $5 Million FEMA Money-Laundering Scheme, Faces Up To 53 Years In Prison

Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/20/2025 – 17:40

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/florida-dem-rep-indicted-5-million-fema-money-laundering-scheme-faces-53-years-prison 

For a dozen years, Sue Gandhi, a Vernon Hills resident since 1998, has run Sue’s Pantry in her townhome’s two-car garage.

So when she heard from her HOA, homeowners association, late last summer about operating the 501c3 pantry at her residence, Gandhi was “quite surprised and shocked.

“I received a legal notice in my email telling me I no longer can do this, that I need to cease and desist right away,” Gandhi said. “Actually, I wasn’t expecting it. I was heartbroken; it was awful.

A recipient holds a donated vegetable tray at Sue’s Pantry in Arlington Heights (5E College Drive) on Nov. 14, 2025. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

“My husband (Hasu) and I, we decided not to fight it, and we decided to find another place,” she said.

“He supported me really, I thought he might say, ‘Okay, Sue, this is it, you’re done,’ he didn’t, he’s like, ‘If you want to continue this, we will do this.’”

So Sue Gandhi found office space in Arlington Heights at 5E College Drive and reopened the pantry on Sept. 26.

The rental (paid by donations) is “a little bit bigger” than her Vernon Hills garage and has a back door accessible from the rear parking lot.

“This is really, really, really wonderful,” Gandhi said of the new address. “The stress is less, I don’t have to worry about somebody coming up and blocking someone’s car in the driveway, or a (Vernon Hills HOA) neighbor getting upset.”

Ghandi said she didn’t receive help from the HOA with her pantry’s move. She asked Pioneer Press not to contact the HOA or name the subdivision where she still resides.

“We have to stay on the right path and do the right thing,” Gandhi said.

Volunteer delivery driver Shara Fata of Deerfield waves goodbye from the parking lot at Sue’s Pantry in Arlington Heights (5E College Drive) on Nov. 14, 2025. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

But Bob and Carolyn Pinta, formerly of Buffalo Grove and now of Prairie View, immediately responded as they did in 2021. See https://www.chicagotribune.com/2021/04/19/buffalo-grove-woodworking-hobbyist-makes-donates-shelves-to-food-pantry-vernon-hills-resident-runs-out-of-her-garage/

The Pintas carried into Gandhi’s garage (on March 24, 2021) customized blue shelving made by Bob Pinta, a woodworker hobbyist.

For the Arlington Heights location, Bob Pinta reconfigured the shelves. Bob Pinta’s photo, taken in Arlington Heights with the updated shelving, was posted on social media on Sept. 12.

“We are so pleased to see Sue have a place outside of her home because she would literally serve the community constantly, and now may also get some rest, herself,” Bob and Carolyn Pinta said in a joint statement. “We were so very disappointed to hear about the way the HOA behaved.

“What Sue does for people should make them very proud,” the Pintas said. “We were so happy to see that the shelves fit her needs again with some adjustments.”

Left, from behind the door, the extended arm of Sue Gandhi of Vernon Hills helps to direct where boxes or other things are needed to be found. Seen is regular volunteer Rhonnie Bogenschutz of Mundelein, here to pick up food for a Libertyville agency. Seen at Sue’s Pantry in Arlington Heights (5E College Drive) on Nov. 14, 2025. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

Gandhi’s quiet pantry operation was publicly noticed earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic when Carolyn Pinta posted on social media about items humbly needed to stock Sue’s Pantry.

Since a Jan. 12, 2021, Pioneer Press story about Sue’s Pantry, awareness spiraled. NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt sent a news crew and (now retired) network correspondent Kevin Tibbles to Vernon Hills to publish their Jan. 26 story.

“I found something special taking place in Sue’s little garage,” Tibbles of Highland Park said to Pioneer Press on Nov. 18. “It was heaven-sent.”

The global attention spurred a sudden uptick in the amount to Sue’s Pantry 2018 GoFundMe page, catapulting funds (in the winter of 2021) from approximately $5,000 to nearly $70,000.

As of Nov. 18, 2025, $108,407 was raised of a $150K goal at https://www.gofundme.com/f/xpk7k-sue039s-pantry.

Still, on Nov. 14, 2025, there were no turkeys, trimmings, or full holiday meal donations for Thanksgiving, except for one piece of pumpkin cheesecake and a packaged half pumpkin pie.

“It would be very much appreciated if I did have turkey dinners available to distribute to my families so they could celebrate together and have a nice meal,” Gandhi said. “Everybody deserves that.”

“I would really love and appreciate having these meals for my families for Christmas,” she said. Her 2025 wish list (for the December holidays only) would be 200 donated meals.

Gandhi assembles gluten-free or allergy-sensitive groceries for families with special dietary needs.

Volunteer Gina Vera of Arlington Heights said about Gandhi, “She’s amazing, she’s sacrificed so much of her own life to help other people.”

Volunteer Gina Vera of Arlington Heights moves donations from the back of this car outside of Sue’s Pantry in Arlington Heights (5E College Drive) on Nov. 14, 2025. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

Gandhi is also aware that some clients remain fearful of leaving their homes due to ICE identification, so personal deliveries are necessary.

Volunteer Marianne Turnbull of Grayslake delivers groceries to Avon Township. Hunger in Lake County is, “getting worse, all over,” Turnbull said.

Volunteer delivery driver Shara Fata of Deerfield said Sue Gandhi is “an angel from heaven.”

Darlene Jones of Waukegan, family advocacy counselor (FAC) for Lake County’s Nicasa Behavioral Health Services, with its main branch in Round Lake, also delivers to North Chicago recipients. See https://nicasa.org/.

Loading a vehicle with donations is Darlene Jones of Waukegan, family advocacy counselor (FAC) for Lake County’s Nicasa Behavioral Health Services, outside of Sue’s Pantry in Arlington Heights (5E College Drive) on Nov. 14, 2025. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

“Sue has been an angel,” Jones said with a smile. “She’s just an angel.”

While Gandhi described the pantry’s mission on Nov. 14, within earshot, volunteers organized items while people dropped in to pick up groceries.

Regular volunteer Isabel Goldberg of Libertyville was suddenly taken aback as her composure produced tears.

Goldberg’s hope for the 2025 holidays is that “Everyone could let go of yesterday and let all the poor feelings and hard feelings disappear.

“Today’s a new day and every day is better and better,” Goldberg said. “And that’s my hope.”

Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/lake-countys-sues-pantry-moves-arlington-heights/ 

The No Data Centers group was back in full force on Wednesday at the Hobart City Council meeting, including receiving support from Save the Dunes representatives.

The two proposed data centers, to be built off Colorado Street and 61st Avenue, weren’t on the agenda, but the group on Wednesday showed opposition by hoisting No Data Centers signs outside Hobart City Hall and then speaking during the public portion of the meeting.

Jen Fisher, a professor at Indiana University Northwest, voiced environmental concerns in regard to the two proposed data centers.

Fisher, a representative of Save the Dunes, said city officials need to be cautious about approving plans for data centers because of their location near Deep River and other natural sites, including the Indiana Dunes National Park.

She said the proposed data centers could have an effect on a number of things, including water resources, wildlife and even rare plants.

The noise and lights emitted from data centers could hurt wildlife.

“We urge the council to slow down. We will serve in an advisory capacity,” Fisher said.

Save the Dunes, according to the mission statement on the nonprofit organization’s website, serves to engage with the communities of Northwest Indiana to bring broader awareness to complex issues within the dunes and Lake Michigan through presentations, hikes and online engagements.

Sandra Hill, a resident of Union Township, also came in support of the No Data Centers group.

Hill urged city officials not to just look at the dollar signs but to look into the negative effect data centers had in North Dakota, including information she received from a friend who lives in a community there.

She said her friend has had to purchase darkening shades because of the bright lights emitted from the data center there, and contend with loud noise.

Hobart resident Lee Anne Perunko became visibly emotional as she addressed the Hobart City Council with her objections.

“There’s something nefarious going on with these data centers,” Perunko said.

“Why do these developers have to pick on small communities?” Perunko asked, instead suggesting data center developers locate them on the ocean for “all the water they want.”

The No Data Centers group on Nov. 6 packed the Hobart Plan Commission meeting, which was relocated to the city’s 800-seat capacity gymnasium of the PCC Building, 705 E. 4th St.

Dozens of residents voiced their opposition with only a few, including union representatives, pledging support.

The plan commission, at that meeting with a majority voting yes, approved a request by petitioner Todd Leeth for a fill permit request at an 168-acre parcel located south of the 61st Avenue and Arizona Street intersection.

Andy Deneen, an engineer for the Hobart Devco project, said the fill permit approval will allow for earthmoving work at the site of some 1 million cubic yards.

Deneen assured those in attendance, concerned about their water supplies, that wells wouldn’t be affected during the work.

Leeth, an attorney representing Hobart Devco, LLC., is proposing a data center be built at that site.

Leeth, after the meeting, said site plans would likely be presented to city officials “sometime next year.”

In addition to the Hobart Devco proposed data center, Wylie Capital is also seeking to build a data center on 400 acres at the southeast corner of 61st Avenue and Colorado Street.

That site has received final rezoning property, from R-3 to M-1, but petitioners have not yet presented site plans, according to city officials.

Plan Commission meetings are generally held at the Hobart City Hall but because of the anticipated numbers, the request by the group to hold in a larger facility was accepted by Hobart officials.

Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/data-center-opponents-appear-in-force-at-hobart-council-meeting/ 

CeeDee Lamb afirma que él y su compañero receptor de los Cowboys de Dallas, George Pickens, fueron enviados a la banca durante la primera serie de una victoria de 33-16 en Las Vegas porque estuvieron en un casino después del toque de queda.

Lamb dijo a los reporteros el jueves que él y Pickens cenaron y tomaron algunas bebidas en el Red Rock Casino la noche antes del encuentro del lunes por la noche con los Raiders.

El All-Pro de 2023 hizo los comentarios a los reporteros en su casillero después de una sesión más amplia con los medios justo afuera del vestuario en la sede de los Cowboys. Pickens también habló con los reporteros fuera del vestuario, pero no entró en detalles sobre la decisión del entrenador Brian Schottenheimer de enviarlos a la banca.

Lamb y Pickens ingresaron al juego en la segunda posesión de Dallas, y cada uno anotó un touchdown. Pickens igualó su récord personal con nueve recepciones y tuvo 144 yardas de recepción. Fue su tercer juego de 100 yardas en su primera temporada con los Cowboys tras un intercambio en la temporada baja con Pittsburgh.

Lamb abordó el tema porque quería refutar los informes en las redes sociales que decían que lo vieron vomitando en el casino.

___

Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/receptor-de-cowboys-lamb-dice-que-visita-con-pickens-a-casino-caus-un-castigo-para-ambos/ 

Chicago Homeowners Demand Answers As Property Taxes Spike

Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/20/2025 – 17:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/chicago-homeowners-demand-answers-property-taxes-spike 

KYIV, Ukraine — The U.S. and Russia have drawn up a plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine that calls for major concessions from Kyiv, according to a person familiar with the matter, including granting some demands the Kremlin has made repeatedly since the full-scale invasion began nearly four years ago.

It was not clear what, if any, concessions the proposal asks of Russia. The same person confirmed that promises from Moscow of no further attacks are part of the framework.

In other developments, Russia’s chief military officer, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, announced that Moscow’s forces had taken full control of Kupiansk in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, although he also said that some Ukrainian troops remained in the city.

The general staff for Ukraine’s armed forces denied Gerasimov’s claims and said that Kyiv’s forces remained in control of Kupiansk.

An ‘aggressive timeline’ for peace

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff have been quietly working on the peace plan for a month, receiving input from both Ukrainians and Russians on terms that are acceptable to each side, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Thursday.

She declined to comment on details of the emerging proposal, but she said U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on it and supports it.

“It is a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine, and we believe it should be acceptable to both sides. And we are working hard to get it done,” Leavitt said.

The latest Trump administration push for peace has piled more pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is marshaling his country’s defenses against Russia’s bigger army, visiting European leaders to ensure they continue their support for Ukraine and navigating a major corruption scandal that has caused public outrage.

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was also in Kyiv on Thursday to give a new push to peace efforts and assess the reality on the ground in Ukraine. Zelenskyy confirmed that he had met with Driscoll and “discussed options for achieving real peace.”

“Our teams — of Ukraine and the United States — will work on the provisions of the plan to end the war. We are ready for constructive, honest and swift work,” he wrote in a post on X.

Zelenskyy’s office also said in a statement that the Ukrainian president expected to talk to Trump in coming days about diplomatic opportunities.

European diplomats urge wider consultations

As reports of the Russia-U.S. peace plan emerged, blindsided European diplomats insisted they and Ukraine must be consulted.

European leaders have already been alarmed this year by indications that Trump’s administration might be sidelining them and Zelenskyy in its push to stop the fighting. Trump’s at-times conciliatory approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin has fueled those concerns, but Trump adopted a tougher line last month when he announced heavy sanctions on Russia’s vital oil sector that come into force Friday.

“For any plan to work, it needs Ukrainians and Europeans on board,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at the start of a meeting in Brussels of the 27-nation bloc’s foreign ministers. She added: “We haven’t heard of any concessions on the Russian side.”

German Foreign Minister Johannes Wadephul said he talked by phone Thursday with Witkoff and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss “our various current efforts to end Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and thus finally put an end to the immeasurable human suffering.”

The conversations “also focused on specific ideas that are currently being discussed,” Wadephul said in a statement. He did not elaborate.

Plan would give Russia control of the Donbas

It was not clear whether the foreign ministers had seen the peace plan, which was first reported by Axios. The proposal was drawn up by U.S. and Russian envoys, and was said to include forcing Ukraine to cede territory, a prospect Zelenskyy has ruled out.

The Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts this year to stop the fighting have so far come to nothing.

The proposal, which could still be changed, calls in part for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia and to abandon certain weaponry, according to the person who had been briefed on the contours of the plan but was not authorized to comment publicly. It would also include the rollback of some critical U.S. military assistance.

Russia, as part of the proposal, would be given effective control of the entire eastern Donbas region, Ukraine’s industrial heartland made up of the Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk regions, even though Ukraine still holds part of it. Putin has listed the capture of the Donbas as the key goal of the invasion.

Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to Putin, have been key to drafting the proposal, according to the person familiar with the matter.

But a peace deal that requires Kyiv to hand over territory to Russia would not only be deeply unpopular with Ukrainians, it also would be illegal under Ukraine’s constitution. Zelenskyy has repeatedly ruled out such a possibility.

Rubio said on social platform X late Wednesday that American officials “are and will continue to develop a list of potential ideas” for a lasting peace agreement which “will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that there “there are no consultations per se currently underway” with the U.S. on ending the war in Ukraine. “There are certainly contacts, but processes that could be called consultations are not underway,” he told reporters.

EU accuses Russia of insincerity

Though the European diplomats appeared caught by surprise, reported elements of the plan were not new. Trump said last month that the Donbas region should be “cut up,” leaving most of it in Russian hands.

EU diplomats have accused Putin of being insincere in saying he wants peace but refusing to compromise in negotiations while sustaining Russia’s grinding war of attrition in Ukraine.

Kallas, the EU’s chief diplomat, chided Putin’s forces for continuing to target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, a day after a strike on the western city of Ternopil killed 26 people and wounded 93 others. About two dozen people were still missing.

Kallas said that “if Russia really wanted peace, it could have … agreed to (an) unconditional ceasefire already some time ago.”

Trump has stopped sending military aid directly to Ukraine, with European countries taking up the slack by buying weaponry for Ukraine from the United States. That has given Europe leverage in talks on ending the conflict.

Russia reports gains in two regions

In a video released by the Kremlin, Gerasimov told Putin, who attended the meeting dressed in combat fatigues, that Russian troops had taken Kupiansk and that they continued “to destroy Ukrainian forces encircled on the left bank of the Oskil River.”

He also said Russian troops had taken 80% the Ukrainian city of Vovchansk, also in the Kharkiv region, and 70% of the fiercely contested city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.

The Ukrainian military denied all of Gerasimov’s claims. In a statement issued late Thursday, the general staff said Kupiansk remained under Kyiv’s control and that efforts were underway to eliminate the enemy presence in the city and its suburbs.

The city of Kupiansk and the territories around it were under Russian occupation from early in Russia’s invasion in February 2022 until September 2022, when Ukrainian forces conducted a rapid offensive operation that dislodged the Kremlin’s forces from nearly the entire Kharkiv region.

The retaking of those areas strengthened Ukraine’s arguments that its troops could deliver more stinging defeats to Russia with additional armament deliveries.

Madhani reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Sam McNeil in Brussels, Samya Kullab in Kyiv and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/us-russia-draft-peace-plan-for-ukraine/ 

The Will County Board voted Thursday not to increase its property tax levy and indicated it may use cash reserves to cover any revenue shortfalls in the budget.

The board voted 12-10 to approve no increase in the levy, but will capture any new construction, which expands the total tax base and adds to the overall assessed value of property. The levy to hold the line on taxes passed with 11 Republicans and Democrat Destinee Ortiz, of Romeoville, supporting it.

The budget that was approved was based on a 1.75% levy increase.

“As of right now we have an unbalanced budget,” Speaker Joe VanDuyne said. “It’s illegal.”

VanDuyne said the board will need to discuss how it can meet its contractual obligations, including union contracts and planned pay raises for county staff, as well as other rising expenses.

Kevin Meyers from the state’s attorney’s office said he was concerned the board’s budget allocates more money to various departments than the county will bring in from the levy. As a result, the board will have to find a new revenue source, he said.

“You can’t have an unbalanced budget,” Meyers said.

County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant proposed a 2% levy in her State of the County address and budget presentation in August.

In the last month, members of the board’s finance committee asked for a 1.75% levy as a compromise to County Board Republicans to avoid cuts to staff or services.

VanDuyne proposed cutting $50,000 from the County Board’s budget, eliminating paying for board members to travel and attend conferences. Any airfare, hotels or food costs would be on the backs of the board members, he said.

Greg Kulbartz tells the Will County Board too many people are struggling and taxes shouldn’t be raised. (Michelle Mullins/for the Daily Southtown)

Reducing the levy increase to zero affects the county’s ability to defend itself in lawsuits, VanDuyne said, noting the board has been sued by commercial solar facility developers when it rejects requests to build.

The county is bound to pay raises as part of its contracts with its employees and it is subject to the same cost increases as everyone else, VanDuyne said.

The levy approved will generate about $2.8 million less in total property taxes than Bertino-Tarrant proposed in August.

Bertino-Tarrant said she will review the board’s actions.

“I will make sure that we are moving forward in a responsible way,” she said.

Several board members said they would consider using some of the county’s cash reserves to cover any deficits.

Will County budget director ReShawn Howard talks about county finances Thursday during the Will County Board meeting. (Michelle Mullins/for the Daily Southtown)

ReShawn Howard, the county’s budget director, said the county has about $94.8 million in cash reserves, which is above its target.

Board member Mark Revis, a Plainfield Republican, said he would be interested in spending down the cash reserves, asking why the county can keep a healthy savings account when residents are having a hard time.

The board did not vote on whether to use its reserves to make up budgetary differences.

Several residents urged the board to cut its expenses and not raise the tax levy.

Mary Beth Gannon, of Joliet, said the board should not look at the levy in a partisan manner. She said members needs to “trim the fat” and cut the budget, not balance it on the backs of taxpayers.

“When is it going to stop?” Gannon said. “We are all hurting.”

Greg Kulbartz, of Homer Township, agreed, saying too many people are struggling.

Darrell Boisdorf, of Joliet Township, said the burden of tax increases hurts senior citizens and those on a fixed income. It discourages businesses from establishing in Will County, electing to go to another county or Indiana, he said.

The property tax burden in Will County is already high, Boisdorf said, and a tax increase should be the last resort.

Amy Sanchez urges the board to pass a 1.75% levy so services are not cut. (Michelle Mullins/for the Daily Southtown)

Joliet resident Amy Sanchez said a 1.75% tax levy was “minimal” and urged the board to pass it. The county is bound to its contractual obligations and she said she doesn’t want to see services cut.

The board Thursday also adjusted how it wants to spend revenue from the cannabis fund from Bertino-Tarrant’s original proposal in August.

The board agreed to allocate $335,000 to the Children’s Advocacy Center, $440,000 to the housing stabilization program, $170,000 for workforce services, $260,000 to the clerk’s office for election equipment, $200,000 for the Regional Office of Education for additional bullet-resistant glass, $50,000 for food stability, $350,000 for scholarships for children who are dealing with loved ones’ incarceration and $200,000 toward legal defense for immigrants with legal status.

Bertino-Tarrant’s original program had more funding allocated to the Children’s Advocacy Center, the housing stabilization program and workforce services. It also funded $1 million for the health department and $250,000 to the United Way 211 program to connect residents with services.

Bertino-Tarrant proposed a fiscal year 2026 budget for $791 million, which provides $282 million for operations in the corporate fund and $509 million for the special revenue funds.

Property taxes make up about 40% of the total corporate fund revenue.

The fiscal year begins Dec. 1.

Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/will-county-no-tax-levy-increase/ 

California Faces $18 Billion Deficit Next Year, Deepening Multiyear Budget Crisis

Tyler Durden
Thu, 11/20/2025 – 17:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/california-faces-18-billion-deficit-next-year-deepening-multiyear-budget-crisis 

Unpaid real estate taxes for the past two years by Vista Health Systems for its Vista Medical Center East hospital in Waukegan have created a liability of more than $2 million, and the potential for the property’s sale to recoup back taxes.

Since Los Angeles area-based American Healthcare Systems (AHS) purchased the hospital, assuming the debt of former owner Qurorum Health Corp., in July of 2023, both financial and operational problems have continued to mount.

Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said when a property owner does not pay their real estate taxes, the county sells the taxes to a buyer who must give the owner a period of time to redeem the obligation, while interest, in this case, accrues at 12% per year.

FNA DZ, a company specializing in buying property taxes as an investment, purchased Vista’s 2023 taxes payable last year, but Vega said no one acquired the 2024 taxes, which were due earlier in 2025 at this year’s tax sale, making the county a secondary lienholder to FNA.

Vista Health Systems’ failure to redeem the outstanding property taxes before the annual tax sale on Nov. 13 at the Lake County Courthouse and Administration Building in Waukegan puts it at risk of losing the property as early as this summer.

Though FNA had the opportunity to start the process to own the hospital property this month, Vega said it extended the deadline to June 12. At that time, FNA can give Vista more time or start the process to become the owner. Meanwhile, Vista must pay FNA nearly $1.2 million by June 12.

Deanna Cruz, Vista’s community engagement and marketing director, said in an email Thursday that Vista is in communication with its creditors, including FNA, as it “focuses on a sustainable path forward.”

Cruz said Vista is looking at all of its financial obligations and making decisions that promote “evaluating options that promote long-term stability.” She was not specific about Vista’s unpaid property taxes.

“Vista Health System is taking strides to carefully assess its financial landscape while prioritizing patient care, responsible stewardship and support for its staff,” she said. “We understand the importance of addressing all financial obligations in a manner that upholds our commitment to the community.”

In the event FNA takes title to the property, Vega said the county’s secondary lien would be extinguished, leaving the municipalities, townships, school districts, park districts, and others who rely on property taxes, approximately $1 million short among them.

“Vista is, once again, abdicating its responsibility to the community, and its irresponsible actions have now created a situation where the taxing districts are not receiving the full tax revenue that is owed to them,” Vega said.

Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart’s concerns over Vista’s financial situation have continued to mount since they first came to light early last year, when hospital board members learned bills were not being paid and service providers were refusing to continue doing business with the hospital.

“My greatest concern is, what does this mean for the financial health of the hospital?” Hart said in a text. “The people of Waukegan and surrounding areas deserve first-class healthcare, and it certainly seems like that may be in jeopardy.”

Property taxes are not the only unpaid obligation for Vista. As of Thursday, the city of Waukegan is owed $330,600 for providing water to the hospital, according to the city’s water department.

When Vista announced in September that it was eliminating obstetrical and neonatal services on Oct. 28, community members were once again alarmed at yet another setback for the hospital. State Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, said at the time it was, “another blow to our community.”

“The failed leadership of the previous Vista heads has left the current CEO in an impossible situation to save our hospital,” Johnson said at the time. “It should never have come to this.”

In January, Vista furloughed 69 non-medical personnel — 8.6% of its workforce — for six weeks. The furlough extended longer than six weeks, and some of the workers never went back to work there.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/vista-medical-center-east-taxes/ 

If you want a sneak peek at the $23 million renovation of RiverEdge Park, ‘tis the season to make it happen.

The much-anticipated upgrade of Aurora’s premier outdoor venue is not completed, and won’t be until 2026 when the new concert season kicks off with a vastly expanded backstage space to support bigger acts, more eating pavilions and other amenities that will raise it to a higher level as an entertainment venue.

Although still under renovation, however, the park is throwing open its doors on Friday – and will keep them open for 21 days through Christmas Eve – for the much-anticipated Christkindlmarket, now in its fourth season at this increasingly popular Aurora location.

In fact, there are more merchants than ever this year, noted Maren Priebe, CEO and general manager of German American Events, referring to the uptick from about 60 to 70 vendors, including plenty more food options.

Turns out this larger footprint won’t be impacted by the renovations. While interior work at RiverEdge will continue as Christkindlmarket is going on, all exterior work will take place on the Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays when this holiday market is closed to the general public.

Christkindlmarket in Aurora will be open Thursdays to Sundays from Nov. 21 through Dec. 24. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, according to organizers.

There will be special hours of operation from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) and Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 22, and Tuesday, Dec. 23, officials said.

“The Paramount box office had been fielding numerous calls” about Christkindlmarket, and are “super excited” to have it open, “especially during the construction,” said RiverEdge General Manager Jim Jarvis.

Even with renovations not yet finished, he added, “the park as one giant unified place just feels bigger … a cool concert venue that will put us in the hunt” for those big-name performers.

Here’s a quick update on construction and what to expect when visiting the Christmas market:

The backstage artistic building, which does not impact the market, only needs interior work to be completed. Work on the new 16-window beverage pavilion and sky deck, both of which are surrounded by chain link fencing and scrim, will continue on the days the market is closed. At the southern end of the park, new restrooms (23 for women, 17 for men, three for family/all gender) should be open, although some external work that won’t impact use during the market is yet to be done.

New pavers will stretch from Gate 2 to Gate 4, and include a picnic table eating area in front of the new beverage pavilion. There will be no Gate 4 entrance into the park from Route 25/Broadway, as it’s all fenced off with construction going on. Visitors can enter through Gate 2 across from the post office, or through Gate 5 on the west side of the bridge.

Shoppers look at items for sale at a vendor at Christkindlmarket at RiverEdge Park in Aurora last year. This year’s Christkindlmarket in the city, which opens Friday, will feature more vendors than ever, organizers said. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)

Once patrons cross the bridge, they will be at the far south end of the park where “there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Jarvis, but the bridge entrance is open with free parking on the west side at 309 N. River St., Lot W.

So yes, while there’s plenty of construction, none of it will take away from the holiday magic once you step inside, promises Jarvis, adding that Aurora’s Christkindlmarket is “one of those experiences that from the moment you step through the gates until you leave, you just have a smile on your face.”

It will be  “bigger and better” than ever, both he and Priebe tell me. In fact, the Aurora location has grown so quickly that it now has more vendor booths and larger square footage than the Daley Plaza or Wrigleyville markets, with the goal of eventually besting Chicago attendance as well, noted Jarvis.

More visitors are bypassing the big city, even those from Wisconsin who would prefer to drive a few extra miles to Aurora, where this authentic German market along the Fox River offers more vendors, less congestion and cheaper parking, he added.

“Barring any kind of weather occurrence, we can easily see 325,000-350,000 or more over those 21 days,” Jarvis told me. “And remember, this is just our fourth year of working with our Kindl partners.

“We really are just getting started.”

dcrosby@tribpub.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/20/column-even-with-riveredge-construction-aurora-christkindlmarket-opening-friday-bigger-and-better/