Assault Weapon Sales Ban Discussed
It was standing room only at last night’s Naperville City Council meeting as the group had its first discussion about a proposed ordinance that would prohibit the local sale of assault weapons and large capacity magazines. About 50 speakers voiced opinions during public comment. Many more noted their thoughts on the city’s website, with 69 names listed in opposition, 73 in support, and 67 written comments. Both sides of the issue were addressed at the meeting. Advocates for the ordinance said more gun control was necessary, especially after the Fourth of July mass shooting in Highland Park. Opponents said the ordinance was unconstitutional and would put local gun business owners out of business. Council members appeared to be split on the issue, sharing concerns about addressing the ban at a local level and what litigation might follow. No action was taken on the item, which will be voted on at a future city council meeting.
New Retail, Restaurant Building
Also at last night’s meeting, council voted to approve variances for a new retail and restaurant building in the Eastgate Crossing Shopping Center at 1291-1295 E. Ogden Avenue. The 20,000 square-foot-building already has two restaurant tenants signed on: Naansense and Kura Sushi. The latter is requesting a drive-thru window, which would be used for pick-up orders only. The petitioner noted that space issues prohibited the usual 12 stacking spaces for cars in line, asking for a variance to allow for three, due to the different nature of this particular drive-thru. Some council members did have concerns about back-up and blockages in the lot. The petitioner suggested this would be a good test case for this type of model and said there would be time-slots given for pick-up. The approval passed 8-1.
D203 Approves NUMA Contract
On Monday, the Naperville School District 203 school board approved a five-year contract with the Naperville Unit Maintenance Association (NUMA). The agreement calls for an average salary bump of more than seven percent in the first year. Future raises will be tied to inflation, with set minimums and maximums. NUMA employees will also get a one-time payment of $1,000.
New K9 Deputy
There’s a “pupular” new addition to the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office. 9-week-old bloodhound Jake starts his training today. The newest K9 on the team was named in honor of Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Jacob Keltner of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, who was killed in the line of duty on March 7, 2019. Keltner once served as a civilian booking officer at the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office. Jake will have a year of training to learn to trail scent-specific human suspects.
