City council candidate removed from Naperville’s April ballot
Naperville City Council candidate Farid Shabazz was taken off the ballot for the city’s upcoming consolidated general election this April. The decision came through a 2-1 vote from the Municipal Officers Electoral Board at a hearing on Wednesday.
Shabazz’s candidate petition was challenged by three Naperville residents, whose primary issue centered around inconsistencies with his listed name. He officially changed his name from David Hughes in May 2023, but improperly omitted “formerly known as…” before his name in spots throughout the petition. Shabazz told NCTV17 he will not appeal the decision.
The other petition in question on Wednesday was of city council candidate Nag Jaiswal. His hearing was continued for Thursday, Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. as a member of city staff will gather evidence regarding the validity of the signatures on his petition.
The Fresh Market opens its first Naperville location
With a ceremonial breaking of bread, The Fresh Market opened its new location in Naperville at 204 S. Route 59 on Wednesday – its first in the city, and sixth in Illinois.
The nearly 26,000 square-foot store offers up just what its name implies: a heavy selection of fresh items, with offerings ranging from grab-and-go bakery treats to hot items like pizza and barbecue.
Granger Middle School STEM class helps one-footed duck walk again
After four weeks of designing and building, Granger Middle School STEM Plus students have helped their one-footed duck friend Charlie get back on his feet.
It’s a project the students started about a month ago, after their teacher challenged them to create a prosthetic foot for the waterfowl.
Watch Charlie waddle his way around the classroom on his first test-run of the new foot.
Planned support for District 204’s CARES program
DuPage County Board Commissioner Patty Gustin has indicated she plans to allocate a pool of money under her oversight in the upcoming fiscal year 2025 budget toward Indian Prairie School District 204’s ongoing mental health program.
In September, County Board Chair Deborah Conroy, unveiled her proposed budget of $635.8 million, backed in part by an anticipated property tax levy of $71 million. Within it is a $1.8 million line item referred to as “County Board member initiatives.” The proposal includes a $300,000 allocation for each County Board district and $100,000 for each County Board member.
Gustin represents District 5 on the County Board, which includes Naperville. During a report on new business at Tuesday’s meeting, Gustin said she is interested in allocating at least a portion of the $100,000 she has oversight of toward Indian Prairie’s CARES program, which has been piloted in recent years to help students in need of mental health assistance.
The Valley 204 boys bowling co-op rolls into its inaugural season
For nearly a decade, Metea Valley girls bowling coach Kristen Mansmith has been working to get a full boys bowling program off the ground.
The Mustangs have had a bowling club as well as individuals competing in the IHSA postseason, some of them very successfully. But it was not until this season that Indian Prairie School District 204 created the Valley Co-Op, giving students from Metea, Waubonsie, and Neuqua Valley the opportunity to compete in the state series as an official team, 22 years after the first IHSA state bowling tournament made its debut.
