Naperville Central student killed in avalanche near Swiss resort
A Naperville Central High School freshman was one of three people killed by an avalanche earlier this week near the Swiss resort of Zermatt.
Aleksas Beiga was on a spring break ski trip in Switzerland when the avalanche occurred on Monday around 2 p.m. in an off-piste area of the Rifflelberg, above the resort and below the Matterhorn peak.
Learn more about Aleksas and the GoFundMe underway for his family.
Photo courtesy: Valais Cantonal Police
Former Naperville resident charged with false report of stolen tools police say he never owned
A former Naperville resident has been arrested after he allegedly filed a false police report about stolen tools and submitted insurance claims on tools that he had never even purchased.
Robert J. Sladek, 45, who now resides in Downers Grove, has been charged with two counts of felony theft, two counts of insurance fraud, one count of forgery, and one count of filing a false police report.
Find out more about how the initial theft report he filed led to this lineup of charges.
Former LA Fitness could become outpatient medical facility
The former LA Fitness facility within Naperville’s Freedom Commons development could become an outpatient medical office building, based on a proposal presented to the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday.
Representatives with CHP-HSG Naperville LLC went before commissioners and discussed the proposal for the 5.08-acre site, which is located at the intersection of Independence Avenue and Freedom Drive. CHP-HSG, which is the contract purchaser of the property, plans a series of interior and exterior renovations for a healthcare group.
Commissioners gave the proposal a positive recommendation, and it now advances to the decision-making city council. Based on the preliminary timeline, CHP-HSG representatives indicated renovations could begin late this year, and the outpatient operation could be up and running in early 2026.
District 203 survey on e-learning days
Naperville School District 203 will invite students, parents, staff and community members to take a survey on e-learning days next week, Superintendent Dan Bridges announced at Monday’s board of education meeting.
Bridges briefly discussed the survey during his routine superintendent’s report to the board. In a post-pandemic environment, Bridges acknowledged the community has given mixed reaction to e-learning days. Most recently, District 203 went virtual with instruction on March 19 since some schools were used as polling locations on the date of the general primary election.
District 203’s current multi-year e-learning plan is sunsetting in June. Bridges said the survey feedback will play a role in administrative recommendations on a refreshed e-learning plan for the 2024-25 school year and beyond.
Loaves & Fishes Community Services holding Chef Showdown
Loaves & Fishes Community Services will hold its Chef Showdown on Thursday, April 18 to help raise funds to provide essential services to struggling families in local counties.
Facing off this year in the stadium kitchen setup will be executive chefs from CityGate Grille and Santo Cielo. They’ll get a hand from local celebrity sous chefs: Alex Pope of Rush Copley Medical Center, Cathy Subber of The Branch and Advanced Health of Naperville, Colin Dalough of Endeavor Health, and Liz Spencer of NCTV17.
Dishes from the prepared three-course meal will be judged by a panel of judges. Guests can watch the kitchen action while enjoying cocktails and food by event partner My Chef Catering.
The event runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Linnea Eleanor Rutkowski Food Distribution Hub, 580 Exchange Court, Aurora. Ticket information is available on the Loaves & Fishes website.
