Lucy Westlake Honored at ESPYs
Last night, 2022 Naperville North graduate Lucy Westlake was honored at the 30th annual ESPY awards as one of five recipients of the Billy Jean King Youth Leadership Award. The former Huskie cross country star became the youngest American woman to summit Mount Everest on May 12 at the age of 18 years, 6 months and 8 days. Near the end of the broadcast, the five winners were introduced on stage by Billy Jean King herself. Westlake was not the only local athlete to be honored, as Naperville Central legend Candace Parker added another piece of hardware to her expansive trophy case. She brought home her sixth career ESPY award, this one for Best WNBA Player.
Planned STEPS Temporary Relocation Nears Approval
On Wednesday, the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission gave a favorable recommendation to granting a conditional use permit allowing Indian Prairie School District 204’s planned relocation of the STEPS post-high school graduate program to a new facility. The long-running program is designed to give young adults, ages 18 to 22, with disabilities a launch pad to the next phase of their lives. District 204 in June announced plans of relocating STEPS on a short-term basis to office space at 387 Shuman Blvd. while the current location at 3220 Cedar Glade Road is renovated to better serve the program’s needs. STEPS has about 120 young adults enrolled annually supported by 55 staff members. The commission’s recommendation now goes to City Council for a vote.
Townhouse Development on Aurora Avenue
The Planning and Zoning Commission also gave a favorable recommendation to a proposed eight unit townhouse development at 445 Aurora Ave, which was most recently home to a veterinary clinic and animal hospital. City officials need to grant a conditional-use permit and issue several variances, including a decrease in lot-size thresholds in order for the project to proceed. Commissioners discussed traffic estimates at the meeting and concluded it would not pose any concerns since the former business generated higher traffic flows than the projected new development.
Deaf Welcome Studios Opens at Fox Valley Mall
A new business called Deaf Welcome Studios opened at the Fox Valley Mall yesterday. The studio will be home to ASL and sign singing classes among other activities, and also help content creators and media outlets implement sign language into their content. They will also offer interpreters to assist deaf visitors to the mall. Meanwhile, the Theressa DuBois Show, a talk show that is done in both English and sign language, will be filmed with a live audience every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Tickets for the live show and more information can be found on the Deaf Welcome Studios website.
Naperville Named One of Best Places to Live
Naperville was recently named the fourth best city to live in in America by Livability in its annual Top 100 Best Places to Live in the US list. Naperville scored particularly well in the Civics, Infrastructure, Education and Amenities categories, with a standout feature that 90% of Naperville residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Coming in at number one was Madison, Wisconsin.
