Firefighter Memorial Ceremony
This morning, the Naperville Fire Department held its Firefighter Memorial Ceremony.
The event is held in remembrance of the department’s fallen members. Engineer Jerry Herring, Lieutenant Richard Rechenmacher, and firefighter Bernard Petrowski died in the line of duty on this day, 52 years ago. They were en route to a house fire west of the city, when their vehicle was involved in an accident. All three died instantly.
Also remembered is Lieutenant George Winckler who died during a training exercise in October of 1991, suffering a massive heart attack.
The ceremony took place at Firemen’s Memorial Park at 1072 W. Jefferson Ave. It featured a speech by Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis and a wreath laying.
Council Finalizes 2023 Budget
Naperville City Council adopted its 2023 annual budget for the city at its meeting on Tuesday. Totaling $603.46 million, the 2023 budget is an 11.6% increase from 2022.
The new budget does not include fees or hikes in taxes for residents, which officials say is thanks to existing revenue streams and financial policies.
City council met on three separate occasions this fall to discuss this year’s budget, which has the function of keeping Naperville safe, supporting effective government, providing Naperville’s necessities, and providing quality of life.
The new budget will go into effect Jan. 1, 2023.
SAFE-T Act Forum
On Wednesday, December 14, Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres will take part in a virtual forum to discuss upcoming changes taking effect due to the Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today Act; more commonly known as the SAFE-T Act.
On Tuesday, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a series of amendments to the Pretrial Fairness Act portion of the legislation. Under it, cash bail will be eliminated as of January 1, 2023. The newly signed revisions outline what prosecutors need to present to have a defendant held pending trial, expand the list of detainable offenses, and clarify a few other parts of the legislation.
In the virtual forum, Arres will talk about what the SAFE-T Act means for Naperville residents. The League of Women Voters of Naperville is facilitating the question and answer session, which will start at 7 p.m.. Anyone with questions can submit them via email to lwvnaperville@gmail.com.
Registration information for the forum can be found on the League of Women Voters of Naperville website.
Local Athletes Named All-Americans
The 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-American Teams were announced this week and a pair of local players was among the 81 boys across the country to be honored.
Naperville North senior Alex Barger, the 2021 Gatorade Illinois Soccer Player of the Year, was selected as an All-American for a second consecutive season.
Naperville Central’s Chase Adams was also named an All-American after helping the Redhawks win their first IHSA State Championship this fall. Adams was the only freshman to make the All-American Team this season.
