The Will County Sheriff's arrested a Chicago Heights Illinois city employee a few weeks ago on six counts of possession and sale of child pornography Court records show Will County officials arrested Jasen Zurisk after searching his Beecher CBS News Chicago has confirmed Zurisk works as the maintenance director of south suburban Chicago Heights Click here for the full story via CBS Chicago A network of correspondents providing impartial news reports and analysis in 33 languages from locations around the world Up-to-the-minute news and analysis from around the world and in Chicago Hosted by WBEZ's Mary Dixon and NPR's Steve Inskeep Newshour is the award-winning flagship program of the BBC World Service the world’s largest news gathering operation 1A convenes a conversation about the most important issues of our time smart reflection on world news as it’s happening innovators and artists from around the globe with news from Chicago from WBEZ’s Lisa Labuz Reset digs into how the news has 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and Latif Nasser A Northwest Indiana woman has filed a lawsuit against two crematories, including one in Chicago Heights that state investigators have probed over allegedly mishandling dozens of bodies His body was taken to Crown Cremation Services in Crown Point which sent his remains to Heights Crematory at 230 E according to a lawsuit Darla Smith filed Tuesday in court in Lake County breach of contract and gross mishandling of human remains against Heights Crematory and Crown Cremation Services “Darryl’s body was one of many that were improperly stored in sheets or bags with more than 100 other corpses in trailers by Heights,” the lawsuit alleges His body was also allegedly held in a non-refrigerated location and “left unexposed to the elements.” 23 — nearly three weeks after he died and past the “five-to-seven day period promised by Crown Cremation,” according to the lawsuit but a complete abandonment of basic human decency,” Gabriel Hawkins “What should have been a solemn act of closure for Darryl Smith’s loved ones has instead turned into a nightmare for them and for over a hundred other families.” Heights Crematory declined to speak with a Sun-Times reporter Thursday Crown Cremation Services could not be reached for comment started investigating Heights Crematory in February The comptroller’s office has suspended the crematory’s license and has moved to revoke it A hearing on Heights Crematory’s license revocation last month has been postponed and a new date has not yet been scheduled a spokesperson for the comptroller’s office said disgusted and deeply saddened by the disrespect Heights Crematory showed to the remains of the deceased and we are working swiftly to strip the facility of its license,” Comptroller Susana Mendoza previously said in a statement Officials in Indiana have also launched a separate investigation into Crown Cremation “Not only is Darla Smith left to grieve Darryl’s death but also the knowledge that the defendants willfully desecrated his body,” attorney Scott Yonover said in a statement she has no confidence that Crown or Heights truthfully delivered his ashes She questions daily whether the contents of his urn belong to her husband.” met while working as contractors for the U.S They were married for 23 years and raised two sons A court date has not yet been set in the case Terms of Use • Privacy Notice • Cookie Policy • Terms of Sale state Comptroller Susana Mendoza said: “I am appalled and we are working swiftly to strip the facility of its license.” The Illinois comptroller’s office has suspended and is moving to revoke the license of a Chicago Heights crematory at the center of a state investigation into the mishandling of bodies had its license suspended Monday after state investigators found hundreds of boxes of unclaimed cremated remains on the premises as well as a refrigerated container holding 19 bodies the facility had accepted after it had agreed to stop accepting new remains during the state investigation the comptroller’s office said Monday in a news release The comptroller’s office — which oversees privately owned cemeteries crematories and funeral homes — is now moving the facility’s remaining 10 bodies to the Cook County medical examiner’s office and is trying to reunite other remains with families and find missing documentation for each and we are working swiftly to strip the facility of its license,” Comptroller Susana Mendoza said in a statement “No family should have to wonder what happened to their loved one when they pass or learn a deceased family or friend wasn’t treated with the utmost respect and dignity they deserve.” declined to speak to a Sun-Times reporter Monday the Illinois Funeral Directors Association received a tip with photos showing bodies in a trailer on the site of Heights Crematory The comptroller’s office has cited Heights Crematory for similar violations after three surprise inspections last year the crematory closed for four days to address ongoing issues Heights Crematory has been closed since the state’s investigation began Feb when investigators told the facility’s owners that it couldn’t accept any new cases until existing ones are completed But operators allegedly continued to take in additional remains officials have also found many of the remains lacked one or more of the documents necessary for cremation a signed cremation authorization from next of kin or a cremation permit be caused by funeral directors dropping off remains without the proper documents or in proper containers though it was Heights Crematory’s responsibility to seek those out A hearing on Heights’ license revocation will be held April 11 construction delayed firefighters' efforts Chicago Heights fires damaged several homes near 15th Street and Lowe Avenue Tuesday night.CHICAGO HEIGHTS (WLS) -- Six homes were damaged or destroyed after fires broke out in Chicago Heights Tuesday night The first fire started shortly after 11 p.m The blaze broke out in an abandoned building before spreading to an occupied house next-door When firefighters first arrived on scene for reports of one fire they found a second had started across the street had started in an abandoned house before spreading to Alicia Campbell's home and her neighbor's house Firefighters' efforts to douse the flames were delayed that meant firefighters had to attach to that hydrant down the block meaning firefighters then had to attach to a hydrant down the street," fire officials said The closest working hydrant was over 1,000 feet away The fire chief admits they were delayed getting water onto homes partially because of construction and a water main break in the area a spokesperson for the city of Chicago Heights wrote in part "A momentary delay in accessing water at an unresponsive hydrant required CHFD personnel to run additional supply hose lines to alternate An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fires." Campbell's home was one of the six destroyed RELATED: Fire guts historic Johnny Twist Historical Blues Museum in Woodlawn "There wasn't enough water," Campbell said There were firemen standing watching the fire burn." It's unclear whether embers from the initial fire sparked another home across the street or there was something else at play The state fire marshal and arson investigators were there investigating that possibility "The second fire was across the street," Chicago Heights Fire Chief Wendell Thomas said "But we can't say whether that was the cause of the second fire." Campbell said as residents were standing outside they watched the fire spread from her neighbor's home to hers "We were actively trying to find hydrants that were working and we eventually did," Chief Thomas said "She would've sustained some damage quite naturally but my house would've never been touched," Campbell said "If we had the ample and proper amount of water flowing through here And it doesn't make any kind of sense." The home she's lived in for 40 years is now gone Close family friend Amelia Owens came to support the families impacted "It's not a joke; it's not a game It's not funny; these are lives that have to be rebuilt and put back together," Owens said "They've been in that house for their whole life; I just pray that God keeps every last one of them covered." Three of the six homes damaged were unoccupied at the time IL — Bloom High School students showcased their commitment to community service during an inspiring event in partnership with the Chicago Bears Community Relations organization honored Women's History Month by supporting Housing Opportunities for Women an organization dedicated to empowering women and fostering strong communities Students participated in an outdoor and indoor beautification project at 1305 Pitner Ave in Evanston where they worked side by side with the Chicago Bears staff Their tasks included staining an outdoor fence and removing litter and debris to create a cleaner Division Coordinator Diane Oliver shared her enthusiasm “Community service gives Bloom students the opportunity to give back which I believe is something we are all meant to do It teaches empathy and helps students understand the lives and challenges others face The experience is very humbling and transformational.” “We are incredibly thankful to the Chicago Bears Community Relations team Their professionalism and the warm welcome extended to our students left a lasting impression It was rewarding to see how much the students enjoyed helping the Housing Opportunities for Women organization—and every single one of them is already asking to come back!” The event reflected Bloom High School’s broader mission of nurturing socially aware empathetic students who are ready to engage with and improve their communities Bloom students learn not only to be better citizens but also more compassionate individuals prepared for the world beyond high school Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 2025 at 6:39 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The Illinois Comptroller’s Office is investigating whether Heights Crematory in the 200 block of East 11th Street mishandled the bodies adding the probe was launched in late February IL — A crematory in Chicago Heights has been shut down after over 100 bodies were found in trailers The Illinois Comptroller’s Office is investigating whether Heights Crematory in the 200 block of East 11th Street mishandled the bodies, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported The business faces as much as $5,000 in penalties for each violation and could lose its license, according to the Daily Southtown which reported the crematory has been banned from taking on new cases The crematory has been ordered to cremate the existing remains and was down to 23 bodies Tuesday adding the bodies were discovered in sheets and bags inside the trailers 2024 at 5:03 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Two fires that damaged six homes in Chicago Heights last week are under investigation by the State Fire Marshal IL — The Illinois State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of two fires that damaged multiple homes and displaced several people last week in Chicago Heights on the south block and north block of Lowe Avenue damaged six homes and displaced 9 people according to a press release from the office of Mayor David Gonzalez To assist the Chicago Heights Fire Department five neighboring fire departments also responded to the scene five were fully engulfed and sustained complete and total damage A momentary delay occurred on North Lowe as CHFD personnel ran additional supply hose lines to a nearby hydrant A total of 6 of 7 hydrants in the fire zone were fully operational and available to provide water sufficient to extinguish the fires Construction is underway at the site of manufacturer Morgan Li’s new Chicago Heights campus Retail fixtures and furniture manufacturer Morgan Li is rebuilding and expanding, more than a year after a massive fire destroyed its warehouse in Chicago Heights The company said its new warehouse will be a larger state-of-the-art facility that will bring several operations under one roof It’s expected to be ready in January 2025 and fully operational by March Morgan Li had first announced plans to rebuild the facility in February “It’s very exciting for us to rebuild after a crazy event,” Morgan Li CEO Andy Rosenband said Aerial footage of the factory fire at Morgan Li’s Chicago Heights manufacturing facility Aerial footage of the fire in February 2023, showed heavy smoke and flames shooting up from several points Fire crews stopped the blaze with no reported injuries Morgan Li is still in the dark on what caused the fire There were no conclusive results from the investigation that took place “It all happened so fast and so quick,” he said we wanted to just get as much information that we could use going forward and there will be a structure on the site “relatively soon.” The pre-cast wall panels are currently being fabricated Separate from the new facility will be a 40,000-square-foot building for powder coating environmentally friendly process for painting that uses powder rather than standard liquid paint In addition to manufacturing the company does paint work as well as graphics Morgan Li’s Class A distribution and assembly center will be larger than its predecessor It will span 240,000 square feet and incorporate advanced technology comprehensive metal and cardboard recycling capabilities and more than 20 loading docks Rosenband said having all of its manufacturing and warehousing under one roof will make the company more efficient and limit its carbon footprint The company currently stores some products off-site and brings them in for painting and it was much more efficient,” Rosenband said “We’re really excited to get that back home again.” Morgan Li will move some jobs back to Chicago Heights and create new ones Rosenband said he anticipates hiring between 25 to 35 new employees for positions ranging from paint line to general labor and assembly He said the company wanted to reinvest in its Chicago Heights site The manufacturer has a nearly $20 million loan for the project “The city has always been a great partner to us … so we just felt like it’s home “We provide a lot of support to the local community So I think all those things just came together Morgan Li CEO Andy Rosenband (left) with his father and Morgan Li Executive Vice President of Business Development Phillip Rosenband as well as brother and company President Jonathan Rosenband during the company’s groundbreaking for its new facility 2025 at 10:11 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Alex Mitchell has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with a shooting outside a Ford Heights liquor store in Oct (Courtesy Cook County Sheriff's Office)COOK COUNTY IL — A 40-year-old man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder following a Cook County Sheriff’s Police investigation into a shooting incident that occurred last fall in a liquor store parking lot in Ford Heights Sheriff’s Police responded to a call of a shooting in the1300 block of East Lincoln Highway Police found a 35-year-old male on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment for his injuries and was later discharged later identified as AlexMitchell of the 7700 block of South Halsted Street produced a handgunand shot the victim once Sheriff’s Police Organized Crime Investigators encountered Mitchell duringa routine traffic stop in Chicago Heights and immediately took him into custody withoutincident the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved felony charges ofattempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery/discharge firearm Mitchell appeared for his initial court hearing on Wednesday at the MarkhamCourthouse where he was ordered detained at the Cook County Jail until his next scheduledcourt date on March 20 CHICAGO (CBS) -- Residents in south suburban Chicago Heights are calling for change, after six homes caught fire last week, leaving nine people homeless. Jaron Boyd wants answers as to why the house he grew up in was destroyed in a devastating house fire last week "We want to know why are we standing here homeless?" Boyd said and why are we standing here with no home?" Click here for the full story via CBS Chicago 2024 at 10:39 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Donnail Hannah faces multiple felony charges after kidnapping two people and demanding ransom for one's safe return (Courtesy Cook County Sheriff's Office )CHICAGO HEIGHTS IL — A Chicago Heights man is facing multiple felony charges after police say he kidnapped two people and held one of them for ransom threatening to kill him if his family did not pay sheriff’s police received a call from an individual who stated their family member was kidnapped and that they received ransom demands from the offender who police say was later identified as Donnail Hannah further investigation revealed that Hannah asked the male victim for a ride he pointed a gun at the victim and told him to reactivate a ride-sharing app The victim was then forced to pick up a woman who requested a ride the female victim saw Hannah pointing a gun Hannah then demanded the male victim to drive to a gas station in Ford Heights to pick up the ransom money and ordered the female victim to pick up the cash she fled after getting out the car and immediately called police Hannah and the male victim were located later that day at an East Hazel Crest casino parking lot Sheriff’s police arrested Hannah at the scene 19 with two counts of aggravated kidnapping with a firearm one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon/felon and one count of vehicular hijacking with a firearm He appeared for his initial hearing on Friday at the Markham Courthouse where a judge ordered him detained at the Cook County jail His next court hearing is scheduled for Jan