2025 at 11:46 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Western Springs is delaying the sale of bonds for a stormwater project until economic conditions improve IL – No one specifically mentioned Donald Trump or his tariffs during this week's discussion over Western Springs' borrowing of money for a stormwater project But Trump's trade policy is having an effect nonetheless For the time being, the village is delaying the sale of up to $6 million in bonds for a project in the Springdale neighborhood That's because of market volatility since earlier this month after Trump's "Liberation Day," in which he declared tariffs against virtually every country in the world The bond market's interest rate increased as a result, but declined somewhat after Trump delayed many of the tariffs "We haven't seen any bond sales in the state of Illinois since April 4," John Mastandona The hike in the interest rate in one day was the worst for the bond market in more than three decades "It's just new territory for everybody," he said the board voted unanimously to authorize a bond sale when economic conditions improve The village plans to pay back the debt through its stormwater fee, which was imposed on residents a couple of years ago Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 2025 at 8:52 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}A 25-year-old Schiller Park man was charged with assault last week in Western Springs IL – A man was charged with assault last week in a residential neighborhood in Western Springs police said they were called because a man battered a co-worker at a job site in the 5800 block of Ridgewood Drive The suspect was a 25-year-old Schiller Park resident 2025 at 1:36 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Residents in the Ridgewood neighborhood in Western Springs fear that a new townhome development would worsen flooding IL – The Western Springs Village Board on Monday approved a small change to a controversial townhome development which the Cook County Transportation Department recommended During previous public hearings, neighbors expressed concern about the planned townhomes at 5600 Wolf Road saying they would worsen flooding in an area already seeing more than its share The townhomes are proposed by Burr Ridge-based McNaughton Development At Monday's meeting, Trustee Philip Nawrocki was the lone vote against the change. In February, he opposed the development which would be across the street from his house Nawrocki asked whether the board and neighbors would be informed of all changes in the development He was told that the staff could let the board know Trustee James Tyrrell said it would be a good idea "There was a lot of interest in this project actually," Tyrrell said "Anything like that should be brought to the board while Village President Heidi Rudolph asked the staff to keep the board in the loop 2025 at 11:48 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Local author Taylor D Tomlinson is bringing bedtime stories closer to home with the release of her charming new children’s books: Goodnight Perfect for young readers and local families alike and hidden gems of these beloved Chicago suburbs readers are whisked away on a nighttime adventure through the cozy streets of this southwestern suburb From quiet corners at the Thomas Ford Library to the laughter echoing through Spring Rock Park the book captures the spirit of a town that feels like home A bonus scavenger hunt invites little ones to uncover fun facts and local history along the way Hinsdale continues the journey with a heartfelt tribute to the village’s treasured traditions Whether it’s cooling off at the Community Pool or catching the holiday magic of the Annual Christmas Walk nostalgic ride through what makes Hinsdale so special A touch of history rounds out this comforting bedtime tale While she may not be a famous comedian or late-night talk show host Tomlinson is a passionate children’s book author based in Western Springs where she lives with her husband and young son Originally from Chicago’s northern suburbs Taylor spent her high school years in the Detroit area before earning her degree in anthropology from the University of Michigan Taylor’s books are more than bedtime stories — they’re love letters to the communities that shape us and a deeper connection to the places families call home Taylor enjoys exploring her toddler’s latest fascinations and spending quality time with friends and family To connect with Taylor or to purchase “Goodnight, Western Springs” or “Goodnight, Hinsdale” visit www.taylordtomlinson.com 2025 at 11:09 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}A juvenile was cited about 10:30 a.m April 13 on a charge of disorderly conduct at Spring Rock Park Western Springs police handled cases involving disorderly conduct Here is information from the latest Western Springs police reports: 2025 at 11:59 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The closed St IL – A developer is asking for Western Springs' approval to replace an old church with five houses which has been used for religious purposes since 1957 also connects to the cul-de-sac on Johnson Avenue It is just north of Springdale Park in southwest Western Springs R&M General Contractors proposes five new lots for single-family houses The plan includes moving the cul-de-sac slightly to the south The developer proposes to extend a pathway connecting the Johnson sidewalk to Springdale Park the church property was listed at $1.6 million the village's Plan Commission recommended the Village Board approve the subdivision The board's planning and zoning committee is set to review the matter at 7:45 p.m 2025 at 10:20 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Western Springs held a referendum Tuesday on a property tax increase to pay for infrastructure IL – Western Springs voters voted overwhelmingly Tuesday in favor of a property tax increase that officials say will pay for infrastructure Turnout in the election was nearly 25 percent according to the Cook County Clerk's Office "Referendum 2025 offers an important opportunity to provide essential funding for critical projects that are essential to the continued well-being of our community." the village would go into debt by $45 million to pay for infrastructure projects the increase would amount to $345 a year over a decade That's in addition to a total property tax bill of roughly $16,000 The village's website said the community needs more than $200 million over the next 30 or 40 years to pay for infrastructure Nearly half of the village's water and sewer systems is more than a century old and almost a third of the village is without sidewalks The current referendum is far greater than previous ones — $6 million in 2008 and $12 million in 2016 One of Western Springs' challenges is that its income sources are limited is because 95 percent of Western Springs is residential the village's commercial tax base is small Western Springs lacks sales-tax generating businesses such as car dealerships and big-box stores Patch asked the village why a separate tax increase is needed to pay for water and sewer projects rather than income from water and sewer bills water and sewer improvements costs $2.5 million to $4.5 million village spokeswoman Selmin Cicek said in response "Revenues from the water/sewer rates could only fund a project of this size and scope approximately every 6 years," Cicek said "The Village regularly reviews fees in the context of the overall funding strategy Current water/sewer rates cover the cost of sanitary system improvements and water production/distribution/small capital maintenance projects The existing rates are not sufficient to fund large-scale capital projects." The village has created a section of its website for information related to the tax increase IL – First United Methodist Church of Western Springs which merged with its Hinsdale counterpart last year The Western Springs congregation at 4300 Howard Ave., which formed in 1888, had experienced a decline in membership, hurting its ability to continue its ministry work, according to an October letter to the village from the Hinsdale United Methodist Church Church leaders determined the Western Springs property was no longer needed the merged church is on track to sell the Western Springs site to Fairfield Properties LLC The developer plans to build a traditional parkway with a sidewalk on Howard Avenue and do away with the angled parking the village's Planning and Zoning Committee is set to review that issue 2025 at 12:58 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The project at Wolf Road and Ogden Avenue in Western Springs has started IL – Work has started on the state's project at Ogden Avenue and Wolf Road in Western Springs The project is one of three intersections included in the contract so periods of inactivity are likely while other sites are being worked on the state Department of Transportation plans to install temporary traffic lights on wood poles install new traffic light poles and signal heads and improve left turn lanes on Ogden Avenue at the intersection 2025 at 4:22 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The Western Springs Village Board rarely sees a no vote The board has not had a competitive election in two decades (Village of Western Springs/via video)WESTERN SPRINGS IL – The Western Springs Village Board is a bit of a no-drama zone where trustees are collegial with one another But the discussion over a townhouse development got pointed Monday night And the Village Board saw its first no vote since May 2021 Trustee Philip Nawrocki voted against all eight zoning changes to make the development a reality Nawrocki told his colleagues that the 29-unit complex would "fundamentally" change Western Springs He acknowledged he was a resident of the neighboring subdivision but did not say during the meeting that he was across the street from the proposed complex Village President Heidi Rudolph asked for a motion and a second for the first zoning change Rudolph pointed out the board follows Robert's Rules of Order which require that a motion and a second precede a discussion Nawrocki suggested trustees did not review all the public's feedback on the development "I know I'm not being naive that we've probably on this board not read all of it because we had a 4,400-page agenda today," Nawrocki said but every public comment has not been in favor of this project going forward." Trustee Nicole Chen took exception to Nawrocki's comments "I actually read every single word of all the transcripts from all three Plan Commission meetings that occurred here," she said "So I take slight offense because it's very serious Village President Heidi Rudolph also said she read every comment and attended every meeting "(I) have understood everything that has been changed and everything that has been worked on over the last seven months," she said The next Village Board election is April 1. It's like every other election for the last 20 years – no competition for the village's elected posts the candidates on the ballot have the endorsement of the Western Springs Caucus which historically recommends residents for village offices Then-Trustee James John was against an intergovernmental agreement to proceed with an upgrade to concrete for the Hillgrove Avenue project Trustee Scott Lewis voted against having the village staff pursue a stormwater fee study 2025 at 7:43 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The Western Springs Village Board on Monday plans to vote on the low bid for the Springdale neighborhood stormwater project IL – A Western Springs neighborhood that has seen flooding over the years is poised to get relief the Village Board plans to vote on a construction contract for drainage improvements to the Springdale neighborhood in southwest Western Springs The low bidder was Plano-based Performance Construction & Engineering The project includes installing new storm sewers and inlets in the 5400 block of Howard and Franklin avenues New pipes would be laid to send stormwater to Springdale Park where the village plans to build a facility to store it Most of the project will be paid through the stormwater fee that the village imposed on residents a couple of years ago The village said it is also getting a $1 million grant for the work from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District A Ridgewood flooding project is also expected to start this year 2025 at 4:24 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Western Springs Trustee Philip Nawrocki (right) on Monday explained his opposition to a proposed townhome complex next to his house (Village of Western Springs/via video)WESTERN SPRINGS IL – Western Springs trustees this week approved zoning changes that pave the way for a controversial townhouse development But the board's votes were not unanimous, which is rare who lives next to the proposed complex in question Burr Ridge-based McNaughton Development proposed 29 townhouse units at 5600 Wolf Road Residents in the neighboring Ridgewood subdivision opposed the plan They contended it would worsen flooding in a neighborhood that already suffers some of the village's worst. However, Western Springs' engineer said the development would be a "net positive" in the effort to improve drainage Neighbors also said the complex was too dense in a neighborhood of single-family houses who lives on Park Place across from the proposed development said all residents who commented on the project opposed it and that's what we should be listening to," he said Nawrocki also said the townhomes were not a good fit for the neighborhood "We're going to fundamentally change Western Springs with this type of development coming in We don't have anything like this townhouse-wise that is this large," he said Trustee Nicole Chen said the debate resembles the one years ago over the Foxford Station downtown building "I remember all the concerns before Foxford that it was going to change the nature of our community who served on the village's Plan Commission at the time "I don't know if anyone would agree (now) that that's true." Trustee James Tyrrell supported the development He said the developer made concessions in response to concerns – among them more storage for stormwater than originally planned "I find the project may have a benefit to the stormwater issue that's presently there now and will not increase the stormwater," he said Trustee Amy Avakian said she could see both sides of the argument She disagreed with the developer's contention that the townhomes would mainly attract empty nesters Avakian said she has seen such homes draw both groups Neighbors feared that a development with families would mean more people Village President Heidi Rudolph said it wasn't for the trustees to figure out which type of residents would move in "My speculation is that the people who would move into these townhomes are going to be people who are good neighbors and would care about the community," she said "I don't know why we would think any differently than that." The board then took eight votes on zoning changes changes required the support of five of six trustees Had Avakian joined Nawrocki in opposition in those instances that would have stopped the development as proposed The Plan Commission recommended the townhome proposal in November 2025 at 6:50 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Grand Avenue which is part of the Forest Hills neighborhood in Western Springs is a patchwork of houses with sidewalks and those without IL – Western Springs is poised to build a sidewalk in a neighborhood with few of them a village committee plans to review bids for installing a sidewalk on the east side of Grand Avenue from 51st to 55th streets The low bid of $195,909 is from Monee-based Davis Concrete Construction Co while the highest of the five was $427,059 from Elgin-based Martam Construction the village received a $190,000 federal grant for the project Western Springs plans to spend up to $33,514 with V3 Companies to oversee the work residents in the Forest Hills neighborhood have asked for more sidewalks The 30-block area is a patchwork of houses with sidewalks and those without the village started requiring sidewalks for new construction Four years ago, the village surveyed Forest Hills residents about the possibility of sidewalks Many younger families said they wanted sidewalks for the safety of children Opponents offered a variety of arguments against sidewalks saying the neighborhood has done fine without them they don't want to pay for the project and the lack of sidewalks gives a less city-like feel residents won't pay for the Grand Avenue sidewalk 2025 at 10:09 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}A woman told police Friday about fraudulent activity on her credit cards after trying to donate money to two people outside of Mariano's IL – Western Springs police released their latest blotter this week IL – Western Springs police released their latest blotter Tuesday 2025 at 10:40 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Western Springs is wealthy but it lacks major sales tax-generating businesses which prevents the village from undertaking critical infrastructure projects IL – Western Springs officials explained last week why the village needs more money for infrastructure projects Ninety-five percent of the village is residential properties Western Springs lacks businesses such as car dealerships that tend to be big sales tax generators "Western Springs is often referred to as an affluent community, but it is important to remember that the limited sales tax revenue has a real impact on the funding available for infrastructure projects," Casey Biernacki, deputy village manager, said during a virtual meeting The village's median household income is $219,000 In the April 1 election, Western Springs voters are set to decide whether to raise property taxes and let the village go $45 million into debt for road The current referendum is far greater than previous ones – $6 million in 2008 and $12 million in 2016 Biernacki conceded that those referendums were for resurfacing streets but not necessarily the water and sewer lines underneath them this means that many of these projects did not include replacement of critical infrastructure leaving aging water main and sewer main under new pavement due to the lack of funding available," he said the village has been required to tear into recently resurfaced streets to fix water mains Examples include Central Avenue and Elm Street In 2023, the village paid an engineering firm to determine which roads and sewer and water mains need replacement Western Springs saw about 70 water main breaks far more than the annual average of 30 to 40 over the last 15 years "Those are things we will continue to see worsen as these systems age," Supert said Most of the village's infrastructure was built in the early 20th century If the referendum passes, the owner of a $750,000 house would see a $345 hike to the annual property tax bill over a decade That's in addition to a total bill of roughly $16,000 The village is planning an in-person open house on the tax increase from 6 p.m with the time and place yet to be announced 2025 at 10:39 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Jon Carlson was sworn in Monday as the new deputy fire chief for Western Springs IL – Hindale's former deputy fire chief is taking the same job in Western Springs Jon Carlson was sworn in as the village's deputy chief of fire and emergency medical services Carlson retired from the Hinsdale Fire Department after 26 years He had been deputy chief since 2021 and was briefly interim fire chief before he left In his retirement letter, Carlson said he was leaving because Hinsdale was eliminating his position Western Springs Fire Chief Brian Scott said Carlson was a "proven leader committed to excellence and integrity." "His work and character exemplify the finest traditions of our Department and the American fire service," Scott said "We are incredibly fortunate to welcome him into our ranks." Carlson holds bachelor's degrees in social work and psychology from Winona University in Minnesota He also has state fire marshal certifications as a chief fire officer as well as several technical rescue certifications former Trustee Lisa Den Besten said she fully supported two-thirds of the tax increase But she opposed devoting the rest to sidewalks and streetscapes local voters are set to decide whether to let the village go into debt by $45 million to pay for infrastructure projects Den Besten said she supported the two-thirds that is going for street She said the growing number of main breaks needed to be addressed could cause public works employees to become disheartened and leave for other jobs Den Besten disagreed with having all residents pay for them Some taxpayers have already paid their share by installing sidewalks in front of their homes "To ask them to pay for something they don't want just doesn't sit well," Den Besten said She also said downtown's two tax increment financing districts have money available to pay for streetscape improvements in that area "I can't count how many times the village has promoted a new streetscape plan for downtown Western Springs someone seems to have suggested a new one," Den Besten said "I don't see why streetscapes are deemed such a high priority over water mains Trustees did not respond to Den Besten's comments the proposed tax increase would amount to $345 a year over a decade the Grand Junction-based safety net provider of mental health services for 10 Western Slope counties.Updated at 11:30 a.m The only psychiatric hospital between Denver and Salt Lake City is closing Based in Grand Junction for nearly 20 years West Springs Hospital will shut its doors on March 10 The hospital’s board of directors announced the closure with a “heavy heart” in a Monday statement.  and we understand the profound impact it will have on our patients staff and community,” the release said.  The board cited the “uncertain future of Medicaid” as one reason along with financial challenges and underutilization Though the hospital is licensed for 48 beds it has had a daily average of 30 beds or fewer used over the last several years.  Most hospital employees will lose their jobs says remaining staff will continue to offer outpatient services for psychiatric Mind Springs will still also provide some withdrawal management services in Grand Junction residential treatment facilities in Clifton and crisis response services for six counties West Springs’ board of directors said it’s exploring “more modern care models” and is looking at the possibility of starting an acute treatment unit or crisis stabilization unit West Springs Hospital’s ability to stay in operation has been a question for years. In 2021, a state investigation found a pattern of “severe life-threatening” prescription errors and deficient care Mind Springs settled with Rocky Mountain Health Plans and entered into a new contract with Rocky Mountain it started a partnership with Larkin Health Systems The closing of the hospital also marks the end of that deal Mind Springs is still part of the Colorado Crisis Services response system You can call 844-493-TALK (8244) or text TALK to 38255 to speak to a professional Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that Mind Springs Health manages West Springs Hospital The headline has been updated to reflect only some psychiatric services will be ending You want to know what is really going on these days We can help you keep up.  The Lookout is a free daily email newsletter with news and happenings from all over Colorado Sign up here and we will see you in the morning Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. Listen now. © 2025 Colorado Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy 2025 at 3:32 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Statistics show that Western Springs could support more restaurants downtown IL – Customers' spending at downtown Western Springs restaurants rose nearly 20 percent from 2022 to 2023 a consultant told village officials at a meeting this week That increase signals potential demand for "experiential" businesses who performed a downtown market assessment Western Springs residents dine out 2½ times the national average and more so than their counterparts in peer towns such as La Grange and Clarendon Hills Part of this is because customers show notable loyalty to local businesses Blue compared Western Springs to three neighbors – La Grange Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills – all of which generally bar office uses on first-floor frontage of downtown buildings Officials in other towns note that stores and restaurants bring sales tax income, unlike office-based businesses. Shopping and dining, they say, also give downtowns vibrancy Blue said Western Springs should consider trying to attract restaurants particularly breakfast places and those with cuisines unavailable locally He also said the village should look at bringing a microbrewery Village Trustee James Tyrrell said it looked like Western Springs needed breakfast places and other restaurants "We don't even have any vacancies – one or two at best," he said Blue said the village has barriers to adding more businesses to downtown "There isn't a lot of space for redevelopment." The board is expected to review Blue's report again Jan 2025 at 4:49 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}A 70-year-old missing woman is seen in this photo in Hinsdale IL – A 70-year-old woman was reported missing Tuesday Lee Marie Burklund was described as white with blond hair and wearing a silver coat Police said she was last seen about 12:30 p.m walking east on Ogden Avenue over Interstate 294 into Western Springs If you have information on her whereabouts Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 2025 at 8:43 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Western Springs voters are set to decide in the April 1 election on a property tax increase to pay for infrastructure improvements IL – Western Springs residents pay water and sewer bills that are supposed to cover the costs of those systems But a proposed property tax increase on the April 1 ballot would pay for local infrastructure A reader asked Patch why a separate tax increase is needed to pay for water and sewer projects she said Western Springs is taking a multipronged approach to paying for infrastructure consists of 95 percent residential properties and lacks sales-tax generating businesses such as car dealerships and big-box stores She noted the 2-year-old stormwater fee that only pays for drainage projects The village's top priorities for that money are improvements in the Springdale and Ridgewood neighborhoods In the election, Western Springs voters are set to decide whether to raise property taxes and let the village go $45 million into debt for infrastructure Western Springs has made information available about the referendum on its website But the village can let the public know what the money would pay for And officials are doing exactly that for an April 1 property tax referendum The village has created a section of its website for information related to the tax increase. It is also planning three "open house" meetings, which it details on the site "Referendum 2025 offers an important opportunity to provide essential funding for critical projects that are essential to the continued well-being of our community," the village said in a statement Monday For the owner of a $750,000 house, the increase would amount to $345 a year over a decade The website said the community needs more than $200 million over the next 30 or 40 years to pay for infrastructure 2025 at 3:28 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Girls are seen in video footage fighting March 17 in a hallway at Lyons Township High School's South Campus IL – A Lyons Township High School student was arrested last week after a fight at South Campus The student was charged with two counts of aggravated battery The serious charges were because the offense was committed on school grounds and included the use of "a blunt object causing bodily harm," a police spokeswoman told Patch in an email Police responded to the fight about 2:30 p.m The village declined to provide the youth's age Patch reviewed a 58-second video of the altercation which appeared to involve at least three girls It occurred in a large hallway between two stairwells The girls moved the fight to different areas of the hallway two female staff members stopped the fight Patch is not posting the video because it involves juveniles Later that day, Principal Jen Tyrrell issued a public statement about the "physical altercation." She said the school notified the police "We understand that situations like this can cause concern and we are following appropriate protocols to address the situation and support those involved," the principal said On May 1, 2023, an attack just outside North Campus left a student severely injured. The school is being sued In August 2022, the school settled for $140,000 with the family of a 14-year-old girl who was attacked a few months earlier in a hallway at South Campus Western Springs' decision to keep the age, hometown and gender of the suspect under wraps is a departure from its past practice Three years ago, Western Springs released information about its charges against four 16-year-old boys who were cited on disorderly conduct charges were accused of throwing eggs out the window when they crashed into a tree In December, Western Springs reported the arrest of a 15-year-old La Grange boy who police said was found with a loaded .22-caliber gun at the Garden Market shopping center indicated schools are unnecessarily secretive about crimes "High Schools often conceal criminal incidents and arrests from the public by labeling them 'juvenile matters,'" he said they are just attempting to preserve their perceived reputation." 2024 at 2:27 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Western Springs which has seen no competition in village elections since 2005 Monday was the last day for candidates to file in the April 1 election Running unopposed in the village presidential race is Heidi Rudolph, who was appointed in April 2023 after President Alice Gallagher died Village Board incumbents Scott Lewis and Amy Avakian and newcomer Karen Martin are the candidates for the three trustee positions Martin is the chief executive at Age@Home and a member of the village's police pension board Incumbent Edward Tymick is the lone village clerk candidate The candidates on the ballot have the endorsement of the Western Springs Caucus which historically recommends people for village offices Running for the library board are Stephen Baker The candidates for the park district board are Brian A IL – Western Springs is deciding what kind of feedback to provide for Cook County's study to improve 3½ miles of Plainfield Road the county's transportation department has been looking at alternatives Plainfield Road forms part of the village's southern boundary It is along Western Springs' Timber Trails subdivision which has been a work in progress over the last couple of decades The county is trying to figure out what to do for pedestrians on the north side of the road which is part of a network of trails in the neighborhood itself Officials are considering two alternatives – connect a new sidewalk to the existing asphalt path system or install a new sidewalk all along Western Springs' section of Plainfield Timber Trails homeowners association representatives met with village and county officials The representatives said the decade-old Timber Trails path along Plainfield is in poor condition and that the developer did not construct or maintain it properly, according to meeting minutes They asked whether the county would consider replacing the asphalt path with a new concrete sidewalk the village's Infrastructure Commission plans to review the alternatives and make a recommendation to the Village Board 2024 at 4:19 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Western Springs is paying two plumbing firms nearly $25,000 for work last month when the village's crew was overwhelmed because of a series of water main breaks IL – Western Springs has experienced 59 water main breaks so far this year with the issues at one point overwhelming the village staff "All of these main breaks are from our aging infrastructure so I think ultimately we'll have to address (it)," Trustee Al Fink said at a Village Board meeting The board approved paying bills of nearly $25,000 to two plumbing firms for dealing with main breaks last month "There was one weekend where we had six water main breaks over four days," said Matthew Supert "It was too much for our crews to handle in terms of scheduling and just the exhaustion level and the safety level we had to bring in an outside contractor just because our crew couldn't handle the constant breaks." village officials have repeatedly pointed to problems with the local infrastructure They are pondering putting a property tax increase on the ballot for the April 1 election. In 2022, 54 percent of voters rejected hiking the sales tax by 1 percentage point to pay for local infrastructure "Much of the Village’s infrastructure has surpassed its reasonable lifespan," village spokeswoman Selmin Cicek said in an email to Patch on Wednesday "The Capital Infrastructure Plan is a comprehensive review of all the Village’s infrastructure to estimate project costs prioritize projects based on an engineering risk assessment and provide the Village with the tools to plan for the long term The (plan) outlines over $200 million in recommended projects to be completed over the next 30-40 years." 2025 at 7:03 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Last school year the average class size was 21 in Western Springs School District 101 IL – The average class size in Western Springs School District 101 is higher than those in three La Grange-area districts Last school year, the average was 21 students per class in District 101, the same as the statewide number. That compares to 18 in La Grange District 105 and 20 in both La Grange District 102 and La Grange Highlands District 106, according to the Illinois Report Card website Western Springs' average class size was 22 the district's average exceeded the statewide number every year research shows that students in lower grades demonstrate the potential for higher achievement scores when they are enrolled in smaller classes Here are the average class sizes in Western Springs District 101 over the last dozen years: 2024: 21 2023: 21 2022: 22 2021: 22 2020: 22 2019: 22 2018: 23 2017: 22 2016: 22 2015: 23 2014: 23 2013: 23 Source: Illinois Report Card 2025 at 4:07 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The attorney general's office this month found Western Springs violated the Freedom of Information Act by withholding certain records from a resident IL – Western Springs violated the state's open records law by withholding certain records related to the village's transfer of land to the Illinois Tollway the village took the rare step of refusing to release to the attorney general its lawyer's correspondence a public body must divulge documents in question when a records dispute reaches the attorney general's office which must keep them secret during its process In an email Monday, the village's spokeswoman, Selmin Cicek said no one at Village Hall had received the attorney general's letter "(W)e cannot comment on any next steps until it is reviewed with legal counsel," Cicek said Western Springs resident David Fulghum challenged the denial with the attorney general the attorney general found the village improperly withheld emails between the village and the Tollway The village cited an exception under the Freedom of Information Act that allows it to keep secret preliminary drafts and notes said the messages weren't preliminary because the agencies were different parties with independent interests Lim noted the law "unambiguously" requires that a public body cooperate and provide all records at issue to the attorney general's office could not be more clearly stated," she said No exception is made for an agency to assert that records are protected by attorney-client privilege "The Village's refusal to provide a copy of the contested emails and for confidential review undermines the Public Access Counselor's ability to conduct the type of comprehensive review that the General Assembly deemed to be crucial," Lim said furnished the attorney general with a log of the correspondence It was a message from the village's attorney to the Tollway "(T)here is no indication that the attorney has an attorney-client relationship with the Tollway," Lim said The attorney general requested the village release the documents at issue public bodies comply with the attorney general's requests In an email to Patch, Fulghum, who lives in a neighborhood next to Interstate 294, said he is concerned about flooding in his area of town "It is about flooding and not compensating all property owners fairly and raising taxes and fees on Western Springs homeowners while they 'give away' a valuable asset to the Tollway," Fulghum said 2024 at 3:31 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Paul McNaughton president of Burr Ridge-based McNaughton Development greets people before Monday's Western Springs Plan Commission meeting The commission recommended his townhome development IL – A key Western Springs panel on Monday supported the construction of 29 townhomes where an office complex now stands Neighbors had previously come out in force against the proposal for the 2.4-acre site at 5600 Wolf Road spoke out at the Plan Commission's hearing Monday was "jamming" the project onto a small property "We are really concerned about this," said David who lives next to the office complex in the 900 block of Park Place "This is across the street from a beautiful residential area." said Monday she was concerned with the plan for a 29-townhome development The developer proposed changes to the project One of the biggest ones was that access to the development would now be from the busier Wolf Road The developer also agreed to double the volume of the man-made pond for stormwater The developer asked to be exempted from the requirement to build a sidewalk on Park Place but village officials said they wouldn't grant such a request said the townhomes would be an "aesthetic upgrade" from the current complex "We feel this meets the trend of development in this portion of the village," Barry said "The zoning request reverts the property to its original residential use." thanked the developer and residents for working together to change the plan "That's really helped the process quite a bit," he said The commission unanimously approved the proposal Barry told Patch that the company hopes to complete the townhomes by the end of 2026 the townhomes are expected to cost between $800,000 and $850,000 told the Western Springs Plan Commission on Monday that proposed townhomes would be an "aesthetic upgrade" for a Wolf Road property 2025 at 4:30 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}A 60-year-old Western Springs man was charged with DUI and improper lane usage last week in Westmont IL – A Western Springs man was arrested on a drunken-driving charge last week in Westmont who lives in the 4700 block of Fair Elms Avenue Wednesday in the 300 block of West Ogden Avenue He was charged with DUI and improper lane usage Police said he was released on his own recognizance In July 2022, the man was arrested on a DUI charge in connection with a crash in Western Springs 2025 at 7:03 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}A resident in the 4400 block of Harvey Avenue told police that a package delivered on Dec IL – Western Springs police released their latest blotter 2025 at 8:00 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Residents in Western Springs' Ridgewood neighborhood told the Village Board on Monday that a proposed townhome development would worsen flooding IL – Neighbors continued their fight Monday against a proposed townhome development in Western Springs The 29-unit complex would be next to the Ridgewood neighborhood in southwest Western Springs The village's Ridgewood and Springdale subdivisions are the hardest hit by flooding During public comments at Monday's Village Board meeting resident George Rodgers said the village increased the flooding problem when it approved the Heritage Springs townhome complex more than two decades ago That development is north of the proposed one the village "lied" to the neighborhood that Heritage Springs would not add to flooding Rodgers said he did not oppose new development but was against packing "10 pounds of dirt into a 3-pound sack." a neighbor who served as a village trustee from 2015 to 2019 said the Ridgewood neighborhood has suffered for years from flooding Many have spent thousands of dollars on measures to keep water away from their houses Western Springs surveyed residents village-wide as part of its long-term growth plan 1 concern was to keep the village's charm," Allen said No one in the survey, he said, indicated a desire for more density. But he said that was what the proposed development would bring the village has not fixed the flooding issues in Ridgewood had the power to call for a smaller development He noted the board is asking voters to raise property taxes to cover $45 million in debt for infrastructure And he said it also imposed a stormwater fee two years ago which the village said would cost the average household $210 a year and some of these issues aren't getting addressed." The village has said the priorities for the stormwater fee were the Ridgewood and Springdale neighborhoods In a meeting two weeks ago, the village engineer, Jefferey Koza, said a "vast amount of stormwater" heads to the site of the proposed townhomes He said the proposed complex's detention basins would not solve the drainage problem in the Ridgewood subdivision "The engineering has been thoroughly vetted and we feel like the design is responsible and at least does make incremental improvement by providing some extra detention capacity." The Village Board could decide on the new development at its Feb 2025 at 12:46 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}A bitcoin scam lost a Western Springs resident $27,000 The 65-year-old spoke over the phone with imposters posting as representatives of Apple IL – A Western Springs man lost $27,000 in a scam earlier this month involving imposters posing as representatives of Apple Patch obtained the police report through a public records request the 65-year-old from the 4100 block of Lawn Avenue received a text message that he thought was from Apple He was informed of multiple unauthorized transactions using his Apple Pay He was given a phone number; a man answered claiming he was with Apple tech support The suspect brought a woman into the conversation She told the resident he had lost $27,000 because of the unauthorized transactions and that he needed to withdraw that amount from his account and deposit it into a bitcoin machine and a man claiming he was from the Federal Reserve got on the resident deposited the money in 15 separate transactions into an Athena Bitcoin machine at Shell gas station he got a call from a suspect to "check in" with him He told police he gave the suspects his Social Security number A few weeks ago, Western Springs police reported another resident lost between $100,000 and $200,000 in a scam that started with a Best Buy employee in Countryside 2024 at 5:30 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}This guide gives Western Springs voters information about the upcoming general election IL — The hottest race on the ballot is the presidential election pitting Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump In House District 45 They are vying to succeed incumbent Jenn Ladisch Douglass Not sure if you’re registered to vote, or need to change your address? You can find out here.If you’re not registered, you have until Oct. 8 to register by mail and Oct. 20 to register to vote online You can also register in person on Election Day To register by mail, download and print the Illinois Voter Registration Application and send the completed form to your county clerk or Board of Election commissioner you can do so at driver’s license facilities and at least one must show your current address Illinois voters can already file an application to vote by mail, and you can find vote by mail applications on the Illinois State Board of Elections website. If you’re making your request by mail, the Illinois Election Authority must receive it by Oct. 31.You can also request a mail-in ballot online on your county clerk’s website If you’ve already requested your mail-in ballot you should receive it around the time early voting starts it must be completed and postmarked by Election Day — Nov If you are already in line to vote when the polls close If you don't know your polling place, find it here. 2024 at 5:36 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Allergy Asthma & Sinus Centers is the only tenant left at the office complex at 5600 Wolf Road in Western Springs A developer is proposing to replace the complex with townhomes IL – The owner of a Western Springs office complex on Friday complained about a delay in village action for a new development aims to sell the complex at 5600 Wolf Road to Burr Ridge developer McNaughton Development That is contingent on the village giving zoning approval to replace the complex with townhomes The only tenant left in the complex is Allergy Asthma & Sinus Centers The Plan Commission held hearings in August and September on the zoning request "It's costing me money to keep the building going The contract (with McNaughton) has been in place for almost a year," Gaik said in an interview "I would think the village needs to make this a priority in light of everyone's investment." The Ridgewood subdivision is next to the office complex at 5600 Wolf Road in Western Springs Ridgewood residents have been critical of the plan to replace the office complex with townhomes "To postpone for two months because you can't make a quorum while others are bleeding money is ridiculous I have communicated that to the village manager and the village president I would suggest to you that this is not good government for the people." Gaik said the office complex would benefit the community bringing in a half million dollars in property taxes a year compared with the current $120,000 Under the plan, McNaughton is proposing eight buildings consisting of 29 townhomes. But neighbors have contended the townhomes would worsen drainage and traffic If the village ultimately rejects the development plan village spokeswoman Selmin Cicek said the developer provided an updated site plan at the Sept the Plan Commission delayed the hearing until Nov 18 to let the developer update the proposed plans with the revised site layout 24 to let the developer address the comments from the public and commission The office complex is next to the Ridgewood residential subdivision WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Neighbors say they are against a plan for replacing an office building with a townhome complex in Western Springs the village's Plan Commission heard opposition to the plan by Burr Ridge-based McNaughton Development The issue comes back to the Plan Commission at 7 p.m According to last month's meeting transcript John Barry of McNaughton touted the proposed development and it's a market-demand product," Barry said "The McNaughton name in the residential development field is very well known and held in high esteem here in the western suburbs." The property at 5600 Wolf Road has struggled over the years losing major tenants such as Duly Health and the Fraternal Order of Police But residents said the planned development would hurt their neighborhood noted the plan to have one of the entrances on her street I never in a million years thought there wouldn't be beautiful residential homes in that area and this is really going to affect us and all of Ridgewood The traffic and the entrance on Park Place is not good." a Western Springs resident and an allergist in the current office complex said she wished the developer would not knock down the offices She also said she sympathized with the neighbors' concerns about flooding "There is a river now that goes through the parking lot so that you can't really walk onto the other side," Lantner said "I feel for you because I see the flooding that goes on." the area would seem to have less opportunity for drainage She said her parents donated land to the village to make a park for children "They were hoping to create more green space and also alleviate flooding issues," Gaik Schrader said "He has been out there digging out those sewers himself 2025 at 3:01 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}A resident in the 4100 block of Lawn Avenue told police Feb 12 that he was scammed out of $27,000 over the phone IL – Western Springs police have released their latest blotter Western Springs School District 101 saw its lowest math results on a standardized test since before the pandemic the state released test scores for schools across the state the percentage of District 101 students meeting state benchmarks in math on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness fell in 2023-24 to 63.7 percent That was down from 64.1 percent the previous year when Illinois students started taking the test 75 percent of local students made the mark 72.1 percent exceeded or met state standards on the state assessment last school year 41 percent of students met or exceeded standards in English language arts and 28 percent in math Wealthy school districts such as the one in Western Springs typically do far better than the state average Less than 1 percent of District 101's students are considered low-income Petite Vie gives the chef another stage to demonstrate his love for French cuisine It’s a Saturday afternoon in Western Springs a town about 30 minutes west of Downtown Chicago A table in the back private dining room is filled with women enjoying brunch The acoustics carry the laughter through the restaurant Most wouldn’t expect this type of energy for a brunch service in the city Petite Vie Brasserie provides them a venue for such meals with a French brasserie with dishes like foie gras mousse A service staff member goes out of his way to tout a special espresso martini not on the menu Virant demonstrated a rare understanding of the connections between food waste and how solutions will cost money that could further inflate how much people pay for meals: “Is the consumer ready for food to cost what it should cost reflected on the menus of our restaurants?” he says After 19 years, Vie closed in October 2023; Virant blamed a dispute with the landlord. But this spring Virant reloaded. He bought the building around the corner and opened Petite Vie, just 300 feet away from the original. Without Vie and Mon Ami Gabi’s 2021 closure at Oakbrook Center Virant felt like this was a great opportunity to fill a void for French food Virant has watched families come in with young children who try escargot for the first time His cooks are focused on the regular menu while Virant concentrates on specials like a white veal stew (blanquette de Veau) The specials are a little bit more adventurous Virant doesn’t want to tip his hand too much but the chef has some dishes he’d rather have diners discover at the restaurant versus publicizing them online reflecting on how diverse Chicago’s French scene has become He’s playing around in the kitchen with classic recipes — he shares how he’s started to use garlic in his haricot vert amandine recipe Subtle adjustments can be real “game changers”: “We’re not reinventing the wheel There wasn’t a shortage of diners who would travel from the city to the suburbs but since then Chicago’s food scene has exploded Petite Vie Brasserie, 909 Burlington Avenue, Western Springs, open 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for weekend brunch; and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for weekend dinner, reservations via OpenTable 2024 at 6:59 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Western Springs hired a firm to survey residents on how they feel about the town IL – Western Springs residents rated the village highly for such things as a sense of community The firm compared the results in Western Springs with more than 300 other towns in its national survey database Western Springs ranked first among those towns for a sense of community preservation of the historical and cultural character of the town The village ranked second as a place to raise children for a feeling of safety in downtown and other commercial areas during the day 99 percent rated Western Springs as an excellent or good place to live Local public schools were rated as good or excellent by 95 percent Satisfaction with police was at 93 percent the fire department at 97 percent and the ambulance service at 98 percent But the survey's respondents saw drawbacks in Western Springs The overall quality of utility infrastructure was rated positively by only 38 percent of respondents Half of the respondents gave a positive rating for drinking water and stormwater management. Two neighborhoods – Springdale and Ridgewood – are particularly flood-prone Village officials have recognized that much work needs to be done in the areas of water Officials say they need more money to deal with the problems. In 2022, 54 percent of local voters rejected hiking the sales tax by 1 percentage point to pay for local infrastructure Recently, Village President Heidi Rudolph said the village may put a property tax hike on the April 1 ballot for infrastructure Western Springs has little commercial property from which to tax That results in a bigger tax burden on homeowners The survey results were presented at Monday's Village Board meeting In a later statement she was "extremely proud" that the village was ranked first and second in many quality-of-life measures She also said infrastructure continues to be the Village Board's priority Polco's consultant did not indicate which types of communities were among the more than 300 ranked Western Springs is wealthier than most towns Western Springs School District 101 had no students coming from low-income families nearly half of students fall in that category 2025 at 7:13 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Work is planned this year on Burlington Avenue in Western Springs The project will be "far less intrusive" than last year's IL – Western Springs plans another street project downtown but this one will be "far less intrusive" than last year's According to a memo, the village plans to resurface four blocks of Burlington Avenue from Central Avenue to Wolf Road. Last year, improvements were made to half of that section so there will be a couple of days when things will be busy," Jefferey Koza But he said this wasn't like the last project where the street was shut down for four or five weeks "It will be far less intrusive than last fall," Koza said The village plans to follow last year's practice of starting early in the morning when downtown has fewer commuters and open businesses Koza said the village hasn't nailed down a schedule because the contractor is still trying to obtain railroad right-of-entry permits the village plans to send notices to affected businesses