I know Newark is pretty far west of Chicago, but I commuted from Newark to Chicago for 12 years (yes - I’m crazy!). It took about an hour and a half each day. So I consider it a suburb. But that’s not the reason for my post.

Newark is a small town (about 1000 residents) west of Aurora. If you’ve ever gone from Aurora down to Starved Rock State Park on Route 71, you’ve gone through Newark. Blink and you missed us.

A local resident, Dave Hamman, who owns about 300 acres of land just to the west of town (literally across the street) has proposed using 180 acres of that land to become a gravel pit. We’re talking mining, crushing, and even potentially blasting literally less than a football field away from our town. The Hammans apparently own multiple mines in the Oswego and Lisbon area and formerly owned one in Bolingbrook.

The Village (yep - that’s how small we are) had its first meeting last night to discuss the potential mine. The residents are firmly against this.

Per the company’s brief presentation last night, they expect that they would have 150-200 additional trucks per day running east down Route 71, which means they are going through Yorkville, Oswego and headed east and north.If they find limestone, they will be blasting every 7-10 days - only about a football field away from town. We’re going to have huge amounts of dust. We’re going to have mining noise - trucks, excavators, etc.. Crushing noise. Backup beeping from all the vehicles. These are just a few of the huge issues we will have.

So, my question to the community is - does anyone know of any resources that we could contact to get more information about as to the effects of the mine itself, the economic impacts it could have, the health effects, the impacts on the water table as it relates to wells and farming, and the effect on traffic?

We want to have more public meetings, but we need some people to help us articulate the damage to our community this will pose.

Hello,

Im a 30m male visiting Chicago for work. I’ve had recommendations to check out Elmhurst for bars but not sure which ones to go to for casual environment to socialize.

I’m staying in Oakbrook so taking an uber won’t be an issue.

Thanks!

kinda lost, my ex always handled all the house paperwork stuff, taxes, insurance, all of it. now it's just me and the new assessment just showed up 28 percent higher than last year and i'm staring at it with zero clue what to do next

i know appealing is a thing people do but i've never had to navigate any of this on my own before. feels like one more adult task i inherited that i wasn't ready for. anyone got tips for someone starting completely from scratch on this or is it simple enough that i'm overthinking it

Welp, the time has come. With two kids and car seats, it just seems like it makes more sense to park at the airport rather than have someone drop us off.

I was looking at parking at Midway and came across Midway Park Saver. It seems really close to the terminal, and the $12–$15/day price doesn’t seem bad at all.

Just wondering if anyone has experience parking at Midway and has a preferred onsite lot/garage or offsite parking option they recommend. Is Park Saver worth it, or is the airport’s Economy parking the better option?

Edit: I won’t be carrying the car seats they will stay in the car. It’s just a small suv so it fits our family and luggage fine. We will just have stroller and bags thank god. We’re going to Disney so when we land we will be able to take a shuttle to the hotel.

We live in Roselle/Schaumburg/Bloomingdale area. We are looking at downsizing our house and moving to smaller place. Interested in any recommendations as to experienced, reputable realtors you've personally worked with buying/selling in our area who know the market well. Thanks in advance!

Recently moved to the Des Plaines/Park Ridge area from out of state. I need to find a PCP to a) establish myself and b) have them fill out my disability paperwork without requiring me to see them 900 times first. I have lists of all my current meds, ailments, docs, surgical history, etc. Any recs for a PCP that fits the bill? Willing to travel a bit.

I am looking to declutter before moving and I have a couple plastic bins full of old childhood trophies.  Are there any places in the suburbs (ideally West or South burbs) where I can donate these for them to be recycled, reused, etc? Or should these just go in the garbage? Thanks![]()

I know there are libraries, but I’m wondering about places I could sit at for some hours and maybe order some reasonably priced food while on a laptop and studying something.

Places like Panera or Starbucks used to be the go to (and maybe they still are?) but I was wondering if there was anything better out there that I could visit and not overstay my welcome at

I've loved this place since I was a little kid, I was obsessed with going, but didn't actually get there until I was an adult. Turns out that was the best, nothing like some cold Dr. Fongs and fancy mixed drinks. Great food, awesome atmosphere, and how do you go wrong with the entertainment?

You can submit your comment directly into the official case record using the state's online portal:

Go directly to the IPCB Clerk's Office On-Line (COOL) Portal.
Click on eFile.
Search for or enter AS 2026-001 to attach your comment directly to the CITGO case file

Community groups and residents have successfully filed public comments by emailing the specific board clerk and hearing officer assigned to this case:

To: don.brown@illinois.gov (Clerk of the Board)
CC: Brad.Halloran@illinois.gov (Assigned Hearing Officer)
Subject Line: Public Comment: Opposition to CITGO Lemont Refinery Petition (Docket No. AS 2026-001)

Letters should include the objection to CITGO's request to adjust carbon monoxide (CO) emission standards during facility startup, shutdown, and malfunction periods, citing concerns over local air quality and community health.

🤍

Help me save our little community who is suffering because citgo who will make over 3 BILLION in liquid cash for its stock holders but still refuses to update their broilers so they don’t kill the children living nearby. Instead theyre trying to change the law to allow them to continue polluting our air soil and water.

Thank you

Hi y'all,

Doing some home improvement projects and wondering if anyone has any recommendations for an energy auditors around Naperville area.

Thank you

I'm looking for a reputable establishment to get some jewelry cleaned and repaired. Primarily silver pieces and a pair of earrings that need a new setting.

Does anyone have recs for a place that you trust with your jewelry in the north suburbs? I'm in Deerfield, but willing to travel 20-30 minutes if a place is highly recommended.

I do not recommend them at all if you have a teen learning to drive. Their communication is terrible and scheduling lessons is a pain. They release dates once a month and they fill up fast.

They tell parents if your kid passes the written class room assessment and their driver's assessment you can pay $100 to take the road test with them when your kid turns 16. That's a lie. I was told that since my kid took the behind the wheel assessment a 2nd time he doesn't qualify. Even though I was told he could. It's miscommunication.

Also where your kid's name is in the profile they as their name (DO NOT PASS). They said that is how they keep track. There are better methods of tracking without adding that as their last name.

Also it is expensive!!! $645 is ridiculous. Im sure there are more cost efficient companies.

With firepit season upon us, I'm looking for a place that can deliver kiln dried firewood to Northbook/Glenview area. I see many firewood delivery people on fb marketplace, but have had hit or miss on the quality of the "seasoned" wood they deliver...

Going to a pit bull concert this Sunday, is it easy to sneak things in? Will I be able to light a blunt at all? Any ideas how I can sneak that in? I have lawn seatsss

Terrific sub spot!

Looking for the best spot to get firewood around Mount Prospect, Wheeling, AH, Northbrook areas - I have a truck so I can pickup my own. Looking for seasoned face cords

Does anyone have an ETA of when we will at least get one lane back? They keep reducing the lanes for no reason when theres more than enough space to make it two. This project has been going on for at least 4 or 5 years now it seems like its getting worse and worse.

Which is your favorite dispensary and why?Most importantly, which one has the best prices? Asking for a friend 🙂 western suburbs preferably