NWS confirms EF-1 tornado traveled into Naperville on Monday
The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that an EF-1 tornado traveled from Yorkville to south Naperville on Monday night.
A storm survey map posted by the NWS shows the tornado’s nearly 17-mile path, with winds of up to 100 mph and a width that stretched up to 200 yards.
City officials said the tornado, along with the storm system that brought it, caused damage to 10,000 of Naperville’s trees.
Learn more about the tornado and the cleanup efforts still underway in its wake.
Nicky Lopez gives back with inaugural Chicago White Sox charity softball tournament
Former Naperville Central High School baseball star and current Chicago White Sox infielder Nicky Lopez recently hosted his first 16-inch charity softball tournament, featuring sixteen teams at Mount Greenwood Park in Chicago.
The money raised will help support adolescent and young adult cancer patients, with one of the beneficiaries being the Justin Wegner Foundation. Wegner, who was also a Naperville Central graduate, died from cancer at the age of 22.
Find out more about the tournament and the causes it helped.
Indian Prairie School District 204 receives NSPRA Golden Achievement Award
Indian Prairie School District 204 received a 2024 Golden Achievement Award from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) for the district’s second annual Mental Health Symposium.
NSPRA’s Golden Achievement award recognizes school districts with outstanding strategic work in all aspects of school public relations, communication, marketing, and engagement.
The district first established its Mental Health Symposium in 2023 after a survey found that 66 percent of respondents requested parent education and resources related to mental health. The second annual event included a keynote speaker, a panel discussion by local mental health experts, and breakout sessions covering several mental health topics.
Specific businesses sought for Frontier Sports Complex project
Qualifying businesses owned by minorities, women and people with disabilities are being encouraged to bid on forthcoming work on a playground renovation project at the Frontier Sports Complex, based on a resolution adopted at the most recent Naperville Park Board meeting.
The Naperville Park District recently received a $181,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the project. One provision of the grant is the district adopts a business enterprise program utilization program that openly seeks out businesses owned by the specific demographic groups.
Find out more about the program and the upcoming project.
Little Italian Pizza in Naperville celebrates its 50th anniversary
Little Italian Pizza, a Naperville staple, recently celebrated its 50th anniversary by serving up slices and giving back to the community.
Besides cooking up nearly 150 pizzas, the restaurant also collected donations for DuPagePads, and sold raffle tickets for the chance to win prize-filled baskets – the proceeds for which went to local nonprofit Little Friends.
Read more about the celebration and this long-standing pizzeria.