Aurora is considering using funds from a previously accepted grant to upgrade cameras in the Aurora Police Department headquarters, replace aging traffic cameras, install new license plate readers and get new equipment for the police digital forensics lab.
The proposal, which would be fully funded through the $2.28 million COPS Technology and Equipment Program grant, was unanimously recommended by the City Council Finance Committee on Thursday. It must now make its way to the full Aurora City Council for final approval.
The Aurora Police Department’s headquarters on East Indian Trail Road needs an upgrade to 90 closed-circuit cameras, according to Aurora Police Lt. Andy Wolcott.
He told Finance Committee members that the cameras would be located primarily within the booking and jail areas of the building. They are necessary to make sure detainees are being taken care of properly and are not harming themselves, officials said.
The police department, in collaboration with the city’s traffic engineers, is also asking for 18 new traffic cameras to be set up at intersections throughout the city. Wolcott said these will replace older traffic cameras, some upwards of 15 years old, that are out of date and not always useful for solving crimes due to the quality of their video.
“If its a black car, you can see a black blur going across the screen. Well, that doesn’t do anybody any good,” he said.
The new cameras would have live feeds and recordings of all parts of an intersection at once, as well as allow officers or city traffic engineers to zoom in or look in a particular direction of interest, according to Wolcott.
He said the upgrades would help police better solve car accidents and identify suspects’ vehicles while also helping traffic engineers monitor streetlights and backups at the monitored intersections.
The proposal also includes the purchase of license plate readers, which Wolcott said are set to go around Fox Valley Mall.
The Aurora Police Department already has license plate readers along entrances to the city, along Route 59 and in key areas like downtown and the Chicago Premium Outlets mall, he said.
These readers have already been useful in solving crimes, according to Wolcott.
He said a car was stolen along Orchard Road late Tuesday night, and those inside were later seen flashing guns at passersby. That car was tracked using existing plate readers, which led to the arrest of five suspects, he said.
The Aurora Police Department also requested a number of hardware and software upgrades for its digital forensics lab.
According to Digital Forensics Investigator Jacob LaShure, digital exploitation of children has “skyrocketed” since the COVID-19 pandemic, as children are online more than ever before.
He said some of the requested equipment, such as a standalone desktop dedicated to such investigations, would help in these investigations.
The department is also requesting a new MacBook Pro, as its current iMac is over 10 years old; lockable evidence cabinets that charge devices or block radio signals; and a TD4 Forensic Duplicator, which helps to acquire data from computers, LaShure said.
On the software side of digital forensics, the lab is requesting software that securely holds and transfers evidence through cloud storage, a smartphone data extraction tool, a “digital forensic triage tool” and Chainalysis Reactor, which helps investigators investigate cryptocurrency-related crimes, according to a presentation on the requests.
LaShure said cryptocurrency-related scams have been on the rise in recent years, particularly targeting the senior community. Some in Aurora have seen their life savings taken through complex online or phone scams involving cryptocurrency, he said.
The grant would still have around $1 million remaining if the proposal is approved by the Aurora City Council, according to Finance Committee Chair Ald. Carl Franco, 5th Ward. Walcott said the police department is still working on the best ways to spend those funds.
Photos from the Chicago White Sox’s 10-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. It was the 12th consecutive defeat for the Sox, who fell to 27-78.
White Sox right fielder Tommy Pham fields a two-run single by Mariners first baseman Jason Vosler in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox starting pitcher Drew Thorpe walks back to the mound after giving up a two-run single to Mariners first baseman Jason Vosler in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox starting pitcher Drew Thorpe walks back to the mound after giving up an RBI double to Mariners catcher Mitch Garver in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners third baseman Josh Rojas holds a trident through the dugout after hitting a three-run home run against the White Sox in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners shortstop Dylan Moore holds a trident through the dugout after hitting a home run against the White Sox in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox starting pitcher Drew Thorpe wipes off sweat as Mariners center fielder Victor Robles rounds first base after hitting a home run in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi watches fans reach for a home run ball by Mariners shortstop Dylan Moore in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners center fielder Victor Robles holds a trident through the dugout after hitting a home run against the White Sox in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Bubble gum is tossed at Mariners center fielder Victor Robles as he holds a trident through the dugout after hitting a home run against the White Sox in the first inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox catcher Korey Lee, left, talks with starting pitcher Drew Thorpe after Thorpe loads the bases in the first inning against the Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox infielders gather after starting pitcher Drew Thorpe is taken out of the game the first inning against the Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. Thorpe gave up eight runs in two-thirds of an inning. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, second from left, talks with catcher Korey Lee after taking starting pitcher Drew Thorpe out of the game the first inning against the Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans reach for a two-run home run ball from Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco in the fourth inning against the White Sox on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the White Sox on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby winds up for a pitch in the fourth inning against the White Sox on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby gives a thumb’s up after White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong strikes out to end the fourth inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Mariners left fielder Luke Raley (20) raises his hands as fans reach for a ground-rule double from White Sox second baseman Brooks Baldwin in the fifth inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn (25) trots out of the way as Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco completes a double play to end the eighth inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox right fielder Tommy Pham swings for a double against the Mariners in the eighth inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox right fielder Tommy Pham (28) beats the throw to Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco for a double in the eighth inning on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi strikes out swinging in the ninth inning against the Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet high-fives teammates before a game against the Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Kaleb Harmon balances his 5-month-old daughter, Emily, on his hands as his wife, Stacey, watches before a game between the White Sox and Mariners on July 26, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. This was Emily’s second baseball game. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police searched for a missing boater Friday night after a vessel carrying more than a dozen passengers capsized just off 31st Street Beach.
The boat flipped near the 3100 block of DuSable Lake Shore Drive around 7:30 p.m., according to police. According to Chicago Fire officials, 12 people rescued refused first aid, while three were taken to University of Chicago Hospital.
As of 9 p.m., police said the marine unit’s search remained active and Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said around 9:15 that the person remained missing.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension worth $220 million, a person familiar with the deal said Friday.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.
Love’s new deal includes a $75 million signing bonus and $155 million in guarantees.
The new deal comes after Love led the NFL’s youngest team
to a 10-9 record and playoff berth last season in his first year as a starter while stepping up to the challenge of replacing four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, who was traded to the New York Jets
in April 2023.
NFL Network
first reported Love’s deal. ESPN
first reported the amount of the signing bonus and guaranteed money.
Reports of Love’s extension came the same day that Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa
agreed on a four-year extension worth $212.4 million. Detroit’s Jared Goff
signed a four-year, $212 million extension with $170 million guaranteed, and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence
agreed to a five-year, $275 million extension with $142 million guaranteed earlier in the offseason.
The 25-year-old Love hadn’t been practicing with the Packers in training camp this week while the contract talks were unresolved, though he had been attending workouts and was participating in all other team activities. Love’s contract had been set to expire at the end of the upcoming season.
The Packers are betting on the promise Love showed during his late-season surge last year.
Green Bay had signed Love to a one-year extension
in May 2023 that included $13.5 million in guaranteed money with another $9 million in incentives. That deal gave the Packers time to evaluate Love as he entered his first season as a starter after Rodgers, a four-time MVP, was traded to the Jets.
Love responded by completing 64.2% of his passes for 4,159 yards with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season while improving dramatically as the season wore on.
He threw 21 touchdown passes with only one interception during a nine-game stretch that culminated with a 48-32 upset
of the Dallas Cowboys in a wild-card playoff game. Love did throw two second-half interceptions
the following week in a 24-21 loss
to the San Francisco 49ers.
The only other quarterbacks ever to throw for at least 4,000 yards and 32 touchdowns in their first season making multiple starts were Kurt Warner in 1999 and Patrick Mahomes in 2018. The only quarterbacks to throw more than 32 touchdown passes in their first season with multiple starts were Mahomes (50), Warner (41) and Daunte Culpepper (33 in 2000).
Love’s 32 touchdown passes ranked second in the league, behind Dallas’ Dak Prescott (36).
Love had made only one career start before last season. After the Packers traded up to select him out of Utah State with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Love spent his first three seasons backing up Rodgers.
Abbott Laboratories must pay $495 million in damages in the case of a girl who developed a serious gastrointestinal disease as a premature infant after consuming Abbott formula, a Missouri jury decided Friday evening.
The jury awarded the girl $95 million in compensatory damages and said the company must pay $400 million in punitive damages, half of which will go to the girl and half of which will go to the state of Missouri, said attorneys representing the family.
The lawsuit is one of hundreds against north suburban-based Abbott and Mead Johnson alleging that their formulas for premature infants cause necrotizing enterocolitis, a disease of the intestinal tract, in which tissue lining the intestine becomes inflamed and dies.
This was the first case against Abbott over the issue to go to trial. In a similar case that went to trial earlier this year in Illinois against Mead Johnson, a jury awarded $60 million in damages to a woman whose son died of NEC after consuming Mead Johnson’s cow’s-milk-based premature infant formula.
The Abbott trial began earlier this month in Missouri Circuit Court in St. Louis after Illinois resident Margo Gill sued the company. Gill alleged her daughter Robynn Davis was given Abbott’s cow’s-milk-based infant feeding products as a premature infant, which caused her to develop NEC. Davis, who was born in 2021, had to undergo extensive surgery because of her NEC diagnosis and continues to suffer from long-term health issues.
“Despite knowing of the risk of NEC, Abbott did not warn of the significantly increased risk of NEC (and resulting medical conditions, and/or death) associated with its products, or of the magnitude of this increased risk,” the lawsuit alleged.
Abbott lawyers argued that the girl’s condition was caused by trauma at birth, before she consumed the formula, Reuters reported.
Abbott said in a statement Friday evening: “We strongly disagree with the verdict which was not unanimous, and continue to believe that Robynn’s condition is a tragedy for which no one is to blame. We will pursue all avenues to have the erroneous decision overturned.”
Abbott said in the statement that there is no scientific evidence showing that Abbott’s preterm infant products cause or contribute to NEC.
“Specialized formulas and fortifiers, like the one in this case, are part of the standard of care by the medical community and, along with mother’s milk and donor human milk, are the only available options to feed premature infants,” Abbott said in the statement.
Abbott also said the verdict “has no bearing on any future cases.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, preterm and low-birth-weight babies are at higher risk of developing NEC, potentially because of their immature digestive systems, and about 15% to 40% of infants with the disease die.
Davis, who is now 2 years old, had about 75% of her intestine removed after she was diagnosed with NEC, and she sustained brain damage from the illness, according to attorneys for the family. They said she has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, cannot walk or talk and is fed through a tube.
In 2011, the U.S. surgeon general acknowledged that formula feeding was associated with higher rates of NEC for premature infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics in its March 2012 policy statement supporting breastfeeding also noted that studies have shown that feeding preterm infants human milk is associated with a significant reduction in incidences of NEC. The AAP formally recommends breastfeeding or human donor milk to reduce the chance of NEC in premature babies.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If the Chicago Cubs’ current path continues, again leaving them short of the postseason, there will be plenty of blame to go around for why they fell short of their goal.
But one of the most frustrating consequences of missing the playoffs would be failing to take advantage of what has been a great rotation for most of the season. The Cubs’ top three starters — Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon — possess the stuff and success that a team wants in a postseason series. Among National League starting pitchers with at least 75 innings, Imanaga (fourth), Taillon (sixth) and Steele (eighth) rank in the top 10 in ERA, while Javier Assad’s 3.15 ERA is 12th.
“We go against anyone, and it’s one of those things we know what’s at stake, we know what it takes, it’s just a hot stretch and that’s what we’re grinding and searching for,” catcher Tomás Nido told the Tribune. “A day doesn’t go by that everybody isn’t grinding. Ultimately you be prepared and try to do. You can’t control anything outside of preparation. You can’t control the results. That’s what we try to focus on.”
Taillon’s consistency has been especially valuable over the last calendar year. Since July 7, 2023, when he delivered eight innings of one-hit ball at Yankee Stadium, Taillon owns a 3.16 ERA in that span, which features 33 games and 191 innings. Only six MLB starters have posted a better ERA in that stretch.
It’s part of why Taillon could be moved before Tuesday’s trade deadline. Pitching is always a priority this time of year, especially those who possess Taillon’s track record. With the Cubs front office looking to improve the 2025 roster rather than solely acquiring help for the 2024 team, Taillon understands what that could mean for his future.
“There’s definitely noise going on and stuff,” Taillon said. “But at the end of the day, I’ve been around long enough to just understand that I have a start and I’ve got to go about my routine and if I don’t check my boxes and do what I need to do that I’m going to put the team in a bad spot. So that’s the discipline and the professionalism aspect, like, you’ve got to show up and do your job regardless.”
The Cubs entered the opener of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Friday in last place in the National League Central, 11 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs were 5½ back of the final NL wild-card spot.
When Taillon, 32, signed a four-year, $68 million contract before last season, he did so believing the Cubs were going to be competitive and reach to the playoffs. It’s all part of the equation when evaluating options in free agency.
Taillon will earn $18 million in each of the next two seasons and has a 10-team partial no-trade clause, which was submitted to the club in the offseason. Manager Craig Counsell said Friday that Taillon will start Monday in Cincinnati.
“It’s a two-way commitment, it’s kind of like a little mini marriage,” Taillon said after his start Tuesday. “I’ve had a great time here. I love showing up here every day. It’s a great group of guys. I think we’ve said it a lot, like, I feel like we should be better than we are.
“But to this point, we just haven’t gotten it done and results speak louder than any words we can say here. So, I would love to stay here. Obviously I chose coming to Chicago and being a Cub, so that’s where I’m at.”
Garrett Crochet has to know by now he’s considered a piece of meat by MLB executives interested in his talents.
He’s only 25 but has seen enough of his Chicago White Sox teammates come and go in his brief career to understand this game is a business and that loyalty to an organization means little this time of year.
But unlike most others in his situation, Crochet reportedly has let his pursuers know he wants to be treated like a filet mignon instead of ground chuck and advises them to act accordingly if they opt to pull the trigger on a deal.
Or at least that’s the narrative surrounding Crochet since reports spread Thursday that he wants an extension from any team that acquires him before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
Crochet sidestepped the report when he met with reporters Friday afternoon before the start of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“It is,” he said, “what it is.”
In other words, it’s nothing to talk about.
“Right now I’m just focused on pitching for the White Sox, and beyond that I’m not really controlling much,” he said.
So can he confirm or deny the reports?
“No comment right now,” he said, before repeating: “I’m just focused on pitching for the White Sox.”
White Sox starter Garrett Crochet pitches against the Pirates in the first inning on July 12, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
With two seasons left after 2024 before he’s eligible for free agency, Crochet definitely fits the mold of a nine-figure pitcher. Any team interested in him has to know that’s probably what he would get after 2026.
But the idea of giving Crochet a megadeal when he’s yet to complete his first full season as a starter after pitching only 12 2/3 innings last year in his first season back from Tommy John surgery might cause some of the Ivy League executives running teams to remember the lectures from their economics professors.
Crochet remains in uncharted territory in innings pitched at 111 1/3, and the possibility of teams using him out of the bullpen later in the season or in October seems legit. But Crochet wants to keep starting and hasn’t shown any signs of arm fatigue.
He’s scheduled to start Sunday at Sox Park, and manager Pedro Grifol on Friday discounted the risk of pitching their prime trade bait one more time before the deadline.
“Unless there’s something that’s really, really close to being executed, you don’t compromise a major-league game for something that’s not really close,” he said.
Throwing Crochet only four innings seems like it’s compromising a major-league game, but what do I know?
If Crochet truly is letting interested teams know he wants more money, he wouldn’t be the first. But he has no real leverage without a no-trade clause. If a team acquired him and he said he wouldn’t pitch in October without an extension, Crochet’s only option would be refusing to play.
That doesn’t sound like something Crochet would do. But the threat alone could keep some teams from getting too involved in talks. Either way, it made for an interesting debate on social media.
White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet heads to the bullpen to warm up for a game against the Pirates on July 12, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Former pitcher Dallas Braden, commenting on X, called it a “tricky” situation
for Crochet. He noted that usually performance leads to compensation, not vice versa.
“The stance of ‘I’m not going to pitch for a championship until I’m paid for work I haven’t done’ is interesting in the fact that the player is establishing that he will not be treated as a ‘rental,’ ” Braden wrote. “He wants to secure a bag & a future with a contender. It’s an effort to avoid getting abused before he can cash out which is understood. He will not be put in a bullpen role & risk an injury that would impact his earning power as a starter in 2 years without an extension. He won’t be used like (Aroldis) Chapman in 16’ BEFORE he gets paid.”
That was a reference to the former Chicago Cubs closer who was acquired at the deadline and used until his arm nearly fell off in the 2016 World Series. The Cubs knew they would not re-sign Chapman as a free agent but needed him to try to end their championship drought. Chapman was the ultimate piece of meat, and it worked out well for the Cubs.
Former Cubs first baseman Eric Hosmer responded to Braden’s tweet by writing on X
that Crochet’s reps are simply looking out for his future.
“Used to have to go out and perform,” Hosmer wrote. “(Blake) Snell went out won 2 CY young awards. (Jordan) Montgomery huge part of his team winning the World Series and even they didn’t show him love. Players aren’t taking that (s—). Good for them and shout out to Crochet and his representation for standing up. @MLBPA needs to stand behind him as well.”
Crochet could be a unicorn who is immune from the huge workload increase from 2023. The Sox have treated him cautiously, and he has made the plan succeed.
During All-Star week in Arlington, Texas, I asked if Crochet might be willing to throw the same number of pitches in the final four to five innings of games instead of coming out of starts so early. The Sox might actually have a better chance at not blowing games.
“That could be backtracking a little bit,” he replied. “I think the work we put in to get to this point, building myself up in this capacity, would potentially be all neglected if we were to make that move.”
Fair enough.
Crochet does have a say in how he’s handled, and said he “expressed my belief that a five-day routine would make a little bit more sense in terms of getting through the whole year on a normal starter schedule if I’m not to reach the typical innings threshold of a starter. I think it would be very beneficial to hold to a typical routine.”
The Washington Nationals famously shut down starter Stephen Strasburg before the 2012 postseason, a controversial move made to prolong his career. Crochet said in Texas he was not thinking about that possibility.
“Out of my control,” he said. “Ultimately that will be somebody else’s call, not mine.”
With an 11-game losing streak entering Friday, a final record that could go down as the worst in modern baseball history and daily questions about the trade deadline, how are the Sox handling this week?
“About as good as you can,” Crochet said. “Every team goes through it every year. It’s something that’s a recurring theme in this game. You have to suck it up and keep playing.”
For Crochet, that means one more start Sunday, which could be the last time Sox fans see him pitching for them on the South Side. Crochet said Friday that he’s not going to pitch with the possibility of being traded on his mind.
“To even think about it that way, I’d be putting way too much pressure on what’s ultimately just another start,” he said.
Juan Montesinos’ customers have been wanting to know when his candy shop would be open in its new location at the Elgin Mall of East Dundee.
“People are excited,” the owner of Lupitas Dulceria said. “They are knocking on our doors, asking when we’re going to open.”
The answer is this weekend if village inspectors say the renovated building at 539 Dundee Ave. meets all required zoning and public health requirements, manager Rosa Esquivel said.
Montesinos was among those waiting this week for final approval. He has two stalls in the mall at which he’ll be selling an array of Mexican candies and candy-filled pinatas.
“It’s been a long time but, God willing, everything will be fine,” Montesinos said.
Many of the vendors filling the new mall had been located at the original Elgin Mall at 308 S. Mclean Blvd. in Elgin. They were notified in August 2022 that the building owners were reclaiming the space and they had to move.
Elgin Mall of East Dundee has dozens of small businesses selling clothing, evening gowns, quinceanera dresses, cowboy boots and hats, and other merchandise as well as two restaurants and three hair salons. (Gloria Casas/The Courier-News)
The small business owners incorporated, and eventually decided to relocate to a former grocery store in East Dundee. It took months to win village approval for the plan and then proceed with the renovations needed.
Belgica Andeno, owner of Yuriza Shoes, remembers when she received the vacate notice, which was written in English and had to be translated for her.
“I was so confused,” said Andeno, whose business had been at the mall for 20 years.
It was the perfect location because she could bring her autistic son with her when she worked. But she was excited when plans came together for the new mall where she could continue her business, she said.
“It was a new hope,” Andeno said.
Despite obstacles, including opposition from East Dundee Village President Jeff Lynam, whose veto was overturned by the village board, she says the struggles they faced are soon to be a thing of the past.
“It took a lot of time. We made sacrifices, but I believed it would be worth it,” Andeno said.
The new mall, which retained its original name but added East Dundee for clarity, looks similar to how it was set up in Elgin but everything is new and white walls divide each of the vendor’s stores.
Andeno was putting together mannequins for a display in the days before the mall’s soft opening. She sells formalwear and other items in addition to shoes.
“It looks clean, and we have air conditioning,” said Andeno, noting was something they didn’t always have at the old location. “I think our clients will be more comfortable.”
Botanica 3 Hermanos, located in the Elgin Mall of East Dundee, sells a variety of religious items. (Gloria Casas/The Courier-News)
The stalls set to open in the new mall cater to a Hispanic clientele and sell a wide range of merchandise, including religious items, clothing, cowboy boots and hats, and jewelry. It also has three hair salons, an eyebrow threading vendor, two restaurants — Juanita’s and No Manches — two candy shops and an ice cream shop, La Michoacan.
Emberlynn Martinez and Janellei Esqueda, keeping an eye on their family’s Fashion Jewelry store this past week, said the new mall is nicer than the original Elgin Mall. “I like how it’s more organized,” Martinez said.
Montesinos said the business owners are ready to go, and they’re happy not only for the new opporunity but for their ability to help the village that has welcomed them.
“More business is good for us and the village. We want to grow and support the village,” he said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
A 65-year-old retired probation officer from Chicago fatally shot her grandchild’s mother, then turned the gun on herself on the Upper East Side Friday near Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the New York City mayor, detectives said.
Kathleen Leigh shot Marisa Galloway, 45, on E. 88th St. near York Ave. at about 8:50 a.m., then killed herself in an apparent murder-suicide, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
“This is going to be an ongoing custody dispute,” Kenny said, noting that the child in question was 4 years old.
Galloway’s 1-year-old daughter, who is not the child at the heart of the custody battle, was found strapped into a car seat in the back of the Honda, unharmed, Kenny said.
The shooting took place two and a half blocks from Galloway’s apartment building, where news of her death stunned tenants.
One woman was so distraught after hearing what happened, she hunkered down onto a tree pit guard with her head clutched in her hands.
“They shot Marisa!” she screamed at a guard inside her building. “Who’s looking after the kids?”
Other neighbors described Galloway as a devoted mother to her two daughters who was plagued by her ex.
“She always talked about the fact that she had a former husband that was harassing the hell out of her,” said Meryl Fedelman.
The neighbor said that one night Administration for Children’s Services workers knocked on her door.
“They were asking if I’ve ever heard any problems next door, Fedelman recalled. “I said, ‘No, no, she’s lovely — lovely woman, lovely mother.’”
Fedelman described Galloway as a “runner, beautiful girl,” who would take her two daughters out with her on runs, one in a large stroller and the other trailing behind.
“She used to tell me, ‘I can’t get him out of my life,’” Fedelman said about Galloway’s relationship with her ex. “It’s just terrible.”
Cops had been called to Galloway’s home four times between 2021 and 2022. All of the incidents involved arguments between Galloway, the 4-year-old’s father and Leigh over visitation rights and other custody matters, Kenny said.
According to police sources, the child’s father reported bruising on the little girl in both April and August 2022, but both complaints were closed by ACS as unfounded. No arrests were ever made, said Kenny.
A custody case against Galloway was filed by Zachariah Reed on Aug. 20, 2021 in New York Supreme Court, according to a state court database. The last appearance was a settlement conference in December 2023, according to the database.
Lawyer Matthew Ehrlich, who represented Galloway in the proceedings, was shocked by her murder.
“I worked with Marisa very closely for the last three years,” said Ehrlich. “It’s an unfathomable tragedy. My heart goes out to Marisa and her daughters and her family.”
Law enforcement sources said the older daughter’s father had custody Friday to Monday, while Galloway had the girl the rest of the week. The shooting happened on a day the child was due to be with her father.
At least three shots were fired at the mom, cops said.
Video recovered from the scene shows the victim putting her baby daughter in the backseat moments before she was shot in the head, Kenny said.
“She’s putting the stroller in the trunk when she’s approached by Miss Leigh, who shoots her in the head,” Kenny said. “When [Galloway is] on the ground she shoots her in the back.”
Cops recovered two firearms at the scene. One was found on the sidewalk and a second pistol was found in Leigh’s tote bag.
Neither gun is reported stolen. Cops are trying to determine if the weapons were used by Leigh when she was a probation officer for Cook County.
While Leigh’s last known address is Chicago, police believe she was living in New York City with relatives for the last three years.
Galloway, a graduate of Fordham University with undergraduate and graduate degrees, was remembered by the school in a statement Friday.
“The Fordham University community is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Marisa Galloway, a Fordham alumna who served as a volunteer assistant track and field coach at Fordham for 17 years until 2019,” read the statement.
The school said Galloway earned a bachelor of arts degree in 2001 and a master of science degree from the Fordham Graduate School of Education in 2005. She was also a high jumper for the Rams and participated in sprints and relay teams, placing third in the high jump at the Metropolitan Championships in her senior year.
Gracie Mansion, home to Mayor Adams, is less than a block away from where the murder-suicide took place on East End Ave.
The shooting brought NYPD officers who were part of the mayor’s protective detail and were stationed near Gracie Mansion.
Mayor Adams also showed up at the scene within minutes, a police source with knowledge of the case said.
City Hall referred all inquiries about the shooting to the NYPD.
Michael Donovan, a superintendent of an E. 88th St. building, was cleaning up outside when he heard the gunshots.
“I ducked into my doorway for cover and then I looked and I saw the lady with the white hair fall onto the sidewalk,” Donovan said. “When I went closer I saw there was another woman lying behind the car who was also shot.”
A second later, he peered into the car’s backseat.
“There was a … child in the car,” he said. “I called 911, the police responded immediately, and EMS. The gun is still there on the scene.”
Leigh died at the scene, cops said. Galloway was taken to an area hospital but didn’t survive.
“The trunk was open, the doors were open,” Donovan said. “It looked like they were packing stuff up or taking stuff out.”
The shooting happened “right down the block from Gracie Mansion,” Donovan said. “It’s shocking because it’s a safe and quiet block,” he said.
Other area residents said the double shooting shattered the security they felt in this bucolic Manhattan carveout.
“Generally I feel safe here. Until today,” longtime area resident Denise Sweeney said.
Sweeney said she was “a little surprised,” when she heard about the killing.
“There’s always a lot of cops there,” she said, noting Gracie Mansion in the distance.
WASHINGTON — The FBI said former President Donald Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet during an assassination attempt on July 13, as the agency moved Friday to clarify what happened after nearly two weeks of confusion and conflicting accounts.
In a statement issued Friday evening, the FBI said “what struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle.”
The statement came two days after FBI Director Christopher Wray said during congressional testimony that it was not clear whether Trump’s injuries were caused by a bullet or shrapnel.
