Local News, Opinion

The Weeks | Nov. 27

DEMOCRACY WATCH

Investigation update: A little information is way better than none
At the Flossmoor Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, Nov. 24, Mayor Michelle Nelson provided a more detailed update on the investigation into the police shooting of Madeline Miller in July than is typical in such cases, from my experience.

She told the board and residents that the Illinois State Police investigators are waiting on eight reports and that they expect to have them by the second week of December.

That might not seem like much information to those who are demanding accountability from village officials for the shooting, but to cite a more typical example of an investigation update, here’s the complete response I received from the State’s Attorney’s office on Oct. 6 when I asked if there was any update on the investigation into Alexis Wilson’s death during an encounter with Dolton police in July 2021.

“We can confirm that the matter is under review by prosecutors in our Law Enforcement Accountability Division (LEAD), who review investigations of all on-duty officer involved shootings to determine if criminal charges are appropriate.  We are unable to further comment.”

There is always a lot of pressure on officials to remain tight-lipped about ongoing investigations. Legally, it’s safer to say nothing. Politically, it often verges on disastrous. Saying nothing frustrates residents who are desperate for answers about what happened. Saying nothing also erodes the public’s trust in local government, even when officials refer to the advice of attorneys or cite state law to explain their silence.

We all wish we could know the whole story about Madeline Miller’s death. We’ll know more when the investigation is complete. In the meantime, I appreciate Nelson’s efforts to provide as much information as possible.

As for why investigations take so long, I sat down recently with Hazel Crest Police Chief Mitchell Davis to learn more about the process. Look for that story later this week.

County helps make finding elected officials easier
Cook County announced earlier in November a new tool, Find My District, to help residents find their representatives in various government agencies and at various levels. It looks like it will be a very useful tool for finding and talking with government leaders, but the dataset used to provide responses to queries needs a little work.

In my first try using the Find My District lookup I found a number of outdated listings, including two Homewood trustees who are no longer on the board. Frank Zuccarelli was still listed as Thornton Township supervisor. He died in January.

County officials have not responded to two email messages asking about the status of updating the data, but we hear Homewood has submitted current information, so perhaps the process will be done soon. 

THE WEEK ->

Flossmoor School District 161 Board of Education will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28, at Normandy Villa, 41 E. Elmwood Drive, Chicago Heights.

  • Find the agenda here
  • The meeting will be streamed live here.
  • Highlights: The board will consider approving a tentative tax levy $23.6 million, which is about 4.55% less than the 2021 levy.

Flossmoor Community Relations Commission will meet Monday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m. in the Goldberg Administration Center,  3301 Flossmoor Road. 

  • Find the agenda here.
  • Highlights: The commission will discuss plans for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service set for Jan. 16, 2023.

Homewood Appearance Commission will meet at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, in the board room at village hall, 2020 Chestnut Road. 

  • Find the agenda here.
  • Highlights: The commission will consider additional proposed improvements to the Target parking lot at 17605 S. Halsted St. Improvements include expanding landscaped islands and end caps.

Holiday Lights will bring the community together to celebrate on Friday
Holiday Lights typically is the biggest local holiday event, attracting a couple thousand people to downtown Homewood to enjoy holiday shopping and family activities. The event coincides with the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District’s tree-lighting ceremony at 7 p.m.

Homewood street patching project to start Monday
On Monday, Nov. 28, the contractor hired to patch a number of Homewood streets will begin work. The project should be completed by about Dec. 9, depending on the cooperation of the weather. The village provided a map showing which streets will be affected.

<- THE WEEK

Homewood police investigate shooting death
Officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 17500 block of Dixmoor Drive about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27. They found a man, 25, in a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds. Not many details are available yet, but police believe it was a targeted attack and that there is no continued danger to the community.

Bookie’s is back in collaboration with The Rock Shop
The biggest business story last week was the reopening of Bookie’s New and Used Books with new partner The Rock Shop at 18109 Dixie Highway. Book lovers were saddened in September when Bookie’s closed its shop on Ridge Road. The quick resurrection in time for the holiday shopping season was welcomed by book, rock and vinyl record customers. The place was packed during Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26.

Catalyst Consulting makes its case
Catalyst Consulting has become the public face in recent months of the renewed effort to redevelop Calumet Country Club. Our story this week offered Catalyst officials Jerry Lewis and Vince Bass an opportunity to explain their vision for the project, which includes a variety of hospitality, retail and agricultural uses surrounding a warehousing complex at the center. 

The property would need to be annexed by Hazel Crest before the project can continue. 

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