I knew I wanted to be a writer at a young age, and never dreamed of doing anything else. My love of writing was born when a grade-school teacher encouraged me to try my hand at fiction. I took her advice, but quickly gave up make-believe stories for the real thing.
I got involved with my high school newspaper before double majoring in journalism and English.
I graduated in 2002 and landed my first newspaper job within six months. I spent eight years at The Enterprise newspaper in Plainfield, where I developed my passion for community journalism.
When a coworker pointed me in the direction of Patch.com, I jumped at the chance to be part of the future of local news.
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The Village said it has sought to stop Pekau from disseminating confidential information and get him to return village records.
Residents nearby reported getting shelter-in-place alerts.
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Among the five family members killed are reportedly the teen girl's grandmother, aunt, cousin and siblings.
Canadian wildfire smoke was causing hazy skies, bad air quality in the Chicago area, with a "red" air quality index level.
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Prosecutors will seek to transfer the girl's case to adult court. Her father reportedly said she plotted the killings with her boyfriend.
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The well-known anti-violence activist priest has "strongly denied" the accusation, Cupich says.
"At least seven members of the target family were shot at multiple locations," ISP said.
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The 66-year-old man died of traumatic injuries, the coroner's office said.
A mother reported her young son missing in 2024 and last month told police she had not seen him in over a year.
A 25-year-old faces six counts of first-degree murder in the death of a man, 52, and a woman, 73.
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