Chicago Reader · Lee, IL
No one warns you just how blunt and underwhelming the transition from young adulthood to middle age really is. In youth, every milestone is recognized and heralded in community with ceremonies, diplomas, and opportunities to mourn and celebrate what’s moved to the rearview mirror in life. Middle age, on the other hand, just sort of quietly shows up—and more often than not, it hits you when you’re alone. A Body of WaterThrough 11/22: Thu–Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM; Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, 2936 N. Southport, athenaeumcenter.org, seniors (65+), students, and military $33 That anxiety is made manifest in Lee Blessing’s 2005 one-act drama, A Body of Water, through Avis (Lori Rohr) and Moss (Jamie Ewing), a couple of . . . something. Spouses? Lovers? Colleagues? Strangers? They have no idea and seemingly no means of finding out.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Sycamore, IL
Nearby: Sycamore, ILAntioch High School’s undefeated football season ended Saturday after an inadvertent whistle wiped out what would have been a game-winning Hail Mary touchdown and the coach says the referee has since apologized. Top-seeded Antioch hosted No. 9 seed Sycamore in a Class 5A second-round playoff game that kicked off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Antioch Community High School. Antioch entered the game undefeated at 10-0 after going 9-0 in the regular season and winning its first-round playoff game. Antioch led 28-17 late in the third quarter before Sycamore came back and took a 32-28 lead on a touchdown with 20 seconds left, said Joshua Shuman, who covers high school sports in the Chicago area and recorded the game. Antioch had time for one more play and the Sequoits’ quarterback threw a long Hail Mary pass that an Antioch receiver caught as a “live bobble” and carried into the end zone for “what everyone believed to be the game-winning score,” Shuman said.
Forest Grove News Times · Oregon, IL
Nearby: Oregon, ILBelow are blank knee-jerk reactions from Oregon’s 31-7 win over Michigan on Saturday. The Ducks will travel to Michigan State this week for a rare Friday game with the Spartans. Dylan Raiola is getting comfortable in his skin. He’s not Dante Moore, Bo Nix, Justin Herbert or even Dillon Gabriel, but he’s no longer the hesitant and reckless gunslinger we saw against UCLA, Nebraska and Illinois. For the third consecutive week the now former backup has looked like a player capable of leading a team to water, and making them drink. He completed 20 of his 28 pass attempts for 341 yards and four touchdowns against the Wolverines, and over the last three games is a combined 67 of 99 for 934 and nine TDs. Oh, and with zero interceptions. That’s a player who can win you a game, opposed to one who you were just hoping wouldn’t lose you one. The defense has gone to a new level.
The Michigan Daily · Oregon, IL
Nearby: Oregon, ILEUGENE — Saturday was the Michigan football team’s first competition with interim offensive coordinator Jim Harding calling the shots. Despite a new play-caller at the helm, the Wolverines looked markedly similar to their prior performances. Struggling to find offensive momentum, making small mistakes and overexerting its defense, Michigan fell to Oregon in a competition that looked like it was over at halftime. This wasn’t the first time the Wolverines have felt a frustrating loss, but it wasn’t so long ago that the Ducks were in a very familiar position themselves. After losing 21-10 to Illinois in Week 7, Oregon coach Dan Lanning relieved Drew Mehringer of his offensive coordinator duties in favor of Jay Johnson. Since then, the Ducks have gone 3-0 behind a reinvigorated offense. “The conversations that you’re having on the sideline with these guys, and what they want to be able to create, and how they want to be able to improve what they’re seeing on the field,” Lanning said.
Chicago Sun-Times · Ohio, IL
Nearby: Ohio, ILCOLUMBUS, Ohio — Jeremiah Smith said it would take a little time for him to build a connection with Luke Fahey after Julian Sayin was injured in Ohio State's win at Indiana on Oct. 17. It took a couple games, but the Heisman Trophy favorite and the freshman quarterback are on the same track. Smith had 11 receptions for 117 yards and a score — along with adding to his list of records — and Fahey threw three touchdown passes as the 21st-ranked Buckeyes defeated Northwestern 28-19 on Saturday to snap a two-game losing streak. Smith, who became the Big Ten's career receiving yardage leader, wasn't one of the players made available to reporters, but he did tell Fox Sports during a postgame interview on the field: “It’s not easy, a lot of work goes into it. I’m blessed to have the record but today was all about the win. That was the main focus today.” Smith, who has 3,875 receiving yards, surpassed Purdue’s John Standeford’s Big Ten mark in the second quarter.
The Lantern · Ohio, IL
Nearby: Ohio, ILPublic Address Announcer Tom Snyder speaking into the microphone during Ohio State’s football game against Illinois on Sept. 26, 2026. Credit: Dylan Buganski | Sports Senior Writer Tom Snyder walked into Ohio Stadium’s press box three hours before kickoff for the Buckeyes’ Sept. 26 game against the Fighting Illini, carrying Ohio State and Illinois’ rosters and a metal bottle full of hot water. He turned left off the elevator, walked to the end of the hall to the game presentation room, and went to the seat he had claimed for the past four years. Most fans may not know Snyder’s name or recognize his face. But once in Ohio Stadium, everyone hears his voice. Snyder, Ohio State football’s public address announcer, grew up a Buckeye fan in nearby Westerville. Now, on fall Saturdays, his voice is part of the sound of Ohio Stadium. “It is 3 1/2 hours of being dialed in all the time,” Snyder said.
Richmond Post · Maryland, IL
Nearby: Maryland, ILShare Tweet By Tamara Shiloh Long before African Americans could freely tell their stories, Michael G. Shiner was quietly documenting history. Born into slavery in 1805 in Piscataway, Maryland, Shiner became one of the most remarkable eyewitness chroniclers of nineteenth-century America. His writings preserved more than five decades of Washington, D.C., history, providing an extraordinary perspective on slavery, freedom, labor, and the nation’s transformation. He was born to William Pumphrey Jr., whose family owned property in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Around 1812, Shiner was brought to the nation’s capital, where he eventually worked at the Washington Navy Yard. Although denied the educational opportunities available to White Americans, he learned to read and write, likely through religious instruction at Washington’s First Presbyterian Church. His literacy became a powerful instrument of historical preservation.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Huntley, IL
Nearby: Huntley, ILA Huntley police officer has been reassigned after the department received a cybertip linked to a school bus driver in 2022 but did not arrest him on child sexual abuse material charges until last month. Jon M. Roth, 43, of Huntley, a Huntley Community School District 158 school bus driver who parents say drove preschool routes, was charged with 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material depicting a victim under 13 years old, a Class 2 felony. The Huntley Police Department said in a statement Tuesday that it received a previous cybertip linked to Roth in 2022. Roth was not arrested until years later, on October 20. Prosecutors said the investigation that led to Roth’s arrest began when the Huntley Police Department received another cybertip in August from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). That tip originated from Google, which had flagged files containing suspected child sexual abuse material associated with one of its accounts.
Chicago Sun-Times · Plainfield, IL
Nearby: Plainfield, ILA 21-year-old man died Saturday after his paraglider crashed into a farm field in Plainfield following an apparent in-flight emergency, police said. Police received a call at 2:57 p.m. about the crash that occurred near 127th Street and Ridge Road, according to a news release. Witnesses at the scene assisted the pilot until Oswego paramedics arrived and attempted lifesaving measures, police said. Giovanni Lopez, of Woodridge, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Kendall County coroner's office, police said. Plainfield police detectives and the Kendall County coroner's office are investigating.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Lakewood, IL
Nearby: Lakewood, ILLakewood’s village manager has resigned after less than six months on the job and the village president says trustees who second-guess staff are making it hard to keep good people, drawing pushback from two trustees. Lakewood Village President David Stavropoulos said in a letter to residents dated November 10 and released Wednesday that Village Manager Justyn Miller gave formal notice of his resignation on November 4. Miller’s last day with the village will be January 4, Stavropoulos said. The Lakewood Village Board appointed Miller as village manager on May 20, effective May 29, according to the board’s minutes. Miller replaced former Village Manager Jean Heckman, who retired earlier this year. Stavropoulos said Miller “stepped into an extremely difficult environment” and worked through complicated audit and accounting issues, the draft budget for the 2027 fiscal year, the property tax levy, staffing matters and day-to-day operations.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Algonquin, IL
Nearby: Algonquin, ILA pedestrian suffered a head injury after being struck by a vehicle turning at an intersection in Algonquin and a medical helicopter was requested but unavailable, authorities said. The Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District and Algonquin Police Department responded around 9:18 a.m. on October 2 to the area of Algonquin Road and Sandbloom Road in Algonquin for a report of a vehicle crash. Emergency crews arrived and found a pedestrian on the ground who was conscious and breathing with a head injury, according to fire department radio traffic. Algonquin Police Department Sgt. Johnny Beltran said a vehicle was in the southbound lanes of Countryside Drive, which becomes Sandbloom Road south of the intersection, waiting to turn left onto eastbound Route 62, also known as Algonquin Road. Witnesses reported the vehicle had a green turn arrow and the pedestrian signal “displayed do not cross,” Beltran said.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Woodstock, IL
Nearby: Woodstock, ILA Woodstock man in town for Purdue’s homecoming in Indiana fell over a bridge railing into a river, prompting an emergency search for him, before making it to shore and telling police he had been drinking. The West Lafayette Police Department was dispatched around 6:46 p.m. Eastern time Saturday to the Harrison Bridge, which crosses the Wabash River between Lafayette and West Lafayette, Indiana, for a report of a man who went over the bridge railing into the river. A 56-year-old Woodstock man was in town with his wife for Purdue University’s homecoming game and was talking to her on the phone when he went over the railing, West Lafayette Police Department Lt. Jonathan Eager said. His wife called 911 after he went over the railing, Eager said. Eager estimated the man fell around 40 feet but said the figure was only a guess.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Woodstock, IL
Nearby: Woodstock, ILA former elementary school counselor and swim team coach in Woodstock who is charged with offering sex for money online allegedly lied to police that someone was impersonating her on a fetish website before her arrest. Renee J. Walker, 52, of Woodstock, is charged with one count of disorderly conduct by filing a false police report, a Class 4 felony, and three counts of prostitution, all Class A misdemeanors. Walker was a counselor at Dean Street Elementary School in Woodstock and also coached high school girls swimming, Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 said in a statement. Walker was the head coach of the Woodstock co-op girls swim team and 2026 was set to be her 13th season in the role, Woodstock Blue Streak Athletics previously said.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Woodstock, IL
Nearby: Woodstock, ILA police officer was evaluated by paramedics after a driver rear-ended a squad car as the officer responded to a burglar alarm at a residence near Woodstock. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 6:09 p.m. on October 28 to the 10300 block of Country Club Road in unincorporated Woodstock for a report of a burglar alarm. A Woodstock Police Department officer also responded to assist the sheriff’s office, Woodstock Police Chief John L. Lieb said. The officer was positioning his marked squad car so he could get out and approach the home when a vehicle came up behind him and struck the squad car, Lieb said. The driver of the other vehicle said he did not see the squad car’s taillights and “did not see the squad car until it was too late,” Lieb said. The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District responded around 6:20 p.m. to the crash, which involved the Woodstock police squad car and a small BMW SUV, Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Woodstock, IL
Nearby: Woodstock, ILA bomb squad, the FBI and National Guard representatives responded after a homeowner found what looked like a U.S. Army rocket in a tree near Woodstock Tuesday but was actually a hobby model rocket. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 8:20 a.m. Tuesday to the 15300 block of Kishwaukee Valley Road in unincorporated Woodstock for a report of a suspicious incident. The homeowner had found an object hanging about 30 feet above the ground in a tree, Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said. The homeowner reported the object had landed in her tree, had U.S. Army on its side and looked like a rocket or a missile with a parachute and an engine, according to police radio traffic. Vucha said firefighters were requested a short time later to help assess the situation and establish safety measures. Fire crews were dispatched around 8:45 a.m., according to fire department radio traffic.