Search Results

HAVE YOU SCANNED IT!? Swifties in River North, Chicago, are abuzz with excitement! A mysterious mural has appeared on the side of a building at 33 W. Grand Ave. The mural features the words “Taylor Swift” and “The Tortured Poets Department”, along with a giant QR code. The QR code, composed of the letters “ttpd” and the number “13”, leads to a 13-second video on Taylor Swift’s official YouTube account. Curiously, the video displays the message “Error 321”. Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album, aptly titled “The Tortured Poets Department”, is set to release this Friday, April 19. As a fun tidbit, Swift considers 13 her lucky number (she was born on December 13), and she often hides Easter eggs in her music releases. Fans have gathered outside the mural, speculating about its meaning. Some have even live-streamed the spectacle and taken photos with it. Additionally, Spotify has unveiled a poetry library installation in Los Angeles as part of the album promotion. So, Swifties, keep your eyes peeled for more clues as we await the poetic musings of “The Tortured Poets Department”! 🌸🎤

News Update: Naperville Police Investigate Shooting Incident In Naperville, the local police department has requested residents to shelter in place as they conduct an investigation into a shooting incident that occurred on Tuesday afternoon April 16, 2024. The shooting incident took place in the vicinity of Leach and Leverenz. As a precautionary measure, several nearby schools have also been asked to shelter in place. It has been emphasized by the authorities that this shooting incident does not seem to be a random occurrence. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing situation. Anyone with additional information or who notices anything suspicious is asked to call 911. Source: MSN.com

Zoo to Debut the Species May 24 for the First Time in Its 90-year History BROOKFIELD— Chicagoans will soon be able to say “G’day” to a new animal species at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. The Zoo will welcome koalas for the first time in its 90-year history, starting Memorial Day weekend. Named Brumby and Willum, the two 2-year-old marsupials will be visible to guests beginning May 24 in the Zoo’s Hamill Family Play Zoo, now free year-round with general admission. This partnership with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and San Diego Zoo’s Koala Education and Conservation Project marks a rare opportunity for guests, as Brookfield Zoo Chicago is one of only 11 accredited zoological facilities in North America where the public has the opportunity to see and experience these unique and engaging animals while developing a respect and appreciation for them and wildlife around the world. Koalas have a specific diet—they are one of only a few animals that eat eucalyptus leaves, which are highly poisonous to most other animals. Twice a week, the Zoo will receive a rotation of several different species of fresh eucalyptus leaves for Brumby and Willum. Because of the leaves’ high level of toxicity, the koala has specialized gut bacteria that breaks down the poisonous leaves, extracting all water and nutrients. This is why koalas spend most of their time—up to 18-22 hours a day—sleeping in trees conserving their energy. Although many refer to koalas as bears, there is no relation. According to several sources, the misnomer occurred when English-speaking settlers observed koalas in Australia and thought the animal resembled a small bear. Actually, the koala is the only existing species of the family Phascolarctidae. It is more closely related to other marsupials (pouched mammals) like wombats and kangaroos, which can be seen at the Zoo’s Australia House. Koalas are listed as a “vulnerable” species by the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) in its native land of Australia. Found in Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales, the species faces several threats, including deforestation, fragmentation of its habitat for development, bushfires, disease, and drought. “This year, as we celebrate our 90th anniversary, we are so excited to introduce our guests to another charismatic species from the land “down under,” said Mark Wanner, associate vice president of animal care and conservation for the Zoo. “Brookfield Zoo Chicago has a long successful history with Australian animals in its care as well as being involved in conservation efforts on the continent.” In the early 1970s, the Zoo purchased 16,000 acres of land in South Australia, named Brookfield Conservation Park. For two decades the Zoo’s researchers helped local conservationists manage and restore the reserve, which was badly depleted by drought and being overgrazed by sheep and rabbits, as well as conducted a number of significant research projects. The successful recovery of the land was an inspiration for the restoration of more than two million acres of severely degraded pastoral property, located about 60 miles east of Brookfield Conservation Park, to be transformed into Murray-Sunset National Park. Over the next few decades the Zoo assisted in the acquisition of other property for conservation and education resources before transitioning its landholdings and conservation operations over to its management partner, the Australian Landscape Trust. Those interested in supporting the care of the koalas at Brookfield Zoo Chicago can contribute to the Animal Adoption program. For $35, a recipient receives the Friend Package, which includes a personalized certificate of adoption, a 5-inch x 7-inch color photograph of a koala, a fact sheet on the species, an Animal Adoption program decal, and an invitation to the exclusive 2024 Animal Adoption summer event. A Plush Package is also available for $65 and includes all the benefits of the Friend Package as well as an adorable 12-inch plush koala and four free tickets to the Animal Adoption evening in 2024. To purchase, visit brookfieldzoo.org/animaladoption.

HAPPENING MAY 10-12 GENEVA–Spring in to a good time!  The Windy City Amusement Carnival will be at Kane County Cougars Stadium parking lot, 34W002 Cherry Ln., Geneva. May 10-12, 2024. Take advantage of unlimited ride specials from 5:30-9:30 pm Friday & Saturday ($35/person); 1-5 pm Saturday and Sunday ($30/person).  For a discounted/per person/per session/per day ride as many rides as you desire during the unlimited ride times/days.  Regular hours of operation are 5-10 pm Friday; 1-10 pm Saturday and 1-8 pm Sunday. For more information, visit windycityamusements.com. Presented by Geneva Chamber of Commerce and Windy City Amusements.

Celebrating Twenty-One-derful Years! INDOOR/OUTDOOR FESTIVAL EXTRAVAGANZAS! CHICAGO–This Memorial Day Weekend, May 25+26 2024, Randolph Street Market will celebrate its 21st Anniversary! It may seem far off, but i's not too early to start your wish list for the best treasure hunt in Chicago! You’ll get another chance to experience the globally celebrated Randolph Street Market Festival at their annual Fall spectacular Editors Designers and Tastemakers Choice for Charity September 28+29, 2024! Mark your calendars and plan your visits! At the close of the Market Day, there’s nothing like rooftop cocktails and dining al fresco at one of the incredible restaurants in the West Loop/Fulton Market neighborhood… and there are hotels-a-plenty within walking distance of The Market. With all the many activities Chicago has to offer including sporting events, River architecture cruises, bike rides along the lakefront, live theater, dance and concerts, there’s no place we’d rather be this summer and fall than in the Windy City! LEARN MORE

AURORA—On the morning of April 15 Aurora Police officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Charles Street for a disturbance inside a residence. While officers responded to the scene, a 911 caller reported a male inside the residence was armed with a gun. As officers arrived on scene, they heard a gunshot from within the residence. The front door of the residence opened, and a 43-year-old female exited, stating she had been shot. Aurora Officers rendered aid to the female and turned her over to Aurora Fire Department paramedics. AFD transported the female to a local hospital for treatment, where she remains in serious condition. As additional officers responded to the scene to establish a secure perimeter around the residence, the male fled the scene. Officers requested further assistance from members of the Aurora Special Response Team (SRT). SRT ultimately entered the residence and found no one inside. Officers identified the vehicle the offender fled in within minutes of the shooting. That information was disseminated to police agencies statewide. At approximately 10:30 AM, the offender’s vehicle was located by the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle in the 2100 block Cottage Road in Wilmington, Will County, Illinois. At that time, the man exited his vehicle, fired a weapon at himself, and was pronounced deceased. The identity of the man is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The Will County Coroner’s Office will release the man’s identity following an autopsy on April 16, 2024. Detectives from the Aurora Police Department’s Investigations Bureau responded to the scene on Charles Street and began investigating the specific circumstances of the incident. Evidence Technicians also responded to the scene to identify and collect forensic evidence from the shooting. Based on information available at this time, detectives determined this is a domestic related issue and there is no threat to the community. The investigation into the incident remains active. Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora Police’s Investigations Division at (630) 256-5500. Source: Aurora Police Dept

NAPERVILLE MAKES THE 'BEST PLACES TO LIVE' LIST AGAIN IN 2024, THIS TIME AS #45 SAN JUAN–Personal finance digital platform Money today announced Best Places to Live 2024, the newest iteration of their decades-old franchise highlighting the best communities across America. In partnership with the #1 smart home security provider in the U.S.1, ADT, this annual editorial flagship helps readers discover some truly hidden gems. MONEY ANNOUNCES BEST PLACES TO LIVE 2024 - ADT Security Adds Safety Index to the Money List Money and ADT Announce Best Places to Live 2024 "Finding a place to plant your roots is about so much more than location – it's about making connections, feeling comfortable and safe in your surroundings and finding common ground with your fellow neighbors," says Money's executive editor Mike Ayers. For the first time, the 2024 list showcases the outstanding lives small and big towns are creating for their residents — and models for how communities can create lasting impacts together. This year's list includes five new categories: Suburbs with a Soul: These suburbs stand out for their vibrant community spirit, offering a blend of traditional suburban comfort with unique cultural, artistic, and historical depth. New Boomtowns: Emerging as the new frontiers of economic and population growth, these areas are rapidly transforming with innovative industries and offering plentiful job opportunities. Culture Hubs: These cities are renowned for their rich cultural landscapes, boasting an array of museums, theaters, music venues, and diverse culinary scenes that attract artists and culture enthusiasts alike. Not Just College Towns: Beyond their academic institutions, these towns offer a dynamic living experience with a youthful vibe, cutting-edge research, thriving local economies, and vibrant social scenes. Best Kept Secrets: Hidden gems scattered across the country, these places offer an unmatched quality of life with their serene beauty, close-knit communities, and affordable living, yet remain under the radar. When determining which towns made the list, Money reviewed the top characteristics that make a community stand out from the rest, including: Economic Opportunity for Individuals--the availability of jobs across various sectors, upward mobility, and income growth potential, highlighting areas where individuals can thrive financially. Small Business Vibrance--the support and success rate of small businesses, reflecting the health of local entrepreneurship, innovation, and the community's commitment to fostering a supportive ecosystem for startups. Government Policies that Favor Growth--the role of local and state government policies in stimulating economic development, including tax incentives, investment in infrastructure, and support for key industries, contributing to a conducive environment for business and residential expansion. Safety--the overall safety of a community, considering crime rates, public safety initiatives, and the presence of emergency services, to determine the well-being and security of its residents. "At ADT, we are committed to working with local communities like the ones highlighted in this report to help ensure people feel safe and protected in their homes and businesses," said DeLu Jackson, ADT's chief marketing officer. "Our National Safety and Security Index analysis showed that, adjusting for population density, and crime related alarm triggers, this Best Places list also includes some of the safest towns in the country," said Tammy Green, director of analytics at ADT. "Using official crime data and our own exclusive customer alarm incident, we are able to see that ADT customers in these areas, whose alarm was triggered due to crime, had, on average, half the number of incidents than the national average." To explore the full Best Places to Live list, visit the hub here. Started in 1987, Money's Best Places to Live is the brand's longest and most well-known franchise. It's been featured in movies, shared by prominent politicians, and shaped national discourse around what citizen's value most in a place to live. This year's Best Places to Live uses numerous data sources that featured cost of living and job growth, along with hundreds of hours of research to create a spotlight of 50 communities across the country. Money has a 50-plus-year legacy of guiding people to financial victories with up-to-date information, education, and tools. Money.com, a digital destination, helps create richer lives for everyone—in every sense of the word. Signature franchises include a bevy of Best-In categories such as Best Places to Live, Best Colleges, Best Life Insurance, Best Auto Insurance and Best Homeowner Insurance, with an aim to improve your finances and promote your well-being. About ADT: ADT provides safe, smart and sustainable solutions for people, homes and small businesses. Through innovative offerings, unrivaled safety and a premium customer experience, all delivered by the largest networks of smart home security professionals in the U.S., we empower people to protect and connect to what matters most, every second, every day. For more information, visit adt.com.

Illinois Association of Museums Celebrates Innovation at DuPage Children’s Museum NAPERVILLE–The sensory-friendly Wonder Room at DuPage Children’s Museum (DCM) received a prestigious Innovation Award from the Illinois Association of Museums (IAM). Annually, IAM hosts a peer reviewed and highly competitive award competition. This is the first year IAM featured an innovation category, celebrating museums who have ventured out of their customary practices to try something new in the last year, and DCM earned top honors. As an independent museum network, IAM supports the work of the American Alliance of Museums, and various local and regional museum networks across Illinois. IAM seeks to collaborate with all museum professional groups to promote best practices around the state. With this recognition, DCM is synonymous with best practice in the museum field, this time for Innovation. The challenge in designing the space was how best to create a calming experience in the bustling museum environment that would provide guests an opportunity to slow down and regroup yet remain engaged in active wonder. Through creativity, experimentation, and strategic partnerships, the immersive concept for the Wonder Room brought together the best of DCM’s in-house exhibit team as well as partnering artists. The resulting exhibit is a multi-sensory experience which incorporates tactile panels linked to sensors that trigger a variety of life-size nature images projected onto the room’s curved wall. Creating an interactive projection that encouraged “slow” engagement was challenging, but the team was motivated by the potential to have the Wonder Room live up to its name while also being a place of peace and reflection. The tactile panels were themed to match the projections. The clouds and sunlight, the earth with its trees and rocks, and the sunset shimmering over a lake could be seen and felt, creating the unique potential for children to work together to create their own landscapes. Original musical composition to correlate with the tactile panels and imagery was also developed. For instance, when guests interact with the night sky sensory panel they start to hear a piano expressing a dreamy melody. The sound design not only brought another calming sensory input, but also allowed guests with low/no vision to interactively feel and hear the art. “We work hard every day to create a dynamic play environment where children and families feel welcome, safe, and inspired! Our exhibits aim to build creative problem-solving skills in children, as we know that the solutions the world needs are nestled in their young minds,” explained Kimberly Stull, DCM Chief of Building and Making. “The work we did creating the Wonder Room emulates this grand notion of education and embodies our mission. We truly came together to push the boundaries of our skill sets to create an environment that is unique and exciting, but primarily, exactly what our guests needed – a calming space.” DCM’s dedication to playful learning demands creativity and innovation, and the team is committed to take what they know and can do into all kinds of directions to inspire museum guests – and museum peers. The Wonder Room is supported by the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation and a grant from City of Naperville Special Events and Community Arts (SECA) Fund. www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org

THE PERFECT GIFT or TREAT YOURSELF The Ashy Nova Bundle Bracelet Set is Simplistic and Adorably Chic, Perfect for that Friday Night Out or a Day of Play ~ Also Makes a Fun Gift by Madison Charmed On Trend Essentials for the Stylish at Heart Located Inside The Rustic Fox 1790 Town Centre Dr., North Aurora • Vendor #3 PURCHASE ONLINE www.urbanechoshop.com

OUTER SPACE–We gathered the evidence -- you uncover the truth. More than two-thirds of Americans believe intelligent lifeforms exist and that percentage is about to increase in Chicago when close encounters of the fun kind come to the heart of the city this summer. Area 51 Encounter (www.area51encounter.com) debuts June 14 on the first floor of 875 North Michigan Avenue (the former John Hancock Center) and will welcome fans of everything outer space, ufologists, skeptics and families to an all-encompassing immersive exhibition where even star people feel at home, and leaves you questioning what’s real and what is science fiction. More than just an exhibit and as entertaining as it is immersive, Area 51 Encounter is designed to pique the interest and curiosities of earthlings of all ages, if they aren’t abducted first (the attraction includes a simulation of an alien abduction). Guests will grab their boarding passes and launch themselves into seven galleries, bringing them face-to-face with original and reproduced alien artifacts while they explore everything from fastwalkers to foo fighters, modern-day sightings, military involvement, life on an alien spacecraft, and pop culture's fascination with extraterrestrial life. The journey continues with interactive elements including video and audio recordings of famous sightings, a 3D short film, alien hunt laser shooting game and discover new worlds with a fascinating deep dive into the James Webb Space Telescope. There is also a virtual reality moon explorer for the younger lifeforms in attendance. “We couldn't be more excited to share this unforgettable experience with the people of Chicago for the first time ever,” says Brian Bouquet, President of The Event Agency, Inc. (the attraction’s producers). “In a world where the possibility of life beyond Earth is becoming more plausible thanks to recent revelations of classified U.S. government files on UFO sightings and human-alien contact, Area 51 Encounter offers an unparalleled in-person experience that will ignite your curiosity and spark discussions about our place in the universe.” Area 51 Encounter is located on the first floor of 875 North Michigan Avenue. Tickets are on sale to the general public beginning April 12 and are $27 for adults and $22 for children (children three and under are free). All presale tickets are $20 and will be available from April 10-11 only. Area 51 Encounter’s hours of operation include Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (last ticket is sold one hour prior to close). For more information, visit www.area51encounter.com and follow @area51encounter on Instagram and Facebook.

A FUN & EASY WAY TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY $$$ We're looking for dynamic women with strong networks and a love for marketing & PR who want to add a spark to their routine by becoming a Glancer Ambassador. If this is you, you’re invited to join the Glancer Ambassador team and explore your town while earning some extra cash! It's basically the limitless affiliate program that you've been waiting for, especially if you LOVE local. As a Glancer Ambassador, you'll have the exciting task of Glancing Around Town with your family and friends, all while promoting the vibrant community around you, and this includes Glancer! You’ll enjoy connecting local businesses to our award-winning digital platform to help them gain spectacular exposure, while adding to their current marketing efforts. Our Local Plans are tailored to support small local businesses, ensuring they stay in the spotlight all month long. Propelled by a team of innovative marketers who know local, the Glancer platform is unlike anything else locally. Promote Glancer’s Local Plans* Match One to their Marketing Needs Give them Your Ambassador Code Receive 20% of the Plan they Choose We'll Set Up Onboarding & Start Marketing them Locally *additional marketing opportunities available here If you're passionate about your community, love connecting with people, and want to turn your network into a powerful tool for local businesses, then this role is perfect for you! Join us on this exciting adventure and let's make a positive impact together. Contact our founder, Lindy Kleivo, today for more details and let's get Glancing! lkleivo@glancermagazine.com

Explore a Variety of Stylish Cover-ups and Resort Wear NAPERVILLE–Get ready to dive into summer in style because Everything But Water is making a splash in downtown Naperville! With a wide range of swimwear and accessories tailored to all styles and body types, this is the place to be for your summer essentials. From trendy bikinis to chic one-pieces, versatile tankinis to protective rash guards, Everything But Water has you covered. They even offer specialized swimwear options for fuller busts, tummy control, bra-sized fits, and plus sizes, ensuring everyone can find their perfect fit. But that's not all - their collection doesn't stop at swimwear. Explore a variety of stylish cover-ups and resort wear including tunics, caftans, and kimonos to take your poolside look to the next level. Complete your ensemble with their selection of bags, hats, footwear, jewelry, and sunglasses for a head-to-toe beach-ready outfit. At Everything But Water, sustainability is key. They provide a Perfect Fit Finder to assist customers in finding the ideal swimsuit for their body, ensuring both style and comfort. And if you need a little extra help, their in-store personal fit and styling assistance are there to make sure you feel fantastic in your new swimwear. Don't forget to sign up for an account to start earning loyalty points and stay updated on new arrivals and exclusive offers. Plus, with in-store returns available, shopping at Everything But Water is not just convenient but also a delightful experience. So mark your calendars and get ready to soak up the sun in style with Everything But Water's upcoming store opening in downtown Naperville - where your summer essentials await! 🌞👙🌴 www.everythingbutwater.com