Naperville is starting the process of looking at how it will supply the electricity used by residents and business owners after 2035, when the contract with its current provider, the coal-heavy Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA), is set to expire. The agency wants the city to extend its contract by mid-2025 instead of waiting until closer to the expiration date.

The consultants requested by staff would have explored what the energy world will look like in 11 years to help determine the options available. The two contracts would have cost a total of $250,000, but were rejected by the council last week because of concerns over timing, necessity and the bid process.

In the first, Philadelphia-based Customized Energy Solutions would have been hired to lay out alternatives to IMEA and evaluate how they measure up to what the agency already offers the city.

The second would have gone to 1898 & Co., headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, to provide a forecast of energy and capacity prices in 2035 and beyond.

Staff requested the consultant work, saying it was necessary for helping them understand and plan for Naperville’s long-term energy needs. But their pitch was met with concerns from council that it was too early to have these conversations.

“I’m a planner,” Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan Taylor said at last week’s meeting. “So I understand the importance of planning ahead. But there is such a thing as planning too soon.”

Councilman Patrick Kelly agreed.

“When we’re 11 years away from the contract expiring and granted, we would need multiple years to figure out what to do after that point, but I have not heard the case that we need 11 years,” he said.

However, staff say planning should start now to ensure the city flexibility in addressing future electricity demands, especially if it wants the possibility of continuing on with IMEA.

Thinking ahead to its own long-term demands, the agency also has asked that the city consider extending its current contract by two decades to 2055. The snag is IMEA officials have given the city until April 30, 2025, to decide.

For years, the agency has played an integral role in powering Naperville’s electric grid.

Naperville, unlike most other municipalities in Illinois, provides electricity to taxpayers as a local service, rather than residents relying on an investor-owned utility such as Ameren or ComEd to keep their lights on. But doing so takes a lot of resources and industry expertise that the city doesn’t have in-house. So instead, it purchases its energy from IMEA, an organization that offers an already assembled power supply to members at a wholesale price.

City staff say that in the time they’ve worked with IMEA, the agency has provided stable energy pricing to Naperville and performed utility work the city wouldn’t have been able to tackle on its own.

The drawback is the bulk of IMEA’s energy portfolio comes from coal, which is not only an emission-heavy power source but one the agency will soon have to move away from amid pressures to transition to clean energy at both the state and federal level.

Meanwhile, IMEA’s plans to do so have earned skepticism from clean energy advocates and energy experts.

The request for contract extensions, which went out to all municipalities reliant on IMEA in March, are in anticipation of those changes, says Staci Wilson, IMEA’s director of government affairs.

“IMEA cannot make agreements to procure power beyond … 2035 unless we know who our members will be after that date, and, accordingly, how much power to acquire,” she said in an emailed statement.

Asked if a member could miss next year’s extension deadline and later decide to continue on with IMEA, Wilson said, “(That) will have to be a future decision of the IMEA board.”

Speaking to extending IMEA’s contract with Naperville, the city’s electric utility director Brian Groth said, “It would be irresponsible at this point to exclude any option, no matter what it is.”

During council discussions last week, though, a few council members balked at being told the city had to meet IMEA’s time restraints.

“What I don’t understand … is why IMEA is dictating the timeline here?” Councilwoman Allison Longenbaugh said.

Groth tried to assure members that staff would have started planning this early regardless of whether or not IMEA had posed a contract extension. Yet even apart from timing, other reservations kept the consultant work staff sought from getting the go ahead.

A few council members cited that both vendors having ties, either past or present, to IMEA. Though they received assurances from staff that any potential conflicts of interest had been vetted ahead of the council being asked to approve them, not everyone was convinced.

Consultant questions were compounded by CES and 1898 & Co. being pretty much the only vendors that chose to bid on the work.

Still, not all members were against hiring.

“We’re going to need this information now or later,” Councilman Josh McBroom said. “I don’t see what the downside is to planning now.”

“The point is so you have optionality,” Councilman Nate Wilson added. “The closer you wait to a maturity date, the less your options are and it puts you at a higher risk.”

With the contracts being voted down, the council cannot take any further action until at least August. Failed items must wait at least 62 days before they can return for consideration.

Asked how the delay affects the city’s ability to make an informed decision over a contract extension with IMEA, Groth said, “All options still would be on the table.”

Chicago Tribune reporter Michael Hawthorne contributed.

tkenny@chicagotribune.com

The Exchange Club of Naperville is not holding its annual Ribfest this year, club President Emy Trotz said this week, declining to say why the event was not happening or if it will return next year.

It would have been Ribfest’s 35th installation.

For decades, the multiday affair reigned as the pièce de résistance of summer fanfare in Naperville, drawing in thousands from all over the Chicago area and beyond to indulge in fare offered by award-winning rib vendors as well as a host of other attractions, including concerts by well-known performers.

The festival also served as the major fundraiser for the Exchange Club of Naperville, a civic service organization dedicated to ending domestic violence and child abuse. Funds raised by Ribfest typically went to local charitable organizations that supported the club’s causes, putting more than $20 million back into the Naperville area over its tenure, according to Trotz.

For a while now, though, Ribfest has been undergoing changes. It was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And before that, it was forced to leave its longtime venue at Naperville’s Knoch Park after renovations made the site no longer suitable for festivities.

When Ribfest resumed after its COVID-19 hiatus, Ribfest 2022 was moved to the DuPage Event Center & Fairgrounds in Wheaton and staged over the Father’s Day weekend in June rather than its traditional Fourth of July schedule.

Changes continued last year when the event date was pushed back to mid-September.

No plans for a Ribfest 2024 were broached with county fairgrounds officials, according Jim McGuire, CEO of the DuPage County Fair Association and fairgrounds manager.

Speaking over the phone Tuesday, McGuire said he hadn’t heard from any Ribfest organizers since about a month after last year’s event.

“We reached out,” he said, “and we tried but we have not heard any information.”

He added, “I don’t have anything on the books. We didn’t put anything down because we had not heard from them. We didn’t know what their plans were, so we moved forward.”

Asked if the fairgrounds would have been open to holding Ribfest this year, McGuire said yes.

The beginnings of Ribfest date back to 1987, when an idea for a community festival centered on ribs was hatched at a family gathering of Glen Ekey, the then-executive director of the Naperville Park District. Ekey passed on the suggestion to Bruce Erickson, a charter member for the Exchange Club, which was newly formed at the time.

A year later, the first Ribfest kicked off on Rotary Hill for three days in mid-June. The cost to attend was $2 a day. Bands like The Buckinghams, Three Dog Night and Ides of March accompanied the barbecue bash.

By 1989, the festival had found its footing. It moved to Knoch Park and took place around the July Fourth holiday. For the next 30 years, that’s how Ribfest stayed. All the while, the event expanded — in size and esteem.

It was voted Best Festival in Illinois by the Illinois Professional Festival Association in 1990. By 2000, only 12 years after launching, Ribfest had some 21 vendors flocking to Naperville from as far as Sydney, Australia, to show off their rib prowess.

Entertainment followed suit.

Take 2003, for instance, when Ribfest featured Hootie & the Blowfish. The band attracted such a large audience that scores of people had to be turned away at the gate. It was a harbinger for just how popular Ribfest would get. Just four years later, in 2007, it was estimated that between 285,000 and 290,000 people attended the festival.

Other Ribfest performers went on to include Los Lobos, REO Speedwagon, Heart, Rick Springfield, Sheryl Crow, Steven Tyler, Billy Idol and Flo Rida. Last year, Third Blind Eye and Phil Vassar headlined.

“Its success was known throughout the region,” Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli said Monday. “I mean, we had people show up from all over the country to sample ribs or to serve them at this annual event. It was a great annual tradition.”

Wehrli knows Ribfest well — he used to work at the event. For decades, Wehrli served as a part-time police officer for the Naperville Park District, a post that had him working Ribfest year after year.

“It started out real early for me in my life. … It was a lot of fun over the years to see how it grew and see its success poured out into the dollars and cents into the community,” Wehrli said.

Looking ahead to the long-term future of Ribfest, Trotz wouldn’t say much. Asked if there was a possibility that Exchange would host the event again, she said, “There’s always a possibility (it could return). I just know this year was not possible.”

Naperville Sun and Chicago Tribune archives contributed.

tkenny@chicagotribune.com

Wondering where to have a balmy weather dining experience this year? Look no further than Naperville.

The city’s downtown was recently identified as one of the top 150 locations in the country for enjoying the simple pleasure of an outdoor meal by the website DatingAdvice.com.

Naperville came in at No. 135, making the list with two other Illinois spots: Chicago’s River North, which snagged the No. 26 spot, and the city of Galena’s Main Street came in at No. 144.

The list was decided through an online panel surveying 3,000 people across the country, DatingAdvice.com said in an online announcement of its 2024 rankings.

In naming downtown Naperville, the site lauded the area for its “charming walks and fine dining experiences,” noting that it is “perfect for a romantic evening out in one of Illinois’ most picturesque towns.”

Taking the top honor in this year’s alfresco accolades was Savannah, Georgia’s historic district. New Orleans’ French Quarter came in at second, followed by New York City’s West Village, Carmel-by-the-Sea along California’s Central Coast and downtown Charleston in South Carolina.

Naperville’s alfresco prestige is just another feather in the city’s cap, which often finds itself on quirky best-of lists. This year alone, Naperville has made the grade for being among the Top Destinations for a “White Picket Fence” lifestyle from DatingNews.com; and Best Cities for Naked Gardening from online platform LawnStarter.

tkenny@chicagotrigune.com

A new program being created in partnership with local nonprofit Loaves & Fishes Community Services received unanimous approval from city leaders at Tuesday’s Naperville City Council meeting.

It was spurred by the twister that struck the city in June 2021, leaving hundreds of homes uninhabitable or damaged, eight people injured and an untold number of trees destroyed. The disaster put Naperville’s emergency preparedness to the test and exposed areas needing improvement, especially in the recovery process.

The disaster relief program approved this week is a product of hindsight reflection, staff members for both the city and Loaves & Fishes say.

“The city is always looking … internally as to how we can improve emergency response,” said Marcie Schatz, assistant to the city manager. “This is a great example of how we work with and leverage partners in the community that excel in their various spaces.”

For Loaves & Fishes, which has been providing food support to Naperville and surrounding communities for the past 40 years, that’s getting assistance to those that require it most, a resource Naperville needed three years ago.

After the tornado, the city found itself in a philanthropic dilemma: lots of people around the community wanted to help but there wasn’t a locally-devoted place where they could direct those efforts, Schatz said.

There was some direct relief facilitated by way of gift cards doled out to affected homeowners as well as opportunities to donate to the Red Cross, which aided Naperville in its disaster relief response. But there wasn’t any organized donation program or fund that would have allowed philanthropic-minded neighbors to personally contribute to the recovery, Schatz said.

The city’s joint venture with Loaves & Fishes addresses that shortcoming. Per terms approved Tuesday, the partners would launch a relief fund for those impacted and in need of immediate financial assistance should another disaster occur. The fund would cover basic needs support, including food, shelter and counseling.

Loaves & Fishes would be responsible for working with donors and managing and administering the money collected. The city’s role would be to provide fund information and updates to the public.

Whether an event activates the disaster relief program would be determined by a standing advisory committee composed of city and Loaves & Fishes personnel as well as two community members. The committee would meet on a needed basis.

Schatz said potential members and roles for the committee have been discussed but what it will look like and who will be involved are among next steps to be taken.

Janet Derrick, Loaves & Fishes executive vice president of programs, said Wednesday, “Even though it could be years before another disaster happens, we want to try and get this program (and our committee) set up so we have it in place. You don’t want to set it up as the disaster is happening.

“We of course hope that disaster never happens … but what this program does is give people more clarity on how to help if it does,” she said.

Meanwhile, as one door opens with disaster relief, another closes.

Late last year, a months-long effort to replace and revive dozens of lawns left devastated by the June 2021 tornado finally concluded. The remediation project was headed by the volunteer-led Naperville Tornado Relief, which came together in 2022 to make sure homeowners hit hardest by the disaster got the help they needed to fully recover.

Its work was commemorated with a proclamation from the Naperville City Council in January. And just last week, the DuPage County Board honored the group’s organizers — Kelly Dougherty, Kristy Kennedy and Selvei Rajkumar of Naperville — with a proclamation of its own.

The proclamation was presented at Ranch View Elementary School on June 1 by District 3 County Board member Lucy Chang Evans on behalf of board Chair Deborah Conroy. Evans said this week that delivering the proclamation felt like “a healing moment.”

Dougherty, speaking over the phone Wednesday, echoed Evans.

“It’s been such a long healing process for this community,” she said. “I think that it was kind of the perfect book end, so to speak.”

tkenny@chicagotribune.com

Just as soon as ongoing construction allows for it.

Tuesday morning, design plans for a small park at 430 S. Washington St. in the heart of downtown Naperville, drafted almost a decade ago, were presented to the Naperville Riverwalk Planning, Design and Construction Committee for review.

The refresher was spurred by a desire by city staff to finally put the project out to bid later this year, according to Bill Novack, director of Naperville’s transportation, engineering and development department.

Asked why now, he said the timing is finally right.

The project dates back to the early 2010s. Motivation for the venture, Novack said, was rooted in a desire to make the space along the Naperville Riverwalk more pleasing to passersby — particularly a small sliver of land tucked between Washington Street Bridge and the city’s decades-old Burger King restaurant.

For years that 0.4-acre parcel had been privately owned by a family who maintained a property on the site, Novack said. But over time, it fell into disrepair, was sold to a developer and then ended up being purchased by North Central College in 2012 when the developer defaulted, he said.

Wanting more of a presence along the Naperville Riverwalk, officials from the college — which is just a stone’s throw away from the space — met with the city and the Naperville Park District, both of which play a part in managing the riverwalk, about the possibility of building a park on the land. The site could act as both a window to its campus and as a revamped open area for community use.

Both agencies agreed.

Plans for the park were developed and by late 2014 a $1.1 million grant was secured through then-Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to fund the project, according to Novack.

However, shortly before the city planned to hire a contractor, the state froze the funding. It took four years for the money to become available again and by then plans to replace Washington Street Bridge were starting to take shape.

Instead of pursuing both projects at the same time, the city opted to again put the park project on hold and wait for bridge construction to tie up. That way, by the time the park was ready for visitors, it could be enjoyed without interruptions from nearby roadwork, Novack said.

With the Washington Street Bridge replacement expected to finish this year, park plans are moving forward, he said.

Novack’s hope, he said, is that staff can put the project out to bid before year’s end. With that goal in mind, the first step is to finalize plans so they’ll be bid-ready when the opportunity becomes available, he said.

Committee members generally like the plans, Novack said, but suggested a few minor tweaks. A revised plan will be returned to them in a few months at which time they’ll vote on their recommendation and it will proceed to the city and park district for approval.

City staff also will involve North Central College officials in coming months to ensure its vision aligns with the updated plans, Novack said.

If all goes well, it’s anticipated the Washington Street park could come to fruition by the end of 2025, he said.

tkenny@chicagotribune.com

Ohio-based Heinen’s Grocery Stores plans to open a Naperville location on East Chicago Avenue between Pembroke Road and Oleson Drive, where a Butera Market once stood.

The store will be the grocer’s fifth location in Illinois and brings with it the redevelopment of the Eagle Crest Plaza shopping center.

To redevelop the 7.3-acre plaza, a project that’s been in the works since 2022, some zoning and land use changes are needed before any construction can begin. Those are up for Planning and Zoning Commission consideration Wednesday.

Should city planners endorse them, the matter will move on to the Naperville City Council for final approval.

Heinen’s is seeking to rezone the site from neighborhood convenience shopping center district to office, commercial and institutional district. In addition, the grocer also is requesting a conditional use permit for general retail.

City staff are supportive of both requests — with a few conditions, according to meeting documents. Those include maintenance of permanent open space along Pembroke Road, construction of a sound barrier and sound absorbing panels along property lines, and adherence to certain delivery and garbage pick-up hours, among a few other stipulations.

Heinen’s wants to build a 50,422-square-foot grocery store with a 227-space parking lot. Existing infrastructure at Eagle Crest Plaza will be removed as part of the company’s planned improvements.

“We’re kind of starting from scratch,” president Jeff Heinen said by phone Tuesday. “We’re tearing down (the existing shopping center) and starting from scratch.”

Apart from Butera, Eagle Crest Plaza was once home to a handful of other businesses, including a travel agency, a martial arts studio and most notably, Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant. None of those businesses will be part of the new development.

Pepe’s closed earlier this year, shutting its longtime 1270 E. Chicago Ave. location after 46 years. Its owners, Matt Rocush, Sandy Rocush and Rod Peterson, are planning a bar-only business to be called “The Can” at 634 E. Ogden Ave., where Miss Kitty’s Saloon used to be.

Matt Rocush said Tuesday they are hoping to open later this month. While just a bar right now, they hope to add a kitchen at some point, he said.

While being forced to leave Eagle Crest remains a sore spot, Rocush said, “We’re excited to move on and turn a new page.”

As for the grocery store, Heinen said they are hoping approval and construction will not take more than a year and the business can open sometime in summer 2025.

“We’re just going along with the process,” Heinen said.

So far, the project has been in the works for nearly two years.

Heinen’s initially went before city leaders with its redevelopment aspirations in August 2022. From the start, the idea was to breathe new life into Eagle Crest Plaza, which due to years of neglect and deterioration by rainwater detention made the neighborhood shopping center blighted. Beyond building out a new store, Heinen’s plans to raise the plaza’s lot and provide stormwater storage beneath it.

To help pay for the stormwater improvements, the Naperville City Council approved the creation of an Eagle Crest business district, allowing the city to collect an extra half-percent sales tax from purchases made at the strip mall.

The tax went into effect on July 1, 2023, according to Adam Beaver, a community planner for Naperville’s Transportation, Engineering and Development department. The city has been collecting revenue from the tax but reimbursement to Heinen’s will not start until redevelopment work begins.

Beyond the zoning approvals, Beaver said Heinen’s has submitted final engineering plans and a stormwater report for city review.

“(Staff) will be working closely with the Heinen’s team on finalizing all city required items prior to release of permits to allow construction to begin,” he said.

tkenny@chicagotribune.com

What more could a newly emerged cicada want?

For the insects lucky enough to appear on the front lawn of Stephanie and Fiona Tarrant’s Naperville home, that’s what awaits them: a bonafide cicada oasis. The mother and daughter have created a small habitat so the bugs can take a load off before they enjoy the rest of their weeks-long lifespans.

“I like seeing them crawl around in there,” Fiona, 10, said. “They’re cute.”

After much anticipation, Illinois’ historic double cicada emergence is finally underway.

For the first time in more than two centuries, two broods of cicadas are converging on the state at the same time. They belong to Brood XIX, four species that appear every 13 years in the southeast, and Brood XIII, three species that appear every 17 years in northern Illinois.

The last time this happened was in 1803, when Thomas Jeffreson was president and Illinois had yet to become a state.

Fiona — but her mom especially — have eagerly been awaiting the phenomenon to begin.

Stephanie, who’s originally from Canada but moved to Westchester when she was Fiona’s age, recalled first seeing cicadas emerge in droves when she was in middle school.

“There were cicadas everywhere,” she remembered.

They spend most of their lives — more than 90% — hidden underground. Of all insects, periodical cicadas have one of the longest development times. They grow underground until they are ready to come out to mate.

In the United States, there are 15 broods of periodical cicadas, each of which dig their way out to emerge on different 13- or 17-year cycles.

When she was younger, Stephanie recalled her dad “thinking they were just really neat,” she said. His affinity for the insects rubbed off on her.

“He used to tell us that we could just pick them up — that they were harmless. So we used to put them on our table in the back yard and kind of play with them and look at them,” she said.

Those early days spent buddying up with the insects helped Stephanie prepare for this year’s double emergence. She’s been looking forward to seeing cicadas everywhere again, and she’s hoping she can pass the same appreciation in Fiona that her dad instilled in her.

If the pair’s cicada sanctuary is any indication, loving — or at least respecting the insects — is in the 10-year-old’s blood.

Fiona said her family’s homemade cicada habitat was borne out of a sleepover she had with her friends earlier this month. It was fairy-themed, an occasion they aptly honored by fashioning fairy gardens, she said. Once her garden was hot glued and ready for its debut, Fiona found herself looking at her creation and thinking that it could make a mighty fine home for some creatures.

“Then I realized, oh my gosh! The cicadas!” she said.

The sanctuary sits in a bird bath that rests right outside the Tarrants’ front door. It’s sort of like a terrarium, with little bits and bobs for the insects to land and walk on.

Every morning since setting it up, Stephanie has devoted a few minutes to finding and bringing cicadas to the sanctuary. Usually, she can fit in about seven or eight, she said.

“I don’t want it to get too crowded,” she quipped.

But the transient insects aren’t long-time visitors so there’s typically space for new guests with each passing day, Stephanie said.

As for which cicadas get the oasis treatment, it’s really a luck of the draw. As of last week, the insects were inundating the Tarrant’s front yard. Since the cicadas started emerging, Stephanie has repeatedly woken up to the insects gripping onto her car wheels, she said.

That’s usually where she starts her hunt for sanctuary candidates.

With cicadas likely to remain visible through June, Stephanie said she’s curious to see just how many will amass around her house, as well as across the state.

Fiona, meanwhile, is committed to giving her sanctuary inhabitants the best care possible. For instance, her latest addition to the habitat was a “blanket” — really just a strip of felt — to keep the insects cozy.

The cicadas readily took to the new amenity, Fiona proudly confirmed.

Chicago Tribune reporter Adriana Perez contributed.

tkenny@chicagotribune.com

“(To) be able to be a steady source, we need some support right now,” she said. “Right now, to keep our staff where we’re at — if not grow — and be able to continue our great programming.”

In recent years, the one-two punch of soaring inflation and changes to NCTV17’s revenue base has forced the station to walk a tight line with its budget, Spencer said. The station “has tried to be good stewards of our money and managers to that budget,” she said.

But there can only be so much shuffling before something has to give. Now, NCTV17 needs “some monies to help steady the ship,” she said.

And she’s hoping that steadying support will come from the city of Naperville itself.

Elected leaders, meanwhile, are weighing their options.

At its meeting Tuesday, the Naperville City Council unanimously directed staff to look into potential sources and options for providing extra funding to NCTV17.

The staff request came after Councilman Benny White, who sits on NCTV17’s Board of Directors as a nonvoting council liaison, spoke about the station’s current financial situation and asked his fellow members to support exploring ways the city could help.

“We need to look at some other solutions … in order to keep them sustainable,” White said.

Leaders were receptive to White’s request but urged careful evaluation of what financing NCTV17 would look like and mean for the city.

“I’m open to making it a public discussion to see what kind of appetite people have for it,” Councilman Josh McBroom said. “I’m not sitting here committing to anything whatsoever.”

Councilman Patrick Kelly said that, “In general, I think that NCTV17 is a very valuable asset to the community in terms of focusing on our truly local news and presenting it in a very objective, straightforward way that people can trust. I think that’s something, on a national level, that we’re missing so that’s very valuable to have here.”

But he added that, “We certainly have to evaluate any kinds of requests very carefully. … If the city assists now, we want to make sure those dollars aren’t wasted if we’re going to (have) the same problem a couple years from now.”

NCTV17 is funded by a handful of revenue streams. Production service for local businesses and other area nonprofits accounts for about 32% of the station’s income, according to Spencer. Sponsorships supply another 16% and grants make up about 9% of its overall budget. The station has recently started to lean into fundraising as another way to bolster its coffers, she said.

The station also oversees the technical operations for the city’s WCNC government access channel, on which government meetings air.

Most consequential to how the station is faring today, however, is a piece of the NCTV17 budget known as PEG funding.

NCTV17 is what’s known as a public, educational and governmental (PEG) access channel, or a channel set aside for noncommercial community programming. These channels, which serve local communities across the country, are enshrined in the 1984 Cable Communications Act.

Under that act, communities have a right to control their public rights-of-way and, in turn, receive compensation and channels for a cable company’s license to use their public property, according to the Alliance for Community Media, an organization that represents more than 3,000 PEG access centers nationwide.

In Naperville, cable companies pay the city a franchise fee of 5% of their annual gross revenue, according to city spokeswoman Linda LaCloche. In addition, those companies also pay the city a PEG fee of 1% of their annual gross revenue, which goes to NCTV17.

Twenty-two years ago, when Spencer started working at NCTV17, the station’s entire budget was reliant on PEG money, she said. Now, however, the fees make up about 30% of its funding.

Spencer attributed the depleted PEG money to the yearslong fall of cable news. The emergence of streaming has seen more and more people cut cable in favor of platforms like Netflix, Hulu or Max. Less viewers, less revenue.

Last fall, research firm S&P Global Market Intelligence predicted that cable TV ad revenue would drop below $20 billion by 2027. The last time cable ad revenue was below $20 billion was in 2007.

Locally, NCTV17 has seen a 22% drop in PEG funds over the past six years alone, Spencer said. Year to year, the amount the station receives from the fees have dropped by the thousands, NCTV17 budget reports show.

The loss in revenue alongside rising costs, especially for salaries, has forced the station to make some cuts.

From 2019 to 2024, NCTV17’s staff has gone from 21 full-time employees to 13.5 full-time equivalents, Spencer said. As a result, her team “wears a lot of hats,” she said. For instance, sports reporters will cover news when the need arises.

Spencer said she views additional city funding for NCTV17 as an investment into what the station does for the community.

“We think we’re more important and more relevant than ever to Naperville as the fourth largest city and the second largest economic engine (in Illinois),” she said. “We think we provide a really big service. … With a little support from our friends at the city, (we think) we can weather this storm and arrive at port bigger and better than ever.”

tkenny@chicagotribune.com

The board, which represents a large part of Naperville, could not muster the votes needed May 8 to pass a non-binding no-confidence vote calling for Hewitt to resign immediately one week after she was ordered to serve 24 months of probation. During those two years, she is prohibited from consuming cannabis, alcohol or non-prescribed medication.

Any failure of those terms could land Hewitt in jail.

Hewitt was arrested Nov. 1, 2023, and charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop made by the Warrenville Police Department.

The police report, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, says Hewitt’s car was seen weaving on Butterfield road near Madison Street and striking a curb. When police arrived, they found the vehicle parked on the shoulder with a shredded tire and what appeared to be vomit on the outside of the driver’s side door, the report said.

Hewitt was described as having slurred speech and smelling of alcohol, an empty wine bottle found in her purse, according to the report. She failed two field sobriety tests.

Hewitt reportedly told police following her arrest she had been at a work event earlier in the evening and had consumed one glass of wine, the report said. She did not believe she was intoxicated, she told police.

It took six months for the case to work its way through the DuPage County court system, with Hewitt eventually pleading guilty to DUI.

Trustees brought her conviction up during their May 8 meeting at which the no-confidence vote was debated. Hewitt would not discuss the issue, saying it was “not a part of township business,” and stressing that she had no plan to resign, according to a video recording of the meeting.

“You all don’t have any right to bring, frankly, any actions on this,” she said.

Both Hewitt and her attorney denied requests for comment.

In a phone call, board Trustee Autumn Geist — one of two who voted in favor of the no-confidence motion — said she has been disappointed by the supervisor’s behavior and actions.

“With all of the initiatives for having a safer community, it concerns me that DUI continues to be something that we don’t take as seriously as we should,” Geist said. “We should feel comfortable driving to and from work safely. We should trust that our teenagers are comfortable driving to and from their sports and activities safely.”

However, fellow Trustee Barry Robinson, speaking by phone this week, said that while he recognized the “personal concerns that people had with the supervisor,” there was nothing in the resolution that convinced him there was a need for a no-confidence vote and he’d prefer keeping his focus on “what’s important to the township.”

“Things that the supervisor had done, actions she had taken — in my estimation — had been dealt with through the legal system and had not reflected on her ability to continue to operate as the supervisor,” he said.

In a written statement, township Clerk Debbie Pawlowicz expressed concerns over where Hewitt’s sentence leaves the board and the residents they serve.

“In light of the court order, it is imperative that we prepare for the likelihood that Supervisor Hewitt will be in jail,” Pawlowicz wrote. “With full empathy to all involved, our primary responsibility lies with the residents, ensuring the smooth and efficient operations of the township. As the board, we need to be clear on the impact of her absence and implement any necessary adjustments to our daily operations.”

Hewitt’s sentence called for her to serve 30 days in the DuPage County jail, but she will not be required to serve it as long as she does not violate the terms of her probation, according to a spokesperson for the State’s Attorney’s Office.

Hewitt also was ordered to pay $2,500 in fees and assessments, complete 240 hours of community service, attend a “Victim Impact Panel” and submit to counseling.

The frequency of the court-mandated counseling and how often she would be subject to drug testing depends on evaluations conducted by the DuPage County probation office.

Prior to her sentencing, Hewitt provided a urine sample April 10 that tested positive for THC and amphetamines. She will receive Level II Significant Risk DUI counseling, which requires a minimum 10 hours of DUI risk education and at least 20 hours of alcohol, drug and substance abuse outpatient treatment/counseling.

Court records indicate Hewitt previously pleaded guilty to DUI in 2003 and that she successfully completed her sentence, which included counseling and fines, in 2005.

Hewitt was elected Lisle Township supervisor in April 2021.

This month’s attempted no-confidence is not the first time township trustees have tried to take action against Hewitt. In August 2023, months before Hewitt’s arrest, the board passed a no-confidence based on a variety of allegations, including mismanagement and making decisions without board approval.

Robinson said he voted in favor of that action, saying that it was warranted and an “effective way for us to get change made in the way the township was being operated.”

The turmoil amongst the elected township officials has resulted in residents repeatedly attending meetings to urge them to resolve their conflicts so they could better focus on township business, a video recording of the meeting shows.

tkenny@chicagotirbune.com

Harris, represented by civil rights attorneys S. Todd Yeary and Juan Thomas, alleges her civil rights were violated by the theft citation issued by a city police officer and the city’s subsequent prosecution, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.

The case claims Harris, who is Black, was racially discriminated against and faced intimidation and retaliation during which she incurred “economic damages, emotional distress, humiliation, loss of dignity and other injuries.”

Harris’ mother, Marla Baker, said Wednesday she’s looking for the city “to take accountability for the harm they have caused my daughter and our family.”

“I want them to issue an apology to Amara … for stealing her childhood from her,” Baker said. “From stealing the rest of her youth from her.”

Harris, now 21, graduated Sunday from Spelman College in Atlanta with a degree in international studies, her mother said.

Yeary, who spoke on Harris’ behalf, said this incident has consumed five years of his client’s life.

“This is Amara’s lawsuit and everything that’s alleged in it, she can confirm she’s been through,” he said.

In 2019, when Harris was a 17-year-old junior, a Naperville police officer assigned to Naperville North issued her a ticket for allegedly stealing another student’s AirPods, a violation of municipal law.

From the beginning, Harris maintained she picked up the student’s AirPods accidentally, mistaking them for her own. Supported by her mother, Harris declined to pay a fine or settle.

The city of Naperville took the case to court last year, the first time in at least a decade that a Naperville ordinance violation advanced to trial. After two days, a six-person jury found Harris not liable for the alleged theft.

Harris’ lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, names the city of Naperville; Juan Leon, the school resource officer who issued the ticket; and Leon’s then-supervisor Jonathan Pope as defendants.

Leon and Pope are still currently employed by the Naperville Police Department, city spokeswoman Linda LaCloche confirmed. Leon is now assigned as a detective in the department’s investigations division and Pope is still part of the school resource officer unit, she said.

In a written statement, city attorney Mike DiSanto said the city is aware of Harris’ lawsuit and “believe the allegations are without merit.”

He said the “fact that the jury acquitted Ms. Harris does not negate the factual basis for the actions of the city and its officers” and noted that the officers involved relied on “independent eyewitness statements from school officials and students in issuing the theft citation.”

Prior to last year’s trial, “the court denied Ms. Harris’ motion to suppress evidence, motion to dismiss and motion for a directed verdict,” which “further supports the evidentiary basis for issuing the citation,” he said.

Yeary chastised city officials Wednesday for not doing anything “to address the harm that’s been done to Amara Harris.”

“The only option she had was to seek remedy of the court,” he said.

Harris’ lawsuit lists several counts of alleged wrongdoing: abuse of process, malicious prosecution, intentional infliction of emotional distress and discrimination under the Illinois Civil Rights Act.

Two counts concern allegations of officer misconduct and cite Harris’ case as part of a broader systemic problem.

Two years ago, the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica teamed up to look into the widespread practice of police in Illinois schools issuing costly tickets to students for violating municipal ordinances. ProPublica and the Tribune first reported on Harris’ case as part of the broader investigation, “The Price Kids Pay.”

Through the investigation, reporters documented 12,000 tickets Illinois students received over nearly three years for violations, including possession of vaping devices, disorderly conduct and truancy.

It also identified a pattern of racial disparities in ticketing, including at Naperville North High School, in which Black students were almost five times more likely than their white peers to receive tickets.

The suit also alleges the city failed to exercise the required “degree of care in the supervision of all employees, agents, and officers under its direction and control.”

In his statement, DiSanto attested that, “The Naperville Police Department is an accredited law enforcement agency that provides significant training to its staff and maintains the highest standards of integrity, which the city maintains were met in this matter.”

Beyond compensatory damages, the suit also seeks punitive damages from the defendants and injunctive relief requiring the city to implement training and oversight measures “to prevent future violations.”

Chicago Tribune reporter Rebecca Johnson contributed.

tkenny@chicagotribune.com