Officers set up surveillance about 8:05 p.m. Tuesday on a car being driven by Devon Redmond, 25, of the 1800 block of Somerset Drive in Glendale Heights, who was wanted on several outstanding no-bond arrest warrants from DeKalb County, according to a release issued by the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Naperville Police Department.

When officers saw Redmond exit a house in Naperville, open the back door of his 2014 Nissan Altima to place a handbag below the driver’s seat and then get into the car to drive away, they pinned in his vehicle with their car, the report said. Redmond took off on foot but was caught.

A seach of his car turned up fully loaded Glock 23 with an extended magazine and one bullet in the chamber inside the handbag, the release said. The weapon had been modified with a switch capable of making the firearm fully automatic. Numerous pills believed to be the prescribed drug Xanax also were recovered, according to officials.

Redmond is currently on parole for convictions on aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated fleeing and eluding a police officer, the release said.

In the Tuesday arrest, he was charged with one count each of possession of a loaded machine gun and armed violence, both class X felonies, as well as one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a class 2 felony, and one count of possession of a controlled substance, a class 4 felony.

DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden granted a motion made by state’s attorney’s office that Redmond be held in jail pending the outcome of his case, the release said. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 8.

“Within one week, the Naperville Police Department’s exceptional efforts have resulted in the removal of four dangerous firearms from those who are not legally allowed to possess them,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. “What I find particularly disturbing in this case is the fact that the defendant, a convicted felon currently on parole with multiple active warrants out for his arrest, was allegedly in possession of a machine gun.”

On June 6, Naperville police arrested 19-year-old Tony Thompson, of Joliet, after officers stopped a car in which he was a passenger and found a Glock 17 9-mm firearm with a switch capable of making it fully automatic beneath his seat. He was charged with one count each of possession of a machine gun, possession of a firearm-no FOID and two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

In an unrelated case on the same day, Trensae Ware, 24, of Naperville, was arrested on charges of felony unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and felony reckless discharge of a firearm.

It’s alleged that Ware was driving when he shot a loaded .45-caliber firearm, which was recovered from below the front passenger’s seat, the report said. A spent casing and bullet were covered from the car and Ware tested positive for gun residue on his hands, officials said.

A second weapon, a 9-mm handgun, was found in the vehicle’s rear passenger compartment, the report said.

Metra’s board Wednesday approved creating a new Regional Day Pass that would allow riders unlimited trips for one day across the CTA, Metra and Pace. The measure still has to be approved by the CTA, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority at meetings later this month, but if passed, the program would be tested for up to six months.

The move comes as the transit agencies are still looking to bring back riders from pandemic lows and adjust to changing demand, as riders commute less often to Loop offices and look to take buses and trains for other types of trips. It marks the latest attempt to adjust fares, following the creation of a monthly pass that can be used across the transit systems and Metra’s overhaul in February of its fare zones.

The pass would cost between $10 and $16 on weekdays depending on the length of the trip on Metra, where fares are based on the distance traveled. Weekend passes would be a flat $10. Reduced weekday fares would also be available.

The new pass is expected to be available for purchase this year, though the exact date will depend on when the Ventra vendor finishes development and testing. It would be available in the Ventra app, and valid until 3 a.m. the day after it’s first used.

The RTA said the pass prices come out to less than the cost of paying for both a CTA day pass and a Metra day pass. The RTA would reimburse the transit agencies up to $1 million for the difference in price.

The RTA said the ability to integrate fares across the systems, provide frequent service and maintain relatively low fares in the future will depend on getting additional funding from the state to fill a $730 million budget gap expected when federal COVID-19 relief funding starts running out in 2026.

“This agreement is a major step forward for integrating fare policies and products between the region’s transit agencies as we look toward a post-pandemic future of changing travel patterns and more inter-connectivity between agency services,” RTA officials said in the statement.

Names, degrees and honors appear below as provided by the respective schools.

GRADUATIONS

Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas: Rebecca Wichman, Management and Marketing.

Iowa State University in Ames: Cameron Bianchi, bachelor’s degree, Finance, Accounting; Lindsey Broderick, bachelor’s degree, Geology; Rose Druce-Hoffman, bachelor’s degree, Software Engineering; Armaan Gupta, bachelor’s degree, Management Information Systems; Ishaan Gupta, bachelor’s degree, Data Science; Samuel Labarbera, bachelor’s degree, Aerospace Engineering; Scott Madland, bachelor’s degree, Management Information Systems; Cesar Medina, bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering; William Nelmark, bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering; Alivia Perna, bachelor’s degree, Criminal Justice, Human Development and Family Studies; and Rachel San Agustin, bachelor’s degree, Electrical Engineering.

Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa: Myles Barry, bachelor’s degree, Accounting, and Patrick Julian, bachelor’s degree, Sport Management, Marketing,

Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Mason Marinelli, bachelor’s degree, Managerial Accounting and Business Administration; Tyler Orlow, bachelor’s degree, Communication Studies; and Klara Wilson, bachelor’s degree, Psychology.

Northern Illinois University in DeKalb: Jake Barber, master’s degree, Higher Education and Student Affairs; Dustin Barbre, bachelor’s degree, Management-Leadership and Management; Gwendolyn Bauer, doctorate, Physical Therapy; Mark Behna, master’s degree, Accountancy; Rachael Berkover, master’s degree, Data Analytics; Sara Budhwani, bachelor’s degree, Nursing; Yigang Cai, bachelor’s degree, Music; Erin Carter, bachelor’s degree, Communication-Media Studies; Mischelle Christian, bachelor’s degree, Biological Sciences; Mischelle Christian, bachelor’s degree, Psychology; Amelia Gericke, bachelor’s degree, Sociology: General Sociology; Evan Guthrie, bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering; Jamie Ho, bachelor’s degree, Art Studio and Design-Design and Media Arts; Anthony Intini, bachelor’s degree, Accountancy; Zander Jones, bachelor’s degree, Anthropology; John Kehoe, master’s degree, Business Administration; Dean Krueger, master’s degree, Art and Design; Katherine Lavoie, master’s degree, Management and Information Systems; Michael Nebor, master’s degree, Statistics; Abhiram Reddy Nevuri, master’s degree, Management and Information Systems; Joseph O’Brien, master’s degree, Education, Curriculum and Instruction: Teacher Leader with Endorsement; Jeremy Robinson, bachelor’s degree, Computer Science-Enterprise Software; Ryan Smith, doctorate, English; Zahra Syed, bachelor’s degree, Operations & Information Management; Kennedy Westbrook, master’s degree, Rehabilitation Counseling; Daniel Wilczynski, bachelor’s degree, Computer Science-Software Development; Andrew Williams, master’s degree, Accountancy; and Gabriela Zawadzki, bachelor’s degree, Biological Sciences.

DEAN’S LISTS/PRESIDENT’S LISTS/HONOR ROLLS

Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania: David Stoner.

University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio: Ethan Pytlak.

Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota: Jada Wlodarczyk.

Harding University in Searcy, Arizona: Emma Savage.

Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa: Abigail Apeland, Myles Barry, Joseph Cibulka, Oscar Mejia, Grace Skarbek and Katherine Walsh.

University of Rhode Island in Kingston: Christine Wu and Abby Golk.

Emerson College in Boston: Peyton Fenner, Matthew Berry and Madison Pope.

University of Wisconsin-River Falls: Ella Davis and Emily Stubitz.

University of Mississippi in University: Justin Boomgarden, Abigail James, Natalie Jordan, Jacqueline McMahon, Payten Orlow, Regan Stiegel and Avery Wambsgans.

University of Wisconsin-Madison: Jalal Bandealy, Shaili Banerjee, Natalie Bannon, Grace Bava, Isha Bhamani, Aayush Bharadwaj, Mason Brown, Irene Chao, Jessica Chen, Audrey Davis, Nina Davis, Simran Desai, Grace Ellinger, Cameron Felix, Bella Ferak, Ike Fritz, Sam Garabedian, Tomas Gilvydis, Kaitlyn Greenwald, Alex He, Peyton Hennig, Yuxuan Hu, Callie Karsten, Ansah Khan, Karina Khananis, Jake Kincaide, Natalia Kwiecien, Grace Larsen, Julia Liposky, Alisa Lu, James Lukasevics, Arin Mahapatra, Aaron Marattil, Connor McConnell, Akash Mohan, Hrutik Munigeti, Sarojshree Namasivayam Janaki, Maia Ninan, Owen OHara, Ethan Rao, Rahul Rao, Sahit Reddy, Maria Rosca, Alexis Ryan, Anjali Sanghvi, Atiksh Shah, Elizabeth Shamoun, Roy Son, Adi Tolia, Tomasz Wargala, Jason Xu, Timothy Zangler, Derek Zhang, Connie Zhao and Raymond Zhao.

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay: Lokanshu Malur.

Missouri State University in Springfield: Ella Carreras.

University of Maryland Global Campus in Adelphi: Carissa Fortin.

Northern Illinois University in DeKalb: Emma Ayer, Mady Banasiak, Dustin Barbre,
Joseph Boccuzzi, Will Carter, Calvin Comstock-Fisher, Ethan Enkhtur, Patricia Geno, Amelia Gericke, Nayeli Granados, Nicholas Grdina, Evan Guthrie, Kat Huber, Anthony Intini, Zander Jones, Ben Kuefler, Audrey Leegard, Arushi Mahida, Payton Major, Claire Meyer, Stephanie Mikuta, Richie Monti, Alex Montijo, Zak Neaz, Robbie Ngeah, Madelene Przybysz, Jaden Robinson, Actuarial Science, Jeremy Robinson, Joshua Robinson, Jessica Rosenwinkel, Emily Spreitzer, Aditi Venkatesh, Andrew Whitlock, Gabriela Zawadzki and Brian Zhan.

St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania: Grace Raquel.

St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin: Meghan Callahan and Nicole Nudera.

The Illinois High School Association announced Tuesday that its board approved a recommendation from the basketball advisory committee to require a 35-second shot clock in varsity boys and girls basketball games starting with the 2026-27 season.

“The IHSA has allowed the shot clock to be used in tournaments and shootouts the past two seasons, and the overwhelming feedback we have received from coaches is that it is time to embrace the shot clock in all varsity contests,” IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said in a news release. “We believe the two-season lead time will provide our schools with ample opportunity to install the shot clocks and get comfortable with them from both a coaching and game administration perspective.”

The IHSA also announced changes to the schedule for the state finals for both boys and girls basketball that will begin with the 2024-25 season.

The new schedule will feature semifinals in Class 1A, 2A and 3A on Thursday, with third-place games in those classes on Friday, along with Class 4A semifinals on Friday night.

Saturday’s schedule will include the 4A third-place game, followed by the championship games in all four classes.

The changes will allow for semifinal games to be played Thursday and Friday nights. The schedule the past three seasons drew criticism for having third-place games in primetime, often drawing small crowds.

In 2021-22, the IHSA switched from its longtime format with state games for 1A and 2A on one weekend and 3A and 4A on the next to a three-day tournament for all four classes.

“It’s been fairly unanimous in the Illinois high school basketball community that moving the state tournament to a single-weekend format has been a success,” Anderson said. “Our coaches believe this new schedule will provide an even better experience for all the student-athletes, coaches and fans.

“We look forward to seeing it play out when we celebrate America’s Original March Madness next winter.”

Two back-to-back events are sure to draw big crowds.

The first is the annual classic car show hosted by Downtown Naperville from 9 a.m. to noon on Jackson Avenue between Eagle and Main streets.

The other is a Juneteenth celebration presented by Naperville Neighbors United from noon to 3 p.m. at Rotary Park.

The annual car show promises to bring about 100 classic vehicles to downtown.

It’s not a contest, Katie Wood, interim director of Downtown Naperville said Monday. No trophies are presented.

“I think they’re all winners,” she said. “They’re all beautiful. Each car owner is so proud of their car. They’ve worked so hard on it, and love to talk about it, tell people the history, where they got it, what they’ve done to it.”

She noted that “classic cars” means they look how they did when they rolled off of the assembly line, she said.

Years ago, classic car clubs approached Downtown Naperville with the idea of having a car show.

“We thought, ‘Yeah, why don’t we do this,’” she recalled.

Unlike some car shows, there’s no charge to display a vehicle and admission is free to admire the four-wheeled beauties.

“It’s a fun thing to bring your dad to, to bring you family to. It’s a look back in time,” Wood said.

Some of the cars date back to the 1930s and 1920s, she said. And there will be newer models to see.

After the car show, you can stroll over to Rotary Hill Park for a Juneteenth celebration hosted by Naperville Neighbors United.

Saily Joshi, the executive director of NNU, said the celebration of Juneteenth — now a federal holiday — has important historical implications.

Juneteenth, sometimes known as Black Independence Day, is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It became a federal holiday in 2021.

“Technically, it’s when the state of Texas was the last state where slaves were freed,” she said.

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the war had ended and that enslaved people were now free, two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

News traveled slowly in those pre-Internet days.

According to the group’s website, the event will celebrate Naperville’s rich diversity by including spoken word, musical and dance and performances by the many African-American individuals and groups in the community.

There also will be speeches by elected officials and other community leaders, Joshi said.

The federal holiday is observed on June 19, but the Naperville Neighbors United decided Saturday was the better day to celebrate as more people will be able to attend.

That’s a good idea given the escalating popularity of recent Juneteenth celebrations.

“It has grown in attendance every year,” Joshi said. “We had 300 the first year, a little over 600 last year. This year, we have more than 1,000 registered to attend.”

Tickets are free.

“It’s exciting to see the community come together to recognize this holiday. And people of all colors too,” Joshi said.

A gospel choir, the Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer Choir, will perform as will Mays Music, a choir based in Naperville.

“There will be some artists also there with interpretative dance,” she said.

A jump rope team and a stepping group will also provide entertainment.

There will be information tents, a couple food trucks — including some soul food — and free samples of ice cream courtesy of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Joshi said.

Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.

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

FIRST TEAM

Zach Bava, Naperville Central, junior, catcher: Batted .398 with three home runs, 22 RBIs, 28 runs scored, 27 walks, 13 doubles and 10 stolen bases. Threw out 10 runners trying to steal and picked off four others. All-conference. Committed to Illinois State.

Paul Feret, Neuqua Valley, senior, outfielder: Batted .346 with three home runs, 26 RBIs, 26 runs scored, 12 stolen bases. Had four assists. All-conference. Committed to Purdue Northwest.

Ben Ford, Waubonsie Valley, senior, outfielder: Batted .368 with four home runs, 35 RBIs, 26 runs scored and seven doubles. All-conference. Committed to Illinois Wesleyan.

Ryan Gustaitis, Waubonsie Valley, senior, outfielder: Batted .398 with 17 RBIs, 28 runs scored and 27 walks. All-conference.

Marc Iozzo, Benet, senior, third baseman: Batted .408 with three home runs, 38 RBIs, 28 runs scored, 13 doubles and eight stolen bases. All-conference. Committed to Miami of Ohio.

Troy Kashul, Naperville Central, junior, infielder: Batted .424 with four home runs, 27 RBIs, 14 runs scored and 11 doubles. All-conference.

Matt Knapczyk, Neuqua Valley, senior, outfielder: Batted .385 with three home runs, 19 RBIs, 35 runs scored, 21 stolen bases, seven doubles and four triples. All-conference. Committed to Parkland.

Owen Myket, Metea Valley, senior, outfielder: Batted .366 with six home runs, 29 RBIs, 25 runs scored, nine doubles and four stolen bases. All-conference. Committed to Wheaton.

Jackson Prentice, Naperville North, senior, designated hitter: Batted .380 with five home runs, 27 RBIs, 16 runs scored, five doubles and 14 walks. All-conference. Committed to McHenry County.

Will Richards, Naperville North, senior, first baseman: Batted .358 with 15 RBIs, 11 runs scored and nine doubles. All-conference. Committed to Benedictine.

Owen Roberts, Waubonsie Valley, junior, pitcher: Went 10-0 with a 1.10 ERA, two saves and 73 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings. Also batted .464 with four home runs, 31 RBIs, 26 runs scored, 10 doubles and two triples. Conference player of the year and pitcher of the year.

HONORABLE MENTION

Sean Carroll, Waubonsie Valley, senior, first baseman; Aiden Clark, Naperville Central, junior, catcher; Joe Coffey, Benet, senior, first baseman; Jeremy DeWilkins, Benet, senior, catcher; Sebastian Guzman, Neuqua Valley, senior, pitcher; Jack Hatteberg, Naperville Central, senior, pitcher; Jake Rifenburg, Benet, junior, pitcher; Matt Sonnenschein, Naperville North, junior, pitcher; Zak Sumser, Naperville North, senior, pitcher; Jeremy Wrona, Metea Valley, senior, outfielder; Will Zalabak, Neuqua Valley, senior, first baseman.

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.

The Waubonsie Valley junior was good as a hitter this season, but his performance on the mound was nothing short of mind-blowing.

“He played shortstop every inning of every game we played last year,” Waubonsie Valley coach Bryan Acevedo said. “We didn’t really have another shortstop, so he didn’t pitch last year.

“We knew he threw a little bit and was pretty good, but we just hadn’t really seen it. We thought he was going to be our closer early on.”

Acevedo recalled using Roberts in that role in a game against Naperville Central.

“He threw two pitches to get a save,” Acevedo said. “So we’re like, ‘We need to give him the ball.’

“We gave him a start against Metea Valley, and he’s done nothing but give it back to us at the end of the game.”

Indeed, Roberts, the 2024 Baseball Player of the Year for The Beacon-News, The Courier-News and the Naperville Sun, was literally unbeatable, and in one instance he was even unhittable. He went 10-0 with a 1.10 ERA and two saves, allowing nine earned runs, 29 hits and 13 walks while striking out 73 in 57 1/3 innings.

Roberts was great at the plate, too, batting .464 with four home runs, 31 RBIs, 26 runs, 10 doubles and two triples. He was the DuPage Valley Conference’s player of the year and pitcher of the year.

“We had some really good arms my first couple years here, but I don’t know if anyone got to 10-0,” Acevedo said after his 10th season coaching the Warriors. “He wants to compete. He’s a football kid who plays safety for us. He wants the ball in his hand, and he’s special.”

That was never more evident than in Roberts’ final outing of the season. He threw his first no-hitter to beat host Plainfield North 3-0 in the Class 4A sectional semifinals on May 29, sending the Warriors to their first sectional championship game since 2005.

Roberts allowed just three balls to leave the infield that day, which Waubonsie Valley senior Ben Ford, an Illinois Wesleyan commit, said was a recurring theme.

“I’ve been playing outfield, so not many balls have been getting hit to me,” Ford said. “Obviously, it’s not fun in that sense. But it’s awesome to see everything that he has done.

“He was near perfect the whole year. He just keeps getting better. I don’t know how he does it.”

Waubonsie Valley sophomore shortstop Ryan Lucas might have some insight.

“I think it’s his control,” Lucas said. “He throws hard, got good control and really good off-speed pitches that helps throw off hitters and gets lots of ground balls.”

Another unusual aspect of Roberts’ success is that, unlike most pitchers, he gets better the deeper he goes into the game.

“The first inning has been his worst inning all year,” Acevedo said. “If you look at when he gives up hits or he gives up an earned run in the first inning, he settles in and he’s pretty special.”

That was true even during Roberts’ no-hitter. He walked two and hit a batter in the first inning but then retired 13 straight.

“I feel like that’s who I am,” he said. “I’m not the best pitcher in the first inning, but I think I get better as the game goes on.”

It was no coincidence that the Warriors (25-10), who won the DVC title as well as their first regional championship since 2014, also got better as the season progressed. After starting 5-7, they went 20-2 before losing to Downers Grove North 3-2 in the sectional final.

Roberts played several positions over the course of the season when he wasn’t pitching.

“Some of my teammates gave me the Tomahawk Award, which basically goes to the most versatile player,” Roberts said. “If I have to play outfield, I’ll play outfield. I’m just like a Swiss Army knife, I guess.”

One who proved to be a trusty blade for the Warriors.

“We wouldn’t have been able to go this far without him,” Ford said. “He’s a huge part of this team, and he’s going to have a lot of success in the future.”

Might that include pitching in college?

“Whatever colleges want to take a shot on me,” Roberts said. “I’ll just play wherever they want me to play.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.

Scottish pride, new digs

The 38th annual Scottish Festival and Highland Games will be from 1 to 10 p.m. June 14 and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. June 15 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton. Tickets are $20-$45; children 12 and under free. At 2015 Manchester Road. 708-442-7268; chicagoscots.org/festival/.

Presented by the Chicago Scots in support of their charity — the Caledonia Senior Living and Memory Care in North Riverside — the Midwest’s largest Scottish event moves to a new location this year. Look for heavy athletics, highland dancing, a kids’ area and Scottish petting zoo, Celtic music, whiskey tastings, a pipe band championship and a Scottish-themed marketplace.

Season premiere

Janus Theatre Company opens its 26th season with “Men on Boats” at 8 p.m. June 14-15 and 2 p.m. June 16 at the Elgin Art Showcase in Elgin. Tickets are $20. At 164 Division St. 847-363-3573; janusplays.com.

Written by Jaclyn Backhaus, the play is based on the John Wesley Powell expedition to chart the Colorado river and the Grand Canyon. The play is performed by 10 women.

Pride in art

“Celebrating Pride Through the Eyes of Visual Artists” exhibit opening is at 5 p.m. June 15 at Dandelion Gallery and Studio, Dandelion Art Gallery in Waukegan. Free. At 109 S. Genesee St. 224-440-8006; facebook.com/DandelionGallery.

This exhibition is a collaborative show of artwork to honor and celebrate Pride. It aims to lift LGBTQ+ voices, recognize LGBTQ+ history and fight discrimination. The exhibit runs through July 13.

Hotter than a firecracker

“The Miss Firecracker Contest” is 7:30 p.m. June 14-15  and 2 p.m. June 15-16 at The Drama Group in Chicago Heights. Tickets are $19-$25. At 330 W. 202nd St. 708-755-3444; dramagroup.org.

Seeking to escape her life, Carnelle enters a local beauty contest filled with quirky characters.

Funny man

Ben Schwartz and Friends is at 7 p.m. June 14 at the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana’s Hard Rock Live venue in Gary. Tickets are $49.50-$69.50. At 5400 W. 29th Ave. 219-228-2383; hardrockcasinonorthernindiana.com.

Actor, author and comedian Ben Schwartz is known for shows like “Parks and Recreation,” “House of Lies” and “This is Where I Leave You,” as well as three improv comedy specials on Netflix.

Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.

“The Seasons Quartet” by Karl Ove Knausgaard

“28 August. Now, as I write this, you know nothing about anything, about what awaits you, the kind of world you will be born into. And I know nothing about you…” In “The Seasons Quartet,” Karl Ove Knausgaard starts with a letter to his unborn daughter, showing her what to expect of the world. He follows it with one short piece per day throughout a year, describing the material and natural world, drawing upon memories of his childhood to give an inimitably tender perspective on the precious and unique bond between parent and child.

“One Last Thing Before I Go” by Jonathan Tropper

Drew Silver has begun to accept that life isn’t going to turn out as he expected. His fleeting fame as the drummer for a rock band is nearly a decade behind him and his Princeton-bound teenage daughter Casey has just confided in him that she’s pregnant — because Silver is the one she cares least about letting down. So, when Silver learns that he requires emergency life-saving heart surgery, he makes the radical decision to refuse the operation, choosing instead to spend what time he has left to repair his relationship with Casey, become a better man and live in the moment.

“The Loyal Son” by Daniel Mark Epstein

Ben Franklin is the most lovable of America’s founding fathers. His wit, his charm, his inventiveness — even his grandfatherly appearance — are legendary. But this image obscures the scandals that dogged him throughout his life. In “The Loyal Son,” award-winning historian Daniel Mark Epstein throws the spotlight on one of the darker episodes in Franklin’s biography: his complex and confounding relationship with his illegitimate son William.

“The Road” by Cormac McCarthy

“The Road” is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains in a ravaged America, but in which a father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,” are sustained by love. It is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.

“Dad’s Maybe Book” by Tim O’Brien

In 2003, National Book Award-winning novelist Tim O’Brien resolved to give his young sons what he wished his father had given to him — a few scraps of paper signed “Love, Dad.” For the next 15 years, the author talked to his sons on paper, as if they were adults, imagining what they might want to hear from a father who was no longer among the living. O’Brien traverses the variety of human experience and emotion, moving from soccer games to warfare to risqué lullabies, but always returning to a father’s soul-saving love for his sons.

“Raising Raffi” by Keith Gessen

Written over the first five years of his child’s life, Gessen traces how the practical decisions one must make each day intersect with some of the weightiest concerns: How do you instill in your child a sense of his heritage without passing on that history’s darker sides? Is parental anger normal, possibly useful, or is it inevitably authoritarian and destructive? How do you get your kid to play sports? By turns hilarious and poignant, “Raising Raffi” is a story of what it means to invent the world anew.

“Your Presence is Mandatory” by Sasha Vasilyuk

In 1941, Yefim is a young artillerist on the border between Soviet Union and Germany, eager to defend his country and his large Jewish family against Hitler’s forces. But surviving the war requires sacrifices Yefim never imagined, and even when the war ends, his fight isn’t over. He must conceal his choices from the KGB and from his family. Spanning seven decades between World War II and the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, “Your Presence Is Mandatory” traces the effect Yefim’s cover-up had on the lives of his wife Nina, their two children and grandchildren.

Ashlee Conour is the marketing specialist at Naperville Public Library.