CHICAGO (CBS) — A 27-year-old man has been sentenced to 5 years in prison, after he pleaded guilty last year to federal charges accusing him of throwing an explosive device through the window of a Naperville restaurant during widespread looting in June 2020. Diego Vargas pleaded guilty last June to one count of maliciously attempting to damage and destroy a building by means of an explosive device. At his sentencing hearing on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo sentenced him to five years in prison. Federal prosecutors said Vargas threw a “lit explosive device” through the window of t ..read more

CHICAGO (CBS) — More and more festivals are announcing their return. You can add the Naperville Ribfest to the list, but not in Naperville. The annual food and music fest will be at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton – from June 17 through June 20. Organizers said that will give people plenty of room to enjoy the carnival, exhibits, and of course, the ribs. The festival moved from Naperville to Romeoville in 2020, but was canceled twice due to the pandemic. Ribfest is hosted by the Exchange Club of Naperville, and raises money to fight child abuse and domestic violence. pic.twitter.com ..read more

CHICAGO (CBS) — “Cheer” was a feel-good show about college cheerleading, but accusations of child sexual abuse against breakout star Jerry Harris of Naperville changed how viewers looked at the show. The Netflix show’s second season just dropped Wednesday. In it, you will hear from two of Harris’ accusers and their mother – who spoke with CBS 2’s Marie Saavedra. “Cheer” was a juggernaut in its first season. Upon its return, the dark and dangerous cloud that hangs over the show has been addressed. In 2020, breakout star Harris was indicted on charges of child pornography and soliciting minors f ..read more

CHICAGO (CBS) – Bond is set for a homeless man who robbed a Dollar Tree Store in Naperville Thursday, according to authorities. Melvin Lewis, 44, is charged with armed robbery. DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office said around 8:59 a.m. on Dec. 16, Naperville Police responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Dollar Tree store located at 1550 N. Route 59. After an attempt to purchase items was declined, the suspect displayed a knife and demanded cash from the register — totaling $60. He was taken into custody Friday at a nearby hotel where he had been living. Bond is set for $1.5 m ..read more

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) — Three people were rushed to the hospital Tuesday afternoon following a crash involving a car and a Freightliner truck on Route 59 in Naperville. One of the accident victims suffered life-threatening injuries. At 1:08 p.m., Naperville police and fire crews were called to Route 59 at Platinum Avenue for the crash, which involved a silver Dodge Charger driven by a 42-year-old Chicago man, and a white 2015 Freightliner driven by a 42-year-old Chicago man. Police said the Charger was headed south on Route 59 when it crossed over the median and slammed into the Freightliner ..read more

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) — Visitation will be held this weekend in Naperville for Franco Patino and Jacob Jurinek – the two young men from Naperville who were killed in the stampede at Astroworld in Houston last week. Visitation will be held for Franco on Saturday from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m., and for Jurinek on Sunday during the same hours. The location for both will be the Beidelman-Kunsch Funeral Homes and Crematory in Naperville. Funeral masses will be held for both young men on Saturday, Nov. 20 – on what would have been Jurinek’s 21st birthday. Patino and Jurinek met in grade school in Napervi ..read more

CHICAGO (CBS Chicago/CBS News) – Two college students from Naperville have been identified as among the eight people who were killed in a stampede during the Astroworld concert in Houston Friday. The two young men were also best friends. Both also were graduates from Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville. Franco Patino, 21, from Naperville identified as one of the victims from Astroworld concert. According to a statement from University of Dayton, Franco Patino, 21, was a senior at the university where he majored in mechanical engineering technology and minored in human movement biome ..read more

CHICAGO (CBS) – A college student from Naperville has been identified as one of the eight people who was killed during the Astroworld concert in Houston Friday. Franco Patino, 21, from Naperville identified as one of the victims from Astroworld concert. In a statement from University of Dayton, Franco Patino, 21, was a senior at the university where he majored in mechanical engineering technology and minored in human movement biomechanics. He was also active in multiple organizations on campus including being a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, a Hispanic interest fraternity. The fraternity shared ..read more

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) — A group of jewelry merchants were robbed this weekend outside a hotel in Naperville. At 10:52 p.m. Saturday, Naperville police were called to the Marriott Hotel at 1081 N. Naper Blvd. for a robbery. They learned that some jewelry salespeople had just completed a private showing and were leaving, when three masked men forcibly took cases of their merchandise in the parking lot. One of the merchants got into a struggle with one of the robbers, before the robbers all sped off in a van in which two other men were waiting, police said. The merchant was not injured. The robb ..read more

CHICAGO (CBS) — Classes were cancelled once again for Naperville North High School after another threat was made against the school. At 9:18 a.m., Principal Stephanie Posey informed students and parents about the threat in a message on the school’s website. “Good morning Huskies, very regretfully there has been another threat against NNHS today. My heart is broken to alert you to a soft lockdown of the building with no movement to and from the building. The Naperville Police Department is here with us processing the situation and planning for the safety of all staff and students at North. If w ..read more