A Park Forest man originally charged with murder in the 2020 beating death of a New Lenox business owner pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony, and was sentenced to two years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Devon Ward, 31, will be required to serve 80% of his prison sentence with credit for 17 days already served, according to Will County court records. He will have a mandatory supervised release period of six months, court records show. Ward waived his right to a jury or bench trial Tuesday by entering a blind plea, meaning he did not know what his sentence ..read more

Chipotle says its employees can choose chicken once again. Last week, the chain asked its U.S. and Canadian employees to temporarily select another protein for their work meals to preserve the company’s supply of chicken. The directive applied to both corporate staff and restaurant employees. Newport Beach, California-based Chipotle has more than 114,000 workers in the U.S. and Canada. But Laurie Schalow, the Mexican chain’s chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, said Thursday that the directive has been rescinded and employees can return to ordering chicken with their meals. “We are ..read more

Dexter Reed was shot 13 times by Chicago police officers during a fatal March traffic stop that left one of the officers shot in the wrist, authorities found. The Cook County medical examiner’s office released Reed’s autopsy and toxicological reports Thursday, five weeks after he was fatally shot in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said four officers fired a total of 96 shots during the 41 seconds of gunfire. The medical examiner’s office found Reed, 26, was shot in his chest, shoulder, back, legs and buttocks. A toxicological examination found THC i ..read more

NEW ORLEANS — The man who fatally shot retired NFL star Will Smith during a confrontation following a car crash in 2016 received a 25-year prison sentence Thursday in a New Orleans courtroom. It was the second time Cardell Hayes, 36, had faced sentencing in Smith’s death. He was convicted of manslaughter in December 2016 and later sentenced to 25 years. But the jury vote had been 10-2 and the conviction was later tossed after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed such non-unanimous verdicts. After a new trial, Hayes was convicted by a unanimous jury in January. In handing down the sentence, Judge Ca ..read more

A little delirious and a lot of serious, witty, stylish fun, “Challengers” plays a beautiful game of Canadian doubles with its three main characters, on and off the court. It’s a purely enjoyable romantic drama, and the one thing people seem to agree on is its deft sidestepping of easy labels. Is it a screwball dramedy, as one writer put it? A sports movie dripping with competitive juices? Or simply that extremely rare thing in 2024 movies: an R-rated picture, written by a terrific first-time screenwriter, Justin Kuritzkes, not a sequel, not a Marvel, not much like anything we’ve seen lately i ..read more

An Elgin man has been convicted of killing his wife in a slaying police discovered after his 4-year-old son was found wandering the streets on his own in July 2021. Victor H. Ayllon, 38, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 33-year-old Wendy Ayllon, who was strangled to death after the couple had a fight at their home in the 300 block of Heine Avenue, a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said. Prosecutors said Ayllon told them that he and his wife began arguing about his drug addiction and her alleged infidelity, of which there was no evidence, about 2 ..read more

On the Tuesday afternoon of Illinois’ March primary, Rebecca Williams stood outside the Naperville Municipal Center as community members strolled in and out of the building — a polling place for the day. Between her hands, she held a clipboard. On the back, it read: “Fixing politics starts with RANKED CHOICE VOTING.” Williams was one of several canvassers at Naperville polling places last month to gather support for a local petition drive that would allow city residents to decide if they want to switch to a ranked choice voting system. FairVote Illinois, a nonprofit whose mission is to educate ..read more

Fatpour Tap Works, a combined indoor/outdoor space with a dining room, bar, outdoor patio, 20 TVs, and 20 beers on draft, opened its doors at its Lincolnwood location at District 1860 on April 25. It’s the third location for the restaurant, with locations near the McCormick Place Convention Center and in Chicago’s Wicker Park. Owner Erik Baylis said the restaurant serves modern American food on a menu with salads, flatbreads, sandwiches, burgers, traditional entrees and desserts. The Lincolnwood location at 7244 Lincoln Avenue will be able to seat up to 300 people, hold private parties, and of ..read more

Paul Phillips was a violinist with Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 40 years, performing under acclaimed music directors Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim and Riccardo Muti. “He was a truly dedicated violinist, and it was a privilege to be one of his (violin) stand partners for 40 years,” said Blair Milton, a retired member of the CSO’s first violin section. “He was the consummate professional and gentleman, bringing elegance and laughter to every occasion.” Phillips, 77, died of complications from brain cancer March 27, said his husband, Lloyd Palmiter. He was a longtime Streeterville resident. Bor ..read more

Musical theater lyricist and composer Stephen Schwartz’s first hit musical was “Godspell,” which earned him a Grammy for best score from an original cast show album. The show premiered off-Broadway in 1971. A Broadway revival premiered in late 2011 and closes The Beverly Theatre Guild’s 2023-24 season. “The music is so contagious and catchy,” said Tor Campbell, director and choreographer of “Godspell — 2012 Revival” from May 3 to 5 at Morgan Park Academy’s Baer Theater in Chicago. Music and new lyrics are by Schwartz, who also wrote the musicals “Pippin” and “Wicked” and contributed lyrics for ..read more