Illinois
Bakery sues roofing contractor after fire in McHenry, Illinois
A bakery is suing a roofing company after a fire destroyed two businesses in McHenry, Illinois, back in January.
According to the Northwest Herald, the Riverside Bake Shop, which has been a community staple for more than 50 years, claims APR Roofing was negligent while performing work on the roof.
While the fire that gutted the bakery at 1309 Riverside Dr. in McHenry on Sunday, Jan. 18, was found to be accidental, the bakery alleges the roofers heated up the wood board under the roof, and this led to the fire, the Northwest Herald reported.
The bakery sustained more than $1 million in damage.
Court documents confirm the lawsuit, and show the bakery is asking for a jury trial and damages in excess of $50,000.
Pet food and supply store Reeses Barkery and Pawtique was located in the same building and was also gutted in the fire. The pet food store has since reopened on Pearl Street.
In a statement on the store’s Facebook page, the owners of Reeses Barkery and Pawtique said the reopening came thanks to the support they received frm the community.
“Three months ago, everything changed. There are moments you never forget. Walking through the damage. Not knowing what came next. Wondering how you even begin again,” the business said in part. “But then something incredible happened. Our community showed up. You checked on us. You supported us. You walked back through our doors. Because of you, we are still here. Still standing. Still spoiling pets.”
The George Thompson Insurance Agency and McHenry Dental Associates were also damaged in the fire, according to the McHenry Chamber of Commerce.
A fire at the vacant old Balmoral Park racetrack in Crete, Illinois, sent smoke billowing over several south Chicago suburbs Sunday morning.
Around 6:30 a.m., flames raced through the structures on the old racetrack grounds. Fire departments from several suburbs, as well as Northwest Indiana, were called in to help.
Balmoral Park dates back to 1926, when it opened as Lincoln Fields. The racetrack hosted both thoroughbred and harness races over the years.
A fire also damaged the grandstand at the racetrack during renovations in 1952, forcing the races for the 1952-53 season to move to Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney. Balmoral in turn picked up some races in 1986 after a fire destroyed the grandstand at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights the summer before.
Balmoral Park was hosting only harness racing when it closed at the end of 2015. The property was purchased the following year by Horse Shows In The Sun as a hunter-jumper horse show venue, but this only lasted a few years and the property has stood vacant ever since, reports noted.
Illinois football is building what looks to be a pretty solid class of 2027, and they are all in-state commits thus far.
The Illini have four players pledged for 2027. The national recruiting ranking is creeping up, too. Bret Bielema has us sitting at No. 57 in the country, which is a big improvement from the sub-No. 80 we were just weeks ago.
I love that Bielema is securing top talent, and they are all from the state of Illinois. Well, we could be adding another in-state talent in the near future.
On Saturday, according to 247Sports, Bennett Konkey is now going to be taking an official visit to Illinois. The visit will be on the weekend of June 12.
Konkey is a big-time recruit. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound wide receiver from Geneva High School in Illinois is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 737 player in the class of 2027. He is also the No. 87 wide receiver in the country and the No. 26 player coming out of Illinois.
As of right now, Illinois is his only official visit that is set up. He has scholarship offers from some big-time programs like Duke, Wisconsin, and Iowa State, but Illinois seems to be on the inside track to land this kid.
There is a lot to love about Konkey’s game, too. The biggest thing that pops off the screen is his speed. He is a track athlete, so he can burn down the field. Having a nice big body helps at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds. That combination of size and speed is dangerous.
Bret Bielema is building a nice stable of wide receivers on the Illinois football roster
What is great about Bielema’s recruiting right now is that he knows the important positions. Having a good quarterback and offensive line is crucial. That quarterback also needs weapons.
Collin Dixon is going to be an All-Big Ten wide receiver this season. You can go down the line and point out some crucial pieces out wide in 2026. Hudson Clement and Brayden Trimble will be big this season. New additions Alex Perry and Ty Robinson will also have a say in snaps.
In 2027, Perry, Robinson, and Clement will depart, among others. That should give someone like Konkey the runway to see snaps and maybe even some starts as a freshman.
I think this kid has a chance to be a really good player at the next level. He isn’t one of these little scrappy type of slot receivers. Konkey is someone who can play out wide or in the slot. His versatility is phenomenal, and my hope is we can land him and continue building.
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