GENEVA, Ill. (CBS) — A restaurant and brewpub in west suburban Geneva is closed until further notice after being damaged by a fire this week.

In a newsletter item, Stockholm’s Restaurant & Brewery, located at 306 W. State St. in Geneva, said staffers at nearby Niche Restaurant notified Stockholm’s staff about smoke billowing from an exhaust hood Wednesday evening.

The Geneva Fire Department rushed to the scene, arriving at 9:59 p.m. Wednesday to Stockholm’s Restaurant & Brewery. The fire department said it raised a general alarm due to the number of people calling to report smoke billowing from the second floor and roof of the building.

The fire departments from St. Charles, Batavia, and Elburn also responded.

Upon arriving, firefighters found smoke coming from the front door and roof of Stockholm’s. The basement kitchen was on fire, as was the bathroom above the kitchen.

Firefighters put out the fire in less than half an hour, the Geneva Fire Department said.

The area of origin is believed to be the basement kitchen, with the cause being under investigation, the fire department said. The kitchen and areas directly above sustained fire, smoke, heat, and water damage, the fire department said.

Stockholm’s was pleased the fire was contained before it got a lot worse—and noted that no one was injured. Still, the damage was severe enough that the restaurant will be closed until further notice.

Stockholm’s also offered thanks to Nobel House, located just across the street, for allowing the Stockholm’s staff to regroup and have a drink while firefighters battled the blaze.

The restaurant said it hopes to reopen as soon as possible.

Stockholm’s Restaurant & Brewery opened in May 2002—and features a from-scratch kitchen, and handcrafted beers brewed in the front window using an Old World tradition. It occupies one of several spaces in the Unity Building—right next door to the State Bank of Geneva building, which houses EvenFlow Music & Spirits.

SHOREWOOD — The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that an ongoing project to reconstruct the Interstate 55 interchange at Illinois 59, in Joliet and Shorewood, will require a full closure of the U.S. 52 (Jefferson Street) ramp to southbound I-55, weather permitting, from 9 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday.

During that time, a detour will direct motorist to Illinois 59 to access southbound I-55.

The press release outlined how the $59.3 million project will convert the existing partial-access interchange at I-55 and Illinois 59 into a full-access, diverging-diamond interchange. East Frontage Road will be relocated and reconstructed to provide necessary distance from the interchange and auxiliary lanes will be added to I-55 between the Illinois 59 and U.S. 52 interchanges to improve safety by better accommodating vehicles entering and leaving the interstate.

The Illinois 59 intersection with Seil Road will be improved and modernized. Pedestrian access will be built across I-55, with the addition of new sidewalks and a multiuse path to connect with the local system of trails. New lighting and modernized traffic signals will be installed. Noise and retaining walls will be built along I-55.

The project is anticipated to be completed in November.

Homeowners in half of Illinois’ 102 counties saw their property taxes grow faster than inflation from 2018 to 2022. The median bill rose $756 in that time.

The typical Illinois homeowner is paying $756 more in property taxes than five years ago, and it’s not just inflation: half of Illinois’ 102 counties saw their bills rise faster than the cost of living.

Homeowners across 61 Illinois counties saw their property taxes grow faster than inflation from 2018 to 2022, with the worst-off homeowners seeing a 75% spike in the median property tax bill.

The biggest jump was for Lake County homeowners, where the median increased by $1,262. Tax hikes were less in rural counties, especially those farthest from Chicago.

Illinoisans already paid the second-highest property tax rate in the nation in 2022.

The typical Illinois homeowner paid about $5,055 in property taxes – more than homeowners in any other Midwest state and more than double the typical American homeowner’s $2,457 bill, according to the most recent census data for 2022. Illinois homeowners paid more in median property taxes in 2022 than the typical homeowner in Alabama, West Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana and South Carolina – combined.

Census data also shows homeowners living in every one of Illinois’ border counties would see their property tax bills reduced by moving to a similar value home in a neighboring county across the state line. On average, these homeowners would have saved about $1,595 in property taxes in 2022.

In Illinois, a homeowner’s property tax bill is based on two factors: the assessed value of the property and the amount of revenue local taxing districts seek to raise.

Schools levy most of the property taxes – about two-thirds across Illinois. Illinois has nearly 7,000 local government units with the power to demand property taxes, far more than any other state.

These local entities, from airport authorities to forest preserves to fire-protection districts, all levy property taxes that are layered atop one another – making the total property tax bill for Illinoisans more expensive and less transparent.

A growing share of property taxes have gone to government pensions, which continue eating more school and local government resources. Illinois ended the 2023 fiscal year with an estimated $211 billion in unfunded state and local pension liabilities. That is about half funded – the nation’s worst funding ratio and biggest pension debt. It is at a level between what experts warn is “deeply troubled” and “past the point of no return.”

Think property taxes don’t matter to you because you rent? Wrong. Landlords pass on property tax costs through higher rent, so property taxes can significantly impact the affordability of housing for both homeowners and renters.

Illinois has lost population for 10 years in a row – a total loss of 548,916 people and most because of moves to other states. Over 50% of Illinois voters polled cited high taxes as the main reasons why they would move out of state if given the chance. Lawmakers need to act now to curb these costs for the future and incentivize more Illinoisans to stay.

A “hold harmless” pension reform plan, such as one developed by the Illinois Policy Institute and based loosely on bipartisan 2013 reforms, could help eliminate the state’s unfunded pension liability and reduce homeowners’ property tax payments over time while providing retirement security for pensioners.

With nearly 3-in-5 Illinoisans believing the value of public services they receive are not worth the property taxes they pay, lawmakers should be pursuing structural reforms that will keep Illinoisans in Illinois.