Connect with us

Illinois

Small Illinois town reeling after Nazi symbol appears in yard

Published

on

Small Illinois town reeling after Nazi symbol appears in yard


A swastika mowed into a front lawn in the tiny village of Alhambra, Illinois, prompted a hate crime investigation by Madison County authorities this week, local media reported, in the latest in a series of disturbing incidents where Jews have been the target across the United States.

Jordan Payne, who has lived in the 700-person village since 1987, discovered the giant Nazi emblem while out walking over the weekend.

Advertisement

He told First Alert 4 that he was “very surprised to see Nazi insignia carved into the lawn with a mower.”“It’s a slap in the face, a scar on our village,” Payne said.

The property owner, construction manager Mike Eaton, denied involvement and said he cut the grass as soon as neighbors alerted him to the existence of the symbol.

Alhambra’s city attorney and local police were determining whether the act met the legal threshold for a hate crime. Nearby residents expressed shock; one told St. Louis-based Fox 2, “We don’t want to see this kind of hate in our town.”

Advertisement

Helen Turner, the director of education at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, said that the vandalism fits a wider pattern.

“History doesn’t repeat itself, it rhymes,” she told First Alert 4, warning that antisemitic rhetoric often “quickly escalates into violence.”

Advertisement

National climate of hate

The Illinois case emerged just days after an Egyptian national wielding a makeshift flamethrower wounded at least 12 people at a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado.

Federal prosecutors said the suspect shouted “free Palestine” and sought to “kill all Zionist people.”

Nazi Swastika (credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Advertisement

The Anti-Defamation League’s 2024 audit recorded 8,873 antisemitic incidents nationwide, the highest number since the organization began tracking this in 1979. 

Illinois alone saw a 74% jump between 2022 and 2023, with 211 cases ranging from harassment to assault.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also denounced the lawn vandalism, calling the swastika “a symbol of hate and genocide that has no place in a civilized society.”

Advertisement

CAIR-Chicago executive director Ahmed Rehab urged authorities “to take the promotion of bigotry seriously and to address it whenever and wherever it occurs.”

CAIR spokesperson Ibrahim Hooper said the organization “stands in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.”

Advertisement

‘We will prosecute’

Turner stressed the need for swift legal action. “It typically begins with words, but it very quickly escalates into violence. The only counter to that is for our society to say, ‘These actions have no place here. We will prosecute.’”

As Pride Month began on June 1, local LGBTQ+ advocates noted parallels between rising antisemitism and a documented 80 % spike in anti-LGBTQ+ threats since 2023, according to a new GLAAD report.

For now, investigators in Alhambra were still piecing together how the swastika came to be on the lawn.

Advertisement

Payne said that the hateful emblem did not reflect his hometown’s values: “This isn’t who we are.”





Source link

Illinois

Cash App parent company agrees to $45 million settlement with Illinois, 44 other states

Published

on

Cash App parent company agrees to  million settlement with Illinois, 44 other states


Illinois will get $1.1 million of a $45 million, 45-state settlement with money transfer app Cash App’s parent company, which was accused of misleading customers about the app’s security.

Block Inc. will face $55 million in civil penalties and also have to pay customers nationwide somewhere from $75 million to $120 million as part of the settlement, which includes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In a statement, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said the settlement holds the company accountable and requires it to “change its harmful practices.”

“Block told Cash App users their money was safe and falsely implied that the app worked like a bank, with the same protections,” Raoul said. “Block was aware that fraud on its platform was rising sharply and failed to warn users, strengthen protections or provide real help to users when things went wrong.”

Advertisement

A company spokesperson confirmed the settlement and said the company has made “significant investments in consumer protection, customer service, and compliance.”

“We share the commitment of the attorneys general to addressing industry challenges and continue to invest in operations and technology to promote a safe and healthy financial ecosystem,” the spokesperson said in a statement provided to the Sun-Times Wednesday night.

The lawsuit accused the company of not preventing fraud, and even of having systems that made it easier to commit that fraud. Minimal identity verification allowed someone to create fake or multiple accounts, and the company had no phone support line. Instead, customers who had been defrauded often were provided by those fraudsters with fake online customer support phone numbers, the suit alleged.

As part of the agreement, the company must offer at least 13.5 hours of human-staffed phone lines per day as part of 24-hour support, as well as reimburse customers for fraudulent transactions, stop marketing the app as safe and educate users about the dangers of fraud.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Illinois

Illinois girl, 8, dies after being struck by lightning

Published

on

Illinois girl, 8, dies after being struck by lightning


An 8-year-old girl has died after she was struck by lightning while outside in the backyard of her home in LaSalle County over the Fourth of July weekend.

Girl killed by lightning strike

What we know:

Advertisement

The LaSalle County Coroner’s office said it was called to emergency department at OSF St. Elizabeth Hospital in Ottawa on the evening of July 3 after the child was brought in following the lightning strike.

A forensic autopsy was conducted on Sunday. Preliminary findings determined the girl died from injuries caused by the lightning strike.

Advertisement

What we don’t know:

Officials have not yet released the child’s identity.

The incident remains under investigation by the LaSalle County Coroner’s Office and the LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office.

Advertisement

The Source: The information in this report came from the LaSalle County Coroner’s Office.

IllinoisNews



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Illinois

Lake Geneva boat accident, 3 kids drowned; Illinois school district responds

Published

on

Lake Geneva boat accident, 3 kids drowned; Illinois school district responds


We’re learning more about the victims in Friday’s tragedy on Geneva Lake.

Three kids, ages 10, seven, and six, were killed after they were trapped in the sinking boat during the severe storms.

Advertisement

Officials won’t comment on their identities, but FOX6 learned at least two of them were students at the Community Unit School District 200 (CUSD 200) in Wheaton, Illinois.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

The district released a statement, saying:

Advertisement

“On behalf of Community Unit School District 200, our deepest condolences are with the family and friends of the children who died in a tragic boating incident in Lake Geneva on July 3. We ask that you join us in supporting these families during this difficult time, and keep them in your thoughts as we all cope with this incredible loss.”

Lake Geneva Police Chief statement

What we know:

Advertisement

The City of Lake Geneva Police Department is opening up on the incident and the property destruction caused by the storms.

The police chief says, in part:

Advertisement

“In moments of tragedy, we often see the very best in people, and that has certainly been true here. While there is still healing ahead, I hope everyone knows how grateful we are for the outpouring of support shown over these past several days. It has been humbling to witness and a reminder that no one faces hardship alone when a community stands together.”

Chief Ed Gritzner, City of Lake Geneva Police Department

The backstory:

Advertisement

Walworth County experienced what law enforcement described as a “sudden and severe” storm on July 3. The National Weather Service said it created a downburst with peak winds estimated at 90–100 mph.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

Advertisement

The storm downed hundreds of trees and power lines, damaged several buildings and created hazardous boating conditions on Geneva Lake. One boat with 10 people on board overturned and ultimately sank. 

Six adults and one child were rescued from the water, while three of the kids were missing when emergency responders got there. Those three children were found and later died despite life-saving attempts. 

Emergency response on Geneva Lake after storms lead to calls for water rescue on July 3, 2026.

Advertisement

Who was on the boat?

The latest:

The three children who died have been identified as a 10-year-old girl, a 7-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy. 

Advertisement

The boat operator was a 47-year-old man. The other passengers were a 75-year-old man, a 73-year-old woman, a 49-year-old woman, a 46-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy.

The group included residents of Fontana, as well as residents of Batavia and Wheaton, Illinois. All four kids were wearing properly fitted life jackets, according to law enforcement.

Advertisement

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

What happened on Geneva Lake?

Dig deeper:

Advertisement

Law enforcement said the boat operator had “extensive boating experience” and was unable to find safe harbor when the storm hit. At least two large waves broke over the bow, causing it to take on water. Another wave hit the side of the boat, causing it to roll, capsize and sink. 

The sunken vessel was found in 32 feet of water, and three children were found inside the boat. Divers were able to get them out and bring them to the surface, and they were pronounced dead despite life-saving attempts. Investigators determined they had no external injuries and drowned.

What’s next:

Advertisement

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency are still conducting a joint investigation into the accident. Eleven other agencies assisted with the immediate needs.

The Source: Information in this post comes from the City of Lake Geneva Police Department and Community Unit School District 200 (CUSD 200), along with prior 

Advertisement
NewsLake GenevaIllinois



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending