Illinois
UJpdating sturgeon story by giving a sense of where they fit around Chicago and Illinois
I’m not sure whether finding a sturgeon or a body is rarer on Lake Michigan.
‘‘I could see a large object floating in the water with a white shirt approximately 300 to 400 yards south from me and in close proximity to the recovery of the first body,’’ Capt. Ernesto Amparan of Thin Blue Line Fishing emailed on noticing a surprise Saturday while setting up lines in 113 feet for a charter near the R4 buoy off the north suburbs.
Earlier Saturday, another charter had found a body believed to be the 41-year-old swimmer unaccounted for in ‘‘harsh swimming conditions’’ June 30 off Evanston.
A big dead sturgeon, originally mistaken for a body, found Saturday near the R4 buoy.
‘‘I called the Coast Guard to report my observation, just in case I couldn’t get all my lines out of the water in time before it continued to float away,’’ Amparan emailed. ‘‘As I got closer, the object was getting bigger. My customers all believed it was a person floating, but to our surprise it was an approximately 5-foot dead sturgeon. I have seen one in Lake Michigan before, and it was interesting to see a dead one floating around. My customers were relieved it wasn’t a body and were excited to see the sturgeon.’’
They should be. Lake sturgeon are very rare in the Chicago area.
The Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board lists lake sturgeon as endangered in the state. But a reintroduction was started late last year with the stocking of 4,600 young lake sturgeon from Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery into the Illinois River and its tributaries.
The most famous sturgeon in Chicago history is probably the one of 45 inches, weighing 20 pounds and 2 ounces, caught and released by Collier Moore on Feb. 28, 2000, from Wolf Lake. It had been tagged with Wisconsin tag 5-S-8012 on Aug. 11, 1994, on the Wolf River, about 105 miles upstream of Lake Winnebago. It probably arrived via Green Bay and Lake Michigan.
Of more recent vintage was the 40-inch lake sturgeon, which had a girth of 21 inches and weighed 17.5 pounds, that Tariq Khan caught and released on April 17, 2021, from the south side of Montrose Harbor. He was bottom-fishing for whitefish, lake trout or brown trout with night crawlers.
Wild things
In response to my note last week that I am seeing fewer fireflies than usual, William Paul replied: ‘‘Here in Grundy County, I’m noticing MORE fireflies than usual. It’s been a great year for them. I figured it was due to the early rain and warmth.’’
• I counted a personal-record 14 rabbits on my ramble Sunday morning with Lady. I keep waiting for coyotes to arrive and thin their ranks.
• Kate Fuentes sent more photos of the black red fox kit in Lockport, one of them with a regular red fox kit.
A red fox kit with a rare black fox kit in Lockport.
Stray cast
May the All-Star break be to Chicago baseball what a thunderstorm is to a fishless day
Illinois
Motorcyclist killed in Mundelein crash, police say
Tuesday, July 7, 2026 1:19AM
MUNDELEIN, Ill. (WLS) — A motorcyclist was killed in a north suburban crash on Monday evening, police said.
Mundelein police said officers and members of the fire department responded to a crash involving a Suzuki motorcycle and a Honda SUV near Route 45 and Route 83 around 5:25 p.m.
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The motorcyclist, a 34-year-old man, was ejected, police said. He was pronounced dead on the scene, and his name was not immediately released.
Police said the intersection was shut down but is expected to reopen around 8:30 p.m.
The Mundelein Police Department, the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team, and the Lake County Coroner’s Office are investigating.
Authorities did not immediately provide further information.
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Illinois
Severed arm in Illinois lake: Court records say body parts found in freezer, half-brother claimed self-defense
ILLINOIS – Editor’s note: This story contains graphic details that may be disturbing to some readers. Viewer discretion is advised.
New details have emerged in the case of a severed arm bearing a distinctive Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers tattoo that was recovered from an Illinois lake, leading investigators to identify the victim.
James Adams, 26, and Robin Turner, 62, have been charged in connection with the death of 38-year-old Dalewayne Turner. Both face charges of concealment of a homicidal death, a Class 3 felony, and dismembering a human body, a Class X felony.
The backstory:
Two charged after severed arm with Packers tattoo found in Illinois lake, police say
Will County court documents released Monday identify Adams as Dalewayne Turner’s half-brother and Robin Turner as his wife.
According to the documents, Adams admitted to fatally stabbing Dalewayne Turner, while Robin Turner did not contact law enforcement after the killing.
Investigators allege the two took extensive steps to conceal the crime, including using bleach to clean the home and mask odors, repainting portions of the house, removing and burning wood paneling in a fire pit, and disposing of rugs.
Court records describe a large amount of blood at the scene and state that Dalewayne Turner’s body was dismembered. Some of his remains were placed in a freezer that investigators say was purchased specifically for that purpose.
Authorities allege the remains were placed in trash bags, weighted down, sealed with duct tape and transported to Lake Mattoon, where they were dumped in an effort to prevent the victim from being found and identified.
Prosecutors said one weighted bag came apart, allowing Dalewayne Turner’s tattooed arm to surface. Boaters discovered the arm on the evening of June 28.
Pictured is an arm tattoo of a skeleton holding a Green Bay Packers helmet. (Illinois State Police)
A dive team later recovered additional weighted bags containing human remains from the lake.
What they’re saying:
After Adams was taken into custody June 30, court documents say he confessed to the killing but claimed he acted in self-defense.
“The one thing I will say is that I did it, but I did it out of self-defense. I will tell you guys that,” James said.
During an interview with investigators June 30, Robin Turner said Adams and Dalewayne Turner argued in the living room before Adams stabbed him multiple times.
According to court documents, Adams later told Robin Turner that Dalewayne Turner either fell or was pushed down a staircase after the stabbing and that he placed the body in a freezer.
Robin Turner told investigators she believed the body was still in the freezer, which she said she purchased from Best Buy on June 19 after her previous freezer broke.
She also told investigators that the repainting and remodeling inside the home were part of renovation work completed between June 21 and June 30.
On July 1, Illinois State Police agents searched the home and found a downstairs freezer with what appeared to be a bloodstain dripping from a drain hole, according to court records.
Investigators opened the freezer and found a partial body consisting of a torso, neck and head, but no limbs, court documents state.
What’s next:
Both Robin Turner and Adams are scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. Thursday for a detention hearing.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by Will County court documents and previous FOX Chicago reporting.
Illinois
Catholic Charities Fort Worth Expands Research-Backed Anti-Poverty Program to Illinois
Catholic Charities Fort Worth developed the Padua program, which is an anti-poverty program that ‘meets clients where they are.’
In the heart of one of Chicago’s most challenged neighborhoods, a proven, dignity-centered approach to breaking the cycle of poverty is about to take root.
Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago recently announced a major partnership with Catholic Charities Fort Worth (CCFW) to bring the innovative Padua program to the greater Englewood community in south Chicago.
Named after St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of the poor, the program pairs participants with a team of two dedicated caseworkers for long-term, client-led support, with no arbitrary time limits. The only eligibility requirements for the program are that the client be 18 years old and willing to work.
The collaboration marks a significant expansion of the model, which was developed in 2015 by CCFW and validated through a randomized controlled trial by the University of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO).
Participants in the study were 25% more likely to achieve full-time employment, earned 46% higher incomes, and were 64% more likely to secure stable housing.
Brendan Perry, director of Padua National at Catholic Charities Fort Worth, told EWTN News that the program was in response to the nonprofit “seeing a lot of repeat customers,” which, “in the nonprofit world is not a good thing.”
“We weren’t truly creating economic mobility,” Perry recalled of the organization’s earlier efforts. “Padua was our answer to that challenge.”
Perry said the program was born from a simple but powerful question: What if?
“What if the way we’ve always addressed poverty isn’t the way it has to be?” he explained. “What if we created a program where clients set their own goals, timelines were built around people instead of funders, and we holistically addressed a client’s root issues instead of just the symptoms of their poverty? And what if we could prove it through research and create a model that was replicable?”
Unlike many short-term workforce programs, Padua’s two-person case management teams (a case manager and caseworker) provide holistic support in employment, housing, education, and emotional resilience. Clients define their own goals and remain in the program for as long as needed.
Perry said that people begin their journey with Padua from many different places and often come from a place of crisis. While Padua “is not a crisis program,” Perry said the program helps clients get to a place of stability.
“Once theyʼre there, weʼre gonna be sticking with you for the long haul to get to a point of strength and of prosperity.”
One client who has benefited from the Padua program is Lisa, a divorced mother of three who faced single parenthood, housing instability, unemployment, and mental health issues among her children.
“When I was in my marriage, there was a lot of breaking up and getting back together,” Lisa said. “There was a lot of moving around, and I believe thatʼs how my son developed separation anxiety, which led to depression, and [he] became highly suicidal.”
Lisa’s caseworker helped her find counseling for her son as well as for Lisa, who learned coping skills that helped her better care for her son.
“I pour into his life daily by reminding him that you are handsome, you are smart, you are capable, you have a mum and a family that loves you. You are loved, you deserve to be alive. This world needs you,” she said.
The Padua program helped her attend culinary school and taught her financial skills like budgeting and saving.
Lisa is now employed, has a stable home for her children, and has attended a culinary arts program with dreams of becoming a catering and private chef.
She gives credit to her caseworker, Taelor: “I call her my guardian angel because … sheʼs just been so loving and supportive.”
Perry added that the partnership with Goodwill reflects a shared commitment to human dignity.
“We’re not just expanding the program — we’re ensuring more families have access to the tools they need to build bigger, brighter futures.”
Clayton Pryor, chief mission officer for Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago, emphasized how naturally the program aligns with their existing work.
“At Goodwill, we believe lasting change starts with meeting people where they are,” Pryor told EWTN News. “Padua allows us to go deeper with individuals who need more intensive, long-term support. It’s client-led, research-backed, and focused on real stability — not just a job, but a foundation for life.”
The Illinois program is scheduled to launch in October out of Goodwill’s new Neighborhood Opportunity Center in Englewood. Pryor said the organization aims to serve 50 clients in the first year, scaling to more than 200 over five years.
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