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Wonder Lake is now the fastest-growing Illinois town. How it’s trying to manage its expansion

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Wonder Lake is now the fastest-growing Illinois town. How it’s trying to manage its expansion


Wonder Lake Village Administrator William Beith heard about the community’s new claim to fame last weekend via a text from one of the trustees.

“We knew we were going to grow, but I would not have guessed the fastest in the state,” Beith said.

But according to data newly released by the U.S. Census Bureau, Wonder Lake’s population as of July 1, 2023, was estimated at 4,889, up from 3,966 since 2020 – an increase of 23.27%, the largest of any municipality in Illinois. That growth can be attributed to two housing developments: The Meadows of West Bay and Stonewater.

The building boom in Wonder Lake started shortly after Beith started working for the village in June 2021.

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“Two weeks after I started here, the guy from [Stonewater builder] D.R. Horton came in with 60 building permits. We had two in all of the previous year,” Beith said.

In May alone, there were 15 approved home construction permits in the village, he said.

Stonewater is expected to bring a total of 3,400 to 3,700 homes, and an additional 10,000 residents, to the village in the next 20 years. The section now underway now has 711 housing units in it, Beith said, including single-family houses, townhomes, duplexes and an age-targeted, attached four-unit model.

The Meadows of West Bay was a Neumann Homes development, left unfinished after the builder when bankrupt in 2007. Another developer, Lennar, bought and is finishing the development, which has between 300 and 400 homes in it, Beith said.

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Village officials knew that eventually, Wonder Lake would be on the map for new residents.

“It was a matter of time until the universe aligned to get it moving,” said Village President Dan Dycus. The village and developer Andy Teegen of McHenry-based NRB Land worked together to get Stonewater ready for development, including city water and sewer, far in advance of any homes being built there.

“Wonder Lake will be a lot stronger if we lean into ourselves. We can benefit if those tax dollars go to our municipality, versus being sent to the county.”

—  Wonder Lake Village President Dan Dycus

Those utility systems were designed to serve east-side Wonder Lake residents and businesses too. The village hopes that by later summer or early fall, it will begin the project of extending both utilities from Stonewater to businesses along Hancock Drive that are currently on private well and septic systems. The village’s de facto downtown, the commercial corridor was annexed into Wonder Lake in February.

Other preparations the village has made in advance of the growth include using grant funds to purchase additional vehicles for the police department, increasing department salaries and expanding its parks.

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“New public parks and pickleball courts have been added in Meadows of West Bay, a frisbee golf course was added in Woods Creek Park and Stonewater has a center park with over 11 miles of walking paths,” Dycus said.

Homes in the Stonewater development on Thursday, June 6, 2024. New census data reports Wonder Lake is the fastest growing town in the state because of Stonewater and Meadows of West Bay.

Wonder Lake making news headlines for its growth is a little nerve-rattling, Dycus added.

“It puts us on the radar. I want to make sure the village lives up to the reputation” that buzz creates, he said.

At the same time, Wonder Lake wants to appeal to its longtime residents, as well as those who are not in the village. Another 4,000 residents around Wonder Lake are not inside the village limits.

“That is what we have to balance, the generations of people who have lived in Wonder Lake all of their lives” who want to retain the small-town feel, Dycus said.

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The Hancock annexation and utility improvements also means those utilities will soon be closer to other, unincorporated sections of the village. Dycus hopes that encourages others to seek annexation.

“Wonder Lake will be a lot stronger if we lean into ourselves. We can benefit if those tax dollars go to our municipality, versus being sent to the county,” Dycus said.

What the growth also could bring to Wonder Lake is additional commercial investment, Trustee Joe Houston said.

More rooftops and residents “gives us that boost to attract new business to the downtown area,” Houston said.



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Illinois

Tornado watches, warnings across Illinois on Father’s Day

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Tornado watches, warnings across Illinois on Father’s Day


ST. LOUIS – Sunday marked Father’s Day and the Summer Solstice; it’s been a tornado day, too.

Multiple storms across the region have had rotation that produced tornado touchdowns. As we wait for a cold front to pass through, more strong storms could be working through the region. Eventually, some dry time and some calm are in the works in for a few days this week. Rain and thunder are possible late week.

Meanwhile, a tornado watch was issued for most Illinois counties in the FOX 2 viewing area and nearly all of southern Illinois into Indiana until 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Tornado warnings were issued in Fayette and Marion counties until 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively.

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Just after 5 p.m., new tornado warnings were issued for Madison, St. Clair, and Clinton counties in the Metro East. An area of rotation was spotted on the FOX 2 Power Doppler just south of Collinsville around 5:10 p.m.

At least two tornadoes were spotted in Marion County, Illinois.

Beginning at 3 p.m., tornado warnings were issued for Madison, Bond, and Fayette counties in Illinois. Those warnings are expected to end by 4:45 p.m. A tornado warning was issued for Jefferson County, Illinois, until 5:30 p.m.

On the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, a severe thunderstorm watch was issued for Crawford, Dent, Iron, Jefferson, Madison, Phelps, Reynolds, St. Francois, and Washington counties until 1 a.m. Monday.

A flood advisory for St. Louis City, St. Charles and St. Louis counties ended at 5 p.m. Sunday.

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Lake County detectives rescue girl from man they say drove to Illinois from Georgia to meet her

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Lake County detectives rescue girl from man they say drove to Illinois from Georgia to meet her


Detectives from Lake County, Illinois, Sheriff’s office rescued a girl under 14 from a grown man who had traveled from Georgia to meet her this weekend, authorities said Sunday.

At 4:40 a.m. Saturday, Lake County sheriff’s deputies were called to unincorporated Gurnee for a report of a missing girl under the age of 14. Deputies learned the girl had never run away before, and it was especially concerning that she did so in the middle of the night, authorities said.

Sheriff’s detectives learned the girl’s cellphone was not functioning, and she could not be found through any of her electronic devices. Detectives also found that a 24-year-old man from Norcross, Georgia, named Jordy Alexis Fuerte Perez had been communicating with her, authorities said.

Detectives learned that Fuerte Perez had made plans to drive to Illinois from Georgia and pick up the girl, and evidence indicates he told the girl he wanted a “romantic relationship” with her, authorities said.

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Detectives homed in on a vehicle that Fuerte Perez may have been driving, and found the vehicle at the Independence Grove Forest Preserve near Libertyville, authorities said. Both Fuerte Perez and the girl were in the car in a parking lot when detectives arrived at 6 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

The girl did not appear to be injured, but was taken to the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center for specialized advocacy and attention, authorities said.

Fuerte Perez was charged with two counts of solicitation of child pornography, and one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, namely cocaine. More charges ar likely, authorities said.

“This type of case is a parent’s worst nightmare.  Our Criminal Investigations Division took this case seriously and worked tirelessly from the moment the girl was reported missing until she was safely located,” Lake County Sherif John Idleburg said in a news release. “While there will undoubtedly be a long road to recovery and healing, I am grateful the victim was found safe and is physically okay.  I am proud of everyone who played a role in rescuing this young girl and bringing the offender to the first steps of justice.”

Fuerte Perez was due in court on Sunday morning. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s office is asking to have him held while awaiting trial.

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Illinois Prison Closure Deepens Small Town’s Fears

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Illinois Prison Closure Deepens Small Town’s Fears



In Lincoln, Ill., another pillar just fell. The New York Times’ Julie Bosman reports that the state plans to close Logan Correctional Center, a women’s prison that employs more than 500 people, stripping the Route 66 town of about 13,000 of one of its last major, stable job sources. State officials say the nearly century-old complex is too deteriorated to fix and will be replaced by a new, modern facility in Crest Hill, outside Chicago. Capitol News Illinois reports the Illinois Department of Corrections estimates it’ll take five years to build the new prison.


In Lincoln, where factories, a glass plant, and even a 157-year-old college have already called it quits, that decision feels like one more hit—and one that favors the Chicago area over downstate. Residents and local leaders, who spent years lobbying to keep the prison, now worry about a fresh wave of departures as families follow jobs elsewhere, further straining schools and small businesses already on the edge. For a look at what the loss of a single prison means for one Midwestern town—which takes particular pride in the fact it was uniquely named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president—read the full piece.

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