Is this a weird job market or what? I got laid off in the QC two weeks ago. I have been applying non-stop since then. I expanded my search to the several hundred hybrid roles in Naperville, Aurora and Lisle. Nothing. Nadda.
Kudos for the school admin for advocating for this! Anyone know which school?
Also why hasn’t this caught on ?
I understand chromebooks and smart screens are used more in the last decade or so - but among the elementary schools atleast are there any schools you know of that use less screen times at school, lesser tablet usage than others?
You could share your own experiences as well (for your children in school currently or in last 5-6 years).
I would love a school that uses less online work and more pencil paper work and crafts play etc. Any guidance is appreciated.
Mayor Fleeta Baggett announced a plan Monday to use revenues generated by an Amazon Data Services data center campus in the city to eliminate property taxes for city homeowners.
Baggett said the economic investment from Amazon provides an opportunity for the city to shift the tax burden off residents and onto large-scale commercial development.
“This is exactly the kind of economic growth we’ve been working toward — growth that directly benefits the people who call Covington home,” said Baggett. “Because of the revenue generated by the Amazon data center, we now have a real opportunity to eliminate city property taxes for individual homeowners.”
Property taxes for Amazon will be abated for the next 16 years, but Amazon will make payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) during that time totaling $99,450,000 for the city.
Once the abatement period ends, Amazon will pay property taxes based on the city’s millage rate.
Hi, I’m moving to Naperville soon for work and will be working remotely. I’m currently looking for a 2 bed / 1.5 or 2 bath apartment or townhouse under ~$2100 base rent/month.
Preferences:
- Safe area with good overall community vibe
- In-unit washer/dryer preferred (but flexible if the property/location is great)
- Good parking and reasonably updated interiors would be a plus
Open to nearby areas around Naperville as well
Would really appreciate any recommendations or places to avoid. Thanks!
Hey Naperville parents and teachers. Are we concerned at all about the amount of technology used in classrooms from an early age?
Gen Z may be the first generation in a while that annoyed lower than preceding generations on several cognitive tests and developmental milestones, and it largely correlates to the introduction of tech into classrooms.
I know correlation doesn't equal causation, but I find it interesting that the silicon valley execs send their kids to tech free schools, while milking school districts across the country for millions.
Just wondering what other parents and teachers thoughts on this issue are
Pulte wants to tear down the woods on 75th behind the Dupage water tanks and put in duplexes.
The area is full of wetlands and untouched dupage county, why not for a change just leave it that way.
Zoning commission meeting on June 3rd at City Hall.
Anybody know what’s happening in the Maplebrook area near 75th and Washington? There were easily a dozen cop cars and multiple cops walking around with shotguns drawn.
Found this cat in front of my house, I don't know who it belongs to. It has a collar, so it definitely belongs to someone.
Do you ever take the Metra and think about the probability of your own death?
For some reason, I do.
Below, I tried to calculate the historical risk using passenger deaths inside Metra trains. I'm not including pedestrians, drivers, or people outside the train.
First things first: has anyone ever died as a passenger in a Metra crash?
As far as I can find, there have been three passenger deaths in Metra's crash history, but only two fatal passenger crashes.
The first was the 2005 Rock Island derailment near the 47th Street bridge, where two passengers were killed, and more than 100 people were injured.
The second was the 2022 Clarendon Hills BNSF crash, where a Metra train hit a stalled box truck at a crossing, and one passenger was killed.
Metra spokespeople told local media after the 2022 crash that Clarendon Hills was only the second accident in Metra history to kill a passenger.
Now that we know that, we need to know the number of passenger trips!
Metra reported about 74.0 million passenger trips in 2019, then COVID crushed ridership: 18.6 million in 2020, 14.1 million in 2021, 23.7 million in 2022, 32.0 million in 2023, about 35 million in 2024, and about 38 million in 2025. This was really surprising to me, even by 2025, Metra was still only around 51–52% of its 2019 ridership. Yikes!
Metra’s 2018 ridership report said approximately 90% of passenger trips were for work, so work-from-home and hybrid work hit the system extremely hard!!
Known passenger deaths in Metra train crashes:
2005 Rock Island derailment: 2 passenger deaths
2022 Clarendon Hills crash: 1 passenger death
Total: 3 passenger deaths
Passenger trips from 2005 through 2025.
For the pre-COVID years, Metra was generally around an 80-million-trips-per-year railroad. Metra’s 2018 report says 2018 had about 76.1 million trips and was comparable to 2005, and the late 2000s / 2010s were generally in the high-70-million to mid-80-million range.
So a simple estimate:
2005–2019: 15 years × about 80 million trips/year
≈ 1.20 billion passenger trips
2020–2025: 18.6M + 14.1M + 23.7M + 32.0M + 35.1M + 38.1M
≈ 161.6 million passenger trips
Total 2005–2025:
≈ 1.20B + 0.162B
≈ 1.36 billion passenger trips
Now we can divide by the known passenger deaths:
3 deaths / 1.36 billion passenger trips
= 0.0000000022 deaths per trip
In other words, 1.36 billion passenger trips / 3 deaths ≈ 453 million passenger trips per death
Or:
≈ 1 in 450,000,000
≈ 0.00000022% per passenger trip
Again, this might not be super accurate. And you probably shouldn't take it as a prediction. Thankfully, the sample size is tiny (three deaths total).
What is the most dangerous car to be in?
It depends on the crash type.
In the 2022 Clarendon Hills crash, the train hit a stalled box truck at a grade crossing. The truck struck the right side of the lead cab car, damaging the lower-level seating area. The passenger who died was seated in that lead cab car near the sidewall where the truck hit. In that kind of crash, yes, the front car can be the dangerous place.
But in the 2005 Rock Island derailment was different. The train entered a 10 mph crossover at about 69 mph, derailed, and the major fatal damage happened when the fourth car struck the bridge structure.
So the "riskiest car" depends on the geometry of the crash...a truck hitting the train at a crossing can make the first car the worst place, but a derailment near a bridge, wall, or other structure can make the middle cars worse.
Important notice
Metra is extremely safe, and it seems to me they have learned from every mistake. I'll give you an example. The 2005 crash was an overspeed derailment. The National Transportation Safety Board said the lack of Positive Train Control contributed to that crash. So now Metra says all of its lines and trains are equipped with Positive Train Control, which is this really cool system designed to automatically stop trains in certain dangerous situations.
Of course, Positive Train Control isn't going to magically remove a stalled truck from a crossing, which is what happened in the 2022 Clarendon Hills crash.
For passengers inside the train, fatal Metra crashes are extraordinarily rare. And based on the public record, your odds of dying as a passenger are roughly:
💀 1 in 450,000,000 per trip
So statistically, you are far more likely to miss your stop because you fell asleep than die in a Metra crash.
Anyways, happy Metra Riding!
🚆🚆🚆
P.S. Metra, if you’re reading this: you’re pretty great, but please make the trains faster. I should not have enough time between Naperville and Union Station to reconsider every life decision I’ve ever made.
[1] ABC7 Chicago report on the 2022 Clarendon Hills crash, including Metra’s statement that it was the second Metra accident to kill a passenger. (ABC7 Chicago)
[2] NTSB report on the 2022 Clarendon Hills BNSF crash. (NTSB)
[3] NTSB report on the 2005 Rock Island derailment. (NTSB)
[4] FRA/Volpe reconstruction of the 2005 derailment, including the fourth-car fatal injury mechanism. (ROSA P)
[5] Metra/APTA ridership figures for 2019–2025. (Wikipedia)
[6] Metra 2018 ridership report, including the note that about 90% of trips were work trips. (metrarail.com)
Other interesting links:
Metra Ridership and On-Time Performance: https://metra.com/ridership-and-on-time-performance
Metra Annual Reports: https://metra.com/budget-and-financial-statements
I was fishing the riverbank and saw something out of the corner of my eye ..... He was stuck in that netting all along the edge of the river. Hands down the biggest one I've seen so far this year. Thank you again to the guy I stopped to help hold him while I cut the netting away!!!!!! He swam away stronger than I thought he would have
BMW leaving caputos you can shove it where the sun dont shine, my children were in the van you impatient ahh
just a rant i guess.
went for a checkup last week near downtown. nothing crazy just needed to use my insurance before the year ended. the whole appointment just left me feeling like garbage.
the hygienist asked how often i floss. i said "most days" which is true but sometimes i skip a day or two. she gave me this look. like a disappointed mom look. then she spent 10 minutes showing me how to floss properly. i'm 34 years old. i know how floss works.
then the dentist came in and started talking about my gums and bone loss and "potential concerns" if i dont change my habits. kept using words like "we need to watch this" and "progressive condition." wouldnt give me a straight answer about whether anything is actually wrong right now or if hes just predicting future problems.
i left with a treatment plan for something called a "deep cleaning" that costs like $800 after insurance. and a recommendation for a night guard. and a follow up in 3 months instead of 6.
maybe i do need all that stuff. i dont know. im not a dentist. but the whole experience just felt like they were trying to scare me into spending money.
anyway thanks for listening. just needed to complain somewhere
I am looking for a 1 bed/1 bath apartment in Lisle or the surrounding Naperville area. I don’t have any pets, and I’m looking for a quiet, well-maintained community close to restaurants, grocery stores, and green spaces.
My budget is around $1,700, but I can stretch to $1,900 if the community and amenities are worth it.
I am currently considering Green Trails Apartments in Lisle as my top option. I recently visited and really liked the community and the location on the Lisle/Naperville border. Has anyone lived there, or do you have any feedback?
Would love to hear from anyone who has lived in Lisle or the Naperville western suburbs. Any hidden gems or communities to avoid would also be super helpful!
Thanks in advance
I've been reading everywhere that Naperville School districts 203 and 204 are simply great. Thats one of the big reasons a lot of families move there I'm sure! But how would you rate those against schools in Lisle, Aurora, or other surrounding areas? Are they comparable or really far down the list in terms of quality of education and school life overall for the child?
Thanks!
My son just turned 3 and he really likes biking his balance bike outdoor where there are trees. So for this summer I am planning to take him to trail which has paved road or crushed limestone with surrounding trees. I live near Costco at route 59 and ok to travel 15-20 miles to get to the trail location.
Appreciate any recommendations or suggestion.
