CALUMET CITY â Thaddeus Jones took over as mayor barely three weeks ago, but he s not wasting any time addressing what he sees as the city s most pressing needs.
In a Monday morning tour around the city, Jones gave the Times an exclusive look at his plans to revitalize River Oaks Center, redevelop the site of a demolished shopping center on the southeast side, build the cityâs first new housing in two decades and relocate the public works facility away from a residential area on the northwest side.
Here s a closer look at what Jones is proposing:
River Oaks
Like former Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush, an 18-year incumbent whom Jones ousted in the February Democratic primary, Jones is pushing hard for the proposed south suburban casino to be awarded to Calumet City.
Dolton police shift patrols into neighborhoods to combat crime spike
FOX 32 s Roseanne Tellez reports.
DOLTON, Ill. - In south suburban Dolton, a spike in crime and a new administration is leading to a new strategy for police.
Calls of shots fired are up, as are carjackings and police say they can’t seem to bring the murder rate out of the double digits.
Mayor Tiffany Henyard said it was time for a bold move. She decided to take police foot patrols out of the business district and put them in residential neighborhoods instead. A lot of people were concerned about crime, right. That was my number one concern, my top priority. What better way to put the people at one with the police then to have them go door to door, she said.
With Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch on hand, Henyard was sworn in Saturday as the first female mayor and, at 37, the youngest mayor in Dolton s 128-year history. I will say I am thrilled, I am overjoyed, Henyard said in an interview on Friday, noting that her roots in civic engagement go back more than a decade.
Henyard said she attended a block party when she was 19 and heard the neighborhood wasn t getting anywhere with a maintenance request to the village. Residents were asking me to be their spokesperson, Henyard said. I went to my first board meeting, and I demanded they trim that tree.
Joe Ruffalo, file, The Times
An emergency vehicle blocks off access to northbound Stoney Island Avenue by Stewart Avenue in Calumet City. Authorities were negotiating with a barricaded subject north of the location.
Kale Wilk, The Times
From left, Calumet City 3rd Ward Alderman DeAndre Tillman, Interim Police Chief Kevin Kolosh, city spokesperson Sean Howard and Mayor Thaddeus Jones deliver a press conference Sunday outside Pete s Fresh Market.
Kale Wilk, The Times
Calumet City Interim Police Chief Kevin Kolosh briefs the news media on a barricaded subject Sunday outside Pete s Fresh Market. Authorities were still negotiating with the subject at the time of the briefing.
UPDATE: Man barricaded in home after police locate gunshot victim, Calumet City officials say nwitimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nwitimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.