Latest news with #OfficeroftheYear
Chicago Tribune
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville News Digest: DuPage forest preserve district police officer wins state honor; BrightSide Theatre announces upcoming 2025-26 season
Kim Eversole, a police officer for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, has been named a 2025 Illinois Juvenile Officers Association Officer of the Year. Eversole is a 14-year veteran of the department and is its community engagement coordinator. She is involved with several efforts to connect youth with nature and law enforcement, a news release from the forest preserve district said. Among her outreach events last year included four free 'Cops and Bobbers' fishing programs held at DuPage County forest preserves. Eversole also attended numerous summer camps and community programs, including like National Night Out, which reinforces the idea that law enforcement officers are approachable, the release said. In December, she organized 'Shop With a Cop,' a program that gives kids a holiday shopping trip to pick out items from their wish list while spending meaningful time with an officer. Eversole is also a field training officer and responds to calls as a Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigations Team drone operator in addition to her regular patrol duties. She previously led the department's volunteer Trail Watch program. BrightSide Theatre, a professional theater company based in Naperville, will open its 14th season in October with 'The Rocky Horror Show.' The musical, which was adapted into the film 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show,' will be presented from Oct. 24 to Nov. 9 at the Theater at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth St. From Jan. 9 to 18, BrightSide will perform 'Phantom in Concert' at the Madden Theatre, 171 Chicago Ave. It will be followed by 'Private Lives' from April 10-26 and 'The Producers' from June 12-28. Both productions will be at the Theater at Meiley-Swallow Hall. Tickets are $37 for adults and $32 for students and seniors. Season subscriptions and individual show tickets can be purchased starting July 1 online at or by calling 630-447-8497. The BrightSide Youth Theatre Project will also perform condensed versions of hit musicals tailored for young performers and audiences. 'The SpongeBob Musical Youth Edition' will be presented Oct. 25-Nov. 2 at the Theater at Meiley-Swallow Hall and 'Legally Blonde the Musical Jr.' will be performed Feb. 20-28 at the Yellow Box Theatre, 1635 Emerson Lane. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and will be on sale beginning in September and January before the shows. Empty camping-sized, 1-pound propane tanks can be recycled for free if dropped off at the Blackwell Forest Preserve Campground, near Butterfield and Winfield roads in Warrenville, just past the gate and east of the campground office building. The gates are closed during non-camping hours, but patrons can park in the north shelter lot and walk to the recycling crate when the Blackwell preserve is open, officials said. Blackwell is open one hour after sunrise and closes one hour after sunset. The program is offered through a partnership with the county, the forest preserve district and Flat Can Recycling. Four Naperville restaurants have been recognized for their exceptional wine programs and pairing experiences by Wine Spectator. The magazine recently named its 2025 honorees, which includes Award of Excellence winners Sullivan's Steakhouse, 244 S. Main St.; Ramsay's Kitchen, 39 W. Jefferson Ave.; Fogo de Chao, 1824 Abriter Court; and Morton's The Steakhouse, 1751 Freedom Drive. This year, Sullivan's expanded its offerings with wine-pairing dinners that feature educational components, multicourse menus and exclusive access to limited-edition bottles, according to a news release from the Dividend Restaurant Group, whose brands include Sullivan's and Eddie Merlot's steakhouse. Eddie Merlot's Warrenville and Burr Ridge locations were also recognized by Wine Spectator. Wine Spectator selected more than 3,800 restaurants as award-winners this year, including restaurants in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, its website said. The awards recognize restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers, the website said. Restaurants named to its Award of Excellence category typically offer at least 90 selections of wine. Its highest honor, given to fewer than 100 restaurants, typically feature more than 1,000 selections of wines and the highest level of wine service.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
St. Paul police name detective, officer, employee of the year
St. Paul's police chief on Thursday named a homicide investigator as Detective of the Year and a patrol officer who regularly recovers firearms and large amounts of drugs as Officer of the Year. Sgt. Jennifer O'Donnell, a St. Paul officer of more than 30 years who works in the homicide/robbery unit, was the primary investigator on 156 homicides, robberies and aggravated assaults last year and assisted on more, according to her commendation. She was the primary investigator in the fatal shooting of Nicholas Sletten, 42, in the North End in October. Murder charges were filed in January. 'This was a complex investigation that required ongoing intensive work,' said O'Donnell's commendation, which described her and her colleagues as working 'tirelessly' on the case. Chief Axel Henry named Abdirahman Dahir as 2024 Officer of the Year. He grew up in St. Paul, became a Police Explorer at age 14, and later a St. Paul parking enforcement officer before he joined the department's police academy in 2021. A patrol officer in the Western District, Dahir recovered 22 handguns, of which 3 were stolen and one a 'ghost gun,' and several thousand fentanyl pills during 18 stops last year that were either traffic or investigative, his commendation said, adding that last year 'was not an anomaly.' Dahir recovered 30 handguns the year before. Richard Bertholf, who works in the police Video Management Unit, was recognized as Professional Employee of the Year. When Andre L. Mitchell, 26, was shot and killed while two children were in his backseat in November, Bertholf 'immediately responded to multiple urgent requests to gather nearby video that may have captured the shooting,' his commendation said. He found videos that showed four people shooting at Mitchell and two suspect vehicles, and gathered information about suspects. Four people have been charged in Mitchell's murder. Don't pay for traffic tickets over text: DPS warns of scam messages Who's in charge? CDC's leadership 'crisis' apparent amid new COVID-19 vaccine guidance DOC commissioner asks for patience from Stillwater prison families, dismisses idea of reopening Appleton prison Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 pandemic in counties across the US 40 St. Paul street lights stripped of copper wiring, though reports are down overall
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Cherokee County officers celebrated for outstanding service
BAXTER SPRINGS, Kan. — Cherokee County law enforcement are recognized for the services they provide to their respective communities. The annual Cherokee County Law Enforcement Awards Banquet took place Thursday night (5/15) at Bethel Church in Baxter Springs. Agencies represented were Columbus, Galena, Baxter Springs, and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. The event, which includes dinner and the awards ceremony, allows each agency to recognize those who go above and beyond the call of duty. Sheriff Brian Henderson made this an annual event in 2023, when he was chief of police in Baxter Springs. 'It's not just administration picking somebody, it's their peers that are selecting them and saying, 'hey, this person deserves it.' And that's important to us,' said Sheriff Henderson. 'You look back at your accomplishments and just to know that you're your friends that you work with every day have recognized your efforts that you're out there doing, because a lot of times, that stuff goes unnoticed, and so it's a good opportunity for them to see that they're appreciated,' said Galena Police Chief, Chad Allison. Each agency gave out various awards Thursday. Those included Officer of the Year, Deputy of the Year, and a life-saving award. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Montgomery named Law Officer of the Year
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways May 7—LIMA — Lima Police Investigator Aaron Montgomery said it felt like a big thank you to be named the Lima Exchange Club's Jack Somerville Law Officer of the Year on Wednesday afternoon. The club recognized Montgomery for his work on multiple task forces and for recently helping to save an unconscious elderly woman at Bowling Green State University's graduation ceremony. "The limelight is an enjoyable thing, and I appreciate it because it means a lot to me, but I almost don't want it on me," Montgomery said. "We're a family of law enforcement and my children, wife, mom and dad have endured a lot for the last 17 years including long shifts." The club also held a remembrance ceremony in which LPD Chief James Baker shared a message encouraging the audience to remember the past. "Remembering your past is foundational to your future," Baker said. "Sometimes when you get into the day-to-day, you forget. You ask why you stood before a judge and take an oath toward your life, and it's good to remember." Montgomery took Baker's words to heart, reflecting on his time in law enforcement. "It was something I was always intrigued by, along with the physical and mental aspects," he said. "I've always enjoyed that I can carry on a conversation with anybody. I've always had the ability to be involved with different walks of life." Montgomery is a graduate of Bluffton High School and Rhodes State College and has served with LPD since 2008. A certified K9 trainer, Montgomery has also served on the SWAT team, the West Central Ohio Crime Task Force and as a field training officer. The Exchange Club also accepted a nomination from Allen County Sheriff's Deputy Damian Tibbs. Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Labette College students finish community service projects
PARSONS, Kan. — Students at Labette Community College use a classroom assignment to make an impact on the world. Each semester, students in Tanya Neisis' public relations class are assigned service learning projects to complete. These can cover a wide range of topics, like the food pantry at the college. The idea is to give students real world experience they can use on a resume while helping connect them to the community. Labette College students finish community service projects Arbor Day in the Four States highlights importance of trees Parsons man gets suspended sentence for role in 2024 convenience store robbery Southeast Kansas law enforcement named 'Officer of the Year' for the second time Southeast Kansas nursing home catches fire, residents evacuated Students are responsible for strategic planning, event promotions and interacting with the media. And it helps if it is a project they connect with. 'We didn't have so much in our student pantry, and after my project, they were, like, 'wow, T, there's a lot in there for us,' because some people come from homes where parents can't afford food, and so our community here, for me to be able to help them, it was really a big thing,' said Tanihya Porter, LCC Sophomore. 'If I can get students to see the importance of education and civic engagement, and civic responsibility, and I feel like service learning is the way to do that,' said Tanya Neisis, LCC Communcation Professor. This is the 16th year for the service learning projects at LCC. One of this year's other projects: the Erie Special Olympics. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
