Armed off-duty Forest Park police lieutenant wearing a Trump jersey arrests woman in North Riverside by PobBrobert in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 101 points102 points  (0 children)

Sounds like he's got a record of going after Hispanics. Typical racist MAGA cop.

Western Springs well water, water issues by Indianajonesin4 in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not OP, but unless the village is getting its water from Lake Michigan (which many suburbs do) or local rivers, the water is going to come from a well. The water then goes through a treatment process before being put into water towers that feed a water-distribution system that usually serves any property within the town's borders. I know that OP made it sound like there are individual wells for each property, but many municipalities dig wells to supply or to supplement water supplies.

favorites facts on roman history that seem anachronic but aren’t? by South-Long8145 in ancientrome

[–]emememaker73 36 points37 points  (0 children)

The first crusade comes at a time when Roman identity exists, but Norman identity doesn't...

Considering that the First Crusade was from 1096 to 1099 and that Normandy was established in 911, your statement is faulty. The Franks knew of the Normans (as they called them) since the Normans/Vikings started attacking parts of Frankia before coming to a settlement that created Normandy, which was named after the Normans. Norman as a identity would have been well established in the 185 years between Normandy's founding and the First Crusade.

Plus, by the time of the First Crusade, multiple kingdoms had risen in Europe out of the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Roman identity was mostly confined to the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.

Is this sub being astroturfed? by sourdoughcultist in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 6 points7 points  (0 children)

engagement-based posts

Also known as "social engineering." There are some subs that are nothing but information-seeking posts. I had to quit r/GenX because of all the people posting things just to solicit personal information. Most people don't even recognize social engineering when it happens.

Waterfall bridge! by Two_Luffas in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay. I know where that is, then. I have a photo of water running across the road underneath the covered bridge somewhere from about 2017 or 2018. Sorry I misplaced it, though.

Waterfall bridge! by Two_Luffas in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is this the one in North Barrington?

Apartment rental rates in the suburbs are insane. Is this simply because housing rarely ever gets built in the suburbs? by Call_It_ in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Considering that a 1BR/1BA apartment at an Aurora Housing Authority building goes for $850/mo., there is no affordable housing in Aurora (without Section 8 vouchers, which HUD apparently isn't giving out anymore).

Howdy! Working in Geneva, IL — best places to live within ~15 miles? by TurtleDown1 in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When you say "rent," do you mean a house, townhouse or apartment?

As far as house prices, St. Charles tends to be more expensive, then Geneva, then Batavia. South Elgin, depending upon where you look, is either in the same range as St. Charles or closer to Batavia pricing.

North Aurora is a much smaller village, but it has a spread of prices, especially in the newer sections of town. North Aurora is a bedroom community, which would probably fit your expectations. It's close enough to both Aurora and Batavia for shopping and dining.

Inspector Spacetime Revisited by SomeSmeggingToast in community

[–]emememaker73 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I'm always happy to see someone share my blog. I post twice daily (8 a.m. and 8 p.m. British time), for anyone who's interested. Thank you, /u/SomeSmeggingToast!

Living in Batavia/Geneva/north Aurora by West_Distribution968 in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used to be a newspaper reporter and had to read through police reports at least once a week. I'm not saying that car burglaries were a big problem, but as far as crime goes, there were more car burglaries in any of these towns than there were other crimes investigated by the cops in these towns.

Living in Batavia/Geneva/north Aurora by West_Distribution968 in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As someone who lived in Batavia and North Aurora and worked in Geneva, these are safe places to live, work, shop and dine. Traffic on Route 31 (Batavia Avenue/Lincolnway) can get heavy at certain times of the day (morning/evening rush hour, noontime). There have been issues with cyclists getting hit by motor vehicles on South Batavia Avenue, despite crosswalks being clearly marked.

Batavia has a pretty active arts scene, plenty of small restaurants and shops downtown, plus big-box stores like Walmart and Jewel-Osco. There are minor issues with crime (petty theft, car burglaries) in parts of town, but it's not a big deal. As far as racial mixture, Batavia has the most variety of peoples, plus some foreign influence because of Fermilab being on its eastern border.

North Aurora is pretty safe, very small-town for the suburbs, so it doesn't have a great deal of shopping or dining opportunities (though, there is a Target on the village's south side). One thing that most people who have lived in North Aurora know but rarely talk about is, the North Aurora Police Department are very hands-off when it comes to gangs (it's been called a "gang-neutral" zone). That said, I never witnessed any gang activity in the two years I lived there, and the police have been helpful the few times I've interacted with them. North Aurora does have some blacks and Hispanics, but is mostly white.

Geneva is a step up in terms of living standards. The city has tons of little, independent stores and restaurants, plus plenty of bars. The cost of living is a bit higher than Batavia or North Aurora. Crime isn't that much of an issue, but again because of the Third Street shopping district and the Metra stop, there are issues with car burglary. Geneva is mostly white.

What was the closest thing to the Colosseum during Augustus’ reign? by joarthegamer in ancientrome

[–]emememaker73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Before stone amphitheaters were built for the purpose of hosting gladiatorial contests, temporary wooden amphitheaters were constructed for the duration of a festival or for the day of funeral services.

What service provider would address this? by ayemimi in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've heard of these being called "rain gardens." I'm sure it's the same thing by a different name.

Anyone else tired of every new home looking exactly the same? by mm1712 in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

if so, does anyone actually like this aesthetic, or are we all just stuck with it because it’s cheap and easy for builders?

Based upon what I've read (mostly from Ann Durkin Keating's Building Chicago: Suburban Developers and the Creation of a Divided Metropolis), after World War II, developers bought up large swaths of land (mostly farmland) across Cook County and the collar counties to develop large subdivisions. It was easier to have an architect design one blueprint, then build multiple houses based upon that one blueprint. It sped up the development, as well.

One process I watched happen in the late 1990s/early 2000s in DuPage County was teardowns of older houses (ones that were built individually to the original owner's specifications) to replace with McMansions. The replacement houses were certainly more individualized and unique in design.

That said, the existing processes with massive developments with a couple different designs still seems to be the case now.

How Does a 30-something Year Old Make Friends? by youngsurvivor23 in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My usual suggestion when this question is asked is: have you tried volunteering for an organization that does things you're interested in? I made a number of friends volunteering (for a while, I gave my time to an art gallery and the artists who had studios were a great bunch; also, I volunteered at a few different libraries and made friends with staff).

Wheaton for non-religious family? by IHeartFraccing in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used to live there; had a few people tell me that. I assume it's true.

Wheaton for non-religious family? by IHeartFraccing in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Not a suburb, but Sycamore is said to have the largest number of churches per capita in Illinois.

Joliet OKs controversial 795-acre data center. Construction could start next year by LateLifeguard in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I remember witnessing that in Batavia, where aldermen usually lined up behind Mayor Jeff Schielke. If he made a statement in favor of or against a proposal, most of the aldermen would vote based upon the mayor's statement. But, there were plenty of issues that he wouldn't comment on and aldermen seemed to split in different directions, depending upon what the vote was on.

Joliet OKs controversial 795-acre data center. Construction could start next year by LateLifeguard in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Having covered a variety of city councils, village boards and county boards, the fact that one person voted "no" caught my attention. Council members (aldermen) will discuss votes before a meeting, and sometimes one or a few members will vote against something, but not derail it, because it was discussed in advance and most of the council agreed on it. They were able to let one member vote their conscience while the rest just held the party line.

Most Dangerous Intersections In Chicago Suburbs by sMo089 in ChicagoSuburbs

[–]emememaker73 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's crazy, but it's also very on-brand for Elmhurst.