Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The mayor says the business owner deserves the city’s 16th liquor license, but Alderman Josh Deabel isn’t so convinced.
Chicago Heights city council approved the addition of another liquor license during their Feb. 4 meeting. The new license, awarded to the Mobil gas station at 431 W 14th Street, is the 16th of its kind according to the Northwest Indiana Times. The decision, however, was not unanimous. Mayor David Gonzalez says his administration has generally worked to reduce the number of available liquor licenses in town, but this case is an exception. According to him, Husain contributes roughly $400,000 in annual sales and property taxes, according to the NWI Times report. Husain has already invested $3 million in developing the property, according to Heights Corporation Counsel T.J. Somer in the NWI Times report. Alderman Josh Daebel was the only …
Friday, December 21, 2012
On this week's Patch Talk we're discussing a disagreement between the Chicago Heights mayor and an alderman. We're also looking at what a casino could bring to Homewood.
Read these articles on Chicago Heights Patch and Homewood-Flossmoor Patch: Sign up for daily news alerts: Join the discussion on Facebook:
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Mayor Gonzalez told a federal court judge Heights residents and businesses cannot afford the significant water rate increase proposed by Hammond.
Mayor David Gonzalez spoke out against Hammond's planned water-rate increase as he appeared in federal court in South Bend, IN on Monday. Gonzalez testified that people already can't pay their bills and that businesses may leave the Heights if the water rate increases. One business has already said the increase, as proposed, would kill it. In the new contract, Hammond has proposed a rate increase from 57 cents per 1000 gallons to $2.20 per 1000 gallons. Since the City's 30-year contract with Hammond expires Monday, Nov. 12, the Heights is asking a federal judge to issue a preliminary injunction that keeps Hammond from shutting off its water until the federal court or state regulators decide a new rate, according to Corporation Counsel T.J…
Monday, September 10, 2012
In a letter to the editor, Mayor Gonzalez explains his feelings about the event and four cities being celebrated.
The day after the Chicago Heights closed out its first Sister Cities Fall Festival, Mayor David Gonzalez sent a letter to the editor of Chicago Heights Patch. The letter details his opinion of the event and the city that hosted it. Visit our photo gallery to see more photos from the Sister Cities Fall Festival. Here's what Mayor David Gonzalez had to say about the festival: This past weekend the City of Chicago Heights celebrated the first Festival of Sister Cities. Sister Cities International was founded in 1956 to create and strengthen partnerships between the United States and International communities. Chicago Heights is truly a ‘melting pot’ of nationalities with common values and goals. The relationship with our four sister cities, …
Monday, September 3, 2012
The elected delegate told Sun-Times Media he would not be making an appearance at the big event, which begins Tuesday.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
The elected delegate told Sun-Times Media he would not be making an appearance at the big event, which begins Tuesday.
Heights Mayor and elected delegate David Gonzalez turned heads again, after a Friday Sun-Times story revealed he would not be attending the Democratic National Convention next week. The convention, which kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 4, in Charlotte, NC, is a major election-year event that will feature appearances from political notables, music stars and a speech from President Barack Obama. Most registered Democrats would be thrilled to a attend such an event. So why isn't Gonzalez going? He told Sun-Times reporter Casey Toner he was too busy with his mayoral duties and his accounting business. What do you think of Gonzalez's decision to forego the convention? Are you happy to hear he considers his duties in the Heights more important? Are you…
Friday, August 31, 2012
This series will highlight the most-read stories on Chicago Heights Patch. Whether it's good news or bad news, this what you were reading in August 2012.
This article led to lots of conversation about the quality of the schools in Chicago Heights. Even though the stabbing was committed by a non-Bloom student and it took place away from the school, some readers connected the incident to poor security at Bloom and even encouraged others to send their kids elsewhere. There were also readers that defended Bloom and said it "always has been a safe place to send your students." Read more about the stabbing that left one 17-year-old with a punctured lung. Residents got to see an example of community policing in action after an undercover investigation ended with Heights police recovering about 68 grams of cocaine, 11 pounds of cannabis and 24 ecstasy pills, amounting to an estimated $100,000 in …
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Mayor David Gonzalez spent a lot of time in our top slot in August. He answered six questions from Heights residents and other Patch readers. What did you think of his responses?
Six videos. Six of your questions. Six of his answers. Mayor David Gonzalez sat down with me near the beginning of August to answer a slew of questions. His responses were well-received in some instances and argument-provoking in others. Take a look at our Minutes with the Mayor topics page for a second look at this series. Here are the user-submitted questions we asked Gonzalez. We hope to sit down with the mayor again and ask more of the questions you sent us, but first we need to know how we can improve this series. Were you happy with these questions? Are there other questions you wish we would ask? What were the strong and weak points of the series? Let us know in the comments. Subscribe to the Chicago Heights newsletter for …
Friday, August 24, 2012
The Chicago Tribune listed Chicago Heights as one of three towns to give Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's son business after he "did favors" for the mayors.
Did a Chicago firm's contracts with two Chicago Heights-based governments come from political favors? Tribune reporters interviewed Gonzalez as part of investigative story connecting Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's political favors to his son Andrew's business successes. The story noted that the City of Chicago Heights established an insurance contract with Mesirow Financial, the firm Andrew Madigan works at, after the Speaker helped Gonzalez during his campaign for mayor in April 2011. Here is an excerpt from the story, outlining how Madigan helped Gonzalez: Though Madigan made a $1,500 donation to the mayor's political fund, the more significant contribution was the help of three Madigan campaign workers. They included Martin …
Monday, August 20, 2012
In this edition, Mayor David Gonzalez explains what the City of Chicago Heights is doing to prepare for the SouthEast Service Metra line.
Patch gathered questions from readers, for Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzalez. Now, Patch will regularly air a series of video responses to the questions readers voted as most pressing. Sign up for our daily newsletter to stay updated on this series. In this segment, Gonzalez is answering a question about Metra's proposed SouthEast Service line and what the Chicago Heights city government is doing to prepare for it. His answer? Being proactive and scooping up delinquent properties. Transcript: It looks like were waiting on that SouthEast Metra line just like we're waiting on the Peotone Airport. The district for the SouthEast Metra line was signed in 2011 by Gov. Quinn, creating this district. They knew the importance of transportation…
Dinkum
8:13 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
Well, I won't be buying anything in CH now that they run the red light violation money scam. CH businesses are on the boycott list. more ›