I’m Zayna, your newsletter editor, here to provide you with a weekly line to The North Star and the news. We’ll keep you updated about what’s going on right here in Naperville and break down the big stories. This week's news is a little heavier. Let's get started.
Let’s take a look at this week’s local stories:
First, a baby was left at a fire station.
A newborn baby was found dead inside a duffle bag after being left on the steps of a Near North fire station early Saturday morning.
- In the hopes of utilizing the Safe Haven Law, the biological parents left the child on the steps of the fire station. However, the parents did not attempt to knock or alert anyone in the fire station, which could have saved the child’s life.
- The fire station on North Orleans St and West Hill St was unstaffed at the time the baby was left. This is common for fire stations as they differ from firehouses.
- Fire stations are mainly used for maintenance and supply purposes and are usually unoccupied. Firehouses are almost always staffed as they house firemen while they are on duty.
- Through the Illinois Baby Safe Haven Law, parents can legally leave their child at any hospital, police station, or firehouse without question or identification.
- In order for the law to be valid, the baby must be 30 days old or younger and must appear to be unharmed.
- “You can knock on the door, ring the bell, get our attention, we will take the child from you, thank you and you’re on your way,” Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said in response to the incident.
- Because the parents of the newborn did not attempt to alert any staff inside the station as the Safe Haven Law requires, the parents are now facing arrest charges for child abandonment.
- Some, like Save Abandoned Babies Foundation spokesperson Dawn Geras, have expressed frustration with the reality that many people are not aware of how to use the Baby Safe Haven Law, even after its 20 years of existence.
- This Saturday incident has also prompted advocacy for Safe Haven Baby Boxes to become law in Illinois. This legislation would allow parents to give up their child legally and entirely eliminate face to face contact with employees at Safe Haven locations.
- Since Saturday no arrests have been made and the direct cause of death for the child is unknown, however, the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Medical Examiner are continuing to investigate the newborn’s death.
Next, a deadly incident in a Naperville apartment complex:
On Tuesday morning, authorities came across a case of murder-suicide in a Naperville apartment complex. According to the police, the woman involved in this incident was shot by her ex-husband, who then proceeded to kill himself. The incident is currently labeled as an “apparent murder-suicide.”
- Police were initially called to the 1300 block of Crab Apple Court at 7:30 am. They were responding to reports of a “domestic incident,” since the murder had yet to occur. Neighbors were instructed to stay in their homes while the area was blocked off by the Naperville Police Department Special Response and Crisis Negotiation teams.
- Special response and crisis negotiations teams are teams comprised of officers trained to establish an ongoing conversation and try to arrange a peaceful outcome with the persons involved in the incident they are responding to.
- Authorities have not released personal information regarding the woman involved. Although she was not dead when authorities were able to reach her in the apartment, she was confirmed deceased after being transported to a local hospital.
- A male suspect confirmed to be the victim’s ex-husband was also uncovered at the apartment. His cause of death was confirmed to have resulted from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Personal identification regarding this person was not released by the authorities.
- This remains an ongoing investigation, and the police have yet to uncover information pertaining to the possible motives of this crime.
In NNHS news...
From The North Star:
The NNHS girls basketball team won against Neuqua Valley High School on Thursday. Read the story here
.Polaris recipes: Chicken divan is the perfect winter dish.
Try your hand at this week’s crossword here.
Now, let's take a look at what's going on nationally.
A rabbi and other congregants were held hostage at a synagogue in Texas.
An armed man held a rabbi and three other congregants hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas on Saturday morning. All four hostages made it out safely. One worshipper was released at about 5 p.m. CST, while the rest escaped around 9 p.m. after the rabbi threw a chair at their captor.
- Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker of Congregation Beth Israel said the perpetrator was let in because they thought he was in need of shelter. Later, when the rabbi had his back turned as he and the other congregants faced Jerusalem for the prayer welcoming the Sabbath, the man held his gun to Cytron-Walker’s head.
- Authorities have identified the now-deceased attacker as 44-year-old Malik Faisal Akram. He was demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a prisoner in North Texas who had been charged with attempted murder in a 2010 terrorism-related case.
- Akram called the prisoner in question his “sister,” although officers have determined that he has no relation to Siddiqui.
- Several law enforcement agencies, including North Texas police departments, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI’s Dallas field office arrived at the synagogue after they received distress calls. The FBI’s hostage rescue team was also flown in from Quantico, Virginia to help with hostage negotiations.
- Ultimately, Rabbi Cytron-Walker acted in retaliation to the attacker by throwing the chair when he realized the situation “didn’t look good.” After their escape, Akram stepped towards the door and extended his arm as if he was holding a gun. Video shows SWAT team members running toward the building and gunshots being fired, along with explosions. In total, the hostages remained captive for over 10 hours.
- Akram was from Blackburn, U.K. and entered the U.S. legally. Review of databases showed no worrying information on him. U.K. authorities, including the Counter Terrorism Police for Greater Manchester, are investigating potential connections to the incident.
This week’s news was written by Zea, Grace and Alyssa
Photo credits to the Chicago Tribune and the New York Post