Giants complete perfect conference campaign — the first since 2014. Playoffs on deck.

He could have been warmer, but otherwise, Highland Park football coach Anthony Kopp was in a celebratory mood Friday night.

Kopp was doused with ice water following after his team capped an undefeated conference schedule with a 49-0 rout of Maine East on Friday, Oct. 24, in Park Ridge.

Starting the season with a 2-2 record, the Giants won their final five games — all Central Suburban North contests – in dominant fashion to finish the regular season 7-2 and in a position to host at least one IHSA Class 6A playoff game.

Wheaton-Warrenville South (6-3) will come to Wolters Field at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1.

“It feels great,” Kopp said of his team’s regular season. “I’ve told you many times our goal is to win conference, and to wrap that up and go 5-0 for the first time since 2014, we did that. That was our goal. Sometimes in the North, 4-1 doesn’t always win it. You have to push for those five (wins).”

The Giants jumped all over the undermanned Blue Demons in the finale.

Junior back Jayden Corchado had two first-half touchdown runs, and senior receiver Lucas Gordon two first-half touchdown catches — his 13th and 14th scores of the season.

Backup quarterback Sam Gaddini added a pair of touchdown runs — 7 and 5 yards respectively — on the day.

The Giants other touchdown came on linebacker John Dugan Hever’s scoop and score.

Friday’s performance was the Giants’ second straight shutout (28-0 against Niles West on Oct. 17) and third in five league games. In fact, Kopp pointed out, Highland Park’s starting defense did not allow any league points this season — Niles North’s 13 came against the second unit and Vernon Hills’ seven came on a kickoff return.

“I think we have great chemistry,” said Jacob Youra, a senior defensive end. “Gabe (Leon, linebacker) brings it all together, but I think it’s everyone. Everyone has done their part all year.”

In 2023, Highland Park also posted a 7-2 regular season and then earned a playoff victory. Last season, though, the Giants took a step backward, finishing 3-6 with the three wins coming in the final three games.

John Dugan Hever celebrates a late-game fumble recovery for the Giants.

Youra said the Giants used the subpar season as motivation, which they took into the weight room.

“I think it was just the work in the offseason,” Youra said as key to this year’s squad. “We came from a disappointing season last year and I think we all knew that and put in the work. Everyone was at our preseason lifts, all of our preseason stuff.”

Anchored by a star, Gordon, who holds all of the program’s receiving records, Highland Park jumped out to a 2-0 record before losing its next two (to Conant and Schaumburg) by a combined six points.

Those difficult losses have helped the Giants find their way.

“It’s important to go through games like that and be able to learn from it,” Kopp said. “That was a key point coming in and coming out of them. These are close games, and we had a couple critical errors in those games. We need to clean that up to improve and get better.

“That’s something where maybe if you pull those out and win, you don’t quite learn as much. Ultimately, looking back, we did learn from those games.”

Over the next week, Kopp said the Giants will prepare as they normally do, just for a different opponent.

He said his squad will take a lot of confidence and momentum into the Class 6A postseason.

“The players are playing well, playing confident, playing fast, playing physical,” he said. “… We’re not playing scared. This is a confident group.”

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Trevians can’t hang with Titans, look to make up for it in playoffs

A game that was circled on New Trier’s schedule all season quickly turned into an indelible night for all the wrong reasons.

For the fifth season in a row, Glenbrook South left the Trevians searching for answers, as the Titans pummeled New Trier 45-0 on Friday, Oct. 24, in Glenview.

The Titans took advantage of a host of early New Trier mistakes, putting the Trevs in an insurmountable hole only minutes into the game. GBS scored 17 first-quarter points that set the Trevians on their heels from the get-go.

“Tonight was not a good night by our offense or defense or special teams,” New Trier head coach Brian Doll said. “After having a game last week where all three aspects were flying high, this was the complete opposite.”

New Trier’s opening drive proved to be a fitting example of how the night played out for the Trevs. A dropped pass, a holding penalty and a botched punt resulted in South starting its first series of the game inside New Trier’s red zone.

It took the Titans only five plays to find the end zone from there, finishing off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.

The Trevs did not fare any better on their second series. Another holding penalty paired with a second dropped pass led to a three-and-out. The Titans then took the ball 40 yards in eight plays to essentially bury the Trevs only eight minutes into the game.

The Trevians John Fitzgerald and Stephen Vellon (32) take down the ball-carrier on Oct. 24.

New Trier allowed the Titans to convert on fourth-and-17, and GBS finished the drive one play later with a second short touchdown run.

“We just made mistakes at the beginning of the game,” Doll said. “We were not able to execute the way we wanted to be able to execute, then we made a big special-teams error to start the game. … You can’t do that against a playoff-caliber team. That’s a rough way to start the game.”

GBS tacked on a 38-yard field goal to take a 17-0 lead after the first quarter. New Trier could not move the chains for a first down until its fourth offensive series, and it mustered only 9 yards of offense across their first three drives.

Titans quarterback Andrew Bonvechio fired a 6-yard touchdown pass with just under four minutes to go in the second quarter to push South’s lead to 24-0.

GBS’s excellent opening half was not yet done yet, though.

A 63-yard pass play put the Titans deep in New Trier’s red zone with 90 seconds to play in the second quarter. Bonvechio then threw his second touchdown pass of the night, a 4-yard strike to Colin Davis.

GBS kept the pressure coming in the second half.

After a quiet third quarter from both sides, the Titans found the end zone twice more in the fourth. A 17-yard pass and a 33-yard run accounted for South’s 14 points in the final stanza.

Trevians defensive lineman Cole Mason rushes the quarterback against the Titans.

“We really didn’t have an answer for anything that they did tonight,” Doll said. “We could see a lot of the stuff that they’re doing by formation but we just weren’t able to recognize it on the field. We just struggled. We struggled in every aspect tonight and … tonight was nothing like we’ve played the last couple of weeks; it was a completely different kind of intensity and feeling on the field.”

The defeat was a disappointing end to an otherwise solid New Trier regular season that saw the Trevians finish with a winning record (5-4 overall, 3-2 in conference).

Playoff picture

New Trier will look to forget their Week 9 game as quickly as possible as the team now prepares for its first playoff matchup since 2021.

The IHSA announced the playoff pairings the evening of Saturday, Oct. 25, with the Trevians drawing Warren (8-1) out of Gurnee. The Blue Devils are led by star running back Aaron Stewart, who is averating 224 rushing yards per game and is approaching 7,000 as a Blue Devil.

“It’s the first time we’ve been back in the playoffs in a while, so that’s going to be a big point of emphasis for us this week, going out and enjoying that moment and playing strong,” Doll said.

Emmett Koshkarian makes the catch but he was ruled out of bounds while doing so.

The Trevs are cherishing the opportunity to be back in the postseason and are hoping to “take advantage” of the chance that’s now in front of them.

“It’s fun when you get out there (in the playoffs),” Doll said. “Now you’ve got some of the sophomores coming up. The leaves start falling off the trees, the air smells a little different. It’s cold, it’s crisp and I’m excited for our kids to have that opportunity.

“I’m also excited for them to have the week of focusing on a playoff opponent knowing that this is the state playoffs. They’ve earned the right to be in there, and we’ll see what we can do with it.”

New Trier will be without one of its key defensive players as senior Aaron Pressman suffered a season-ending injury in Week 8. The Trevs also played Week 9 without standout defensive lineman Anthony Aguilar, whose lower-body injury sidelined him against the Titans. Doll said he expects Aguilar to be back for the playoffs next week.

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Ramblers fall to 4-4 but sneak into Class 8A postseason

(Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Sunday, Oct. 26, when playoff brackets were released.)

The Loyola Academy football team’s prayers were answered Saturday night when the IHSA announced the 256 teams that will have a hereafter in the state championship playoffs.

The winners of the last three Class 8A championships left Hoerster Field in a state of uncertainty Friday night following their regular-season-ending 35-24 loss to the state’s top-ranked team, undefeated Mount Carmel, that left them with a three-game losing streak and a 4-4 record.

“Maybe there’s a way in at 4 and 4,” coach Beau Desherow said when he addressed his team afterward. “We’ll see (when the IHSA announces the playoff teams). I’m sure there are a lot of teams out there that don’t want to see us in the first round.”

Coincidentally, the team that will see the Ramblers in the first round is Mount Carmel, moving up to Class 8A after winning Class 7A championships each of the last three seasons. The rematch will be played Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Carey Field on the South Side school’s campus.

The Ramblers were at a significant disadvantage in their playoff quest because they could not find a second week opponent even though Desherow and Athletic Director Genevieve Atwood tried their hardest.

Strength of schedule is the obvious factor that enabled Loyola to make the cut because performances of opposing teams factor into the equation.

Mount Carmel (9-0) is one of three teams that defeated the Ramblers during the regular season that the three members of the WCIU telecast team on selection Saturday projected as champions in their classes. The others are Brother Rice (7-1) in 7A and Providence Catholic (6-3) in 5A. Other opponents in the playoffs are Carmel Catholic (7-2), a 7A team that knocked off the Ramblers on Oct. 17, and St. Francis of Wheaton (6-3), a 5A team that lost to them on Sept. 12.

Sophomore Jordan McKinley shrugs off a Caravan defender following a reception.

“Throughout the day when we saw what teams won and what teams didn’t win I started thinking there was a pathway for us to get in with 4-and-4,” Desherow said Saturday night. “Last year we played a 4-and-5 team in the first round. I had a pretty good feeling we were going to be the 32 seed or the 31 seed.”

Although Mount Carmel defeated Loyola by 11 points, the Ramblers have reason to believe they have the right stuff to pull off an upset, because they had the South Siders down by three points early in the second half.

Desherow had no excuses when he spoke to his players and then The Record North Shore immediately after the game.

“I’m proud of you guys,” he told the Ramblers. “You fought to the very end. Hold your heads high.“

“They’re the No. 1 team in the state for a reason,” he said in the interview with The Record. “They made more plays than we did. And there were a couple of penalties that really hurt us.”

Desherow alternated quarterbacks and both sophomore starter Matthew Lee and junior reliever Dom Maloney were effective. Maloney had 6 completions in 9 attempts for 87 yards and two touchdowns and Lee was 15-for-24 for 143 yards and the other touchdown.

The Caravan was led by senior quarterback Emmett Dowling, who completed 22 of 32 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more TDs.

Starting from its 20-yard line following the opening kickoff the Caravan got on the scoreboard seven plays later on a 13-yard pass from Dowling to sophomore wide receiver Marshaun Thornton followed by sophomore Ethan Hamer’s extra-point kick.

Midway through the second quarter the Caravan increased its lead to 14-0 when Dowling’s 3-yard run climaxed a 60-yard drive and Hamer added the extra-point.

Then sophomore Melo Maldonado returned the kickoff to the Loyola 40 and the Ramblers began their valiant comeback. With 4:29 to play in the second quarter Maloney hurled a 13-yard pass to fellow junior Joe Haughey in the left corner of the end zone and senior Zack Zeman kicked the extra-point.

The counterattack continued when Zeman kicked a 32-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining in the quarter and the Ramblers began the third quarter by taking a 17-14 lead on a 71-yard drive led by Maloney. The touchdown came on his 15-yard pass to Haughey in the right corner of the end zone and was set up by his passes of 36 and 27 yards to, respectively, sophomore Jordan McKinley and Maldonado.

On Mount Carmel’s ensuing possession it looked as though the Ramblers would have an opportunity to sustain their momentum when senior linebacker Gavin King picked off Dowling’s pass in the end zone.

But the interception was erased by a roughing the passer penalty, putting coach Jordan Lynch’s team in a first-and-goal situation at the Loyola 8, and the Caravan capitalized by regaining the lead on junior Nathan Samuels’ 2-yard run.

Later in the third quarter King recovered junior Quentin Burrell’s fumble at the Loyola 17 and the Ramblers advanced the football to the Caravan 32 but then the drive stalled.

Mount Carmel went back on the attack and gained what turned out to be an insurmountable 28-17 lead with 8:01 left in the contest, thanks to Dowling’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Burrell and Hamer’s fourth extra-point.

With 1:59 remaining Dowling’s 2-yard TD run and Hamer’s extra-point sealed the victory.

Refusing to surrender the Ramblers scored the final touchdown with three seconds on the clock on Lee’s 5-yard pass to junior Brendan Fitzgerald and Zeman booted his third extra-point.

Kai Calcutt makes a big tackle for the Ramblers.

After the game Ramblers appeared to be resigned to missing the state tournament for the first time in 24 years.

“Our goal was to leave nothing on the field and we did that against a very good team,” Lee said. “We fought very hard and had our opportunities.”

Haughey downplayed the two highlight film touchdown catches that increased his season total to four after he was unable to practice from May until mid-August because of a fractured hip.

“I’d rather have had a win than score 100 touchdowns,” he said.

The 2025 season can best be described as a rebuilding year because the Ramblers’ attack has been spearheaded by sophomores (wide receiver McKinley, quarterback Lee and running backs Maldonado and Jayden Garrett) and juniors (quarterback Maloney and wide receivers Haughey, Fitzgerald and Charlie Fowler).

The seniors who have made the most significant contributions are wide receiver Robert Clingan; linebackers King and Konner Sayer; defensive linemen Chris Evangelides, Kai Calcutt and Nick Richter; center Liam Walsh; and fellow offensive linemen Tommy Fraumann, Colin Vardijan and Henry Lemmon.

Senior wide receiver Teddy Kurtzweil stood out in the season-opening victory at Merrillville (Indiana) but sustained a season-ending injury when he caught the pass for the game-winning touchdown with 12 seconds to play.

When the seniors left Hoerster Field they feared that their high school football careers had ended.

Instead, they were destined to return to the gridiron the following weekend, trying to pick up where they left off early in Friday’s second half and renew their quest for a fourth consecutive state championship season.

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Police Update: Antisemitic incident in Skokie park was hate crime

As new details emerged this week about a disturbing antisemitic incident at a Skokie park, local police took to social media to address public outcry and release further information, including the classification of the incident as a hate crime.

On Oct. 7, according to police, a group of juveniles attacked another group of juveniles with antisemitic language and gel-pellet guns, striking at least one of the children.

The police update on Friday was published following a widely circulated Facebook post on Wednesday from a woman who says in the post that her daughter was a victim of the incident. In the post, she says that the offending group contained approximately 20 boys, some of whom wore masks.

Skokie Police’s update on Friday revealed new details on the attack and acknowledged “community members’ frustrations and concerns regarding information related” to the now closed investigation.

Skokie Mayor Ann Tennes first acknowledged the incident during a Tuesday Board of Trustees meeting before village officials published a Wednesday news release outlining what happened.

According to the Skokie Police Department, officers responded to Shawnee Park around 6 p.m. on Oct. 7 for a report of a conflict involving two groups of youths. All of the youths involved were reportedly minors, primarily between the ages of 13 and 15.

One group told police they were playing basketball when another group of youths approached them, used antisemitic language and chased them onto a nearby street.

During the encounter, police say, one of the youths in the offending group discharged gel pellets from a “gel blaster” toy gun and hit one of the children in the leg.

“Due to the antisemitic statements demonstrating bias as a likely motivator in the battery involving the gel blaster, the department has classified this incident as a hate crime,” the statement from Skokie police says.

The Skokie Police Department reportedly classified the battery as a hate crime during their initial investigation on Oct. 7, but didn’t publicly acknowledge that information until Friday.

The Skokie Police Department investigated reports that an adult responded to the scene on Oct. 7 with a real gun, but police determined those reports “are not credible.”

Village police have identified and spoken to all juveniles known to be involved in the incident, as well as several adults who reported witnessing parts of the incident, the statement says.

While the department’s investigation is closed, village officials have declined to disclose whether any charges related to the altercation were filed, citing restrictions under the Illinois Juvenile Court Act.

“Although the department’s investigation has concluded, the resolution of this incident will be ongoing,” the statement from Skokie Police says. “The Department understands that this incident is deeply concerning to the community, and is committed to ensuring that all residents feel safe and are safe in their neighborhoods.”

In accordance with the Village’s Procedure for Early Identification and Intervention in Initial Incidents of Hate, information about this Oct. 7 incident will be shared with the village’s Human Relations Commission.

The Human Relations Commission will apparently discuss the incident and then provide recommendations on how to engage the community moving forward through “public education, dialogue and collaboration.”

The Skokie Park District was not made aware of the incident at Shawnee Park until Oct. 21, a Thursday statement from the park district on social media says.

The district says it is prepared to work with the Human Relations Commission and Skokie Police Department as part of a “community-wide effort to address this hateful occurrence and prevent these behaviors in the future.”

“Skokie parks are for everyone, and all who visit must feel welcome and safe. If an incident occurs at one of our parks, programs, or facilities, we encourage you to let us know,” the park district statement says

“Reaching out to our staff or commissioners, or sharing your thoughts at a park board meeting, helps us make our parks better and safer for all. We can only take action when we’re aware of what’s happening,” the statement continues.

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High School Highlights: New Trier girls trotters capture CSL title; Trevians volleyball wins 7 straight

A summary of preps sports competition from area schools over the past week. Send scores and highlights to joe@therecordns.org.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Montini 23-25-25, Loyola 25-15-22

Alexa Campbell racked up 21 digs and Audrina Harvey 11 kills for the host Ramblers on Thursday, Oct. 23, in Wilmette.

New Trier 25-17-25, Maine South 22-25-18

The Trevians notched their seventh straight win and improved to 23-8 on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Benet 25-25, Loyola 15-18

Audrina Harvey tallied 9 kills and 3 blocks in the Ramblers’ loss on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Pumpkin Tournament

New Trier knocked off familiar foe Glenbrook South, 25-23, 25-18, in the championship game Saturday, Oct. 18, to complete a 5-0 run at the Maine West event.

BOYS SOCCER
New Trier 2, Notre Dame 1

Tim Vaughan and Jakob Richter scored on Wednesday, Oct. 22, as the Trevians advanced to the regional final in the IHSA Class 3A tournament.

Loyola 3, Maine East 2 (PKs: 7-6)

The Ramblers survived their playoff opener on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Highland Park 3, Deerfield 1

The Giants won their playoff opener on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and advanced to take on St. Viator on Saturday, Oct. 25, in the regional championship.

GIRLS TENNIS
IHSA Class 2A Maine South Sectional

Ingrid Fielder and Julia Ludwig finished 1-2 in the singles bracket for sectional champ New Trier on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Park Ridge.

Ava Katz and Lily Hermann were sectional doubles champs, ahead of Trevians teammates Olivia Orlando and Annabel Kim.

IHSA Class 2A Stevenson Sectional

Andie Lawrence placed third to advance to state and lead Highland Park to a second-place team finish on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Lincolnshire.

Mira Schmidt and Kourtnie Halperin and Gabrielle Gold and Aidan Stolze also advanced by finished third and fourth, respectively.

CROSS-COUNTRY
Central Suburban League Championships

Miriam Eynon, a freshman, won the varsity girls race in 17 minutes 54.8 seconds to pace New Trier to a first-place team finish on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Glenview.

Jillian Crane (4th), Kayla Ritchie (5th), Alexis Andrus (6th) and Ford Sullivan (10th) also scored for the Trevians.

Martin Issa, a sophomore, finished sixth in the boys race as New Trier claimed fourth as a team.

Henry Gamson placed eighth for Highland Park.

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Getting the Creeps in Highland Park: Next-door neighbors are slashed from the same cloth

When relocating, especially to a new community, it can be difficult to find your people.

Dan Kelly didn’t have to search long — or far — in Highland Park.

While Kelly was moving into this home on Broadview Avenue eight years ago, he looked out from an upstairs window to see several Halloween skeletons posed in his new neighbor’s backyard.

“I was like, ‘Oh my, all right, I think this is the (right) house,'” Kelly recalled.

His neighbor, Mark Kisicki, remembers trying to think of how to explain his backyard skeleton show to the Kellys, after all it was May.

Then Dan Kelly introduced himself with his own skeleton in hand.

“I was like, ‘Oh god, I got to meet the neighbors and explain this to them,’ and then Dan came out with a skeleton and was like, ‘Are you into Halloween too?’ Kisicki recalled. “And we’ve been pretty good friends ever since.”

Kisicki (left) and Kelly with Maria, of “The Sound of Music,” in Kisicki’s themed display.

The Halloween spirit between the two homes lives on nearly a decade later in the 600 block of Broadview Avenue.

Both Halloween decorators enjoy making their own haunts and have been at it for decades.

Dan Kelly learned the horror ropes from the movies and comics his father enjoyed. He paired the background with a love for woodworking to build replica torture devices — such as a guillotine, electric chair and pillory — that, with accompanying spooky creatures, highlight his display.

Also, at the display’s center, is a recognizable scene out of the horror film “Ring” (or “Ringu,” for the Japanese original), complete with a circular well and terrifying, black-haired child.

Make sure to read our other Getting the Creeps pieces — Skokie | Wilmette | Glencoe | Northfield — all publishing before Halloween night.

Right next door, Kisicki welcomes guests to a showing of “The Sound of Music,” and the von Trapp family is all here — kind of.

Maria, Captain and the seven von Trapps are out in front and in skeletal form, escorting guests to their seats around a projection screen. Other creatures are already seated and ready for the show.

Kisicki started building his Halloween spectacles 20 years ago as a treat for his young family. Early on, he converted to themed displays, and now, he has accumulated enough decorative items to loan out to the entire street.

“I’ve cut down over the years and given a lot to the neighborhood,” he said.

Kelly said it pays off: “The whole street loves Halloween. It’s always a lot of fun here. People decorate, sit outside (on Halloween). It’s a good vibe here for Halloween.”

A scene from “The Ring,” or “Ringu,” are a highlight in Kelly’s decorations.

Kisicki and Kelly start creating their displays around the first of the month, all building up to Halloween night, when both homes regularly get swarms of visitors looking for a scare.

“I’m starting to think we’re on some map somewhere,” Kelly said.

As the years progress, the two egg each other on and help each other through the process each season.

They are in this together.

“You know how hard it is to find a fellow weirdo, who loves the same things you love,” Kelly said.

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Amid ‘law enforcement actions, protests,’ New Trier temporarily limits service trips to Chicago

A New Trier High School student is asking the School Board and administration to reconsider a recent change in student-group travel into Chicago.

Sophomore Zoe Dillon spoke during the public comment portion of the board’s meeting on Monday, Oct. 20, and urged the school to review the limitations.

In a followup email, Niki Dizon, New Trier’s director of communications, told The Record that staff must submit a request to travel for field trips and, citing “law enforcement actions or protests,” she said administration has put a “temporary pause” on a portion of the requests to travel in and around the city.

“We have informed staff that we are giving additional review to requests for travel in the Chicagoland area amid reports of unpredictable actions that could potentially put students and staff at risk,” Dizon wrote.

Dizon added that the school is communicating with partner organizations “to get their assessment of their ability to keep students safe.”

Dillon is a member of Social Service Board, which New Trier’s website describes as overseeing more than 15 groups “that serve organizations across the Chicago area” for which students can volunteer.

These groups, according to Dillon, include Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America and Onward House.

Because of the new guidelines, Dillon said “students are no longer able to volunteer at six of these organizations, many of which work with refugees, migrants, and other at-risk kids whose families are more likely affected by the increased ICE presence.

“These organizations and the people they serve need our help more than ever, but during this time where they are most vulnerable, we are no longer allowed to give them the support they need,” she said.

Dillon said she understands where the district is coming from, but feels there are other options.

“I understand that the school is worried about student safety and liability that they would face should anything happen,” she said. “However, I think that there are ways we could work around that such as a parent permission slip that acknowledges this risk and says that they are willing to allow their children to volunteer.”

When a group’s proposed travel is denied or postponed, Dizon said the school works to offer alternative activities.

She said that while service is “at the core of New Trier’s mission,” the school prioritizes the safety of students and staff and many service opportunities remain available.

“We continue to support robust service activities across all year groups,” Dizon said. “We appreciate the patience of our students, faculty and staff as we work to allow voluntary learning and service opportunities while prioritizing the safety of students and staff while they are off-site.”

She finished her board-meeting comments saying that the social service clubs help her and her peers feel like they are having an impact on the world.

“Many of us feel powerless when it comes to making a difference in things we feel passionate about, but the Social Service Board gives a way to make a noticeable difference in peoples’ lives,” she said, adding, “And so I urge you to come up with a solution where we can continue to go into Chicago to volunteer so students can build compassion in their hearts and serve humanity.”

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Skokie Police Reports: Vehicle invasion and robbery, car burglaries

The following reports were pulled from the latest incident summaries provided by the Skokie Police Department.

Oct. 14

• A car reportedly was burglarized sometime between 4 p.m. on Oct. 13 and 8 a.m. on Oct. 14 near the 9100 block of Keating Avenue.

Oct. 13

• An incident of disorderly conduct, alarming or disturbing another person, reportedly took place around 9:32 p.m. on Oct. 13 in the Orchard Plaza shopping center in the 9300 block of Skokie Boulevard.

• A vehicular invasion reportedly took place around 10:14 a.m. on Oct. 13 in the 5000 block of Old Orchard Road. A police officer later arrested a 33-year-old man around 11:02 a.m. that same day for allegedly invading a vehicle and robbing a person in the 5100 block of Old Orchard Road.

Oct. 11

• A person reportedly was robbed sometime between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on June 12 in the 4800 block of Oakton Street.

Oct. 10

• A vehicle was reportedly burglarized sometime between 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 and 6:13 a.m. on Oct. 10 in the 7500 block of Kildare Avenue.

Oct. 9

• A burglary reportedly took place in a building sometime between 8:35 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 in the 5300 block of Old Orchard Road.

Editor’s Note: Not all incidents meet The Record’s standards for publication. The Record’s police reports are taken from police-activity summaries prepared by local police departments. Police Reports contain public information from preliminary reports and are not a complete listing of all police activity. The Record does not publish the names of individuals arrested and named in preliminary reports unless the incident is a matter of public safety or has significant community implications. All arrestees are innocent until proven guilty.

A flag, a drone, the Star of David and the Winnetka police

Looking for a new place to call home five years ago, Ruairi O’Connor and Stacey Oswald found exactly what they were looking for in Winnetka: an inviting and calming community.

Their feelings for their hometown are being tested.

For months, O’Connor and Oswald have felt unsafe in their home in the 300 block of Winnetka Avenue, where a drone has regularly harassed the couple and on four occasions dropped debris onto their property.

The debris — blue and silver Star of David confetti — has been a statement that O’Connor and Oswald believe is a response to the Palestinian flag that flies in the couple’s front yard. The Star of David typically represents Judaism and is featured on the flag of Israel.

“After it became a pattern … it has made us more angry, even made us more paranoid,” O’Connor said.

A neighbor caught one of the drone incidents on video in this clip, which The Record verified.

Based on information from O’Connor and Oswald, the Winnetka Police Department is investigating the drone activity — including at least three of the confetti incidents: Aug. 2, Aug. 9 and Sept. 18 — and Deputy Chief Dylan Majcher told The Record via email that all the cases remain open.

He declined to answer The Record’s questions or comment further about the investigation.

If you ask O’Connor and Oswald, this all started in 2024 after they placed in their front yard a sign supporting the people of Palestine. Oswald and O’Connor said they believe in standing up for Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas War, during which more than 67,000 Palestinians reportedly have been killed, the Gaza Health Ministry reports, since Hamas violently attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Oswald said of supporting Palestinians. “… And we wanted to let those people in the community know that we are here and we stand alongside you, whoever those people are.”

After a few months, that sign was stolen. In response a week later, O’Connor and Oswald installed a Palestinian flag on a tree in the front yard.

The home’s support for Palestine garnered positive and negative feedback. Sometimes, a passing motorist would yell a mean comment or a pedestrian would stop to question the flag. But the couple often received letters of thanks and appreciation, and even gifts.

The Palestine flag flew for about seven months before someone pulled it and its bracket off the tree in July.

Oswald said she felt “just disgust and anger.”

“Why would someone do that? That’s something so docile; it’s not doing anything. It’s just a flag,” she said.

Ruairi O’Connor and Stacey Oswald at their home on Winnetka Avenue.

O’Connor, a high school special-education teacher, said that while he was also upset, at that point he wasn’t concerned.

“It could have been a punk kid. … It doesn’t necessarily have to be a hate crime, just someone saying, ‘It’s different; I’m going to tear it down.’ They may not know much about it,” he said.

Still, O’Connor and Oswald set up security cameras and also reinstalled the flag — this time a bit higher on the tree.

Three weeks later, Oswald stepped out the front door to find small, shining blue and white Stars of David — hundreds of them, littering the walkway, the bushes, the grass, the roof.

As irritating and offensive as it was, in Oswald’s mind, the jig was up. Her home’s security cameras, she thought, surely caught the offender(s) in action.

But no such luck.

She and O’Connor would learn a few days later that the debris was delivered from above.

“There was a bit of hope initially that we got it on video,” O’Connor lamented. “We had the timestamp, the evidence and police are going to be able to track it, but after a while, (the police) response to the drone was like, ‘We don’t know what to do.'”

A confetti drop happened again a couple days later, and a week later and again a month later on Sept. 18. All the incidents — one of which a neighbor recorded on video — were reported to police, as confirmed by the department. They were identified as “disorderly conduct” in the department’s weekly reports.

Star of David confetti — available on Amazon — on the roof of Ruairi O’Connor and Stacey Oswald’s Winnetka home.

O’Connor and Oswald said they also informed local police of the previous flag and sign vandalism and of another time when a drone hovered over the house for an extended period of time.

All recreational drones over 0.5 pounds must be registered with the FAA, which restricts recreational users of drones from “causing a hazard” to people or property. Any privacy concerns, though, the FAA leaves up to local law enforcement.

Oswald and O’Connor said they felt the police department didn’t take their reports seriously enough, and by the third confetti drop, the couple’s frustration had mounted.

“It’s been weeks and nothing has happened, nothing has changed,” O’Connor said in September.

Oswald wrote to The Record on Oct. 23 that the couple had not communicated with the Winnetka police in a month. The last correspondence reportedly was a Sept. 21 email, which was shared with The Record, and in it, an officer said the department would increase surveillance in the couple’s neighborhood.

Majcher said in a response email Oct. 23 that O’Connor and Oswald’s cases remain open.

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Luxury-condo project would replace several buildings in Winnetka’s Hubbard Woods district

The developer behind One Winnetka has returned to the Winnetka Village Council with a proposal that, if approved, would add a mixed-use development to the Hubbard Woods district.

Jon Talty, chief executive officer of OKW Architects, presented his concept to the council during its regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

The proposed development, known as Tower Court Condominiums, would see the demolition of several existing structures:
• 901-905 Green Bay Road (occupants: Rebel House interior design and Red Spade landscape design);
• 907-909 Green Bay Road (Bella Bleu Bridal and Alexandra Kaehler Design);
• 911-913 Green Bay Road (Munder-Skiles and a residence); and
• 1007-1011 Tower Road (Europa Motors).

In their place, Talty’s team would build a four-story, mixed-use building with one floor of retail and three floors of residential.

Talty is proposing a 15,400-square-foot first floor that would house retail and potentially a restaurant; 12 to 16 condominiums on the three upper levels; and a total of 36 parking spaces, seven of which would be at street level and 29 in an underground parking garage.

Also being proposed is a penthouse on the top floor, but Talty said it will not be for residential use but roof access. The intent is that the roof of the building will be a garden that can be used by residents of the fourth floor.

He added that the residential units will be custom-built for purchasers.

An aerial image that points to the site of the proposed four-story development.

“They can take as much or as little space as they would like for their residences,” Talty said. “The intentions are for these to be much larger (units), starting north of 3,000 square feet. There are purchasers out there and there are those who want this type of living, and they want to determine and dictate what that living environment is like.”

The development team would be seeking zoning relief for multiple aspects of the building, including the height. The proposed height of the building is 62 feet, while Winnetka’s limit is 45 feet.

Parking relief is also being requested. According to the village, the minimum number of on-site parking spaces is 61, with 30 for residential and 31 for commercial.

The plans received a mostly positive first response from trustees.

“I love the project,” Trustee Tina Dalman said. “I think it will be fantastic.”

While they said they liked the concept, however, all trustees shared similar concerns that they would like Talty and the development team to address.

One of the biggest concerns was parking.

Dalman said especially since Talty would like to have a restaurant on the first floor, she believes that it will add congestion to an area with existing parking challenges.

“I think parking is already tight there,” she said. “If you put another restaurant…it’s going to put stress on the corridor.”

Other trustees echoed Dalman’s concerns about parking.

“Seven spots for guests and the public using commercial spaces seems light to me,” Trustee Bridget Orsic said.

Besides parking, trustees also expressed concerns about the proposed height of the building.

Trustee Kim Handler, who participated virtually, said the proposed building would clash with the existing buildings.

“It’s very out of keeping with the rest of the whole corridor,” she said. “That whole corridor does feel very tight, and I think the 60-something feet will feel quite looming over Green Bay Road, which I don’t think would be a positive.”

Trustee Kirk Albinson said while he appreciates the desire to add housing to Winnetka, he believes the massing of the building is too much.

“I personally am not in favor of allowing any sort of variance or exception to the height,” he said, adding that he isn’t sold on the village’s current maximum height of 45 feet.

Albinson said he believes granting the height variance will set a precedent for future developers who will then continue to propose tall buildings in Winnetka.

“I’m only one voice (but) I’m going to be steadfastly holding to our height limitations on this corridor,” he said. “I think it’s really important.”

He also encouraged the team to create a “timeless” design for the building, and “not to be too tempted with the current fads that are out there.”

Village President Bob Dearborn asked Talty and the rest of his team to consider trustees’ feedback but also keep pursuing the development.

If the developers decide to move forward, they would next have to appear in front of the Village’s Design Review Board.

Dearborn said at the end of discussions, “We hope you consider going through that process.”

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Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

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