The Chicago staffers of the U.S. Department of Labor’s federal contractor oversight agency were put on paid administrative leave this week, along with workers in most other regions of the country. The staffers put on paid leave are employees of the agency’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which investigates federal contractors to ensure they comply with nondiscrimination laws.

Elgin PD’s Safe Together Police Academy starts in May Applications are available for the Elgin Police Department’s Safe Together Police Academy, designed to foster safer interactions between the police and people with disabilities and their caregivers. The free program will be held for eight months on the last Tuesday of the month starting May 27. It’s open to Elgin residents 16 or older who attend with a caregiver, according to a news release. Informational presentations and practical experiences in such topics as when and how to call 911, differences between...

More than 20 local vendors will be set up along newly renovated DuPage Court in downtown Elgin Saturday as part of Makers Market, a pop-up event being held by the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Elgin-based businesses selling everything from baked goods and jewelry to art pieces, dog cookies and beauty products will fill the outdoor venue in an homage of sorts to the city’s long history as a manufacturing base notable for its butter and dairy products and the Elgin Watch Co. The...

A proposal to build a combination sauna and restaurant business on a vacant lot originally designated for offices has been endorsed by the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission. Plans for the Naperville Sweat Lodge will proceed if the Naperville City Council grants a change in the original development plat for Springbrook Square strip mall at Route 59 and 83rd Street. If approved, Naperville Sweat Lodge would be the third such spa and wellness center in the region — and the first in the suburbs — for owner/operators Alex Loyfman and...

It’s official — Naperville is days away from welcoming Barnes & Noble back to town after the retailer left its longtime downtown brick-and-mortar location early last year. Wednesday marks the grand opening of the book store’s new Naperville location at 9 W. Jackson Ave. The occasion will be celebrated with the help of local best-selling author Mary Kubica, the company said in a news release. “We’re very happy to return to Naperville, where for 25 years we were a community staple,” CEO of Barnes & Noble James Daunt said in...

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia appointed Anna Paulson , who currently serves as the Chicago Fed’s head of research, as its next president.

Paulson will replace Patrick Harker , who is stepping down June 30 after a decade in the role. She will take office on July 1 and be the first woman to lead the Philadelphia Fed.

Richard Martinez-Messner of Waukegan concedes he has made some regrettable decisions in the past, but late last year — jobless with little more than some clothes to his name — he decided he was going to make the necessary changes to live a productive life. Walking into the offices of the Job Center of Lake County two weeks after his release from the Lake County jail, his life changed quickly. Martinez-Messner learned of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) Waukegan Hub clean energy jobs training program. Completing the initial...

Federal agents seized 18 pounds of a powerful animal sedative Saturday at an air cargo facility in Chicago. Xylazine, also commonly known as “tranq,” is a drug for sedating horses and other animals and is often mixed with opioids like fentanyl and heroin, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Federal agents seized three shipments containing the drug that had arrived from China in early April, authorities said. They were set to be delivered to residences in Cleveland and Philadelphia. “The work of our officers has been incredible and their...