The Village of Hodgkins held its fourth annual Business Appreciation Breakfast last week, drawing county and state officials to celebrate local commerce and preview major community events.
Mayor Ernest Millsap thanked village staff and acknowledged new businesses arriving in Hodgkins, including Sport Clips, Villa Nails, and Advantage Cadillac Buick GMC. A Wells Fargo Bank and Tesla charging station for semi-trucks are also coming to the area.
The breakfast honored the late Mayor Noel Cummings, who served the village for over 40 years, with a moment of silence.
Plans were announced for an expanded Hodgkins Fest to take place in August, celebrating both the event and the 250th anniversary of the United States. The celebration will include a parade and additional activities.
“If you’d like to participate, please let us know,” said Kelly Young, executive director of the Hodgkins Park District. “You can have a float in the parade or sponsor other activities.”
Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke discussed her office’s shift in prosecuting gun crimes and retail theft since taking office about 18 months ago.
O’Neill Burke said her office changed its detention policy on day one to address machine gun conversion devices—small plastic attachments that allow semi-automatic handguns to fire 30 rounds in one second.
“These are weapons of war,” O’Neill Burke said. “No one is carrying these things for personal protection.”
The office now requests detention in approximately 98% of machine gun cases. Violent crime has dropped 22% since the policy change, she said.
On retail theft, O’Neill Burke reversed her predecessor’s practice of not prosecuting thefts under $1,000. Her office now prosecutes all thefts of $300 or more, following state law.
“If there’s an appetite to change the law, go to Springfield and change the law,” O’Neill Burke said. “I took an oath to uphold the law, and I take that oath very seriously.”
O’Neill Burke announced a new juvenile detention alternative program launched last month in Little Village and North Lawndale. The pilot targets juveniles charged with carjackings and armed robberies.
Instead of detention, participants check into a Chicago Public Schools program at 8 a.m., receive cognitive behavioral therapy at lunch, and are picked up at 3:30 p.m. for job training, computer learning, and supervised activities until 10 p.m.
“The vast majority of juveniles get arrested between 3:30 and 10 o’clock at night,” O’Neill Burke said. “That’s when we’re gonna keep them busy.”
The office is measuring success by comparing re-arrest rates for program participants against similarly charged juveniles not in the program.
Miranda Hernandez, the Democratic nominee for Cook County commissioner, said she will focus on property tax relief, flooding issues, and health care access when she takes office in January 2027.
“I’m looking to be a helpful partner” with the small business community, Hernandez said, adding that she wants to highlight business successes beyond just grant funding.
State Senator Mike Porfirio, who represents the 11th Senate District, emphasized workforce development and business recruitment as keys to economic growth.
“We have some of the best skilled and trained workforce in the country,” Porfirio said.