Will County Reporter

28/03/2023

https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2023/02/nearly-two-dozen-websites-facebook-pages-turned-over-to-watchdogs/?highlight=settlement

Clermont, FL. (ECWd) – Pursuant to the conditions set forth in the settlement of the federal lawsuit (Edgar County Watchdogs v. Bonnie Kurowski) we filed sounding of libel and defamation by i…

20/02/2023

https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2023/02/bonnie-kurowski-signs-apology-letter-watchdogs-settle-lawsuit-in-response/

FLORIDA (ECWd) – Editor’s note 4-22-2023: We updated this article with new photos. After enduring more than two years of relentless, abusive, and unwarranted web-based and social media…

29/06/2022

What does "Deplorable" look like in Illinois (A journalist view)
6/29/2022

Today I can look back at the last year since the January insurgency and what I have endured from IL Deplorables. I can summarize my experience in 2 words. The first word is "trolls". The last word is "childish".

Last year I filed a suit against a group I label as "deplorable". They attacked me and my life because I covered their bad behaviors in the news. To this date, they hold a daily grudge and post all day long in attempts to stop my freedom of speech and push extremist agendas.

For example, a woman in Bolingbrook IL named Melissa Boatman announced her candidacy in April 2021 for Lieutenant Governor. She failed to run. I covered the story, as she is an extremist, conspiracy theory driven person with a criminal past and no experience.

Then I covered a story about her alleged embezzelment of the Will County Young Republicans organization. It is listed as "under investigation" with the Will County Sherrifs.

However, last month she learned of my location on a local page of fellow deplorables who are seeking revenge, and decided to stalk me as a "lone wolf" Stochastic Terror tactics. They posted my location and it showed she saw it before she came out. Then she lied to police about it.

This was after she was posting my minor child's social media accounts and hundreds of negative posts about me, my life, my looks, my religion, and more.

Police were called to the scene and I am pressing charges. I am pressing charges because she is acting as a lone wolf to a group who are trying to control the media and elections across IL and taking out their anger on journalists like myself.

The same group called for their group to call in false police reports against BLM activist Heather McMeekan in Macomb just a few days ago. More charges are being filed.

We call them Deplorable because they cannot find fault in who we are and they resort to kindergarten tactics to try to win. They try to silence others voices. They use childish tactics and break laws. This means they mock our looks or other attributes despite those attributes being much higher then their own (such as education, careers, homes, relationships, money, etc).

In this one example, they Spoofed my page to post negative things, making it seem as though I posted those. (See Pic of spoof accounts and posts below.)

Social media identity theft, also known as social media impersonation, is the act of using someone else's pictures and information to create fake social media profiles. This can be done for malicious reasons, such as scamming people out of money, or simply to cause chaos and upset. This tactic is illegal and reports were filed.

When that doesn't work, they list me as admin on all the sites that post about their ill behavior, then blame me for those behaviors. For example, in the post below, a report was shared from my business site to another's site. All of a sudden I must be the admin and now I must be racist? The false light from this alone is noteworthy.

They try to sue me back saying I posted things about them. However, that is fraud. They use the fake account using my name to post these things. They use many fake accounts and use them to talk to themselves, trying to appear to be groups agreeing to their tactics. It was a simple police investigation that uncovered what was posted and by whom.

Then they post pictures of my friends, boyfriends, family and even photoshop my head on bodies of other things. Like a 3rd grade bully.

While they dig into my life, I receive reports that none of them are employed, many have criminal records and DCFS investigations. Matter of fact, between Heather's incident and John Nortons, plus my own, we are up to 7 police reports in a month already.

This is what IL Deplorables look like.

As a journalist we receive reports on these groups across the US. Despite the childish tactics and illegal terror tactics, the thing that makes them the most deplorable are the constant support of the Capitol Insurgents. While this is just one example of just one member, we deal with about 20 of them daily. To see more about local Deplorables see yesterday's article:
https://www.yahoo.com/now/locals-listed-federal-lawsuit-170428797.html

As the Federal Case is underway, they will have to answer to the jury and the press about all the actions and lies they have done. I am confident in the judicial system to clear my name. Criminally we wait for each deplorable across the state to be charged for each criminal action they commit to support the cause. Stay tuned for more local updates!

12/06/2022

A small trial using the drug dostarlimab yielded an unprecedented success rate in eliminating tumors.

12/06/2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of the House committee investigating the Capitol riot said Sunday they have uncovered enough evidence for the Justice Department to consider an unprece…

01/05/2022

Whether you’re accessing the internet from the comfort of your living room or 30,000 feet in the air, you want what you’re doing online to have protection. That goes for shopping, banking, and just having fun. Learn how to do just that.

28/04/2022

Jones under fire... again
4/28/2022
State Rep and Mayor of Calumet City, Thaddeus Jones is under fire this month with two new allegations. Tonight, WGN is featuring a story about Jones sending text messages of hate. He denies sending those messages. He is claiming a hate group is sending them in his name. However, he has been known to work with hate groups previously.
On April 8th a story emerged about him being under Federal Investigation.s/ https://news.yahoo.com/state-rep-thaddeus-jones-under...
Two months ago we featured potential pay to play allegations with contracts to vendors that contributed to his campaign, or vice versa. The Alderman denied payment of these vendors outrageous ongoing bills yet the vendors keep showing up to work.
We also featured stories about the waste of taxpayer dollars in litigations, as he pursues Calumet City Clerk Nyota Figgs in a revenge scheme, using tax-payer funds to eliminate his political opposition. That issue has been going on since 2017 and now Figgs is fighting in court for Jones stopping her ability to do her job.
Should we believe that hateful text messages were not sent from his phone? His behaviors and associations appear like classic politics to us. We shall see on the news tonight!

18/04/2022

TERRY WILKE BEATS BAUMAN'S OBJECTIONS TO HIS ELECTION SIGNATURES- REMAINS ON BALLOT

04/18/2022

Terry Wilkes was the well-loved Avon Township Supervisor until the April 2021 elections, He was ruthlessly smear campaigned at the final hours, leaving him unable to defend himself, or disprove the lies and defamation used in the smear campaign. He lost that election to an extremist candidate named Michele Bauman, the one responsible for the smear attacks.

He has spent the last year trying to save the food pantry, since the donations were blocked by Bauman's office, (Now being processed as a mail fraud investigation.)

Despite him not being in office, the extremist groups were still attacking him, his businesses, and friends. Bauman has denied being behind the attacks or the mail fraud.

Wilke decided to launch a new campaign and filed to run for a state position in the upcoming elections. Upon submitting his valid signatures, Bauman personally filed an objection to his petition, confirming her ongoing attacks against Wilke.

The judge has ruled that Wilke's signatures are valid, and he will remain on the ballot.

Illinois Reporter will be covering this race, as it is one of the top controversial races in IL.

It is unknown why Bauman continues to attack Wilke's personally and involve far right-wing extremist groups into her offices that encourage and promote these style attacks.

Bauman's Clerk Kristal Larson, (also an elected official) has denied IL Reporter FOIA requests, which opens the Township to FOIA lawsuits, They are doing this in order to stop reporters from discovering what possible illegal things might be going on in Avon Township.

The biggest questions we receive about Avon include:
"Is Bauman using tax funds to attack another political candidate, thus breaking laws and harming the taxpayers?"

"What personal issue does she have against him, and why is she letting it impact her job?"

"Does she know the voters do not wish for her to be doing these things?"

18/04/2022

Calumet City Update
4/18/2022

Mayor Thaddeus Jones of Calumet City started his first attacks against Clerk Nyota Figgs in 2016. His recent attacks are personal in nature but costing the taxpayers their money to continue.

In 2016 he launched a lawsuit against the City and Nyota Figgs over a referendum that would later impact his desire to run for Mayor.
https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/jones-v-city-of-889345553

"On November 8, 2016, voters in Calumet City voted in favor of a referendum providing for a term limit for the office of mayor, applicable to mayoral candidates in the upcoming April 2017 election and subsequent elections, as a result of which plaintiff, Thaddeus Jones, a mayoral candidate, became ineligible to run for mayor and his name was removed from the ballot. On November 23, 2016, plaintiff filed a complaint and "emergency motion" in the circuit court of Cook County against defendants Calumet City; Nyota Figgs, in her official capacity as city clerk for Calumet City; and David Orr, in his official capacity as Cook County clerk. Plaintiff sought: (1) a declaratory judgment that the referendum was unconstitutional; and (2) a temporary restraining order and permanent injunction enjoining Calumet City from implementing the results of the referendum and from taking any actions preventing him from running for mayor. On January 27, 2017, the circuit court granted summary judgment in favor of defendants, and the election was subsequently held without plaintiff's name on the ballot. The results have been certified, and the mayoral office has been filled. Plaintiff appeals the January 27, 2017, order, contending the referendum was unconstitutional, the election results should be voided, and a special election for mayor should be held with his name on the ballot. " Cited from actual lawsuit.

This lawsuit cost the taxpayers money and bad publicity. Jones lost this case.

Now Jones is locked in a legal battle for retaliation against Figgs, now that he was elected as Mayor.
http://thesouthlandjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Figgs-Filed-Stamped-Complaint.pdf
He has allegedly bullied her and interfered in her ability to do her job.

This personal attack, using the city attorneys and paying high-cost consultants, are costing taxpayers a great deal of money. This legal cost is subjected to grow, as Figgs has a strong case for defamation. Jones falsely stated she was "corrupt", yet no law enforcement body has determined this was the case.

Jones fights an uphill battle as residents cry for his resignation for his own corruption,
Residents are claiming he threatened people out of their jobs to fill the jobs with his friends and family. They also allege pay-to-play with his campaign donations and lucrative contracts being awarded from the city.

Do the taxpayers agree with how the mayor is spending their money?

18/04/2022

BROOK PARK COUNCIL BOARD BATTLES EXTREMIST GROUP AWAKE IL CANDIDATES IN THIS YEAR'S ELECTIONS
4/18/2022

Brook Park Council is Brook Park Elementary School's version of a PTO located in Brookfield/ LaGrange Park, Illinois. The board has run uncontested for over 15 years and is a peaceful board who have benefitted the school immensely.

A year ago, in May of 2021, a new right-wing extremist view, (antigovernment) group formed in Naperville, Illinois and has grown to multiple areas. One is in Brookfield.

A small group of "Awake Illinois" residents started attending the board meetings and causing disruptions, speaking out of turn, and pushing a far-right agenda of demasking kids during the Covid Pandemic.

A few of these unruly attendees are now running for Brook Park Council. Unruly board meeting attendees disrupt the government and boards from conducting business and helping others. It has been an issue across the state with extremists stopping meetings. This is similar to the Capitol insurgency.

We wonder what support this faction will receive from the other branches that opened last May,

"Awake IL" has lost its main focus, since Covid masks are no longer required in many parts of the state, and their organization flourished as this being their main agenda.

Will Awake Illinois agenda's burn at the polls in this election? Illinois is a largely Democratic state. Will they continue to stumble into local elections and try to grow?

The articles below features Awake's founder and racist allegations against her.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/ct-nvs-indian-prairie-school-board-race-st-20210401-lzdftrqr5ncbnbiv74zbddl46y-story.html

https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/group-warns-of-non-violent-ideological-war-in-classrooms/article_1a7991e0-e022-11eb-9cc3-d3128427e565.html

Statistically in the state of Illinois extremists' groups wind up in court, jail, or leaving IL quickly, due to their aggressive, unprofessional behaviors and personal attacks.

https://www.change.org/p/illinois-state-police-arrest-extremists-who-threaten-and-disrupt-libraries-schools-and-private-citizens

https://www.splcenter.org/states/illinois

“Journalists do have the power to prevent widespread damage in society,” Donovan says. “Like researchers, journalists see themselves as outside society — observing, describing. [But] journalists are very much part of society. They shape how people see events they weren’t witness to and journalists hold immense power in shaping public opinion on extremely volatile public issues.”

A report worth reading is “The Oxygen of Amplification: Better Practices for Reporting on Extremists, Antagonists, and Manipulators Online,” authored by Whitney Phillips from Data & Society, a New York-based research institute. It examines the news media’s role in spreading messages of hate.
https://journalistsresource.org/politics-and-government/white-supremacy-alt-right-wing-tips/

We encourage other journalists to join into covering extremist groups in Illinois. IL Reporter has always aggressively pursued extremist tactics in Illinois through on-the-spot stories, and aggressively launched lawsuits after any threat they receive from these types of groups. We look forward to covering all groups like this moving forward.

18/04/2022

JUDGE FINDS "NO MERIT" TO OBJECTIONS AGAINST MCHENRY SHERIFF CANDIDATE COLOTORTI PETITION
04/18/2022

A electoral board has ruled that Republican Sheriff Candidate Colatorti will remain on the ballot after objections to his nomination petitions were raised a few weeks ago.

The objections were raised by two local individuals (William Brogan and Joel Brumik both of McHenry) and an attorney, Keri-Lyn Krafthefer. The attorney is with Ancel Glink, and we previously spoke about her involvement as "friend or foe" of local governments.

As an Attorney that specializes in governments, the ruling should not be a surprise for her. New legislation was passed in 2022, and other laws allow the candidate to run for office.

His 22-year career in law enforcement includes experience as chief of police for two McHenry County communities. Colatorti is an also an entrepreneur who has owned multiple businesses over the past 25 years. His public service and business record equip him with leadership and executive experience that make him ready to be sheriff on day one.

You can find more info @: https://colatortiforsheriff.com/

He is running against: https://robbtadelman.com/