Pot Permitted
Naperville City Council voted 6-3 last night to permit up to three adult-use cannabis dispensaries in the city. Pot businesses will be permitted by right in business and industrial zones, meaning a hearing is not required before granting permission to move in, as would be the case with conditional zoning. Dispensaries will need to be at least 250 feet from residential property, 1000 feet from primary and secondary schools, and one mile from other dispensaries. The dais has spent dozens of hours debating the issue over the past fifteen months since Governor J.B. Pritzker introduced the bill that would legalize recreational cannabis in Illinois.
Short-Term Rentals
Council also took action in voting unanimously to ban short-term rental properties operating in Naperville. According to City Attorney Mike DiSanto, the ban will go into effect September 1, but bookings that were made prior to last night’s decision can be honored if they’re for a stay within the next 60 days. Several council members expressed a desire to revisit the issue after city staff has a chance to research whether short-term rentals could be reasonably enforced. A stipulation to return to the topic in six months was included in the motion.
High School Sports Are Back
High School sports returned to action this week. All six of our local schools competed in the 18th annual Vern McGonagle Memorial golf tournament at Naperville Country Club. It was a great day to be a Wildcat as Neuqua Valley won both team and individual championships. Sarah Zheng led all scorers with a round of 75, just ahead of Naperville North’s Emma Kirvan. Alec Cross shot a 79 for Neuqua on the boys’ side, holding off Jack DiTrani and Benet Academy who finished in second. You can find the full highlights later today on the Naperville Sports Weekly page of NCTV17.com
Islamic New Year
And finally, happy Hijri New Year. Today marks the first day of the Islamic New Year, and the first month is called Muharram. We wish our Islam viewers all the best in this new year.
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