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Rhonda Gillespie

Rhonda has been a journalist for more than 25 years, covering some iconic happenings and people in the country, and, locally in Chicagoland. She has a number of industry awards, including national accolades from her time in the Black Press. A Chicago native, Rhonda attended Whitney Young H.S., earned a master's from the Univ. of Ill.-Springfield.

Pam Lefkowitz spoke during the public comment portion of the Sept. 16, 2025 Lincolnwood Village Board meeting, calling for the village to adopt a sanctuary status to support its immigrant residents. The meeting was held at Village Hall in Lincolnwood. (Karie Angell Luc/for Pioneer Press)

Lincolnwood village leaders urged to adopt sanctuary status so immigrant residents ‘feel welcome and safe’

September 23, 2025 at 3:21 p.m.

Nearly a dozen people in the audience of the Lincolnwood Village Board meeting Tuesday were there to call on leaders to adopt a sanctuary status for the village – especially,...

Nicor doing ‘modernization’ gas main replacement work in Lincolnwood

October 14, 2024 at 11:36 a.m.

Nicor Gas will be doing gas main replacement projects throughout Lincolnwood, part of what it calls a modernization overhaul project for delivering natural gas to its customers. “Nicor Gas is...

Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts listen at the Lake Zurich Memorial Day service after the parade, Monday, May 27, 2024. (Michael Schmidt/for the Pioneer Press)

Memorial Day parade returned to Lake Zurich. Boy Scout Troop, naval station leader help mark tributes in Buffalo Grove.

June 3, 2024 at 12:51 p.m.

Memorial Day was marked by marching bands and solemn ceremonies in the northwest suburbs, but all in tribute to the nation's fallen military enlistees — especially those who made the...

Rolling Meadows High School sophomore Kate Foley, third from right, was seated next to first lady Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, at the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol Feb. 7, 2023 in Washington.

Rolling Meadows High School sophomore seated next to first lady Jill Biden at State of the Union: ‘Oh my god, she remembered me’

February 9, 2023 at 1:08 a.m.

Talk about first impressions. Rolling Meadows High School sophomore Kate Foley obviously made one on Jill Biden when the first lady and several cabinet secretaries visited the northwest suburban high...

Cece Winans bringing ‘Believe For It’ tour to Naperville megachurch

September 15, 2022 at 9:29 p.m.

Priscilla "CeCe" Winans, the multi-award-winning gospel singer, church cofounding pastor and YouTube show host whose been-there-done-that career spans decades, said she had not planned to go on tour anymore, especially...

Protesters stop motorists from patronizing the BP gas station. Images from a Justice for Jailyn rally at the BP gas station in Oak Park at 100 Chicago Ave. on June 25, 2022.

Chicago Westside Branch NAACP holds ‘justice’ rally at Oak Park BP gas station where teen, chapter member was fatally shot

June 29, 2022 at 12:55 a.m.

Members of the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP held a rally Saturday at the site where an 18-year-old member of the organization was killed, calling for "Justice for Jailyn," organizers said,...

Police exit Engelhart Hall after a hoax call of shots fired at Northwestern University on March 14, 2018, in Evanston.

Police: Call of shots fired at Northwestern graduate dorm was ‘swatting’ hoax

May 23, 2019 at 5:37 a.m.

A call of shots fired that sent scores of heavily armed officers to a Northwestern University graduate dorm Wednesday afternoon was apparently a case of "swatting," a false emergency designed...

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