Water Damage Restoration in Mount Prospect, IL

Paul Hoefert will continue to serve the village of Mount Prospect as mayor following Tuesday night’s (April 1) win in the consolidated election against opposing candidate Trisha Chokshi.

Hoefert secured the win by receiving 4,458 of the 6,798 unofficial votes cast in the election for mayor, winning by 66.72%.

According to the Cook County Clerk’s Office, the election saw a 18.75% voter turnout of the 36,249 registered voters.

“This feels great,” Hoefert said. “I can’t thank the people of this town enough. The people who turned up to vote but also the support that came from all around town to make tonight possible. It feels great. I am so happy.”

The win secured a second term for Hoefert, who began serving the village as trustee in 1991 before winning his first term as mayor in 2021.

Hoefert celebrated the end of the campaign season and victory with family, friends and supporters at Canta Napoli in downtown Mount Prospect, livestreaming the night’s results.

While earlier in the night Hoefert was not ready to declare victory until all votes were accounted for, he did express his desire to secure a victory not just for himself but for everyone who supported and believed in the village.

“These are my friends and supporters,” Hoefert said. “These are the people who worked on my campaign. They are 100% behind me. That makes me feel good, just to have that. That would be enough right? I am hoping we bring home a win for everybody here tonight and everybody in the village as well.”

John Ward, a 20-year resident of Mount Prospect, was one of the many supporters who attended the campaign’s party at Canta Napoli.

Ward, who grew up in a neighboring town before moving to Mount Prospect, said he has seen the village transform and grow in a positive manner.

“Five years, it has dramatically improved with amazing new restaurants, really great new restaurants,” Ward said. “It has really transformed recently and that credit goes to Paul and the rest of the village board. They have done a great job and I am so proud of where our village has come [from] recently and certainly they deserve my vote to continue.”

That is the growth that Hoefert said he hopes to continue to bring to the village in the next four years.

“I would say more of the same,” Hoefert said, adding how new development has been able to help lower property taxes. “If we keep this going, I am hopeful we can continue on that trek.”

Mary Otto, a 10-year resident of Mount Prospect, said Hoefert had her support due to his “undeniable love of Mount Prospect,” as well as his extensive service to the village.

“His heart is in seeing the well being of Mount Prospect and he has done an excellent job and we would want to see him continue to do so,” Otto said.

Down the street at Emerson’s Ale House, Chokshi awaited the night’s results with supporters, including Jeannie Lee-Macatangay, who ran for village trustee.

Lee-Macatangay said she had encouraged Chokshi to run, hoping to see “change” in the village.

“I felt like there needed to be some change on the board and I felt like she was a bright individual who could bring that change,” she said. “Throughout this journey we have had together, I was very proud of her and all her accomplishments.”

Earlier in the night, Chokshi told the Journal & Topics she was “hopeful” as she awaited for the votes to be counted.

Chokshi said she tried to run a campaign that was “focused on talking about the issues and trying to keep things as forward thinking as possible.”

“I do think that it was unfortunate that so much of the campaign was focused on what I believe to be attacks against me and attacks against my family,” she said. “Which I think just don’t have a place in Mount Prospect.”

Chokshi said it was “divisive politics” that were not needed when both candidates “undoubtedly care very much about the community and serving the community.”

Later Tuesday night, Chokshi said she had reached out to Hoefert to concede and extend her congratulations on his re-election, adding she hopes to speak with him in the upcoming days on how they can continue to work together on the behalf of the community they both love.

“I want to thank all the residents who came out to vote in this election,” she said. “I give a heartfelt appreciation to everyone who supported our campaign and volunteered their time and efforts. I’ve had the privilege of speaking with so many residents and business owners across this entire Village about their vision for Mount Prospect. I am grateful to have made those connections as we continue onward.”

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WASHINGTON —

U.S. employers added a solid 151,000 jobs last month, but the outlook is cloudy as President Donald Trump threatens a trade war, trims the federal workforce and promises to deport millions of immigrants.

The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring was up from a revised 125,000 in January. Economists had expected 160,000 new jobs last month.

The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.1% as the number jobless Americans rose by 203,000.

Employment rose in health care, finance, transportation and warehousing. The federal government shed 10,000 jobs, the most since June 2022, although economists don’t expect Trump’s federal layoffs to have much of an impact until the March jobs report. Restaurants and bars cut nearly 28,000 jobs last month on top of a loss of almost 30,000 in January.

“The labor market continues to hold up, but we’re still a far cry from where we were a year or two years ago,’” said Sarah House, senior economist at Wells Fargo.

House expects hiring to slow and unemployment to creep higher as Trump continues to cut spending on programs and slash the federal workforce, while imposing tariffs on America's trading partners.

The spending cuts “are likely to spill over into the private sector, hitting contractors and nonprofits, and we still have a trade war that is picking up,” House said. “There are multiple battles for the labor market to fight off, multiple shocks it’s having to work through in the months ahead.”

The economy’s unexpectedly strong recovery from the pandemic recession of 2020 set loose an inflationary surge that peaked in June 2022, when prices came in 9.1% higher than they’d been a year earlier.

In response, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023, taking it to the highest level in more than two decades. The economy remained sturdy despite the higher borrowing costs, defying expectations of a recession, thanks to strong consumer spending, big productivity gains at businesses and an influx of immigrants who eased labor shortages.

The American job market has remained remarkably resilient, but it has cooled from the red-hot hiring of 2021-2023. Employers added a decent average of 168,000 jobs a month last year. But that was down from 216,000 in 2023, 380,000 in 2022 and a record 603,000 in 2021 as the economy rebounded from COVID-19 lockdowns.

Inflation came down — dropping to 2.4% in September — allowing the Fed to reverse course and cut rates three times in 2024. The rate-cutting was expected to continue this year, but progress on inflation has stalled since summer, and the Fed has held off.

Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% last month, down from a 0.4% increase in January.

Fed officials will likely see the figures as supporting their current wait-and-see approach toward interest-rate cuts. With inflation still modestly above the Fed’s 2% target, several have made clear in recent remarks that they would like to see more progress before cutting their benchmark rate any further.

Steady hiring and an expanding economy make it easier for the Fed to stay on the sidelines. Should companies start laying off workers and the unemployment rate rise, pressure could rise on the Fed to cut rates.

On Thursday, Fed governor Chris Waller suggested a cut was unlikely at the central bank’s March meeting, adding that Fed officials would like to see more data before making any further moves.

CHICAGO — A new lawsuit against a Mount Prospect animal feed manufacturing plant claims the company is allowing excessive odors and causing air and noise pollution. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Friday his office is suing Prestige Feed Products LLC following 1,000 separate complaints from nearly 150 residents living near the plant on Lakeview Court since 2023.

"Residents in the community surrounding Prestige should be able to enjoy their lives and homes without having to endure the foul odors coming from the company’s operations," Raoul said.

Prestige Feed Products incorporated in 2018 and "is a new and innovative feed company with well-established roots in the industry," according to its website. The company specializes in making feed for swine, cattle, and pet food markets.

"The company needs to address these odor issues and ensure that its operations comply with Illinois' environmental laws," Raoul said. "I will continue to protect all Illinois communities and hold companies accountable when violations of our environmental laws occur."

According to Raoul’s lawsuit, many of the complaints list a pungent, overpowering stench of burnt cheese emanating from the plant. Prestige's facility uses equipment and machinery to dehydrate raw soy and cheese-based materials into animal feed ingredients.

Find out what's happening in Arlington Heightsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

In addition, several of the complainants living near the facility express being forced to keep windows in their homes closed due to the nauseating odors and being unable to enjoy outdoor activities. Raoul said the odors are also affecting nearby schools, as a day care and preschool facility was forced to keep children indoors on days when the odors from the facility were present.

In July 2023 and November 2024, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency inspected the site and noted burnt-cheese odors in numerous areas around and off-site of the facility while the facility was operating. The IEPA received an odor assessment report from an environmental consulting firm hired by Prestige that identified high levels of butyric acid at all nine sampled sites. Butyric acid is known by the National Institutes of Health to have a penetrating, rancid and putrid odor. Raoul's lawsuit is based on a referral from the IEPA.

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Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is suing a controversial animal feed manufacturer based in Mount Prospect over odor and noise complaints.

Raoul’s office announced the lawsuit late Friday contending nearly 150 residents living near Prestige Feed Product LLC’s facility in Mount Prospect have logged over 1,000 separate complaints of nauseating odors from the plant since June 2023. The suit was filed in Cook County.

“The company needs to address these odor issues and ensure that its operations comply with Illinois’ environmental laws,” Raoul said in a press release. “I will continue to protect all Illinois communities and hold companies accountable when violations of our environmental laws occur.”

Prestige and Mount Prospect have been locked in litigation since 2023 over the complaints. Des Plaines officials recently joined Mount Prospect in their claim against the company because their residents are also affected.

Attempts to reach Prestige’s attorney were not immediately successful.

Neighbors of the processing plant at 431 Lakeview Court have complained for years of a “burning cheese” smell that emanates from the business. Many said it prevents them from going outdoors or being able to open the windows to their homes.

Raoul’s lawsuit is based on a referral from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

IEPA inspectors were sent to the plant in 2023 and 2024 and noted the stench created there.

IEPA officials received an assessment report from a firm hired by Prestige identifying elevated levels of butyric acid at all nine sampling sites used by the firm.

“Butyric acid is known by the National Institutes of Health to have a penetrating, rancid and putrid odor,” according to Raoul’s release.

“Though Prestige Feed is a small facility, it is still required to comply with state environmental regulations,” said IEPA Acting Director James Jennings. “Illinois EPA referred this case to the Illinois attorney general’s office to require action be taken by Prestige Feed to address ongoing odor complaints impacting local residents.”

In December, Prestige announced it would move out of the plant within the next six months. This did not halt litigation between the company and municipalities.

Earlier this month, the village approved a $69,000 airborne chemical assessment to be performed by RHP Risk Management.

Village officials didn’t say when testing would begin, but noted it would not be random. There was no timetable set for the village to release any results.

⋅ Daily Herald staff writer Steve Zalusky contributed to this report.

The Village of Mount Prospect understands the importance of removing single use plastics and the impacts that single use plastics can have on our environment and the community of Mount Prospect. The Mount Prospect Sustainability Committee, members of the Village Board, and the Mayor have expressed concerns around single use plastics and want to see change happen in the community. A direct result of this concern can be seen in the Villages 2023 - 2028 Sustainability Plan Implementation Guide. This plan clearly states in Action Item Three of Goal Two:

”Ask restaurants to reduce single use plastic (provide upon request only). Collaborate with the Mount Prospect Downtown Merchants Association to achieve this action. Create a recognition or award for these businesses.”

Clear direction has driven Village Staff to believe now is an effective time for the Village to make a public effort to reduce single use plastics. This program aims to engage consumers and retailers alike and work both sides of the single use plastic equation. The program can only be successful if both consumers do not take single use plastic utensils and restaurants do not give them away when they are not asked for.

Participating Businesses

Interested in participating in the program? Please email jallain@mountprospect.org to sign up as participating businesses and receive your free pickup area tri-fold and window cling!

What is the programs goal?

How often do you go to pick up carryout orders, you get home, take out the plastic utensils in their induvial plastic bags, then you either throw away the carryout utensils or put them in the kitchen junk door to just use your own utensils? This happens all the time and was the common idea shared behind the creation of this program! Therefore the goal of this program is to prevent that from happening by changing the culture around plastic utensils.

Signs near carryout locations, frequent social media blasts, and restaurants asking if you need plastic utensils are just a few ways that the Village hopes to help change people's habits for the better. Small changes like this can make a huge difference here in the community and can also to larger change as people continue this habit in locations outside of Mount Prospect.