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04/06/2026

📺WATCH WGN TV: Aurora Native, East Aurora alum, and restaurant owner, Annah Mitchell, was a special guest today on CHICAGO LIVE on WGN 9. She shared how we can elevate our hot dog experience right at home .. . or by visiting her popular restaurant!

🦃🌭The Gobble Doggs owner shared how her restaurant is putting a fresh spin on the classic hot dog with gourmet turkey and vegan options. Popular menu items include a Chicago-style dog with a twist, a BLT dog, a California dog topped with pico de gallo and spicy avocado sauce, and customizable hot dog flights that let customers sample several flavors at once. Mitchell also highlighted the restaurant’s handcrafted lemonades, including the popular Ocean Blue flavor, and its family-friendly approach to dining.

❤️💵An entrepreneur who genuinely cares about the community, Annah emphasized that Gobble Doggs is about more than just food. It is also deeply committed to community service. She has supported homeless shelters, used its food truck to promote voter registration, awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships, and developed entrepreneurship programs that teach young people valuable business skills. Through these efforts, Gobble Dogs continues to make a positive impact both inside and outside the restaurant.

📍Customers can visit Gobble Doggs at 2025 Ridge Road in Homewood, Illinois.

❤️🖤💚Congratulations, Annah!! You make us



Village of Homewood, Illinois
Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle

04/06/2026

WATCH ABC 7 Chicago: 🚙🛒🥚Pick up your FREE GROCERIES at the 5th annual D9 Food Drive-Thru as we kick-off Juneteenth Week in Aurora.
🗓Friday, June 12
⏰9 a.m.
📍Phillips Park, 1000 Ray Moses Drive
(⚠️Line starts to form early on Smith Boulevard)
_______

❤️🖤💚More than 150 members of the Divine 9 – the 4 historically Black sororities and the 5 historically Black fraternities – will welcome neighbors in need with no questions asked.

✅Just PULL UP (in your vehicle), ✅OPEN UP (your trunk or back seat), and ✅FILL UP (with free food for your family):
🍗🍊🥒MEATS, PRODUCE AND MORE!
🛑🆔NO ID NECESSARY!
🚗FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED!
_____

🌎This annual food distribution kicks off Juneteenth Week each year and his hosted by the Divine 9, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Aurora in Black, City of Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board, City of Aurora, IL, Government and the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley!




Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry
Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry
Loaves & Fishes Community Services
The Salvation Army Aurora Corps Community Center

🌹JUNE 3 IS SHIRLEY PAYNE DAY: TODAY, AS WE CELEBRATE THE 74TH BIRTHDAY OF OUR VERY OWN MS. SHIRLEY PAYNE, WE ALSO CELEBR...
03/06/2026

🌹JUNE 3 IS SHIRLEY PAYNE DAY: TODAY, AS WE CELEBRATE THE 74TH BIRTHDAY OF OUR VERY OWN MS. SHIRLEY PAYNE, WE ALSO CELEBRATE A SPECIAL DAY DEDICATED IN HER HONOR RIGHT HERE IN AURORA!

❤️On this June 3rd, we pause to recognize and honor one of Aurora’s beloved matriarchs and business owners. Affectionately known throughout the community as “Ms. Shirley” or “Mama Shirley,” Shirley Payne has served Aurora families with compassion, dignity, and grace for four decades. Through her work helping families lay their loved ones to rest, she has stood beside countless community members during some of life’s most difficult moments, offering comfort, guidance, and a listening ear when it was needed most. Her personalized care, genuine compassion, and unwavering commitment to others have helped make overwhelming times more bearable for generations of Aurora families.

🗓JUNE 3 WAS PROCLAIMED BY THE CITY OF AURORA AS MS. SHIRLEY PAYNE DAY IN 2023 DURING THE RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY FOR THE JAMES PAYNES FUNERAL SERVICE, OF WHICH SHE IS THE PROUD OWNER.

🙏🏾Today, let’s honor Ms. Shirley by showing up for one another the way she has always shown up for us . . . with grace, compassion, kindness, and unconditional love.

🎂Please join us in wishing a very special woman a very happy birthday and a joyful Shirley Payne Day!

🎉 HAPPY 74TH BIRTHDAY, MS. SHIRLEY!


❤️🎓💚LOCAL SCHOOL CUSTODIAN EARNS DOCTORAL DEGREE: Introducing Dr. Atakora Agoro of Grande Park Elementary School in Oswe...
03/06/2026

❤️🎓💚LOCAL SCHOOL CUSTODIAN EARNS DOCTORAL DEGREE: Introducing Dr. Atakora Agoro of Grande Park Elementary School in Oswego Community Unit School District 308!

🇹🇬Dr. Atakora Agoro’s journey from Togo, West Africa to the United States is a powerful example of perseverance, determination, and education.

🧹🎓🎓After immigrating in 2011, he worked as a custodian at Grande Park Elementary while continuing his education, and earning his bachelor’s degree in 2017 and master’s degree in 2022.

❗️🎓Dr. Atakora Agoro graduated in 2026 with his PhD in Pure Mathematics from Northern Illinois University. He earned his doctoral degree while serving as an adjunct professor of Pure Mathematics at Northern Illinois and supporting Grande Park’s custodial needs in the evening.

❤️“Coming from Togo, I viewed education as an opportunity to build a better future for myself, my family, and my community,” Dr. Agoro said. “My favorite part of working at Grande Park Elementary School was being part of a positive school environment and knowing that my work contributed to creating a clean, safe, and welcoming place for students, teachers, and staff.”

🎉CONGRATULATIONS DR. AGORO!

Northern Illinois University Black Alumni Council (NIUBAC)

🔴⚫️🟢A NIGHT FOR THE CULTURE: Join the Aurora Black Empowerment Coalition for the Quarterly Community Update Meeting with...
02/06/2026

🔴⚫️🟢A NIGHT FOR THE CULTURE: Join the Aurora Black Empowerment Coalition for the Quarterly Community Update Meeting with information on the latest progress in Education, Economics, and Engagement within Aurora’s Black community. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16 at Vibez on the River , 29 W. New York Street.

❤️COME FOR THE FACTS!
🖤STAY FOR THE FOOD!
💚JOIN IN ON THE FUN!

🍽Following the meeting, enjoy delicious offerings from the Vibez menu, including 🍖 Lamb Chops, 🐟 Catfish, 🍗 Wings, 🧀 Mac & Cheese, 🥬 Cabbage with Turkey, 🥔 String Beans with Potatoes …and much more!

🎤 Then get ready for Vibez Weekly Karaoke Night beginning at 8:00 PM! Enjoy a live DJ spinning your favorite R&B and Hip-Hop hits. Grab the mic and sing along, or grab your camera and go live on your socials.

✊🏾 IT’S A NIGHT FOR THE CULTURE AS WE SHARE PERTINENT DETAILS, SUPPORT A BLACK-OWNED BUSINESS AND CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH WEEK IN AURORA!



Quad County Urban League
Quad County African American Chamber of Commerce

🏳️‍🌈 HAPPY PRIDE MONTH: This Pride Month, we celebrate the courage, resilience, joy, and contributions of the LGBTQ+ com...
01/06/2026

🏳️‍🌈 HAPPY PRIDE MONTH: This Pride Month, we celebrate the courage, resilience, joy, and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community as we recognize the progress that has been made, and continue advocating for a future where everyone can live authentically, safely, and proudly.

✊🏾We especially uplift the Black LGBTQ+ community, whose leadership and influence have helped shape movements for justice, equality, and representation. From civil rights pioneer Bayard Rustin, the visionary strategist behind the March on Washington and trailblazing activists like Marsha P. Johnson to cultural icons like Don Lemon, Lena Waithe, Niecy Nash-Betts, and Colman Domingo, Black LGBTQ+ voices have transformed our communities and our culture.

🟰Their legacy reminds us that Pride is more than a celebration, it's a commitment to visibility and equity for all.

👏🏾Shout out to the Aurora LGBTQ Advisory Board & Aurora, IL Pride for their consistent year-round efforts to uplift the cause and community!

❤️Love is Love
🧡Seen.
💛Supported.
🖤🤎Standing Proud.


🙏🏾We join the Chicago community in mourning the tremendous loss of Spencer Leak, Jr. We extend our heartfelt condolences...
01/06/2026

🙏🏾We join the Chicago community in mourning the tremendous loss of Spencer Leak, Jr. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his immediate and extended family during this difficult time. Spencer was a business titan from a young age and a phenomenal human being who genuinely cared about people.

❤️When Ald. Scheketa Hart-Burns passed suddenly in 2023, Spencer reached out personally to express his condolences and to offer his services for anything we needed in Aurora.

🕊He was a class act. May he Rest in Peace.



Leak & Sons Funeral Homes

❤️🎓💚INTRODUCING DR. NINA PERKINS: Congratulations to Aurora resident and U.S. Army Veteran Dr. Nina Perkins, who has ea...
31/05/2026

❤️🎓💚INTRODUCING DR. NINA PERKINS: Congratulations to Aurora resident and U.S. Army Veteran Dr. Nina Perkins, who has earned her Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) from the University of Illinois Springfield!

📚📖Dr. Perkins also holds a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications Management from DeVry University and a Master of Arts in Environmental Studies, with a concentration in Sustainable Development and Policy, from the University of Illinois Springfield.

🎖🪖A passionate environmental sustainability advocate, Dr. Perkins brings more than 30 years of collective experience to her work. She served 8 years in the U.S. Army as a Tactical Telecommunications Specialist and served on both the City of Aurora Veterans Advisory Council - AVAC and the Sustainable Aurora Advisory Board. She is the Founder and Executive Director of E.S. Evolution, a nonprofit organization focused on environmental and sustainability issues. Learn more at www.esevolution.org

⭐️We are so proud of you, Dr. Perkins!


🚨Grocery prices are high! 🚨Money is tight! 🚨Help is on the way! ‼️WE ARE PROVIDING FOOD FOR UP TO 1,000 FAMILIES! ______...
30/05/2026

🚨Grocery prices are high!
🚨Money is tight!
🚨Help is on the way!

‼️WE ARE PROVIDING FOOD FOR UP TO 1,000 FAMILIES!
_______

🚙🛒🥚Pick up your FREE GROCERIES at the 5th annual D9 Food Drive-Thru as we kick-off Juneteenth Week in Aurora.
🗓Friday, June 12
⏰9 a.m.
📍Phillips Park, 1000 Ray Moses Drive
(⚠️Line starts to form early on Smith Boulevard)
_______

❤️🖤💚More than 150 members of the Divine 9 – the 4 historically Black sororities and the 5 historically Black fraternities – will welcome neighbors in need with no questions asked.

✅Just PULL UP (in your vehicle), ✅OPEN UP (your trunk or back seat), and ✅FILL UP (with free food for your family):

🍗🍊🥒MEATS, PRODUCE AND MORE!
🛑🆔NO ID NECESSARY!
🚗FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED!
_____

🌎This annual food distribution kicks off Juneteenth Week each year and his hosted by the Northern Illinois Food Bank, Aurora in Black, Aurora, City of Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board, and the Divine 9 with integral support from the City of Aurora, IL, Government and the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley!

🔴SHARE THE NEWS!
⚫️SPREAD THE WORD!
🟢YOU NEVER KNOW WHO COULD USE THE EXTRA HELP DURING THESE TIMES!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🚨¡Los precios de los alimentos están altos!
🚨¡El dinero es limitado!
🚨¡La ayuda está en camino!

‼️¡ESTAMOS PROPORCIONANDO ALIMENTOS PARA HASTA 1,000 FAMILIAS!
_______

🚙🛒🥚Recoge tus COMESTIBLES GRATIS en el 5.º evento anual D9 Food Drive-Thru mientras damos inicio a la Semana de Juneteenth en Aurora.
🗓Viernes 12 de junio
⏰9:00 a. m.
📍Phillips Park, 1000 Ray Moses Drive
(⚠️La fila comienza a formarse temprano sobre Smith Boulevard.)
_______

❤️🖤💚Más de 150 miembros de la Divine 9 —las 4 hermandades universitarias femeninas históricamente afroamericanas y las 5 fraternidades universitarias históricamente afroamericanas— darán la bienvenida a los vecinos que necesiten ayuda, sin hacer preguntas.

¡✅SOLO LLEGA (en tu vehículo), ✅ABRE (tu cajuela o asiento trasero) y ✅LLÉNATE (de alimentos gratis para tu familia)!
🍗🍊🥒CARNES, FRUTAS Y VERDURAS FRESCAS Y MÁS
🛑🆔 ¡NO SE REQUIERE IDENTIFICACIÓN!
🚗¡PRIMERO EN LLEGAR, PRIMERO EN SER ATENDIDO!
_______

🌎Esta distribución anual de alimentos da inicio cada año a la Semana de Juneteenth y es organizada por Northern Illinois Food Bank, Aurora in Black, Aurora African American Heritage Board y la Divine 9, con el apoyo fundamental de la of Aurora y la Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley.

🔴¡COMPARTE LA NOTICIA!
⚫️¡CORRE LA VOZ!
🟢¡NUNCA SABES QUIÉN PODRÍA NECESITAR ESTA AYUDA ADICIONAL EN ESTOS TIEMPOS!


🗓3 WEEKS AWAY: We are building on the momentum and memories from our past flag raising ceremonies to celebrate in 2026, ...
29/05/2026

🗓3 WEEKS AWAY: We are building on the momentum and memories from our past flag raising ceremonies to celebrate in 2026, the 100th anniversary of Black History Month.

❗️Join us for the annual SCHEKETA HART-BURNS JUNETEENTH FLAG RAISING CEREMONY on Friday, June 19 at 2 p.m. on the Main Quad of Aurora University, 1347 Prairie Street!

❤️March of Black Excellence with Our Youth!
🖤Inspiring Speakers & Exciting Performances!
💚Scholarship Presentations & Trailblazer Awards!
💛The Raising of the Juneteenth Flag!

🙏🏾👏🏾This celebration will honor OUR ancestors, uplift OUR community, and proudly celebrate OUR history, OUR resilience, and OUR future.

▶️2026 Aurora Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony◀️

Sponsored by
🔴Aurora in Black
⚫️City of Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board
🟢Quad County Urban League


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