Results tagged “stjohannescemetery”

The battle between Bensenville and the City of Chicago, due to the O'Hare expansion project, is over. The Tribune reports that under a new agreement, the demolition of houses could begin as early as December; the village agreed to end the fight in exchange for $16 million plus an additional $20 million more from the City of Chicago to insulate homes and schools from noise pollution caused by the planes flying in and out of O'Hare. The city will also hire consultants to assist in the demolition and will partner with the village to aid Bensenville in economic development. The village's long fight against O'Hare took a turn this spring when Frank Soto won election as village president; Soto called the agreement, "a victory for Bensenville."

The residents of Bensenville held a service at St. Johannes Cemetery on Sunday to honor those buried there as they prepare for the relocation of the cemetery due to the ongoing (and oft-delayed) O'Hare Expansion. The 159-year-old cemetery is slated to be relocated to make way for a new runway as part of the expansion. Around 300 people attended the ceremony during which several speakers had to pause due to noise from nearby planes. Joseph Karaganis, the attorney representing the church and cemetery, said, "At the heart of this controversy is the religious belief of the members of St. Johannes that the graves should not be disturbed until the Day of Resurrection." Approximately 1,300 people are buried at the cemetery. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the church's appeal in May but the case is still being heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals (in Washington, D.C.) and the DuPage County Circuit Court.