Like many parents, Tim Sheridan has oftentimes been called into his daughter's room during a thunderstorm – attempting to explain the natural phenomenon that, to his daughter, just appeared to be a massive force of loud noises and bright lights.

Bottle caps and the environment may seem incompatible. But for a group of students from Oak Park's Longfellow Elementary School, these little pieces of metal served as the building blocks of their winning project in Downtown Oak Park's first Eco-Art Exhibit, a contest that encourages environmentally-conscious thinking through art.

After being lost for 9 days and escaping onto the Eisenhower Expressway, Asia was reunited with her family by chance at the Animal Care League in Oak Park.

Police and fire crews are urging River Forest residents living near Lake Street and River Oaks Drive to evacuate their homes, as heavy rain has caused water levels in the Des Plaines River to rise.