BY DAVE PARRO

As if solving 22 cold-case gang murders wasn't stunning enough, Aurora Police Chief Bill Powell promises more arrests in other unsolved killings by the end of the year. And he says he's not just talking about one or two more.

While some victim family members were overjoyed with Friday's news, others no doubt were devastated that their loved ones weren't on the list of cases cracked. Powell's request: Be patient.

"I know after today they might be feeling a little anguish because they aren't the cases we're dealing with," Powell said Friday. "It's hard to say, 'Give us more time,' but that's what I have to say. Please bear with us."

Here's an interactive look at the 28 suspects in custody and the murders police say they committed:

FILE PHOTO
The Chicago Aurora & Elgin 20, built in 1902,
at the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin.

BY DAVE PARRO

For more than 50 years, the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin electric interurban railroad shuttled commuters to and from those three cities in a loop, stopping at dozens of other towns along the way. Then one day it just stopped.

Next week marks the 50th anniversary of its shutdown, which comes at a time when the CTA and Pace are mulling cuts of their own. On July 3, 1957, the demise of the "third rail" signified the end of the rail era in the Chicago region and the dawn of the automobile as the main mode of transportation.

If only we could go back and save the CA&E.

BY DAVE PARRO

The Aurora Police Department on Friday announced charges against 31 suspects in almost two dozen cold-case murders dating back to 1989. All of the slayings were allegedly carried out by the Latin Kings.

When the Cold Case Task Force was formed in 2004, police targeted 11 specific murders. Now they've doubled that total. For a department that has been criticized in the past for not solving murders, this is quite a coup.

Read the press release here, which includes a list of suspects arrested and the murders they allegedly committed. Take a look at all the accused killers in the Beacon photo gallery and read the full story here.

BY DAVE PARRO

How many illegal immigrants have to enter the United States before Congress addresses one of the biggest challenges this country is facing?

More than 12 million, apparently. The Senate killed Bush's compromise immigration plan Thursday, pushing off reform until after the 2008 presidential election.

Can we really wait that long?

HEATHER EIDSON / BEACON NEWS
New memorial crosses have been placed
on the Vaughn family lawn in Oswego.

BY DENISE CROSBY

The crosses go up; the crosses come down ... and the debate goes on and on about just how long a community should mourn when tragedy strikes. In the Oswego cul-de-sac where Kimberly Vaughn and her children once lived before being brutally murdered, that issue is even more sensitive because the privacy of neighbors has been trampled on by nosey media, police investigators and curiosity seekers drawn to the home where the so-called perfect family once lived. Can you blame the folks next door for getting a little cranky?

BY DAVE PARRO

After almost two years with a "temporary" chief of staff, Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner on Wednesday announced his replacement for the outgoing Bob Vaughan. Bill Wiet, who has been Aurora's community development director for eight years and has worked with the city for a total of 15 years, will step into the role Monday.

Wiet's a safe choice who won't cause the kind of controversy Vaughan did when he was hired as a consultant through a temp service so he could still collect his Park District pension while pulling in a city salary of $85K. But he's also a solid choice.

BY DAVE PARRO

The Aurora Police Department is looking for volunteers to serve on a panel being formed to improve communication with residents. But Police Advisory Committee meetings will be closed to the public to encourage "open and frank discussion."

Does anyone else find that ironic and self-defeating?

JOHN J. KIM / SUN-TIMES
Reporters surround a car as it exits the Baue
Funeral and Memorial Center on Friday after
the wake of Kimberly Vaughn and her three
children in St. Charles, Mo.

BY DENISE CROSBY

What the heck. Isn't our local murder as newsworthy as the one in Ohio? While the national media has dabbled with the story of the Oswego family murder, it's been overshadowed by the blanket of attention given to the slaying of 26-year-old Jessie Davis.

BY MIKE CETERA

It's a sad comment on how far we have to go when female lawmakers feel they have to watch each other's backs. When are we going to begin picking our representatives based only on their qualifications, and not, for example, on whether they are a man or a woman, black or white?

BY DAVE PARRO

North Aurora is acting like a teenage girl who turns down a prom date and then gets jealous when the same guy asks one of her friends to the dance.

When Wal-Mart came calling, trustees thought surely there is someone better out there for North Aurora. But now maybe that first invitation doesn't look so bad after all.

BY MIKE CETERA

Zip code 60505 on Aurora's East Side has landed a spot on a list of the top 500 foreclosure zip codes in the country. Twenty-five Illinois zip codes earned election to the dubious field. The other zip codes near the area to land a spot are 60120 in Elgin and 60586 in Plainfield.

BY DAVE PARRO

Whatever the solution might be to the Aurora Housing Authority fiasco, it's nice to see Alderman Rick Lawrence working with the mayor's office on something.

Maybe it can be the start of a beautiful friendship. Or at least a professional working relationship.

BY MIKE CETERA

They seemed like such nice people.

How many times have we heard these or similar words when tragedy strikes? It's a common refrain that expresses our disbelief that bad things can happen. But does such a simple comment also betray something about ourselves, that we really don't know who lives next door?

BY MIKE CETERA

Did he do it? Did she do it? It was the watercooler question of the week.

The mystery apparently is solved. That won't, however, keep all the rubberneckers from continuing the speculation.

BY DAVE PARRO

First Aurora Alderman Juany Garza made national headlines by getting an ordinance passed that makes it illegal to leave up Christmas lights for more than 60 days. Then she targeted flag-waving out of car windows. Her next odd cause? Public urination.

All three laws obviously target obnoxious behavior in the Hispanic community. Would a white alderman be able to get away with raising the same issues without being labeled a racist?

BY MIKE CETERA

State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia signed on to a letter to Gov. Blagojevich and the four legislative leaders calling on them to come up with a budget plan that will "meet the state's needs," according to Capitol Fax. She's one of 22 House Democrats calling for more state spending and "significant additional revenue."

MARIANNE MATHER / BEACON NEWS
Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner announces the new location for the Aurora police department headquarters March 28, 2006, at a press conference at the future location. Three companies that have contributed to Weisner's campaign will benefit from contracts related to the facility's construction.

BY DAVE PARRO

A proposed pay-to-play bill that unanimously passed the state House would forbid businesses with more than $25,000 in state contracts from making campaign contributions to officeholders awarding the contracts. What if the same standards were applied to local elected officials?

SUBMITTED PHOTO
Kimberly Vaughn and her three
children were found shot to death
June 14 in their SUV.

BY MIKE CETERA

The Chicago Sun-Times and other media are reporting that police are looking into a possible connection between the deaths of an Oswego woman and her three children and a recent episode of "Law & Order."

BY MIKE CETERA

He hasn't even picked a high school yet, but Auroran Ryan Boatright already knows where he wants to attend college. He'll do it for free, too.

BY MIKE CETERA

English is now the official language of Carpentersville. Sort of.