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1 • Thursday, January 19, 2017 - The Independent
Independent
Harvest Fest
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FOOD & DRINK . ARTS & C NOW RAFTS . MUSIC FAMILY FUN Fischer Farm | Sept . 30 - Oct. 2 BvilleParks.org/har vestfest
also serving Wood Dale
VOL. 18 • NO. 20
WWW.THEINDEPENDENTNEWSPAPERS.COM
@BvilleParks
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Bensenville
TAKE ONE
THURSDAY, SEPT. 29, 2022
Frerichs released
Lombard native freed in exchange for Afghan tribal leader imprisoned in U.S. on drug trafficking changes By Mike Sandrolini
FOR THE INDEPENDENT
The long ordeal oThe long ordeal of Lombard native Mark Frerichs being held hostage in Afghanistan has finally ended. And it is indeed a happy ending for him and his family. Mark Frerichs After over two years of being held captive by the Taliban, senior Biden Administration officials confirmed early last week that Frerichs has been released following a prisoner swap. Frerichs was exchanged for Haji Bashir Noorzai, who had been in U.S. custody for 17 years on drug trafficking charges and was sentenced to life in prison in 2009. Noorzai, an Afghan tribal leader linked to the Taliban, was granted clemency by President Joe Biden as part of the deal. “His (Frerichs’) release is the culmination of years of tireless work by dedicated public servants across our government and other partner governments, and I want to thank them for all that effort,” Biden said in a statement. “Bringing the negotiations that led to Mark’s freedom to a successful resolution required difficult decisions, which I did not take lightly. Our priority now is to make
Taking the pledge to save the monarch
DEE LONGFELLOW PHOTO Bensenville Independent
Rotarian Ken Bartels served as emcee of the Save the Monarch Butterfly North American Boxcar event held in Bensenville on Thursday, Sept. 15. The dignitaries on the dais signed a pledge to support the Save the Monarch Butterfly initiative. Without this effort to plant 60,000 oyamel trees at El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, experts in the field say the iconic monarch butterfly has only a 10 percent chance of persisting above the extinction threshold over the next 30 years. More photos inside.
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