As 2025 draws to a close, it’s natural to reflect on the year behind us: the highs, the lows, the in-betweens. The Landmark’s newsroom is no exception. Before we get lost in the local news that will sweep Brookfield and Riverside into 2026, let’s look back on the news that our readers appreciated the most this year for a third time.
According to our digital analytics, the Landmark’s website got a combined 1.25 million page views this year. Thanks to each of you for helping us reach that impressive figure.
10. ‘Dripping black substance’ caused by construction errors leads Brookfield’s library to seek $1.3 million fix (5,013 views)
The Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library sought reimbursement out of court for an estimated $1.3 million worth of repairs that are necessary after a “black substance” had been dripping from the library’s exterior since its construction in July 2021. The substance was found to be a result of the products used to seal the library’s walls, which liquefied after coming into contact with each other at high temperatures.
9. Brookfield boy, 8, shot fatally in Wisconsin (5,289 views)
This brief story recounted the death of an eight-year-old Brookfield boy, Michael Meagher, according to news and police reports. The Landmark wrote a more in-depth story about Michael the next month after speaking with his family.
8. Orland Park man charged in Brookfield shooting (5,328 views)
In January, we first covered what police called a “domestic-related” shooting before updating the story after the person responsible for injuring a man turned himself into the Brookfield Police Department.
7. Metra train kills 2nd person in Brookfield (5,659 views)
Continuing with the theme that readers are drawn to crime coverage, many of you read this story from August after a Metra train killed a male pedestrian at the Prairie Avenue crossing. He was the second person to be killed in 2025 after a 75-year-old was struck at the Maple Avenue crossing in April. The Cook County medical examiner’s office called the 75-year-old man’s death a suicide.
6. Anti-Trump ‘human chain’ protest will cut through Brookfield (10,467 views)
On May 18, protestors speaking out against what they called the United States’ shift toward authoritarianism took to Ogden Avenue as part of the Hands Across Chicagoland protest. While they didn’t literally link arms, protestors lined sidewalks for 30 miles from Aurora to Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, breaking the so-called human chain only where they could not stand safely.
5. Minor found dead in Riverside’s Turtle Park (11,245 views)
Police shared information about a juvenile who was found dead by apparent suicide in February in Riverside’s Turtle Park.
4. Bill’s Place is coming back to Brookfield (11,846 views)
The Landmark got the scoop on plans for Bill’s Place Express to open along Ogden Avenue in Brookfield, representing a return to town for the beloved eatery that opened in Brookfield in 1984 before moving to its current location in LaGrange Park in 1995. The Express location opened in September.
3. Brookfield Zoo will debut 3-acre primate habitat (17,136 views)
The first of two well-performing zoo stories covered Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s announcement of the Bramsen Tropical Forests, an outdoor habitat for its primate that opened in July. Plans for the expansion were first unveiled in 2023.
2. Retired Riverside Brookfield High School teacher faces lawsuit alleging sexual abuse of student (18,694 views)
An anonymous RB grad filed a lawsuit in June against Gary Prokes, the former head of RBTV, alleging he had an illicit, sexual relationship with her while she was his student. “Jane Doe” also sued RBHS, claiming the school failed to protect her from Prokes and to properly investigate him.
1. Brookfield Zoo drops second annual summer concert lineup (26,902 views)
While the big names of Tonic, Third Eye Blind, Better Than Ezra and +LIVE+ may have done some of the heavy lifting with this story’s popularity, the zoo’s concert lineup announcement was the most read story of 2025. We at the Landmark hope those who attended the shows had a great time!
Thanks for checking out this roundup and for reading the Landmark all year long. If any of these stories are piquing your curiosity as we head into 2026 — or if you have another story you think the Landmark ought to cover — don’t hesitate to reach out with suggestions, tips or just to say hello at stella@rblandmark.com.
