CHICAGO – Dozens lost their jobs after PepsiCo closed its facilities in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood; John Travolta surprised fans when he grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant in rural Illinois; and a Shell gas station in Crystal Lake collapsed, crushing two cars.

These are the top stories from Fox 32’s Week in Review.

PepsiCo abruptly closes its Chicago facilities, leaving 79 workers jobless

PepsiCo abruptly closed its facility in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood, leaving approximately 79 Teamsters Local 727 union workers out of work.

The company sent the union a letter early Monday morning informing it of the immediate closure of the location at 650 W 51st Street. The union claims Pepsi circumvented the 60-day notice required under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.

COMPLETE STORY.

John Travolta visits rural Illinois restaurant, leaving fans in stitches

A restaurant in rural Illinois hosted a rather unexpected guest last weekend, leaving customers in shock.

Renowned actor John Travolta visited Uptown Grill, located in La Salle, Illinois.

COMPLETE STORY.

Gas station awning collapses on cars in Crystal Lake

The canopy of a gas station collapsed on two cars Thursday evening in suburban Crystal Lake.

Around 8:37 p.m., the entire canopy of a Shell gas station collapsed above the gas pump area at 220 W. Virginia St., according to police.

COMPLETE STORY.

Toys ‘R’ Us opens new standalone store in Chicago suburbs

Toys “R” Us has officially opened a new standalone store in the Chicago suburb of Norridge.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Saturday at the new 10,000-square-foot Harlem Irving Plaza location, featuring an array of popular toys and brands including Lego, Barbie and Hot Wheels.

COMPLETE STORY.

Walgreens lays off hundreds of employees, mostly in Chicago

Walgreens announced Tuesday that it is laying off 256 workers, mostly in Chicago, and eliminating 215 vacant positions as part of a strategy to streamline its focus on core pharmacy services.

The company’s restructuring is expected to affect roles within its corporate support center.

In a statement, a Walgreens spokesperson acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, but stressed that the layoffs were part of a broader “turnaround effort” aimed at adapting to a changing health care landscape fast.

COMPLETE STORY.

Woman shot dead after crash during funeral procession in Dixmoor: police

A woman was shot and later died after her vehicle crashed into a home in Dixmoor while participating in a funeral procession, police say.

The incident happened shortly after noon Saturday at the intersection of 147th and Seeley Street.

When officers arrived, they found a white Jaguar SUV had collided with a house.

COMPLETE STORY.

Four Chicagoans attacked, robbed woman on CTA bus: police

Four Chicago residents have been charged with robbery and mob action in connection with an assault and robbery on a CTA bus earlier this week.

The suspects, identified as Devon Glass, 24, Nigah Threets, 23, Jayda Boatman, 22, and Jaylen Sprouts, 20, were arrested Tuesday after allegedly robbing a 32-year-old woman on the Southwest Side.

COMPLETE STORY.

Woman tried to smuggle heroin, fentanyl-laced paper into Cook County jail: sheriff

A Country Club Hills woman is accused of trying to smuggle paper laced with heroin and fentanyl into the Cook County Jail.

On Aug. 29, investigators learned that Nakeisha Andrews, 47, may have attempted to bring drug-soaked paper during a prison visit. Upon arrival, officers conducted a pat-down search and found an 8-inch by 10-inch piece of paper wrapped in plastic hidden in his shirt.

COMPLETE STORY.

Limited access to water hampers firefighters battling massive blaze at Joliet scrapyard

A massive fire broke out Friday afternoon at a Joliet junkyard, where firefighters faced challenges due to a limited water supply.

The incident was reported around 2:17 p.m. at the BL Duke – Joliet Public Scrap Metal Recycling Yard, located at 2 Genstar Lane.

Firefighters said a large pile of scrap metal containing metal, wood and possibly plastic caught fire. No hazardous materials were involved.

COMPLETE STORY.

Illinois state senator urged to resign after ‘Islamophobic’ social media posts

An Illinois state senator is in hot water over social media posts that religious groups have called Islamophobic.

State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz responded to an article on head into the earth several times a day to obtain enlightenment.”

Feigenholtz replied “You are a (bad***) truth teller” to the post.

COMPLETE STORY.