Nowak Remembered as Excellent Attorney, Arbitrator

Michael K. Nowak, an arbitrator with the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission since 2014, died this week of an illness, the Commission announced Friday. “It is with great sadness that we offer our condolences to the family of our colleague, Michael Nowak, a kind man, an excellent attorney and an arbitrator,” the commission said in a statement. Nowak, 60, of Belleville, was one of 34 arbitrators who act as the first stop in claims disputes. He was appointed by Gov. Pat Quinn and reappointed by Gov. Bruce Rauner. Before he was appointed as arbitrator, Nowak was a...