Posts

Showing posts from November, 2013

Parents: "Light Sentence" for Woodstock Police Spokesman, Sgt. Charles "Chip" Amati, Suspended for Inappropriate Texts to Ex-Girlfriend's Daughter, Looking Up Girlfriend's Criminal Record

Sgt. Charles "Chip" Amati, a 24-year veteran of the Woodstock Police Department, was suspended without pay for 30 days by the city's Board of Police and Fire Commissioners after an investigation into inappropriate texts to his former girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter also revealed misuse of a state law enforcement database to look up the girlfriend's criminal record [...] The girl's parents are furious about what they say is light punishment for Charles "Chip" Amati -- Woodstock Police Department's  spokesman, who oversees dispatchers and records --  a city insider who they think should have been fired [...] Illinois Integrated Justice Information System LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES DATA SYSTEM (LEADS) info [...]

Chicago Home Price Index Best Year-Over-Year Gain Since 2005, But Lags 20-City Composite for S&P/Case-Schiller Home Price Index

September home prices in the Chicago area posted their best year-over-year gain (9.7%) since November 2005, but continue to recover at a slower pace than other parts of the country, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index [...] S&P/Case-Schiller Chicago Home Price Index SPCSCHI still significantly below 2005 level in November [...] Single-family homes in the 20 major metro areas tracked by the indices collectively rose 13.3% (not seasonally adjusted) year-over-year, but Chicago has not reached double-digit growth [...] S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Compos 165.66 [...]

Enrique Huerta-Ruiz: Missing Aurora Elderly Man Sunday, Wanted Man Who May Have Fled to Mexico Monday

Enrique Huerta-Ruiz, age 85: Reported missing by Kane County Sheriff on Sunday, now say they learned Monday that he had a court date for sexual assault on Sunday [...] MISSING Sunday, WANTED Monday: Enrique Huerta-Ruiz, After Kane County Sheriff Asks for Assistance Locating [...]

HOMICIDE: John Poyer, Age 88, Found Strangled in Home on Hiawatha, Elgin

Autopsy of John Poyer, 88, on Monday determined he died from strangulation; death ruled a homicide [...] Pronounced dead at the scene at 6:35 p.m. Sunday  [...] Nothing on Elgin Police Department Facebook page at 4:49 p.m. Monday [...] Nothing on Elgin Police Department Twitter page at 4:49 p.m. Monday  [...] 500 block of Hiawatha Drive, Elgin ...  * * Doesn't look like any houses on this block -- still checking ...

"Outmigration" of Illinois, Compared to Indiana; Guess Which State Has Better Stats?

Accelerating outmigration from Illinois isn’t just a Midwest-to-Sunbelt issue ... Chart shows how Indiana has seen significant improvement since 2009 – in part as outmigration from Illinois has included moves to Indiana [...] Illinois is a Sinkhole State, one of the five worst states in its per-taxpayer burden for the last four years. Outbound moves from Illinois in 2012 were 59.5% of total, reflecting business and citizen concerns about the state's economic health  [...] Eight “Sunshine States,” with better news: Tennessee and Iowa joined Wyoming, North Dakota, Utah, Alaska, Nebraska, and South Dakota Explore accounting data in Illinois [...]

Coal City Firefighter Suing Will County Sheriff's Office, Deputy After False Arrest for Looting Following Nov. 17, 2013 Tornado

A Coal City firefighter, arrested on suspicion of looting following the tornadoes that struck Illinois Sunday November 17, 2013d has filed a lawsuit against the Will County sheriff's deputy who arrested him [...] Michael W. Barrow, 24, of Coal City, is a part-time firefighter for the Coal City Fire Protection District misunderstanding over cigarette packages ... charges were dropped and Will County Sheriff's office isn't returning phone calls to Morris Daily Herald [...]

The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade this Evening

The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival parade steps off at 5:30 p.m., travels east on Oak Street from Rush, and down Michigan Avenue to Wacker, where it turns east [...] Post by ABC 7 Chicago . Come and have fun with the Radio Disney Road Crew at Pioneer Court! pic.twitter.com/GY6J7YnQK0 — The Magnificent Mile (@TheMagMile) November 23, 2013 Post by ABC 7 Chicago .

Traffic Stop with Offender Shot: Offender Aggressively Pins Illinois State Trooper Between His Car and Another on I-88 in Whiteside County

Trooper suffered non-life-threatening injuries when he was pinned by driver on I-88 at about 11:35 a.m. -- IDNR Conservation Police shot and killed offender [...] At 10:44 a.m., a state conservation officer assisted a man driving a minivan with Ohio plates at albany and  roads in Whiteside County, another 9-1-1 call prompted IDNR Conservation Police and Illinois State police to check on him again EB I-88 west of Route 30. Offender made an abrupt U-Turn and rammed the trooper's car with his minivan -- pinning the trooper, who was outside his vehicle [...]

Wild Cougar Shot and Killed in Morrison, Illinois (Whiteside County)

An Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police Officer (CPO) on Nov. 20, 2013 responded to a call in Morrison, Illinois in Whiteside County from a farm owner that a large cat had been seen running toward the farm owner’s home and outbuildings coming from a corn field [...] When the IDNR Conservation Police Officer arrived, he found what looked to be cougar weighing over 100 pounds and around five and a half to six feet long. After consulting with the property owners and IDNR law enforcement & wildlife personnel, and at the owner's request, the decision was made to euthanize the cougar [...] Whiteside County Map ... The State of Illinois has confirmed three cougars within in Illinois between 2002 and 2008. One was killed by a train in Randolph County in 2002, one was killed by a hunter in Mercer County in 2004, and a third was shot and killed by Chicago police in the 3400 block of North Hoyne Avenue on the north side of Chicago in April, 2008 [...] Couga

State Senator Oberweis Want to End Illinois Ban on Sunday Car Sales, But Sales Industry Might Not Be Interested Because Banks Aren't Open on Sunday

State Senator Jim Oberweis ways state law shouldn't interfere with consumers who want to buy a car on Sunday, but Chicagoland Automobile Trade Association David Sloan says opening on Sunday might be difficult when financing and financial institutions aren’t open on Sundays [...] Sugar Grove Republican Jim Oberweis tells the Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers that he wants to introduce legislation next year allowing Sunday vehicle sales, which have been banned since 1983 [...]

South Suburbs Broke, Can't Pay for Fire, Can't Pay for Police: Cook County Sheriff Dart Plans To Take Over Police Duties In Robbins

UPDATE: Dixmoor Fire Department End of Watch at 8:00 a.m. Sunday December 1, 2013 [AUDIO Radioman911 ...] Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to meet Wednesday with Robbins officials regarding sheriff’s police taking command of the Chicago south suburb’s troubled police department [...] FLASHBACK AUGUST 2013: Cook County Sheriff's Department takes over midnight shift in south suburban Dixmoor after two officers walked off their job with Dixmoor Police Department [...] FLASHBACK AUGUST 2013: Dixmoor Police Chief Robert Fox fired for asking the Cook County Sheriff's police for extra manpower last Saturday night after two Dixmoor cops had left their post without permission [...]

Ernie Banks Receives Medal of Freedom Award from President Barack Obama

I wish my mom and dad were alive today to see this happen,” said Ernie Banks, who will bring the President a Jackie Robinson baseball bat [...] President Barack Obama will bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 16 Americans Wednesday, including Chicagoans Ernie Banks and Oprah Winfrey [...] MLB.COM FLASHBACK: Banks, 82, will see Obama in November, when the Cubs Hall of Famer is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor presented to civilians in the United States [...]

Coal City Tornado Videos from November 17, 2013

Daring video as tornado approached on Berta Road near Spring Road.

House Infested with Rats in Ravenwood Neighborhood in Chicago ...

Chris and Christine D'Hondt had to tear up portions of the basement in their Ravenswood home because a rat infestation, where their $2 million home is just a block south of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's home on Hermitage ... live rat stuck to a sticky trap under their kitchen stove [...] City of Chicago Rodent Control ... what they do ... Rat Stoppage Tickets ... Species of rat in Chicago is the Norway rat ...

Carpentersville IAFF Local 4790, Village of Carpentersville Disagree Over Staffing of Fire Stations and Vehicles

Carpentersville full-time firefighters: "Cost-saving moves by the village lead to slower response times that will jeopardize residents' safety. However village administration, says the firefighters union has "buyer's remorse" about a new contract and really is lamenting the anticipated loss of overtime [...] Carpentersville: New labor contract with full-time firefighters helps Village deliver exceptional service to residents -- engines equipped with Advanced Life Support equipment at all three fire stations [PDF ...] IAFFLOCAL 4790: Added Average Response Time Likely Will Cause Loss of Life [...] Carpentersville Professional Fire Fighters IAFF Local 4790 keeps residents informed of incidents and station coverage, and promotes monitoring of Quadcom Fire dispatch in Kane County ...  Facebook.com/iafflocal4790 ...

Only One City or Village in Illinois Made CNNMoney's Best Places to Live: America's Best Small Towns List

Earlier this week Lake County and Chicago made the most miserable cities list in Forbes. Now here'e the only community in Illinois to make the list of the top 50 small towns in America ... Buffalo Grove [...] [America's top 50 small towns are not only thriving economically, they’ve also got all you could want in a place to raise a family: plenty of green space, good schools, and a strong sense of community.] CNN Money Best Places to Live Snapshot -- Buffalo Grove [...]

Legionnaires Disease Connected to LA Fitness in Naperville

The Legionnaires bacteria has been traced to a hot tub at the LA Fitness in Naperville, on Freedom Drive at Naperville Road.  [...] Bacteria found in Batavia schools in October 2012  [...] Illinois Department of Public Health memo on testing school district water supplies from November 2012 [PDF ...]

Forbes Calls Lake County a Suburb Ranks #9 after Chicago (#4) as Among Most Miserable Cities

Chicago residents must endure long commutes (31 minutes on average), plummeting home prices (37% the past five years), brutal winters and high foreclosure rates (3.3% of homes in 2012 says RealtyTrac) ... net migration out of the city of 107,000 people the past five years, according to Moody’s Analytics  [...] Chicago is the sixth worst among the 200 largest metros [...] Lake County (oops they call it a Chicago suburb) is one of the richest counties in the U.S., as measured by per capita income. But home prices are down 29% over the past 5 years. Other drawbacks: long commutes and lousy weather [...]

Gas Leak at DePaul University Lincoln Park Campus on Clifton Ave, Chicago

Gas main leak in the middle of the street on Clifton Avenue at DePaul University Lincoln Park campus [...]

Cutbacks in the Newspaper Print Business: Sun-Times Suburban Paper(s) and The Onion

Parent company of the Sun-Times is about to begin selling off some of its suburban publishing assets with Joliet Herald-News likely to go first ... unidentified new owner announcement expected by the end of the year  [...] The satirical newspaper, the ONION, will end its print edition in Chicago, Providence, R.I., and Milwaukee with the Dec. 12 issue [...]

Nurses Perform CPR, Naperville Park District Police with an ATV and AED Save Half-Marathon Runner

ER nurse on man given CPR: "He actually was responding and said he wanted to finish the race" ... after he was revived by three nurses doing CPR and with the help of a park district police officer on an ATV that was equipped with an AED, who was the first official on the scene  ... Among all the volunteer medical personnel staffing the Edward Hospital Naperville Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday, it was three nurses actually running the race who are being credited with saving a life. “We were running right past mile 6 when we saw a man who was unresponsive,” said Stephanie […] Yonatan Mascote, age 24, a Naperville resident and a North Central College graduate had the winning time of 2:34:25.  . Amanda Mirochne, 26, of Naperville, was first place among women with a time of 2:50:14 [...] City of Naperville Marathon and Half Marathon [...]

Flash Mob Thefts at Sports Authority Store in Chicagoland ...

Flash Mob theft at Sports Authority on Nov. 2, 2013 at 3134 N. Clark St, Nov. 4, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. at at 7720 S. Cicero Ave. in Burbank, and November 4, 2013 at 9231 W. 159th St. Orland Hills/Frankfurt [...] Mob thefts last five to 10 seconds ... Two of the robberies happened in the middle of the day and one occurred in the evening [...] Three offenders take 15 North Face Jackets from Sports Authority on E Golf Rd, Schaumburg [...]

Famous Chef Charlie Trotter Dead at 54

Charlie Trotter, famous Chicago chef, was found by his son Dylan unconscious and not breathing in his Lincoln Park home this morning and was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead [...] Namesake restaurant opened in 1987 and closed in August 2012 [...]

Billy Varner Wanted for Murder in Antioch, IL; Robbed Church in Ray, North Dakota; Apprehended Near Williston, Extradited to Illinois

Prosecutors on Tuesday contended that Billy Eugene Varner killed his wife, Peggy Henderson, age 61, on Oct. 26, 2013 -- machete attack with near decapitation and near severing of her arm [...] At St. Michael’s Catholic Church 5 p.m. Mass in Ray, North Dakota on Saturday night November 2, 2013, Varner allegedly walked through the back door of the church with a 12-gauge (shotgun), swung it back and forth, ordered everyone to the outer sides of the pews, and instructed the Rev. Benny Putharayil to collect money from more than 20 in attendance and put it in a black trash bag [...] St. Michael’s Catholic Church parishioners chased the man out of the church, followed him and provided a solid description leading to his arrest by Williams County Sheriff's Office while traveling south on Highway 2 near Williston, North Dakota [...] Extradited, faces first-degree murder charges in the deaths of his wife, 51-year-old Peggy Henderson and his mother, Dorothy Varner, 82 and is scheduled to

Chicago Bears Shea McClellin Sack Breaks Aaron Rodgers' Collar Bone, Bears Force 3-Way Tie in the Top for NFC North

The Chicago Bears won in Green Bay for the first time since 2007 [...] LIVE SCORE from bleacher report ... Brandon Marshall had 107 yards receiving and a touchdown in the win [...] Sacked by Bears Defensive End Shea McClellin, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a fractured collarbone in Monday night’s game against the Bears [...] Playing without starting quarterback Jay Cutler, the Bears forced a three-way tie atop the NFC North with the win over the Green Bay Packers [...] NFL NFC North Standings ... NFC North W L T PCT PF PA STRK Packers 5 3 0 .625 232 185 L1 Lions 5 3 0 .625 217 197 W1 Bears 5 3 0 .625 240 226 W1 Vikings 1 7 0 .125 186 252 L4

Small Alligator Found Under Escalator In Terminal Three at O'Hare International Airport

UPDATE BELOW from NBC CHICAGO ... CTA released surveillance photo of woman with alligator on train ... An alligator, between 12 and 18 inches long, was discovered under an escalator by a maintenance worker on the lower level of Terminal Three at O'Hare International Airport [...] Roaming free under an escalator in American Airlines' Terminal 3 [...] VIDEO 'Allie' the alligator startles officials at O'Hare [...] O'Hare Terminal map ... PHOTO: Here's that alligator discovered under the escalator at O'Hare http://t.co/rvJ8a3sxQ2 pic.twitter.com/nvhSVTsaL3 — FOX 32 News (@fox32news) November 3, 2013 Post by NBC Chicago .

Chicago Macy's State Street Windows Decorated, Lighting of Great Tree

Holiday windows unveiled today on State Street, as is tradition on the first Saturday in November each year and helps kick-off Macy's holiday season [...] Magnificent Mile Light Festival is November 23, 2013 themagnificentmile.com/events

Illinois’ $40 Billion Teacher Pension Underfunded by $55 Million

Dick Ingram, executive director of the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System, says the retirement system for 390,000 public school teachers in Illinois is spending more money than it’s taking in. In a few decades the TRS faces a real possibility that the system will not have enough money to pay benefits to retirees (those currently in their 20s and 30s and 40s)  [...] Illinois Teacher Retirement System ... TRS Wikipedia ...

Chicago Connections to LAX Shooting

Lake Forest native Brian Ludmer recovering from gunshot wound after getting hit while waiting to board aircraft at LAX [...] Stephen Hartley, 59 of Chicago, had flown into Los Angeles to be with his daughter after her emergency appendectomy ... Stephanie Rosemeyer, 26, awaiting a flight to Chicago, looked into the gunman's eyes, heard him curse the TSA [...] WORLD WATCHES AT LAWA ... Gunman killed a Transportation Security Administration worker and wounded two others — after sending a suicidal text message to his family [...] First TSA officer killed in the line of duty is 39-year-old Gerardo I. Hernandez [...] Gunman's Text Message: LAX gunman, Paul Anthony Ciancia, planned to die in shoot-out with 'pigs and the TSA' [...] LIVE LAX shooting TIMELINE: 'Multiple victims' hit; at least 7 hurt [...] BREAKING ... A Transportation Security Administration agent and a suspect were wounded in a shooting at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday morn