Dawn Patrol: Quick hits as you head out the door

Breaking News:

One teen is dead and a second injured in a gang-related shooting in Waukegan late Monday night, authorities said.

Fire fighters are battling a blaze at Route 72 and Brier Hill Road in Hampshire. No word on injuries or cause of the fire at this time.

Weather

Rain all day. It'll be about 55 degrees with spots of heavy rain this morning, before it warms up to the mid-60s this afternoon, along with more rain. The rain will continue on and off through the afternoon commute as well. Full weather.

Traffic

Area highways and tollways are about as packed as much as can be, while a bunch of accidents have added to roadway congestion early Tuesday. People are asked to avoid Grass Lake Road near Antioch due to an accident that has shut down the roadway, while Route 45 and Milwaukee Avenue in Vernon Hills is blocked due to another accident with injuries. Accidents in Lisle and Carol Stream have been cleaned up, officials are reporting. People are urged to slow down and use extra caution while traversing the roadways in the wet weather earlier this morning. Full traffic.

Sox say goodbye to Ozzie

Although many speculated this day would come, last night's announcement that Ozzie Guillen would be managing his last game for the White Sox came as a shock to the Chicago sports world. Guillen was released from his 2012 contract, per his request, and is expected to head to the Florida Marlins before the end of the week with two games remaining on the Sox' schedule. “I think I earned it (contract extension),” Guillen said. “But I don't blame Jerry. Jerry thinks with his brains, not with his heart. I expected that.” The 47-year-old charismatic manager took over in 2004 and won a World Series championship with the team in 2005. Full story and coverage.

Prospect Heights police investigating murder-suicide

Authorities are expected sometime this morning to release the names of a woman who was shot to death in Prospect Heights yesterday and the man who killed himself shortly afterward. The suspected murder-suicide at the Lake Run Condominiums on the 0-100 of Old Willow Road occurred about 3:30 p.m. on the fourth floor. Police found the man and woman dead in the hallway and said the woman dialed 911 during a struggle. Full story.

Teacher charged with separate counts of theft

A St. Charles North High School teacher and former women's head basketball coach was recently charged with stealing on two separate occasions — first from a Batavia Target and 19 days later from a St. Charles department store, according to police. Katherine A. Duraski of North Aurora is accused of stealing pillows and a pillow topper from Target and clothing from Von Maur. A St. Charles School District 303 official said she was placed on leave from Sept. 1 to 8 but declined to provide further details on why. Full story.

Off-duty cop shoots intruder in his home near Wheaton

An off-duty police officer who lives in unincorporated DuPage County near Wheaton shot an intruder who entered his home over the weekend. The DuPage County sheriff's office is continuing their investigation into the shooting, which occurred about 7 a.m. Saturday, and are expected to release more information today. Both the homeowner and the intruder were taken to Central DuPage Hospital. Full story.

District 300 approves 45-minute periods

The board of education on Monday unanimously — albeit not without hesitation — approved a change shifting high school schedules from the current four-block schedule to an eight-period day beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. The changes, district leaders said, will provide the best educational experience for students by providing continued and consistent exposure to the curriculum. The new schedule would also add up to 60 additional hours of instruction per year. Full story.

St. Charles North graduate speaks about directing his new horror film

26-year-old St. Charles North graduate Nick Smith says he was able to land Bruce Davison for the role as St. Charles police chief in his upcoming horror movie “Munger Road” because the actor liked the script so much. The star of “Willard” and Oscar nominee for “Longtime Companion” took less than his usual compensation for the low-budget flick, which was filmed throughout the suburbs. Smith took just 16 days to shoot on location in Bartlett, St. Charles, Elburn, Geneva and Sugar Grove. Full story.

Arlington Park will have races in 2012

While uncertainty fills the Illinois racetrack industry's future due to a gambling bill sitting on Gov. Quinn's desk, Arlington Park GM Tony Petrillo announced the track will remain open in 2012. The gambling bill could save the state's horse racing industry, by allowing slots at the tracks. “We're still hopeful,” Petrillo said. “We only know what we read in the papers, but the governor is obviously waiting for something he's more comfortable with, and maybe in a trailer bill he'll get what he needs.” Full story.

Congress avoids government shutdown

After weeks of political fighting over funding for disaster relief aid, Congress advanced legislation yesterday to avoid a partial government shutdown once again. The agreement ensured areas such as those struck by Hurricane Irene and last summer's tornadoes in Joplin, Mo., would continue to receive relief funding. The fighting over deficits, spending cuts and taxes in the latest stopgap measure took a toll on financial markets and dropped congressional approval ratings even lower. Full story.

Cubs lose as Quade continues to ‘play the kids'

Cubs manager Mike Quade gave the future of the organization a chance to get on the field last night, as “playing the kids” has become a rallying cry for fans. “To get to see them all together, to me, that's the fun part of it,” Quade said of his lineup. “Everybody's got a little different evaluation skill. There's so much that goes into that. People can disagree with me. That's fine. I believe we've done the right thing here. We've given some people some opportunities. I think they'll all be better for it. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it that way.” The Cubs lost to the Padres 2-0 in San Diego. Full story.

The Cubs' connection to ‘Moneyball'

There are Cubs connections to “Moneyball,” and Bruce Miles had a chance to talk with some of them this evening here at Petco Park. And as it always goes with these things, you find out that “based on a true story” means just that. There is definitely some fudging with the “truth.” Take Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena: In the movie, Billy Beane tells his assistant to give the word to Carlos Pena that he had been traded to Detroit. “Movies are not always exact — I was in Triple-A,” Pena said. See Bruce's column.