Dawn Patrol: Ryder Cup greens ready; St. Charles bars unite
Hot summer made Ryder Cup prep difficult for groundskeeper
Heading into this weekend’s Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club, the conditions of the grounds fall on the shoulders of one man, Curtis Tyrrell. Tyrrell has had nearly five years to prepare for the weekend, but record-breaking temperatures and drought nearly rattled him this summer. “This summer, a lot of times we’d just go in there and shake our head at it,” Tyrrell said. “This definitely wasn’t the summer I was hoping for heading into the Ryder Cup.” Full story.
St. Charles officials agree to let taverns police themselves
Taverns in downtown St. Charles will have the chance to police themselves for the next 90 days after threats by city officials to close them down earlier if problems with fighting, intoxication and public urination don’t subside. Tavern owners feared losing business to Geneva if forced to close earlier. So they banded together, hired an attorney, and came up with a plan to use business-level peer pressure to crack down on the unruly behavior. The city council agreed to the plan last night. Full story.
Trustee Thomas Hayes to run for Arlington Heights mayor
Arlington Heights Trustee Thomas Hayes will run for village president next year and is the only member of the board so far to announce his intentions to replace longtime President Arlene Mulder. Hayes has served as the president pro tem of the board for the past 13 years, filling in for Mulder when necessary. Full story.
Teen told police his brakes failed before serious crash in Elgin
A St. Charles teen told police the brakes on his vehicle failed before blowing through a stop sign near Elgin and ramming into the side of a vehicle Monday afternoon. The driver of the vehicle that was struck suffered severe injuries but is expected to survive, according to police. A third vehicle was also involved in the crash, which shut down traffic at Stevens and McDonald roads for four hours. Full story.
Elmhurst mom sentenced to 20 years for drugging son
An Elmhurst mother who gave her 7-year-old son a potentially lethal combination of prescription and over-the-counter drugs last year during a bitter divorce from the boy’s father has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Cheryl Luchetta said she was “deeply sorry” in court yesterday during the sentencing. The 48-year-old cut her own throat after drugging her son and told authorities that an intruder drugged the boy and injured her. Full story.
Former Bensenville employee charged with stealing from village
A former Bensenville employee has been charged with stealing more than $45,000 from the village over a three-year period while working a job that left her responsible for issuing vehicle stickers, according to prosecutors. Norma Hernandez, 49, is accused of pocketing money that residents paid for the stickers and also of stealing more than $40,000 from the village’s tow fees account. Full story.
Cronin says DuPage is thriving thanks to budget cuts
DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin said the county is thriving because of cost-cutting measures that have stabilized the budget. The county has cut more than $13 million from its budget over the past two years and eliminated a total of 40 positions. “Whether we like it or not, the ability of the private sector to grow and thrive is directly related to the sustainability of local government. For businesses in Illinois, that’s not really good news,” he said. Full story.
Man convicted in puffer fish poison scheme gets 7.5 years
A Lake in the Hills man who stockpiled vials of neurotoxic derived from a puffer fish as part of a plot to kill his wife was sentenced to 92 months in prison yesterday. Edward Bachner IV had been held in jail in lieu of bail since June 2008, after the FBI raided his home. The 39-year-old obtained the toxins by posing as a research doctor. Full story.
Weather
Sunny and mainly clear today with a high temperature of 76 degrees today. Temperatures will only be about 53 degrees as you head out the door, and dip back to 55 degrees overnight tonight. Full story.
Traffic
Construction continues at the intersection of IL-31 and IL-176 in Crystal Lake. This will require intermittent closures for the start of the project but will eventually reduce lanes. This project will be in place until November of 2013. Full story.
Dunn’s home runs lift White Sox to big win
Mired in a 3-for-28 rut with 12 strikeouts after going down swinging in his first two trips to the plate against Cleveland on Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field, Dunn and hitting coach Jeff Manto hooked up for a quick crash course in the indoor batting cage behind the White Sox’ dugout. Next thing you know, Dunn is helping the Sox get a big win by hitting 2 home runs. Full story.