Dawn Patrol: Maine West coach fired; Dundee-Crown teen robbed
Maine West soccer coach fired by school board
In light of hazing scandals that have come to light, the Maine West High School head boys varsity soccer coach was dismissed last night by the District 207 school board. Michael Divincenzo has 17 days after receiving his dismissal papers to request a hearing through the Illinois State Board of Education, which could take up to a year to be completed, and in the meantime would be suspended without pay. Full story.
Student robbed by armed man outside Dundee-Crown
A 16-year-old Dundee-Crown sophomore was robbed by a young man armed with a gun in the south parking lot of the Carpentersville high school shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to school officials. Two men approached the student and the armed man took his cellphone and asked for his keys. Full story.
Puppy donated to Naperville man touched by double homicide
A little dachshund puppy donated by Petland Naperville brought smiles to Matt Plackowski yesterday. Plackowski’s mother, Elzbieta Plackowska, is accused of murdering his 7-year-old brother, a 5-year-old, his dog Tootsie and another dog in a horrific knife attack in October. Full story.
Prospect Heights man charged for soliciting teen for sex
A 28-year-old from Prospect Heights is facing charges of indecent solicitation of a child and attempted criminal sexual assault after he was accused of trying to force a 15-year-old to commit a sex act for money. Jesus Castillo-Vasquez is being held on $50,000 bail. Full story.
Mundelein man charged in crash that killed Round Lake Beach mother
Mark Oelerich, 22, of Mundelein — who police say told them he intentionally drove into oncoming traffic to “test his mortality” on Thanksgiving eve — was indicted Wednesday on first-degree murder charges alleging he killed a 25-year-old Round Lake Beach mother. Full story.
Teachers approve contract
District 300 teachers voted last night to approve a labor contract that has been discussed for almost a year. Now the district is just one step away from having a done deal. The district’s board of education is scheduled to vote on the agreement — the details of which are not being discussed publicly yet — at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Full story.
Olympic gymnast coming to Westmont and Elgin
Jake Dalton, a gymnast who competed with Team USA at last summer’s Olympic Games in London, will hold two meet-and-greet sessions Saturday at the Illinois Gymnastics Institute in Westmont and Spring Hill Gymnastics in Elgin. “For me, it’s mostly about being able to talk to the kids and get them excited,” he said. Full story.
Weather
Get ready because snow is on its way. Heavy rain this morning is expected to switch over to 1 to 3 inches of accumulated snowfall before it shuts off late this evening. Its 42 degrees right now, will reach only 44 degrees later, before dropping back to about 20 degrees tonight. Full story.
Traffic
Roadwork continues in Downers Grove on Carpenter Street between Maple and Gilbert Road. People should avoid that area. Full story.
NIU basking in Orange Bowl attention
The Huskies are headed to Miami to play Florida State in the prestigious Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, marking the first time a team from the Mid-American Conference has played in a BCS Bowl. And the team, students, alumni and fan base are pumped. “My kind of take on how the outside has kind of perceived us, it’s gone from really negative right away to kind of turned positive, that feel-good story,” coach Ron Carey said. Full story.