Dawn Patrol: 14-year-old charged in death of 11-year-old Mundelein girl
Autopsy planned for girl found dead in Mundelein home
An autopsy will be performed today on a young girl who was found dead in her Mundelein bedroom Tuesday morning. Authorities have charged a 14-year-old with the death of the 11-year-old. Full story.
Dist. 300 Superintendent Bregy leaving for new job
Michael Bregy, superintendent of Community Unit District 300, is leaving the sixth largest school district in the state to head Highland Park-based North Shore School District 112, officials confirmed last night. Bregy, 47, has spent 14 years in the Carpentersville-based district and said his formative experiences and collective successes there prepared him for this new chapter in his career. Full story.
St. Charles to make bars get added permit to stay open past midnight
Aldermen acted last night on a more permanent attempt to cut down on police calls for fights, disorderly conduct and overserved patrons. Without comment, aldermen unanimously approved a new two-tiered system that will close all businesses serving open liquor at midnight unless they obtain an additional permit to stay open later. Full story.
Geneva’s Great Harvest store closing Feb. 1
Marty Kane is fond of the T-shirt he wears while running his Geneva store: “Buy Our Bread ... We Knead the Dough.” But the his Great Harvest Bread Co. store isn’t turning enough dough to justify keeping it open. So Marty and his wife, Kim, are closing it Feb. 1. “It’s just dollars and cents,” Kane said yesterday. Full story.
Huntley High expansion plans head to village
Work on a $35 million facelift of Huntley High School should begin this spring once plans are reviewed by Huntley’s plan commission and village board. Plans call for a new field house, a redesigned main entrance, reconfigured parking lots and new classrooms and science labs. They also include designs for a new library in a renovated gym space, a larger cafeteria and multiple common areas. Full story.
Chicago archdiocese hid child sex abuse in suburbs
Father Vince McCaffrey had a history of predatory abuse when he arrived at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Wheeling in the 1980s. Catholic church leaders knew it; parishioners did not. McCaffrey’s story was among many revealed yesterday when, as part of a court settlement, the Archdiocese of Chicago released more than 6,000 pages of internal communications about 30 of its 65 priests accused of sexually abusing children. Full story with more details attached.
Weather
Cloudy and cold with temperatures hovering at around 4 degrees early this morning. Temps will reach 10 degrees this afternoon before plummeting back to zero overnight. In addition wind chills will drop to 20 degrees below zero tonight. Full story.
Traffic
Construction continues on Rollins Road between Route 83 and Route 45 in Round Lake Beach. People should expect delays. Full story.
Blackhawks still excited to face Detroit tonight
Go ahead and try to convince the Blackhawks there’s still not a rivalry with the Red Wings. For that matter, go ahead and try to convince Hawks fans of the same thing. Your efforts will be futile, because despite the fact that Detroit has switched conferences, when these two teams drop the puck tonight, with the memory of an epic playoff series still fresh in everyone’s mind, the atmosphere at Joe Louis Arena promises to be as intense as ever. Full story.
With Hinrich out, Bulls likely to sign Mike James
There is no official word on how long Kirk Hinrich might be out with a right hamstring strain. But he did not make the trip to Cleveland and the Bulls are planning to sign veteran point guard Mike James to a 10-day contract. Full story.
Cubs should know a contract is a contract
Cubs management should understand the sanctity of a contract as much as anyone. Didn’t they have to keep paying and keep paying and keep paying Alfonso Soriano until the Yankees finally agreed to start paying him? Maybe the Cubs think they can deal the rooftops to New York, too. Full story.