Dawn Patrol: Trucker charged in I-88 crash; suburban Obama reaction
Trooper in I-88 crash to recover; truck driver charged
Renato V. Velasquez, 46, of Hanover Park will appear in bond court this morning now that he is facing felony charges in the fiery crash on I-88 that killed a tollway worker from Wheeling and hurt a state trooper. The driver is accused of driving while fatigued and past both his 11- and 14-hour driving limit, and he’s charged under Full story.
Wheeling man remembered for work, devotion to family
Vincent Petrella, the tollway worker from Wheeling killed Monday night while helping a stranded driver, was a hero, Gov. Pat Quinn said yesterday. But to a friend who grew up with Petrella in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood on the Near West Side, he was always a hero. “He was a hero just for the way he was with his family,” Paul Capuano said. “He was a man’s man who put family before anything else. That’s what a man’s man is to me.” Full story.
Mixed State of the Union reactions from suburbanites in Washington
Two people from the suburbs who were guests of congressman representing the suburbs weren’t entirely happy with President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address last night. Diane Iser, a Hoffman Estates breast cancer survivor and guest of Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, said she was “insulted” and “upset.” Full story.
How suburban representatives in Congress viewed Obama’s speech: Full story.
Quinn giving state of the State address today
Gov. Pat Quinn is scheduled to address the General Assembly with his state of the State address at noon today. The minimum wage is expected to come up as it did in President Obama’s State of the Union address. Five things to know about Quinn’s speech: Full story.
Woman burns ex-boyfriend’s car in Aurora
Charges are pending against a woman who set her ex-boyfriend’s vehicle on fire while she was still inside, Aurora police said. Full story.
Metra riders fed up with service disruptions
After a month of delays and cancellations, the suspension of the North Central Service yesterday because of a Mundelein freight train derailment was the last straw for some Metra passengers. Wheeling commuter Stacey Horcher called Tuesday’s mishap “the cherry on top of the cake for NCS disruptions.” Full story.
Weather
The “polar vortex” seems to have moved on slightly, but the wind and cold remains. It is 3 degrees this morning, with wind chills making it feel about 8 degrees below zero. It will reach a high of 21 degrees this afternoon, but wind chills will make it feel about 3 degrees. Temperatures will dip back to 14 degrees tonight, with wind chills hovering around 8 degrees below zero. Full weather.
Traffic
Construction continues on Rollins Road between Route 83 and Route 45 in Round Lake Beach. People should expect heavy delays due to the on going roadwork. Full traffic.
Deng dishes a bit on Bulls experience
While dishing out some tough love to his new Cleveland Cavaliers teammates, Luol Deng shared some insight about how things worked with the Bulls. “I’ll be honest with you — and I really want to put Chicago behind me,” Deng said. Full story.
Northwestern players organize, shine light on broken system
Former Northwestern quarterback/wide receiver Kain Colter called Tuesday a historic day — and so it was. Wildcats football players joined a movement to have a union represent them in order to influence what their working conditions will be. See, NU, what can happen when a university actually educates athletes? They’re liable to bite the hand that taught them, Mike Imrem says. Full column.