Dawn Patrol: Interim Fox Lake police chief vows 'stability'
New Fox Lake police chief sworn in, vows 'stability'
Fox Lake's new interim police chief said he hopes to bring stability to a department rocked by scandal over the last five months. "The men and women of the department and the community have been through an awful lot," Chief Russell Laine told the Daily Herald shortly before being sworn in Tuesday night at village hall. "I want to provide whatever service I can. Leadership. Guidance." Full story.
Rauner to highlight efficiencies in speech today
Gov. Bruce Rauner is set to give a state of the State address today that could unveil a new economic development initiative and try to find some common ground with Democrats on public pension cuts, school funding and government efficiencies, including changing how the state pays for human services that have suffered during the stalemate. "Historically, the state has spent most of its resources - tens of billions of dollars - on a broken patchwork of reactive, expensive, and ineffective interventions," Rauner is set to say, according to prepared remarks. Full story.
Why the Morton Arboretum is removing hundreds of trees
Hundreds of trees are being cut down at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle as part of a multiyear restoration project along the river that flows through the 1,700-acre property. Any project that involves removing large numbers of trees is a rare step for the outdoor museum that opened in 1922 to champion the value of woody plants. "We know people would be concerned because it's unusual that we would be cutting down trees," arboretum spokeswoman Kelley Regan said. "But it is for a good cause in the end." Full story.
Early voting delayed at county clerk's offices
County clerks throughout Illinois said Tuesday early voting for the primary election will be delayed at their offices as the Illinois State Board of Elections continues to review objections against several presidential candidates. Early voting was expected to start Feb. 4 at county clerk offices and by mail, but Lake County Clerk Carla Wyckoff said she doesn't anticipate being ready to print ballots until Feb. 17. Full story.
Driver seriously hurt in Antioch Twp. crash
A 24-year-old woman is in critical condition after her truck struck a utility pole and tree Tuesday afternoon near the state line in Antioch Township, authorities said. Full story.
Huntley police say women tried to lure girl into car
Huntley police say two women tried to lure a young girl into their car Monday evening in the Georgian Place subdivision. Authorities labeled the case suspicious and asked anyone with information to contact them. Full story.
Another COD board meeting set; will boycott continue?
College of DuPage board Vice Chairwoman Deanne Mazzochi has scheduled another meeting this week in the hope that three boycotting trustees finally will attend. But there's no sign that Trustees Erin Birt, Dianne McGuire and Joseph Wozniak are ready to return to work for Thursday night's special session. "There's still time for them to come ... and we can turn this around," Mazzochi said. Full story.
Weather
Cloudy and 26 degrees to start this morning. Temperatures will climb to 34 degrees this afternoon before falling to 31 degrees overnight tonight. A snowshow is possible in the overnight hours. Full story.
Traffic
Work is scheduled to cause restrictions on Route 22 between Harbor Drive and Route 59 in Lake Barrington until the end of July. Full story.
Blackhawks can't withstand Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes racked up 5 goals in under 33 minutes and went on to claim an easy 5-0 victory Tuesday night over the Hawks. A"It was pretty evident right from the beginning that we were in a lot of trouble tonight," coach Joel Quenneville told reporters. "We lost every single puck battle, every single race. … So it was an ugly game across the board. Nothing positive came out of it except it's over." Read beat writer John Dietz's take here.