Today's most viewed

• 1

  Former Glenbard East student accused of shooting threat
  A former Glenbard East student stands accused of planning to commit a mass shooting at the Lombard high school's graduation ceremony, authorities said Wednesday. Michael Santoro, 19, of Lombard, has been charged with disorderly conduct for planning the attack, possession of ammunition without a firearm owners identification card and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. He was taken into custody Tuesday and appeared Wednesday in bond court.
  

• 2

  Comcast debuts WiFi service in Chicago area
  Comcast, which has its Midwest headquarters in Schaumburg, has launched Xfinity Wi-Fi in the Chicago and suburban area. Comcast customers can access about 100,000 hot spots nationwide, including more than 1,000 in Chicago and the suburbs for free, said company spokesman Jack Segel. "So many people use our service on mobile devices and download and stream content on the go. It only made sense to provide it now," he said.
  

• 3
  

  Did Lake Co. sheriff chief quit or get fired?
  Lake County sheriff's office Chief Wayne Hunter has resigned in the wake of an internal memo that reiterated how the top brass are supposed to work as equals, according to his boss. But the version from Sheriff Mark Curran is not what happened, according to Hunter
  

• 4

  Owners of Lisle-based firm accused of fraud
  The SEC filed a complaint May 16 in federal court alleging Charles J. Dushek of Warrenville, his son Charles S. Dushek of Wheaton and their firm, Capital Management Associates Inc., committed securities fraud and other violations that provided them $2 million in illicit profits.
  

• 5

  Despite scoring drought, Toews still gets nothing but praise
  Prior to Game 3 in Detroit, captain Jonathan Toews told reporters that despite going without a goal through the Blackhawks' first seven playoff games, he wasn't going to let it affect his play."Right now, I'm trying not to let it build up too much in my own mind," he said. "Sometimes you start squeezing the stick and the rest of your game kind of goes downhill and I'm not going to let that happen."In that game, a 3-1 Hawks loss, you can't say Toews didn't do his darndest to end the skid, finishing with a game-high 7 shots on goal -- but the streak still grew to eight.
  

• 6

  Man wanted in McHenry, Kane and Cook counties found in Milwaukee
  A man wanted by the sheriff's offices in McHenry, Kane and Cook County counties has been arrested in Milwaukee, according to a news release. Brandon A. Williams, 21, formerly of Carpentersville, was charged with one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and two counts of aggravated battery in McHenry County, along with one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance in Kane County and driving with a suspended license in Cook County.
  

• 7

  Dawn Patrol: Des Plaines hazing forum; 2% teacher raises in Naperville
  Forum in Des Plaines on hazing. Did Lake Co. sheriff chief quit or get fired? Dist. 211 superintendent set to retire in 2014. Naperville teachers get 2% raises. St. Charles teachers get 2.8% raises. Owners of Lisle-based firm accused of fraud. Longest-serving male teacher in U-46 retiring. Lincolnshire boy 2nd in National Geographic Bee. Cubs lose to Pirates. Red Sox beat White Sox 6-2.
  

• 8

  Naperville Dist 203 teachers get 6 percent over three years
  A three-year contract finalized by Naperville Unit District 203 board members Wednesday amounts to an approximate 2 percent increase over the next three years for the district's 1,300 teachers.
  

• 9

  Cadillac Ranch agrees to give up 4 a.m. license, will now close at 3 a.m.
  A popular nightclub in Bartlett will permanently close its doors an hour earlier, due to what village officials say was a voluntary surrender of its 4 a.m. liquor license. The Cadillac Ranch, 1175 W. Lake St., has been under scrutiny by the village since February 2012, when a 22-year-old was injured after being shot in the head by an Elgin man at the nightclub.
  

• 10

  Don Mauer puts 'The 8-Hour Diet' to the test
  David Zinczenko claims that it matters more when you eat -- not what you eat -- and that you only have to diet for 8 hours a day. This oddly-configured, on-again/off-again food plan outlined in his new book "The 8-Hour Diet" seems to work and work well for those who followed it so Don Mauer decided to give it a try.
  

• 11
  

  How Oklahoma coach helped save Schaumburg couple
  A youth triathlon coach who helped pull a Schaumburg trustee and his wife out of the rubble after Monday's tornado in Oklahoma will be watching his team participate in a race Sunday in Geneva. "(Talbot Cox) was one of the responders that helped my parents," said Steve Kozak, son of the trustee. "Obviously he helped save their lives, and I'm grateful for that."
  

• 12
  

  Ingleside school wins $25,000 in recycling contest
  St. Bede Catholic School in unincorporated Ingleside now has a lot of green to help it become greener by winning a national recycling contest. With all 220 students, teachers and several parents packed in St. Bede's gymnasium, school officials accepted a $25,000 check from contest sponsor PepsiCo during an enthusiastic ceremony Wednesday.
  

• 13

  Wednesday’s baseball scoreboard
  High school results from Wednesday's varsity boys baseball games, as reported to the Daily Herald.
  

• 14

  For Reinsdorf and Urlacher, time is relative
  This week Jerry Reinsdorf indicated that he wants to keep going for a couple more decades while Brian Urlacher retired from pro football. Boy, is it ever better to be the owner than the owned.
  

• 15

  Weather forces baseball, softball regional shuffle
  Rainfall was the clear winner Wednesday as most of the baseball and softball playoff games involving Mid-Suburban League schools were postponed. In the majority of cases, the schedules were simply moved back by a day, forcing Wednesday's regional semifinal games to Thursday, and the remaining semifinals originally scheduled for Thursday to Friday. Saturday remains the day for regional championship play in all area regionals.
  

• 16
  

  Woodstock man gets 50 years for murder
  A 28-year-old Woodstock man was sentenced to 50 years in prison Wednesday in the May 2011 shooting death of a former court security officer and Island Lake bar owner. Timothy Smith staged a robbery after gunning down Kurt Milliman, 48. Smith was pimping out his wife and Milliman had answered an online ad to have sex with her.
  

• 17

  Elgin city council keeps sick leave donation policy
  A program that allows Elgin employees to donate their unused sick leave to colleagues will continue to stand for now, as city council members continue debating the topic. Right now, employees can donate sick time to other employees who have a severe illness and have exhausted their own sick leave.
  

• 18

  A happy (Cary-Grove) homecoming for Barrington’s Wire
  Not very often does it come full circle for coaches like it did for Barrington baseball coach Pat Wire Wednesday afternoon. When rains forced the Class 4A Jacobs regional semifinal between No. 1 seed Cary-Grove and No. 4 Barrington to Cary-Grove's field, it set up an unprecedented scenario for the 1996 Cary-Grove graduate to beat his alma mater on a field he did pretty well on himself at one time. "He played outstanding on this field. I'm glad he's coaching and not playing. I mean, I wish he was playing for us," Trojans coach Don Sutherland said. "Pat had some great games here. He pitched for us, played short, played center, those are all the spots where you put your best players so he's won a lot of games here." Now Wire can say he's won a game at Cary-Grove as a coach. The Broncos (22-11) jumped out to a 4-run lead after two innings, only to watch it disappear and regain it with 2 runs in the fifth in a 6-5 upset of Cary-Grove, doing things Wire has preached to his team all season, something he learned from Sutherland: manufacture runs and play small ball. And the Broncos kept battling this time, something they did not do in the Mid-Suburban League championship game last Friday, a loss to Rolling Meadows.
  

• 19

  Wednesday’s softball scoreboard
  High school results from Wednesday's varsity girls softballl games, as reported to the Daily Herald.
  

• 20

  Wednesday’s boys volleyball scoreboard
  High school results from Wednesday's varsity boys volleyball games, as reported to the Daily Herald.
  

• 21

  Elgin names Rohde new head football coach
  Elgin High School hired 2002 graduate Kyle Rohde on Wednesday to be the 25th football coach in the program's 115-year history. Rohde, 29, has been a member of the Elgin staff since 2007. He spent the last three seasons as defensive coordinator under former coach Dave Bierman, who resigned last fall following a 1-8 season. Rohde was a long snapper and offensive lineman at Millikin University from 2002-2006.
  

• 22
  

  Lincolnshire boy 2nd in National Geographic Bee
  A seventh-grader from the Northwest suburbs placed second in the 25th annual National Geographic Bee on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Conrad Oberhaus, 13, a student at Daniel Wright Junior High in Lincolnshire, earned a $15,000 college scholarship for his effort.
  

• 23
  

  Sibling rivalry propels young Palatine filmmakers
  Two young filmmakers from Palatine are making a name for themselves in the visual arts world and racking up some incredible experiences along the way. Richard, an eighth-grader, is the graphic artist, and Ben, a high school sophomore, is the writer and director. "I'm really proud of Richard, but there's boiling hatred there, too," Ben, 16, jokes. "We both operate in the visual arts, but luckily in very different areas."
  

• 24

  Blackhawks’ fate in their own hands, skates
  If the Blackhawks needed adversity in order to find their best game, they've got all they can handle now, and they better come out in Game 4 like it's a Game 7. If they do that, they can still win this series.
  

• 25

  Pro-life group's supporters blast Elgin city council
  Supporters of an Elgin faith-based, pro-life organization that provides free ultrasounds and pregnancy tests to women asked the city council to ease what they believe are unfair restrictions imposed on the organization. Elgin is the only community that TLC Pregnancy Services has had problems with, out of the half-dozen communities where it has operated its mobile unit, TLC supporter John Juergensmeyer said.
  

• 26

  Tough exit for Trumpis, Grant
  Not even a bitter defeat could sour the sweet feelings Grant senior Jake Trumpis has for McHenry's Petersen Park. Trumpis certainly pitched well enough to win Wednesday night's Class 4A baseball regional semifinal duel with McHenry's Andrew Reisinger before a big crowd. The right-hander allowed only 4 singles and had 6 strikeouts and no walks as he threw just 73 pitches in 6 innings. But three perfectly placed singles in the top of the fourth inning and some stellar defense by No. 4 McHenry (23-14) sent Trumpis and top-seeded Grant (17-12) to a tough 1-0 defeat.
  

• 27

  Buffalo Grove tops Stevenson, makes sectional
  Eighth-seeded Buffalo Grove rose to the task at hand in Wednesday's Highland Park regional final -- and quite a task it was. The Bison were facing Stevenson, the top seed in the 23-team Antioch sectional. Behind a dominant hitting effort from senior Evan Bunnetto, the Bison more than met the challenge. Bunnetto racked up 18 kills to go with 4 blocks and 7 digs as Buffalo Grove won 25-19, 25-23.
  

• 28

  Fox reality show spotlights Downers Grove business
  This time "you're fired" is more than a Donald Trump catchphrase. Fox is turning the firing of real people from real jobs into entertainment. And they start it off in Downers Grove. "Does Someone Have to Go?" airs at 7 p.m. Thursday. On the show, cameras go into small businesses and employees are compelled to rat out underperforming colleagues. At the end, they choose one co-worker to recommend for firing.
  

• 29

  St. Charles teachers get 2.8 raises for each of next three years
  St. Charles Unit District 303 teachers will get 2.8 raises each of the next three years under a new contract approved by the school board. The teachers' union has already ratified the deal. The contract also reduces the large salary bumps teachers preparing to retire receive to 4 percent, down from 6 percent.
  

• 30

  Theft charges dropped against ex-Barrington High administrator
  Theft charges were dropped Wednesday against a former Barrington High School administrator accused of stealing funds from the school's fine arts department. However, Julie Rachel Salk paid just over $5,000 in restitution to Barrington Unit District 220, claiming she was "ultimately responsible" for the missing funds, defense attorney Doug Roberts said.
  

• 31

  Lake Park works hard to avoid elimination
  It took a handful of innings, but that sense of urgency finally kicked in for Lake Park's baseball team. The top-seeded Lancers were pushed to the brink of playoff elimination before rallying for a 5-3 victory over Schaumburg in the Class 4A Schaumburg regional semifinals Wednesday at Boomers Stadium.
  

• 32

  GOP should shed Tea Party influence
  A Palatine letter to the editor: Why has the old Republican guard stood silent? The haters of the Tea Party have not allowed legislation to even be voted on because it would mean a win for the president.
  

• 33

  Palatine man killed when motorcycle hit fence
  A 30-year-old Palatine man died Wednesday night after the motorcycle he was riding skidded into a fence on Wilke Road, police believe.
  

• 34
  

  Swift leads Naperville North comeback
  If Naperville North and Neuqua Valley had played first goal wins, fans would have missed a great girls soccer game. A Zoe Swift goal 44 seconds into Wednesday's Class 3A Bolingbrook sectional final only whet the appetite for an action-packed game that turned into a 4-3 Huskies victory. "I didn't expect 4-3 either, but when you sit back and you think about it, when you've got this many attacking pieces out there that both of these teams have, it's really not a surprise I guess when you think of it," Huskies coach Steve Goletz said. "Obviously, neither of us probably going into the game, Neuqua or us, wanted to say we'd give up that many goals. But I think it's obviously a testament to the attacking players that are on the field."
  

• 35

  Ex-Elgin deputy chief accused of misconduct, identity theft
  A former Elgin deputy police chief was indicted and arrested Tuesday on charges of identity theft and official misconduct. Bob Beeter, 51, of Elgin was arrested at his job as Stockton Illinois police chief. He is accused of hacking into email to help his mistress in her divorce and improperly using the department's record system.
  

• 36

  Buffalo Grove eliminates Stevenson
  
  

• 37

  Schaumburg police warn of strong-arm robberies
  Schaumburg police Tuesday issued a community alert stemming from a pair of strong-arm robberies that occurred on the northwest side of the village during the previous few days. Neither victim was injured, but police are reminding residents to remain aware of their surroundings and anyone who seems suspicious or appears to be loitering or observing others.
  

• 38
  

  Island Lake cops change tow firms; Amrich denies pay to play
  Island Lake Police Chief Don Bero has changed the department's preferred towing firm, ditching the company run by a political enemy of Mayor Charles Amrich. The company that now has the gig is owned by an Island Lake resident who donated to Amrich's political committee, state records show. Amrich denied it's a case of pay-to-play politics.
  

• 39

  Urlacher announces NFL retirement with 'no regrets'
  Brian Urlacher is retiring from the NFL after 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears, according to his official Twitter account. "Although I could continue playing, I'm not sure I would bring a level of performance or passion that's up to my standards," Urlacher said in a statement he posted on Twitter. Bob LeGere looks back on Urlacher's career as his former teammates pay tribute to Urlacher's remarkable career.
  

• 40
  

  Turnquist retires as longest-serving male teacher in U-46
  With 41 years in the classroom, Jerry Turnquist will retire as the longest-serving male teacher in Elgin Area School District U-46 history. Turnquist spent his entire career at Ellis Middle School after growing up just a few blocks away. Colleagues gathered to recognize his career, as well as the work of three other retiring Ellis teachers -- Phylis Dunlap-Huerta, Carlos Salgado and Steve Childs, who attended Ellis as a student and then later walked its halls as a band instructor.
  

• 41

  Confederate captain led Elgin’s 1913 Memorial Day parade
  Former Confederate Captain William Creighton of Elgin led Elgin's 1913 Memorial Day parade accompanied by a Guard of Honor. A few days earlier, Creighton saved the life of Elgin's oldest Union veteran.
  

• 42

  Rescued Lombard ducklings survive four-day sewer saga
  Perseverance paid off in one Lombard resident's quest to rescue a group of tiny ducklings trapped in a storm sewer. Ginger Frey enlisted the help of police, public works, PETA, Willowbrook Wildlife Center and finally the Lombard Fire Department -- all in the name of four ducklings so small they fell between the grates of a sewer not far from Lombard Lagoon. "They're so scared, it's getting cold at night, and they're really, really tiny," Frey said.
  

• 43

  Lombard shooting range reopening after small fire
  A Lombard shooting range is reopening Thursday in the wake of a fire that sent three employees to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Article 2 Gun Range at 250 Cortland Ave. is aiming to reopen its shooting ranges at 3 p.m. after repairing areas damaged by the fire.
  

• 44
  

  Wanna win Powerball? Try these numbers
  For 13 years, a red ball with the number "20" printed on it has been whirling around with its numerical counterparts in an enclosed Powerball kettle waiting to potentially make someone a millionaire. That No. 20 red ball has made its way out of the kettle 49 times, the most of any of the numbered balls. No. 20 also is the second most common number on the five white balls that are selected in each Powerball drawing as well, behind 26 and ahead of 32, 16 and 42, a Daily Herald analysis of the numbers shows.
  

• 45

  Des Plaines forum stresses vigilance against hazing
  A community forum on hazing and bullying held Wednesday night in Des Plaines in response to the hazing of soccer players last September at Maine West High School drew a sparse audience of fewer than 50 local residents but prompted a surprise appearance by activists on the issue from Indiana and Georgia. "I didn't come to speak," said Pam Champion, the mother of Robert Champion, a Florida A&M band student who died after being beaten in a hazing ritual. "Any school that tells you that they have everything under control, they're lying."
  

• 46
  

  St. Charles N. sweeps Geneva to win regional
  Jonathan Orech had no explanation for another one-sided St. Charles North performance. On a senior-laden team, Orech was at a loss to offer evidence for the North Stars' dominance over Geneva Wednesday night in an IHSA boys volleyball regional championship match. "I did not think the spread would be this wide," Orech said after scoring consecutive points to complete the top-seeded North Stars' 25-13, 25-18 straight-sets victory over the Vikings in Geneva. "We were so focused for them the whole match. We never gave (Geneva) a shot."
  

• 47

  Conant earns regional title shot
  Conant softball coach Cathyann Smith, who guided the Cougars to Mid-Suburban League championships in 2011 and 2012, will have her team playing in a regional championship on Saturday in Glen Ellyn. The No. 8-seeded Cougars improved to 16-9 on Wednesday with a 5-3 victory over Glenbard West, which was seeded No. 11 in its own Class 4A regional.
  

• 48

  Line juggling makes sense to create scoring chances
  Q&A with Blackhawks broadcaster Troy Murray
  

• 49
  

  Antioch Rescue Squad, village splitting up
  Antioch Rescue Squad, which became embroiled in controversy about a year ago, and Antioch village government are ending their longtime marriage. Village officials say they were surprised to learn the rescue squad declined a six-month extension. "After all the village has done to support ARS as it worked its way through sex scandals, alcohol and drug abuse, ARS slapped its partners in the face," the Antioch mayor said.
  

• 50
  

  No prosecution of District 129 officials in abuse case
  The Kane County state's attorney's office announced Wednesday that it will not seek to prosecute any West Aurora District 129 officials for not reporting suspected sexual abuse to state authorities. A former band director was sentenced to 12 years in prison last year after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two of his students.