Cook County Digest
Cardinal to attend funeral:
The funeral of the Rev. Arthur J. Fagan Jr. has been moved from his parish to St. Julian Eymard, 601 Biesterfield Road in Elk Grove Village. The Queen of the Rosary church, where Fagan served, has a broken air-conditioning system, which can't be fixed in time for the funeral. Francis Cardinal George will preside at the 10 a.m. Thursday funeral mass for Fagan, church officials said. Fagan died of an apparent heart attack in his sleep on Saturday morning. He was 65. Fagan's death came after Thursday's passing of another prominent church figure, Rev. Francis J. Cerniglia, who was the pastor emeritus and who lived on the church grounds. He was 80.
Crash victim was drunk:
A 43-year-old Streamwood man was drunk when he was killed by a hit-and-run driver on June 9, Kane County Coroner Chuck West said Wednesday. Raymond Guthrie had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.242, more than three times the legal limit, West said. A coroner's jury ruled Wednesday that Guthrie's death was accidental. He was struck while on foot at 11:22 p.m. June 9 near Route 59 just north of Schaumburg Road in Streamwood and died of blunt pelvic and chest trauma at Sherman Hospital in Elgin a short time later. Police have described the vehicle that struck Guthrie as a 1994 or 1995 green Jeep Wrangler that likely had its front end damaged by the crash. Police ask anyone with information about the incident to call (630) 736-3700.
Rosemont OK's spending:
Rosemont officials Wednesday approved spending $142.5 million this year, up 6 percent from last year. The biggest single item in the plan is the $47.5 million general fund. Rosemont also plans to spend $24.6 million for the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, $22.2 million for the Allstate Arena and $20.3 million for capital projects. The plan also includes $10.9 million toward debt and $9.7 million for the Rosemont Theatre. In other village board action, trustees approved the issuance of $35 million in bonds to help fund its employees' pensions. Village attorney Peter Rosenthal said the village can issue the bonds without getting referendum approval for the tax increase. Village employees contribute 9 percent of their salary to pensions, officials said.
Police seek accreditation:
The Palatine Police Department is going under the microscope this month. The department will host a team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., who will examine all aspects of the police force's policy and procedures, management, operations and support services in an attempt to gain accreditation -- a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. As part of the assessment, members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session at 7 p.m. Aug. 13 in Meeting Room 2 of the Palatine Public Library, 700 North Court. Those not able to attend can also provide comments by phone by calling (847) 776-4747 between 1 and 3 p.m. Aug. 13. For more information, contact the police at (847) 359-9000.