Briefs: BP's plan to dump decried
Elected officials and environmentalists meeting in Chicago on Wednesday roundly blasted a decision by Indiana to permit an oil refinery to dump more pollutants into Lake Michigan. Many attending the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-hosted forum say the planned discharge by the BP oil refinery in Whiting, Ind., amounts to the most serious environmental threat to Lake Michigan in decades. U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel says he believes the permit granted to BP is in clear violation of the federal Clean Water Act. The EPA's regional administrator, Mary Gade, says she disagrees with Emanuel, but she concedes the issue has raised what she calls "a firestorm of outrage." A BP representative at the meeting, Steve Elbert, defended his company's environmental record. But he also made conciliatory comments, saying he's open to all suggestions about how to ensure damage isn't done to the lake.
Bookkeeper's bond set
An Elk Grove Village woman who prosecutors say stole about $550,000 from her employer was given a $100,000 bond Wednesday. Prosecutors said Susan Coconate, 51, worked for more than a decade as an accountant, bookkeeper and office manager for the Elk Grove Village-based Taylor Chicago Distributors. Authorities allege she embezzled the cash over a period of about three years -- the amount of time the latest owner has been onboard. Prosecutors could not offer details of how she stole the money but said the company discovered the situation in December. It took until now to sift through the financial records and thoroughly investigate the case, they said. Coconate, who has no criminal record, is scheduled to be back in the Rolling Meadows courthouse Sept. 11.
The safest teen driver
The perils of teens behind the wheel are well-documented, but the Safe America Foundation is seeking to find the safest teen driver in the country. The "Safe Teen Driving Challenge" arrives Friday at Schaumburg's CarMax store at 250 E. Golf Road, and teens 15 to 17 are invited to come out between 1 and 7 p.m. to take a skills test on a driving simulator. A local winner, who will receive a Bluetooth headset from Motorola, will be chosen among those who successfully complete the skills test and an online safety exam. The top three finishers nationwide will be flown, along with a parent, to Atlanta in November to compete in a head-to-head safe driving competition. That winner will receive a $5,000 gift certificate. To qualify, competing teens must have a valid driver's license or learner's permit by November. The Georgia-based Safe America Foundation is a nonprofit that seeks to improve safety awareness and preparedness. For more details on the contest, or to take the online safety exam, go to skidzz.com.
Roadwork slows Route 31
A patching and resurfacing project will close some lanes on Route 31 in Elgin beginning today and ending Nov. 16. Officials will reduce Route 31 to one lane in each direction between Big Timber Road and I-90 to the bridge over Tyler Creek. There also will be daily lane closures on Route 31 from North of I-90 to south of Route 20 for patching and resurfacing and curb and gutter work. Expect congestion and take other routes if possible.
Sign up for duck race
Sign up now for the Boys and Girls Club of Elgin's 9th annual rubber duck race. More than 15,000 rubber ducks are expected to float down the Fox River at 2 p.m. Sept. 8. You can "adopt" a duck every Saturday and Sunday in August at Jewel stores in Elgin and West Dundee. You can also order them online at www.elginducks.com. Each duck is $5. Duck race participants could win $1 million, a Chevy Aveo and other prizes.