Briefs: ComEd hearings set
Attorneys from ComEd and Huntley met with a judge Thursday to set the schedule for hearings on ComEd's proposed route for transmission lines through the village. Hearings will be held Jan. 29-31. The location has yet to be determined. The next status hearing on the route is scheduled for Nov. 8. The route would run along Kreutzer Road and south along property lines to the tollway. Huntley is opposed to the route, saying it would interfere with the widening of Kreutzer and affect planned residential projects. The Illinois Commerce Commission plans to decide the matter by June.
Tomato contest Saturday
The Dundee Township Visitor's Center sponsors its 10th annual Largest Tomato Contest on Saturday. Tomatoes may be entered between 8 and 11 a.m. at the center, 319 N. River St. in East Dundee. Judging begins at noon for first- to third-place prizes. There is no fee to enter. Tomatoes will be judged by weight and may be red, green or any variation of ripeness in between, although contest organizers noted that red tomatoes tend to weigh more due to their added moisture content. Call (847) 426-2255.
Judson ranks No. 21
Judson College is climbing the ranks of higher learning, earning the No. 21 spot among Midwest Baccalaureate Colleges in the 2008 edition of "America's Best Colleges" published by US News and World Report. This puts it 23 places above last year's rank of No. 44. Officials at Judson, which will be renamed Judson University at the end of the month, credit the jump with new students entering with higher grade-point averages and class ranks. The complete rankings will be published in the magazine's Aug. 27 issue and are already available online at www.usnews.com/colleges.
Space exhibits open today
Bring your kids to learn about gravity, space and more beginning today at Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin. Thirteen interactive displays will be set up in the library's youth department courtesy of the National Science Foundation's Outreach to Space project. The displays will be in both English and Spanish. The library is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday.
Man loses blood draw battle
A man charged with felony driving under the influence while bicycling lost his bid Thursday to prevent prosecutors from testing blood samples from the night of his arrest. McHenry County Judge Joseph Condon ruled against Charles E. Braun's claims that because he was not a licensed driver on April 21 -- his license had been revoked after four previous DUIs -- authorities have no right to his blood. Braun, 43, of Oakwood Hills, faces two felony DUI charges stemming from the incident in which his bicycle swerved into traffic on Valley View Road in Oakwood Hills and struck a car. Authorities say Braun had at the time a blood-alcohol level of 0.272, about 3½ times the legal limit, but are seeking blood samples to confirm those findings. County prosecutors say the DUI charge is appropriate because Braun's bicycle had a small motor attached, qualifying it as a motor vehicle. Braun, however, claims the motor was inoperable.
Register Saturday at ECC
Most student services at Elgin Community College will be open Saturday for students unable to come to the main campus during regular business hours. Registration, admissions, counseling, financial aid, student accounts, the bookstore and records offices will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The testing center, for those sitting for ECC placement exams, also will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration and other student services offices are on the first floor of the Student Resource Center on ECC's Main Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Regular registration hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. Call (847) 214-7393 or e-mail registration@elgin.edu.