Briefs: Anti-bullying laws signed
Looking to stamp out school yard bullying, state lawmakers Thursday approved two get-tough measures that require every district to draft a no-bullying policy and outfit school buses with recording devices. Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed the measures Thursday. Harder to address, however, is cyber bullying. More than 500,000 Illinois children have been intimidated with e-mails, cell phone texts or disparaging postings online, according to a report last year. A measure requiring that private and independent schools run background checks on new employees also was enacted. To be recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education, schools may not hire applicants convicted of a felony within the past seven years or a crime involving physical and sexual abuse.
Six years in arson case
A Hoffman Estates man has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated arson in the case of an apartment building fire this spring. Timothy R. Joyce, 38, of the 900 block of Atlantic Avenue in Hoffman Estates, entered his plea before Cook County Judge Thomas Fecarotta Jr. Authorities said Joyce ignited a box of newspapers in his first-floor apartment about 1 a.m. March 11. The blaze, which began in his kitchen, forced the evacuation of the three-story building. Damage was limited to Joyce's apartment. He was treated for minor injuries before being arrested. There were no other injuries.
Golden deal just a scam
A 36-year-old Elgin woman thought she caught a deal Aug. 15, paying $4,800 for a gold bar worth $20,000. And she was helping someone's sick relative to boot. As unbelievable deals usually are, this one was too good to be true. The bar was made of lead and simply painted gold. The woman was shopping Wednesday on South McLean Boulevard when two men approached her. They said their uncle was in a car accident three months ago and wanted to go back to Mexico so he could recuperate with his family. He had spent all his money on medical bills and was selling off his property so he could make the trip. They showed her a gold bar about 1 inch by 1 inch by 2 inches that they said had been appraised at $20,000. They said they would accept $10,000 for the bar and if she didn't have all the money that day, she could bring the rest to them the next day. They all went to her bank where she withdrew $4,800. After they left with her money, she took the bar to her jeweler, who said it was a lead bar painted gold and was worthless. She went back to the store the next day, but the two men never showed up.
Man guilty of sex assaults
A Carpentersville man faces a minimum of 58 years in prison after he was convicted Thursday of sexually assaulting two children from 2003 to 2005. Mark Kimbrough, 39, of the 500 block of Elm Ridge Road, was found guilty by a Kane County jury of seven counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, eight counts of criminal sexual assault, and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Kimbrough has been in the Kane County jail on $50,000 bond since his arrest Nov. 9, 2005. He will be sentenced Oct. 31.
Biggert challenger emerges
A Naperville native is moving from the ivory tower to the rough and tumble world of politics. Democrat Scott Harper, a doctoral student at Oxford University, is postponing his thesis to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert in the 2008 election. Harper, 46, attended Naperville Central High School and later Wheaton College. After obtaining an MBA from the University of Chicago, he worked in auto manufacturing and technology before starting up a marketing and Web site development firm, which he later sold to investors.
Minuteman seminar off
The controversial Illinois Minuteman Project canceled its weekend seminar on illegal immigration in Crystal Lake after a McHenry County judge Thursday issued a restraining order barring the group from holding the event at a local hotel as planned. At the urging of the Crystal Lake Holiday Inn's owners, Judge Maureen McIntyre ordered the Minuteman Project not to appear at the hotel and to notify its guest speakers and about 100 ticket holders that the seminar would not take place there. The ruling left the Minuteman Project no option but to call off the event, Director Rosanna Pulido said. "There's a lot of outrage out there that American citizens cannot have a meeting," she said. "But this might be a blessing in disguise. People have to see what we're up against." The group, which says its mission is to educate Americans about the negative effects of illegal immigration, was planning a seminar featuring guest speaker Sheriff Dan Beck of the Allen County, Ohio. Beck has won national attention for his efforts to deport illegal immigrants living in his county. Saturday's seminar was expected to draw hundreds of protesters from at least three organizations, including the Carpentersville Community Alliance and the McHenry County Peace Group.