Briefs: W. Chicago land annexed
West Chicago aldermen have unanimously approved annexation of 200 acres of farmland owned by St. Andrews Golf and Country Club, just one week after the Forest Preserve District of DuPage Country voted to authorize condemnation of a portion of the property. The city council took final action Monday, potentially increasing the value of the property, which will now be decided in court as the forest preserve district moves to seize 100 acres of it. The Jemsek-Hinckley family, which owns St. Andrews, says the property was annexed as part of a long-standing agreement with the city. Many neighbors have lobbied for the land to be preserved because it feeds needed water into an adjacent fen.
Fire hits Lombard home
An upstairs blaze spread through part of a two-story Lombard home Wednesday afternoon, forcing an extended family to take refuge with other relatives. The cause of the fire is under investigation, authorities said. Lombard firefighters got the call at 2:45 p.m. of a fire at 257 N. Fairfield Ave. Two grandparents and three children in the house at the time were alerted by a smoke detector, fire spokesman Jim Plunket said. There were no injuries. "The second floor was destroyed. It started in a bedroom. That's destroyed," Plunket said. Plunket said the family will be staying with relatives in Lombard.
Mason cancels show
Comedian Jackie Mason has canceled his scheduled performance Saturday at Aurora's Paramount Theatre and rescheduled it for Nov. 26. Mason was supposed to appear this weekend in conjunction with the city's annual Midwest Literary Festival but was forced to cancel because of his work on the TV show "30 Rock." Replacement tickets will be mailed. Ticket holders who can't attend the Nov. 26 show should contact the Paramount box office at (630) 896-6666 for a refund.
Addison center open house:
The new Henry Hyde Neighborhood Resource Center will sponsor an open house for residents from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 13 at 199 Michael Lane, Addison. Congressman Peter Roskam will speak at 11:30 a.m. The new center offers after-school programs for grade-school students in Addison's Michael Lane and Green Oaks neighborhoods. It also will offer GED, ESL and computer literacy classes for adults, and house both the Addison Community Switchboard and a police post. For details, call director Kiki DeLuna at (630) 628-2680.
TV program on W. Chicago
West Chicago Elementary School District 33 will be featured on a U.S. Department of Education television program that focuses on protecting schools from tragedies such as those at Virginia Tech and Columbine. The broadcast of the "Education News Parents Can Use" program titled "Reducing School Violence: Keeping Children Safe and Ready to Learn" will air live on College of DuPage's WDCB-TV, Comcast channel 18, at 7 p.m. on Oct. 16. District 33's violence prevention programs will be featured on the program, which will later be rebroadcast on The Learning Channel.
Fire hydrant flushing
The city of West Chicago will be flushing its fire hydrants from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays throughout October. Workers will post signs in areas before flushing begins. Residents may see discolored water flowing from their taps during the flushing, even when it isn't going on in their immediate area. The off-color water is safe, but people may want to wait to do their laundry until after it passes. Residents who do see spots on their laundry can pick up a stain remover at city hall, 475 Main St. For details, call (630) 293-2255.