State's attorney raising awareness of teen dating violence

State's Attorney Michael Waller is using this week's National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week to announce an effort to increase the dialogue on the topic.

Waller's office has received a $15,000 grant to promote discussion of the issue that the U.S. Department of Justice estimates impacts 20 percent of teen girls and young women.

And because it is best to have the discussion among the people affected by an issue, Waller is reaching out to the county's high schoolers for their thoughts on the subject.

Carrie Flanigan, a counselor in Waller's office, said she is soliciting ideas for posters that address the issue of dating violence from high school students.

The poster ideas will be judged by a committee of the Lake County Domestic Violence Council, Flanigan said, then copies of the winning design will be printed and distributed to schools.

Waller and his staff will honor the winning designer with a plaque and other distinctions, Flanigan said.

To find out more about the contest, including how to enter, call Flanigan at (847) 377-3023.

Mock trial:ŒEvanston High School's mock trial team came away with top honors at the Feb. 2 Mock Trial Invitational held at the Lake County courthouse.

The event, sponsored by the Lake County Law Related Education Initiative, attracted teams from schools in Lake, Cook, DuPage and Kane counties.

Lake County attorneys and judges graded the students as they played the roles of lawyers and judges in a trial of a criminal case.

The competition served as a warm-up for the Illinois State Bar Association's statewide tournament next month in Springfield.

Wheaton Academy placed second in the February event and Highland Park High School was third.

Jury statistics:ŒA total of 19,3433 county residents were summoned for jury duty last year, and 2,217 were ultimately placed on juries, according to a report by the county's jury commission.

There were 132 criminal trials, with an average length of 2.3 days and 62 civil law jury trials that lasted an average of 2.6 days.

Fees and mileage paid to jurors last year totaled $147,099, down from the 2006 total of $150,597.