Briefs: Convenience store robbed
A man pulled a handgun and robbed the Convenient store in a strip mall at 1203 N. Elmhurst Road in Prospect Heights around 6:20 p.m. Sunday, police said. Reports said he pointed the gun at the female clerk and demanded money. She opened the lottery cash drawer, and man walked behind the counter, grabbed about $700 and ran out. A police dog tracked him to an apartment complex behind the mall but lost him; officers believe he parked a car there and drove away.
TIF vote petition presented
Long Grove resident Monica Bedrosian delivered a petition to the village board Tuesday on behalf of residents asking that a tax increment finance decision be placed on the ballot as a referendum. The board has been considering creating a TIF district to help revive the downtown area; however, the 300 residents who signed the petition feel that it should go to a vote of the whole town. Village President Maria Rodriguez has said that the village gave residents enough of a chance for input with public hearings and officials don't think a referendum is warranted. The board has made no final decision yet on creating the TIF district.
Condemnation authorized
The Wheeling village board agreed to authorize condemnation proceedings for a tract of land that would help the village acquire property for a stop light near the new village hall complex. The owners of the two parcels have not wanted to sell them to the village, according to Village Manager Mark Rooney. The 33 feet is essential for IDOT to allow the village to put up a traffic light for easier access to the post office, village hall and the park district, officials said.
Geo-Karis wake, funeral set
Former state Sen. Adeline Geo-Karis will be waked from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday in the Illinois Ballroom at the Illinois Beach Resort and Conference Center, at Adeline Jay Geo-Karis State Park in Zion. Her funeral, a Greek Orthodox service, is set for 10 a.m. Saturday in the facility's Grand Vista Ballroom overlooking Lake Michigan. A luncheon is scheduled immediately after the funeral. Anyone who wishes to speak publicly about Geo-Karis may do so at the luncheon, since Greek Orthodoxy permits only clergy to deliver a eulogy at a funeral. The state resort is near Zion where Wadsworth Road ends east of Route 41.
Help count birds at Vehe
The Vehe Farm Foundation and the Prairie Woods Audubon Society are hosting the Big Backyard Bird Count, noon to 2 p.m. Saturday. The community is invited to help count the numerous bird species at Vehe Farm. Please bring binoculars and a pencil. Foundation and Audubon Society members will help identify the different species. The Vehe Farm is at 23680 W. Cuba Road in Deer Park. Call the Vehe Farm Foundation at (847) 331-0967 to register.
Park Ridge festival moved
The Taste of Park Ridge will move this summer to Summit Avenue between Prospect and Touhy Avenues. In prior years, the Taste was held along Prospect Avenue and used, at times, parts of the library grounds. The new location will open Prospect to normal vehicle traffic, provide convenient parking for the event and allow better access to the library, said Bob Dudycz, event chairman. Other benefits include more benches and a controlled area for entertainment. See www.tasteofparkridge.com for details.