Briefs: Ruling on train death

The Cook County medical examiner's office has ruled the death of the 14-year-old boy whose body was found Sunday afternoon near railroad tracks in Hoffman Estates was a suicide. The incident was reported by the train's conductor about 12:50 p.m. Sunday in the vicinity of Hoffman Estates Boulevard, at the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad Co. tracks, by Shoe Factory Road. The teen was a freshman at Barrington High School, whose officials sent out a note Monday offering counseling services to community members.

Deerfield Parkway to close

Deerfield Parkway from Weiland Road to Route 45/21 in Buffalo Grove will close for six days beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The closing will allow the Canadian National railroad to remove the existing concrete crossing, upgrade the rails and reinstall the crossing. The detour will be Weiland Road to Aptakisic Road to Route 45. Deerfield Parkway is scheduled to re-open at 6 a.m. May 6.

Metra candidates sought

Suburban candidates are wanted for openings on the Metra Board. Four suburban Cook County Metra board members will be appointed by suburban Cook County commissioners, and one will come from North and West suburban Cook County, the townships of Evanston, Niles, Maine, New Trier, Northfield, Leyden, Norwood Park, River Forest or Oak Park. Commissioners are accepting letters of intent and resumes from interested residents until May 1. Send them to Commissioner Larry Suffredin, Cook County Building, 118 N. Clark St., Suite 567, Chicago, 60602. At a 3 p.m. meeting May 7 applicants will be interviewed and a final selection made. The meeting is in the Cook County Board room, Room 569. For more details, call Suffredin at (312) 603-6383.

Ballot appeal likely

An appeal is expected to be filed in Lake County circuit court on behalf of four Democrats who were removed from the November ballot. Republican activists filed the objections involving candidates for four Lake County board seats. The Republicans contended the Democrats' candidacies were invalid because they weren't nominated by local precinct representatives as required by state law. Last week, the Lake County electoral board heard testimony and agreed the four Democrats should be yanked from the Nov. 4 ballot. Removed were: Mark Nielsen, of Round Lake Beach, in county board District 3; Davita Siegel, of Buffalo Grove, in county board District 20; Sari Ann Hurtig, of Mundelein, in county board District 10; and Steve Pearson, of Ingleside, in county board District 5.

Classes restart after sweep

Nearly 800 students in several buildings at Harper College were evacuated about 3 p.m. Monday after an anonymous bomb threat was phoned into the Palatine campus. The buildings were deemed safe two hours later after a sweep of the area by police and the Cook County Bomb Squad revealed nothing. Evening classes resumed at 6 p.m., and today's classes are being held as scheduled.