Retired judge recalled to bench to fill vacancy

A retired Lake County associate judge is being recalled to duty to fill a vacancy in the stressed ranks of jurists.

Chief Judge James Booras said Judge Gary Neddenriep, who retired in 2005, went back to work this week in small claims court.

Booras said the state Supreme Court gave him permission to reactivate Neddenriep to fill a gap created by some recent elevations of other judges.

Former Circuit Judge Mary Seminara Schostok was named a justice of the appellate court last month, and former Associate Judge Jorge Ortiz was appointed to her circuit judge position.

That left an associate judge position open, and Booras said the process of selecting a candidate to fill that slot will not begin until next month.

So Neddenriep got a three-month appointment to fill in, Booras said, and that appointment can be extended if necessary.

After spending this week in small claims, Booras said, Neddenriep will be moving to the branch court in Mundelein.

Hot dog: Shane, the Gurnee Police K-9 German Shepherd, placed third last week in the "K-9 Olympics" at Topps Kennels in Grayslake.

Shane and his handler, Officer Phil Mazur, competed against teams from throughout the region in the two-day event.

Mazur, a police officer for eight years, said the teams participated in a number of physically challenging events including an obstacle course and a drug search of a vehicle.

"It is all really just for fun," Mazur said. "Those of us on the teams like to get together and put the dogs through their paces for the camaraderie."

Fire expo: The Lake County Fire Chiefs Association is holding its eighth annual Fire Safety Expo on Saturday in the Gurnee Mills parking lot.

The event, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., will feature fire trucks from every department in the county as well as jointly owned apparatus for special rescues.

There will be food, games for children and a Flight for Life helicopter open for tours.

A ceremony honoring fallen firefighters at 11:30 a.m. will be conducted by a firefighter honor guard.

Admission is free.