Cook County briefs
Schaumburg burglary alert
Schaumburg police issued a warning about a rash of single-family home burglaries in the its west central area. Eleven have occurred in the past 10 days, Sgt. John Nebl said. Eight occurred within a square-mile area roughly bounded by Weathersfield Way, Walnut Lane, Salem Drive and the natural gas pipeline right-of-way about at the 800 block to the south. Entry to the homes was gained by forcing a rear door or service door of an attached garage. The times of the crimes range from after 10 a.m. to about 10:30 p.m. The burglars in each case may have determined no one was home, either by observation or even ringing the doorbell. Village residents are reminded to call 911 if they see suspicious people or vehicles in their neighborhoods, especially people entering or leaving backyards or carrying items down the street. Residents can learn ways to help prevent home burglaries by downloading a handbook from the National Neighborhood Watch Program at usaonwatch.org/pdfs/HomeSecurityBooklet.pdf.
Bartlett park seat on ballot
Voters in April will be able to elect a new Bartlett park board member for the vacancy left by Charles F. Rowe's resignation. The board ruled to leave Rowe's vacancy open until voters replace him, board President Ted Lewis said, adding he knows of as many as seven vying for the four years left on Rowe's second six-year term. The board also appointed incumbent member Stephen Eckleberry to replace Rowe as vice president. Rowe resigned last month after he was charged with purchasing child pornography over the Internet. Rowe was indicted by a DuPage County grand jury last week.
Robbery attempt made
Two men tried to rob a 24-year-old Arlington Heights man at the Citgo gas station, 2113 N. Arlington Heights Road. As the victim left the station around 10:40 p.m. Monday, one of the robbers pointed a gun that looked fake and demanded money. The victim, who was a friend of the station attendant, walked back inside and locked the door without giving them anything. The offenders fled east on Rand Road in a black Ford Taurus. The two offenders, one black and one white, were each described as being about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 16 to 17 years old. The white male had a mustache and was wearing a white skull cap, red jacket and blue jeans. The black male was wearing a blue bandanna, black hoodie and blue jeans.
Dist. 211 lifts PSAE mandate
The Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board has formally removed passage of the Prairie State Achievement Exam as a criteria for seniors to be able to skip second-semester final exams. The past policy caused controversy last year, as some seniors weren't aware of the requirement. A few students who'd failed the PSAE their junior year said they weren't properly notified that they had to take their senior finals, a few of which were scheduled after graduation day, preventing students from receiving their diplomas on time.
New principal named
An assistant superintendent with the Illinois State Board of Education has been named the new principal for Kimball Hill Elementary in Rolling Meadows. Rene Valenciano, who began his teaching career as a bilingual educator in the southern suburbs, will take over Feb. 2 from interim Kimball Hill David Corbett. Valenciano comes to Palatine Township Elementary District 15 from the state education agency, where he was assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. He has a master's degree from Chicago State University and a bachelor's degree in bilingual-bicultural education from Western Illinois University.