Cook County briefs

Citizens stop mugger

Two customers at Meijer in Rolling Meadows grabbed a man who took a purse from a woman's shopping cart and held him until police arrived, police said. Adam Ostryzniuk, 18, of the 300 block of Hawthorne Lane, Hoffman Estates, was arrested around 4:15 p.m. Friday and charged with theft. Police said when she began yelling, the two customers followed the man out of the store and detained him. Officers said they recovered the purse and found a stolen credit card in his car. His court date is March 9.

New garbage pickup contract

A new contract with ARC Disposal & Recycling for residents of unincorporated Schaumburg Township will go into effect April 1 under the existing monthly collection rate. Township Supervisor Mary Wroblewski said that as the village of Schaumburg's refuse contract will expire in the next 15 months, the township board chose to go for a short-term contract itself in hopes of obtaining better rates for unincorporated residents at that time. Each home in the unincorporated area will receive a 95-gallon cart for refuse and a 35-gallon cart for recycling, delivered at no additional cost in April. Seniors with special needs may request a smaller refuse cart. Residents currently renting a cart will no longer pay a separate monthly fee for it.

Register to vote

The last day to register to vote at the Des Plaines City Clerk's Office before the April 7 election is March 10. Residents who want to register must bring two forms of identification to the city clerk's office, Room 602, City Hall, 1420 Miner St. Citizens born outside the United States must present naturalization papers. The clerk's office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

What's going on with parks?

The Wheeling Park District invites the public to its third annual "State of the Park District" address Tuesday at the Community Recreation Center, 333 W. Dundee Road, Wheeling. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. and the address will begin at 7 p.m. Tom Webber, park board president, and Jan Buchs, executive director, will give a presentation featuring a celebration of the park district's 2008 accomplishments, an update of ongoing community projects, and a glimpse into 2009 and beyond. For more information, call Matt Wehby, director of park and recreation services, at (847) 465-2937.