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Fund established to assist victims of firebombing

A fund to assist the Mundelein family who were victims of the May 9 firebombing that killed a 12-year-old boy and destroyed their home has been set up at a Mundelein bank.

Jorge Juarez died in the flames that engulfed his family's house at 272 N. Prospect. His mother and two sisters were injured.

Police say gang members were seeking to punish Jorge's older brother, who was not home at the time. Three men have been charged with murder.

Jorge's mother, Virginia Estrada, suffered serious injuries to her back and 11-year-old Virginia Juarez was severely burned.

Friends of the family have set up the Juarez Family Fund at the Bank of America, 401 N. Seymour in Mundelein, and would appreciate any donations.

A long interview

A Chicago woman sentenced to serve a year in the Lake County jail's work release program signed out to go to a job interview one day.

Not an unusual thing for people in the work release to do, but in the case of Tawana Hopkins that day was Sept. 1, 2004.

Hopkins, 40, must have gotten the job and a pretty tough schedule on top of it because she never found her way back to the work release center.

Chicago police caught up with her on April 10 of this year and shipped her back to Lake County where she is now charged with escape.

Hopkins turned down Assistant State's Attorney Bolling Haxall's offer of 3½ years in prison this week and is scheduled to go on trial starting July 6.

If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison.

Schostok honored

Justice Mary Seminara Schostok of the 2nd District Appellate Court in Elgin is the 2009 recipient of the Benedict Ori award.

The award, named in honor of a former Lake County assistant state's attorney who died shortly after being appointed to the bench, was announced recently by State's Attorney Michael Waller.

Waller said the award honors former assistant state's attorneys who have distinguished themselves in career endeavors after leaving the office.

Schostok was appointed an associate judge in Lake County, then was elected a circuit judge before her appointment to the appellate court last year.

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