Dawn Patrol: Quick hits as you head out the door
Suburban Cook emergency dispatchers avert strike
A tentative agreement reached early today between management of the Northwest Central Dispatch System and the union representing dispatchers has averted a strike. Rick Tracy, a board member of the Metropolitan Alliance of Police, said just before 1:30 a.m. that there would be no strike. According to law, a strike could have occurred as early as 5 p.m. today. “We reached agreement on all but seven noneconomic issues,” Tracy said. #8221;http://dailyherald.com/article/20111005/news/710059606/#8221;>Full story.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs dies: Obituary, galleries, more
Steve Jobs, the man whose vision and creativity helped push the limits of technology through iPods, iPads, iPhones and animated motion pictures, died at the age of 56, Apple announced last night. The co-founder and former CEO of Apple died peacefully with his family members present, according to a statement. #8220;Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives,#8221; Apple's board said. #8220;The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.#8221; Jobs officially resigned in August due to health problems. #8221;http://dailyherald.com/article/20111005/news/111009886/#8221;>Full story, a gallery of Jobs through the years, and a gallery of reaction from around the world.
Parents say no to drug testing at Lake Zurich High
A proposal to subject Lake Zurich High School students to random drug testing met with overwhelming public opposition at a forum Wednesday night. About 100 people attended the discussion at Lake Zurich Middle School North in Hawthorn Woods. Full story.
Caroline Kennedy signs books in Naperville
It was Jacqueline Kennedy's intellectual curiosity and commitment to accuracy that led her to be so honest while recording an oral history just months after her husband, former President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated, the couple's daughter Caroline Kennedy told a Naperville crowd of about 1,000 Wednesday night. Full story.
Sears considering offers from Texas, Ohio
As Illinois officials continue to work on proposals to keep Sears Holdings Inc. headquartered within the state, the company sources said Austin, Texas, and Columbus, Ohio, have offered competing offers of financial incentives for the company to headquarter in their cities. Negotiations to continue tax breaks for the Hoffman Estates-headquartered company are under way, but Carpentersville school district parents and officials are fighting to end those tax breaks to help fund their schools. a href=#8221;http://dailyherald.com/article/20111005/business/710059702/#8221;>Full story.
Insurance scam fugitive from Bartlett is caught
U.S. marshals yesterday captured a Bartlett woman facing a 10-year prison term for falsely reporting two deaths in an insurance scam, a prosecutor said. Bridgette L. Buckner, 50, is expected to appear in court today before DuPage County Judge John Kinsella, who sentenced Buckner in absentia to consecutive 5-year prison terms last month after she twice failed to appear in court. Buckner pleaded guilty in June to defrauding a former employer by falsely reporting the deaths of a young daughter and her husband in insurance claims. She also faces identity theft charges in Cook County. Full story.
Ex-Glenbard West football player on stand denies rape:
A former Glenbard West High School football player charged with raping a Rolling Meadows teen last year testified yesterday that the girl consented to sex and that police led him to sign an inaccurate statement by implying he could then go home. Demarco Whitley, 19, took the witness stand in his own defense and claimed the girl, then 15, agreed to have sex with him and his friend and teammate Pierre Washington-Steel in a car in a Rolling Meadows church parking lot on Jan. 29, 2010. Closing statements are to come today. Full story.
RTA sues towns acting as #8216;tax shelters,' will get tax dollars
Millions of tax dollars could be funneling into the Regional Transportation Authority after a change of heart by an appliance store chain that RTA officials claimed set up phony headquarters in municipalities that allowed them to pay much lower or no taxes. The RTA sued the villages of Channahon and Kankakee in August, claiming the towns acted as tax shelters for Plass Appliances. This week the RTA claimed a victory, announcing that Plass Appliances had decided to stop channeling sales through Channahon and to pay taxes based on where its stores are located, which include Arlington Heights, Addison, Bloomingdale, Elmhurst, Geneva and Naperville. a href=#8221;http://dailyherald.com/article/20111005/news/710059614/#8221;>Full story.