Dawn Patrol: Slain family honored; Schaumburg toddler found hurt
<h3 class="briefHead">Slain family honored</h3>
Several hundred family members and friends attended a service yesterday at Willowbrook High School honoring Ursula Nailor; her sons Darnell Holt Jr. and Daniel Nailor; and her niece Domonique Robinson. They were killed Jan. 17 in a murder-arson near Villa Park. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Metra fare hike coming Wednesday</h3>
If you switched to Metra to elude higher tolls that went into effect Jan. 1, you're out of luck as of Wednesday. Metra fares will spike this week by an average of 30 percent for 10-ride tickets and 29 percent for monthly passes. The increase is intended to plug a budget hole of about $53 million. "It hurts," BNSF passenger Jay Nicholson said Friday at the Downers Grove station. "I'm not getting raises anymore, so it all adds up." Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Suburbs have sway in pension debate</h3>
Suburban lawmakers might be in good position to sway Gov. Pat Quinn's opinion on one of the state's most pressing issues as three of the four members of his new pension team are from the suburbs. Many lawmakers and Quinn agree that tackling the state employee retirement systems will at least be a subject of discussion in 2012. "There will be someone who is unhappy, I can't blame them, who will file suit," says Rep. Elaine Nekritz of Northbrook. Full story.
<h3 class="briefhead">Home burglary </h3>
Chasing a home burglary overnight in Buffalo Grove. Resident in the 200 block of Cherrywood woke up at 3 a.m. and found home ransacked.
<h3 class="briefHead">Girl hurt in Schaumburg</h3>
Schaumburg police are investigating how a 2-year-old girl suffered a head injury in their town yesterday morning. Police were called about 11:10 a.m. to a house on the 500 block of West Weathersfield Way and found the unresponsive girl when they arrived, Sgt. John Nebl said. The girl was taken to Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village. No other details were available about her condition. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Fire in Elk Grove Village</h3>
A bird's nest in a chimney was blamed for a fire that badly damaged a house yesterday in Elk Grove Village. The fire was reported about 4:30 p.m. at a raised-ranch house on the 1500 block of California Street. Five people who were in the house at the time escaped safely, firefighters said. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Crystal Lake Marine laid to rest</h3>
Capt. Nathan McHone was a good friend, a hard worker, a Marine. The 29-year-old graduate of Crystal Lake South High School was laid to rest yesterday with full military honors after his death in a Jan. 19 helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Candles cause fire at Carpentersville church</h3>
Unattended candles were to blame for a fire yesterday evening at a Carpentersville church, authorities said. No one was hurt in the fire at the Celestial Church of Christ, 150 S. Kennedy Drive. Carpentersville Fire Department crews were alerted to the blaze by an alarm shortly before 6 p.m., Battalion Chief Todd Middendorf said. Damage was estimated at $10,000 Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Weather</h3>
It's strange to talk about gorgeous days during winter, but this should shape up to be one of them. It's 26 degrees now, but as the cloud cover breaks up, the temperatures will rise to an expected high of about 45 degrees. In fact, depending on the cloud cover, it could get up to 50 degrees before the day is over. Enjoy it. Full weather.
<h3 class="briefHead">Traffic</h3>
Congestion is picking up throughout the system, so people should be prepared to stop. Specifically, an accident in the northbound lanes of I-355 near Downer's Grove is causing some delays. Officials are reporting that Benton Street in Aurora will be closed until Monday, Feb. 6, as part of the Downer Place Bridge project. Full traffic <http://www.traffic.com/Chicago-Traffic/Chicago-Traffic-Reports.html>.
<h3 class="briefHead">Heat beat Bulls</h3>
LeBron James scored 35 points, while reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose wasted two chances in the final 23 seconds and the Miami Heat escaped with a 97-93 win yesterday over the Chicago Bulls. Full story.