Dawn Patrol: Road-rage shooter sought; home building starts

Police release sketch of road rage shooter

Police are on the lookout for a suspect who shot a West suburban man during an act of road rage Monday morning in Lemont. The victim, a man in his 50s, mistakenly cut off the suspect and had pulled over to apologize when the man approached the driver's-side door and fired, police said. Authorities released a sketch of the white man between 20 and 30 years old last night and hope somebody will recognize him. Full story.

Woman accused of shooting boyfriend

A Downers Grove woman has been charged by police after shooting her boyfriend in the neck with a shotgun during a weekend argument, police said. Vickie Podruzek, 42, of the 6300 block of Carpenter Street, is due in bond court this morning after being charged by Downers Grove Police with aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated domestic battery, officials said. Full story.

Pekingese becomes America's top dog

Malachy, a Pekingese, took home top honors of best in show last night at the Westminster Kennel Club, winning his 115th overall best in show title in his 4-year life span. This was the fourth time a Peke won at Westminster, and the first since 1990. The dog beat out a Dalmatian, German shepherd, Doberman pinscher, Irish setter, a Kerry blue terrier and a wire-haired dachshund at Madison Square Garden. Full story. And see a gallery of pictures from the show. Home building starting again in suburbsNew homes are being built and sold again around the suburbs, about four years after the free-falling local housing market forced a number of homebuilders into bankruptcy and turned stalled developments into abandoned eyesores. #8220;The market is not up dramatically, but up slightly and, really, there's only one way to go at this point,#8221; said John Lawrence Wozniak, president of the Homebuilders Association of Greater Chicago. Full story.Democrats push SUGAR act on Kirk's behalfAs U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk continues to recover from a stroke suffered last month, another colleague from across the aisle has joined in a push to pass a bill Kirk introduced last year to phase out the U.S. Sugar program. The program sets minimum prices to protect growers, but Kirk enacted legislation last Valentine's Day to put a stop to that. New Hampshire Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen yesterday encouraged the body to end the #8220;sweetheart deal#8221; for the sugar industry. Full story. Man who sold handgun in Oak Brook murder indictedA Washington man who illegally sold a handgun, later used to kill a Westmont woman last April, has been indicted by a federal grand jury. The man, of suburban Seattle, sold Canadian citizen Dmitry Smirnov the .40 caliber handgun less than two weeks before Smirnov murdered Jitka Vesel in an Oak Brook parking lot. Police said the man did not know Smirnov had planned to murder his ex-girlfriend. Full story.Aurora man bound, raped ex-girlfriend, police sayAn Aurora man is accused of forcing his way into he ex-girlfriend's apartment while armed with a handgun and later raping the woman, police said yesterday. Erik Smith was living with the woman, their 1-year-old daughter and a male friend, but his girlfriend kicked him out Sunday afternoon. About 1:45 a.m. Monday, the 29-year-old Smith returned to the apartment armed with a handgun and forced his way inside, holding both his ex-girlfriend and their roommate at gunpoint, according to police. Full story.Teacher, cheerleading coach from Bensenville charged with exploiting childA Niles North High School teacher who is also head cheerleading coach has been charged with sexual exploitation of a child. Jeffrey L. Tackes, 30, of Bensenville is accused of coercing or persuading a girl younger than 17 to remove her clothing, police said. Tackes is a math teacher and has resigned from his posts, according to school officials. He is also a staff member with Cheer Illinois Athletics in Bensenville. Full story.McHenry prosecutors sue gang membersThe McHenry County state's attorney's office and the city of Harvard have sued five men they say are Latin Kings members in a move to stop them from gathering and owning guns. #8220;This initiative seeks to destroy the infrastructure of the gang and promote zero tolerance of gang-related activity,#8221; said State's Attorney Louis Bianchi in a prepared statement. The suit seeks to prohibit the five men from meeting or associating with each other. Full story.DuPage police arrest 12 dads in #8216;deadbeat' sweepA Valentine's Day sweep targeting #8220;deadbeat#8221; parents in DuPage County netted 12 fathers who owed a combined $238,000 in unpaid child support. The roundup, named #8220;Operation Love 2,#8221; targeted 43 parents who collectively owe $1.3 million. Last Valentine's Day, a similar sweep led to the arrests of 15 parents owing a combined $660,000. Full story.Suburban restaurants offering deals, special platesSuburban chefs and restaurateurs are putting their best plates forward hoping to lure diners to their tables during a traditionally slow time of year. For the second year in a row, eateries throughout the suburbs have signed on with Chicago Restaurant Week. #8220;This allows us to reach out to guests who have always wanted to try us,#8221; said John Santangelo, food and beverage director at Prairie River at Eaglewood Resort and Spa in Itasca. Full story.Elk Grove trying to build second Busse Woods bridge over HigginsElk Grove Village officials are seeking funding to build a bridge across Higgins Road just east of Route 53 so pedestrians, bikers and in-line skaters can safely access Busse Woods' trails and bike paths. The village has been working with the Cook County Forest Preserve, which has agreed to donate the land needed to build the bridge, Mayor Craig Johnson said last night. The project also has support from neighboring Schaumburg. Full story.Schaumburg OKs Japanese church moving into industrial buildingSchaumburg trustees last night approved a special use permit for the local branch of a Japanese church to move into an industrial park unit. Leasing a 2,400-square-foot unit in the industrial park building at 966 Estes Court is as far as the Happy Science USA's plans for the area go right now. Full story. WeatherPartly cloudy early and right at the freezing mark of 32 degrees when you leave for work this morning. It's expected to climb to about 45 degrees with some rain later this evening, then the rain mixes with snow later tonight when temperatures drop back to freezing again. Full weather.TrafficThings are moving slowly on area highways this morning. People should avoid an accient on Route 53 southbound near Arlington Heights Road, as well as at Lake Street and Church Street in Hanover Park. Construction on Glenview and Greenwood avenues are slowing some things down in Glenview, so watch yourselves in those areas. Full traffic.Without Rose, still a 121-115 Bulls win, and an all-star coachBy beating Sacramento last night in a surprisingly high-scoring 121-115 shootout, the Bulls clinched the Eastern Conference all-star coaching job for Tom Thibodeau. It was the third-most points a Thibodeau-coached Bulls team has allowed in a four-quarter game. At the start of the night, the dominant news was Derrick Rose missing his third straight game with back spasms. After seeing a specialist Monday and being reassured by an MRI exam that there is nothing structurally wrong with his back, Rose promised to be back soon. Full story.Mark your calendars for Rose vs. Jeremy LinThe New York Knicks and new phenom Jeremy Lin come to the United Center to take on the Bulls March 12, Mike Imrem notices. Full story.So close, but the losing streak continues at 9They tried, but the Blackhawks couldn't stop the bleeding last night. Despite playing probably their best game in two weeks, the Hawks saw their losing streak reach a hard-to-believe nine games by falling 3-2 in Nashville. Full story. 16571561David Fitzpatrick hoists Malachy after the dog was named best in show at the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York.Associated Press 513385Police provided a sketch yesterday of a man wanted in a road rage shooting that occurred Monday morning in Lemont. The man is described as white, with a possibly olive complexion, between 20 and 30 years old.Sketch provided by Cook County sheriffÂ’s police