Dawn Patrol: Rt. 53 plan $2B short; brush fires in burbs
Funding for Route 53 extension way short
Planners of the project to extend Route 53 into Lake County said yesterday the money needed to fund the project could be up to $2 billion short, and tolls alone won't cover the building costs. Options on the table include raising sales or gas taxes in Lake County, charging tolls on the existing Route 53, rerouting property tax money and a systemwide toll increase. A majority of voters endorsed extending Route 53 north in 2009. Full story.
Mild winter a factor in 4 weekend brush fires
The warm and dry winter coupled with an early arrival of springlike temperatures is partially at fault for four major weekend brush fires, according to fire officials. The fires popped up in three suburban counties. One of the fires destroyed a barn Saturday, killing six horses. Officials said the blaze spread through the dry brush with the help of whipping winds. Full story.
Documents reveal how Bianchi's legal bills topped $600k
The recently unsealed files documenting the two failed prosecutions of McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi reveal how the taxpayer-funded legal bills reached more than $600,000. Bianchi was acquitted twice last year on charges that he used county resources for his re-election campaign and that he used his influence to lessen criminal penalties for family and political connections. Full story.
Expert says U-46 gifted programs were discriminatory as trial continues
During the continuation of the racial bias lawsuit against Elgin Area School District U-46, an expert testified yesterday that the district's gifted programs were among the most discriminatory she had worked with in a 20-year career. The lawsuit claims the district's policies and procedures for gifted programs are limiting to black and Hispanic students. The trial will continue today. Full story.
17,000 WOW! cable customers without service
Nearly 17,000 WOW! cable customers in the Northwest suburbs were without phone, Internet and cable TV service for most of the day Monday, but service is expected to be back up and running this morning. The outage was caused by a major severed fiber-optic cable at a Schaumburg intersection. The company called the outage “catastrophic” and originally had hoped to have had the service up and running by late Monday afternoon. Full story.
Aurora man charged with attempted murder after weekend shooting
A 21-year-old Aurora man has been charged with attempted murder after a weekend shooting that injured another 21-year-old at a party early Saturday morning. Donnie Williams is being held in lieu of $1.2 million bail, while the victim continues to recover after being flown to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago for advanced treatment. Full story.
Fire damages state Sen. Sandack's office, arson investigators on scene
Fire officials continue to investigate a blaze that caused major damage to a Downers Grove building that housed the offices of state Sen. Ron Sandack. Sandack said he moved into the office on the 1100 block of Warren Avenue just three weeks ago. Arson investigators were on the scene yesterday after the early morning fire. Sandack is seeking the Republican nomination for the 81st House District. Full story.
Weather
Gorgeous day on tap, but it's only going to get better tomorrow. To start, it's 50 degrees right now, but will climb to mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the 70s. It'll drop down to about 50 overnight tonight before it hit nearly 80 degrees tomorrow. Just beautiful days ahead. Full story.
Traffic
No problems to report slowing things down early in the suburbs, except for construction of course. Portions of 75th Street between I-355 and Lyman Drive is showing construction delays in Woodridge through October 2012 and Walkup Drive is slow between Route 176 and Burning Bush Trail in Crystal Lake. Full story.
Rose gets mad, gets job done over Jeremy Lin
Derrick Rose was angry last night against the New York Knicks. So angry he might have gone a little bit “Linsane” in the fourth quarter. He scored 32 points and added seven assists in the 104 to 99 win over the Knicks. Full story.