Dawn Patrol: Romney sweeps; Aurora men in Fla. plane crash
Romney sweep as momentum grows
Mitt Romney inched closer to becoming the presumptive Republican presidential nominee with a three-primary sweep last night in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Romney’s victory speech focused not on GOP rival Rick Santorum but on President Obama. The victories expanded Romney’s already-wide delegate lead and pushed his overall total past the halfway mark to reach the 1,144 needed to clinch the nomination. Full story.
Aurora men in plane that crashed into Florida grocery store
Two Aurora men remain hospitalized with burn injuries two days after their twin-engine experimental airplane crashed through the roof of a Florida grocery store. Kim Presbrey, 60, was in critical condition last night and Thomas Rhoades was hospitalized in an unknown condition after they crashed while on a recreational flying trip. Three customers inside the supermarket suffered moderate burns after the plane went up in flames inside the store. Full story.
Pension board delays buying iPads; officials gone during free health care vote
Daily Herald Suburban Tax Watchdog Jake Griffin’s latest column digs into a few tips from readers this week. The Hoffman Estates Firefighters Pension Board voted 3-2 to buy its members iPads, but now are second guessing the idea. Griffin also questions why three Wauconda Township officials were on vacation during a meeting, disallowing a vote on whether to place a question on the ballot to allow officials to receive free health care benefits. Full story.
Naperville Dist. 203 unexpectedly loses second top official
Just two weeks after Naperville Unit District 203 lost its superintendent, board members were caught off guard when they learned Chief Academic Officer Kathy Duncan was also leaving the district. The board is expected to restart talks about installing an all-day kindergarten program among other major initiatives in the next few months. Board members said they were “shocked” and “disappointed” to receive Duncan’s resignation email Sunday night. Full story.
Police union files lawsuit against Aurora
The Aurora police patrol officers union filed a lawsuit against Aurora yesterday, claiming the city is not complying with wage and health care terms set in an arbitrator’s ruling last July. The lawsuit claims the city changed the health care benefits instead of the payment method, as was agreed upon. The accusations are “completely without merit,” according to a statement released by the city. Full story.
World War II veteran and Olympian speaks at Barrington H.S.
Barrington High School students heard firsthand tales from a 95-year-old American World War II veteran and Olympian yesterday who is the subject of a best-selling novel and upcoming movie. Louis Zamperini described running in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin (and meeting Hitler) and a few years later enlisting to fight the Axis powers in the Pacific. Zamperini’s plane was shot down in 1943 while searching for a lost aircraft and along with two other survivors made their way to a life raft. Full story.
Buffalo Grove man wins $250,000 in lottery
A Buffalo Grove man is the latest to step forward after winning $250,000 in last week’s Mega Millions lottery drawing, joining 10 other Illinois players who matched all five numbers but missed the Mega Ball. Scott Kravitz’s odds of winning the prize were 1 in 3,904,701. He said he and his wife plan on using the money to start saving for his children’s college education. Full story.
Weather
Chilly day on tap today. It will be 46 degrees this morning when commuting into work, but it’ll only reach about 58 degrees as a high today. Then, it’ll drop down to about 37 degrees overnight. No worries, though, as temperatures will rise steadily through the end of the week, and actually reach about 69 degrees for Easter. Full story.
Traffic
Three lanes are blocked on the westbound Jane Addams Tollway near Rosemont between the Tri-State Tollway merge and Lee Street, so people should expect heavy delays in that area. In addition, Waukegan Road is closed near Pershing Road in Lyons Township because of another crash. People who use a ramp connecting McLean Boulevard to eastbound Route 20 in Elgin need to find another route. The ramp will be closed from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. during the week for repairs on weekdays through early June. Full story.
Baylor wins women’s NCAA basketball championship
Brittney Griner led the Baylor Lady Bears to a perfect season by scoring 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds to win the national championship game over Notre Dame last night. Baylor became the first team in NCAA history to win 40 games with its 80-61 win. The Irish cut the deficit to 3 early in the second half, but Baylor went on a 31-11 run to seal the victory. Full story.