Dawn Patrol: Beaubien’s widow to run? Janitors picket

Dee Beaubien thinking about House run

Dee Beaubien, wife of the late Republican state Rep. Mark Beaubien of Barrington Hills, is considering a run for Illinois House as an independent, she said yesterday. “Considering is the correct word,” Beaubien said. Beaubien is thinking about a bid in the 52nd House District, which includes the Barrington area and parts of Cook, Lake, Kane and McHenry counties. Beaubien said people had asked her about running for the seat since her husband’s death last year. Full story.

Janitors picket in Oak Brook for pay, benefits

Bargaining is resuming today for a contract for 13,000 janitors working in Oak Brook and other buildings. Yesterday their protests took the form of picketing that briefly stopped traffic along the busy intersection of Route 83 and 22nd Street. Union Vice President Laura Garza said the pickets are fighting for a salary increase and to protect their benefits. If a strike occurs, it would affect buildings and offices of Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, General Electric, CME Group, Boeing, AT&T, Kraft, United Airlines and Tishman Speyer. Full story.

Schaumburg might tighten rules on portable storage units

Having banned donation boxes in commercial parking lots last month, Schaumburg officials are now turning their attention to the aesthetics of residential neighborhoods with a proposal for stronger restrictions on temporary portable storage units. If approved, the biggest difference residents would probably notice is a requirement to get a village permit — at no charge — to keep the storage units on site for no more than 45 days. Full story.

Park Ridge hospital resolves wrongful death suit for $8.25 million

A Chicago couple whose infant son died from an overdose of sodium chloride at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, settled their wrongful death suit against the Park Ridge facility yesterday for $8.25 million.

Genesis Burkett weighed only 1 pound, 8 ounces when he was born prematurely at 24 weeks on Sept. 6, 2010, but he had been making progress and doctors had discussed the possibility of him going home for Christmas. Full story.

Ex-Wheaton college professor posts bail in child porn case

An ex-Wheaton College professor accused of possessing more than 500 images of child pornography has posted the $30,000 he needed to get out of jail. Donald Ratcliff, 60, of Carol Stream posted bond Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office confirmed last night. He has pleaded not guilty to the seven counts of aggravated child pornography and three misdemeanor weapons charges that he faces. Full story.

Schaumburg police chief in ex-girlfriend’s legal cross hairs

The ex-girlfriend of Schaumburg Police Chief Brian Howerton has filed a noncriminal complaint against him that’s being investigated internally and externally, Schaumburg Village Manager Ken Fritz confirmed Thursday. Howerton, the village’s chief since 2009, remains on duty while the investigations run their course, and no details of the complaint were revealed. Full story.

Camelot hold over coming to Wheaton

Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent who guarded first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, will be in Naperville this month promoting his book, “Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir.” Hill was assigned to Mrs. Kennedy from the time John Kennedy was elected president until Lyndon Johnson was sworn in. He will appear with his co-author, Lisa McCubbin, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, at Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave. Full story.

Danny’s Pizza takes Downtown Madness trophy in Elgin

The Elgin Public House has lost its title as the Downtown Madness champion as Danny’s Pizza claimed the traveling trophy yesterday. The Elgin Downtown Neighborhood Association social media contest pitted signature dishes and drinks from downtown restaurants and bars against their “crosstown” rivals in a four-round competition tied entirely to online voting. The turkey avocado BLT from Elgin Public House beat other downtown dishes in the early rounds before losing to the sausage and pepperoni pizza from Danny’s Pizza. Full story.

Weather

That white stuff attached to your windshield when you wake up this morning is called frost, something the Chicago area hasn’t seen since before it turned 80 degrees in early march. Get used to it because it may be there tomorrow morning too. It’s 35 degrees right now in most areas, before temperatures climb to about 55 degrees by the end of the day. It will drop to 35 degrees tonight, before climbing to the mid-60s on Saturday. Mid-60s are also forecast for Easter Sunday, so enjoy the weekend. Full story.

Traffic

A fatal motorcycle crash on the Kennedy near Canfield Road has been cleaned up, and now, cars are moving along peacefully on this Good Friday, and congestion is expected to remain low because of the off day. People should avoid the reconstruction and widening of Walkup Road from Rte. 176 to Burning Bush Trail in Crystal Lake that lasts until November of 2012. Full story.

Cubs try some new twists that unravel in loss

There were some new twists in the Cubs’ battle plan in their 2-1 loss yesterday to the Washington Nationals on Opening Day at Wrigley Field. Old or new, though, nothing seemed to work. Full story.

Hawks on wrong side of key numbers

There were a lot of ugly numbers coming out of the Blackhawks’ 2-1 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild yesterday in St. Paul. Numbers like the Hawks going 0-for-4 on the power play, with a total of 6 shots over 11 minutes with the man advantage. Or how about being able to muster only 2 shots on goal over the final 25 minutes of regulation, including just 1 in the entire third period? Full story.

Keep Rose sitting, and Bulls still win

For two days, the Bulls were saying there was a chance Derrick Rose could make his return from a groin injury last night against the Boston Celtics. The smart money stuck with the Bulls using a cautious approach, because Rose means everything to the Bulls in the playoffs. Besides, the Bulls prevailed over the Celtics after a lackluster first half. Full story.

Poll Vault: Have you done your taxes yet?

As of 6 a.m. today, you have 10 full days and 18 hours to file your federal and state tax returns. Are you done? Do you prepare your own tax return or use a professional? Will you receive a nice refund or have to write a check to Uncle Sam? Leave a comment with Michelle Holdway’s Poll Vault.