Dawn Patrol: Murder, kidnapping suspects arrested in Beach Park
<h3 class="briefHead">Suspects in Georgia murder, kidnapping arrested in Lake County</h3>
Two men face kidnapping and murder charges for a crime that started near Atlanta and ended at a Beach Park motel. Police said Cristian De La O Hernandez, a former Zion resident, shot a woman in the head while driving from a Georgia night club to another bar and sexually assaulted another woman in the vehicle multiple times while en route to Beach Park. A second man drove with Hernandez and the kidnapped victim to Beach Park, police said. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">First Hispanic mayor of West Chicago named</h3>
Ruben Pineda was only a baby when he arrived in West Chicago with his parents in the early 1960s, and he hasn’t left the town since. Last night, Pineda officially became acting mayor of West Chicago and is expected to finish out the term of Mike Kwasman, who died April 17 after suffering a heart attack at a local restaurant. Pineda, a sitting alderman, becomes the first mayor of Hispanic descent in the 140-year history of West Chicago. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">West Chicago’s longest-serving mayor remembered</h3>
The longest-serving mayor in West Chicago history, A. Eugene Rennels, died late last week at the age of 80. Friends and colleagues are remembering the former mayor and longtime resident as a staple of the community who knew everyone and just about everything that made West Chicago the way it is today. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">People, groups reach out to help Hampshire family</h3>
A Hampshire family whose home is being foreclosed after a head-on collision with a drunken driver in 2008 is seeing an outpouring of support, following a profile in Sunday’s Daily Herald. An Elgin group has set up a fund to accept donations for the Valdez family, the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists has pledged rental assistance and individual donors have helped the family. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Group petitions Arlington Heights for housing for mentally ill</h3>
A group calling itself Good Neighbors Campaign presented what leaders said was almost 2,000 signatures last night asking the Arlington Heights village board to allow the building of apartments for people with mental illness and to settle a lawsuit brought by a developer. A standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 attended the meeting, though not all were there for this issue. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Palatine man, 19, remembered as budding designer</h3>
Family and friends are remembering Cole Deacon, a 2011 Palatine High School graduate, who died Sunday about a week after he was struck by a vehicle in South Barrington. Police continue to investigate the crash and said no charges had been filed as of Monday. Deacon was studying graphic design at the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg and spent four years on his high school’s gymnastics team. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Lab results on possibly Gacy victims in 2-3 weeks</h3>
The Cook County sheriff’s office hopes to determine the identities of some or all of the seven remaining unidentified victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Lab results on 10 DNA swabs that could help determine those identities will be available in two or three weeks, a spokeswoman said Monday. More than 140 people have come forward in an effort to identify the eight unknown victims, and so far one victim has been confirmed. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">St. Charles development deadline extended for 5th time</h3>
St. Charles officials OK’d a fifth extension of the deadline to begin construction on the city’s downtown development project last night. The third phase of the First Street project got the green light for construction in December 2008 with a two-year deadline to break ground. Mayor Don DeWitte said the delay is due to the struggling economy, which has not rebounded enough to push the project forward. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Weather</h3>
Mostly sunny with a high of 72 degrees is expected today. It will be about 55 degrees when you head out the door this morning, then dip back to 60 degrees tonight. A possible shower could roll through this evening. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Traffic</h3>
Heavy fog is causing some problems, and could hang around until the sun can burn it off. However, no problems are being reported on the area highways and tollways. Motorists are asked to avoid construction delays on Pingree Road between Cog Circle and Grandview Drive in Crystal Lake. That roadway will be closed from May 8th until mid-October. People can use IL-31 between US-14 and Crystal Lake Avenue as a detour. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Cubs rolling</h3>
Jeff Samardzija allowed five hits and only one run over seven innings, while Bryan LaHair, Ian Stewart and Geovany Soto each homered Monday night to lead the Chicago Cubs over the Atlanta Braves 5-1. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Sox drop two to Indians</h3>
Shelley Duncan’s RBI double in the eighth inning gave the Cleveland Indians a 3-2 win over the White Sox Monday night. The first-place Indians also won the opener of the day-night doubleheader by a score of 8-6. Full story.
<h3 class="briefHead">Bulls on the brink of defeat</h3>
For a team that had championship hopes throughout the regular season, the Bulls could end the year with an early first-round exit tonight in Game 5 at the United Center. Although the team is playing without Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, who is doubtful for tonight’s game, there are a number of ways the series could be saved, including stepping it up in the first quarter and preventing late-game defensive lapses, according to Bulls beat writer Mike McGraw. Full story.