Dawn Patrol: Fire in Hoffman Estates; Sale dominates
Coals spark Hoffman Estates garage fire
A Sunday afternoon fire caused about $20,000 in damage to a Hoffman Estates home. Fire officials said one of the residents threw away coals from a charcoal grill, which lit a garbage can on fire inside the garage. There were no reported injuries. Full story.
A blessing for the bikes
The Rev. Steven R. Godfrey, rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Des Plaines, blessed motorcycles and their riders during a special ceremony Sunday. Along with the church bikers, members of Willow Creek Community Church’s Highroad Riders group also attended. “People get tired of groups that ride from bar to bar, so they look to the churches,” said Lucia Corcoran, one of the Highroad Riders. Full story.
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Kite fliers flock to Naperville for festival
Yesterday’s beautiful weather drew hundreds of people to a Naperville park for the sixth annual Frontier Kite Fly Festival. The festival brought kite enthusiasts to the Frontier Sports Complex as well as children who flew kites as large as 90 feet long. “It’s the control you have,” one flyer explained. “Being able to get a kite to twist and turn and move in the air with absolute precision is an amazing feeling. It’s ballet in the sky.” Full story.
Get busted in Cook County? Go to Chicago for bond court
Not too long ago, a person arrested in Northwest suburban Cook County on a Friday night would wind up before a judge at the Third District Municipal Courthouse in Rolling Meadows the next morning and could be out on bond by noon. Not anymore. A vote by the Cook County Board Commissioners to close suburban courthouses on weekends and holidays now means a longer ordeal for arrestees, perhaps including a handcuffed ride in a sheriff’s department van or bus to the storied Cook County Criminal Courts Building at 26th Street and California Avenue in Chicago. Full story.
Antioch’s approach to electricity raises eyebrows
While scores of suburbs have solicited competitive bids for electricity deals with rates cheaper than what ComEd is charging, Antioch took a different approach. Instead of using a bidding process, the village approved an early contract with Integrys Energy Systems Inc. in an effort to assure quicker savings to residents and certain small businesses. The decision to not seek competitive bids from power providers has drawn questions from a consumer watchdog group and an electricity consultant who’s worked with other communities. Full story.
Weather
Cloudy to start the day with only a high of 65 degrees, but the sun will break through later this morning and the high will reach 75 degrees. Temperatures will dip to about 55 degrees overnight tonight. Full story.
Traffic
Rescue crews remain on the scene of an overnight crash on I-55 near the I-294 exchange. The left two outbound lanes remain shut down while the crash is tended too. Police and rescue workers are also on the scene of an accident on Naperville Road at West Lake Street in Bartlett. Motorists are also urged to avoid construction at Red Gate Road between Route 31 and Route 25 in St. Charles that is expected to last through June. Full story.
Sale tosses complete game, named AL pitcher of the month
White Sox 23-year-old starter Chris Sale continued his dominant season yesterday, tossing his first complete game of his career the same day he was named the American League pitcher of the month for May. Sale’s 4-2 victory was his first start after striking out 15 batters in a game last week. In just 10 major-league starts, he is 7-2 and leads the AL with a 2.29 ERA. Full story.
Cubs on verge of being swept again
Barry Zito pitched 8 1/3 scoreless innings for his 150th career win and Joaquin Arias snapped an 18 at-bat hitless stretch with an RBI single that led the San Francisco Giants to a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs in San Francisco Sunday. Full story.