Dawn Patrol: Forest preserve employees charged; Olympian returns
DuPage forest preserve employees charged in fraud scheme
Two former DuPage County Forest Preserve District employees have been charged with stealing more than $100,000 from the district over a six-year period, capping a months-long probe that involved the assistance of the FBI. One scheme involved billing the district for more than $90,000 worth of equipment and services that were never delivered and the second involved a third-party contractor who kicked back more than $65,000 to the former employees other company. Full story.
Jurors to continue Drew Peterson deliberations today
Jurors in Drew Peterson’s murder trial ended their first day of deliberations without a verdict and will continue weighing evidence this morning surrounding the 2004 death of Peterson’s third wife, Kathleen Savio. The case is focused heavily on hearsay statements that would often be barred from consideration, but Illinois legislators passed a law aimed specifically at the case, which allowed prosecutors to pursue a conviction based on statement’s Peterson’s ex-wives made to friends and acquaintances. Full story.
Jacobs Olympian returns to high school
Former Jacobs High School star and London Olympian Evan Jager returned to his high school yesterday during a homecoming assembly and received a raucous welcome home. Jager received a plaque from the village of Algonquin commemorating his American record in the 3000-meter steeplechase and Olympic debut. “I love to see how embarrassed he gets by all the recognition,” said Jacobs cross country coach Kevin Christian. Full story.
Clinton rocks convention speech
President Barack Obama inherited a wreck of an economy, “put a floor under the crash” and laid the foundation for millions of good new jobs, former President Bill Clinton declared Wednesday night in a rousing Democratic National Convention appeal aimed at millions of hard-pressed Americans yet to decide how to vote. “I want to nominate a man who is cool on the outside but who burns for America on the inside.” Full story.
Lawsuit against former coroner settled, but no details given
Attorneys have settled a lawsuit filed against former Kane County Coroner Charles West that accused him of retaliating against a staff member for blowing a whistle on him. His former second-in-command alleged that West allowed a staff member to take a television set from the home of a dead Carpentersville man. The plaintiff, Loren Carrera, will receive a monetary payment as part of the settlement, and no one will admit liability. Full story.
Parolee charged with attempted murder in Aurora robbery
A man who has been out of prison for just over three months has been charged with attempted murder in connection with an armed robbery of an Aurora convenience store. An Aurora police patrol officer watching surveillance tapes from the Aug. 22 robbery of the Fiesta Food Mart, 220 Jackson St., recognized not only the suspect’s face but also his vehicle, said police spokesman Dan Ferrelli. The victim, a 19-year-old man, suffered a stab wound to the hand and minor cuts to the face. Full story.
Weather
Partly cloudy but nice day ahead with a high temperature of 83 degrees. Temperatures will be about 71 degrees as you head out the door, then dip to 63 degrees overnight tonight. Full story.
Traffic
Construction and resurfacing on Lake Street between Butterfield Road and Brainerd Avenue in Libertyville continues through November. Officials warn that some lane blockages are possible due to the roadwork. Full story.
Who’ll start at QB for Illini?
Illini coach Tim Beckman expects to have a decision after today’s practice on who will play quarterback Saturday against Arizona State. Nathan Scheelhaase participated in Wednesday’s drills but is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered in last weekend’s 24-7 win over Western Michigan. Read Mike McGraw’s full story.
Offensive line still the linchpin for Bears
Even normally laid-back quarterback Jay Cutler seems to be geeked up about the possibilities for the Bears’ offense this season. “We’ve got some guys that can play football on the outside — there’s no doubt about that,” Cutler said, in what amounts to unbridled enthusiasm for him. But all their fates rest with the offensive line. Read Bob LeGere’s full story.
Cubs lose yet again
It’s been a long season for first-year manager Dale Sveum, and it’s not over yet. Sveum’s team yielded six Washington homers for the second consecutive game and dropped a 9-1 decision to the NL East leaders on Wednesday night for its fifth straight loss. Sveum was ejected in the fifth inning for arguing balls and strikes with the home plate umpire. Full story.