Dawn Patrol: Snow causing accidents; Lake Villa standoff ends safely
Traffic
The light snow in the western suburbs is causing some slick roadways, authorities are reporting. Snow-related fender benders are already being reported in Elgin and West Chicago, and authorities are urging people to slow down and drive carefully. Full traffic from ABC 7 Chicago.
Lake Villa armed standoff ends peacefully, man in custody
A 52-year-old Lake Villa man is in police custody following a three-hour armed standoff yesterday that forced the lockdown of three nearby schools. Lake Villa Police Chief Ron Roth said the distraught man surrendered peacefully at 2:05 p.m., ending the standoff outside a home on the 200 block of Burnett Avenue, and the lockdown at the schools. No shots were fired. Full story.
Hoffman Estates Pop Warner team advances to national title game
A youth football team from Hoffman Estates earned its way to the national Pop Warner Super Bowl in Orlando with a narrow win Tuesday over a squad from Arizona. The Junior Midget Redhawks, made up of seventh and eighth graders from Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg and Bartlett, defeated the Northeast Pride 15-12 and will take on the Jensen Beach, Fla. team at 1:15 p.m. Friday for the national title. Full story.
Pedestrian survives Metra accident
A pedestrian was struck, but not killed, last night by a Metra North Central line train moving through Grayslake. An inbound train hit a pedestrian near Center Road in Grayslake around 7:20 p.m., said Meg Reile, spokeswoman for Metra. The person hit was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Riele said. Full story.
Dist. 207 planning $6 million of improvements at schools
Maine Township High School District 207 officials are planning more than $6 million worth of facility improvement projects next summer at the district’s three schools as part of a 10-year capital plan The work includes the installation of interior and exterior security cameras at all schools and the replacement of football stadium lights that are more than 50 years old at Maine West and Maine East. Full story.
Weather
The snow is falling in the western suburbs this morning, but the heavy snowfall expected may be less than the 4 inches predicted by forecasters. Temperatures will be 16 degrees this morning when kids head to the bus stop, then increase to only 19 degrees today, before plummeting to 0 degrees tonight. Wind chills this evening will feel like 17 degrees below zero. Full weather.
Balanced Illinois defeats Dartmouth 72-65
Illinois didn’t play quite as rough as it did in its last home game, a 57-55 escape against Indiana Purdue-Fort Worth on Nov. 29, but the Illini still have some ragged edges in their game. Lady night, John Groce’s club had to hold off a late charge against Dartmouth for a 72-65 win in Illinois’ last nonconference home game of the season. Full story.
Heisman trip fitting tribute to wide-eyed Lynch
This has always had something of a “Hoosiers” feel to it, so it shouldn’t be all that surprising that neither Jordan Lynch nor Rod Carey has ever visited New York. “It’s gonna be a great experience,” Lynch said. “The ‘Big Apple.’ Is that what they call it?” If it weren’t so genuine — so humble and focused — it might be comical, but the reality is that for the last 13 or 14 months NIU has been the unknown school knocking on the big NCAA door, trying to pry it open and hoping to be taken seriously. Full story.
Trestman impressed by players’ giving spirit
Rather than stewing in the negativity of their overtime loss to the Vikings in Week 13, Bears players got on with their lives last week. Last Wednesday, 14 players went back to downstate Washington, Ill., to help with the ongoing tornado relief effort along with team chairman George McCaskey and president and CEO Ted Phillips. “They could have stayed home and felt sorry for themselves, but a bunch a guys got on a bus to go down south and help some tornado victims,” Trestman said. Full story.