Briefs: Apartment complex sold
The Park Place apartment complex in Hoffman Estates has been sold for $66 million. The deal for the three-building, 642-unit complex was brokered Dec. 17 and finalized last week. BVF II Park LLC out of Boston, whose parent company is Berkshire Partners, bought the complex at 875 Pacific Place, near Bode and Barrington roads, from Park Place Apartments LLC of Barrington. There apparently are no plans to convert the apartments to condos. Hoffman Estates Mayor William McLeod said the new owners would retain that option under that past owner's agreement with the village.
Willow Creek MLK services
The senior pastors of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington and Salem Baptist Church from Chicago's South Side will join forces today and Sunday in services designed to focus on racial reconciliation. In honor of Martin Luther King Day on Monday, Willow Creek's Bill Hybels and Salem Baptist's James Meeks will preside over services at 5:30 p.m. today and 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Sunday at Willow Creek in South Barrington. Their program, "Can We All Get Along?" features the Chicago-based Salem Baptist Choir. It's the first in a three-week series of programs at Willow Creek, which focus on life questions. Week Two is "Can Our Planet Survive?" and Week Three is "Will Wars Ever Cease?" featuring a videotaped interview with Hybels and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Call (847) 755-5000 for details.
Take precautions vs. cold
The Wheeling Fire Department is warning against hazards in the home as residents turn up the heat to fight this weekend's cold snap. The department reminded people to keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn, such as paper, bedding, furniture and drapes. Residents should also turn off portable heaters when they leave the room and be careful to plug power cords into outlets that have sufficient capacity. The department recommends having chimneys inspected and cleaned on a yearly basis and allowing fireplace ashes to cool before disposing of them. Firefighters say never use a stove to heat a home, have heating equipment professionally checked, install smoke alarms in each bedroom and outside each sleeping area and install a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside each sleeping area.