Briefs: All Catholic schools open
All schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago were open Tuesday after more than a dozen had been closed because of last week's storm. Most of the school closings occurred Friday, but one school, St. Zachary in Des Plaines, took the day off Monday as well, said Ryan Blackburn, spokesman for the archdiocese. The Rev. Jack Piotkowski from St. Zachary said the school lost power Thursday afternoon and didn't expect to get it back until Monday, so officials decided to close it for another day.
… as is Rose School
School is back in session today at Barbara B. Rose School in Barrington, one day after it was closed because of a septic line problem. Barrington Area Unit District 220 Superintendent Tom Leonard said one of the school's septic lines backed up, forcing all the bathrooms to be shut down. He said crews worked through the night to try to repair the line but decided at 5 a.m. Monday to close the schools because the work wasn't finished. Throughout the process, Leonard said parents were kept informed about the school's closing through special messages sent by phone and e-mail. Leonard said work on the septic line at Rose School wrapped up about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Sentenced for sex abuse
A 58-year-old Rolling Meadows man has been sentenced to 24 months of probation after pleading guilty Monday to aggravated criminal sexual abuse, prosecutors said. Michael Rucker, of the 2300 block of Rohlwing Road, admitted to molesting a 14-year-old girl in 2005. Cook County Circuit Judge John Scotillo sentenced Rucker at the Rolling Meadows courthouse. Rucker also was ordered to register for life as a sex offender and attend counseling. The girl's family agreed to the sentence, prosecutors said.
Damage estimates wanted
Many area communities are asking residents and business owners to report significant storm-related damages -- particularly uninsured damage -- to help them secure federal disaster funding. Hoffman Estates, for example, is sending a letter to this effect to residents, and Hanover Park is asking residents to contact its public works department. Both communities have set Friday as a deadline for reporting damages. Call your village or city hall or check its Web site for town-specific instructions.
Sandbag collection
Sandbags will be collected in Des Plaines starting Thursday. The Des Plaines River is expected to continue to fall and be below flood stage by Thursday morning. Residents are asked to put sandbags on the parkway for collection. Des Plaines public works employees will be using volunteers to help. If you can volunteer, call the Emergency Management Agency at (847) 391-5396. For residents hit with flooding, clean-up kits are available at city hall, 1420 Miner St., while supplies last.
Three admit to battery
Three Chicago men pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated battery in connection with an April incident in Hoffman Estates, officials with the Cook County state's attorney's office said. Andrew Blackburn and Farod Poole, both 24, and Quran McKay, 30, were sentenced to four years in jail in exchange for the guilty plea. They originally had also faced charges of home invasion and attempted armed robbery. Authorities in April said the men, armed with a handgun, approached another man -- one they knew -- in his driveway on the 900 block of Dovington Lane and ordered him inside the home. A fight followed, police said, and the victim eventually gained control of the handgun and fired several shots. The men ran off but later were spotted in their car by police. A fourth man also was originally arrested in the crime, but charges against him were dismissed Tuesday.
Stranded driver charged
A West Chicago woman was charged with two counts of drunken driving after she drove around road barricades and was found sitting on top of her vehicle while it sunk in 5 feet of flood water, Bartlett police said. A Bartlett police officer was on patrol near Stearns and Munger roads around 11:45 p.m. Friday when he saw Megan R. Wood, 20, drive around a set of "road closed" barricades that were blocking Munger Road because of flooding, police said Monday. Before the officer could catch up to her, Wood drove into the flooded part of the road and was fully submerged in 5 feet of water within minutes, police said. Wood was able to escape from the vehicle and sit on top of it until Bartlett firefighters were able to carry her out of the water, police said. Wood was charged with two counts of DUI, disobeying a traffic control device and driving in the wrong lane, police said. Wood was released on bond and has a pending court date in DuPage County, police said.
No injuries in garage fire
A fire in a Des Plaines garage left a house uninhabitable Tuesday. Des Plaines firefighters were called to 1121 Wexford Court at 7:03 p.m. Firefighters were able to get the fire, which was mostly contained to the garage and a car in the garage, under control in about 10 minutes. A damage estimate was not available. The cause of the fire is under investigation. No one was injured.
Long Grove looks at codes
The village of Long Grove is looking to adopt several codes on fire prevention and property maintenance. Several residents at the village's Tuesday board meeting said they were concerned about some issues with neighbors that the village does not have control over. Residents cited overgrowth and fences on property lines that caused noise issues or created problem for fire trucks.
Settlement reached
More than 13 months after welcoming their first visitors, Schaumburg's convention center and Renaissance Hotel finally put their construction phase behind them Tuesday with the settlement of arbitration proceedings between the village and general contractor Walsh Construction. Arbitration began after the village invoked the penalty clause of Walsh's contract for not completing the project by July 1, 2006. While arbitration went on, the village withheld the final $13.3 million owed Walsh and its subcontractors. Although the settlement contains a nondisclosure clause about its details, Village Manager Ken Fritz said it pays the entire outstanding balance of the contract.