Dawn Patrol: Suburban arrests in prostitution sting; Murrays to open 'Caddyshack' bar in April
Suburban arrests made in national prostitution sting
Arlington Heights, Cook County Sheriff's and Lake County Sheriff's police made nearly 70 arrests of accused sex buyers in recent weeks as part of a massive sting operation involving more than 30 law enforcement agencies in 16 states. The 15th National Johns Suppression Initiative, which took place from Jan. 7 to Feb. 4, led to almost 650 arrests across the country, including 18 on sex trafficking-related charges, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced Tuesday. Full story.
Murrays plan April tee time for 'Caddyshack' bar in Rosemont
Bill Murray and his brothers have scheduled a mid-April tee time to launch their new "Caddyshack"-inspired sports bar in Rosemont, officials said Tuesday. Their plans to open the Murray Bros. Caddyshack bar/restaurant at 9546 Balmoral Ave., across the street from the Rosemont Theatre, took a swing forward Tuesday with the initial approval of signage by the village's zoning board of appeals. The village board will take a final vote Feb. 14. Full story.
Attorney general tells tollway to hand over resume of politically connected manager
The Illinois Attorney General's office has intervened in the Illinois tollway's denial of a Freedom of Information Act request from the Daily Herald seeking the resume of a politically connected employee. Lawyers with the Public Access Bureau asked the tollway to provide the resume of Laura Durkin for their review. She is the sister-in-law of House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and the general manager of engineering at the agency since 2017. Full story.
Crash that killed Barrington High student remains under investigation
South Barrington police and accident reconstructionists continue to investigate a weekend crash that killed a Barrington High School freshman, authorities said Tuesday. Cassandra Meadors, 14, of Barrington, died Sunday from multiple injuries suffered in the crash, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Her death was ruled accidental by the medical examiner. Full story.
Two cats rescued from burning Mundelein home Tuesday morning
Two cats were rescued from a two-story home in Mundelein that caught fire and was severely damaged Tuesday morning. Mundelein Fire Chief Bill Lark said the home's occupants were at work when the house, located on the 200 block of North Prairie Road, caught fire. By the time a neighbor noticed the fire and called 911 at around 10:13 a.m., there was heavy smoke pouring out of the top of the house. Full story.
West Chicago Dist. 94, teachers resume contract talks under threat of strike
Negotiators for West Chicago High School District 94 and its teachers union will return to the bargaining table Wednesday with the looming threat of a possible strike. After nearly two years of talks, the two sides remain far apart on salaries, health benefits and other key issues that led the union first to declare an impasse and then last week to file a 10-day notice of its intent to strike, allowing teachers to walk off the job as early as Feb. 12. Full story.
Kane state's attorney cites cocaine, heroin arrests in felony case increase
Kane County felony cases charged in 2017 increased 7 percent from the year before, a jump the state's attorney attributed to more drug arrests for cocaine and heroin. Prosecutors last year authorized 2,413 felony cases, up from 2,255 filed in 2016. Full story.
Lyric Opera's 2018-19 season features 'Siegfried,' 'West Side Story'
Returning favorites and company premieres are featured in the Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2018-19 season, which was announced on Tuesday in a subscriber presentation at the Civic Opera House. The Lyric observes the Leonard Bernstein centennial with a postseason run of the Broadway classic "West Side Story" (May 3 to June 2, 2019). There are also star soprano events featuring Anna Netrebko (a Dec. 2 recital) and Renée Fleming (a 25th Lyric anniversary concert and gala on March 23, 2019). Full story.
Weather
Snow showers are expected to stop around 8 a.m. Highs today around 20, with lows tonight around 0. Full weather.
Traffic
Many roads are reported as being covered or partially covered with snow. Give yourself extra time to get to work this morning. Full traffic.
Blackhawks still looking for answers in 3-2 loss to Flames
"All season we've known what the potential is of this group," said a stoic, straight-faced Jonathan Toews before the Hawks lost 3-2 to Calgary at the United Center on Tuesday. "We're just trying to peel back the layers to find it. We know it's there." It was there for large chunks of Tuesday's game, but the Flames overcame an early Alex DeBrincat goal to beat the Hawks for the second time in four days. Full story.
As NBA trade deadline approaches, plenty of teams seeking to unload bad contracts
With two days remaining before the NBA trade deadline strikes, it appears the most abundant commodity on the market is bad contracts. The league is full of teams that want to unload expensive deals - many signed during the cap-rising summer of 2016 - to clear future cap space or avoid a luxury-tax bill this year. Full story.
Rozner: Hot takes galore as MLB verbal war escalates
Barry Rozner writes in his column for Wednesday's paper that the slow MLB off-season has to do with the collective bargaining agreement the MLB Players Association agreed to and not as PA boss Tony Clark claimed a significant number of teams being engaged in a race to the bottom. "This rise in temperatures is bad for the game and suggests we are headed for labor unrest and perhaps the first work stoppage since 1995." Full column.