Attorney general warns of dangerous items in your home

With the holiday season under way, the last thing you want to do is give a dud gift.

Or worse, a gift that could be potentially lethal.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan recently released her newest “Play It Safe Guide” to help educate families and parents on the dangers of having recalled toys, cribs and other potentially dangerous items in their homes.

The guide is available at illinoisattorneygeneral.gov, or you can request a free printed copy in the mail by calling (888) 414-7678.

“Parents have enough to monitor without trying to keep track of the more than 600 products recalled this year. This guide provides an easy way for parents to be sure gifts and other products in your home are safe for your children,” Madigan said.

Madigan also urges consumers to sign up for automatic recall notifications via e-mail through the Children's Product Safety Commission at cpsc.gov.

The holiday season can seem like a clutter of information about the latest and greatest toys.

But when it comes to safety for your family and little ones, too much information is never enough, right?

Blue Goose nears settlement

The Blue Goose grocery store in St. Charles is close to settling a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the family of an 87-year-old St. Charles woman who slipped and fell in the store's washroom on May 9, 2009 and died nine days later.

According to court documents, Daniel and Gail de Haeseleer, the children of Irene de Haeseleer, have reviewed and do not object to a $100,000 settlement offer made by attorneys for the store, 300 S. Second St.

De Haeseleer's children filed a complaint against Blue Goose, alleging negligence and damages of $50,000 or more.

The case is set for a hearing on Jan. 5 in Kane County court.

Kudos for juvenile center

The Kane County Juvenile Detention Center recently received high marks during the annual audit by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice's Office of Detention and Audit Services.

The Oct. 20 inspection by Administrator Robert Catchings revealed no instances of non compliance with state standards. A copy of the report is available at the Kane County Clerk's Office, 719 S. Batavia Ave., Geneva.

Catchings wrote that the center also had made several improvements, such as expanding its mental health services for intake screening, adding an anger management life skills class, and now educators are able to use streaming videos to supplement instruction.