Cook County briefs

More ash borers found

The emerald ash borer has been discovered in two more forest preserves in south and southeastern Cook County. The Cook County Forest Preserve District announced Wednesday that the pest turned up in the unspecified preserves during extensive monitoring it's doing with federal and state agriculture agencies. District officials said they weren't surprised by the find because, since the ash borer first turned up in the U.S. in 2002, in Michigan, it has since been detected in several parts of Cook County and the collars counties. The ash borer is blamed for the loss of tens of millions of trees in North America alone. The borer larvae feasts on ash tree trunks, slowly cutting off a tree's nutrient supply and killing it.

River Road checkpoint Friday

Des Plaines police will operate a roadside safety checkpoint from 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2, to 5 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, on River Road. Officers will stop cars at predetermined intervals to check for defective equipment, licensing and insurance violations, as well as DUI. The program is funded by a grant from IDOT and the National Highway Safety Administration.

WACO helped many in 2008

The Woodfield Area Children's Organization has ended 2008 in strong fashion with several successful events. At its November food drive, nearly 10,000 canned goods and 200 turkeys were collected for the needy. A Dec. 6 shopping tour in Elk Grove Village drew 114 kids and 400 volunteers, while another Dec. 13 in Elgin brought out 228 kids and 622 volunteers. A Dec. 10 Toys for Tots luncheon collected more than 7,000 toys, including an entire school busload from the Palatine Police Department and 3,000 stuffed animals donated by Costco. For information on how to get involved with WACO in 2009, visit WACO4kids.org.