Cook County briefs

Man killed by train in Palatine

A 20-year-old man was struck and killed by a Metra train in Palatine Wednesday. Police were notifying next of kin and had not released the man's name, though Cmdr. Kurt Schroeder said the death appeared to be a suicide. Palatine and Metra police were investigating. Authorities said the man was struck by the train around 1:30 p.m. on the 1400 block of west Northwest Highway, west of the Baldwin Road crossing. Palatine police are notifying the victim's next of kin. A Metra spokesman said some trains were delayed and one canceled as the investigation commenced.

Fire station work to start

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday, March 21, for Mount Prospect's Fire Station 14 adjacent to the existing station at 2000 E. Kensington Road, which is in poor physical condition and not big enough for modern fire/emergency medical services operations. The new station will be approximately 23,000 square feet and will be built on a portion of Tamarack Trails Park, directly east of the current facility. Construction is expected to begin the week of April 6, with completion likely sometime next spring. Parking for the ceremony will be at the River Trails School District No. 26 Educational Service Center, with shuttle bus service provided.

Disability fair coming

Mount Prospect is holding a Disability Information Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Mount Prospect Village Hall, 50 S. Emerson St. The resource and networking fair for adults, children and families living with disabilities like Alzheimer's, blindness, Down syndrome and autism will feature experts on special needs equipment, tracking devices for seniors and children, and numerous special needs organizations and advocates. Parking and admission are free. For more information, contact Mount Prospect police officer Greg Sill, or officer Bill Roscop at (847) 870-5650.

Environment meeting coming

On World Water Day, Sunday, March 22, public officials will hold a forum to talk about water issues from 2-4 p.m. at Friendship Park Conservatory, 395 Algonquin Road, Des Plaines.  Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Debra Shore will be joined by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, state Reps. Elaine Nekritz and Julie Hamos, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin and state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg. Topics will include water quality, stormwater management, pharmaceuticals in water, Deep Tunnel and the gates at Wilmette Harbor. For information, contact Jan Rowland at (312) 751-5691 or janet.rowland@mwrd.org.

Des Plaines approves hotel

The Des Plaines city council this week approved preliminary plans for a 312-room, nine-story combination Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites hotel on the northeast corner of Mannheim and Higgins roads just south of the I-90 tollway. The two hotels would be stacked on top of each other. The planned development includes 7,500 square feet of retail and two 6,400-square-foot restaurants, one with potential for an outdoor seating area where the restaurant abuts Willow Creek. The plan calls for 352 parking spaces to be shared between the hotel and retail/restaurant uses. The city owns the roughly 2.5 acres, which it purchased for $2.7 million and intends to sell to developer, Harlem-Irving Group, this summer. Project construction is expected to start in April 2010 and completion is targeted for May 2011.