Dawn Patrol: Bomb scare at school, Sears hearing
Breaking news
A suspicious package found outside Lake Zurich High School that prompted an evacuation turned out to be a false alarm. Full story.
Hearing over Sears tax breaks to begin today
Lawmakers in Springfield are expected to begin a hearing today on a tax break proposal for Sears Holdings Corp. that was finally put into writing yesterday afternoon. The proposal, aimed at keeping the company in Hoffman Estates, would extend the company's current property tax deal and would penalize Sears if the company leaves town or does not keep more than 4,000 jobs in town. The 220-page proposal also includes tax breaks for futures exchange CME Group. Full story.
Public funeral for Maggie Daley today
A public Mass is scheduled today for former Chicago first lady Maggie Daley, who died Thanksgiving night after a nearly 10-year battle with breast cancer. Hundreds of people paid their respects yesterday at a downtown cultural center. The Mass will be held at Old St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Full story.
Refugee fights to get son back
On June 12, 2009, a secretly pregnant Nunu Sung gave birth to a healthy boy behind a garage in Wheaton and then abandoned the child by a bush with his umbilical cord still attached. This week, a DuPage County judge will begin hearing testimony to decide whether the imprisoned 27-year-old Burmese refugee is allowed to raise the son she now desperately wants back. Full story.
Delinquent child-support cases grow
In the three years from 2008 to 2010, the number of delinquent child-support cases tracked by the state has risen sharply in the suburbs. In DuPage County, 9,000 cases are in arrears, a 48 percent climb. The increase is 66 percent in McHenry County, 43 percent in Lake County and 24 percent in Kane County. Cook County saw an 8 percent increase in cases between 2008 and 2009, but then numbers came back down for 2010. Full story.
Candidates file for office today
A suburban election season that could see a number of contentious primary races at all levels starts today, when people running for state and county offices can start making their candidacies official. Full story.
Manslaughter charge dropped against 38-year-old Aurora woman
An involuntary manslaughter charge against a 38-year-old Aurora woman accused of killing her 14-month-old daughter last summer has been dropped. The case against Gloria Gomez remains under investigation, and prosecutors say the charge could be reinstated or prosecutors could levy more serious charges. Authorities said Gomez admitted to striking the baby. Full story.
Wheaton College remembers 21-year-old who died in plane crash
Wheaton College students and faculty said yesterday Ramie Harris, a 21-year-old junior psychology student who died in a plane crash Saturday, hoped to help others with her degree after graduating. Assistant Professor David Malone said Harris spent time at a juvenile psychiatric center in Kansas on a spring break trip. “Like the other young women on this trip, she became well-acquainted with the needs of the hurting and broken, which helped form future career plans,” Malone said. Harris, her father, sister and a male passenger were all killed in the crash near Crystal Lake. Full story.
St. Charles Domino's employees robbed at gunpoint
St. Charles police continue to investigate an armed robbery at a Domino's Pizza that occurred over the weekend. Police said two men wearing ski masks robbed two employees inside the shop at gunpoint right before the 1 a.m. closing. The victims' wrists and ankles were duct-taped and they were led to a back office where they were told to wait five minutes before escaping and calling police. Full story.
Weather
Cyber Monday looks to be the perfect day to stay in and shop onlne. In the morning, it'll be mostly cloudy and 34 degrees, with temperatures climbing to 43 degrees. The clouds, meanwhile, aren't going anywhere. It's supposed to be very windy Tuesday, but temperatures will get up to 41 degrees. Temps will stay in the 40s most of the week. Full weather.
Traffic
The inbound I-290 is getting crowded by the minute and is especially slow at US-12/US-20/US-45/Mannheim Road. Meanwhile, traffic continues to build on both the outbound and inbound I-90/I-94. There's another pocked of congestion on outbound I-90/I-94 between the North Avenue and Fullerton Avenue exits. Full traffic.
Illini coach Ron Zook gets the ax
Illinois head football coach Ron Zook was fired yesterday after a dismal 0-6 slide to end the team's regular season. The Illini had started the year 6-0, albeit facing a weak nonconference schedule, but capped off the six-game slide with a 27-7 loss at Minnesota Saturday. Zook called his tenure “seven special years” and said he thinks the Illini aren't far from being a good program. They are still bowl-eligible. Full story.
Hanie's rough first half put Bears in a hole
In his first game as a starter, Caleb Hanie had a rough start with three interceptions in the first half and could not complete a fourth-quarter rally in the Bears 25-20 loss to the NFC West leading Oakland Raiders. The loss snapped the Bears' five-game winning streak but left them in a three-way tie for the two NFC wild-card playoff spots. Hanie threw for two touchdowns in the loss. “I just feel bad that I had to go through the mistakes that quarterbacks go through when we're 5-0,” Hanie said. Full story.