Weekend in Review: Rt. 59 work starts; new coaster at Great America?
Route 59 construction starts today
It’s likely to be a hurry-up-and-wait kind of commute for the next two years on a 3.5-mile segment of Route 59 in Naperville and Aurora, but officials say they’re glad the long-awaited expansion project finally is under way. Crews are starting the nearly $90 million project today and will be working until an estimated completion date in late summer or fall 2015. Full story.
Wheaton teen’s shooting prowess goes viral
Sixteen-year-old Wheaton Academy junior Josh Ruggles is building a YouTube fan base with a video showing him making 135 three-point baskets in 5 minutes. That video has gone viral with a quarter-million views. “I’ve gotten so many texts and tweets from people I don’t even know,” Josh says. “It’s crazy.” Full story.
World’s fastest wooden coaster coming to Great America?
Six Flags Great America in Gurnee plans to seek village permission to construct what may be the fastest-ever wooden roller coaster, officials said. If built, the ride would be in the theme park’s County Fair area where the Iron Wolf roller coaster once stood. Iron Wolf operated from 1990 to 2011. Full story.
Teachers tailor curriculum for new state standards
Evan Borkowski’s 8th grade math class at Algonquin Middle School doesn’t look the same as it did last year. He arranged his students’ desks differently and changed up his lesson plans. This is the first year Borkowski and his fellow math teachers in Community Unit District 300 will tailor their curriculum to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Full story.
Opposition to Common Core remains
The new Common Core State Standards for reading and math are not without their critics. Erin Raasch, a Villa Park mom, runs the website StopCommonCoreIL.org. She aggregates news stories about Common Core opposition across the nation, highlights Common Core events in the area, encourages people to call their legislators about the standards and explains the basic arguments for opposition. Full story.
Lombard cancels police training after protests
A police counterterrorism training seminar scheduled for today in Lombard was canceled Friday following objections from an Islamic group who have called the main presenter “anti-Muslim.” Full story.
Lali-Palooza puts spotlight on heroin addiction
The innumerable speeches that 17-year-old Dylan Jelinek heard in the 3½ years he did drugs didn’t make a dent on his desire to get high. “I heard lots of people who talked about not doing drugs, but they were always older. I would just blow it off and say, ‘I gotta go smoke some pot,’” Dylan said. Now clean for 58 days, the Lake Villa resident was among the speakers Saturday at Lali-Palooza, a fundraiser co-hosted by the nonprofit Live4Lali and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office. Full story. Troops need help bringing home battle buddies
An avid outdoorsman and dog lover, Army Sgt. Tim Johannsen always imagined his post-miliary life would include hunting trips with a trained German shorthaired pointer at his side. Never, though, did he dream of a life settling in with “some stray Afghan mutt,” an Afghan Kuchi herding dog named Leonidas who won’t leave his side. Full story.
Group aims to attract Millennials to horse racing
On hand at Saturday’s Arlington Million was America’s Best Racing, a group hoping to turn Millennials — 21- to 33-year-olds — into horse racing fans. John F. Cox commanded a crew passing out T-shirts and can cozies and explained the ABCs of reading a program and placing a wager. “We don’t want people to be intimidated by looking at the program,” Cox said, citing a recent study that indicated horse racing was losing fans at a rate of 4 percent a year. Full story.
Hoffman Estates man charged with sex assault
A Hoffman Estates man was arrested Friday and charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl he knew, authorities said. Eduardo D. Mateos, 32, of the 700 block of Salem Drive, was charged with two felony counts of criminal sexual assault. Full story.
Don’t feed the ducks, says Naperville
If a Naperville Park District police officer approaches you with a business card, he’s not passing out his phone number. He’s distributing a new River Wildlife Card encouraging Riverwalk visitors not to feed ducks or geese. Full story.
Benedictine dedicates art gallery to late father
There were many beautiful works of art to see Sunday at the dedication of the Fr. Michael E. Komechak Art Gallery at Benedictine University. But for many, the gallery’s most important feature wasn’t seen, but felt. Komechak, a beloved university teacher and art curator, had long wanted to create a gallery on the Lisle campus. He died in 2009 before realizing his goal, but attendees at Sunday’s dedication said they could feel him everywhere. Full story.
World & Nation
Egypt: 36 killed in prison truck escape attempt. Full story.
Gun control advocates battle online sales. Full story.
Uncertainty awaits airline industry without merger. Full story.
Businesses seek cure for health care cost surge. Full story.
Critics say higher speed limits sacrificing safety. Full story.
Petition drive to recall San Diego mayor begins amid harassment scandal. Full story.
Lindsay Lohan says her troubled past behind her. Full story.
Sports
‘Nervous’ Castro back in lineup. Full story.
Strikeout call gets Cubs’ Sveum riled up. Full story.
When will Bears throw to TE Bennett? Full story.
Settlement reached in Penn State-Sandusky scandal. Full story.
Sox beat Twins 5-2. Full story.