Dawn Patrol: Missing Island Lake pension funds; PlayStation 4
Naperville park district buys land for activity center
The Naperville Park District has big plans for a 5.2-acre site at the corner of Quincy Avenue and Fort Hill Drive: a $20 million, 80,000-square-foot indoor activity center. But the first major step in the process happened last night, when the park board voted to buy the land for $2 million. The facility is envisioned as having amenities for basketball, walking, fitness and social gatherings. It could be constructed by 2016. Full story.
Island Lake police pension fund underfunded
Island Lake Mayor Charles Amrich said last night he and village trustees will make sure the police pension fund is whole again after revelations that the fund was underfunded by nearly $389,000 between 2010 and earlier this year, according to an audit. Former Mayor Debbie Herrmann said she didn’t know there was a problem while she was mayor. Full story.
Suburbanites line up for PlayStation 4’s release today
People started lining up at suburban stores as soon as noon yesterday and camped out last night while waiting for the Sony PlayStation 4 to go on sale at midnight. The PS4 is coming out in a much different era than its predecessors. Full story.
DuPage health department to review alerts in light of Legionnaires’
The DuPage County Health Department didn’t immediately tell the public when it found out last week a hot tub at a Naperville health club had the presence of the potentially deadly Legionnaires’ disease — and now the department says it’s reviewing its communication procedures. Test results confirmed Nov. 8 that two adult men who used a hot tub at an LA Fitness contracted Legionnaires’. The health department didn’t immediately issue any public alerts until Wednesday when they confirmed the findings with news agencies. Full story.
New online tool to track Schaumburg crimes
Schaumburg residents are now able to go online to see where crime has occurred in their neighborhood thanks to a website that maps the location, time and type of every single offense. The police department has partnered with Crimemapping.com, which is used by departments around the country and state. Full story.
Fox Lake man sentenced to 26 years for murder
A Fox Lake man will spend 26 years in prison after he was sentenced by a McHenry County judge yesterday for the 2002 killing of a missing Johnsburg teen. Mario Casciaro, 30, was convicted in April of killing Brian Carrick, 17, who was last seen Dec. 20, 2002, at a grocery store owned by Casciaro’s parents. Full story.
Weather
Breezy and about 39 degrees this morning when the kids hit the bus stop. Temperatures will climb to 52 degrees this afternoon. It will dip back to 42 degrees tonight. Full story.
Traffic
Rollins Road remains closed to through traffic at Route 83 in order to rebuild a railroad crossing. People are urged to use alternate routes around the construction. More traffic.
Hawks keep win streak going
The Blackhawks got their fourth straight win last night after a four-round shootout against the Phoenix Coyotes. Jonathan Toews and Brandon Pirri scored the shootout, while Radim Vrbata had the lone shootout goal for Phoenix. The Hawks had a season-high 52 shots through overtime. Full story.
Rose says he’s ready to play tonight
Derrick Rose says he’s ready to play tonight against the Toronto Raptors, even though he’s coming off a right hamstring injury suffered late in Monday’s victory over Cleveland. He says he’s game-ready despite sitting out practice the last two days. “If the game was today, I would be playing,” Rose said yesterday at the Berto Center. Full story.
Poll Vault: What do you think of the Bulls’ Christmas jerseys?
Basketball jerseys with sleeves — that’s what the Bulls and nine other teams are getting for Christmas. Michelle Holdway notes other memorable specialty uniforms current and past — remember the horrible Bears and Packers uniforms from their 1994 Halloween game? Leave your thought on your favorite, um, special uniforms with Poll Vault.