Dawn Patrol: Wheaton teens charged over posting lewd images; Palatine fire

District 200 teens accused of posting lewd images learn charges

Two former Wheaton middle school students who face criminal charges in connection with the electronic posting of inappropriate images involving students and staff members have been placed on home detention as the cases against them move forward. The former Edison Middle School students are each charged with several felony and misdemeanor counts of harassment by electronic communications, transmission of obscene messages, obscenity, harassment by telephone and mob action. Full story.

Two units uninhabitable after Palatine townhouse fire

No one was injured, but a fire in a townhouse building in Palatine left two units uninhabitable yesterday afternoon. Palatine Fire Department crews arrived on the scene on the 2100 block of North Heather Lane in Palatine at 2:32 p.m. to find smoke coming from one of the five units in the townhouse building. Firefighters forced their way into the unit and found fire burning inside a wall, officials said. Full story.

Pedestrians search for hidden money in downtown Wheaton

Several pedestrians strolling the streets of downtown Wheaton yesterday were on the hunt for six hidden envelopes labeled with the Downtown Wheaton Association logo. Each was filled with a pleasant surprise: $40 cash and a $10 Downtown Wheaton gift card. "It's something that's fun and it's a nice way to say thank you to our patrons," said Downtown Wheaton Association Executive Director Paula Barrington. Full story.

$9.3 million Maine West gymnasium addition planned for next summer

Maine Township High School District 207 is planning to build a $9.3 million, 23,000-square-foot addition to the existing gym at Maine West in Des Plaines that would include locker rooms, a weight room and wrestling room. It would bring those athletic amenities out of the basement of Maine West's spectator gym. But it stops short of something many around Maine West have long sought, and something Maine East and Maine South already have: a field house. Full story.

Tollway awards contract to firm despite past issues

Illinois tollway leaders approved a $64 million contract Thursday with a construction firm that previously drew the ire of federal prosecutors who accused the company of falsifying paperwork regarding minority contractors. In 2012, Judlau Contracting Inc. reached a $7.5 million settlement with the U.S. attorney's office in New York, which filed a civil complaint against the firm and its joint venture partners. Full story.

Weather

Temperatures will rise to 84 degrees by the end of the afternoon, and a storm or two could hit the area by the end of the day. Light fog to start the morning with temperatures around 64 degrees. Lows tonight are expected to be around 68 degrees. Full story.

Traffic

Rollins Road in Round Lake Beach remains under construction between routes 83 and 45. People should expect delays in the area and are urged to use caution and find alternate routes. Full traffic.

Bulls trade first-round picks for McDermott

The Bulls had several potential paths to follow in Thursday's NBA draft. They chose packing their two picks to move up. According to multiple reports, the Bulls swapped the Nos. 16 and 19 picks to Denver for Creighton forward Doug McDermott, who was chosen No. 11. Of course, the Bulls' summer is all about what happens after Tuesday, when they'll pursue free agent Carmelo Anthony and maybe contend for Minnesota's Kevin Love if that doesn't work out. Full story by Mike McGraw.

U.S. shows it deserves to advance in the World Cup

If the United States showed Sunday that sometimes a draw can feel like a loss, Thursday the Americans showed a loss can sometimes be a victory. It's not the 1-0 defeat to Germany on Thursday that matters; it's all three Group G games. Over the course of these three World Cup games, the United States showed it deserved to advance from the so-called Group of Death. Full story by Orrin Schwarz.

And in baseball

The Cubs found a 5-3 win through the fog at Wrigley, while the White Sox' 7-0 loss was clear.