Dawn Patrol: Hanover Park trustee resigns; tension in Woodland Dist. 50
Hanover Park Village Trustee Ed Zimel announced his resignation from the village board Thursday night. Zimel said he decided to resign for personal reasons and that he had been planning to resign later this year. Full story.
Woodland District 50 union contract talks getting tense
Tension is escalating between the Woodland Elementary District 50 school board in Gurnee and union employees seeking a new contract. Woodland Council union officials are upset with what they contend was the premature release of their side's most recent contract proposal by District 50 on Wednesday. Full story.
No talks planned between McHenry high school board, union
No negotiations had been scheduled after McHenry High School District 156 schools were closed yesterday when teachers went on strike early in the morning. Extracurricular and co-curricular activities also were canceled for the 2,550 students at McHenry's east and west campuses. Full story.
5 years in prison for former Villa Park Islamic Foundation finance chief
The former finance director of the Islamic Foundation in Villa Park was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison after admitting he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the foundation. Full story.
Lombard man found guilty after car strikes, kills Crystal Lake South grad
An Illinois State University student from Lombard was convicted Thursday of felony aggravated driving under the influence for the death of a Crystal Lake South High School grad earlier this year. Full story.
Former DuPage forest exec convicted of official misconduct
The DuPage County Forest Preserve District's former information technology manager, David Tepper, was found guilty Thursday of 27 of 142 charges in a long-running case in which he and a vendor were accused of conspiring to steal from the district. Full story.
Weather
Mostly clear and 52 degrees. Temperatures will rise to 62 degrees this afternoon, before falling back to 52 degrees overnight tonight. Full story.
Traffic
Work closes River Road in both directions between Kelsey and Roberts roads in Lake Barrington until Wednesday, December 16th. Full traffic.
Rozner: Maddon's power play sent Cubs skyrocketing
Joe Maddon raised a lot of eyebrows when he pulled Jason Hammel in the fifth inning of a game against the Giants on Aug. 6. The Cubs won the game 5-4, moved ahead of the Giants, swept the four-game series, went on a nine-game win streak and never looked back. Maddon decided the season was on the line in that inning that day. He sensed a potential turning point - and he was right. Full story.
How 'limited' is Jay Cutler? Bears won't say
Bears coach John Fox likes to keep opponents guessing by publicly feigning uncertainty on injury information even when he knows what's up. But this week, the uncertain status of Jay Cutler's strained hamstring is no ruse. The availability of the starting quarterback may not be known, even to Fox, until shortly before Sunday's noon kickoff against the 2-1 Oakland Raiders. Full story.