The Week That Was: Arlington Park layoffs, Elgin rejects plan to buy DC Cook building and more
Arlington Park employees received formal notice last weekend that they will be laid off two months from now. The memo to unionized employees comes as corporate owner Churchill Downs Inc. evaluates purchase offers for the 326-acre property.
DC Cook building in Elgin won't be saved
Elgin City Council members rejected a plan that would have made the city the new owners of the DC Cook property. With a 5-4 vote, the council cleared the way for demolition to continue at the site with the 120-year-old building, offered for $3.75 million.
The Rolling Meadows City Council gave City Manager Barry Krumstok a list of nine reasons they voted to fire him, including a resistance to change and lack of alignment with the council's vision for the city, according to records obtained by the Daily Herald. In the letter, Wolf wrote that the council found Krumstok's claims of employment retaliation and discrimination — as outlined in a July 12 federal lawsuit — to be “without merit and lack a good faith basis.”
Self-storage on motel site near Carol Stream?
The family that owns the old Coachlight Motel property near Carol Stream wants to tear it down to make way for three self-storage buildings. The facility would sit on unincorporated land, but the site touches the municipal boundaries of Carol Stream, and village officials are suggesting that it doesn't fit with their long-term vision for redevelopment along the North Avenue corridor.
Arson suspected at Addison building
An early morning fire at the former site of home for traumatized children in Addison is being investigated as an arson, fire officials said. Firefighters were called to the former Lutherbrook Children's Center campus at 343 Lake St. just after 3:50 a.m. for reports of a fire in one of the buildings there. No one was injured.
5 minutes for public comment in Mundelein
Audience members wishing to comment at Mundelein village board meetings will be limited to five minutes each starting next month. The public comment portions of a few board meetings in recent years were dominated by speakers who controlled the lectern for 15 minutes or more, frustrating others there.
The Roselle village board is finalizing plans to lift a ban on marijuana sales and commercial growers in town. The village board is expected to vote Monday on whether to allow businesses that sell marijuana products and marijuana cultivation in certain neighborhoods.
A 55-year-old Elgin man has pleaded guilty to predatory sexual assault of a child and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. José L. Dominguez, 55, pleaded guilty to predatory sexual assault of a child and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually abusing two victims, who were both younger than 13, between January 2011 and August 2018. He must register as a sexual offender for life.
The week ahead: Des Plaines to fill park board vacancy
The Des Plaines Park District board will meet Monday to appoint someone to fill a vacancy on the panel. The appointee will succeed the late Bill Yates, who died in March. Yates had served on the board for nearly 22 years.
The week ahead: Adler Festival of the Arts
The 40th Annual Festival of the Arts will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 7 and continue the following Sunday at Cook Park in downtown Libertyville. The family-friendly festival includes a beer garden, food vendors, live music and more than 40 artists.
The week ahead: Chief's final days with Aurora:
Aurora Police Chief Kristin Ziman is retiring Friday, 30 years and one week after she began her career with the department. Ziman was 17 years old when she started as a police cadet in 1991 and became a sworn officer three years later. She became the top cop of the state's second-largest city in 2016.
The week ahead: Geneva considering chickens:
Will Genevans be able to raise chickens in their backyards? Geneva aldermen on Monday will review a proposed ordinance that would allow up to six hens on single-family properties. The discussion will happen at 7 p.m. Monday at city hall, 22 S. First St.