Courier News

Motorist accused of hitting bicyclist in E. Dundee

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:35:42 -0500

EAST DUNDEE — Bail has been set at $150,000 for a woman accused of driving drunk and leaving the scene of a crash in which an early morning bicycle rider was seriously injured. East Dundee Police Chief Terry Mee said the incident began at about 5:20 a.m. Friday. Patrick Demarsh, 32, of West Dundee, was riding a bicycle southbound on River Street near Maiden Lane when a car came up behind him and hit his bike, investigators believe. According to reports, Demarsh bounced off the car’s windshield and was left on the pavement as the car continued southward toward Elgin. …

District 301 School Board applicants sought

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:52:00 -0500

District 301: School board applicants being sought Central Community Unit School District 301 is seeking applicants to fill a vacancy on the school board created by the resignation of member Richard Perry. The person selected will serve on the school board from the date of appointment through the April 2015 general school board election. Interested applicants should submit a letter of application and resumé by Wednesday, June 5, to Laura Rabe, board of education president, at 275 South St., P.O. Box 396, Burlington, IL 60109. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, a resident of …

You can’t get there from here

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:08:01 -0500

“Randall Road is not part of anyone’s Christian journey. Just avoid it.” — Elgin churchgoer after her pastor admitted to being inspired to some not-entirely-charitable emotions during a long, long drive along a certain Kane County highway — a drive that is about to get even worse. Everyone has heard the phrase: “Illinois has two seasons — Winter and Road Construction.” Well, it’s not winter anymore. Drivers already have been suffering from backups and delays in many spots around the northern Fox Valley. But Monday was when the season that isn’t winter kicked in with a vengeance, especially for anyone …

Bike group’s trail work has made C’ville preserve into natural gem

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:06:32 -0500

CARPENTERSVILLE — Driving past Raceway Woods here on any given day, at least a dozen cars can be spotted in the parking lot, and several mountain bikers can be found perched on bikes, ready for a ride. The popularity of the forest preserve has grown in the past year, thanks to the creation of a mile-long natural-surface, multi-purpose trail open to the public and suitable for walking, hiking and mountain biking. The Chicago Area Mountain Bikers volunteer organization began building the trail in August last year, and it was completed by winter. About 1,200 volunteer hours and $8,000 in labor, …

Medical school graduate goes from Hampshire to Harvard

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:51:09 -0500

HAMPSHIRE — Sophia Kamran, daughter of Hampshire Village Clerk Linda Vasquez, will be graduating from Harvard Medical School in Boston on May 30. Kamran said that she first came to Hampshire from Streamwood with her mother and grandparents, Peter and Mary Vasquez, in 1996. She attended Hampshire Middle School for three years and Hampshire High School for one year before she enrolled at the Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy in Aurora. “I was involved in basketball, band and the gifted program at Hampshire Middle School,” Kamran said. “At Hampshire High School, I participated in marching band, the yearbook, the school …

Genoa man charged in jewelry theft months earlier in Elgin

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:06:32 -0500

Elgin Jewelry theft: A Genoa man was charged with felony theft on Monday based on a months-old case. Elgin police said a family living in the 200 block of Lyle Avenue reported in February that between October 2012 and then, someone had stolen $8,800 worth of gold jewelry. The family told detectives that they suspected a former house guest named Arturo Chino, 23, of the 200 block of Stearn Street in Genoa. Police said they arrested Chino this week after a witness recalled having driven Chino to a gold-buying store in West Dundee, where he allegedly sold some gold jewelry. …

One less liquor seller in Pingree

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:06:42 -0500

PINGREE GROVE — Trustees have reduced the number of liquor licenses available to area businesses after a local restaurant declined to renew its license. The board amended the village’s liquor code with a unanimous vote this week. Village Administrator Ken Lopez said Butler’s Restaurant changed its hours and no longer needs the license. It will offer breakfast and lunch menus but not alcoholic beverages. The restaurant is at Stark’s Crossing, where Routes 20, 47 and 72 converge on the west side of town. Lopez said two other local businesses hold licenses to sell alcohol, which are renewed annually. They are …

Ex-Deputy Chief Beeter indicted on 20 counts

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:47:40 -0500

ELGIN — Bob Beeter, a former deputy Elgin police chief who took early retirement in 2012 amid a scandal involving claims of adultery and email hacking, was indicted Tuesday on 20 felony counts by a Kane County grand jury. The state’s attorney’s office announced that Beeter, 51, had been indicted on 16 counts of identity theft, each a Class 3 felony, and four counts of official misconduct, each a Class 3 felony. Beeter is now chief of police in the small village of Stockton in northwestern Illinois. The indictment states that on several occasions between Aug. 11, 2010, and April …

Motorist injured in crash involving farm vehicle near Hampshire

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:38:02 -0500

Hampshire One hurt: A woman was trapped for 25 minutes, then taken to Presence Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin, after being injured Monday in a nighttime collision involving her car and a piece of farm machinery near Hampshire. Deputy Chief Trevor Herrmann of Hampshire Fire Protection District said the crash occurred about 9:12 p.m. on Route 72 west of Walker Road as the machinery was being pulled by a tractor. He said the farm machine collapsed onto the car, trapping the woman for awhile, but that her injuries did not appear to be life-threatening. The Kane County Sheriff’s Office was …

NIU administrator to retire after FBI probe

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:02:48 -0500

A Northern Illinois University administrator who went on leave after an FBI investigation will retire at the end of the month.

Cat dies in $140,000 house fire

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:38:02 -0500

ELGIN — An overnight fire caused $140,000 damage early Tuesday to a home on Elgin’s northwest side and killed a cat. Fire Battalion Chief Terry Bruce said the residents of the home, at 888 N. McLean Blvd., heard a noise outside about 2:35 a.m. Their electrical power then failed, he said. They thought a transformer had shorted out, so they evacuated the house and called 911. Bruce said the first firefighters could see flames in both the interior and the outside rear of the house, which included a three-season porch. The fire was brought under control at 3:06 a.m., he …

Dist. 301 salutes its Kane teachers of year

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:37:25 -0500

BURLINGTON — The Central Community Unit School District 301 board this week applauded Central High School German teacher Anette Bliss and Howard B. Thomas Grade School teacher Lori deRaedt for the recognition given to them by the Kane County Regional Office of Education. Bliss was named 2013 Kane County Educator of the Year, and deRaedt was named Elementary Educator of the Year. “Our district is blessed with phenomenal teachers,” said District 301 Superintendent Todd Stirn. “We know that we have the best educators in the county. Never before, however, have we won the overall educator award.” Bliss was presented with …

Burlington names Daffron to fill board vacancy, eyes upgrades in technology

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:07:07 -0500

BURLINGTON — Village President Bob Walsh appointed James Daffron to the village board and took steps to fulfill his campaign promise to bring the village up to date in its technology. The board this week took action on several appointments, including the installation of Daffron as trustee to fill the vacancy left by Walsh when he was elected village president. Daffron previously served for eight years on the village board as a trustee and then was a member of the plan commission. He has worked as an applications engineer for Haumiller Engineering Co. of Elgin for the past 27 years. …

Elgin council to discuss funding police detention surveillance equipment and fire lieutenant candidate testing

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:12:25 -0500

The city council Wednesday night will consider paying for work to upgrade detention security and surveillance equipment at police headquarters. Council members also are scheduled to discuss contracting out testing and assessment in order to put together a fire department lieutenant candidates’ list. According to supporting material for Wednesday’s committee of the whole session, the detention security and surveillance systems in place at Elgin’s police station date back to the opening of the facility in 1996 and were custom-built for the facility. The company that put together what is in place went out of business about 15 years ago. The …

3 Brookfield Zoo dolphins expecting

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:48:20 -0500

Chicago Zoological Society officials say three Brookfield Zoo bottlenose dolphins are pregnant. Officials say Allie, 26, Tapeko, 31, and Spree, 10, are due to give birth this summer and fall.

Give Me Five! aims to make every U46 child ready for kindergarten

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:37:06 -0500

ELGIN — Tyshay does not live in a “first-choice” neighborhood. Her mom doesn’t have a car or a support system. She uses the bus to go to the grocery store and has little extra money for needs, much less wants. And Tyshay missed her appointment for a preschool screening this winter because it was too cold to wait for a bus. But through School District U46’s Give Me Five! program, a parent educator was able to screen her later at home, said Angela Balk, who is in charge of early childhood assessment and community outreach for School District U46’s Give …