Forest Leaves

Fenwick valedictorian yearns to learn

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 09:54:00 -0500

OAK PARK — Every weekday morning in July 2012, Ryan Patrick Walsh got up to spend the morning taking art and architecture classes in Paris. In the afternoons, Walsh went to a Paris suburb to coordinate activities for 8-to-12-year-olds whose parents worked.

Study: Chicagoans spend $300 million yearly on unused data for cellphones

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:00:02 -0500

Chicagoans pay nearly $300 million every year on unused data for their cellphones, according to a new report. The study, from the Citizens Utilities Board and Texas-based wireless research firm Validas, said that Illinoisans each spend about $30 a year on unused data on wireless phones and almost $200 a year on unused data on smartphones, totaling more than $1 billion a year on data that no one uses. “Illinoisans are spending more than the combined team salaries of the Cubs, White Sox and Cardinals,” said CUB executive director David Kolata. The research is based on data collected through Validas’ …

Report: 9 percent of Illinois’ bridges ‘structurally deficient’

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:38:00 -0500

Nearly 9 percent of Illinois’ bridges are “structurally deficient” and in need of serious maintenance or replacement -- an uptick of 1 percent from two years ago, a new report on the state of the nation’s bridges indicates.

Two arrested in River Forest home burglary

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:41:21 -0500

RIVER FOREST — Police investigating several recent burglaries arrested two men in Maywood after the car they were driving matched the description of a car used in the previous crimes. Jeremy Seaton, 20, of Lombard, and Christopher Lukes, 22, of Bellwood are charged with residential burglary. Seaton is being held in lieu of $30,000 bond, Lukes in lieu of $20,000 bond. Both men have preliminary hearings June 20 at the Maybrook Courthouse. Lukes was paroled in December 2011, from a previous residential burglary conviction, as well as possession of a stolen firearm. Deputy Chief James O’Shea said police responded to …

Lake Zurich hosts inaugural Iron Girl triathlon

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:04:46 -0500

LAKE ZURICH — Allison Zimmerman pulled her blue-framed swim goggles over her matching cap and chatted excitedly with fellow sprint triathlon contestant Colleen Cox.

Gurnee looks ahead to digital streaming

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:26:01 -0500

Libraries long ago stocked more than books as they evolved with modern media, adding vinyl record albums, cassette tapes, laser discs, and then CDs and DVDs.

Checking out the future: Libraries look beyond the shelves

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:28:14 -0500

Jeff Weisensel doesn’t have a job, not for the past 14 months anyway, since Kraft Foods restructured him out the door after 22 years. But he does have a library — the $28 million Glenview Public Library, opened in 2011 — whose inviting lobby is part art gallery, part cafeteria — patrons are welcome to eat and drink there — and part social center.

Immigration reform discussed at Oak Park library panel

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:58:00 -0500

OAK PARK — Stephanie Zavala was brought by her parents from Mexico to the United States when she was two years old. Like other children her age, she went to a U.S. school through high school, seemingly without a hitch.

Metra cops will be spending more time on trains, platforms talking with riders

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:28:02 -0500

The new safety initiative merely redeploys the existing 100-person Metra police force and is not a response to a specific crime concern, Metra officials said.

River Forest officials hope stronger poles, wires reduce outages

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:34:11 -0500

RIVER FOREST — Work underway by a Commonwealth Edison sub-contractor in River Forest should lessen both the number and duration of power outages caused by violent storms, Village Administrator Eric Palm said Wednesday. A line of 11 large vehicles took up most of one side of the 300 block of Park Avenue Wednesday as workers replaced the large utility poles in an alley. The work is expected to take about two months. Palm said the village started discussions with Com Ed two years ago after residents in the southwest part of the village and elsewhere experienced a maddening series of …

River Forest, Oak Park brace for winds, rain, hail

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:30:44 -0500

RIVER FOREST — Public works crews are on alert in River Forest and Oak Park as the National Weather Service is warning of heavy rain and “damaging winds” up to 75 miles per hour, along with the possibility of baseball-sized hail. River Forest Public Works Director Phil Cotter said an 11 a.m. weather update called for “around an inch of rain” in the afternoon, with another two to three inches overnight. Sometime between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., Cotter said, high winds and possible hail are also expected. “We’re geared up and ready. We’ve got crews staying past closing time,” …

Former North Riverside police chief takes own life

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:53:12 -0500

LA GRANGE — West suburban police chiefs are mourning the loss of a colleague and friend, Tony Garvey, former chief of North Riverside. Garvey served as chief of the North Riverside Police Department for eight years until a change in village leadership in May and he was demoted. The West Suburban Chiefs of Police Association reported he committed suicide Tuesday. “He was a trusted colleague and close friend to all of us,” said La Grange Chief Michael Holub, a past president of the association. “We’re definitely confused and hurting.” Holub said such a demotion isn’t unusual with a change in …

Hockey shop praises Blackhawks’ success for bringing business back

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 10:03:45 -0500

The Chicago Blackhawks are on a historic run, and that success is helping businesses like Gunzo’s Sports Center rebound from a financially devastating lockout that shortened this 2012-13 season.

No retiring from emergencies for River Forest expert

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:50:01 -0500

RIVER FOREST — “Plan for the worst, hope for the best,” was a mantra drilled into Ron Sherman during his 28 years with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

River Forest teen seeks donations of old bikes, parts for Eagle Scout project

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:40:05 -0500

RIVER FOREST — Declan McInerney figures most families have an old bike or two in their garages. He also figures a lot of those families wouldn’t mind donating those bikes for a good cause. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 22, used bikes and bike parts can be dropped off in the parking lot of First Presbyterian Church, 7551 Quick Ave. in River Forest. The bike drive was organized by 17-year-old McInerney of Oak Park — part of Boy Scout Troop 2 — who’s working with nonprofit organization Working Bikes to complete the service project necessary to becoming an …

14-year-old found stabbed in bed, 2 women ‘semi-conscious’

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:36:22 -0500

A 14-year-old “severely autistic” River Grove boy was found stabbed to death inside the family’s locked apartment — while the teen’s mother and a female caretaker also were located “semi-conscious” inside the home, police said Monday.