Lake Zurich Courier

Legion, VFW to host Lake Zurich Memorial Day ceremonies

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:10:27 -0500

The Lake Zurich American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars will honor all veterans during its annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony Monday. The parade will step off at 10 a.m. Monday from the American Legion, 51 Lions Drive, and will proceed west on Main Street to Old Rand Road and end at the Veterans Memorial near the Lake Zurich Police Station, 200 Mohawk Trail. The parade should arrive at Veterans Memorial by 11 a.m. for the hour-long ceremony. “Memorial Day is a day to pay tribute to those that paid the ultimate price to protect the freedoms we enjoy,” …

New rules open field for Stevenson grad speeech

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:47:18 -0500

Leslie Luna and Jessica Ma will each give speeches at the 2012 Stevenson High School commencement, the first time students have done so under new speaker selection procedures. Stevenson’s graduation speech have changed this school year, giving a wider range of students the opportunity to apply, school officials said. Stevenson got rid of selecting a valedictorian through a ranking system many years ago. In the past, graduation speakers had to have a 3.5 grade point average, 100 hours of community service, leadership roles and four letters of recommendation. Stevenson’s Student Leader Advisory Council recommended a change. “The students felt these …

1.5 million people to use Midway, O’Hare this holiday weekend

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:24:01 -0500

About 1.5 million people are expected to pass through Chicago’s two airports this Memorial Day weekend, city aviation officials say.

Lake Zurich fifth-graders get taste of middle schoool

Thu, 24 May 2012 04:27:03 -0500

Knowing the transition from elementary to middle school can be met with some apprehension by students, Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 offers students an opportunity to get acquainted with their future middle schools before their fifth grade year ends. Lake Zurich Middle School North counselor Melanie Honegger said both middle schools offer fifth-graders a chance to visit the school for a tour, question and answer session and lunch in the spring before the end of the year. “Our purpose is to just help the students transition more smoothly by becoming more acquainted with the building and meeting key …

Lake Zurich salon robbed

Thu, 24 May 2012 04:27:20 -0500

A man armed with a knife robbed a local tanning salon of an undisclosed amount of money Monday afternoon. At 3:26 p.m. Monday, Lake Zurich police responded to Ultimate Exposure Tanning Salon, 267 S. Rand Road, in response to a 911 call about the robbery. Officers searched the immediate area, but were unable to locate the offender. According to a release issued Monday afternoon by police, the victim said the offender entered the building and announced the robbery. The male, described as about 5-feet-10”with a medium build, displayed a knife with a black handle and silver serrated blade. He is …

Study says Chicago traffic congestion actually got better

Tue, 22 May 2012 17:50:34 -0500

Drivers in the Chicago area were stuck in traffic an average of 36 hours in 2011, 12 fewer than the 48 wasted in traffic in 2010, according to INRIX, a company that studies traffic patterns.

About 55 percent of Ela residents see hike

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:31:50 -0500

Knowing she has a fixed income and dwindling investments, Roswitha Hammack used last year’s tax bill to try and plan for this year. Even with her planning, the Hawthorn Woods resident was shocked when she opened her most recent bill. “My tax bill went up by (almost) $900 even though my assessed value went down,” Hammack said, adding she’ll have to take the money from her savings. Last year, Hammack’s bill was about $13,500. This year, she owes $14,400, noting her bill would be even higher if she didn’t receive a senior discount. “If I weren’t a senior, this tax …

Voterama in Congress, week ending May 18, 2012

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:02:01 -0500

House Violence Against Women Act: Voting 222 for and 205 against, the House on May 16 approved a Republican bill (HR 4970) to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) through fiscal 2016 on a budget of $680 million annually. The bill was disputed mainly because it omits provisions in a bi-partisan Senate-passed bill to expand protections for battered women who are illegal immigrants, Native American women who are assaulted on reservations by non-Indians and gays, lesbians and transsexuals. A conference committee will reconcile the competing House and Senate bills. Since it was enacted in 1994, the VAWA has funneled …

Suburbs on alert, but so far little impact from NATO

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:46:02 -0500

This weekend’s NATO Summit in downtown Chicago may seem worlds away from the suburbs, but authorities throughout the region are preparing for any problems that could spill out of the city. So far, though, police departments haven’t reported any problems like the rallies that have taken place this week in the city. And many suburban hotel managers said their rooms are mainly booked to tourists and wedding parties and even factory workers — and not protesters.

Lake Zurich selects First Energy

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:50:28 -0500

Lake Zurich has selected First Energy as its new electricity supplier. Several municipalities worked with Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Collaborative (NIMEC) to go out for bid. After reviewing the bids, Lake Zurich selected First Energy for a two-year agreement at a rate of 4.75 cents per kilowatt hour. ComEd’s current rate is 7.73 cents per kilowatt hour, scheduled to increase to 8.5 cents per kilowatt hour on July 1. First Energy has guaranteed it will match the ComEd rate if that rate falls below the First Energy rate during the term of the agreement. “We are very pleased to get …

Suit: Let disabled athletes go to IHSA state meet

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:56:38 -0500

The Illinois High School Association girls state track and field meet will be held this weekend — and Fenwick’s Mary Kate Callahan won’t be taking part. But a lawsuit to be filed Wednesday by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in federal court aims to make it possible for student-athletes with disabilities, like Callahan who is paralyzed from the waist down, to compete in future IHSA state meets.

Police blotter for May 14

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:32:45 -0500

The following incidents were listed among the official reports of the Lake Zurich, Hawthorn Woods and Kildeer police departments. Readers are reminded that an arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt. Only a court of law can make that determination. Lake Zurich WARRANT ARREST Alora J. Underwood, 20, 28600 Grass Lake Road, No. 2A, Spring Grove, was arrested May 10 on a warrant issued for aggravated battery after being stopped amd charged with failing to wear a safety belt. Underwood was taken into custody near the intersection of Route 12 and June Terrace. Underwood was held at the Lake …

For guys, it’s still more ‘schleppy’ than preppy

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:12:01 -0500

Jim Foster didn’t know what kind of pants he had on. But he knew how much he paid for them: $1. Foster lives in Glencoe, which Bundle.com says is the second-most fashionable town in America. In terms of spending dough for duds, Foster is not doing his part.

Kite Fly combines with event

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:14:01 -0500

Pat Winkelman was beaming at the Barrington Area Kid Fest Saturday morning as over 300 kids and parents came out to Citizens Park to play outside despite the initially damp weather. As Co-Founder of Barrington and Lake Zurich areas’ Leave No Child Inside initiative and Youth Education Chair at the Citizens for Conservation, Winkelman was happy about Saturday morning’s turnout. “Research has shown that spending time outside—even just spending time outside under a tree with a book—increases your creativity and your concentration,” Winkelman said. “They’ve found that test scores have increased and ADHD has improved, and so I think we …

Voterama in Congress, week ending May 11, 2012

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:44:38 -0500

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted on matters relating to defense spending, lobbyists’ federal pensions, funding of two federal departments, voter ID laws and funding for the Export-Import Bank. Senators failed to end GOP blockage of a bill preventing interest rates on student loans from doubling, to 6.8 percent, on July 1.

Self defense club has a hold at Stevenson

Thu, 24 May 2012 04:27:13 -0500

Self Defense Intramural Club may be the only opportunity for students to be introduced and even encouraged to put their teacher into a martial-arts style submission hold. “Look at how happy he is right now,” Stevenson High School world history teacher Josh Flood said regarding his student during a club meeting. He stood in the center of the room, surrounded by club members, with 17-year-old student Vince Fiorentini’s hands around his neck. Pretty normal stuff for a self defense class that teaches the appropriate and legal ways to defend oneself. After intramurals coordinator Tim Tomaso learned Flood had a black …