This Valentine's Day, laugh, cry, and hurl again, as Wayne's World celebrates its 20th anniversary of its theatrical release. Just maybe don't order the Cream of Sum Yung Guy.
Party On: Wayne's World Turns 20
1,500-Gallon Diesel Spill Coats Fox River In Aurora
Authorities reported 20 to 100 gallons of fuel had overflowed onto pavement and into a sewer, which wasn't a big deal. It wasn't until 10 a.m. that they reported the spill was actually closer to 1,500 gallons.
6 People Killed in Apartment Fire in Aurora
At least six people were killed and about a dozen more were injured in an apartment fire that broke out in Aurora Sunday morning at 4:06 a.m. at a small apartment complex that housed 25 to 30 residents on 760 Claim Street. The fire broke out on the first floor of the building and then moved upwards to the floors above, but no cause of the fire has been determined.
Today in Stupid: Bad Alibi Edition
Today's moral: drive responsibly if you have outstanding warrants, people. Victor Corona of Aurora didn't and was afraid of being thrown in jail for his outstanding warrants, so he gave police the name of his passenger, Sergio Moreno.
Aurora Chick-fil-A Opens In Two Weeks
From the inbox: Aurora's Chick-fil-A franchise, which, all due respect to NBC Feast, is actually the Chicagoland area's second location*, is set to open September 16 at 4435 Fox Valley Center Dr..
Another Fake Teen Cop
One Aurora teen didn't learn the lesson from last year's teen cop impersonator here in Chicago. It seems this teen was driving a minivan with a flashing blue light and tried to get another driver to pull over. Instead of pulling over, that driver called the actual police. When police caught up with this teen cop impersonator, a search of his vehicle turned up over $1,000 in stolen goods, including electronics. Another teen who was riding as a passenger was also charged. [CBS 2]
Sponge Bob Meat Pants
An Aurora man was arrested for shoplifting in an usual manner - shoving meat down his pants. Anthony Collman, 47, was arrested last week for trying to make off with $60 worth of packed meats shoved down his pants. Arresting officers said this isn't the first time Collman has stolen form the store. [WBBM 780]
Suburban Nursing Home Death Raises Suspicions
Police in Aurora are investigating the death of an area man who died after a physical altercation with his roommate in an area nursing home, Chicago Breaking News reports. Randy Moons, 57, was pronounced dead "on Thursday at about 6:14 p.m.at Provena Mercy Medical Center" after the fight with his 55-year-old roommate, the report said. The roommate was questioned and released; an autopsy to determine the cause of death and whether criminal charges will be filed is pending.
Aurora Man Suspected Of Robbing His 17th Bank
Daniel Vincent, 28, Aurora, was accused on Friday of robbing a First Federal Bank in Lexington, Kentucky. Vincent previously served over five years in federal prison for admitting to robbing 16 banks. On Friday, Vincent led Kentucky police on a 25-mile chase after allegedly robbing a bank in Lexington, authorities reported. Vincent entered the First Federal Bank around 11:30 a.m., implied that he had a weapon, and left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, authorities said.
Extra, Extra
- More trouble at Fenger High where five students were arrested today following a lunch-time brawl.
- Carolyn Towns is the last of the four Burr Oak suspects to be released on bail, leaving jail this afternoon.
- An Aurora man has been charged with filing a false police report, including creating three false suspects, after an incident this weekend.
Extra, Extra
- A barricade situation on the city's West Side was peacefully resolved this afternoon.
- An off-duty Chicago Police officer was killed in an early morning car crash on the Kennedy Expressway.
- Kirk Dillard got an endorsement in his race for governor from former governor Jim Edgar.
Intruder Raises the Ante
We've all encountered creeps in our time, but few have more dedication to the craft than 19-year-old Quincy Forrester. Forrester, a college student from Aurora, has been charged with illegally entering unlocked apartments of three different women at the Amli Lane complex and--believe it--rubbing their legs as they slept. When they awoke to Forrester's rather forward advances, he would flee, according to authorities. He was arrested early Sunday morning after matching the description the women gave the police. Forrester was officially charged with three counts of criminal trespass and his bail was set at a hefty $100,000.
Extra, Extra
- Police have arrested a teenager in connection with the stabbing death of his mother's boyfriend; the mother and boyfriend had been fighting and the teen allegedly stabbed the man to protect his mother.
- What not to do when protesting a traffic ticket: threaten authorities with a BB gun.
- Thomas J. Thibeault, executive director for the Chicago Newspaper Guild, has reported that there appears to be a second bidder interested in purchasing the Sun-Times Media Group.
Extra, Extra
- At his trial for the Brown's Chicken murders, a high school friend of James Degorski testified today that Degorski admitted committing the murders.
- An Aurora man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for acting as a lookout during a gang-related beating that resulted in the victim's death.
- Some local post offices are under review for possible closings.
Chick-fil-A Gets A Little Bit Closer
Marcus is stomping around like a kid on pixie dust right now with the news that Chick-fil-A is in the planning stages to open some stores in the greater Chicago area. The first will be in Aurora's Westfield Fox Valley Shopping Center, with plans for others to come.
Caterpillar, Inc. Layoffs Include Aurora
Among the 2,200 layoffs Caterpillar, Inc. announced yesterday, a total of 1,526 will come from Illinois, including 815 from its hydraulic excavators plant located in Aurora. Of those, 665 will be production workers and 150 will be management and support positions. The layoffs will begin in June and will continue through the end of the year. A memo sent to workers calls the layoffs "indefinite" but the company expressed hope that some of the positions cut may be recalled in the future. [Tribune]
Air Angels Suspends Operations
Air Angels, the emergency transport company based in Bolingbrook that was involved in a helicopter crash in Aurora that killed four people last October, announced yesterday that it is going out of business. Air Angels and its parent company are facing a lawsuit from the family of the 14-month-old patient that was killed in the crash, and their helicopters have been grounded for two months. The full report of what caused the crash has not been released yet, but the the attorney working for the family said that the Air Angels could have prevented the crash if it had installed navigation software and followed federal recommendations to use a terrain avoidance warning system in the cockpit. The company's 33 employees all received a 60-day notice of termination yesterday, and Air Angels says it is working with local hospitals to assure emergency transport services in the region are not compromised.
Extra, Extra
Salt Unseen
Approximately 120 tons of road salt (also known as a "shit-ton") has gone missing from an Aurora storage facility since October 1. The total value of the stolen salt comes out to around $32,000.
The police report noted how difficult the theft would have been from a locked facility. Twelve large concrete blocks and a tarp had to be moved to take the salt, which likely would have been moved by truck, police said.more ›
Helicopter Bound For Children's Hospital Crashes in Aurora
Four people, including a one-year-old baby, were killed when a medical helicopter bound for Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital clipped a WBIG radio tower and crashed in a field in Aurora. Besides the girl, a pilot, nurse, and paramedic were killed by the crash; no one on the ground was injured. The Air Angels copter flight had originated from Valley West Hospital in Sandwich. The helicopter clipped the tower shortly before midnight, but officials are speculating there may have been problems with the flight already because it was flying so low; under normal conditions, the copter should not have been flying low enough to hit the tower (the height of which ranges from 690 to 750 feet, depending on which media outlet's info you believe). Residents of a nearby apartment complex were evacuated for fear of damage from guide wires in the event the damaged tower collapsed.
Overnight News Round-Up
Police Examing Security Footage In Aurora Disappearance
Aurora police are examining surveillance footage from a grocery store two sisters, Patricia (14) and Maria Chavez (4), visited shortly before they disappeared last night. The footage shows a man following the girls through the store for several minutes. Police showed the video to the girls' mother, Zulema Pena, who said there was, "a man following them, someone right behind them. Following for 10 minutes." Aurora police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said, "It's really hard to tell if his movements could be considered suspicious. That's certainly something we're aware of and we're looking at."
State of the State....
Remember how cougars were showing up in Illinois? They still are, this time in Wilmette.
Johnny Depp Movie Needs Extras
Want to be in a Johnny Depp movie? Hells to the yes you do. The new Dillinger biopic he's in is looking for extras in Aurora on April 5 and 6.
15-Year-Old Spends a Month in Jail for MySpace Post
An Aurora teen was sentenced to 27 days in jail for posting what prosecutors called threats on his MySpace page. The 15-year-old East Aurora High School student agreed to a plea bargain today, having already served that time. He was also sentenced to 21 days of electronic home monitoring and a year of probation, during which he's only allowed to use the internet for homework.
Now All We Need Is A Ride To Aurora
To paraphrase Merle Haggard, "It's not close, but it's not bad." A Sonic Drive-In franchisee has chosen to set up the first greater Chicago area franchise of the venerable fast food chain in Aurora, in a retail development at Kirk and Butterfield Roads anchored by a Wal-Mart. You know, so the NASCAR set doesn't feel homesick.

