Results tagged “palatine”

We read stuff all the time about people doing dumb things, but it's not often you come across a story so littered with wrong turns that you could turn it into a drinking game. Such is the case of Mary Cordes-Michehl, a 45-year-old Palatine woman who was arrested Tuesday on charges of manufacturing and distributing child pornography. Let's break down the alleged events that police say happened that led to her arrest:

The trial for the second suspect in the violent 1993 Brown's Chicken murders isset to begin with jury selection on Thursday; opening statements are scheduled for August 31. Jury selection for James Degorski, charged with shooting deaths of seven people at the Palatine restaurant, could take up to two weeks. In 2007, Juan Luna stood trial for the killings, resulting in a conviction on all seven counts of murder and a life sentence. The big break in the case came in 2002 when Degorski's then girlfriend, Anne Lockett, finally gave in and told police Degorski had admitted committing the shootings to her. The Daily Herald has a nice break-down of Degorski's case as well as an archive of recent stories and developments.

• Cook County Board President Todd Stroger says he won't fight a war of secession against the towns that voted to leave Cook County, mainly to avoid county taxes, and create their own county. Stroger warned, though, that Barrington, Hanover and Palatine townships might be in over their heads. "But, what they do need to know is when they do that, they will have to have their own jail," he said. "They'll have to have their own elected officials; clerk, sheriff and all that. It's not going to save them money, it's going to cost them more money." [Daily Herald]
• Stroger fired human resources assistant and former University of Georgia basketball player Tony Cole, after finding out that Cole neglected to mention a felony conviction for writing bad checks. Stroger personally hired Cole in October 2008, overlooking his various misdemeanor and felony offenses in the past, since Cole vowed to get his life back on track. He was hired as an administrative assistant in the budget department and had already been promoted to the HR position in the highway department and given a raise. Employees are worried now, since he had access to their personal information. [Sun-Times]
• The Todd-ler wants your vote again. He announced (again) that he plans to run for re-election in 2010.

Barrington, Hanover and Palatine townships voted to secede from Cook County Tuesday night in a non-binding advisory vote. There's been some debate as to whether this is actually feasible, and what the true motives behind the vote actually are. It's been pointed out that leaving Cook and founding a new county would be costly and burdensome to taxpayers, while supporters of the exodus argue that Cook County politicians are levying substantial taxes without delivering quality public services.

Yesterday, we mentioned efforts in Palatine, Barrington, and Hanover to secede from Cook County stemming from the increase in the sales tax. And yesterday all three towns voted in favor of the non-binding referendum calling for secession. Palatine had the most votes in favor, at around 73 percent; Barrington voted in favor at 65 percent; Hanover's support came in at 60 percent. There's a wrinkle for Palatine, however. Incumbent Mayor Rita Mullen was defeated by former Chicago Bears player - and current member of the Bears' radio team on WBBM - Jim Schwantz, a political rookie. Schwantz's campaign website doesn't address the secession issue, so it remains to be seen what effect his election will have on the issue. [ABC 7, WBBM]

As voters in the Fifth Congressional District head to the polls today to decide who will finally and once and for all (or at least until 2010) replace Rahm Emanuel in congress, voters in Palatine, Barrington and Hanover townships will consider an advisory, non-binding vote on leaving Cook County. Anger over recent tax hikes is still very much an issue in the northwest suburb. The Northwest suburb started talking about leaving Cook County around this time last year, after the county sales tax increased the cost of retail purchases. For most Chicagoans, it's a fate they're largely forced to accept. But in Palatine, which borders Lake County, sales have dropped as people do their shopping across the county border.

Over 15 years after the crime and 19 months after the conviction of Juan Luna, the first suspect, James Degorski, 35, will finally stand trial for the killings of seven people at a Brown's Chicken establishment in Palatine. Dergoski's trial will begin on April 30, 2009 per the orders of Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan. The primary issue in Degroski's case revolved around a videotaped confession he gave after the murders, a confession he also said he didn't want to make on camera. Judge Gaughan had originally ruled showing the tape at trial would violate Dergoski's Miranda rights, but an Illinois appellate court ruled the tape admissible earlier this year. Luna's conviction came in May 2007 and he was sentenced to life without parole for his role in the killings; Degroski could still face the death penalty if convicted. If you're looking for a good source of archived material on the case, we recommend the Daily Herald's site. [WBBM, S-T]

As promised, Todd Stroger finally met with Palatine residents Monday evening, and he did not get a warm welcome. In fact, Stroger was met with anger and derision by community members upset by the recent county tax hike. "I feel totally disenfranchised," Jeff Milstein, a jewelry store owner from Schaumburg, told Stroger. "I don't trust you guys."

Remember all that drama last month when Todd Stroger was supposed to meet with county residents in Palatine, and then backed out at the last minute when it looked like village pols had set him up to be publicly ambushed by angry voters? Well, it seems like Stroger and Palatininans are talking about getting together again.

As announced, Todd Stroger passed on last night's meeting with residents in Palatine. Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins took some of the blame for his absence, saying she understood why Stroger might be put off by the change of meeting format that came Monday. After a heated debate about the format of the meeting, Palatine Councilman Jack Wagner lost his temper.

Citing "political grandstanding by village council members," Todd Stroger announced yesterday that he would not be attending a meeting tonight in Palatine, arranged by Mayor Rita Mullins, to discuss county services. It was also expected to touch on secession, a highly charged issue in the Chicago suburb.

Remember how cougars were showing up in Illinois? They still are, this time in Wilmette.

Palatine Republicans are so fed up with Cook County's sales tax hike, that they're taking their push for secession to the General Assembly. "It's a political powder keg to a certain extent," state Sen. Matt Murphy of Palatine told the Daily Herald. Murphy introduced a bill into the state senate last month that would make it easier for municipalities to leave the county. State Rep. Suzanne Bassi, a fellow Palatine Republican, introduced the same bill to the house earlier this week.

Cartoon for Chicagoist by Tim Daly

Probably not. But in the wake of a series of tax hikes levied around the Chicago area, it seems people are downright pissed.