Aurora news

• Doctor says Naperville North gummy bear candy contained marijuana

  07-12-2016 23:53
  
  The hospital emergency room physician who coordinated Tuesday's treatment of 14 sick Naperville North High School students said the gummy bear candy the students ate contained marijuana. Jennifer E. McNulty is the medical director for the Pediatric Emergency Department and Pediatrics at Edward...
  
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• Proposed settlement in Waukegan First Amendment lawsuit remains in limbo

  07-12-2016 23:08
  
  A proposed deal that would cost the city of Waukegan $42,500 to settle a lawsuit filed by a local activist remains in limbo. The lawsuit filed by Waukegan resident Ralph Peterson — first in federal court in June and then in Lake County court a week ago — argues that the city violated his First...
  
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• Aurora officer charged with theft fired from department

  07-12-2016 23:02
  
  An Aurora police officer charged with theft by deception – who was recently fired by the department - appeared in court Wednesday morning, when her lawyer and the judge arranged for her next pre-trial hearing to take place in late January. Kimberly R. Hanson, 43, of Plano, is next scheduled to...
  
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• Innovation status surprise points to Aurora school’s continuing upheaval

  07-12-2016 22:25
  
  AURORA | The future of a turnaround plan for a troubled Aurora elementary school is in limbo after school officials discovered they forgot to comply with a state application deadline — critical to improving the school.
  Three years after being granted innovation status by the board, Tollgate Elementary School leaders and parents presented to the board Tuesday to petition for three more years as a “school of innovation,” a status that gives certain Colorado schools more leeway in
  
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• Aurora elementary in state of ‘transition’ as board discusses how to move forward

  07-12-2016 22:25
  
  AURORA | The future of an Aurora elementary school is in limbo after school officials delayed discussion of an agreement set up three years ago.
  Three years after being granted district-level innovation status by the Aurora Public Schools board, Tollgate Elementary School leaders and parents presented to the board Tuesday to petition for three more years as a “school of innovation,” a status that gives certain schools more leeway in how they run their institutions. But much to the su
  
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• Football: Former Overland coach Tony Manfredi in 2017 class for CHSCA Hall of Fame

  07-12-2016 22:19
  
  Overland football coaching legend Tony Manfredi runs a Trailblazers practice in 2007. Manfredi, who was head football coach at Overland from 1982-2010, is part of the 2017 Colorado High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class. The induction ceremony is scheduled for March 25, 2017. (File photo by Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel)
  Former Overland football coaching legend Tony Manfredi is set to be inducted into the Colorado High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
  The organization announ
  
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• Man held in Harvey killing drops to knees in court and shouts, 'I'm an innocent man'

  07-12-2016 22:14
  
  A Cook County judge Wednesday denied bail to a felon accused of fatally shooting a Canadian National Railroad security guard last month in Harvey. Rashad Williams, 24, was dragged from Markham bond court after dropping to his knees and shouting, "I'm an innocent man." Williams is charged with first-degree...
  
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• EDITORIAL: All the rights stuff: Aurora leaders offer confidence against Trump’s ambiguity

  07-12-2016 22:11
  
  The irony is thick as Aurora goes out of its way to make it clear here and across the globe that human rights, civil rights, justice and dignity will be afforded everyone who lives here and visits.
  Aurora has been evolving to that place for decades, and it pretty much arrived years ago. It doesn’t mean that Colorado’s third-largest city hasn’t suffered from one of humanity’s longest-running scourges: bigotry. But as Aurora became more diverse culturally, educationally, ra
  
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• RIGHT AT HOME: Saddle up in style on new rocking horses

  07-12-2016 22:04
  
  The rocking horse, offspring of the hobby horse, seems to have appeared first in the early 17th century. Not much more than a log with board sides, it may have been inspired by the cradle, according to Alec Kinane of Legends Rocking Horses in Buckinghamshire, England.
  “The horse on bow rockers that we know and love today was a product of 18th century England,” Kinane says. “It was popular with the wealthy, and it is said they were used to help develop children’s balance f
  
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• ASK A DESIGNER: Kitchen trends and innovations for 2017

  07-12-2016 22:04
  
  Americans briefly scaled back the scope of home renovation projects after the recession began nearly a decade ago, says interior designer and “HGTV Design Star” judge Vern Yip. But even during the peak of that focus on smaller, more sustainable living, the size and complexity of kitchen designs continued to grow.
  “The kitchen is the heart of the home,” Yip says, and people see it as good place to spend money and recoup the investment when they sell their home.
  What’
  
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• A trip to Israel gives Hanukkah new meaning for 1 family

  07-12-2016 22:04
  
  JERUSALEM | For Reform Jews like us, Hanukkah means lighting candles, eating latkes and opening presents. But this year the holiday holds deeper meaning: It’s a way of remembering our trip to Israel, where we connected with the real story of Hanukkah and brought a piece of it home.
  We took the trip to celebrate our son Aden’s bar mitzvah. In addition to me, my husband and our sons ages 10, 13 and 16, six other relatives came along. I’d imagined this once-in-a-lifetime buck
  
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• Wintertime comfort-in-bowl is savory, meaty braised beef

  07-12-2016 22:01
  
  Ask my daughter Océane what her favorite food is and she will shoot back, without hesitation, “braised ribs.” Who doesn’t love the comforting meaty aroma that fills the house from ribs cooking slowly in Dutch-oven full of savory, gently-bubbling liquid? That’s wintertime comfort-in-bowl if you ask me.
  Braising is a long-honored method of cooking which coaxes out tenderness and deep flavors from tougher cuts of meat. The basic technique involves a Dutch oven and fou
  
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• Mexico’s ancient beverage of pulque makes a comeback

  07-12-2016 22:01
  
  SANTIAGO CUAUTLALPAN, Mexico | Mexicans have been brewing pulque from the juice of cactus-like maguey plants for centuries, but the viscous, beer-like beverage fell out of favor starting in the 1970s as pulque got a bad reputation as a peasant’s drink. The number of producers, consumers and bars known as “pulquerias” dwindled.
  But now, the nutrient-rich drink is making a comeback among a new generation of Mexicans.The Aztecs of Mexico’s central highlands revered pulq
  
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• COOKING ON DEADLINE: Fresh linguine with shrimp and peas

  07-12-2016 22:01
  
  This is a dazzler of a pasta dish. When you combine fresh pasta with big shrimp you are quickly telling your guests that they are in for a treat.
  But it’s not just the guests who will be happy. The whole dish comes together in about 20 minutes. Really! Truly!
  Adding some of the pasta’s cooking water to the dish cuts the heaviness of the cream sauce, plus the bit of starch that stays in the cooking water helps bind the sauce to the pasta. Salt the sauce lightly, if at all, up to the p
  
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• Architect’s plan would cover Trump’s name with pig balloons

  07-12-2016 21:59
  
  CHICAGO | An architect wants to install four giant pig balloons to cover up the Trump name on the side of the president-elect’s Chicago hotel.
  This image provided by New World Design Ltd. shows a rendering of four giant pig balloons covering up the Trump name on the side of the president-elect’s Chicago hotel, that an architect wants to install. (New World Design Ltd. via AP)
  New World Design says installation of the gold-colored pigs would “provide visual relief to the ci
  
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• Former Glenview officer found not guilty of perjury

  07-12-2016 21:45
  
  One of three police officers facing perjury charges was found not guilty by a judge Wednesday. Former Glenview patrol officer James Horn was discharged after defense lawyers argued for a directed verdict in the bench trial at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. The arguments came after the prosecution...
  
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• New Trier's Dave Martinez plays it cool after $2 million win

  07-12-2016 21:39
  
  Dave Martinez' co-workers call him "Speedy" on the job, and the veteran New Trier High School District 203 custodian does set a brisk pace when he walks through the halls of the school's Northfield campus.But the first thing his wife, Mary, told him Nov. 19, moments after he realized he'd won $2...
  
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• Evanston candidates scramble after filing deadline mix-up

  07-12-2016 21:37
  
  Would-be candidates for Evanston offices will be able to file their nominating petitions through Dec. 19 after confusion over the final filing date sent some scrambling to collect signatures over Thanksgiving weekend, city officials said. The mix-up began after Evanston City Clerk Rodney Greene...
  
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• Wednesday morning fire displaces Oak Park family; Christmas gifts saved

  07-12-2016 19:40
  
  An early morning fire in southern Oak Park left one family displaced, and fire department officials are continuing to search for the cause of the blaze. According to village officials, the Oak Park Fire Department responded at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday to a report of a fire in the 700 block of South...
  
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• Search still on for woman who escaped custody at Markham courthouse

  07-12-2016 19:24
  
  Cook County sheriff's police on Wednesday morning were still searching for a 31-year-old suspect who authorities said escaped custody Tuesday afternoon while handcuffed inside the Markham courthouse. Vivian McGee, of Harvey, had been handcuffed to a rail and left unattended in an attorney-client...
  
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• Southland properties cited in housing maintenance lawsuit against Fannie Mae

  07-12-2016 19:07
  
  Homes in the south and southwest suburbs, as well as northwest Indiana, are cited in a federal lawsuit as examples of how mortgage lender Fannie Mae allegedly employs a double standard in maintaining foreclosed properties it owns. The lawsuit by the National Fair Housing Alliance claims that Fannie...
  
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• Warrant issued for 18-year-old in Waukegan police dragging incident

  07-12-2016 18:56
  
  Waukegan police reported Wednesday that a suspect has been identified in an incident last weekend where an officer was briefly dragged by a stolen car as the driver attempted to flee the scene of a traffic stop. According to a police statement, Santos L. Martinez, 18, was named in a warrant for...
  
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• Rutter: One-gender schools might answer the wrong question

  07-12-2016 17:24
  
  Some experimental ideas seem plausible and attractive on their face. One-gender public schools are like that. Why not separate girls and boys from each other educationally at the very time when their proximity is upsetting to both genders? After all, they are so different as to defy common ground....
  
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• Elmhurst candlelight vigil encourages inclusion

  07-12-2016 17:10
  
  A candlelight vigil Tuesday promoting diversity and inclusion drew nearly 200 people to Wilder Park in Elmhurst on a chilly night to hear speakers call for peace and understanding in the face of what several called the negative and exclusionary rhetoric of the recent presidential campaign and its...
  
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• Aurora police cleared in fatal May shooting of carjacker

  07-12-2016 17:00
  
  AURORA | Arapahoe County prosecutors say four Aurora police officers who shot and killed an armed car theft suspect who tried to ram them were justified when they fired their weapons.
  In a letter to Aurora police Chief Nick Metz, prosecutors said the officers acted appropriately May 11 when they opened fire on Steven “Lucifer” Schuster, 25, in the 7700 block of South Quemoy Street.
  “I find no reason to suggest any criminal liability on the part of any officer stemming from this
  
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• Dunkin' Donuts in Hinsdale robbed

  07-12-2016 16:47
  
  Hinsdale police are looking for a man who robbed the Dunkin Donuts at Ogden Avenue and York Road Tuesday.The robbery was reported about 5:15 p.m. The suspect displayed a handgun and demanded money from an employee at a cash register, police said. He took the money and fled on foot heading south....
  
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• Troops for Trees gives Christmas trees to Colorado soldiers

  07-12-2016 15:32
  
  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. | A program called Trees for Troops is providing free Christmas trees to soldiers at Fort Carson.
  The Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/2gzjDfs ) that FedEx dropped off about 400 trees at the U.S. Army installation near Colorado Springs. The Trees for Troops program is in its 12th year and has helped soldiers and their families celebrate Christmas with more than 18,000 trees delivered to 65 military bases in 17 countries.
  Volunteers helped Fort Carson soldiers choo
  
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• Researchers fret as info lags on pot effects on older adults

  07-12-2016 15:31
  
  DENVER | Surveys show a small but growing number of older adults are using marijuana — a trend that worries researchers who say not enough information exists about how pot affects older users.
  Abundant research has been done on how the drug impacts developing brains, but little is known about the potential consequences on older users — even as recreation pot has been legalized in a number of states.
  Researchers at New York University say pot could pose health challenges to older
  
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• Man gets 48 years for fatal shooting outside Pueblo bar

  07-12-2016 15:31
  PUEBLO, Colo. | A man who pleaded guilty to a fatal shooting outside a downtown Pueblo bar has been sentenced to 48 years in prison.
  The Pueblo Chieftain reports (https://goo.gl/GO7Mqp ) 26-year-old Timothy Trujillo was sentenced Tuesday for the Feb. 28 death of 26-year-old Devin Clark. Trujillo struck a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty in September to second-degree murder.
  Two bouncers at the Iron Horse bar were seriously injured in the shooting.
  Trujillo, who police say is a
  
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• Bullying, harassment reported at federal lab in Colorado

  07-12-2016 15:31
  DENVER | An investigation into falsified data at a federal laboratory in Colorado also uncovered bullying and a hostile work environment that persisted even after an employee complained to managers, a congresswoman said Tuesday.
  Employees at a U.S. Geological Survey lab in suburban Denver were subjected to “offensive language and behavior” by at least one co-worker, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said during a congressional hearing.
  It is the latest report of workplace trouble in
  
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• 2 Colorado electors try to overturn voting requirement

  07-12-2016 15:31
  DENVER | Two Colorado electors filed a lawsuit Tuesday to overturn a state law requiring electors to cast their ballots for the presidential candidate who won their state.
  Hillary Clinton won Colorado on Nov. 8. The two electors, Polly Baca and Robert Nemanich, are Democrats who want to be free to cut a deal with their GOP counterparts and vote for someone else to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president.
  The lawsuit is part of a long-shot attempt at denying Trump the presidency when th
  
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• Pipeline opponents ride out storm in shelters, casino

  07-12-2016 15:16
  
  MANDAN, N.D. | Some protesters who have been fighting the Dakota Access pipeline retreated to a nearby casino and area shelters overnight as a blizzard blew through, but many remained at a camp in southern North Dakota, according to protest organizers who say they’re committed to maintaining the camp through the winter.The storm Monday and Tuesday brought more than half a foot of snow, wind gusts exceeding 50 mph and temperatures that felt as cold as 15 degrees below zero. For some no
  
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• Obama defends counterterrorism plan before handover to Trump

  07-12-2016 15:16
  
  TAMPA, Fla. | Closing out two terms as a president at war, Barack Obama staunchly defended his counterterrorism strategy as one that rejected torture, held to American values and avoided large-scale troop deployments, in an implicit effort to shape the strategy his successor might employ.
  Obama came to MacDill Air Force Base, home to U.S. Special Operations Command and Central Command, to give his final speech on national security. He delivered a strident argument for his reliance on drone
  
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• Mistrial in S. Carolina police shooting mystifies observers

  07-12-2016 15:16
  
  COLUMBIA, S.C. | The video was unambiguous: A white police officer fatally shot an unarmed black man in the back as the man ran away.
  But a South Carolina jury was unable to agree on a verdict in one of the nation’s ghastliest police shootings, with a lone holdout forcing a mistrial. The outcome stung many African-Americans and others. If that kind of evidence can’t produce a conviction, they asked, what can?“There’s a jury full of people and they cannot decide if it
  
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• After concession, next N Carolina governor gets to celebrate

  07-12-2016 15:16
  
  RALEIGH, N.C. | Democrat Roy Cooper finally Tuesday got to bask in his victory in the close race for North Carolina governor, telling supporters his narrow triumph over Republican incumbent Pat McCrory is a victory for the middle class and for the state’s diverse population.
  “Hello friends and hello North Carolina — finally,” Cooper said just after taking the dais in front of several hundred people cheering for him in Raleigh. “It is also humbling and it has be
  
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• 2 Marist High students expelled for racist messages say texts changed by someone else

  07-12-2016 14:07
  
  The fathers of two girls expelled from Marist High School after being accused of sending racist text messages have filed a lawsuit against the private Southwest Side school that claims another teenager altered the texts. The lawsuit was filed in Cook County on Monday, one month after Indianapolis...
  
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• Discrimination suit alleges black temp workers passed over for Hispanics

  07-12-2016 13:00
  
  A group of African-American men filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Chicago federal court alleging systematic discrimination by a temporary staffing agency and several of its clients they say passed over black applicants in favor of Hispanic workers. The lawsuit against Personnel Staffing Group, which does...
  
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• Families of sailors slain at Pearl Harbor wait for remains to be identified

  07-12-2016 12:18
  
  Katherine Kany was at work last spring when she got the phone call that pulled together the loose ends of a family mystery. The remains of her uncle, a 22-year-old from Waukegan who died at Pearl Harbor 75 years ago Wednesday, finally had been identified. The call was part of a project begun in...
  
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• Dunkin' Donuts in Hinsdale robbed, police release photos

  07-12-2016 04:43
  
  Hinsdale police are looking for a man who robbed the Dunkin Donuts at Ogden Avenue and York Road Tuesday. The robbery was reported about 5:15 p.m. The suspect displayed a handgun and demanded money from an employee at a cash register, police said. He took the money and fled on foot heading south....
  
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• Naperville North students fall ill after eating tainted gummy bears

  07-12-2016 01:43
  
  More than a dozen Naperville North High School students were transported to the hospital Tuesday after some ingested gummy bears that may have been tainted, police said. A 17-year-old student is being questioned in connection with the incident, but no charges had been filed Tuesday evening, Police...
  
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• Parents of 2 girls expelled over racist texts sue Marist High School

  07-12-2016 01:08
  
  The fathers of two girls expelled from Marist High School after being accused of sending racist text messages have filed a lawsuit against the private Southwest Side school that claims another teenager altered the texts. The lawsuit was filed in Cook County on Monday, one month after Indianapolis...
  
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• Police files, photos from '66 Valerie Percy slaying to remain under wraps

  07-12-2016 01:04
  
  Thousands of pages of police records related to the 50-year-old slaying of Valerie Percy — along with crime scene and autopsy photos — will remain under wraps after a judge ruled Tuesday that the investigation of the 1966 crime remains active."This court is convinced beyond any doubt this is an...
  
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• New Trier custodian Dave Martinez plays it cool after $2 million win

  07-12-2016 00:03
  
  Dave Martinez' co-workers call him "Speedy" on the job, and the veteran New Trier High School District 203 custodian does set a brisk pace when he walks through the halls of the school's Northfield campus. But the first thing his wife, Mary, told him Nov. 19, moments after he realized he'd won...
  
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