November 2007 Archives

BY MIKE CETERA

The last time we heard from Adam Florzak, he was an employee at the local Caterpillar plant whose mission in life was to reform Social Security. That mission hasn't changed.

Florzak was featured on Wednesday night's CNN/YouTube Republican presidential debate.

(YouTube video)

BY MIKE CETERA

Some people don't like red-light cameras. That's fine. But take your dispute up with local city councils, not with the camera itself.

A Tennesee man was charged with felony vandalism after police said he fired "three rounds from a high-powered rifle," damaging a camera.

BY MIKE CETERA

Aurora's Zoning Board of Appeals rarely attracts any attention -- from the media or from the public. But tonight, the obscure panel of seven people will be front and center in the debate over the Planned Parenthood Clinic on the city's far East Side.

Opponents of the facility, where abortions are performed, contend Planned Parenthood -- under the name Gemini Office Development -- did not receive proper approvals from the city. They have asked the zoning board to rule that a special-use permit is required, which would rescind PP's occupancy permit and force the issue back before the City Council.

The last time anyone paid any attention to the zoning board was in early 2006 when Our Saviour Lutheran Church went before the board over a dispute regarding its expansion plans for its near West Side building. Prior to that meeting, you'd have to go back to 1991 to find an issue that generated much controversy. Sixteen years ago, the zoning board said Holy Angels Church must amend its special-use permit in order to open a food pantry near its school. A court later ruled in favor of the church, allowing the food pantry to remain open.

So, who makes up the zoning board?

BY DAVE PARRO

U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert made it official today, submitting his formal resignation effective at 10:59 p.m. (midnight EST). The former House speaker said he is stepping down now so Gov. Blagojevich can schedule a special primary election on Feb. 5, the same day as the regular primary.

That still leaves taxpayers footing the bill for a special general election, though.

BY MIKE CETERA

OK, so the city of Aurora is going to miss the mark when it comes to the goals leaders set for this year. The most disappointing setback is the city's failure to curb shootings by 10 percent. Instead, with a month left to go, shootings have increased by 17 percent over 2006.

Mayor Tom Weisner's administration may be smarting from these "losses," but the prudent thing to do isn't to set easier goals. The city should raise the bar even further next year.

BY DAVE PARRO

UPDATE: The Kendall County state's attorney announced Tuesday he will appeal an earlier ruling that Sandra Vasquez's taped confession is inadmissible. That means the trial will be postponed -- possibly for more than a year -- while the appellate court sorts this out. That makes much of the debate over pretrial publicity moot for now.

Can an alleged drunken driver whose actions contributed to the deaths of five teenagers get a fair trial in the county where the much-publicized accident occurred?

Sandra Vasquez's defense attorney doesn't think so. That's why she wants the reckless-homicide and aggravated-DUI trial related to the February Oswego crash moved out of Kendall County.

The tragedy has certainly received its fair share of coverage. But at what point does the media attention given to a high-profile case taint the jury pool?

BY DAVE PARRO

It's nice to see that 14th Congressional District candidate Jim Oberweis has learned from the mistakes of his previous failed campaigns and is toning down the rhetoric. His hard-line stance on illegal immigration in particular got him into trouble in the past.

But his latest campaign mass mailing is a bit too soft. While it still tackles the tough issue of illegal immigration and the threat unsecured borders pose to our national security, Oberweis' "Plan for Securing America" loses some credibility because of the smiling Swede pictured on front.

Yes, that's our biggest problem: those terrorists and illegal immigrants from Sweden.

BY MIKE CETERA

A number of media outlets are reporting (again) that Dennis Hastert is likely to announce he will leave Congress before his term expires. The announcement, according to CNN and The Politico, could come today (Thursday).

BY MIKE CETERA

A federal judge on Wednesday said a new state law requiring a moment of silence during school is "likely unconstitutional," setting the stage for a possible halt to the practice many local school districts have adopted.

A quiet moment to reflect isn't a bad thing for school children to have. But it's clear this is pretty close to state-mandated prayer in school. If you don't believe me, take a look at the name of the act.

BY MIKE CETERA

Christopher Salinas just may have snapped captivity from the jaws of freedom.

Police have arrested the 23-year-old Aurora man twice recently on charges he stole copper pipe. The latest charges -- felony burglary, theft and criminal damage to property -- came Monday after prosecutors said Salinas was seen carrying a bag of copper pipes at 2:30 a.m. Nov. 2 in the 100 block of Indian Avenue in Aurora.

Prior to these incidents, Salinas was best known for beating a double-murder charge.

BY MIKE CETERA

With Aurora still wrangling over installation of cameras at intersections to catch red-light runners, it's interesting to note one area community is suspending its program...because it has been a success.

Six months after Bolingbrook installed cameras at three intersections, the village says it intends to halt enforcement.

"We've changed the behavior of drivers, so now we're going to pull it for a few months," (Bolingbrook Mayor Roger) Claar said. "It's going to be re-evaluated over the next few months to see if people are violating red lights and right turns on reds."

BY MIKE CETERA

Lawmakers have made a new pitch to Gov. Rod Blagojevich to restore funding to an anti-violence program with locations throughout the state -- including Aurora. CeaseFire Aurora shut its doors earlier this fall after Blagojevich vetoed funding for the fledgling program.

The funding bill filed this week can be found here.

State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia said in a press release, "the program has played a vital role in mitigating gang violence in Aurora. If we do not reinstate this money, we risk losing the positive work this program has done for communities across the state and we are putting children’s lives in danger.”

Locally, the success of CeaseFire is anecdotal only. No data has been released to the public to confirm the program's "vital role" in the community. And an unflattering report from the auditor general's office questioned the program's finances and organization.

BY MIKE CETERA

A hotel has always been part of the plan for Hollywood Casino. But every time potential projects have been announced, plans have fallen through.

For example, in 1994, the casino announced plans to build a five-story, 100-room hotel on top of a parking deck along New York Street. Hollywood later scrapped the proposal, though the parking deck was completed.

The casino also contemplated renovating the then-abandoned Aurora Hotel.

BY MIKE CETERA

A new poll apparently commissioned by State Sen. Chris Lauzen's congressional campaign shows Lauzen and dairy magnate Jim Oberweis are tied in the GOP race to succeed former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, according to a Washington newsletter.

The poll, according to The Rothenberg Political Report, also shows Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns is well behind. The report does not mention the other Republican vying for the nomination, Michael J. Dilger of Evanston

BY MIKE CETERA

...property in downtown Aurora.

Electronic records on file with Aurora Township show the sort-of mystery man and Democrat party donor Raghuveer Nayak bought two parcels in 2005.

BY DAVE PARRO

There weren't any major surprises Monday as candidate filing closed for the Feb. 5 primary election. The most notable was that Republican longshot Rudy Clai dropped out of the 14th Congressional District race.

It's not like the North Aurora entertainment promoter ever had a shot against the formidable field of Chris Lauzen, Jim Oberweis and Kevin Burns. But he tried to make a splash on his way out by slamming the state Republican Party in a press release.

Clai cites the decision of Kane County GOP Chairman Dennis Wiggins to take a paid position with Lauzen's campaign as evidence "that the Republican Party in Illinois is in a very bad state of disrepair." But he also concludes that the party's elected officials and candidates "fail to address the issues and fail to give their views on solutions."

BY MIKE CETERA

The death over the weekend of 42-year-old Piedad Kinshasa of Aurora after her vehicle was struck by a train marks the second fatal crash in three months in the Fox Valley.

Still, 10-year trends show fatal train accidents involving pedestrians or vehicles are exceptionally rare.

BY MIKE CETERA

Today is All Souls Day, a remembrance of sorts in the Catholic Church. It's also the final day observing a Mexican tradition, Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead.

From mexonline.com:

Every year, on November 1st (All Saints Day) and 2nd (All Souls Day), something unique takes place in many areas of Mexico: Day of the Dead festivities. While it's strange for most of us to accept the fact that "death" and "festivities" can go hand-in-hand, for most Mexicans, the two are intricately entwined. This all stems from the ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico (Purepecha, Nahua, Totonac and Otomí) who believed that the souls of the dead return each year to visit with their living relatives - to eat, drink and be merry. Just like they did when they were living.

The "celebration" dates back thousands of years.