DuPage County: June 2008 Archives

A report in Sunday's Sun describes what local governments are doing about high fuel prices. The city of Naperville, for example, says its cut fuel consumption by 6 percent in recent years by reducing the number of vehicles in its fleet, buying fuel wholesale, and taking other steps. The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is using alternative fuels. The Naperville Park District is telling workers not to leave vehicles idling.

What do you think -- are these steps enough? Remember not long ago when a whistleblower told DuPage County Board members how public works employees were filling up personal vehicles with gas paid for by county taxpayers? And that was before $4 a gallon gas. How confident are you that there are no thefts by employees taking place now?

What are you doing to cut your own personal fuel consumption? What do you think government agencies should do to reduce fuel costs?

Naperville-area farmer Llyod Hamman has agreed to accept $1.8 million to settle an eminent domain lawsuit, Sunday's Sun reports. DuPage County and the city of Naperville want his 5 acres off Plank Road to continue the $13 million Steeple Run Watershed project, which aims to control serious flooding like the 1996 flood that affected 30 homes on Huffman Street.

But Hamman isn't done in court. On Friday, he filed a civil rights lawsuit against the DuPage County sheriff and 12 other officers, saying his rights were violated two years ago when authorities seized goats and chickens from his property, claiming neglect. He was arrested, but the charges were later dropped, and a judge said the warrantless search of his property was illegal.

Your thoughts on either of these two cases? Let's see, $1.8million for 5 acres works out to $360,000 an acre. Boy, land is expensive these days. What about the civil rights lawsuit? Are you surprised to learn--as court records show--that the county executed an illegal search? This guy's been waiting two years for his goats and chickens. If indeed they were taken from him illegally, what sort of compensation should he receive? What do you think the federal lawsuit will end up costing the county and its taxpayers?

And can anyone know for sure--what is the connection between Lloyd Hamman (guy who lost goats) and the Wheatland Township farm of Don Hamman (brother?), where 12 decomposing goat carcasses were discovered in late April?