Arlington Hts. mayor to help lead Metra.(News)

Arlington Heights Village President Arlene Mulder is set to be named to Metra's board of directors today. 

Replacing an original Metra board member, W. Warren Nugent of Kenilworth, who died on Aug. 15, she will serve until his term expires in June. 

Mulder was the only candidate considered Wednesday by the seven suburban county commissioners who appoint the three Cook County members on Metra's board. 

"I'm thrilled," Mulder said Wednesday, cautioning that nothing is definite until today's county board vote is taken. 

She said she'll be on hand for that vote because "I figure if I'm there physically, it'll be harder for them to change their minds." 

Mulder said she was asked how important she considers equity of train service, her openness to new ideas and new ways of doing things, regional thinking, and the potential for a universal fare card that could be used on Metra, Pace and the Chicago Transit Authority.
Mulder said she wasn't directly asked whether she would support replacing Metra Chairman Jeffrey Ladd - whom some county commissioners oppose for what they perceive as an anti-Cook County bias - but whether she'd be open to a change of leadership. 

Mulder said she replied that she looks at issues as they come, and if change must happen, she'd be open to it based on consensus of the Metra board. 

"It's premature to say anything more," Mulder said. 

As a Metra board member, Mulder will get a $15,000 annual salary and be eligible for Metra's medical benefits. 

Commissioners said Mulder was an ideal candidate for the northern Cook County seat based on her work with regional groups like the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission and Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, and her work to modify the new federal train horn rule so commuter trains don't blast suburban downtown residents' ears. 

"She's a very qualified, very competent woman," said Commissioner Gregg Goslin, a Glenview Republican. "She's got an excellent reputation." 

Commissioners said Mulder did a great job campaigning for the seat by meeting with them one-by-one and scoring an early commitment from Commissioner Carl Hansen, a Mount Prospect Republican. 

Other names floated as potential replacements were former state Sen. Nancy Parker of Northbrook, William Durkin of Riverside, former state Rep. Margaret Purcells of Northbrook and Cook County Republican Chairman Gary Skoien.

Arlington Hts. teen charged in sex assault of 5-year-old.(News)

A Cook County grand jury will examine the case of a 16-year-old Arlington Heights boy who's facing an adult trial because he's accused of raping a 5-year-old girl, authorities said Wednesday. 

Manuel P. Cazares, 1115 E. Algonquin Road, was arrested on June 29 and charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault, Arlington Heights police Sgt. Jeff Dufloth said. The charges stem from a June 11 incident, authorities said, but few details were released. 

Dufloth did say authorities believe Cazares "inappropriately touched" the little girl. Given the nature of the crime and Cazares' age, the case was automatically transferred to adult court, he said. 

Cazares made a brief appearance in court in Rolling Meadows on Wednesday for a pre-trial hearing, but his case was continued while prosecutors present their evidence to a grand jury.
"Charges this serious always go before a grand jury," said Assistant State's Attorney Ketki Steffan said. In cases with less serious charges, a judge hears the evidence from prosecutors and decides if those charges warrant a trial. 

If prosecutors convince the grand jury that their case is strong, an indictment could be announced at Cazares' next court date July 17. 

In the meantime, Judge Sam Amirante ordered that Cazares' $250,000 bond remain unchanged. 

Dufloth said Arlington Heights police were alerted to the incident by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, which was contacted by a family member of the victim.
An investigation by DCFS and Arlington Heights authorities revealed only one incident, police said. 

"This appears to be one isolated incident," Dufloth said.
Aggravated criminal sexual abuse is a felony punishable by six to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Arlington Hts. to send coyotes near Greenbrier School to DeKalb.(News)

Byline: Sheila Ahern Daily Herald Staff Writer 

A pack of coyotes who call Arlington Heights home will soon have a new ZIP code.
The village will hire a private trapper to catch and remove several coyotes near Greenbrier Elementary School, said Capt. Richard Niedrich of the Arlington Heights Police Department.
"We're just looking at that area," Niedrich said. "There appears to be a concentrated issue in that area." 

On Feb. 6, about 20 Greenbrier neighbors complained at an Arlington Heights village board meeting about brazen coyotes. Most of the neighbors worried about their dogs and virtually all wanted the coyotes removed from the area. 

Marla Goldberg attended the Feb. 6 meeting. News that the coyotes will be trapped and relocated "made my day," she said. 

Although police and some Arlington Heights residents agree on relocating the coyotes, other wildlife experts disagree. 

Stan Gehrt, an assistant professor at Ohio State University, is wrapping up a six-year study of coyotes in Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Once he tried to relocate 12 to 15 coyotes from Chicago to Kane County. In every case, the coyote left the new site in an attempt to return home, Gehrt said. 

"They left the release site within 24 hours," he said. "It's part of their social system being a territorial species. They are going to try and get back to where they came from."
And since most Illinois areas already have coyotes, the Arlington Heights group won't be welcomed in DeKalb, Gehrt said. 

"They will probably get kicked out, or worse," he said. "There is no place even in a rural area that is not already occupied by coyotes." 

But the Arlington Heights Police Department said DeKalb is far enough away that the coyotes won't make it back, Niedrich said. 

"The No. 1 cause of death for coyotes is getting struck by an automobile," he said. "The greater distance you move them, you increase the chance they won't make it back successfully."
Arlington Heights has been dealing with coyote concerns for months.

Arlington Hts. panel moves to restrict cigarette displays.(News)

Byline: Jon Davis Daily Herald Staff Writer 

Arlington Heights is taking steps to restrict the way tobacco products are displayed and sold. It's part of an effort to keep them out of the hands and lungs of minors. 

While the exact language and restrictions have yet to be decided, village trustees agreed Monday night the coming ordinance should: 

- Restrict displays of tobacco products to behind a sales or service counter,
- Require face-to-face sales of tobacco, 

- Mandate that those who sell tobacco be at least 18 years old. 

Trustees also agreed the measure should adopt Schaumburg's ban on cigarette vending machines. 

"It's designed to minimalize access by minors to tobacco products," Trustee Stephen Daday said during a committee-of-the- whole session. "That's the primary thrust of this." 

Village officials will now craft a specific ordinance for trustees to formally consider on a date to be set. That's likely to be in January because it's highly improbable an ordinance will be ready by Monday, which is the village board's next meeting and final gathering of 2001. 

According to village health officials, 59 businesses are licensed to sell tobacco products. Of those, self-service cigarette displays were seen only in liquor stores and specialty tobacco shops - whose customers must be 21 and 18, respectively. 

Self-service cigar and chewing tobacco displays were seen at 20 shops, however, and that's what bothers Daday, who cited research by the American Lung Association showing that theft of cigarettes from such displays are a major source of tobacco for minors.

Arlington Hts. finally OKs store's second sign.(News)

Byline: Sheila Ahern Daily Herald Staff Writer 

Michael Shahwan knows his customers "buzz in and buzz out" of his Arlington Heights convenience store - after all, that's what he named the store back in 1999.
But lately, customers have just been buzzing past. 

For the past five years, Shahwan has been trying to convince village trustees to let him build another, larger sign advertising his business. On Monday, the Arlington Heights village board granted Shahwan his second sign with a 6-3 vote. The new Buzz in, Buzz Out sign will be no larger than 16 feet tall and stand in front of his store at 229 W. Rand Road. Currently, Shahwan only has a smaller sign that reads "convenience." 

"I'm here for six years looking for your assistance," Shahwan said before the vote. "Where are you?" 

Before Monday's meeting, village trustees said they had been flooded with letters, phone calls and e-mails from Arlington Heights residents backing the new Buzz In, Buzz Out sign. On Monday, about 10 residents waited two hours to speak up in favor of Shahwan's sign. Several sat in the audience wearing yellow and white Buzz In, Buzz Out T-shirts. 

"He needs the sign and he needs the curb appeal," said resident Jim Andersen. "Show some compassion. Show some wisdom and vote for the sign." 

Pam Horwath said Shahwan lets customers pay later if they forget their wallets and sponsors local sports teams. 

"I asked him to sponsor my softball team and all he said was 'Sure, how much?'" Horwath said. 

Along with Mayor Arlene Mulder, village trustees Norman Breyer, Joseph Farwell, Helen Jensen, Thomas Stengren and Virginia Kucera voted in favor of the sign. Village trustees Bert Rosenberg, Mark Toljanic and Thomas Hayes voted against the idea. 

Stengren said he "drove right by" Buzz In, Buzz Out when he recently stopped by for a visit.
"It comes down to common sense," Stengren said. "(Shahwan) needs some help and it wouldn't take much for us to give it to him." 

Trustees who voted against the sign voiced concerns about being flooded with similar requests from businesses also wanting a second sign. 

"If we give you a second ground sign, I don't know how we could say no to other businesses," Toljanic said. "I'm not comfortable with that." 

"We can't govern based on the number of e-mails we receive in support of a petition," Hayes added.

Arlington Hts. parking booting to begin.(News)

Arlington Heights will start giving the boot to cars of parking ticket scofflaws on May 1.
On the same day, the village will begin holding hearings for people who want to contest parking tickets and minor traffic violations.
The Arlington Heights village board Monday passed an ordinance setting up the two processes, initially approved last May.
The police department recently bought six wheel clamps, and they will be attached to any vehicle with five or more parking tickets that have been unpaid for at least 90 days. 

They are called vehicle immobilization devices and are a different brand than the Denver Boot, Capt. Nick Pecora said. 

"We have never used the device in Arlington Heights," Pecora said. "We have researched with vendors trying to get a program in place." 

The village got the booting idea rolling last spring as a way to combat chronic offenders. Police, for example, had recorded 510 tickets and $28,711 in fines for a single driver who parked illegally downtown nearly every day. And that person wasn't even in the top 10.
In 2008, parking tickets constituted about 5,000 of the village's 17,600 tickets. Between 10 and 15 percent of those were unpaid as of last spring. 

"We will have an amnesty program so people can clear this up before we start this program," Pecora said. People will be able to check how many tickets they have and pay up before May 1. 

The hearings in front of an administrative officer in village hall will benefit people who want to contest parking 

tickets, village sticker violations and minor traffic violations like driving with burned-out lights. The tickets can be appealed via mail or at an administrative hearing that will be held twice a month. 

The hearing process "generally allows more face-to-face interaction between citizens and administrators," Trustee Thomas Glasgow said. 

But there are other motivations. Now, the only way residents can appeal tickets is in Cook County circuit court. Such tickets clog up the court, Pecora said. 

In addition, if the resident's appeal is denied, the judge is required to charge him or her $135 in court costs. Usually that means the judge does not ask the person to also pay the original fine, which might be only $25. While the resident is paying a higher fee, the village gets no money. 

The department will hire an attorney to conduct the hearings and will try to have them at times that will allow people to state their cases without missing work, such as on weekend afternoons, Pecora said. 

Officers will not have to attend these hearings, and no court charges will be assessed against the people who are ticketed, he said.

Arlington Hts. takes a turn playing role of Hollywood.(Neighbor)

Someday, audiences in the Arlington Town Square movie theaters might sit back, relax, stare up at the screen and recognize the town on the screen. 

The cast and crew of "Apples and Oranges," a romantic comedy from Chicago-based Gifthorse Productions, spent the afternoon and evening of Dec. 5 shooting scenes in a house at the corner of Pine Avenue and Wing Street. 

The film tells the tale of George Polous, who feels he is at a cross-roads, and what happens when his first love reappears in his life. 

Although production should end in April, the film still lacks a distributor, a studio spokeswoman said.