Thursday, May 16, 2013
Michael Divincenzo faces eight misdemeanor charges related to reports of physical assaults at Maine West High School in Des Plaines in 2012, according to Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
A former varsity boys soccer coach and teacher at Maine West High School faces multiple criminal charges related to reports of bullying and hazing, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez stated on Wednesday. Michael Divincenzo was charged with eight misdemeanor counts including three counts of battery, one count of hazing and four counts of failure to report abuse as mandated, in incidents on June 1, 2012, Aug. 31, 2012 and Sept. 26, 2012, according to court documents. Divincenzo is accused of threatening freshmen students to have the varsity players stick their thumbs up their buttocks if they did not communicate properly during a soccer drill, according to the charges. Freshmen team players were held down by varsity players against …
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Thursday, May 16
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Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Safety at Lee Street and E. Forest Avenue would improve with a new traffic signal, Des Plaines aldermen said.
At the direction of Des Plaines aldermen, public works and engineering workers conducted a traffic volume study at Lee Street and E. Forest Avenue last week. Traffic at the intersection has increased since 2010, the last time the study was done, said Derek Peebles, civil engineer. The data is being prepared to send to the Illinois Department of Transportation with an explanation that the city is interested is a permit for a traffic signal at that intersection, Peebles said. The opening of Boston Fish Market and other new development, and traffic from the Aldi grocery story and Advance Auto Parts store may be contributing to the increase in traffic volume from 2010 to 2013. In the video above, shot between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on May 13, …
Eastbound traffic on E. Forest Avenue increased almost 60 percent between 2010 and 2013, according to data collected and analyzed by staff in the City of Des Plaines Public Works and Engineering Department.
At the direction of Des Plaines aldermen, public works and engineering workers conducted a traffic volume study at Lee Street and E. Forest Avenue last week. Traffic at the intersection has increased since 2010, the last time the study was done, said Derek Peebles, civil engineer. The data is being prepared to send to the Illinois Department of Transportation with an explanation that the city is interested is a permit for a traffic signal at that intersection, Peebles said Now, we want to know what you think. Vote in our poll above and share your thoughts about this issue in the comments section below. Related:
Traffic volume data recently collected by the City of Des Plaines indicated the intersection of Lee Street and E. Forest Avenue may qualify for a new traffic signal to be constructed.
The City of Des Plaines is steering toward constructing a new traffic signal. Aldermen voted to direct city staff to complete a traffic count study at the intersection of Lee Street and E. Forest Avenue at a meeting on May 6. Fifth Ward Alderman James Brookman said the intersection was in his ward, and he supported a traffic signal to be installed. “I’m very interested in pushing for this for a long time; I think this definitely is needed,” Brookman said. Sixth Ward Alderman Mark Walsten, who was acting Mayor on May 6, said a traffic signal at Lee Street and E. Forest Avenue was necessary. “That’s a very dangerous intersection,” Walsten said. “I’ve seen people backed up four-to-five cars, and somebody’s going to get hurt — I’m telling you …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Expanded café, façade construction, a new clock, more in store for the train depot on Miner Street in Des Plaines, according to city documents.
The downtown Des Plaines area will have a new look before the end of the year, and the Metra train depot is included in the comprehensive plan. Des Plaines City Council approved awarding a bid of almost a half-million dollars to remodel the train depot at a meeting on May 6. New doors, windows, an expanded café area, a clock in the center, changes to the façade and more are planned for the Metra depot, according to city documents. The work will be completed this construction season, by the fall, in conjunction with the extensive streetscape construction currently underway in the downtown area, said Michael Bartholomew, city manager, in an interview with Patch. “I think this is an exciting space,” Bartholomew said. “When you go up and down …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
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Des Plaines’ extensive streetscape projects continue to develop along Miner Street. The new curbs, sidewalks, outdoor furniture and more are expected to be under construction until the fall, according to the City of Des Plaines. Jose Marquez and Miguel Ornelas, of LoRusso Construction, recently worked on excavating soil and rock to prepare the area for planting trees. Des Plaines budgeted approximately $2.8 million for streetscape construction work in 2013, which is part of a total $13.2 million budgeted for infrastructure improvements this year. Click here to see the tentative construction schedule published by the City of Des Plaines. Related: Check out all the photos of the day, the last one was of a local fishing hole.
A roundup of the most-read stories from May 5 to May 11.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
It remains unclear whether former Des Plaines Police Officer John Bueno would be reinstated to the department or the termination would be upheld, Journal and Topics Newspapers reported.
The results from an arbitration hearing held to review the termination of Des Plaines police officer John Bueno were given to the city, Journal and Topics Newspapers reported. Des Plaines City Manager Michael Bartholomew did not comment on what the outcome was, according to the newspaper. Bueno was fired in March 2012; City of Des Plaines officials did not make public the reasons for his termination. Bueno and another Des Plaines police officer, Andy Contreras, were accused of beating a man in handcuffs in a parking garage while transporting him from Elmhurst to Des Plaines in a lawsuit filed by a DuPage man in July 2012. Contreras was suspended and is now working at the Des Plaines Police Department. Des Plaines officials did not make the…
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
First responders learned how to record video to document flood damage in Des Plaines recently.
When great losses occur, opportunities to learn can spring up. One example of this was the special training that was conducted with first responders in Des Plaines following the record-setting flood that impacted Des Plaines and other communities in the Chicago region in April. A group of Chicago police officers, firefighters, school campus security guards and first responders from other government agencies received hands-on training in a disaster documentation class managed through Cook County in Des Plaines on May 1. The contractor hired by the county to teach the video documentation class, who asked not to be identified for this story due to his agreement with Cook County, said he was showing first responders how to properly document …
Teri Collins
5:29 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Light is good idea. Traffic volume has significantly increased. more ›