Barrington Courier Review

Car, IDOT truck collide in Barrington

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:08:25 -0500

A 2012 Mitsubishi Galant collided with an IDOT dump truck during rush hour this morning while going eastbound along Northwest Highway in Barrington and continued to roll “a couple hundred feet” until it stopped just short of the intersection with Route 59, according to Barrington Assistant Fire Chief Chris Toussaint. “I don’t know if (the driver) was conscious or not,” Toussaint said. “But it (the accident) looked worse than it was.” The Enterprise Rent-A-Car hit the back rear, right tire of the IDOT truck near the McDonald’s Restaurant, 227 W. Northwest Highway, at about 9:07 a.m., then continued rolling before …

Study says Chicago traffic congestion actually got better

Tue, 22 May 2012 17:50:34 -0500

Drivers in the Chicago area were stuck in traffic an average of 36 hours in 2011, 12 fewer than the 48 wasted in traffic in 2010, according to INRIX, a company that studies traffic patterns.

Lions bring the hearing bus to Barrington area

Fri, 18 May 2012 14:31:35 -0500

Despite damp weather, the Barrington Lions Club had more than 30 people come out to the corner of Hough and Main streets to get free screenings with the club’s hearing bus on Saturday. The Illinois Lions Club hearing bus stopped in the temporary parking lot at the center of town to screen residents for hearing problems and accordingly suggest whether or not they needed further testing with a doctor or audiologist. “We had a good turnout,” said Barrington Lion Glenn Engelhardt. “We are very thankful and grateful that those people took advantage of the Lions Club’s free service.” Since 1925, …

Voterama in Congress, week ending May 18, 2012

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:02:01 -0500

House Violence Against Women Act: Voting 222 for and 205 against, the House on May 16 approved a Republican bill (HR 4970) to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) through fiscal 2016 on a budget of $680 million annually. The bill was disputed mainly because it omits provisions in a bi-partisan Senate-passed bill to expand protections for battered women who are illegal immigrants, Native American women who are assaulted on reservations by non-Indians and gays, lesbians and transsexuals. A conference committee will reconcile the competing House and Senate bills. Since it was enacted in 1994, the VAWA has funneled …

Lee planning another fundraising bike ride

Fri, 18 May 2012 14:29:07 -0500

Barrington resident Bob Lee wants to make a difference, but he knows he can’t do it alone. In September 2012, Lee will embark on the Ride for 3 Reasons: Part III, a solo cycling trip from Canada to Mexico with a goal of raising $1 million for ALS, cancer and hospice. The ride will honor people who suffer each day with ALS or cancer and those facing end of life. With such a lofty goal, Lee needs the whole community to get involved. “This is so much more than a bike ride,” Lee said. “It’s a collaboration of the community …

Suburbs on alert, but so far little impact from NATO

Wed, 16 May 2012 16:46:02 -0500

This weekend’s NATO Summit in downtown Chicago may seem worlds away from the suburbs, but authorities throughout the region are preparing for any problems that could spill out of the city. So far, though, police departments haven’t reported any problems like the rallies that have taken place this week in the city. And many suburban hotel managers said their rooms are mainly booked to tourists and wedding parties and even factory workers — and not protesters.

Former 220 employees enjoy retirement

Fri, 18 May 2012 14:29:55 -0500

At the end of the 2011-12 school year, 16 teachers and staff members will retire from Barrington Community Unit School District 220. The Barrington Courier-Review is in the middle of featuring all of the retirees who choose to participate. This week’s featured retirees are Marilyn Jahnke, a library media assistant at Barbara B. Rose Elementary School, and Sandra Young, a library media assistant at Barrington High School. Both retired at the end of the first semester. MARILYN JAHNKE Although Jahnke retired from her position as library media assistant at the end of the first semester but she hasn’t been able …

Kite Fly combines with event

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:14:01 -0500

Pat Winkelman was beaming at the Barrington Area Kid Fest Saturday morning as over 300 kids and parents came out to Citizens Park to play outside despite the initially damp weather. As Co-Founder of Barrington and Lake Zurich areas’ Leave No Child Inside initiative and Youth Education Chair at the Citizens for Conservation, Winkelman was happy about Saturday morning’s turnout. “Research has shown that spending time outside—even just spending time outside under a tree with a book—increases your creativity and your concentration,” Winkelman said. “They’ve found that test scores have increased and ADHD has improved, and so I think we …

Suit: Let disabled athletes go to IHSA state meet

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:56:38 -0500

The Illinois High School Association girls state track and field meet will be held this weekend — and Fenwick’s Mary Kate Callahan won’t be taking part. But a lawsuit to be filed Wednesday by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in federal court aims to make it possible for student-athletes with disabilities, like Callahan who is paralyzed from the waist down, to compete in future IHSA state meets.

For guys, it’s still more ‘schleppy’ than preppy

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:12:01 -0500

Jim Foster didn’t know what kind of pants he had on. But he knew how much he paid for them: $1. Foster lives in Glencoe, which Bundle.com says is the second-most fashionable town in America. In terms of spending dough for duds, Foster is not doing his part.

Voterama in Congress, week ending May 11, 2012

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:44:38 -0500

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted on matters relating to defense spending, lobbyists’ federal pensions, funding of two federal departments, voter ID laws and funding for the Export-Import Bank. Senators failed to end GOP blockage of a bill preventing interest rates on student loans from doubling, to 6.8 percent, on July 1.

Metcalf, Carsella poised for retirement

Thu, 10 May 2012 02:52:35 -0500

At the end of the 2011-12 school year, 16 teachers and staff members will retire from Barrington Community Unit School District 220. In the coming weeks, the Barrington Courier-Review will feature all of the retirees who choose to participate. This week’s featured retirees are Karen Metcalf, a second-grade teacher at Hough Street School, and Jan Carsella, a speech pathologist at Hough Street School and St. Anne School. KAREN METCALF From the mean teachers she had growing up, Metcalf learned how not to teach. It was a string of some “not so great” teachers that helped Metcalf realize she wanted to …

Two dead in apparent murder-suicide in Barrington Hills

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:32:01 -0500

A husband and wife are dead following an apparent murder-suicide Wednesday in Barrington Hills. The bodies of Julianne Damato, 47, and her husband, Joseph Damato, 56, were found in their home in the 0-100 block of Lakeview Lane in Barrington Hills, according to the Cook County Medical Examiners office. Both were dead at the scene. Officials indicated Julianne Damato’s death is being investigated as a homicide. Joseph Damato is suspected to have committed suicide, according to officials. Barrington Hills Police did not immediately respond to a message Thursday morning. …

Barrington closer to adopting aggregation plan

Thu, 10 May 2012 02:54:03 -0500

Barrington officials approved and adopted a draft of the village’s Electricity Aggregation Program Plan of Operation and Governance at its special board meeting May 7, for which community members can review before a final copy is approved May 14. “This qualifies our authority to operate this plan,” said Dennis Burmeister, Barrington’s director of public works. “It describes the purpose of the plan, which is obviously to save everybody money on their electric bills.” Since receiving 1,361 favorable versus 469 unfavorable votes from the community on the March 20 ballad to arrange for the supply of electricity for residential and small …

19-year-old fatally struck by car

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:41:56 -0500

A 19-year-old man died almost a week after being struck by a car on Barrington Road in South Barrington. William Deacon, of the 1000 block of East Lilac Drive in Palatine, was pronounced dead Sunday at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said. Deacon was hit by a vehicle on April 28 about 1:30 a.m. near the intersection of Barrington Road and Terra-Vista Drive, South Barrington police said. While the accident is still under investigation, police said it was not a hit-and-run accident and no one had been arrested as of Sunday night. …

Pioneer writer Irv Leavitt awarded Lisagor

Tue, 08 May 2012 20:27:29 -0500

Pioneer Press columnist and reporter Irv Leavitt received the coveted Peter Lisagor Award for best news column or commentary at a banquet Friday in Chicago. It was the second Lisagor for Leavitt, who won the prestigious plaque in 2011 for feature writing. The whimsical, self-effacing writer won this year on the strength of three columns, one on a zeppelin (“It’s kind of like a blimp,” he said), another on large retailers cashing in on the Black Friday phenomenon and a third on the Chicago Highland Games, a Scottish festival involving rugby and a haggis-eating contest, both of which Leavitt participated …