Friday, May 24, 2013
The Christian Brothers of Ireland runs Brother Rice, Saint Laurence and Leo high schools, former students who claim sexual abuse are still pursuing legal action.
A settlement has been reached between an order of Catholic brothers and more than 400 victims of sexual abuse, including former students at Brother Rice, St. Laurence and Leo high schools. The $16.5 million settlement comes after the Christian Brothers of Ireland and the Christian Brothers Institute filed for bankruptcy in April 2011 because of sexual abuse lawsuits, court documents show. The settlement will be divided amongst the over 400 individuals who came forward to allege sexual abuse at the hands of Christian Brothers or at schools run by the order, according to Mark McKenna, a Chicago lawyer who represents around 30 of the alleged victims. He says the settlement is a positive step that other religious orders and archdioceses in …
Storm chaser Danny Neal video captures the sound and fury of Monday's EF-5 tornado near Moore, OK.
Parked on the outskirts of Newcastle, OK, on Monday afternoon, south-suburban storm chaser Danny Neal and his friends knew immediately where the massive twister blowing up in front of them was headed. “I knew almost immediately where it was going,” Neal said. “A mile-and-a-half wide tornado doesn’t dissipate in two seconds. We knew it was going to Moore.” Watch Danny Neal's video of the Moore, OK, tornado (warning graphic language). Since May 3, 1999, the Oklahoma City-suburb of Moore has found itself at the epicenter of “Tornado Alley.” Five massive tornados have hit the town in 14 years, two of them EF-5’s, including Monday’s mega-twister. The EF-5 tornado that ravaged the town in May 1999, clocked the highest winds ever recorded on …
Inside stores at Plaza will close May 31, while negotiations to purchase the mall continue.
Once a shopping palace in its day, the Plaza will be closing its main building on May 31, while a prospective developer does its due dilligence. Bruce Provo, president of Kansas City, MO-based Provo Group, the company which owns and operates the mall, confirmed that the interior portion of the 1952-building is being closed, affecting about 40 retail tenants. Carson’s, Planet Fitness and Applebee’s will remain open in their current buildings. The Evergreen Park mall has been in foreclosure since 2011. After a real estate group’s deal to buy the mall fell apart last year, the Plaza languished. A new developer, Tampa, FL-based DeBartolo Development LLC, is now in the process of negotiating a deal to purchase the property and is doing due …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
70 mph on rural interstates not a done deal yet, as bill has its opponents.
By Steven Jack A bill to increase the maximum speed limit in Illinois could hit Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk for signature soon. Whether Quinn will sign it remains to be seen. The bill, introduced by Republican State. Sen. Jim Oberweis, would raise the speed limit on rural Illinois highways to 70 mph. The bill, which has passed both chambers of the state legislature, has been met with opposition due to safety concerns by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, according to the Chicago Tribune. “The progression of this legislation is a good example of what can be accomplished when lawmakers work together in a bipartisan manner for the good of our state,” Oberweis said. “It …
A roundup of local drunken driving arrests in Oak Lawn.
SATURDAY MAY 18 The driver of a Volkswagen Jetta was pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving around 9:45 p.m. when the car was spotted swerving over the line markers on 95th Street between Southwest Highway and 54th Avenue, reports said. The officer said he waited several moments for the driver, identified as Arletta Y. Simms Moore, 54, of Chicago Ridge, to roll down the window. Moore told police she was on her way to pick up a family member at work, reports said. Police said Moore needed assistance locating her insurance card from a stack of papers. During field sobriety tests, she allegedly admitted to drinking “unknown amounts of vodka” earlier in the evening. Moore submitted a preliminary breath sample of .144 after numerous …
Oak Lawn's summer concerts on the Village Green debut this Sunday, May 26.
The Village of Oak Lawn and the Oak Lawn Park District are pleased to announce their 2013 Sunday Night Summer Concert schedule. Patch is also pleased that the village included links’ to the featured bands’ websites and provided a Google map this year. The summer music concert series kicks off this Sunday (May 26) with the pop, rock, R&B, country and oldies sounds of Coax and Foilks. The concerts are free, so bring your picnic baskets, refreshments, lawn chairs and blankets, and enjoy some summer fun with the whole family. Don’t forget the mosquito repellent. Food will be available from the Oak Lawn Boy Scouts (hot dogs, soda, & chips), Christensen’s Wagon (popcorn & lemon shake-ups). All concerts take place on the Village Green, located …
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Well, this is embarrassing. Nothing worse than getting caught with your leg up.
Patch readers, you're up! We need your wit, creativity and animal psychic abilities to craft the perfect caption for the next edition of our pet photo caption challenge! Suggest your caption in the Comments section below. Comments will close at 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 29. The winner will be announced Thursday, May 30. The author of the winning caption and pet owner can find a Patch-branded version of the photo, with the caption inserted included in the next week's edition. Congratulations to Bill Miller, who won last week's edition, Caption This: Dog in a Bow Tie: Now can I sit at the dinner table. Have a photo you'd like captioned in future editions? Add it to our collection and your pet will be featured in weeks to come! Remember:
Memorial Day recognizes veterans that have given everything in service to their country over the years. Patch wants to know how readers honor those men and women by sharing your stories and photos.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
One of the most popular Chicago Bears is now calling it quits, according to CBS Chicago.
Chicago Bears veteran of 13 years Brian Urlacher officially retired Wednesday morning, according to CBS Chicago. The 34-year-old linebacker says he has no regrets ending a professional career playing exclusively for the Chicago Bears. “Although I could continue playing, I’m not sure I would bring a level of performance or passion that’s up to my standards,” Urlacher told CBS news. "When considering this, along with the fact that I could retire after a 13 year career wearing only one jersey for such a storied franchise, my decision became pretty clear.” Urlacher recently made news in March when he couldn’t strike a new contract deal with the Bears—claiming the one-year, $2 million offer was “a slap in the face.” What's your reaction to …
Kevin Heem
6:32 pm on Friday, May 24, 2013
Wow, unbelievable to the first comments here from Sue Paskey. First off Sue, the Christian Brothers filed for bankruptcy specifically to avoid large judgments of the courts. If they didn't want to pay out money for molestation, maybe they shouldn't have assigned habitual molesters to jobs where they have contact with children. Ever think of that Sue? I hope to read your obituary some day because … more ›