DuPage Launches Anti-Bullying Task Force
posted July 30th, 2010

DuPage Regional superintendent of schools Dr. Darlene Ruscitti and DuPage state’s attorney Joe Birkett unveiled a new anti-bullying task force yesterday. The two leaders will serve as co-chairs of the group which aims to create a model policy on bullying for all school districts in the county to follow. Ruscitti says the first thing the task force is going to do is come up with a definition of bullying. She says the next step will be to create a set of procedures for educators and law enforcement officers to follow in cases where bullying is involved. Ruscitti says the goal is to have a model policy ready to implement in school by November 1st. She tells WDCB News the biggest challenge will be making sure the policy is sustainable. The Chicago Board of Education recently introduced new cyber-bullying guidelines. Chicago students who use computers or phones to stalk … harass or otherwise intimidate others will be suspended for five to 10 days and could be referred for expulsion. It’s unclear what the DuPage County policy will look like, but Ruscitti there will be big focus put on prevention.

Environmentalists Watching Michigan Oil Spill
posted July 30th, 2010

Estimates now suggest a oil pipeline in western Michigan may have dumped close to one million gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River. The spill has gotten the attention of environmentalist across the region because the river empties into Lake Michigan. The Chicago based Alliance for The Great Lakes Lymon Welch says at this point the oil is being contained in a smaller lake adjacent to the Kalamazoo River. He says the spill has already had a tremendous impact on wildlife and the people that live along the river. Welch tells WDCB News for the most part the Great Lakes are protected from the threat of a major oil spill. He says people across the region convinced lawmakers to ban oil drilling on Great Lakes because of the threat of larger scale spills than this. Welch says the spill was first reported to state officials in Michigan on Monday...but it's not clear how long oil had been spilling from the pipeline before the report. In January of this year the U-S E-P-A warned the pipeline owner...Enbridge Energy Partners that its monitoring of corrosion on the pipeline was inadequate. (photo courtesy of Steve Carmody, Michigan Public Radio)

Report Shows Well Being Of Children Is On Decline
posted July 30th, 2010

A national report on the well-being of children across the country shows a mix of good news and troubling warning signs. The Annie E Casey Foundation released its 21st annual "Kids Count" data book this week. The report uses fewer than a dozen measures to determine how young people are doing in each state and in the nation as a whole. The Foundation's Laura Beavers says for the most part this year's report shows little if any change for the better or worse. But Beavers tells WDCB News no-change from year to year...is a departure from what previous "Kids Count" reports showed. She says during the mid to late 1990's there were steady improvements in factors that affected the lives of children...but in recent years the rate of improvement has stagnated. This year's report is based on data from 20-08...before the affects of the national recession were widespread. Beavers is concerned next year's report will show a spike in the number of children living in poverty and a decline in the number of services to improve the lives of children.

For more information, visit datacenter.kidscount.org/DataBook/2010/Default.aspx.

Oswego Church Taps Into The Power Of The Wind
posted July 29th, 2010

An Oswego based church is hoping to reduce one of its monthly expenses with a new addition. The Valley Baptist Church installed a vertical wind turbine this week. Pastor David Hemphill says a member of the church's congregation works for the Sullivan Energy Group and suggested the idea of a small wind power generator. The unusually shaped turbine isn't anything like the massive propeller style wind turbines used in large scale wind farms across the region. Hemphill tells WDCB News it only seemed natural that the church would turn to wind power. He says members of the congregation raised the money to buy and install the wind turbine so Valley Baptist can take advantage of the power source God has provided. Hemphill says the church expects to be able to reduce its monthly energy costs by 25 to 30 percent. He says the wind turbine is the first of its kind to be installed in Illinois. Sullivan Energy Group specializes in urban wind power systems...and turbines like the one installed at Valley Baptist could be an option for small businesses...schools and other churches in the state.

For more information, visit www.sullivanenergygroup.com.

Quinn Signs Bill To Create Tollway Oversight
posted July 29th, 2010

Questions about contracts at the Illinois Toll Highway Authority got the attention of the U-S Attorney's office earlier this year. While the investigation didn't result in any indictments at the Downers Grove based agency it was another motivation for lawmakers to call for additional oversight at the Toll Authority. Wednesday...Governor Quinn signed a bill into law that creates an independent Inspector General's office within the Toll Highway Authority. The Tollway's Joelle McGinnis says the tollway leadership supports the effort to restore public confidence in the agency. McGinnis tells WDCB News the Tollway's Inspector General won't have to rely on any other agency to do it's assigned task. She says not only does the legislation creating the Inspector General's office guarantee state funding for the post...it also give the position subpoena power so it won't have to rely on other agencies to complete an investigation.McGinnis says the Inspector General will serve a five year term and funding for the office is guaranteed as part of the legislation signed this week. Governor Pat Quinn has two months to appoint someone to the post...the State Senate will have to approve the appointment.

Questions Over Future of Hubble Site Grow
posted July 29th, 2010

There’s no shortage of opinions in Wheaton as to what should be built on the land that currently sits vacant on the corner of Main Street and Roosevelt Road. There are those that would like to see it turned into housing, others are supporting a proposal to bring a big box retailer like Costco and then there are those that would like to see the 22-acre parcel turned into a mixed-use retail and recreation center. But a consultant hired by the city issued a reality check earlier this week when he delivered his analysis on four possible redevelopment projects. Stephen Friedman of S.B. Friedman and Company cautioned that current economic conditions make many any redevelopment efforts risky if attempted too soon. Wheaton Mayor Mike Gresk has talked about building a high-end multi-use complex with shops and a hotel. But Gresk tells WDCB News now isn’t the right time for that type of development. He says the question of what should be built is tied to District 200’s timeline for selling the property. The Wheaton-Warrenville school district owns the land. Gresk says he wants to hold a joint meeting of school board members and city council members in the near future.

New Book Profiles Naperville Art
posted July 28th, 2010

Naperville leaders pride themselves on being out in front of the curve on a lot of issues. Whether it’s promoting green energy or banning smoking … the west suburban community tries to be forward thinking. In 1995 the city adopted a proposal to create a public art project known as the Century Walk. Fifteen years later a coffee table book is being released to commemorate the unique program. Long-time Naperville resident Jeanie Clare is the author of Century Walk – Art Imitating History. The 112-page book profiles 35 of the city’s public art works and the artists who created them. Clare tells WDCB News the book also chronicles how the idea for the project got off the ground at a time when no other community was attempting to fund a public art program. Clare says she spent 2 years researching and writing the book. She describes the process as a labor of love. Clare is a former member of the Century Walk board of directors. She says a majority of the art pieces tells a different story about the history of Naperville.

Storm Water Management Kept Flooding From Being Even Worse
posted July 28th, 2010

While some people are questioning the effectiveness of DuPage County's storm water management systems...the county says the systems worked very well. A storm over the weekend dumped as much as seven inches of rain on portions of DuPage County and caused flooding in a number of communities. DuPage County Storm Water Managment's Chris Vonnahme says rain fell so quickly late Friday and early Saturday that some flooding was to be expected. But Vonnahme tells WDCB News the county's flood water management systems prevented even more flooding. He says a reservoir in Wooddale prevented flooding in Itasca. Vonnahme says flooding in Elmhurst was the result of pumping stations failures and the use of the Fawell dam in north Naperville didn't cause flooding upstream in Warrenville. He says flooding Saturday afternoon and Sunday in Warrenville was the result of water in northern DuPage county working its way through the DuPage River watershed. He says the Storm Water Management Department is studying ways to prevent flooding in other parts of DuPage county.

Dupage County Forest Preserve District Will Hold Its Annual Auction Saturday
posted July 27th, 2010

Several items will be on for sale at the Dupage County Forest preserve district’s annual auction this Saturday. The district’s Chris Lyon says items to be auctioned include boats…vehicles and fishing gear. Lyon says there will be over 3-hundred items available. Lyon tells WDCB news last year they raised about 60-thousand dollars that went back into their operating budget to help purchase new equipment. Lyon says participants must register to place bids and he says all items are sold as is.

For more information, visit www.dupageforestauction.com.

Illinois Attorney General Warns…Watch For Storm Chasers
posted July 27th, 2010

It's an unfortunate reality...but often times when people are most vulnerable...there are scammers ready to take advantage of them. The Illinois Attorney General's office says last weekend's near record rainfall and flooding across the area should put people on the look-out for home-repair scammers. The office's Robyn Ziegler says the "storm chasers" tends to show up in a community in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Ziegler tells WDCB News these "storm chasers" are a lot like a storm...here today and gone tomorrow. She says the home repair scammers tend to be transients and that make it difficult for police to catch them and for consumers to hold them accountable for shoddy work. Ziegler says be wary of anyone going door-to-door offering to repair storm damage and never pay for repairs before the work is complete.

For more information, visit www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers.

Wheaton Library Back To Six Day Schedule
posted July 27th, 2010

For weeks the Wheaton City Council and the Wheaton Library Board were at odds over the Library Board's decision to close the city's only library on Fridays. The Board took the action in response to budget cuts...but the City Council publicly denounced the decision and instead called for reduced hours with the library open six days a week. Library Board President Colleen McLaughlin says the library board backed away from its earlier decision. McLaughlin tells WDCB News the Library Board rescinded the decision in the interest of bringing an end to the increasingly heated dispute. She still thinks closing the library on Friday was the best option for dealing with another year of deep budget cuts…but it was important to move beyond the dispute with the City Council. McLaughlin says it hard to tell who will be hardest hit by the decision to open the library on a reduced hours schedule. She says the dispute has hurt the relationship between the Library Board and the City Council...and it will take time for that relationship to improve.

Suburban Bus Route Looking For Support
posted July 26th, 2010

Negotiations are continuing to keep a growing suburban bus route running. Pace route 714 – which connects Wheaton, Naperville and the College of DuPage – debuted over 3 years ago with great fan-fare. But ridership numbers have been slow to grow and the route still isn’t able to sustain itself. The bus line has survived because of the contributions of area stake-holders and grant funding. The DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference is a proponent of the north-south route. The Conference’s director of transportation and planning Tam Kutzmark says there’s a sense that route 714 can be very successful … but hasn’t reached it’s potential. She tells WDCB News the route’s ridership numbers are increasing. Kutzmark blames part of the route’s failures on a lack of marketing and promotion. She says if more area residents – especially COD students – knew about the route, ridership would increase.

WDCB News Podcasts

Governor Pat Quinn's Budget Address