GLENBROOK SOUTH NAILS 95 FOR CHEATING

Ninety-five physics students at Glenbrook South received zeros for a quarter’s worth of homework after high school administrators discovered the kids had cheated.  Eight teens who taught others how to cheat were given failing grades and will have restricted access to the school’s computer network.

The scam involved homework problems available online.  Each student was given a different set of problems, and once the work was done successfully, each student was issued a coded number to give his or her teacher.  The idea is to prevent students from copying each other’s homework, but some tech-savvy students figured out how to get the code without doing the work. 

Officials say homework makes up a very small part of students’ grades prompting some to complain that the cheaters “got off easy.”  The school said it had used the incident as a lesson “on the consequences of academic dishonesty.”

DISTRICT 34 HEADED FOR COURT

Casey Fish’s best friends are about to graduate from Glenbrook South High School, but the case of the Glenview 6^th grader who died while playing a dangerous classroom game has yet to be settled.  School District 34 failed to reach agreement with the child’s family and will be heading to court.

On June 4, 1999 the 12-year-old girl was at Hoffman School playing Chubby Bunny, a game in which children stuff their mouths with marshmallows and then try to say, “chubby bunny.”  Her teacher, Kevin Dorken, had left the room to look for a janitor when the child began choking, according to the suit filed by her parents.  

A lower court ruled that the district could not be sued for its choice of games but could be liable for the way it was played. The school’s policy was to have a teacher supervising the event.  Dorken taught for two more years before taking a leave of absence to work at Scott Foresman and to teach at DePaul University.  He returned to District 34 in 2003 to work as an administrative intern and was recently named principal at Greeley School in Winnetka, to the surprise and dismay of many parents there.  They chided Superintendent Becky van der Bogert for failing to tell them about Dorken’s background.

Van der Bogert defended the choice, saying Dorken was one of 50 people who applied for the job.  She said Dorken open about the Glenview incident, and the evidence suggested no negligence on his part. 

IN MEMORY OF CHILDREN

A colorful memorial was installed at OLPH this week.  Local artist Christine Hartigan created a mosaic in memory of Victor Olivera who was struck and killed by a train in Glenview last year.  Another resident, Julianne Gallagher, painted a portrait of the Virgin Mary at the center of the work which has been mounted outside Olivera’s fifth grade classroom.

And at Maple Junior High, students from Glenview and Northbrook dedicated a garden to the memory of classmates who have died.  The ceremony was held on May 25, the birthday of Marco DeVito, an eighth grader who was struck and killed while riding his bike across Willow Road earlier this year.  Parents in the school district that straddles Willow continue to call for improvements that might make that road safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

GLENVIEW’S MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

Contrary to an early report in The Watch, Glenview does have a Memorial Day parade, and organizers invite the public to turn out on May 30 at 9 a.m. when marchers will step off from the parking lot north of Jackman Park, proceeding south on Washington and east on Glenview Road to a riverside memorial. Thanks to the many readers who set us straight on this annual community event.

TRUSTEES’ MEETING QUICK AND QUIET

The village board met Tuesday to approve a $66,000 contract for the architectural firm of Sente Rubel Bosman Lee to advise Glenview on what changes could be made to the existing library or what features could be included in a new library for various amounts of money: up to $10 million, $20 million, $25 million, $30 million and $35 million. The Northbrook company, which is already working on Glenview’s new police station, was one of six to bid on the job. The trustees will use Sente’s findings to decide whether to finance improvements or new construction through the sale of bonds or put the matter to the voters with a referendum to raise taxes. 

The board also:

-- Heard plans to accelerate construction of Shermer Road so most of the work could be completed this construction season.  When work is done between Glenview and Central roads, crews will tackle the sections between E. Lake and Glenview and from Central to Golf.  Next spring, the contractor would put down a final layer of asphalt and landscape along the new and improved roadway.

-- Agreed to buy a reverse 911 system that will allow the village to contact residents by phone in the event of a local emergency.  It should be running by August.   

There was little discussion, debate or excitement as three new trustees and a new village president moved quickly through the evening’s business.

KIRK CAUGHT IN THE POLITICAL WRINGER

Residents of the 10^th Congressional District will visit Representative Mark Kirk’s office Wednesday with petitions asking him to support the ouster of Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay.  It’ll be a tough sell, as Kirk has voted with DeLay more than 86 percent of the time.  What’s more, political observers say the congressman is lying low right now – trying not to make anymore waves in GOP circles.  

Kirk’s troubles began when he asked DeLay and House Speaker Dennis Hastert to let a stem cell research bill come up for a vote.  The narrowly written law allows couples to donate surplus embryos stored in fertility clinics to federally-funded stem cell labs. President George Bush is expected to veto it. 

In working to increase support for the measure, Kirk and his allies funded polls in 13 House districts represented by Republicans.  One congressman, Ron Renzi of Arizona, was furious when he found out the survey was done without his knowledge, and he confronted Kirk on the House floor.  A heated argument followed, and Kirk ended up making a formal apology to his GOP colleagues. 

Meanwhile, DeLay devised a scheme to damage the Kirk initiative, offering a bill that would increase the amount of adult stem cell research.  Scientists are much more excited about the embryonic research, but the alternative bill made it easier for some congressmen to vote against it.  Kirk, who might have been outraged by Delay’s tactic, was silent.  After the Renzi uproar, political columnist Lynn Sweet concluded, “he slipped on a muzzle.”

TRASHING THE TRISTANOS

Two prominent Glenview residents were the subject of damaging public reports last week.  Michael Tristano, a former aide to Republican legislator Lee Daniels, was indicted for allegedly diverting tax dollars to finance political campaigns and for sending $1.3 million in state aid to a developer who put a downstate Republican candidate on the payroll.  Tristano played a key role in helping the GOP win control of the Illinois House in 1994.  He left his state job in 2001 to take a $100,000 position at the Illinois Pollution Control Board – a gig he got with the help of former Governor George Ryan. 

Tristano’s wife, Sandra, is a county judge, elected in 2002.  The Chicago Sun-Times took Michael Tristano’s indictment as an opportunity to report on Sandra.  Its headline read:  “No endorsements, but cash and PR got her judge’s seat.”  The story detailed how, despite the fact that every bar group found her unfit and no newspaper endorsed her, Sandra Tristano won at the polls.  The paper credits her husband and “direct mailing guru Roger ‘The Hog’ Stanley.  Her campaign was run like a high-profile legislative race.  Flashy campaign fliers, some containing misleading information, were printed by Tristano’s camp and mailed to potential voters,” wrote reporter Bob Herguth.  “Pre-recorded messages were electronically phoned into homes.  Her campaign spent big money – much of it came from loans from Michael Tristano – making it one of the most expensive judicial races of its kind.”

Editor’s note:  So where was the Sun-Times when all this was going on?  We wish Chicago’s media would alert voters to this kind of campaign treachery before Election Day. Aggressive efforts by local supporters drew the Republican Tribune’s attention to bad political behavior last year when State Representative Beth Coulson might have lost her seat to a Skokie Democrat, but Tristano got a pass.

COULSON GETS CREDIT FOR YO-YO NO-NO

In a move that made headlines across the nation, Representative Coulson pushed through a bill banning the sale of water yoyos – balls filled with liquid and attached to an elastic cord.  While no children have died as a result of injury, some have passed out when the cord got wrapped around their necks.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which recorded 454 health-related incidents, opted not to recall the toy which is banned in the U.K., Australia and Canada, but officials warned parents to be careful if their children play with water yoyos.  The governor is expected to sign the legislation in June.

PROJECT SAFECHILD OFFERS GUN LOCKS

Glenview residents in need of safety locks for guns kept in their homes should contact local police.  The locks are available at no charge through August 31.  Call 847-729-5000, hit zero and ask for Crime Prevention.

PLAN COMMISSION OFF AGAIN

 

For the second consecutive meeting, Glenview’s plan commission was unable to muster a quorum – four people needed to do business.  Members plan a special meeting on May 31 to tackle a number of topics including a proposed center for the Canaan Presbyterian Church on Greenwood south of Lake Avenue, expansion and landscaping for Zweig at the North Shore Corporate Park, Avon’s request to evade local requirements for trees in parking lots to allow for ten additional spaces and new town homes at Prairie and Church.

 

CRITIC SAYS PARK DISTRICT SHOULD PLAY BY ITS OWN RULES

 

With three weeks to go before ground is broken for a visitors’ center at Wagner Farm, one critic is asking why the park district failed to follow its own rules in planning the facility.  In a letter to Executive Director Tom Richardson, resident and C.O.W.S president Mark Steger, an environmental lawyer, says the district’s Historic Buildings and Grounds Commission must file an Application for a Certificate of Appropriateness in order to construct new buildings at the farm. “That application should be forwarded to the Park District's Historic Preservation Commission. . .In addition, a public hearing is supposed to be scheduled and written notice provided.  I do not believe that there has ever been a public hearing in front of the Historic Buildings & Grounds Commission on the Certificate of Appropriateness for the improvements to the farm.

 

Steger, who lives next door to the farm, says he just wants the park district to “afford the community an opportunity to hear why we need such a large center and how it proposes to minimize the impact this building will have on the character of the site as well as the neighbors.”

VILLAGE TREASURE HOUSE HUNTS FOR A HOME

The Village Treasure House is searching for a new home after the award-winning local charity learned its lease for the old Glenview State Bank on Glenview Road would not be renewed.  The Treasure House is a non-profit consignment shop of fine furniture and home accessories operated by about 70 volunteers.  It has raised more than $330,000 – money donated to local charities serving women and families in crisis.  Store staffers declined to comment on the move, except to confirm that it could be necessary by year’s end. The historic grey stone building is owned by Glenview State Bank which wants to be part of a major downtown redevelopment. 

FIRE PROTECTION FOR PETS

 

Glenview’s fire department has added oxygen masks for pets to its emergency medical kits. The masks cost $350 for six and can save the lives of dogs and cats that suffer smoke inhalation during a home fire.

SUMMER EXCHANGE

Summer is a time when many families have some flexibility.  With children out of school and many teachers on hiatus, lots of new possibilities and needs arise.  That’s why The Watch introduces a new service – Summer Exchange.  If you have talents or opportunities to share with other readers or are looking for assistance, drop us an e-mail and we’ll see if we can help.  Already we have an offer from one of Glenview’s talented teachers interested in tutoring 4^th through 8^th graders in math, reading, writing or science.  To reach this Golden Apple finalist, call 847-729-3487 or e-mail robbo-42@rocketmail.com.

INTERNET INSTRUCTION

Glenview’s public library is offering a variety of Internet workshops in June and July. Get intensive instruction on web searching in the three-part series “Internet Essentials,” beginning at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 8. Research the history of your relatives and draw your family tree at 9:30 a.m. Monday, July 11 or Tuesday, July 12.  You can also request one-on-one instruction in computer use.  To sign up or get more information, call 847-729-7500 ext. 112.

LET THERE BE MUSIC

The Glenview Symphony performs Modeste Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” at Glenbrook South High School at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 5.  The free concert will begin with the original version for solo piano performed by former Northbrook President Mark Damisch, followed by Ravel’s orchestration.  An art exhibit featuring the works of area residents will begin at 2 p.m.  For details, call 847-920-9569 or e-mail Amusicfest@aol.com .

In Wilmette, the Tribune’s Rick Kogan reports on a thriving music scene created by  local gallery owner Bob Danon.  He’s opened a coffee shop named for his dog Charlie – a casual place at 1126 Central Ave. featuring live folk and blue grass.  Kogan calls Charlie’s “the most exciting thing to happen on the North Shore in generations. Danon is in a very real sense creating an ongoing musical sensation that recalls the legendary days (and nights) of the Earl of Old Town."  Charlie’s is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.  Look for the following performers:

June 3 – folk singer Mark Dvorak

June 4 – Al Day and Randy Lee

June 10, 11 – Megon McDonouch

 For times, cover charges and reservations, write to rcd@javacharlie.com or call 847-256-5617 or 847-256-5612.

…AND ART

Park Center is alive with color thanks to students from Attea and Springman Middle Schools.  Their art work is on display in the lobby, again begging the question: why does the district’s policy for showing the work of individual artists exclude students?  The work of Kristina Castro, a Glenview resident enrolled at the Chicago Art Institute, was rejected, but it will be featured in a Chicago exhibit of contemporary Filipino art opening at 7 p.m. Friday, May 27 at Acme Art Works, 1741 North Western Avenue.  For details, go to http://www.beyondthebarrelman.org/index.htm

 

PARTY TIME

 

Glenview’s newest bakery, the Dessert Gourmet, offers a series of evening events for those who love food and wine.  On June 9 at 7 p.m., the Lehigh Road shop offers “Summer Entertaining Ideas.”  The cost is $30 to discuss, see demonstrations and sample treats for a family picnic, an evening of wine and cheese on the porch or a romantic dinner for two.  At 7 p.m. June 23, the store invites you to sample cheeses from the Artisinal creameries and learn what domestic wines match well with them.  The charge is $35.  For details, call 847-486-0772.

 

NEWS FROM THE NEIGHBORS

-- Northbrook will hold a public hearing next month on the Society of the Divine Word’s proposal to rezone 42 acres that was to be an industrial park.  Noting a very weak market for office space, Techny wants to build more housing and is prepared to pay the village $1 million for approval of that change to a 1988 annexation agreement.  That’s what a developer would pay in fees to construct office space.  Critics worry that more residential construction will mean additional stress on Northbrook’s public schools.   The society says it will pay impact fees to Districts 30 and 225.

-- Under the leadership of a new village president, Gene Marks, Northbrook is expected to end its 17-year-old ban on drive-through restaurants.  Noting that the community already gets traffic and trash from fast food places in neighboring communities, trustees thought they might as well get the tax revenue and give their residents the convenience of drive-through dining.  They speculated that the McDonald’s at Sanders Court might not have closed and Burger King might have opened in Northbrook had it not been for the ban, and they noted that upscale communities such as Lake Forest, Wilmette and Winnetka have drive-throughs.

 

-- The velodrome at Meadow Hill Park in Northbrook will reopen at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 26, and 16 races are scheduled for the newly-built track.  The Northbrook Cycle Committee raised $230,000 to get the job done -- $118,000 of it from an anonymous donor known as the Angel of the Track.

WILDLIFE WATCH

FM warns Watch readers to “beware of the obnoxious red-winged blackbird protecting his nest on the east side of the Flick Park Pond.  When you walk by, he dive bombs, buzzes you, and taps you on the back of your head.   Last year I witnessed a young boy jogging on the trail.  He was taken by surprise and so frightened by the bird that he ran into the street screaming.  The presence of this bird would be acceptable in a forest preserve, but it is not acceptable in a park where children run and play.  The park terrain should be redesigned to discourage these birds from nesting in the area.” 

 

Mickey Safstrom walks regularly around Lake Glenview.  “On several occasions I have seen muskrats swimming in the lake.  I didn't know it was unusual,” she writes. “The first one was right close to shore at the boat dock.  He was very fat and round.  I have seen them in our lake in northern Wisconsin so recognized what it was immediately. The other times I have seen them from farther off swimming across to one of the islands or along the shore.  They swim on top for a while and then dive and swim under water.”

 

More than 60 people who took part in the annual Chicago River clean-up near Target and Kohl’s spotted a snowy egret and great blue heron.  They also found the shells of crayfish and mussels.

READERS ALSO WRITE

About the downtown consultant’s proposal for an ice cream pavilion: “One reason the Dairy Bar is so popular is because it is simple and inexpensive.  Do we really need an Ice Cream Pavilion?”

The Watch replies:  A spokesman for the consulting team made it clear that a new facility would only be built if and when Chuck and Janelle decide to close the Dairy Bar, and a buyer wants to do something new at the site.

Nana Tuddie is amazed that a new library is taking so long: “Anyone want to place bets on which will be complete first the library or downtown?  Interesting the Glen was basically completed faster than it takes Glenview to make decisions on the library and downtown development much less get it started. How could this town even consider changing the Dairy Bar?  The Dairy Bar and the Glenview House are the glue that holds this town together.  Young and old alike.”

 

And Biff Thiele doesn’t want District 225 sharing information with the Pentagon: “Are you aware that the Leave No Child Behind Act has a section requiring all high schools to turn over student information to military recruiters? This has nothing to do with patriotism. Having enlisted myself and served my country as a medic during the Vietnam era, I am aware that there is a process whereby individuals may enlist in the military branch of service of their choice. There is also a legal requirement to register with the Selective Service at the age of 18, but recruiters roam the halls of high schools, stalking teenagers, repeatedly calling their homes and enlisting cheap sales tactics to draw more young people into the military.  Each student's contact information is available to the army recruiters, unless a parent signs an Opt-Out form. Go to http://www.leavemychildalone.org to read more about this or to Opt-Out. By providing your name and zip code, the site will identify your school district, the superintendent and address, and send a letter in your name that can be printed from your computer. If you elect to Opt-Out, please follow-up with a phone call to 225 to verify your child's Opt-Out status.  There is also a bill intended to address this issue -- H.R. 551 - the ‘Student Privacy Protection Act.’ Even if you are not a parent or student, you may contact your local representative regarding this bill or sign a petition in support by going to  http://www.militaryfreezone.org .”

 

And reader Marshall Richter took us to task for reporting a claim that hate crimes against Muslims were on the rise in this country.  He referred us to an analysis by Daniel Pipes and Sharon Chadha posted at FrontPageMagazine.com on May 18.  Among other things, they write: “Should you read Unequal Protection: The Status of Muslim Civil Rights in the United States 2005, an annual report issued last week by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), you'll learn how the Muslim experience in America is worsening. Specifically, the number of ‘anti-Muslim hate crimes in the United States’ has gone up dramatically: from 42 cases in 2002, to 93 cases in 2003, to 141 in 2004.

“This news prompted headlines in the mainstream media. "Muslims Report 50% Increase in Bias Crimes," announced the New York Times; "Crimes, Complaints Involving Muslims Rise," broadcast the Washington Post; and "Muslims Cite a Rise in Hate Crimes," echoed the Los Angeles Times. That these leading newspapers treated the CAIR study as a serious piece of research served as an important endorsement.

“But CAIR is part of the Wahhabi Lobby, so (unlike the mainstream media reporters) we thought it a good idea to take a closer look at the report. We examined in detail some ‘examples of anti-Muslim hate crime reports received by CAIR in 2004,’ on p. 43, plus some ‘samples’ on p. 53 and discovered a pattern of sloppiness, exaggeration, and distortion:

“CAIR cites the July 9, 2004 case of apparent arson at a Muslim-owned grocery store in Everett, Washington. But investigators quickly determined that Mirza Akram, the store's operator, staged the arson to avoid meeting his scheduled payments and to collect on an insurance policy. Although Akram's antics were long ago exposed as a fraud, CAIR continues to list this case as an anti-Muslim hate crime.

 “CAIR notes that ‘investigators in Massachusetts are still investigating a potential hate-motivated arson against the Al-Baqi Islamic Center in Springfield.’ However the case was long ago ruled a simple robbery, news that even CAIR's own website has posted.

“One wonders what it will take for old media [like the New York Times, Washington Post,  LA Times – and, yes, Glenview Watch] to ignore CAIR's unreliable research.”