Chicago Sun-Times: All posts by Alexandra Kukulka2016-11-30T10:38:00-06:00https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/alexandra-kukulka/rss2016-11-30T10:38:00-06:002019-04-17T21:38:04-05:00Chicago overnight winter parking ban begins Tuesday
<p>The annual Chicago overnight winter parking ban goes into effect on Tuesday, Dec. 1, and runs through March 31, 2016.</p><p>The parking ban will be enforced from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m., and will affect 107 miles of city streets, according to a statement from the Department of Streets and Sanitation.</p><p>Those who don’t move their cars will face a minimum $150 towing fee; a $60 ticket; and a storage fee of $20 a day. Vehicles in violation of the ban will be towed to Pound 2, 10301 S. Doty Ave., or Pound 6, 701 N. Sacramento Ave.</p><p>Streets and Sanitation officials say that if drivers violate the ban, that makes it difficult to fully plow and salt the streets and decreases traffic flow,</p><p>Signs have been posted throughout the city, and Streets and Sanitation workers have posted fliers on cars parked on restricted streets to remind drivers of the ban, according to the statement.</p><p>“During a snow storm it is critical that crews are able to plow and salt Chicago’s main streets. This helps us restore the city to normal as quickly as possible, and ensures that buses can access routes to take passengers to work, school and along their daily routines,” Commissioner Charles L. Williams said in the statement.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/11/30/18458697/chicago-overnight-winter-parking-ban-begins-tuesdayAlexandra Kukulka2016-06-24T10:04:00-05:002019-04-17T21:52:37-05:00Lawsuit filed over 2014 Palos Hills plane crash that killed three
<p>A lawsuit filed Monday claims the manufacturer of a plane that crashed in Palos Hills in 2014 was negligently designed, manufactured and assembled.</p><p>The plane crashed at 10:40 p.m. on Oct. 12, 2014, in the 10100 block of South 86th Court, killing three Kansas doctors—neurosurgeon Tausif Ur Rehman, pulmonologist Ali A. Kanchwala, and Kanchwala’s wife, Maria Javaid, an interventional cardiologist, the Sun Time reported at the time.</p><p>The plane was flying from Midway Airport to Lawrence, Kansas, when it crashed 5 minutes after take off. There was no fire after the plane crashed in a heavily residential neighborhood, but there was debris in front yards and minor damage to a vehicle.</p><p>Amina Rehman and Farahnaz Bandukwala are suing Beechcraft Corporation, Honeywell International, and Lloyd Hetrick on behalf of Rehman and Kanchwala, claiming the plane had a faulty autopilot and artificial horizon. The lawsuit does not explain Hetrick’s involvement in the crash.</p><p>The suit also claims the plane’s maintenance manual, pilot operating handbook, illustrated parts catalog and other documents did not provide instruction on the proper maintenance of the autopilot and artificial horizon.</p><p>Beechcraft and Honeywell could not be immediately reached for comment.</p><p>The 10-count lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.</p><p> </p><p> <br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/6/24/18461832/lawsuit-filed-over-2014-palos-hills-plane-crash-that-killed-threeAlexandra Kukulka2016-06-24T10:01:00-05:002019-04-16T07:18:54-05:00Man killed, woman injured in Joliet shooting
<p>A man was killed and a woman injured in a shooting early Sunday in southwest suburban Joliet.</p><p>Officers responded to a call of a person shot at 1:20 a.m. Sunday in the 1400 block of Englewood Avenue in Joliet, and found two people inside a vehicle, both suffering from gunshot wounds, Joliet Police Chief Alan Roechner said.</p><p>Witnesses told police a male suspect dressed in dark clothing walked up to the vehicle and started shooting, then took off running.</p><p>The 22-year-old man sitting in the passenger seat, Sjontre Thompson, was shot in the chest and both legs, and was taken to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, where he was pronounced dead at 2:11 a.m., according to Roechner and the Will County coroner’s office.</p><p>A 28-year-old woman was shot in her right thigh and taken to Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet with non-life-threatening injuries, Roechner said.</p><p>No one was in custody as of Monday afternoon.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/6/24/18399358/man-killed-woman-injured-in-joliet-shootingAlexandra Kukulka2016-06-24T10:01:00-05:002019-04-16T07:18:54-05:00Man, 62, killed in Merrillville crash
<p>A 62-year-old man was killed in a crash early Monday in Northwest Indiana.</p><p>Pavle Naumoski was involved in a crash at Route 30 and Marshall Rd in Merrillville, Ind., according to the Lake County (Ind.) coroner’s office.</p><p>Naumoski, of the 1500 block of West 99th in Crown Point, Ind., was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospital Southlake in Merrillville at 2:14 a.m., according to the coroner’s office.</p><p>He suffered blunt force trauma as a result of the crash, the coroner’s office found.</p><p>The Merrillville Police Department could not be immediately reached.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/6/24/18399357/man-62-killed-in-merrillville-crashAlexandra Kukulka2016-06-24T10:01:00-05:002019-04-17T23:13:06-05:00Mosquitoes test positive for West Nile virus in McHenry County
<p>Mosquito batches recently collected in northwest suburban Nunda Township and Lake in the Hills have tested positive for West Nile virus.</p><p>These batches were collected on July 31 and August 6, and are the first to test positive for the virus in McHenry County in 2015, said officials in a statement.</p><p>McHenry County Department of Health officials tested 311 mosquito batches as of August 18, but all other batches have tested negative for West Nile virus, the statement said.</p><p>The department will continue to collect and test mosquito batches until mid-October, but the risk of West Nile virus remains until the first frost, the statement said.</p><p>Health officials say those infected by the virus experience fever, headache and body aches, but serious illnesses, like meningitis and death, are possible. People over 50 have the highest risk of severe disease, the statement said.</p><p>Residents should use insect repellent, wear long sleeved shirts and pants for more protection, and empty any standing water outside, officials said.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/6/24/18479036/mosquitoes-test-positive-for-west-nile-virus-in-mchenry-countyAlexandra Kukulka2016-06-24T10:00:00-05:002019-04-17T20:31:41-05:00Man, 23, shot in Auburn Gresham
<p>A 23-year-old man was shot in the leg Tuesday evening in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the South Side.</p><p>The shooting happened at 8:30 p.m. in the 1900 block of West 77th, according to preliminary information from Chicago Police.</p><p>The shooter was riding a bike when he shot at the man, police said.</p><p>He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition, police said.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/6/24/18444645/man-23-shot-in-auburn-greshamAlexandra Kukulka2016-06-24T10:00:00-05:002019-04-17T21:32:54-05:00Suit: Chicago Police Board retaliated against officer, denied him disability
<p>A lawsuit filed Tuesday claims the Chicago Police Retirement Board unlawfully retaliated against a police officer and denied him his payments.</p><p>Officer Anthony Hernandez worked as a narcotics officer on a 7-10 man team. In May 2011, Hernandez, who is also a contractor for First Quality Construction, agreed to do some repair work on his sergeant’s summer home in Sturgess, Mich., according to the lawsuit.</p><p>Until July 2011, Hernandez worked on the summer home on his days off until the sergeant fired him and refused to pay him some $15,000 for the work he did, according to the lawsuit.</p><p>The suit claims that Hernandez was then assigned to a different narcotics team, which Hernandez found to be “a less desirable position with significantly less overtime pay.”</p><p>On Sept. 6, 2011, Hernandez filed a complaint with the Chicago Police Department Internal Affairs Division regarding the transfer, according to the lawsuit.</p><p>After the complaint was filed, Hernandez was moved to another narcotics unit, which prompted him to ask his supervisor to be placed on street duty, according to the lawsuit. The supervisor denied the request because “he feared that fellow officers would not back up Hernandez,” according to the lawsuit.</p><p>Hernandez was threatened with bodily harm and subjected to extra stress, which affected his ability to work, according to the lawsuit.</p><p>The suit claims that several doctors examined Hernandez and found him unfit to work. The doctors cited the conduct of supervisors and fellow officers and the assignments from one narcotics unit to another as some of the causes to his work distress.</p><p>The Retirement Board of The Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago reviewed Hernandez’s request for disability benefits in May and June, and denied his request because he did not establish that his disability was caused by his work environment, according to the lawsuit.</p><p>Hernandez and The Retirement Board of The Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago could not be immediately reached for comment.</p><p>The lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/6/24/18457618/suit-chicago-police-board-retaliated-against-officer-denied-him-disabilityAlexandra Kukulka2016-06-24T10:00:00-05:002019-04-16T08:09:26-05:00Two teens shot in Woodlawn
<p>Two teens were shot Tuesday night in the Woodlawn neighborhood.</p><p>The shooting happened at 8:15 p.m. in the 6300 block of South Maryland, police said.</p><p>The two boys were walking in the area when they heard gunshots and felt pain, police said.</p><p>A 17-year-old boy suffered gunshot wounds to both legs and a 15-year-old boy suffered a gunshot wound to one leg, police said.</p><p>The 17-year-old boy was taken to Stroger Hospital where his condition was stabilized. The 15-year-old boy was taken to University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital where his condition was stabilized, police said.</p><p> <br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/6/24/18405431/two-teens-shot-in-woodlawnAlexandra Kukulka2016-06-24T09:59:00-05:002019-04-17T17:27:58-05:00Skyway toll booth workers preparing for possible Labor Day weekend strike
<p>Chicago Skyway toll booth workers have begun preparing for a possible strike on one of the busiest traffic times of the year—the Labor Day weekend.</p><p>The current three-year contract with Skyway Concession Company was set to expire July 3, but Teamsters Local 727, the union represents the 30 workers who man toll booths on the South Side, agreed to extend the contract until Aug. 31, according to a statement from Teamsters Local 727.</p><p>Workers have begun assembling picket signs, creating banners and gathering support from union members across Illinois and northwest Indiana, the statement said. Teamsters will ask drivers to avoid the Skyway—the 7.8 mile connection between the Dan Ryan Expressway and the Indiana Toll Road—in the event of a strike.</p><p>“The ball is in management’s court,” John Coli Jr., president of Teamsters Local 727, said in a statement. “The company can either do the right thing and come together to reach a fair agreement, or it can force our members out on the picket line to fight for the wages, benefits and working conditions they deserve.”</p><p>Skyway Concession Company wants to move forward in good faith, a company representative said.</p><p>“I don’t think the Skyway is really wanting to talk about the possibility of a strike, and it’s nothing we are hoping will come about. We have been negotiating in good faith,” the representative said.</p><p>The company has been operating the Skyway since 2005 under a 99-year lease with the city worth $1.83 billion. It has increased Skyway tolls twice in the last two years, according to the Teamster. On Jan. 1, car tolls increased by 50 cents to $4.50.</p><p>Tolls for trucks with three to seven or more axles rose to between $15.20 and $35.50 each way during peak hours, making the Skyway’s rate of $2.69 per mile for a five-axle truck the highest per mile in the country, according to one Illinois Tollway analysis.</p><p>But despite a rise in revenues, Skyway Concession has not created more full-time positions, but continues to hire temporary employees, the statement said. Only five of the 30 union members are full-time, with the rest working fewer than 30 hours a week, the statement said.</p><p>“This gigantic corporation continues to fill its coffers while its employees struggle to make ends meet,” Coli said. “These are not just nameless, faceless employees; these are hardworking people with families who depend on them, and they will accept nothing less than a living wage and adequate health insurance.”<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/6/24/18414775/skyway-toll-booth-workers-preparing-for-possible-labor-day-weekend-strikeAlexandra Kukulka2016-06-24T09:58:00-05:002019-04-16T07:43:59-05:00Police: Boy killed, another injured in Chatham shooting
<p>A 16-year-old boy was killed and a 17-year-old boy was injured in a shooting in the Chatham neighborhood early Sunday on the South Side, police said.</p><p>The teenagers were standing on the sidewalk in the 8200 block of South Ingleside about 1 a.m. when someone approached on foot and fired shots at them, police said.</p><p>The 16-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was later pronounced dead, police said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office couldn’t immediately confirm the death.</p><p>The 17-year-old was shot in the leg and was also taken to Christ Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized, police said.</p><p>A police source said the 17-year-old is a known gang member.<br></p>
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/6/24/18402270/police-boy-killed-another-injured-in-chatham-shootingAlexandra Kukulka