Village flag flies at half mast to honor Robert Kraft, former La Grange fire chief, who died Monday, Dec. 14.
Former La Grange Fire Chief Robert A. Kraft died Monday, Dec. 14. He was 83 years old.
The flag on the lawn of Village Hall this week is being flown at half mast in Kraft's honor.
Kraft served the village for nearly 28 years, beginning as a firefighter in Dec. 1952. He was subsequently promoted to the
ranks of fire captain and fire marshal. He was appointed the village's fire chief
in Dec. 1963, a position he held for 14 years until his
retirement in March 1978.
Chief Kraft returned to serve in a part-time capacity as a building inspector between 1981-1983.
A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, Kraft is survived by Audrey, his wife of 58 years; three children; and five grandchildren, according to the Adolf Funeral Home of Willowbrook, where services were held this morning. Inurnment will be at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.
Memorials to
St. Thomas Hospice, 8230 S. Madison St., Burr Ridge, IL 60527 or the American Cancer Society are encouraged by his family.
The La Grange village board of trustees tonight will hold the first of two workshops to examine the status of the village's police and fire pension funds, and explore what steps might be necessary to insure their adequate funding in coming years.
The workshop will begin immediately following the board's regular meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall auditorium.
“The funded status of our police and fire pension funds has been declining over the last several years," Trustee Jim Palermo, who closely monitors village finances, said. "The weak financial markets in this decade have been a significant contributor the under-funded status, but are by no means the only reason. I look forward to learning what the Village must do to improve the status of our police officers’ and fire fighters’ retirement funds, and what impact that will have on the
delivery of village services.”
The La Grange fire department will hold its annual open house this Saturday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Several demonstrations of firefighting and rescue techniques are planned, and free hot dogs and refreshments will be served from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
Representatives of the La Grange police canine unit, Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital, the La Grange Library, Park District of La Grange and the Indiana Harbor Beltway also will be on hand with exhibits and information.
The fire station is located at 300 W Burlington Ave. Click here for a map and directions. For more information, call (708) 579-2338.
Commuters who use the La Grange Rd train station will soon have the means to provide immediate advanced treatment to victims of sudden cardiac arrest.
Village President Elizabeth Asperger Monday night announced that an automated external defibrillator—AED for short--will be installed at the station, one of the village's most heavily used locations.
The portable device, which delivers an electric shock to restore normal heart rhythm in cases of cardiac arrest, was donated by Adventist Health Systems in conjunction with St Jude Medical. Adventist owns and operates La Grange Memorial Hospital.
"The reality is that 150,000 people in this country [this year] will drop dead of a heart problem without any symptoms," Ted Paarlberg, regional executive for the Adventist Cardiovascular Network told village trustees at their Monday night meeting. Fewer than eight percent of victims survive because immediate treatment is not provided.
"To have this type of technology available is an absolute first step in recognizing that we really need to educate the public to the resources available to ameliorate these sorts of situations," Paarlberg said.
He noted that Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn in February called for AEDs to be readily available in all public places.
Mark Hermes, of Cardiac Science Inc, demonstrated for trustees how its AED can be used by almost anyone who follows simple step-by-step audio instructions that the device provides.
"It is our privilege and pleasure to make this donation to the community," Rick Wright, CEO of Adventist La Grange, said. "Much of our volume we get in our hospital comes through the ER [emergency room]. As a result of that, we are very dependent on a good working relationship [with the village and the public.]
Watch the video below to view highlights of the presentation and a demonstration of the AED.
UPDATED Tues., Sept. 29:Police today identified Dennis Tabor, 17, of 1007 S La Grange Rd as the man arrested at 10:17 a.m. Monday while trying to break into a locked vehicle with a crowbar on the 100 block of S Ashland Ave. Tabor was arraigned today at the Bridgeview courthouse on one count of attempted burglary.
Police Lt. Vic Arnold said the suspect apparently sought to steal a global positioning system (GPS) device inside the vehicle. Arnold said he does not believe Tabor is connected to any of the several night-time burglaries that have occurred in recent weeks. A 19-year-old Chicago man arrested in the pre-dawn hours of Sept 20 subsequently was charged with five counts of burglary related to some of those incidents.
La Grange police today arrested a man who was attempting to break into a vehicle in a residential area, Village President Elizabeth Asperger announced at tonight's regular session of the village board of trustees.
Police Lt. Vic Arnold, who was in attendance at tonight's meeting, confirmed the arrest but did not provide the identity of the suspect or the location of the incident. Arnold said details of the arrest would be available to reporters Tuesday.
Today's arrest was the second in past eight days involving burglary, Asperger said. Anthony Harris, 19, of Chicago was arrested in the early hours of Sept. 20 and subsequently charged with five counts of burglary involving three homes and two vehicles.
In both arrests, police responded to calls from residents who reported seeing suspicious persons in their neighborhoods, Asperger said.
A 19-year-old Chicago man was arraigned at the Bridgeview courthouse today on five counts of burglary that La Grange police say are connected with a recent string of home and car break-ins in the village.
Anthony Harris was arrested at 4:20 a.m. by La Grange officers who responded to a phone call from a resident who reported seeing two suspicious people in the 100 block of Maple Ave. Harris was apprehended near the intersection of 6th and Goodman Aves following a short foot chase, police said. The second suspect escaped.
Police also recovered several items they said were stolen from three residences and two automobiles in the vicinity where Harris was captured. Harris was in possession of some of the items and others were found hidden in bushes nearby. The items recovered include a purse, cellphone and MP3 player.
La Grange police were assisted in their search by a K9 unit from Darien and officers from Brookfield and Western Springs.
Police said they were able to connect the items with the burglaries of two homes on the 0-100 and 300 blocks of South Catherine
Avenue and with one home and two vehicles on the 300 block of S 7th Ave.
Police said three of the burglaries occurred early Sunday morning, and two happened in July.
In every instance, the homes and vehicles were unlocked, police said.
Police said the stolen items usually were hidden by Harris, who relied upon an accomplice to arrive later by car to pick him up along with the stolen property.
While police are investigating Harris' possible involvement several other burglaries that occurred in recent weeks in the neighborhoods east of La Grange Rd, they do not believe he is responsible for all of them.
The La Grange fire department responded Sunday afternoon to a fire that broke out on the third floor of the house at 130 N Catherine Ave, Fire Chief Dave Fleege said today.
An initial investigation determined that the fire likely was caused by a short in some electrical wiring inside a third-floor bedroom closet, Fleege said.
The home's occupants were safely evacuated, but the building was deemed uninhabitable do in part to smoke and water damage and because electrical power had to be shut off until repairs can be made, he said. Fire damage was contained to the bedroom where the fire started.
Total damage to the structure and contents was estimated at $50,000, Fleege said.
The department was alerted to the fire at 5:10 p.m. by the occupants, who were in the first-floor kitchen preparing dinner when a smoke alarm on the second-floor sounded.
In addition to La Grange fire units, 13 neighboring departments also were called to the scene. The fire was under control by 5:30 p.m. and struck out at 5:48 p.m., Fleege said.
The house is owned by Michael & Elizabeth Maziarka, according to records provided online by the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.
La Grange police believe that a three-year-old girl whose mother claimed she was sexually assaulted during a visit last year to the Park District of La Grange recreation center likely was a victim of foul play, according to a July 14 letter that Police Chief Michael Holub sent to park district officials. But Holub said an investigation found no wrongdoing by the park district or its employees.
"We certainly do not doubt the claim of the young victim," Holub wrote in the letter. "We do believe that something of an unacceptable nature likely did occur in 2008, but we cannot identify an offender nor the location where this might have occurred.
"In other words, there is nothing to indicate that any such activity occurred on park district premises or that any park district employee was even involved, " Holub wrote.
The letter was read aloud by Park District Board President Tim Kelpsas Thursday night during his remarks at the start of the board's monthly meeting. Neither Kelpsas, nor Executive Director Dean Bissias, to whom the letter was addressed, offered any comment on the letter, the investigation or the allegation.
Holub's letter said police initially were contacted this past May by the girl's mother, who said that the alleged assault occurred sometime between January and May of 2008 when her daughter was two years old.
The mother told police she suspected the offender was an employee of the park district, based "for no other reason" other than that her daughter had participated in an afternoon program at the recreation center on East Ave, according to the letter.
Holub said police immediately contacted the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Subsequently, a "victim sensitive interview" of the girl was conducted at the Southwest Children's Advocacy Center. A sexual-assault exam also was conducted.
Police conducted interviews with several current and past employees of the park district, and examined records obtained under subpoena from the district.
"We received their complete cooperation during that process," Holub wrote. He said no further inquiries were likely at this time.
In the video below, Park District President Tim Kelpsas reads aloud the letter from La Grange Police Chief Michael Holub...
The La Grange village board last Monday night moved forward on three projects designed to enhance pedestrian safety along 47th St and other village thoroughfares, approving three engineering services agreements with the village's traffic consultant, Kenig, Lindgren, O'Hara, Aboona, Inc. (KLOA) of Rosemont.
The projects to be handled by KLOA include:
Designing improvements for pedestrian crosswalks at 47 th St at 9th Ave, 47th St at Waiola Ave and La Grange Rd at 52nd St. KLOA also will secure the necessary approvals for the crosswalks from the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Assessing current speed conditions along 47th St and conducting an "origin-destination study" to better understand the travel patterns of motorists using the thoroughfare.
Studying the feasibility of installing traffic signals at the intersection of 47th St & East Ave.
All three projects are part of an effort by village officials to respond to a public outcry for pedestrian safety improvements following an accident May 19 in which Cary Cook, a young mother and Countryside resident, was struck and killed by a motorist while crossing 47 the St at 8th Ave with her two small children.
In recent weeks, the village also has realigned the curb cuts at 6th, 7th and 8th Aves to account for the offsets that exist as those north-south roadways cross 47th St.
Click here to read the staff reports on all three projects.
Matt Cook, husband of Cari, used the public comment portion of Monday night's meeting to address other safety concerns regarding 47th and village thoroughfares, including police enforcement of speed limits.
Cook also asked about a suggestion made by Village Trustee Mike Horvath to create a village commission on pedestrian safety. Cook, along with family members and friends, have formed their own ad-hoc committee to address the matter.
The lengthy dialogue between Cook and village officials can be viewed in the two-part video below.
La Grange residents seeking to dispose of expired or unwanted prescription medications, syringes and medical devices containing toxic materials such as mercury are encouraged to drop off those items to the Franklin Park police department this Saturday, Aug. 15, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Personnel from the Cook County Department of Environmental Control, along with other county and state agencies, will ensure that these hazardous materials are disposed of in a safe and appropriate manner.
The Franklin Park police department is located at 25th and Belmont Aves. The phone number is (847) 455-6663.
For additional information, including a list of what items will and will not be accepted, click here.
