TribLocal Wilmette - 13 2 September 2010
TRIBLOCAL.COM
New Trier HS working to negotiate contracts, close budget gap North Shore residents remove teasel plants at Skokie Lagoons
Page 5
Wilmette | Kenilworth | Winnetka Northfield | Glencoe
VOICE OF THE TOWN
Page 3
SEPTEMBER 2-8, 2010 | SPONSORED BY THE
Ignoring the rules of the road
Racist graffiti found at Wilmette school prior to start of classes
By John P. Huston
TRIBLOCAL REPORTER
Bicyclists are forbidden from riding on part of Lake Avenue in Wilmette, but many do anyway. To read the full story, see Page 7. TribLocal photo by John P. Huston
Police offer counseling after public sex act
By John P. Huston
TRIBLOCAL REPORTER
Someone scrawled obscenities directed at African Americans and the phrase “white power” on an inside wall of a Wilmette middle school the weekend before classes began, and the superintendent thinks former students might have been responsible. The racist graffiti was discovered after someone broke into Highcrest Middle School, 569 Hunter Road, sometime between 9 a.m. Aug. 21 and 9 a.m. Aug. 22, officials said. The vandals apparently climbed onto the school’s roof and accessed an enclosed courtyard, where doors are by law not allowed to be locked, said Raymond Lechner, superintendent of Wilmette School District 39. Lechner said the school is putting up a fence on the roof to prevent future breakins. Although police noted in their report the words that were used, Lechner was unaware of what the graffiti said — only that it was offensive and racially motivated.
The Wilmette Police Department is investigating the matter, Lechner said. While school officials are “making the assumption” it was former students who committed the crime, administrators are not conducting their own formal inquiry to determine who is responsible for the vandalism. But they are keeping their ears open in the middle school and junior high hallways, he said. “Sometimes kids will talk or turn somebody in,” Lechner said. “So far, it’s been quiet. … Usually if there’s any kind of (an incident), student chatter tells us where to begin our investigation.” Lechner later clarified his remarks to say the district’s students are not believed to be involved. “We suspect this vandalism was caused by some late night young adults. College or high school age? Neither groups would attend our schools,” Lechner wrote in an email. “We are an elementary district serving only younger children.”
PLEASE SEE GRAFFITI, PAGE 7
Northfield police are offering the services of the department’s psychologist to any child who witnessed two teenagers having sex in a wooded area near Middlefork Primary School. Two teenagers — one from Morton Grove and the other from Northfield — were seen at 6:11 p.m. on Aug. 21 having sex in a “relatively open area” in the 1900 block of Old Willow Road, said Deputy Police Chief Claude Casaletto. The couple was arrested and each charged with indecent exposure and
consumption of alcohol by a minor, Casaletto said. According to a police crime alert, “several residents along with their children” saw the incident taking place. Since it happened, Northfield Police have received “numerous questions and concerns” from residents, prompting officials to offer the services of police psychologist John Conlin. He can be reached at 847-446-2131. All conversations are privileged, the police alert said. Additionally, social workers are available at Sunset Ridge and Middlefork schools by calling 847-881-9400. jhuston@tribune.com
All our technicians are licensed, background checked, drug tested and GPS tracked
Peel baby, peel
Potatoes? Onions? Carrots? Apples? Go ahead. Make a big tsimmis.
IL Lic 11100
TL-09/10
Grind almost anything. Hear almost nothing. We offer a garbage disposer that handles the holidays. \$25 OFF installation w/ purchase of Evolution Excel™ and our very best wishes for a Sweet New Year FREE 10-yr parts/labor with professional installation
847-579-5554
info@raviniaplumbing.com
<1>
<2>
<3>
<4>
<5>
<6>
<7>
<8>
<9>
<10>
<11>
<12>
<13>
<14>
<15>
<16>