From the Editor

Stories of the Week: D181 Stalemate Ends

Patch recaps the top stories from the week of Oct. 10 to Oct. 14.

As always, click the links for full stories. 1. D181 Strikes a Deal: Seven weeks after the contract between the District 181 Board of Education and the Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Teachers' Association expired, the two sides came to a tentative agreement on a new contract Wednesday during a mediated session. Details of the new contract won't be released until both the union and the board vote to approve it. 2. Friday Night Fire: As Hinsdale firefighters took part in their annual silent parade through the western suburbs to commemorate those who have died in fire-related incidents, they had to respond to a garage fire at 15 S. Adams St. Nobody was hurt in the fire, and the cause has yet to be determined. But construction materials in the …

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Daily PatchCast

Daily PatchCast: Benet Grad Wins Pulitzer, Guardian Angels in Oak Park, Two Injured in Crash

A roundup of the region's news for April 25.

Here's a look at the news happening around you: — Benet Alum Wins Pulitzer — A Night With the Guardian Angels — Unattended Cooking Causes Batavia Apartment Fire, Resident Rescued From Second Floor — Randall and McKee Crash Injures Two, Extrication Required — Acting Couple Moves From L.A. to La Grange

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Sabrina Wu

10:50 am on Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Thank you, Julie! Story selection is something that gets debated quite a bit at times during pre-production, so we really appreciate your feedback!   more ›

Oak Brook Police Panel Puts Off Vote on Peterson's Son

Oak Brook's Fire and Police Board has decided to wait 23 days before deciding whether to fire Drew Peterson's son.

Stephen Peterson, son of former Bolingbrook Police Officer Drew Peterson, will have to wait another 23 days to find out whether he will lose his job as an Oak Brook police officer. Suspended with pay since August, Stephen Peterson will continue to get paid while he waits. Three members of Oak Brook's Fire and Police Board will meet Monday night as scheduled, but will only deliberate behind closed doors without announcing  their decision, as they had said they would last month. Village Manager David Niemeyer said he did not know the reason for the delay. "They're just not making a decision tonight," Niemeyer said. "I'm not privy to what their deliberations are." Stephen Peterson is on the hot seat for hiding three of his infamous father's …

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Hinsdale Firefighters Urge Residents to 'Keep the Wreath Red'

The Hinsdale Fire Department is displaying a wreath with red light bulbs to celebrate fire safety.

The Hinsdale Fire Department is teaming up with the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and neighboring fire departments for the "Keep the Wreath Red" program.  A wreath with red light bulbs is on display at the Hinsdale Fire Department. In the event of a holiday-related fire, firefighters will replace one of the red bulbs with a white one. The goal is to keep the bulbs on the wreath red. "Keep the Wreath Red" is a holiday fire safety program designed to increase fire safety awareness. The program started Thanksgiving Day and will run through Jan. 5. Firefighters want people to remember the following tips for a safe holiday season: Anyone with questions can contact the Village Fire Prevention Bureau at (630) 789-7060 or email fire@…

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Peterson's Son Testifies About Stashed Guns, Missing Stepmom

Officer Stephen Peterson publicly discusses the events surrounding Stacy Peterson's disappearance for the first time.

For the first time, the embattled Oak Brook cop, son of accused wife-killer Drew Peterson, publicly discussed his relationship with his father and the events surrounding the disappearance of his much younger stepmother, Stacy Peterson. Stephen Peterson told a hearing he harbored no suspicions at all about Stacy supposedly running off with another man and abandoning not only her two young children, but also the two boys she adopted after Peterson's previous wife, Kathleen Savio, mysteriously turned up drowned in a dry bathtub in March 2004. "He said his wife had left him," Stephen Peterson said during a disciplinary hearing convened by the Oak Brook Fire and Police Board Tuesday night. "He was upset and I was helping him out." That help …

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Tree Crashes Through Hinsdale Garage

Strong winds Tuesday morning trapped a car in a garage on Vine Street.

Strong winds caused a tree to crash through the roof of a garage on the 600 Block of Vine Street Tuesday morning. It happened around 8 a.m., trapping a car inside and sending a tree limb through the home's carport. "I was sitting in the back having coffee. All of a sudden, I heard a noise, and it just blew right over," said Stan Sasak, owner of the home. "Firemen broke the window trying to get the car out...We can't get it out, because the doors are all jammed." "I'm listening to this thing (roof of the garage) creak and groan, and I'm afraid it's going to come crashing down," said a friend of Sasak, who did not wish to give his name. "The [Hinsdale] Fire Department were here first thing this morning and cleared a passageway, so they [the …

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Hinsdale Remembers Gentle Giant

Hinsdale Deputy Chief Was 'On His Toes'

Retired Hinsdale Fire Department Administrative Assistant remembers Deputy Chief Mark Johnson.

"I remember one time when Mark was working shift.  He came into the station and for some reason took off his shoes and socks.  There he was with his toe nails painted purple.  Everyone had a good laugh over this big guy with purple toenails.  Mark just shrugged and explained that his niece wanted to paint his toenails, so he let her—no big deal!"—Marilyn Forslin, retired Hinsdale Fire Department Administrative Assistant. Forslin worked for the Hinsdale Fire Department for nearly 22 years.

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Hinsdale's Deputy Fire Chief Remembered at Open House

Firefighters held a silent tribute to Deputy Chief Mark Johnson at the annual Hinsdale Fire and Police department open house.

The Hinsdale Fire and Police Open House took place at the end of Fire Prevention week as it does every year. This year was a little different, however. This year the event came less than a month after the death of Hinsdale Deputy Fire Chief Mark Johnson, who served as a Hinsdale firefighter for 24 years. Patch.com talked with firefighters and Johnson's son about the event that meant so much to him.

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Dozens Gather for Hinsdale Firefighter Live Burn Demo

Hinsdale residents see what a difference a sprinkler system can make at the Hinsdale Fire Department Open House.

Using a single match and some newspaper, Hinsdale firefighters set fire to two demonstration rooms behind the Hinsdale Fire Department Saturday. One room was equipped with a sprinkler system. The other was not. The audience saw for themselves the difference in damage between the two. Less than two minutes later, the room without a sprinkler system was completely destroyed. Large holes had burned through the wall, and the television had melted. The one with a sprinkler system had smoke damage, but the walls were intact. The demonstration was part of the Hinsdale Police and Fire Department Open House on Saturday.

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