Tag Archives: Palatine

Fire damages Sonic Drive-In in Palatine

(PALATINE) A Sonic Drive-In restaurant in northwest suburban Palatine was closed for cleanup and repairs after a fire Tuesday afternoon.

Crews were called at 3:55 p.m. when a fire alarm was activated at the restaurant, 1151 E. Dundee Road in Palatine, according to a statement from the Palatine Fire Department. Firefighters arrived to find welders working on the exterior of the building and smoke inside.

The fire was eventually located inside an exterior wall and extending up toward the roof, the fire department said. Crews had to open the interior walls and ceiling and breach the building’s exterior walls to expose and extinguish the fire, which was under control by 4:18 p.m.

No injuries were reported and the damage was contained to one corner of the restaurant, fire officials said. The restaurant will remain closed until repairs and cleanup are completed.

Suburban Chicago school district asking for $130 million

(PALATINE) For a suburban Chicago school district, the presidential contest isn’t the only issue voters will have to address in November.

Palatine school District 15 will seek voters’ permission to borrow $130 million to build two new schools — one of the costliest of such referendums on the ballot.

The Chicago Tribune reports (http://trib.in/2elod3y the request touches on a wide range of issues, including school boundaries to busing to minority integration.

Many of the district’s Hispanic students live in relatively high-density apartment complexes in pockets of Palatine and Rolling Meadows. Officials say one of the proposed new schools would be built in a Hispanic neighborhood in the northeast corner of Palatine.

Critics say the referendum involves too much change at once. Superintendent Scott Thompson says the plan is a good one.

 

 

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Another suburban Cook County child has measles; 11 cases confirmed in state

(PALATINE) Another suburban Cook County child has been confirmed to have measles, bringing the total to 11 people in Illinois, officials said Wednesday.

Ten people who have been infected with measles are associated with KinderCare Learning Center in Palatine, including this new case, the Sun-Times is reporting.

Ten of those with measles live in suburban Cook County, health officials said. Eight of those are children; two are adults. One of those children lives in Chicago.

All of the people infected so far had not been vaccinated for measles, the Illinois Department of Public Health said.

It’s not clear how the children at KinderCare, or the adult, who had no affiliation with suburban Cook County, became infected.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can cause severe health complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis and death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children should be given the first dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old. The second dose usually is given before the start of kindergarten at 4 to 6 years of age.

The DuPage county health department had warned of possible exposure at three locations. But the state health department has not confirmed any cases there.

–Sun-Times

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC

‘Expect more cases’ after babies diagnosed with measles in Palatine

(PALATINE) A cluster of measles is being investigated at a Palatine daycare center, state and Cook County officials said Thursday.

The cluster includes five babies less than a year old one who have ties to KinderCare Learning Center, 929 E. Palatine Rd., the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting. Two of the five babies have been confirmed to have measles. Test results for the three others are still pending.

All five are from northwest suburban Cook County. Their ages were not given.

It was not known if family members of the babies had been vaccinated. The county health department said staff at KinderCare are required to be vaccinated to work there.

“There will be more cases. . . . We shouldn’t be surprised about that,” said Dr. Terry Mason, chief operating officer at Cook County Department of Public Health. ”The cat is out of the bag.”

But he emphasized that the vast majority of suburban Cook County residents have been vaccinated and therefore have a very low risk of contracting measles.

Officials said there are 10 more children from the daycare center who may have been exposed to measles. All were too young to be vaccinated for measles, the county health department said. Parents of those 10 have been notified that their child is to stay home for now.

The source of the infection is not yet known, the Illinois Department of Public Health and Cook County Department of Public Health said.

Cook County Department of Public Health got two calls from Northwest Community Hospital on Sunday about sick infants, who were later found to have been at the same daycare center in Palatine. They alerted the daycare on Monday.

Even though both sick infants went to the same hospital as the first person who was identified last week as having measles this year, the county health department said they have not confirmed any link between that person or the December outbreak in Disneyland in California, which has infected almost 100 people with measles so far.

All students, staff and faculty have been notified and anyone who has not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine has been instructed to stay at home and away from unvaccinated children for the next 21 days, the statement said.

Colleen Moran, a spokeswoman for the KinderCare Learning Center, said: “We are following Public Health officials’ guidance and excluding unvaccinated children and staff who may have been exposed to the virus from our center until February 24. We also gave the center a deep clean last night.”

Moran said they would “closely monitor the situation here and elsewhere and . . . keep our center families apprised of our response.”

Last week, a suburban Cook County resident was reported to have this year’s first confirmed case of measles in Illinois.

State and county officials warned at that time that other people could have been exposed at three locations: Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights; Supermercado Guzman in Palatine and Vista Clinic, also in Palatine.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children should be given the first dose of MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age. The second dose should be given before the start of kindergarten at 4 to 6 years of age.

Illinois requires vaccination for students and children in daycare, unless there are religious objections.

Yet, according to the CDC, 1 in 12 children in the United States do not receive the recommended first dose of MMR vaccine on time.

The county health department could not recall another outbreak like what they are now seeing in Illinois with measles.

“In Illinois, there have been about 10 documented cases over the last 5 years and these are sporadic cases. We haven’t seen anything like this in many years, where there’s a cluster of multiple cases,” Dr. Rachel Rubin, a senior public health medical officer with the county health department.

–Chicago Sun-Times

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC

Measles reported in Palatine

(Chicago)  A cluster of measles is being investigated at a Palatine daycare center, state and Cook County officials said Thursday.

The cluster includes five children under the age of one who have ties to KinderCare Learning Center, 929 E. Palatine Rd. Two of the five children have been confirmed to have measles. Test results for the three remaining are still pending.

All five are from Cook County, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The source of infection for the children is not immediately known, the Illinois Department of Public Health and Cook County Department of Public Health said in a statement.

All students, staff and faculty have been notified and anyone who has not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine has been instructed to stay at home and away from unvaccinated children for the next 21 days, the statement said.

A spokesperson for the KinderCare Learning Center could not immediately be reached.

More details are expected at a Cook County Department of Public Health press conference at 1 p.m. Thursday.

A suburban Cook County resident was reported last week as this year’s first confirmed case of measles in Illinois.

State and county officials warned that other people could have been exposed to the highly contagious respiratory illness because of that Cook County resident at three locations: Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights; Supermercado Guzman in Palatine and Vista Clinic, also in Palatine.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease. The CDC says children should be given the first dose of MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age. The second dose should be given 4 weeks later, but is usually given before the start of kindergarten at 4 to 6 years of age.

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC