Felony arson / Students run village / Blood drive Friday
BG man faces three felonies in house fire
A 24-year-old Buffalo Grove man has been charged with three felonies related to a Sept. 19 house fire at 970 Lucinda Drive.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s office approved three felony charges for Evan Rude, including Aggravated Arson (Class X), Residential Arson (Class 1), and Arson (Class 2).
The fire, which rendered the house “uninhabitable” by fire officials, caused an estimated $360,000 damage.
Investigators were aided in their work by conducting neighborhood canvases and reviewing security camera footage.
Rude has been implicated in other fire-related cases in Buffalo Grove, including one in September 2023 when fire officials were investigating a vehicle fire in a garage, also in the 900 block of Lucinda. Following an investigation by Buffalo Grove police and fire officials, Rude was charged with criminal damage to property through means of a fire.
Burglary – Police are investigating a burglary at a construction site in the 900 block of west Dundee Road. Reports say thieves cut into a storage cage used by an electrical contractor and made off with $1,000 in copper wire and $2,000 in tools.
Theft – A resident in the 1200 block of Johnson Drive stole two bicycles. Reports listed the theft as under $500.
Traffic arrests – Police report two arrests for Driving While Under the Influence and two for driving with a suspended or revoked license.
In Other Community News
Students not bored with Board roles
The Buffalo Grove Fire Department will be getting two styles of training simulators to aid in the training of paramedics and other fire personnel in wound management and compression techniques thanks to a unique Village Board.
Missing from the dais were the usual stalwarts – Village President Eric Smith, Village Clerk Jan Sirabian, the usual assortment of village trustees – and even Village Manager Dane Bragg.
They were replaced, as were other village staff members and officials, by 15 students from Stevenson and Buffalo Grove high schools who participated in the village’s annual Civics Forum.
Started in the early 1980s as “Student Government Day,” the event became the Civics Forum in 2016 and gives students the chance to run the village.
A pet project of Village Clerk Jan Sirabian, students toured the village campus and met with department heads and other staff members before running the Sept. 23 meeting.
"This is No. 1 on my list of what I love about my job," Sirabian said. She said not only does she "love working with the students", but the event allows her to impress upon students the importance of local civic engagement because it directly “affects the quality of life” in the village.
“Being involved and taking pride is what makes a community great,” Sirabian said. The student-run Board received proposals for $2,000 in funding from six village departments. “These are (actual) proposals from the departments and not practice,” Sirabian said.
Under the watchful eye of Village President Shipr Jha from Stevenson High School, the Board chose the fire department’s request after debating the other five requests, which included a portable ice cream trailer from the Police Department, enhanced Village Hall signage from the Finance and Community Development Department, a drone from Community Relations and Community Development, a Swing-Away heat press from Public Works, and a request for heat and humidity sensors for the village’s IT rooms.
The request from Administrative Services for IT room sensors proved to be most debated with the ensuing vote ending in a 3-3 tie, requiring Jha, in her role as Village President, to cast the tie-breaking vote which was against the purchase.
Joining Jha on the dais were trustees Milt King (SHS), Michael Waz (SHS), Amy Andujar Cruz (SHS), Mariia Zahrbelna (BGHS), Nanoko Seki (SHS), and Gavin Glickauf (BGHS). Anastasiya Koval (BGHS) served as Village Clerk.
Serving in staff positions were Brian Montesinos (BGHS) Village Manager, Sophia Lowy (SHS) Human Resources Director, Nathan Tessier (BGHS) Community Development Director, Alina Hussain (BGHS) Fire Chief, Yifan Wang (SHS) Finance Director, Maggie Kuang ( SHS) Public Works Director, and Lewis King (SHS), Police chief.
None of the
students announced plans to run in the April 1st election nor did they approve
raises for any of the staff positions.
Pictured above: Village Board President Shipr Jha is flanked by Village Manager Brian Montesinos and Village Clerk Anastasiya Koval
DPW moves into new digs
Buffalo Grove’s Public Works Department moved into its new facility on Monday, Sept. 23. DPW is now based out of 1650 Leider Lane. Residents who need to stop by the office can do so immediately.
DPW’s previous location at 51 Raupp Blvd. is expected to be a temporary fire station while station No. 25 at 505 W. Dundee is rebuilt.
Green Fair rescheduled for Sunday
The “Green Fair”, designed to offer information and activities to help residents learn about the small steps they can take at home, work, and in the community to improve the environment has been rescheduled for this Sunday, Sept. 29 in conjunction with the Farmers Market.
Residents will have the opportunity to recycle a wide variety of items but are reminded that lightbulbs or batteries will not be accepted for recycling. Hearing aid batteries, however, will be accepted. A list of items that will be collected for recycling can be found by clicking on this link.
Residents who save plastic bread tabs can bring those recycling. Funds raised from the tab recycling program will help provide wheelchairs for persons in need. For a complete list of exhibits, activities, and collection items, visit this site.
Blood Drive Friday at Fire Department
A blood drive will be held in the Training Room at the Buffalo Grove Fire Department’s main station, 1051 Highland Grove Dr. from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 27. The drive is handled by Vitalant. To schedule an appointment, go to this site.
RV, trailer storage deadline Sept. 30
Sept. 30 is the last day that recreational vehicles (RVs) or trailers are allowed to be continuously parked in driveways.
After Sept. 30, RVs are allowed to be parked on a driveway for a maximum of 15 continuous days through May 14.
Residents may store one RV may be stored on their property in the side or rear yard, as long as it is located entirely within your property and hidden from public view with a fence that is at least five feet high. Additional information can be found here.
Need a Reason to Celebrate?
Sept. 26
Sept. 27
Sept. 28
Sept. 29
Sept. 30
Oct. 1
International Day of Older Persons
Oct. 2
Oct. 3
Oct. 4
Oct. 5
Oct. 6
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Buffalo Grove News and Info, is locally and independently produced by Buffalo Grove resident Stan Zoller. A longtime journalist and journalism educator, Zoller covers Buffalo Grove and monitors news and information about the village, its schools, park district, and community events. Buffalo Grove News and Information is not affiliated with any municipal body. Zoller is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Chicago Headline Club.
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