Buffalo Grove Report

Dec 13, 2019

Cops probe scams, inflatable rats

You won, but it will cost you – A resident reported that she was contacted by phone that she won a large sum of money. Congrats, right? But wait, there’s more. The woman was told to go to Target and buy $1,000 in gift cards to pay the taxes.

Missing cash – A Buffalo Grove couple reported an unauthorized withdrawal of $40,000 from their money market account. Police and the bank are investigating. A similar attempt was made on the couple’s checking account.

Bogus calls – A resident reported getting phone calls from a man saying he was from the Social Security Administration. The caller claimed he found the resident’s ID in a vehicle in Texas, which was filled with drugs.

Annoying rodent -- A man who was using an inflatable rat to apparently voice his discontent with a local company, was told he had to move the rat because it was obstructing the view of a nearby intersection. The man was also requested to move his car off the parkway grass, but he refused, telling police he had a right to park on the grass because it was union business. Seriously. He received a ticket for parking on the parkway. The rat was not cited.

Go with the flow? -- A resident was charged with disorderly conduct after urinating off his balcony. It was reported the man had done this before. He admitted it to the infraction saying he had a medical condition resulting from a brain injury. Not sure if he needs a new urologist or neurologist.

Lawn mower theft – A resident was mulching leaves on the parkway when he stopped to get the mower’s bagging attachment. When he came back, the mower was gone. The leaves, however, were still there.

Lights, camera, complaint -- An employee at a movie theater in the village told police the parents of two children became “irate” after she told the children to stop “messing with a display.” According to reports, the mother allegedly made racial slurs and left after a refund was given. Police spoke to the mother who denied making racial slurs and said the employee was dis respectful to her children. She received a trespass warning and understood they were not to return to the theater.

Stupid is, as stupid does – In the past week, Buffalo Grove police issued three tickets for DUI, two for driving with a revoked or suspended license, one of driving without insurance and one for possession of drug paraphernalia.

And Finally…

From the “You should have thought about that before you left home” department --- A Glenview man was stopped by Buffalo Grove Police and charged with DUI, operating an uninsured vehicle and speeding. But wait, there’s more. During the traffic stop, the man asked officers if he could put on his hoodie because it was cold. No problem. However, according to police reports, the man “brought his hands to the back of his head as to put on a hood, but there was nothing there.” Reports say the man then said “Oh, (expletive), sorry no hoodie.”

Community News

Appellate Court judges to decide pension case

The ongoing battle by the family of Kevin Hauber, a Buffalo Grove firefighter who died of colon cancer at age 51, for his full pension benefits will apparently be decided by three Second District Appellate Court judges, according to the Countryside Reminder. Hauber was a member of the Buffalo Grove Fire Department for 23 years. He died in January 2018.

Parking passes on sale at Village Hall

Parking passes for the Buffalo Grove Metra Station are now on sale at Village Hall, 50 Raupp Blvd. They can also be purchased by mail. Commuters can purchase annual passes for $450 or a January/February 2020 pass for $80. For more information, click here.

Fire Department to host blood drive Dec. 27

A community blood drive is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 27 at Fire Department headquarters, 1051 Highland Grove Drive. Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are recommended. An I.D. is required and the entire donation process takes about one hour. To make an appointment, call Vitalant at 877-258-4825 or click here. The group code for donations is 041D.

Lake County Board approves funding for flood-control projects

Lake County residents may soon see some relief from their stormwater issues as the Lake County Board approved additional funding for the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) as part of the Fiscal Year 2020 budget. The funds will support multiple projects throughout the county and will have a significant impact in helping to alleviate two of the county’s biggest problems--stormwater runoff and flooding.

Over the past few years, Lake County has experienced stronger and more frequent rainfall, and an increase in flooding. In 2018, Lake County rivers went above flood stage during six separate storm events, and this year exceeded flood stage seven times. Because of this, stormwater management projects have become critical. SMC's capital improvement plan will enable SMC to prioritize, design and construct the most beneficial and regionally impactful projects while improving conditions in flood-prone areas. The plan will be focused on three improvement areas: surface water/flood mitigation infrastructure, flooded property buyouts, and stream maintenance.

Student Voices

Here are links to the student newspapers at Stevenson and Buffalo Grove high schools.

Buffalo Grove High School Charger

Stevenson High School Statesman

Wheeling High School Spokesman

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Dec 10, 2019

Unneighborly noise keeps cops busy

Buffalo Grove police last week were summoned to five residences this week, all in apartment or condominium buildings in response to a major distraction – noisy children. It appears that holiday visitors may be at issue as in one case, police received a complaint about a visiting two-year-old’s loud “foot traffic.” The complainant told police the child was running around the house causing the constant foot traffic. Police heard the noise and told the complainant that it was, in fact, normal and that the child was leaving that day and heading with his other back to Ohio. The child was probably an Ohio State fan.

In another case, a neighbor called to complain about another neighbor who had a small child visiting her and the child running around while playing causing what the complainant said was excessive noise. The complaint also told police that they can hear the female resident when she has sex, something they said was disturbing and offensive. This is not a child-related issue. Not yet, anyways.

Another resident called police about, yep, a neighbor whose children were too loud. The woman told police she thinks the neighbor is purposely being loud just to disturb her.

In another child-noise complaint, a resident told police she was threatened by an upstairs neighbor after multiple noise complaints involving her child. Police say they did not hear any excessive noise and told the complainant that “it was not the intent of the Village noise ordinance to regulate noise associated with normal living.” Keyword here is normal.

Not all noise comes from children -- Police were called to a multi-unit residence regarding excessive noise from an upstairs neighbor. Police reports indicate that the neighbor was exercising and dropped a weight on the floor. The complainant also said the neighbor has hardwood floor, which not only amplifies the sound, but is against the homeowners’ association rules.

Theft from an auto – A resident reported to police that a window on his car was broken and an auxiliary gauge pod was taken. Nothing else was reported missing. If you’re wondering what a gauge pod is, it’s a device used to hold automotive gauges in a car. It is not related to an iPod and is not made by Apple.

Holiday package theft – It’s that time of year. A resident reported a gift sent to them and delivered by Amazon was reported missing from the lobby of their building. The resident said he put up signs asking for the package’s return, but no one responded. Amazon confirmed delivery to the lobby.

Fraud – A resident said she got a message via Facebook Messenger saying she had won $500,000, but first had to send the sender $5,000 – which she did. The she realized it was a scam. Police told the resident to never send money to people she does not know.

Who’s the boss? A Lake Zurich man said he received an email from someone claiming to be the CEO of his company asking him to buy $500 worth of gift cards for clients of the company. The man did, but soon found out that it was a bogus email, but not before he purchased the cards. He was able to transfer the remaining balance to a personal account.

Gotta give the bank credit -- A Buffalo Grove man’s bank notified police on suspicion of a scam. The man told then bank and police that he had been called by a man regarding a time share the man and his wife own in Mexico. The man said the caller offered to sell share of the company that manages the time share valued at $150,000, but first the man would have to pay taxes for the sale. The man told the bank and police that he deposited $5,980 in an account managed by the Private Investment Bank. Over the course of the next six weeks, the man deposited an additional $16,000 in various accounts. When the caller requested another $16,000, the man went to the bank, where a bank official became suspicious and contacted police.

Community News

Buffalo Grove Road widening project to begin early 2020

With an agreement with Lake County in hand, work on the widening of Buffalo Grove Road from Deerfield Parkway to Half Day Road is set to begin early next year. The project will coincide with the widening of Weiland Road, which may make north-south travel a bit of a challenge.

Second Woodman’s gas station gets OK

The Village Board Dec. 2 approved plans for a second gas station operated by Woodman’s. The self-serve station will be located on the south side of Deerfield Parkway and will operate 24 hours.

Local knitters helping the needy

Two area craft groups, the Craft Ladies and Sedgebrook Knitters have found a novel way to enjoy their hobby while helping others. Both groups are donating the scarves, hats and gloves they are knitting to the Vernon Township Food Pantry, which provides not just food, but other necessities for needy families in the area.

Yard waste collection ends Dec. 15

The last day of landscape waste pick up for the year is Dec. 15. Yard waste should be set out on the regularly scheduled recycling pickup day, and be contained in 32-gallon special yard waste paper bags, or 32-gallon rigid unlined waste containers marked with a large "X". For more information on acceptable landscape waste items, click here.

Various fines, fees to climb Jan. 1

Fines for violations to various village ordinances, including possession of fireworks and drug paraphernalia will increase Jan. 1. There will also be increased in various fees to construction permits.

Holiday light recycling available

If you’re coming across holiday lights that you no longer want to use, they can be recycled or disposed of at either Village Hall, 50 Raupp Blvd., or the Police Department, 46 Raupp Blvd. through March 31, 2020.