This article was updated Dec. 31, 2008

A woman was knocked down, beaten and robbed of a valuable ring in
Wilmette on Saturday. The assailant does not match the description of the masked
ring snatcher suspected in armed robberies in Highland Park and Lake
Forest in November, but the crime is similar. In all three cases, a man
is accused of targeting and following a woman, approaching her in a strip-mall parking lot, demanding jewelry
and fleeing the scene of the crime.

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A Lake Forest woman whose car struck a pedestrian on Lake-Cook Road last year has been found not-guilty of failing to report an accident, according to Tuesday's Daily Herald. The newspaper reported that police have said Catherine Cirrincione, 50 and of Lake Forest, was not responsible for the accident itself. Matuesz Szakola, 18, of Buffalo Grove, was crossing the street when he was struck by one car and then a second time by a car traveling in the opposite direction. The second car later was found to have been driven by Ms. Cirrincione. The high school senior died after the crash. For the complete story, please visit the Daily Herald's website.

The Lake County News-Sun is running an interesting story about three young adults from Lake Bluff and Lake Forest who in January plan to trek Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for the 30,000 villagers who live at the foot of the mountain. The trekkers are filming their climb and the effects of limited fresh water in the impoverished Uru region of Tanzania for a new non-profit organization called It Can Be Done. They are Jeremy Vranich, a 20-year-old from Lake Bluff and film student at Flashpoint Academy in Chicago; Catherine Lynch, a 23-year-old graduate of Woodlands Academy and Columbia College who hails from Lake Forest; and Sam Fell, a 19-year-old Flashpoint Academy student from Lake Forest. Please visit the News-Sun's website for photos and the full story.

If you plan on drinking without a designated driver, may we suggest the following? Take a few deep breaths … and imagine having to take one deep breath into a high-tech gizmo every time you start your engine. Beginning Jan. 1, first-time DUI suspects who want to drive during their suspension are 
required to install in their vehicles a Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device. This prevents drivers from operating the vehicle if their breath sample registers .05 or higher—a level that can be reached after just one or two drinks.

But that's not all. Drivers who refuse to take a breath test when they have been pulled over for suspicion of driving under the influence will automatically have their license suspended for a year (six months for those who fail the test). "This is a big deal, as many lawyers suggest you take a pass on the Breathalyzer," said Stacy Vermylen, director of the LF/LB Underage Drinking Coalition. The goal of the new state law: To prevent repeat DUI offenses.

The Lake Forest Police Department makes 60 some DUI arrests each year. There is a growing problem among repeat offenders, Deputy Chief Glenn Burmeister told GazeboNews. "We are making more felony arrests for DUI, that meaning we are arresting for driving while revoked or suspended for a DUI or repeat DUI offenses," he said.

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Is this a leftover Halloween gag, or is someone in Lake Bluff missing a cat? We hope it is the former, but it does seem possible for a feline to freeze this way, given weather that oscillates between foggy mugginess and clear-sky frigidity. After a lovely White Christmas and Hannukah, Saturday brought unseasonably warm temperatures, fog that seemed thicker than old eggnog and heavy rains that flooded  golf courses, ice rinks, storm drains and basements. But by Sunday when this photo was taken, the sky was clear and bright and the air was dry and very, very cold. According to weather folklore, a clear moon brings a frost soon, and this was the case Sunday night with highs in the low 20s.

The freeze-thaw cycles are expected to continue. The National Weather Service forecasts a high of 42 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday; 35 on Tuesday and 21 on Wednesday. Wear a warm coat on New Year's Eve; the night-time temp is expected to reach 12 degrees. And  keep the cats indoors.

(Click the picture to get a close-up of the cat.)

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Does anyone use tinsel anymore? If so, you should remove it before hauling the Christmas tree to the curb. That goes for ornaments, lights, candy canes, the stand and anything else used to decorate or prop up the tree. The Village of Lake Bluff and the City of Lake Forest both have Christmas-tree pick up services. But only for real trees!

• Lake Forest will pick up real Christmas trees from the curb on regularly scheduled recycling days in January. Trees must be free of all lights and ornamentation. They must be cut in six-foot lengths. And please, no plastic bags.
• In Lake Bluff, place the tree curbside on regular refuse-collection days–there is no time limit, you can pitch it next week or keep it till Valentine's Day if you like. But please keep watering it. The Village points out that It takes just 30 seconds for fire to consume a dried-out Christmas tree. Visit the Village's website for more on how to keep your Christmas tree from becoming a fire hazard. Questions? Call 847-234-0774. Or subscribe to the Village's weekly newsletter.

When the state banned smoking in public a year ago, Lois Sorenson wasn't sure what to expect. Her family had operated McCormick's in Lake Bluff for over 50 years, and for over 50 years it had been a haven for smokers. The smoke never bothered Mrs. Sorenson, even though she quit smoking 43 years ago. The odor was so dense that it lingered in the bar's curtains for months after the ban took effect last January. Carefully in those first days, Mrs. Sorenson informed a group of regulars they would have to take their cigarettes outdoors now and forever after. "And you know, not one of them complained," she told GazeboNews. "They just picked up their cigarettes and went outside to smoke. Later my son-in-law built a tarp to protect them from the wind, because they go out to smoke even when it's zero degrees."

The Lake County Health Department reports that contrary to what everyone expected last year, the statewide no-smoking law may have had a healthy effect on businesses.

The health department points to data from the Illinois Department of Revenue, which shows a 2.6% increase in Lake County overall sales tax revenue and a 6.7% increase in tax revenue from restaurants and bars.

And while some were certain the Smoke-Free Illinois legislation would stomp out new enterprises from opening, that does not

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Please do not despair if you are staying in town during the holiday break, even though the frozen snow is beginning to look like glazed icing on a stale cake and is expected to turn to grey slush in due time. There are plenty of things to do in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff indoors and out, and there are plenty of people around doing them. Here are a few options—if you know of other stuff to do, please add a comment to this story or send your ideas to adrienne@gazebonews.com.

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Want a treat? Click on the picture below to launch a holiday slide show of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff. Make sure to turn the volume up on your computer, because the photos are set beautifully to Trans-Siberian Orchestra's rendition of Pachelbel's Canon.  The slide show is courtesy of Lake Forest photographer Gunnar Soderlind.

Unless something very strange happens, it's going to be a White Christmas. The National Weather Service has issued a "winter weather advisory" for Lake Forest and Lake Bluff and neighboring communities. Weatherforyou.com reports slightly warmers temps in the mid-30s will bring drizzle and patchy fog to the area later today. But it expects the freeze to return tonight with wind chills as low as zero to 10 below zero. Better leave Santa a mug of hot cocoa with the cookies!

Santa's fellow air travelers are already facing delays. According to the Associated Press, more than 500 flights were canceled at O'Hare Airport Tuesday due to snow and wind conditions. And passengers on the Polar Express also could face  delays—as did hundreds of Amtrak railroad passengers in Chicago on Tuesday.

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