A 2-year-old boy was reported to be in "fine" condition Thursday after being rescued from a fire that heavily damaged a west-side Elgin home. Firefighters who were called to the home about 3:10 p.m. found flames coming from a bedroom on the first floor of the house. Elgin Fire Department Battalion Chief Terry Bruce said emergency personnel soon learned a baby boy remained inside, sitting in a high chair.

Elgin will be spending a lot of green to get an accurate count of trees growing on public property, but will be getting a significant return on that investment.

The state-run Elgin Mental Health Center has beefed up its security procedures following the escape two months ago of accused triple murderer Maikobi Burks, who authorities say used a stolen key to gain his freedom from the facility.