Provena Saint Joseph Hospital ranks No. 1 in the state for cardiac surgery in 2009, according to HealthGrades, the nation's leading healthcare ratings company.
• Online: HealthGrades 2009
Community Unit School District 300 Superintendent Ken Arndt announced Tuesday he plans to retire after the 2010-11 school year. The school board approved a resolution modifying Arndt's contract so his retirement becomes effective June 30, 2011. The resolution states that Arndt's letter of retirement is "irrevocable."

A Yorkville man has been charged with the robbery earlier this month of a credit union in Sugar Grove. Jeffrey M. Rush, 42, the son of U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago, was sentenced Wednesday to 180 days in the Kane County Jail and three years probation for arranging sexual encounters with female inmates at an Aurora Illinois Department of Corrections facility.

A one-two-three punch of resignations and the creation of a new sergeant's position have left the Hampshire Police Department with just four fully available patrol officers for the next half a year.

Tuesday marked the third running of the Elgin 1440 Photo Project, where picture-takers hit the streets in an attempt to capture a moment that represents life around town. This year's theme, "Autumn Sun/Harvest Moon," is a continued effort on the part of organizers to illustrate a day within the city during each of the four seasons.

This weekend, Dundee-Crown High School teacher Gary Swick will receive the Richard C. Bartlett Environmental Education Award, a national award that "recognizes a teacher who has creatively incorporated environmental education into the school's core curriculum ... in order to broaden students' understanding and appreciation of the environment." He was chosen from among 40 nominees.

Angie Bellamy Miller graduated from Sycamore High School in 1990, and throughout the years built a life with her family in Medford, Wis. Yet, almost two decades later, as the mother of two wages her battle against breast cancer, Sycamore residents are responding with support, concern and compassion.

Don't call Spring Hill Mall a "gang haven." West Dundee Police Chief Dave Sawyer shared his irritation about public perception of the mall, which sprawls across the village and neighboring Carpentersville at Illinois 72 and 31, during a presentation to the village board Monday night.

A Burlington man injured earlier this week in a crash at Route 47 and Beith Road has died, police said.

Drivers who get pulled over for traffic violations now may expect to receive printed -- not hand-written -- tickets issued under a new electronic ticketing system unveiled Tuesday by local law enforcement agencies. The new tickets will shorten the length of time it takes officers to issue a violation, eliminate data entry for local agencies, and make it easy for drivers to read their tickets, according to circuit court clerks from DuPage, Kane, Will, DeKalb, McHenry and Cook counties.

The Kane County Forest Preserve has purchased the Fox Valley Ice Arena here for $6.25 million. Officials announced the purchase Tuesday during a Forest Preserve District Commission meeting. Commissioners approved a budget transfer to make the purchase.

By 2011, the Chicago area is expected to house two nuclear cancer treatment and research centers within six miles of each other -- in West Chicago and Warrenville. Only five such facilities operate in the United States.

A leading Chicago surgeon who earns royalties on a new heart device used it in a 41-year-old woman without her consent, according to a lawsuit filed by the patient. At least one expert observer calls that unethical, even though the surgeon says he donates the money to charity.

The Kane County Sheriff's department will participate in several events for Crime Prevention Month, sponsored by the National Sheriff's Association and the National Crime Prevention Council. This year's theme is Celebrate Safe Communities. Kane County will participate in several events this month that promote safe communities. Officers will be at schools throughout Kane County during Red Ribbon Week, October 19-25, which promotes healthy, drug-free lifestyles.

You're invited to watch as forensic evidence is "collected" and evaluated when the Dundee Township Public Library hosts "CSI: Dundee" at 7 p.m. Monday. The program features Ken Pfoser, a forensics expert from the Northern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory; Doug Cummings, a former law enforcement officer/crime reporter turned author; and Linda Mickey, a local mystery author. The crime solvers will describe what happens once a dead body is discovered and explain the steps taken to further the investigation through the collection and testing of the physical evidence.

Higher education is not cheap. And for those hoping to save money by attending community college, soaring gasoline prices are cutting into their personal education budgets. For those old enough to remember, that's reminiscent of the energy crisis in the 1970s.