Pilot recalls crash details
Originally published Saturday, Oct. 30, 2004
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
His plane was dropping 500 feet a minute, and Bernie Hogan knew he had only one minute until he hit ground.
Police had blocked off nearby Milwaukee Road in Buffalo Grove, but the plane couldn't make it that far.
Hogan knew his only chance not to hit any cars or pedestrians was a gap in traffic on Deerfield Parkway.
"I would never be able to sleep if I hit someone," he said.
A day after his plane crashed on the road in Buffalo Grove Thursday, Hogan recounted those four minutes in the sky from his bed at Northwest Community Hospital, awaiting surgery for his broken leg.
Mostly, Hogan felt grateful to the people who helped him: the Buffalo Grove police and fire departments, people on the scene who lent him a cell phone and offered help, and those in the control towers who helped orchestrate the landing.
Although many of the details are fuzzy for him, Hogan does remember that about 15 minutes after taking off from Palwaukee Municipal Airport in Wheeling Thursday evening, he heard a loud bang from the engine.
"The oil pressure dropped off, and the engine came to an abrupt stop," he said.
Hogan radioed Chicago Approach, which gave him directions back to Palwaukee. Because the plane wouldn't get that far, the control tower asked Buffalo Grove police to close part of Milwaukee Avenue.
The blocked intersection turned out to be too far away as well, but a light had just turned red on Deerfield Parkway. Hogan saw that a 600-foot section of the westbound lanes was free of traffic, so he turned the plane around.
"The road had telephone poles on the right side and a row of trees down the median, so I knew the trees would catch me from going in the eastbound lanes, where there was traffic," Hogan said.
He hit a light pole and ended up with the plane wrapped around a tree.
Hogan doesn't remember the exact circumstances of his crash at about 7:15 p.m., but he remembers getting out of the plane as fast as he could in case of an explosion.
"There was a little panic when I was trying to figure out why my leg was stuck on the ground," Hogan said.
Both bones in his right leg had broken, and when crews arrived they found him sitting on one of the wings of the plane, unable to walk farther.
Surgery for his leg was scheduled for late Friday afternoon. Hogan also received light burns on his chest and some bruises.
He had owned the plane, a Piper PA24, for about 20 years. He started flying at the age of 9 under the supervision of his dad, a flight instructor.
Hogan, an independent contractor who works in sales with hospitals, spends about 300 hours a year in his plane.
Hogan was on his way home to Evansville, Ind., after he had just dropped off his business associate Linda Frank, a Glenview resident.
He plans to buy another plane as soon as he gets out of the hospital Monday.
He said his wife, Heather, and two children are a little wary of his flying again but said they understand his need to get another plane.
Meanwhile, his old plane remains in a hangar while the Federal Aviation Administration investigates. Tony Molinaro, a spokesman, said it could take up to eight weeks to determine the crash's cause.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Woman's death at Old Orchard called a homicide
Woman's death at Old Orchard called a homicide
Originally published Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Her brother-in-law remembers Jung Yon Jun as a faithful woman who attended church often since moving to this country 25 years ago.
Jun, 53, of Long Grove, was found dead late Sunday of stab wounds and blows to the head in her restaurant in Skokie, the Cook County medical examiner's office confirmed Tuesday.
A security guard discovered her at the The Great Steak & Potato Co., franchise she and her husband recently purchased in Skokie's Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard.
Sam Rhee, brother of Jun's husband John, said the family came from Korea about 25 years ago and had since acquired many businesses.
"She was a very faithful person, pretty and charming," Rhee said. "She had good relationship with other people."
Along with the restaurant, the Juns also operate coin laundry services.
Jun worked at the restaurant while her husband handled the laundry businesses, which they started 10 years ago, Rhee said.
The couple has two daughters in their mid-20s, Rhee said, and have a house in the affluent Herons Landing subdivision in Long Grove.
As of Tuesday, the police had not given the family new information on Jun's death, he said.
A security guard found her around 11:40 p.m. Sunday after her husband grew worried that she had not come home from work, Rhee said. The Great Steak & Potato Co. was open until 9 that night.
Additional officers for both Westfield security and the Skokie police have been placed on duty during the holiday season, but Sgt. Paul Kruszynski of the Skokie Police Department said Jun's death should not make shoppers feel wary of going to the mall. He said this is a "truly isolated event."
"This has nothing to do with holiday shopping," he said. "This was all after hours, as far as we can determine."
The police and the North Regional Major Crime Task Force are looking for information the public may have on the slaying.
Anyone with information can call the tip line at (847) 853-7580 or the Skokie Police Department Investigation Section at (847) 982-5900.
The Great Steak & Potato Co. remained closed Tuesday. Mall representatives said they did not know when it would re-open.
Funeral services are pending.
Originally published Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Her brother-in-law remembers Jung Yon Jun as a faithful woman who attended church often since moving to this country 25 years ago.
Jun, 53, of Long Grove, was found dead late Sunday of stab wounds and blows to the head in her restaurant in Skokie, the Cook County medical examiner's office confirmed Tuesday.
A security guard discovered her at the The Great Steak & Potato Co., franchise she and her husband recently purchased in Skokie's Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard.
Sam Rhee, brother of Jun's husband John, said the family came from Korea about 25 years ago and had since acquired many businesses.
"She was a very faithful person, pretty and charming," Rhee said. "She had good relationship with other people."
Along with the restaurant, the Juns also operate coin laundry services.
Jun worked at the restaurant while her husband handled the laundry businesses, which they started 10 years ago, Rhee said.
The couple has two daughters in their mid-20s, Rhee said, and have a house in the affluent Herons Landing subdivision in Long Grove.
As of Tuesday, the police had not given the family new information on Jun's death, he said.
A security guard found her around 11:40 p.m. Sunday after her husband grew worried that she had not come home from work, Rhee said. The Great Steak & Potato Co. was open until 9 that night.
Additional officers for both Westfield security and the Skokie police have been placed on duty during the holiday season, but Sgt. Paul Kruszynski of the Skokie Police Department said Jun's death should not make shoppers feel wary of going to the mall. He said this is a "truly isolated event."
"This has nothing to do with holiday shopping," he said. "This was all after hours, as far as we can determine."
The police and the North Regional Major Crime Task Force are looking for information the public may have on the slaying.
Anyone with information can call the tip line at (847) 853-7580 or the Skokie Police Department Investigation Section at (847) 982-5900.
The Great Steak & Potato Co. remained closed Tuesday. Mall representatives said they did not know when it would re-open.
Funeral services are pending.
Buffalo Grove teen's friends cling to hope
Buffalo Grove teen's friends cling to hope
Originally published Friday, Oct. 26, 2007
By Burt Constable and Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writers
Wisconsin divers today once again will search for a body in the muddy Baraboo River, as loved ones and friends of missing Stevenson High School senior Lee S. Cutler cling to slight hope the 18-year-old will unexpectedly show up alive somewhere else.
"We're already deeply into the unexpected," notes Dan de Garzia, a family friend who has become the spokesman for Cutler's parents and the hundreds of teenagers and parents who continue to meet nightly in person or online in an attempt to solve the mystery that has gripped them since the Buffalo Grove teenager was reported missing Saturday.
An active and friendly student who turned 18 early this month, Cutler attended a birthday dinner for a friend Friday evening, and was in a small group of teens who then spent the night at another friend's house.
Cutler dropped one of the teens at home at 9:50 a.m. Saturday in Buffalo Grove but never showed up for his part-time job at Westfield Hawthorn shopping center in Vernon Hills.
Instead, he apparently drove by himself to rural Wisconsin without telling anyone. The teen's locked car was discovered at 3:30 a.m. Monday along the Baraboo River just south of the Wisconsin Dells. His yarmulke, a blanket and his school backpack - containing letters to and from family members, but no obvious clues to his disappearance - were found on a muddy riverbank near a Highway 33 bridge east of Baraboo.
Rescue workers on foot, in airplanes and in a helicopter with a heat-sensing infrared camera found no sign of the missing teen in the hilly forest or nearby cornfields this week; neither did a dog trained to sniff out dead bodies.
Friends continue to support each other through a facebook.com discussion group called "lets find lee!!"
"Don't go it alone. We have all seen how strong we are together, so let's not stop now," one Thursday posting reads. "Take care of each other today. We still have some road ahead of us and we need to keep up both our emotional and physical strength."
"We're encouraging students who have questions and concerns to talk with us," says Jim Conrey, a spokesman for Stevenson High School, which has counseling stations for students who need them. "Unfortunately, like many people, we're a little uncertain about what's going on ourselves.
"We don't know the circumstances that led him to do what he did. We're not sure what the underlying factors are, so to some degree it's difficult to talk about it."
Originally published Friday, Oct. 26, 2007
By Burt Constable and Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writers
Wisconsin divers today once again will search for a body in the muddy Baraboo River, as loved ones and friends of missing Stevenson High School senior Lee S. Cutler cling to slight hope the 18-year-old will unexpectedly show up alive somewhere else.
"We're already deeply into the unexpected," notes Dan de Garzia, a family friend who has become the spokesman for Cutler's parents and the hundreds of teenagers and parents who continue to meet nightly in person or online in an attempt to solve the mystery that has gripped them since the Buffalo Grove teenager was reported missing Saturday.
An active and friendly student who turned 18 early this month, Cutler attended a birthday dinner for a friend Friday evening, and was in a small group of teens who then spent the night at another friend's house.
Cutler dropped one of the teens at home at 9:50 a.m. Saturday in Buffalo Grove but never showed up for his part-time job at Westfield Hawthorn shopping center in Vernon Hills.
Instead, he apparently drove by himself to rural Wisconsin without telling anyone. The teen's locked car was discovered at 3:30 a.m. Monday along the Baraboo River just south of the Wisconsin Dells. His yarmulke, a blanket and his school backpack - containing letters to and from family members, but no obvious clues to his disappearance - were found on a muddy riverbank near a Highway 33 bridge east of Baraboo.
Rescue workers on foot, in airplanes and in a helicopter with a heat-sensing infrared camera found no sign of the missing teen in the hilly forest or nearby cornfields this week; neither did a dog trained to sniff out dead bodies.
Friends continue to support each other through a facebook.com discussion group called "lets find lee!!"
"Don't go it alone. We have all seen how strong we are together, so let's not stop now," one Thursday posting reads. "Take care of each other today. We still have some road ahead of us and we need to keep up both our emotional and physical strength."
"We're encouraging students who have questions and concerns to talk with us," says Jim Conrey, a spokesman for Stevenson High School, which has counseling stations for students who need them. "Unfortunately, like many people, we're a little uncertain about what's going on ourselves.
"We don't know the circumstances that led him to do what he did. We're not sure what the underlying factors are, so to some degree it's difficult to talk about it."
Teen's bag found
Teen's bag found
Search for missing Stevenson senior to resume today
Originally published Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Wisconsin police have found more personal belongings of a Stevenson High School senior who has been missing since Saturday.
Lee Cutler, 18, of Buffalo Grove was last seen 9:50 a.m. Saturday when he dropped a friend off at his home. He was supposed to go to work at noon Saturday at Rock America in Vernon Hills but didn't show up.
The Sauk County sheriff's police on Monday found Cutler's gray 2007 Toyota Corolla parked off Highway 33 near Baraboo, Wis.
The police and fire departments have been conducting a search on foot and in the air since then.
On Tuesday, police announced that they had also found blankets and a backpack belonging to Cutler near the Baraboo River.
"Everything in the backpack and the car is sort of the typical 18-year-old's stuff," said Daniel De Grazia, a family friend who is also in Wisconsin. "There's some writing, some paperwork; the car is filled with CDs and an iPod."
Beth Frazin, Cutler's mother, and Barry Frazin, his stepfather, traveled to Sauk County as soon as they heard the car was found there.
Barry Frazin said Cutler went to a birthday part Friday and spent the night at a friend's house.
"We don't really know why he came here," he said.
Frazin said Cutler has an ex-girlfriend in Cedarburg, north of Milwaukee, but that still didn't explain why his car was in Sauk County, which is west of Milwaukee.
Tracking of calls on Cutler's cell phone show that he used it last at 12:30 a.m. Saturday.
Frazin said Cutler had been going through a difficult time, coping with his grandmother's battle with cancer, another friend with cancer and stresses at school.
Cutler's friends and family have set up a Facebook group to involve those who know him in the search.
"One of the things that's really impressed me with both the Buffalo Grove police department and the sheriff's department is that I'm left with the belief that these guys are acting like it's one of their own kids out here," De Grazia said.
He said the sheriff's police has discouraged family and friends from joining in the search since the terrain is fairly rugged.
De Grazia said the heavily wooded area might have been something that caught Cutler's eye, since he enjoyed being outdoors.
However, he said the Baraboo River isn't a scenic one and could pose a danger.
"This is worse than any natural disaster for a parent - for a kid to go missing," he said.
Police have said that they don't think foul play is involved. De Grazia said it gave the family a little hope that the personal belongings were found.
"It raises as many questions as hope," he said.
The Sauk County sheriff's department called off the search early Tuesday evening and will resume the search this morning.
Cutler, who is 5'10" and 140 pounds, was last seen wearing a dark blue sweater, khakis and a red-striped kippah.
Anyone with information should call Buffalo Grove police at (847) 459-2560 or the Sauk County sheriff's department at (608) 356-4895.
- Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.
Search for missing Stevenson senior to resume today
Originally published Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Wisconsin police have found more personal belongings of a Stevenson High School senior who has been missing since Saturday.
Lee Cutler, 18, of Buffalo Grove was last seen 9:50 a.m. Saturday when he dropped a friend off at his home. He was supposed to go to work at noon Saturday at Rock America in Vernon Hills but didn't show up.
The Sauk County sheriff's police on Monday found Cutler's gray 2007 Toyota Corolla parked off Highway 33 near Baraboo, Wis.
The police and fire departments have been conducting a search on foot and in the air since then.
On Tuesday, police announced that they had also found blankets and a backpack belonging to Cutler near the Baraboo River.
"Everything in the backpack and the car is sort of the typical 18-year-old's stuff," said Daniel De Grazia, a family friend who is also in Wisconsin. "There's some writing, some paperwork; the car is filled with CDs and an iPod."
Beth Frazin, Cutler's mother, and Barry Frazin, his stepfather, traveled to Sauk County as soon as they heard the car was found there.
Barry Frazin said Cutler went to a birthday part Friday and spent the night at a friend's house.
"We don't really know why he came here," he said.
Frazin said Cutler has an ex-girlfriend in Cedarburg, north of Milwaukee, but that still didn't explain why his car was in Sauk County, which is west of Milwaukee.
Tracking of calls on Cutler's cell phone show that he used it last at 12:30 a.m. Saturday.
Frazin said Cutler had been going through a difficult time, coping with his grandmother's battle with cancer, another friend with cancer and stresses at school.
Cutler's friends and family have set up a Facebook group to involve those who know him in the search.
"One of the things that's really impressed me with both the Buffalo Grove police department and the sheriff's department is that I'm left with the belief that these guys are acting like it's one of their own kids out here," De Grazia said.
He said the sheriff's police has discouraged family and friends from joining in the search since the terrain is fairly rugged.
De Grazia said the heavily wooded area might have been something that caught Cutler's eye, since he enjoyed being outdoors.
However, he said the Baraboo River isn't a scenic one and could pose a danger.
"This is worse than any natural disaster for a parent - for a kid to go missing," he said.
Police have said that they don't think foul play is involved. De Grazia said it gave the family a little hope that the personal belongings were found.
"It raises as many questions as hope," he said.
The Sauk County sheriff's department called off the search early Tuesday evening and will resume the search this morning.
Cutler, who is 5'10" and 140 pounds, was last seen wearing a dark blue sweater, khakis and a red-striped kippah.
Anyone with information should call Buffalo Grove police at (847) 459-2560 or the Sauk County sheriff's department at (608) 356-4895.
- Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.
Search on for missing Buffalo Grove teen
Search on for missing Buffalo Grove teen
Originally published Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Buffalo Grove police are searching for a Stevenson High School senior whose car was found Monday in Wisconsin.
Lee S. Cutler, 18, has been missing since Saturday. Police said he dropped a friend off at 9:50 a.m. that day and then didn't show up for his job at Rock America in Vernon Hills at noon.
His friends and family haven't heard from him since, which they say is out of character for Cutler.
Buffalo Grove Police Cmdr. Steve Husak said so far there is no evidence that foul play is involved.
However, the Sauk County Sheriff's Department in Wisconsin is doing an air and ground search after Cutler's gray 2007 Toyota Corolla was found near a corn field near Baraboo. The vehicle was locked and unoccupied.
"There doesn't seem to be any sort of a link," Husak said. "There's no family or friends who live in that area."
Daniel de Grazia, who is friends with the family, said Cutler's friends have started a Facebook group to get any sort of leads they can.
"He was supposed to be going to a new job that he loves," de Grazia said. "His cell phone seems to be turned off or lost or ran out of battery."
He said Cutler's voice mail is also full after his family started calling him over the weekend.
De Grazia said Cutler's friends said there was no indication that anything was going on that would make him go away.
"It's completely out of left field," he said. "No one had any inkling that he was dissatisfied or interested in taking a break."
De Grazia said Cutler seems to have taken a change of clothes with him and his parents and family still have high hopes that he can be found safely.
Anyone with information on Cutler should call the Buffalo Grove police at (847) 459-2560.
Originally published Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Buffalo Grove police are searching for a Stevenson High School senior whose car was found Monday in Wisconsin.
Lee S. Cutler, 18, has been missing since Saturday. Police said he dropped a friend off at 9:50 a.m. that day and then didn't show up for his job at Rock America in Vernon Hills at noon.
His friends and family haven't heard from him since, which they say is out of character for Cutler.
Buffalo Grove Police Cmdr. Steve Husak said so far there is no evidence that foul play is involved.
However, the Sauk County Sheriff's Department in Wisconsin is doing an air and ground search after Cutler's gray 2007 Toyota Corolla was found near a corn field near Baraboo. The vehicle was locked and unoccupied.
"There doesn't seem to be any sort of a link," Husak said. "There's no family or friends who live in that area."
Daniel de Grazia, who is friends with the family, said Cutler's friends have started a Facebook group to get any sort of leads they can.
"He was supposed to be going to a new job that he loves," de Grazia said. "His cell phone seems to be turned off or lost or ran out of battery."
He said Cutler's voice mail is also full after his family started calling him over the weekend.
De Grazia said Cutler's friends said there was no indication that anything was going on that would make him go away.
"It's completely out of left field," he said. "No one had any inkling that he was dissatisfied or interested in taking a break."
De Grazia said Cutler seems to have taken a change of clothes with him and his parents and family still have high hopes that he can be found safely.
Anyone with information on Cutler should call the Buffalo Grove police at (847) 459-2560.
Stevenson teachers take history to blogosphere
Stevenson teachers take history to blogosphere
Curriculum includes podcasts, blogs and radio interviews with alumni
Originally published Sunday, May 21, 2007
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
When China's president came to the United States for a visit in April, the media jumped on the opportunity to discuss economics and the extent of this country's relationship with a communist nation.
In Lincolnshire, two teachers at Stevenson High School also put in their two cents using new media technology.
Andrew Conneen and Dan Larsen recorded their weekly podcast, called "The Regular Guys," which they put on their AP government class Web site for students to download.
In the broadcast, they discussed the significance of Hu Jintao's trip so their students could understand it in the context of their class discussions on China's government.
"We're always looking for projects we can utilize technology for," Conneen said.
Stevenson administrators, in fact, have lent laptops, digital cameras and iPods to the school's four government teachers so they can incorporate technology into their teaching.
"A couple years ago, the school encouraged us to think outside the box," Larsen said.
"They really encouraged us to integrate technology. They gave us training and encouragement to do it a little bit more aggressively."
Every Friday, Conneen and Larsen upload a podcast, an Internet broadcast that students can listen to online or on mp3 players, such as iPods.
They define relevant terms, such as a recent session on interest groups, and discuss current events to help students understand the ideas.
"You don't usually get a podcast that helps you study for your exams," said Corbb O'Connor, a senior who took both comparative and American government classes. "You get to expand what you learned in class that day."
The teachers also took advantage of their new technology tools earlier in the year, when they saw a potential classroom lesson playing out in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Conneen, Larsen, Jennifer Bouchard and Vanessa Lal flew to Washington, D.C., in February to film a documentary as the Supreme Court discussed the constitutionality of gerrymandering, or electoral redistricting for political advantages, in Texas in 2003.
"We captured some video outside the Supreme Court and interviewed some of the notables who stopped by," Conneen said.
After the court hands down a decision later this year, students can watch the firsthand account of the case.
Besides the documentary, all four teachers keep daily blogs that discuss current events. The Web sites allow students to discuss the news.
"(The blogs have) been most successful in getting those kids who might be too shy to participate in class discussions," Conneen said.
Paul Axel, a senior, said he's online so often anyway that he checks his class blog, www.citizenu.org, in his daily routine and often comments.
"It allows the teachers to talk about things they normally wouldn't get to talk about in class," he said. "They make it a lot more accessible for a lot of kids who don't watch the news or read the newspaper."
The teachers also bring relevant speakers to the school's radio station. They do a show during elections, and their students broadcast a forum with 8th Congressional Republican and 10th Congressional Democratic candidates before the March primary.
On May 15, the teachers did a 2 1/2-hour radio broadcast to review for the next day's AP government exam.
The show featured John Anderson, who ran as a third-party candidate for president against Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter in 1980; Dotty Lynch, senior editor for the CBS National News; Jay Matthews, education reporter for the Washington Post and Newsweek; and former student Brad Goodman, who works for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a Plano Republican.
"It's such a great way to reach out and do things in a nontraditional and more exciting way," Goodman said about the radio show. "All too often people rely on methods that are just outdated. For today's youth, having a blog and having a radio show, it's so unique."
The teachers' connection to alumni, many of whom were inspired to political careers because of their classes at Stevenson, helps garner big-name guests.
"They really help communicate their passion for the subject," said Mosheh Oinounou, a 2000 graduate who works as a news researcher in Washington, D.C. "They really treat the students like mature adults and discuss the issues of our time."
Conneen said many of his students told him they were able to use the concepts guests brought up during the show on their AP exam, where they were encouraged to give examples during their free-response questions.
That's exactly the point of using different media to get the students talking about government.
"I think we envision a virtual interactive textbook to make it available for our students," Larsen said. The idea is especially important since in government class, the textbook is constantly changing with current events.
The teachers are slowly working toward that, for now interviewing political figures and having them define terms for their students.
For example, they have clips of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama talking about the 26th Amendment that allowed 18 year olds to vote, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk defining "constituent," and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin discussing "party discipline."
"The government curriculum is really vocabulary driven," Conneen said, "and students have to understand these terms."
The use of blogs and podcasts also helps to bridge the gap between generations.
"We call our students 'digital natives,' and the adults are 'digital immigrants,' " Conneen said. "This was a way to communicate using the technology."
Curriculum includes podcasts, blogs and radio interviews with alumni
Originally published Sunday, May 21, 2007
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
When China's president came to the United States for a visit in April, the media jumped on the opportunity to discuss economics and the extent of this country's relationship with a communist nation.
In Lincolnshire, two teachers at Stevenson High School also put in their two cents using new media technology.
Andrew Conneen and Dan Larsen recorded their weekly podcast, called "The Regular Guys," which they put on their AP government class Web site for students to download.
In the broadcast, they discussed the significance of Hu Jintao's trip so their students could understand it in the context of their class discussions on China's government.
"We're always looking for projects we can utilize technology for," Conneen said.
Stevenson administrators, in fact, have lent laptops, digital cameras and iPods to the school's four government teachers so they can incorporate technology into their teaching.
"A couple years ago, the school encouraged us to think outside the box," Larsen said.
"They really encouraged us to integrate technology. They gave us training and encouragement to do it a little bit more aggressively."
Every Friday, Conneen and Larsen upload a podcast, an Internet broadcast that students can listen to online or on mp3 players, such as iPods.
They define relevant terms, such as a recent session on interest groups, and discuss current events to help students understand the ideas.
"You don't usually get a podcast that helps you study for your exams," said Corbb O'Connor, a senior who took both comparative and American government classes. "You get to expand what you learned in class that day."
The teachers also took advantage of their new technology tools earlier in the year, when they saw a potential classroom lesson playing out in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Conneen, Larsen, Jennifer Bouchard and Vanessa Lal flew to Washington, D.C., in February to film a documentary as the Supreme Court discussed the constitutionality of gerrymandering, or electoral redistricting for political advantages, in Texas in 2003.
"We captured some video outside the Supreme Court and interviewed some of the notables who stopped by," Conneen said.
After the court hands down a decision later this year, students can watch the firsthand account of the case.
Besides the documentary, all four teachers keep daily blogs that discuss current events. The Web sites allow students to discuss the news.
"(The blogs have) been most successful in getting those kids who might be too shy to participate in class discussions," Conneen said.
Paul Axel, a senior, said he's online so often anyway that he checks his class blog, www.citizenu.org, in his daily routine and often comments.
"It allows the teachers to talk about things they normally wouldn't get to talk about in class," he said. "They make it a lot more accessible for a lot of kids who don't watch the news or read the newspaper."
The teachers also bring relevant speakers to the school's radio station. They do a show during elections, and their students broadcast a forum with 8th Congressional Republican and 10th Congressional Democratic candidates before the March primary.
On May 15, the teachers did a 2 1/2-hour radio broadcast to review for the next day's AP government exam.
The show featured John Anderson, who ran as a third-party candidate for president against Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter in 1980; Dotty Lynch, senior editor for the CBS National News; Jay Matthews, education reporter for the Washington Post and Newsweek; and former student Brad Goodman, who works for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a Plano Republican.
"It's such a great way to reach out and do things in a nontraditional and more exciting way," Goodman said about the radio show. "All too often people rely on methods that are just outdated. For today's youth, having a blog and having a radio show, it's so unique."
The teachers' connection to alumni, many of whom were inspired to political careers because of their classes at Stevenson, helps garner big-name guests.
"They really help communicate their passion for the subject," said Mosheh Oinounou, a 2000 graduate who works as a news researcher in Washington, D.C. "They really treat the students like mature adults and discuss the issues of our time."
Conneen said many of his students told him they were able to use the concepts guests brought up during the show on their AP exam, where they were encouraged to give examples during their free-response questions.
That's exactly the point of using different media to get the students talking about government.
"I think we envision a virtual interactive textbook to make it available for our students," Larsen said. The idea is especially important since in government class, the textbook is constantly changing with current events.
The teachers are slowly working toward that, for now interviewing political figures and having them define terms for their students.
For example, they have clips of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama talking about the 26th Amendment that allowed 18 year olds to vote, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk defining "constituent," and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin discussing "party discipline."
"The government curriculum is really vocabulary driven," Conneen said, "and students have to understand these terms."
The use of blogs and podcasts also helps to bridge the gap between generations.
"We call our students 'digital natives,' and the adults are 'digital immigrants,' " Conneen said. "This was a way to communicate using the technology."
No swan song here
No swan song here
Wheeling barber finds he's ready to close his doors after 45 years but he'll keep a hand in the barbershop quartet business
Originally published Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
While trimming away his customers' hair, Craig Huotari maintains a friendly flow of banter.
"Mike here is one of my fun customers," he says of Wheeling resident Mike Segermark. "He's one of the ones I look forward to seeing."
Huotari creates a flat-top haircut for Segermark in his Wheeling barbershop, which has been at 251 E. Dundee Road for 45 years.
"Have I told you why this razor's so sharp?" he asks Segermark. "Because we're on the edge of town. A little barber humor there."
A news station -- one that he never turns off -- plays in the background as Huotari uses a straight-edged razor to cut the hair around Segermark's ears and neck. The technique isn't usually found at more modern hair salons, which is one of the attractions for Huotari's customers.
Segermark comes to Huotari because he knows just how to create the flat-top hair style of his choice. It's an art to get it not too long but also not too short.
"This kind of haircut is like sculpting," Huotari says.
You can tell that Huotari has been doing his job for a while, and you can tell he's good at it.
His customers have been coming to him for the years he's been in Wheeling because they know he's one of the few old-fashioned barbers still around. He even sings in a barbershop quartet, adding to his credibility.
But at the end of the month, they will have to find a new way to bring the good old days into their lives.
The 74-year-old, who lives in Wisconsin, will be retiring and spending more time with his three kids and on his boat, which is depicted in snapshots all around his shop. The building where his shop resides is being renovated, and an increase in the lease signaled it was time to retire.
He opened the shop in April 1962 after four years in the Air Force. Huotari and his friend had been playing baseball and trying to figure out what to do.
"Barber college paid $280 a month with the GI Bill," he said.
After some time at the Chicago college, Huotari realized he liked being a barber. He initially owned a shop in Des Plaines and then sold it to open one in Wheeling.
"When I was in the Air Force, I knew I had to be my own boss," he said. "When I first saw this place, it was dirt."
He opened up and waited for customers to come. Eventually, he built a solid base, employing a couple of other barbers. Now, he works alone, serving an average of 17 customers a day during his 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. work hours.
Those who walk in off the street will have a hard time getting an appointment, as most of Huotari's business is long-booked by his regulars.
Ken Brady, a trustee on the Wheeling village board, is one of those patrons who can't remember how long he's been coming to see Huotari.
"It's been about 35 or 38 years," he said. "He's turned into such a good friend, you'd almost look forward to having your monthly haircuts."
Brady said he's even gone to Galena to stay at the bed-and-breakfast Huotari owned with his wife before she passed away two years ago.
"I don't think you get that type of relationship with these larger shops," Brady said. "This sort of place is getting few and far between."
Brady's is the first appointment on Jan. 26, the last day Huotari will keep Craig's Barber Shop open.
"They're all friends now," Huotari says of the 1,200 names he has in his card file.
He's had his fair share of sports celebrities come in -- Mike Ditka even made a stop once -- but Huotari said it's the regular customers who he enjoys talking to.
"You get to know who your customers are," he said.
George Passolt, one of Huatori's first customers and the village manager in Wheeling in the 1970s, still comes by to talk to Huatori about what's going on in town.
On a recent Friday, Passolt was in the barber chair. As Mount Prospect resident Bill Richter waited, the three exchanged quips and had conversations about everything from the CTA to the time when the village refused to let Huotari's barbershop pole rotate because it violated a village code.
"It's a good atmosphere," Richter said.
Huotari said he's not ready to give up the business completely. He's gotten offers to work part-time at other shops but he's still thinking it over.
He'll also stay with Seriously, the barbershop quartet he sings with. The group sang with the group Monday night at Wheeling's village board meeting when the town honored his time in the village.
"I think it's time," Huotari said of retirement. "I've got a sailboat waiting for me."
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