Morton grove student found dead; family fights for information
On Feb. 12, the 19-year-old son of Mathew and Lovely Varughese of Morton Grove disappeared after attending a party on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where he was a student. The body of Pravin Varughese, who had been on the track team at Niles West High School, was found days later. An initial coroner’s report said he died of hypothermia, but the family commissioned an independent autopsy by Dr. Ben Margolis of the Autopsy Center of Chicago, which said he died of blunt force trauma and had defensive wounds, suggesting he was beaten.
In the moments after Pravin Varughese fled into the Carbondale woods, a state trooper stopped when he saw a truck on the side of the road. The young male driver had given Pravin a ride after the party; they had gotten into a fight, according to the Varughese family. The young man told the trooper he had given a “black” man a lift and he had run away; the trooper shined his flashlight into the woods, saw nothing, left, and did not immediately file a police report.
Both the Carbondale police department and the Jackson County state’s attorney gave the Varughese family little information, and they have not released Pravin’s cell phone and most of his other belongings to them. For 10 months, they have said the case is under investigation.
In early August, the Varughese family filed a lawsuit against the driver of the truck, saying he caused Pravin’s death by hitting him with a blunt-force instrument. They also sued the city of Carbondale and the Carbondale police department for negligence. Days afterward, the city of Carbondale fired Police Chief Jody O’Guinn, though it did not admit mishandling of Pravin’s case.
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In December, the Varughese family brought a second lawsuit against the state trooper.
Lovely Varughese, Pravin’s mother and a nurse by profession, has relentlessly pursued information in her son’s case. Pravin’s friends organized an online petition drive that collected 40,000 signatures asking for justice for Pravin; she has spoken to print and broadcast media on numerous occasions, she has traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak with representatives of U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky. Mayor Dan DiMaria and the Morton Grove village board organized an October press conference, which Schakowsky also attended, and which resulted in more coverage. Lovely Varuhese has also spoken to a Department of Justice representative about the possibility of a filing a civil rights lawsuit. She intends to continue these efforts in 2015.
Village pushes for economic development
Mayor Dan DiMaria and the Morton Grove Village Board focused on economic development this year. One of the most visible fruits of their labor is the new McGrath Audi dealership at the northeast corner of Golf and Waukegan Roads. Less visible is the industrial area, where the village held an outreach meeting in the fall.
Wright-Way Animal Rescue relocated to Morton Grove, a developer is planning a 172-unit retail-residential tower on Waukegan Road and Dempster Street and the owner of the shopping plaza on the northeast corner of Harlem and Dempster gave it a new facade.
The Village Board voted in February to spend as much as $78,000 on a branding campaign to better market itself to businesses. It contracted with North Star Destination Strategies, Inc., which has extensive experience with municipalities and branding. In October, a consultant presented preliminary results while final results and targeted messages are expected in early 2015.
The village has lacked a major grocery store since Dominick’s closed in December 2013. A report in May said Meijer was interested in opening in the space, but nothing has been announced since that time.
New police chief appointed
In April, after after Mark Erickson, the former police chief, retired, the village fielded about 40 candidates to replace him and chose Michael T. Simo, who had been deputy chief in Addison. Since then, Simo has expanded the department’s community outreach projects, with an active Facebook page, participation in the Special Olympics of Illinois plane pull fundraiser and a Toys for Tots collection.
Morton Grove library’s purchase and repairs end idea of new building
In September, the Morton Grove library cordoned off most of its main floor for extensive repairs, in order to prevent the possibility of a roof cave-in, and renovation. In November, it announced it purchased a 6,600 square-foot former office building across the street at 6200 Lincoln for $250,000. The main library is at 6140 Lincoln Ave.
The library plans to use the new building for classes, storage and a technology center.
The moves put to rest any idea of constructing or moving to a new library building, which was hotly debated in the 2011 election.
Morton Grove raises property taxes for first time in five years
The village board voted in December to raise 2015 property taxes by 2.7 percent. Before the vote, Trustee Maria Toth asked to slash three line items, but other board members defended those items as expenses that would result in significantly greater revenues for the village.
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Village Manager Ryan Horne said it was the first time the village had raised taxes since 2010, when they were upped 3.5 percent. He also said that residents pay only 12 to 14 percent of their property tax bills to the village; other taxing bodies, such as schools and the county, determine whether the other portions of the bill go up or down.