Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Three area healthcare business owners - one from Skokie, another from Morton Grove and the other from Park Ridge - are said to have submitted more than $4 million in false medical claims over a four month period, the DOJ said today.
Three health clinic co-owners are among seven defendants charged with engaging in five separate, unrelated health care fraud schemes to defraud the Medicare program or private health insurers of millions of dollars, federal law enforcement officials announced today. Ankur Roy, Akash Patel and Dipen Desai, who owned and operated Selectcare Health, Inc., which provided outpatient physical and respiratory therapy in Park Ridge and Skokie, were charged with submitting more than $4 million in false billings to Medicare between March and July 2011, according to authorities. Between March and July 2011, the defendants allegedly submitted $4,009,094 in false billings for services that were purportedly provided between April 2010 and April 2011, …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Carlee Lemel, 17, of Lincolnwood was found in Chicago Tuesday afternoon.
Five days after family members reported a Lincolnwood teen missing, the girl was found safe in Chicago Tuesday afternoon, Wilmette Life reported. Carlee Lemel, 17, who disappeared from home May 2, was found at a Dominick’s near Lake Michigan and her father Bruce Lemel met the teen at the store. But it’s unclear whether he lured the teen there himself or if Chicago Police located the teen and called the father, Wilmette Life reported. Original Article Family members are seeking the community’s help in finding their 17-year-old daughter, Carlee Lemel, who has been missing since May 2. Renee Lemel, Carlee’s aunt, said the teen is “mentally unstable.” “She has not taken her medication since May 2,” she said. “We’re worried.” Carlee is …
Friday, May 3, 2013
John Krestos, a chemistry teacher at Nile North High School, was surprised on Thursday he was presented with a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching in front of his students.
John Krestos, a chemistry teacher at Nile North High School, was surprised when he was presented with a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching in front of his students on Thursday. Krestos described his chemistry classroom as a comfortable and caring environment where students are encouraged to be themselves and challenge themselves to grow, he said. Golden Apple representiatives said Krestos blends traditional teaching methods with modern technology and pedagogy. Krestos is also Assistant Coach for State Championship Chess and Science Olympiad Head Coach. Golden Apple has recognized outstanding Chicago-area educators annually since 1986. Each Golden Apple Award recipient receives a tuition-free, spring quarter sabbatical to study…
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Stay connected with Niles North High School thanks in special part to three students who created an app for the Apple iPhone and Android devices.
Looking for up-to-the-minute news about Niles North High School? There’s an app for that—the NorthStarNews app, created by students in a Video Game Programming class. Created by students An Nguyen, Michio Tsukamoto and Farhan Noormohammed, the app features breaking news, features, sports, editorials and all of the other great information available on the northstarnews.org website, in a portable, readable format. There’s even a puzzle game, “Fill the Vikings.” The app is available for free in the Apple App Store or Android Market. “We started working on the project in November and finished in late February,” said Noormohammed. The three worked on creating the app as their service project for the year. “The hardest part was getting it to be…
Friday, April 26, 2013
Meet Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas at Old Orchard Mall on May 2.
Gabby Douglas will be at Barnes & Noble in Old Orchard Mall from 6:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. on May 2. Douglas will be promoting and signing her new book, “Raising the Bar,” which gives an inside view into her life as an average teenage girl as well as her experiences in the spotlight, according to a press release issued on Thursday. Line tickets will be distributed to customers presenting a copy of Douglas’ new book with proof of purchase from Barnes & Noble starting at 9 a.m. on May 2. Douglas won the gold in gymanstics during the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the first American to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions. See other Stars in Skokie -- Patch on Facebook
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Following a disruptive pep rally at Niles West High School, school administration recently made changes to this year's prom, making some students question whether or not they want to attend.
Due to the actions of a group of Niles West seniors, everyone attending Niles West High School's prom will face stricter conditions. The move comes after a disruptive pep rally held at the school on April 19, where tires were thrown through the rally floor and silly string and noise reached such a point of disrespect that principal Kaine Osburn ended the day's activities early. Now, all juniors and seniors are being punished, even those that did not attend. "My daughter was in Springfield at [the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America] competition," said Niles West parent Wendy Yablon. "She is sadly suffering for the acts of others. She's not even sure she wants to go anymore because of it all." When Patch told Yablon that other…
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
U.S. News and World Report's annual high school rankings are out and School District 219 is unranked.
For the third straight year, District 219's Niles North and Niles West high school were unranked in U.S. News and World Report's annual high school rankings. The magazine released their data on Monday. The number one high school in Illinois is Northside College Preparatory High School in Chicago, according to U.S. News and World Report's annual rankings. The best suburban school: Adlai E. Stevenson in Lincolnshire, coming in at number five. Despite having the second highest cost per pupil in the state, Niles North and Niles West remained unranked by the magazine for the third straight year. According to the data, Niles North has a "college readiness" rating of 29.6 out of a possible 100 (unchanged from last year). Its neighbor, Niles …
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Students from Niles North and Niles West High School will be traveling to the University of Illinois to compete in a translation competition.
Recently, Niles West and Niles North held translation competitions at their schools. Participants translated a designated text from any of the official 23 European Union languages into English. The school winners then qualified for the Illinois High School Translation Competition held on May 2 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, sponsored by the Center for Translation Studies and the European Union Center. Niles West winners were Christian Vega, translating from Spanish to English, and Barbara Gawin, translating from Polish to English. Niles North winners were Paula Segovia and Alejandra Quezada, both translating from Spanish to English. These students will compete on May 2 at the University of Illinois. Other Niles West …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Police say Evanston resident Larissa Lomax was driving under the influence of drugs when she struck and killed Skokie resident Alan Rubin on April 2. Lomax appeared in court on Wednesday.
Larissa Lomax, the 32-year-old who police say struck and killed Skokie resident Alan Rubin, appeared in court on Wednesday. Authorities say Lomax was driving under the influence of drugs when she hit the 56-year-old on April 2. Court records revealed that Lomax has had 15 traffic citations dating back to 2004. Some included speeding 15 to 25 mph over the speed limit while others were for "squelching" her vehicle's tires. The Evanston resident was dressed in sneakers, blue jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt as she appeared before Judge Lauren Edidin at the Skokie Courthouse. Lomax was accompanied by her family during Wednesday's hearing. According to police, Lomax was travelling southbound on Skokie Boulevard and attempted to head east on …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
In 2004, the Skokie Theater received a $1.4 million renovation, but closed its doors due to lacking revenue. In March of last year, Bucktown's Gorilla Tango Theater purchased the building for $420,000. Now, the theater might be for sale.
After opening its doors about a year ago today, Gorilla Tango Theater (GTT), 7924 Lincoln Ave., is fielding sales offers, said GTT co-owner Kelly Williams. “What’s happening right now is someone approached us [with an offer] and that’s how all this came about,” Williams told Patch. “We are talking to them. Its not that we’re interested in selling, but we’re open to receiving offers. “We’re happy with where we’re at, but if someone made an offer we’d consider it," she added. A for-profit arts company that’s already having success at its Chicago-Bucktown location, the village and GTT felt the two could provide great synergy in the downtown area. "The Skokie Theater is an important component of downtown Skokie's revitalization, along with …
Mike Kay
12:25 am on Saturday, May 18, 2013
These criminals are no match for the real thieves: The big drug companies! more ›