Free Republic

An impact origin for the Des Plaines structure was first proposed in Emrich and Bergstrom (1962). The publication contains a general map of the structure, contextual maps of the region, a cross section, rough boughuer gravity map, and discussion of the available observations in terms of the emergent science of impact craters. It renames the structure as a cryptoexplosion rather than cryptovolcanic structure. The paper also records a central uplift displacement of about 600 to 900 vertical feet, a diameter of about 5 1/2 miles, and other general morphometrics. An additional brief description of the structure and a more detailed...

CHICAGO — Someone in a Chicago suburb beat the odds and won a $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot. According to megamillions.com, there was one jackpot-winning ticket in the draw Friday night, and it was bought at a Speedway gas station and convenience store in Des Plaines. The winning numbers were: 13-36-45-57-67, Mega Ball: 14. “We are thrilled to have witnessed one of the biggest jackpot wins in Mega Millions history,” Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald, the current Lead Director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a statement on the lottery’s website. “We’re eager to find out who won and...

In its latest effort to protect Muslim rights in the United States the Obama Justice Department is suing an Illinois town for denying a rezoning application to convert an office building into an Islamic temple. Failing to approve plans for the Islamic worship center violates a 2000 law known as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit filed this week in federal court. The accused are lawmakers in Des Plaines, a Chicago suburb with a population of about 60,000. In 2013 the Des Plaines City Council voted 5-3 to reject...

FULL TITLE: High school soccer coach 'watched boy being sodomized by players then congratulated victim' during hazing ritual A soccer coach witnessed a teenage boy being sodomized by teammates then congratulated the victim, asking 'if it was all good', it has been claimed. The new allegations on Wednesday concern an incident in July involving coach Michael Divincenzo, known to students as 'Divo', who reportedly told older players to assault freshmen. The fresh claim came to light after three boys were allegedly sexually assaulted in a hazing ritual at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, Illinois on September 27. It...

Around 50 retired US diplomats have written to US President George Bush to complain about America's policy towards the Middle East. The letter is similar to one written by 52 former British diplomats to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair last week. The former US diplomats complained that President Bush's approach is losing the US "credibility, prestige and friends". They criticised what they say is Washington's unabashed support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The American diplomats said they were deeply concerned by Mr Bush's endorsement last month of Mr Sharon's plan to withdraw unilaterally from Gaza. 'Great danger' They were...

Des Plaines (LAZ) -- By a 7 to 1 vote, Des Plaines City Council rejected two sweeping pieces of gun control legislation introduced by Alderman Don Smith and heavily and vocally backed by Richard Daley, the Mayor of Chicago.Des Plaines is twenty miles from Chicago, and is considered a suburb of the city.Smith introduced both a set of gun dealer restrictions, and a comprehensive assault weapons ban.The gun dealer restrictions would have forced gun dealers to pay 55$ to the city, undergo fingerprints, be subjected to a criminal background check, and would have prevented gun dealers from operating in a...