Year In Review: Top Palatine Stories From 2019

PALATINE, IL — As the end of the year nears, it is a good time to look back and reflect on the stories that show us what matters most to those living in our town. Some of those stories made us laugh, some made us cry and others made us shake our heads in disgust.

Either way, 2019 is nearly behind us and before we ring in another new year, let us provide you with a glimpse at the Palatine Patch stories from 2019 that got the most attention from our readers.

• 'The Sweetest Little Boy': DCFS Looks Into Palatine Boy's Death: This past November, a 2-year-old boy died after being rushed to a local hospital. Authorities in Palatine launched an investigation and said foul play was not suspected.

"He was the sweetest little boy with an incredible personality," Kara Witkowski, the child's mother, told Patch Patch. Witkowski said her son had the ability to "make anyone smile."

As of Friday, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has not released the official cause of death for the boy and an investigation into his death is ongoing, Palatine Police Department Commander David Weeks told Patch.

• Durty Nellie's Owner Thanks Community For Their Support: One of our favorite community partners, Vicarious Public Relations, shared this article on the Patch boards in January. After a kitchen fire at Durty Nellie's closed the popular restaurant and bar down, fund-raising events were organized to help get the business back up and running.

The news stories on the fire covered by Patch writers received a huge reader response as well, including our original post on the blaze after it closed Durty Nellie's down. A follow-up article in February, again by Vicarious Public Relations, had to do with the progress Durty Nellie's had made toward re-opening.

The business is back open after its kitchen was rebuilt and even has a new menu.

• Woman Dies After Jumping From Van On Interstate 90: A 27-year-old West Virginia woman died after jumping from a moving vehicle on Interstate 90 on Thanksgiving.

Emily Newton, of Barboursville, West Virginia, was in the front passenger seat of a Chrysler Pacifica, which was headed east on I-90 at milepost 76.75 in Rosemont. While the tragedy did not happen in Palatine, it was one of the top-read stories from the past year on Palatine Patch. The non-criminal death investigation is ongoing, Illinois State Police Duane Chappell told Patch on Friday.

• New Principal Takes Reins at Palatine High: Palatine readers like to know what is happening at their local schools. And so when Palatine High School got a new principal, area residents were curious to learn more about him.

Tony Medina was picked to take the place of Gary Steiger, who retired at the end of last school year, and started in his new role in April.

• On a less-positive school-related note, a story on a Fremd High School student accused of manufacturing and selling fake parking permits to his fellow students garnered a lot of attention from area residents. He sold the permits for more than $200 each.

Christian Zukowski, 18, of Hoffman Estates, was arrested in February and charged with forgery. More via Palatine Patch: Fremd Student Charged After Selling Fake Parking Permits

• The stabbing death in recent weeks of a woman inside her Schaumburg home following a dinner party drew the interest of readers from across the region. Authorities say the woman's boyfriend, Anthony Prate, an Algonquin eye doctor, stabbed her to death. He has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Malgorzata Daniel.

Meanwhile, the recent allegations prompted the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office and the Lake in the Hills Police Department to take another look at the March 2011 death of Prate's then-wife, Bridget Prate, 45.

"We, along with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office, are closely monitoring the ongoing investigation related to Mr. Prate in Cook County and will continue to evaluate incoming information for any bearing it may have on the tragic death of Bridget Prate in 2011," Lake in the Hills Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Eccles told Patch in an e-mail response Friday.

Bridget Prate's death appeared, at first glance, to be caused to the injuries sustained during a South Barrington crash where Anthony Prate was behind the wheel. But the woman's death was ultimately ruled "undetermined."

More via Palatine Patch: Police Probe 2011 Cold Case After Man Charged In Stabbing Death

• For years, transgender students within District 211 have been fighting for equal access to locker rooms with the district's high schools. This is the year that they were granted it.

More via Palatine Patch: Transgender Students Win Locker Room Access In Palatine, Schaumburg High Schools

• This past year, a man who allegedly drove drunk, so drunk, in fact, his blood alcohol concentration was five times more than the legal limit, crashed into another car while turning into a parking lot in Palatine on Feb. 7. At the time of the crash, the driving privelages for Javier Gaspar-Garcia, 41, had been revoked due to past DUI convictions. The Palatine man, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was critically injured and died two days later.

Three family members in his vehicle, a 22-year-old woman, and two girls, ages 4 and 5 years old, were taken to a hospital and later released. The person driving the car that Gaspar-Garcia collided with was not injured. More via Palatine Patch: Palatine Man Wanted For DUI Dies After Crash

Thanks for following along this year, Palatine Patch readers. Have a wonderful holiday season.