Police are investigating the discovery of human remains this week in an abandoned house that burned 11 months ago. Sgt. Eric Olson announced Friday that shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday, officers were dispatched to a property in the 200 block of East Third Street for possible human skeletal remains found in an abandoned, burned-out house. Police determined that the remains were possibly human and contacted the Vermilion County Coroner's Office, whose staff confirmed that. The scene was turned over to Illinois State Police forensics experts to continue the investigation. On Friday, the small home was easily accessible from the outside, with front windows busted out and no door or any other material securing the front entrance.  

Two people were hospitalized and hockey games were put on hold Sunday after high levels of carbon monoxide were discovered at an ice skating rink in west suburban Glen Ellyn. The dangerous levels were identified Sunday at the Center Ice of DuPage. "We were sitting in our office and a parent came up to us and said a couple of kids were feeling sick," said Robert Cortese, supervisor of Center Ice of DuPage. "We went down to the locker room and checked. We had kids inside there spitting up, not feeling good, a little lightheaded." After that, more players became sick, Cortese said. Officials then called 911. "Upon arrival, we metered the building, reads were little over 200," said Glen Ellyn Assistant Fire Chief Joe Pierotti. "We had one patient on scene, several others left on their own."  

Dep. Fire Chief James Whiteford has taught 15 fire extinguisher classes and trained more than 100 full-time city employees in the use of general-purpose (ABC) fire extinguishers in the past three weeks. One such training was Thursday. "We felt it was important to get city employees trained to at least a basic level with fire extinguishers," he said. "The class touched on a few other fire safety topics as well; including what to do when you find a fire, kitchen fire safety and smoke detectors." Whiteford said the department uses the ACT acronym to teach people what to do when they find a fire. The "A" stands for Alert; alert everyone in the building that there is a fire and alert the fire department. The "C" stands for confine the fire; like covering a pan that is on fire with a lid suffocates the fire, closing the door on a room that is on fire will limit the available oxygen and slow the progression of the fire. It will also confine the smoke and keep it away from people.  

Drivers traveling east on Dempster Street approaching Cumberland Avenue will see something new on the wall of Niles Fire Station No. 2: a 12-ft. by 50-ft. mural dedicated to firefighters — the first of several murals to soon decorate the sides of Niles buildings. The Niles Arts & Culture Advisory Council is overseeing efforts to install at least three and possibly four murals in prominent locations around the village this fall and next spring. The same day firefighters hosted an open house and pancake breakfast at Fire Station No. 3 on Jarvis Avenue last month, large aluminum panels were installed on Fire Station No. 2's exterior wall along Cumberland. Artist Cyd Smillie got to work crafting an image depicting firefighters' missions of saving lives, education and firefighting.  

A northern Illinois woman has been ticketed for driving her car into a hayride wagon carrying 14 adult passengers, injuring 11 of them. The Kendall County Sheriff's Department says a car driven by 22-year-old Kaitlin Minick of DeKalb slammed into the rear of the wagon being towed by a tractor. The accident occurred Saturday in Little Rock Township, about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) west of Chicago. Authorities say she was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Little Rock-Fox Fire Chief Greg Witek says many of the injured suffered broken bones and some were unconscious when emergency crews arrived. Three of the wagon passengers were hospitalized in serious condition. Their conditions were unavailable Sunday.  

Members of the Latimer County community are asking for prayers after they said a local firefighter was shot during a house fire and the fire chief had to be taken to an area hospital after experiencing a medical episode. According to officials with Latimer County Emergency Management, the members of the Buffalo Valley Fire Department were battling a fire at a house that was full of ammunition. The flames caused the ammunition to start popping off, and a firefighter was shot in the face and head area, officials said. The firefighter was taken to a hospital in Tulsa. His condition has not been released. "Our chief was so upset he started having chest pains," officials with Latimer County Emergency Management wrote on Facebook. "He, too, was life flighted to Tulsa. He will have new meds and a few days at the hospital.  

VIDEO: One person is still missing, believed to be trapped inside the Hard Rock Hotel after the building partially collapsed without warning Saturday morning. Rescue efforts are still the focus. Engineers are evaluating the building and crews are assembling a 220,000-pound crane to try to stabilize the building, but rescue teams are unable to get to some areas due to fears of another collapse. "We have someone we have not located and can't get to where we think they might be," New Orleans Fire Department Chief Tim McConnell said. "Our goal here is to continue making the scene safe so we can continue getting into this building deeper and deeper for rescue purposes." Several floors of the hotel toppled down Saturday amid blinding dust and flying debris.  

An East Chicago state lawmaker is hoping improved death benefits for Hoosier police and firefighters may encourage Northwest Indiana public safety officers to continue working in the Region, instead of bolting for the generally higher salaries paid by Illinois communities. State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, this month won study committee approval for his proposal to hike the one-time death benefit paid to the survivors of all deceased Indiana police and firefighters to $18,000, instead of $12,000. The Interim Study Committee on Pension Management Oversight also endorsed Harris' idea to set the special death benefit for police and firefighters killed in the line of duty at $225,000, up from $150,000. "Better death benefits for these brave men and women is just one way we can recruit the best of the best," Harris said. "It also shows an appreciation for the efforts of those who put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities."  

Surveillance of an EMS station in the Bronx on Saturday night led to the arrest of a 22-year-old man, hours after multiple acts of vandalism carried out on FDNY ambulances. Karim Murdoch is accused of causing damage to six vehicles at Station 15 hours before the arrest, which included broken windows and graffiti, according to a statement issued Sunday by FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro. Hours after the damage was discovered, the suspect was seen in the vicinity of the station, where he was apprehended for questioning by fire marshals and later charged with two counts of criminal mischief, officials said. "Vandalizing and damaging our ambulances shows disrespect to the dedicated men and women of the FDNY Emergency Medical Service, and the public they bravely serve" said Nigro in a written statement.  

The sounds of drones on hand weren't the only buzz filling the new Colorado Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting (CoE) Technodrome last week at Rifle Garfield County Airport. More than 70 people had an up-close look Tuesday at the new 7,000-square-foot indoor facility that allows the center to safely test and evaluate different types of technology for public safety in an enclosed environment. Center of Excellence Director Ben Miller spoke of the bright future of the center as the afternoon sun lent the fabric-covered structure a glowing yellow. "The big advantage of the facility is that we can test new things that aren't quite allowed or contemplated by the FFA because we are indoors," Miller said. "We shut the doors and do all the flying we want to in here. We fly big drones that aren't allowed outside yet, which exceed the current rules, and if we are successful in here, it shows promise and momentum to approach the FAA."