The Daily Herald from Chicago, Illinois • Page 235

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2001 Continued from Page 1 DAILY HERALD SECTION I PAGE 15 Hindu sect offers plan for temple in Addison BY KATHRYN GRONDIN Daily HemlilSlaff Writer After, years of holding prayer services in homes, schools or park district buildings, members of the Vaish- nav Samaj of Midwest soon will have a permanent place to celebrate their faith in Addison. The village board's building, zoning and development committee has recommended approval for a square-foot Hindu temple at 19W1.10 Fullerton Ave. Support for the $3 million project, which would include the property's annexation into the village, is contingent on the group buying a second adjacent parcel for storm water retention and additional parking. The village board is expected Monday night to reviewthe project for the first time. The temple would have seating for 240 people and include a lower-level multipurpose hall, a kitchen and two classroorns.

Construction couldstart next year if all goes well, said Atul Kadaida, a Naperville resident who is the group's honorary secretary. "We do a lot of homework," Kadakia said Tuesday. "We do not want any problems in the future." The temple, orieof only four forthe. Pushti Marg in the United States, will serve devotees from throughout the region. Other temples are in Texas, Pennsylvania and New York.

The faith of the Vaishnav Samaj is different from the other Hindu sects that have been building temples around the suburbs in recent years. The Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha sect of die Hindu religion attended a small temple in Glen Ellyn before "We do a lot of homework. We do not want any problems in the future." Atul Kadakia, Naperville resident opening the large ornate cultural complex in November of 1998 on Route 59 in Bartlett. A different sect within the Hindu religion, Swami- narayan, dedicated a temple in Itasca in August 1998. There also are Hindu temples in Lemont, Warrenville and Aurora.

Kadakia said the proliferation of Hindu temples is due in part to religious communities' members maturing and becoming financially established. When many Hindus arrived in the 1970s, they were young and now they are embracingtheir faith more, he said. With, established careers, members can now afford to live in the suburbs and support construction of a temple. 'An estimated 90,000 to 100,000 Indians call the six-county Chicago metropolitan area home, according to Chicago's Indo American Center, a not-for- profit community services agency. Census 2000 figures show Indians are the second-largest group in the Chicago area who are not U.S.

citizens. Hispanics are the largest. Another report on suburban immigrants, called "Suburban Immigrant Communities," was released by the Fuiitt for Immigrants and Refugees. It says 34,943 Indians moved into the Chicago area in the past 10 years. Carving out Crane challengers New map may benefit congressman politically Warren Township Current boundaries COOK COUNTY 8th Congressional District 10th Congressional District DUPABE COUNTY COOK COUNTY Warren Township: Mapmakers gave a chunk of Warren Township to Congressman Mark Kirk, cutting from ttie political base of Ken Arnold, Warren Township GOP chairman and potential Crane foe.

Palatine Township: Mapmakers carved out much of this home to three past Crane foes: Republicans David McSweeney and Gary Stolen and Democrat Lance Pressl. Source: Illinois Assembly HERALD GKAI-I-UC Map: Warren Twp. shifts with redraw Continued from Rtgc 1 whether they'll actually challenge Crane next year. McSweeney has, however, retained the services of a Republican political consultant and said he'll decide around Labor Day. The foursome pointed out that the central argument Crane made to voters for years that his seniority would land him the coveted chairmanship of the House's tax-writing panel no longer holds water because Crane failed to snag that post.

"That was the entire rationale when 1 ran against him," McSweeney said. Crane has said that despite losing the chairmanship, he wants to continue working on trade issues that will benefit district companies like Motorola. Crane also relishes the prospect of working with a Republican president who shares a similar agenda. Besides, Hayes argued, if ever does retire, a more likely successor will be a local state lawmaker or a wealthy candidate who has been waiting years to run. "If those guys want to run, let them," Hayes said of the map critics.

6-year-old girl testifies against man BY DAVID R. KAZAK Daily IlcraU Writir A 6-year-old girl took the stand in Judge Janice Bierman's courtroom Tuesday and told jurors that David P. Wood made her perform a sex act when she was 3. Minutes later, jurors heard Wheeling Police Detective Joseph Licari read a written statement in which Wood admits sexually assaulting the girl inside his Leslie Lane home on Ian. 4,1999.

Prosecutors used the testimony to open their case against Wood, a 38- year-old Wheeling man whose trial for predatory criminalsexual assault got under way Tuesday. Wood's attorney, James P. Hillard of Chicago, told jurors they would hear a different version of events from Wood when he takes the stand later this week. Hillard asked jurors to keep, in mind that "police are not always choir boys, and people do make mistakes." He did not say what testimony he expects from Wood. In the statement Licari read, Wood admitted that while the 3-year-old girl was visiting his home, he was looking at pornographic pictures on his computer.

When the girl walked in, he asked her if she would perform a sex act. When she did, Wood continued to view the images, Licari said. The girl's testimony, which lasted just a few minutes, was a child's description of events, under questioning from Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Marilyn Hite Ross. Wood sat at the defense table, showing little reaction to the girl's comments. They looked directly at each odier once, when prosecutors asked the child to identify him.

Nurse admits molesting patients BY JAMES D. WOLF JR. Daily IlmM Slaff Wrilir Law enforcement agencies revealed Tuesday that a Lombard nurse charged with having child pornography in December has admitted to molesting 18 minor and adult patients at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove and other hospitals in the'Chicago suburbs, Kenneth PeBenito, 29, was arrested in mid-December by U.S. Postal investigators because lie ordered videotapes involving minors in sexual acts. As part of a plea agreement, he has admitted to sexually assaulting patients at both his five-year, full-time job at Good Samaritan and in other hospitals as a part-time nurse working through a nursing agency.

Resign: Meyer is proud of Plote field Continued femn 1 tant than others." Meyer said the same personal reasons were also the driving factor behind his decision not to coach baseball for the American Legion, a position he has filled since 1979. There have been a number of changes since Plaza was elected to the presidency, including a new village attorney. But Meyer was quick to dispel any suggestion of ill will between the president ami himself, even congratulating and wishing Plaza success in the future. "I have never viewed Ed as the enemy," Meyer said. "He won the elec- tion.

1 respect that. 1 would've battled him on certain issues and choices he made but 1 respect the fact that he's village president." Meyer's departure leaves Trustee Jim Kennedy as die only other board member with more than five years of experience on the village board. That shouldn't matter much to anyone, Meyer said. "I don't believe in this veteran stuff; no one has experience in politics," he said. "If you do your reading and research and you understand your issues then you are able to make intelligent decisions." Meyer said he was proud of the work he accomplished while on the included the construction of Plote Field and the restoration of the Labahn-Hain House.

"I tookalotof pride on being on the village board, being elected twice," he said. "I've always taken my orders from the people, represented the people as they wanted to be represented." Blaze: Arson ruled out Continued from Page I firewall separating the townhouse from others did its job, keeping the fire from destroying the homes which stand across the street from Algonquin's village hall. "The firewall stopped it right there," Kempe said. "We would've been here for hours if it hadn't been for that firewall." Some fire, however, spread across the roof, broke a window with its heat and got inside a bedroom closet in the neighboring townhouse at 2212 Dawson Lane, causingabout $10,000 to $12,000 in damage, Kempe said. Investigators still were trying to determine the cause of the fire, but they had ruled out arson and believe it started in the attic at 2210 Dawson Lane, Kempe said.

That townhouse suffered $180,000 to $200,000 in damage, Kempe said. "They'll have to gut the whole place out," he said. DAILY IIEKAI.I) A townhouse across from Algonquin's village hall was destroyed by fire Tuesday, suffering as much as $200,000 in damage. The Potting Shed Unique Designs for Yard or Patio Window Boxes Custom-Made and Installed Patio and Container Gardens Phyllis Andrew Cad (630) 377-7218 for a personal'quote SATURDAY, JUNE 30th 10 a.m. 10 p.m.

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