Patch Flash: Harry Potter Star Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) Talks to Patch

Chicagoland news to talk about: DuPage State's Attorney says death penalty could have prevented murder.

  A British Columbia man was sentenced to life in prison for the April murder of a woman in an Oak Brook parking lot. Dmitry Smirnov, 21, plead guilty to first-degree murder of a Westmont woman he met through an online dating service. The morning of the murder, Smirnov researched the status of capital punishment in Illinois and learned that Illinois had recently abolished the death penalty, according to DuPage County Stat’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin. Berlin stated that the threat of the death penalty might have prevented the murder.   Oak Forest Patch is reporting that the Tinley Park driver of a car hit by a Metra train left a note, leading to speculation that the accident that killed two elderly women was a suicide. However, the …

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Harry Potter Fan Mania for 'Deathly Hallows'

Whether you're a casual fan or a diehard Harry Potter follower, we've got everything you need for opening weekend.

The weekend is finally here and so is the moment Harry Potter fans have been waiting for.  The characters of the beloved series will wage the war of good vs. evil in the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2. Check out Patch's coverage as Chicagoland fans flock to the theaters. Add your fun Harry Potter photos to our photo gallery!

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Hallows And Goodbyes: Harry Potter Movies Come To An End

For many fans, the midnight showing of the last Harry Potter film brought closure. Among those in attendance were Palatine residents Taryn Haas, Ryan Duncan, Scott Balcer and Amber Newman.

For a few hours on Thursday night, fans gathered at the AMC Loews theater at the Streets of Woodfield to watch and celebrate the final installment of the Harry Potter series. While some fans simply painted lightning bolts on their foreheads or attended as Muggles, others opted to wear elaborate costumes for the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. Palatine residents Taryn Haas and Amber Newman made their own shirts that read “Harry Potter Part II.” “Amber and I always go all-out for the Harry Potter movies, so we made shirts for tonight,” Haas said. Haas and Newman attended the movie with Scott Balcer and Ryan Duncan. “We just basically dragged Scott and Ryan along with us,” Hass said. While many fans dressed as the …

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Palatine Happenings

Four Nearby Things To Do this Weekend

Palatine High School’s The Crucible, Theaterworks’ (Hidden) Harry Potter, and Boy Scout Order of the Arrow’s Haunted Hike offer seasonal entertainment for the whole family

Do you find yourself at the end of the workweek looking for something to do, but not wanting to go too far away? Four activities offer entertainment and fun in the northwest suburbs. Take your choice of a Halloween themed haunted hike, an evening combining ghost storytelling with wine tasting, or an afternoon or evening at the theater. – Palatine High School's Fall Play will be performed in the school's Altergott Theater October 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. This year's production by the teenage thespians is Arthur Miller's The Crucible. This American classic centers on the Salem witchcraft trials. Its theme certainly befits Halloween, and is an allegorical work to McCarthyism and the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings of the 1950s. …

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