Letter to the Editor

Letter: Guns Do Kill People

Wheaton resident writes about guns after Newtown, CT shooting. To send a letter to the editor, email Charlotte@Patch.com.

Wheaton Patch accepts and publishes letters to the editor emailed to Local Editor Charlotte Eriksen at Charlotte@patch.com, or sent as a message through the Wheaton Patch Facebook page. Please note in subject lines the message is a Letter to the Editor. ------------ To the Editor: The National Rifle Association and its supporters like to say: "Guns don't kill people; people kill people." The fact is, though, that it is much harder to kill without a gun and so easy to kill large numbers very fast with semi- or fully automatic weapons. The recent school incident in China (taking place about the same time as the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting) illustrates this point perfectly. There, a mad man entered a school intending to harm a class…

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Weekly News Recap

Response to Newtown Shooting: This Week

Patch recaps top news stories from the week of Dec. 16-22.

Here are some of the top items on Wheaton Patch from last week: 10 Highest Paid Police Officials in Wheaton Police Urge Parents to Know School Safety Protocols After Newtown, CT Shooting Coyote Kills Dog in Wheaton District 200: Newtown, CT Shooting a Reminder to 'Always be Mindful' of Student, Staff Safety Wheaton North Cheerleaders Help Sandy Hook Don't want to miss this stuff during the week? Sign up for our free daily email newsletter and like us on Facebook. Officials Investigate Death of Fetus Found in Dumpster at Yorktown Mall Megan Boken Murder, Murder-for-Hire, Home Invasion: Cases to Follow in 2013 Child Porn, Sex Assault, Child Luring Cases to Continue in 2013 Top 25 Stories of 2012: Reader's Choice Coyote Reports Down in …

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Wheaton North Cheerleaders Help Sandy Hook

Wheaton North cheerleaders send snowflakes to the new school for former Sandy Hook Elementary School students.

The Wheaton North High School varsity cheerleading squad made more than 100 handmade snowflakes to send to the new Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, CT, after a shooting killed 20 children and six adults at the school on Dec. 14. Connecticut PTSA is asking for donations of handmade snowflakes to hang in the alternative Sandy Hook Elementary School to make the atmosphere a "winter wonderland" for the children returning to school after the holiday break. "Connecticut PTSA is deeply saddened by the tragedy that has struck our Newtown community. We have met with the PTA and community leaders in Newtown and Sandy Hook Elementary to offer our assistance at this very difficult time."  The PTSA is also collecting coins for Sandy Hook. …

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Grieving Has Just Begun in Newtown

St. Charles Patch editor shares his own perspective on a deadly shooting 20 years ago and how its aftermath relates to what is unfolding at Sandy Hook School.

A part of me died, I think, amid all the blood that spilled on a sunny Sunday morning 20 years ago when the devil came calling on a church in Colorado. John Miller was not truly the devil, of course, but what he did on Aug. 23, 1992, was clearly evil. He opened his visit to the First Free Methodist Church of Fort Collins’ second morning service in an argument with Valerie, whose divorce from him recently had been finalized. Asked to step outside the church, they headed toward the parking lot, an off-duty cop who attended the church trailing. As always, the handgun at Mike Swihart’s side created a visible bulge beneath his sport coat. I was in the church kitchen when the gunfire began. I heard about a dozen reports, then a pause. I ran …

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Worry and Fear Grips Schools and Parents in Wake of Newtown Shooting and Local Threats

Random and disturbing threats in the Chicago area followed the Newtown school killings, underscoring vulnerabilities and prompting discussions of gun control and guns for teachers.

The first day of school after the Sandy Hook school massacre brought a wave of fear, worry and outright threats to Chicago-area communities as educators and police sought to reassure people that efforts to protect their children would be redoubled. Parents and educators everywhere were talking about school security even as incidents locally in the last three days underscored potential vulnerability. Here's a glimpse of what's taken place in the past few days. In Wheaton, school officials have been vigilant in following the day-to-day safety protocols that might otherwise be forgotten. Police say they haven't done anything differently, but do encourage parents to find out what protocol is in their child's school.  In Downers Grove, parents …

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