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Vicente Cardenas

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Parents Push DCFS to Suspend Wesley License

A group of about 12 Wesley families—who had children at Roosevelt Pool the day of Vicente Cardenas’ drowning— have initiated a petition to suspend the childcare center’s license.

While The Glenview Police Department’s investigation is closed, DCFS is still looking into Wesley Child Care Center’s operations and the June 15 drowning of 4-year-old Vicente Cardenas, according to investigators. Related: Wesley was 'Grossly Negligent,' Cardenas Family Says  A group of about 12 Wesley families are in the process of petitioning DCFS to suspend Wesley’s license pending completion of the investigation, explained a Patch reader and Wesley parent who asked not to be named to protect the privacy of their children. “We realize this will cause upheaval to those who have their children in the center’s daycare and for those who attend the various after-school programs in Glenview,” the parent told Patch. “However, without knowing …

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A Glenview Parent

8:48 am on Thursday, December 20, 2012

I agree with you A Concerned Parent #2. Here is the family's response to the reports. http://patch.com/A-xyMs   more ›

Friday, August 31, 2012

Wesley Responds to Glenview Police Drowning Report

The child care center sent home a letter to parents Aug. 31 addressing the finalized report and extending their sympathies to the Cardenas family. Four-year-old Vicente drowned while under Wesley’s supervision on a field trip to Roosevelt Pool June 15.

Wesley Child Care Center sent home the following letter to parents Thursday afternoon in response to Glenview PD’s report. (To read a full statement from the Cardenas Family following the close of the investigation, click here.) Dear Wesley Child Care Families, The Glenview Police Department has issue their final report regarding the drowning of Wesley Child Care Center preschooler, Vicente Cardenas, at the Glenview Park District Pool this summer. We want to thank all of our Wesley families and community who continue to support the Cardenas family, our Wesley staff, and families through this painful and sorrowful time. All of us at Wesley extend our deepest sympathies to the Cardenas family and want them to know that our thoughts and …

Carrie

11:52 pm on Wednesday, September 5, 2012

There seems to be a lot of finger pointing for this awful tragedy. This was an accident people - it needs to be called what it is. My heart goes out to the family AND to the lifeguard staff and the staff at Wesley. People are not realizing that there is more than the family who is deeply grieving and suffering from this tragedy. I don't know the details of the event, but we all know that …   more ›

Letters to the Editor

Cardenas Family: Wesley Child Care Was ‘Grossly Negligent’

Following the June 15 drowning of 4-year-old Vicente Cardenas, the Glenview Police Department has released its report of the investigation. Here, Vicente’s uncle shares the Cardenas family’s reaction to the ‘easily prevented’ tragedy.

Dear Editor, Now that the police report is finally available, and having familiarized myself with it, I would like to relate to your readers the following sentiment: The police report shows that the Wesley Child Center utterly failed to safeguard little Vicente’s life and is directly responsible for his death. Wesley had no responsible plan in place for ensuring that such a tragedy would not happen.  Related: Read Patch’s complete coverage of Vicente Cardenas' drowning Wesley should not have taken little children to such a large and crowded swimming pool in the first place – and at a minimum, given how crowded it was that day, Wesley staff should have realized upon arrival that they could not reasonably keep track of all the children and …

Kelly K

12:55 pm on Tuesday, September 4, 2012

I can't imagine how maddening it must be for the Cardenas family being treated so poorly by Wesley after it was Wesley's fault that this even happened in the first place! I don't have any kids but if I did, there's no way I'd let them go there now, knowing that they employ such incompetent workers to care for the children!   more ›

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Glenview PD Completes Drowning Investigation; Releases Report, New Details

The Glenview Police Department has concluded its two-month investigation into the Vicente Cardenas drowning death and has not filed criminal charges. Cardenas, a 4-year-old camper, was on a field trip to Roosevelt Pool with Wesley Child Care June 15.

Before he was found at the bottom of Roosevelt Pool June 15, Vicente Cardenas was missing from his Wesley Child Care camp group, according to a recently released Glenview police report of the investigation into his drowning.  Related: Read Patch’s complete coverage of Vicente Cardenas' drowning When news of the 4-year-old Glenview boy’s death while on a camp field trip broke in mid June, the community was in shock. Comments and questions poured in from concerned parents and readers, searching for details and explanations. Glenview PD released the 85-page report (see attached PDF to read the report in its entirety) to Patch Thursday afternoon, following a Freedom of Information Act request. According to the police report completed Aug. 28, …

concerned parent of Wesley student

11:58 am on Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Okay, I just located and read the police report. Wow. Vicente left the area where the teachers and other campers were and went to a different part of the pool that is separate from the toddler area where his classmates were and deeper. So the teachers were watching the kids they had encircled in the toddler area. Vivente went down the toddler slide and then must have gotten out of the water …   more ›

Thursday, August 2, 2012

July's Top 10 Headlines

Catch up on news you may have missed! From a train derailment and bridge collapse that killed a Glenview couple to a canine hero who sniffed out a crook following a robbery at Glenview State Bank, here's a round-up of last month's most read stories.

1. Coverage of the Union Pacific Derailment and Bridge Collapse Ongoing developments and links to Patch's coverage of the Northbrook bridge collapse that killed a Glenview couple. 2. Car Crash Kills Glenbrook North Student A 17-year-old Glenbrook North High School senior died after his car collided with an SUV in early July. Kyle Caraher was an honor roll student and football player. Stay tuned to the latest Glenview happenings: Like us on Facebook! 3. The Final Chapter From Sunset Village As families leave the mobile park one by one due to unsanitary living conditions and sky-rocketing living costs, one resident shares the community's story of struggle. 4. Which Nursery School is the Best in Glenview? When it comes to your precious tots, …

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Northbrook, Glenview Residents Discuss Grief and Suicide at Community Meeting

According to Northbrook Village President, "Northbrook can and will recover" from the recent tragedies.

There were no outbursts, no shocking revelations about the recent tragedies in Glenview and Northbrook. On Wednesday night, hundreds of people filled Glenbrook North's Sheely Center to quietly reflect on the past and hear expert advice on grief management, the statistical realities of suicides in Illinois and how to communicate with loved ones during periods of emotional hardship. They gathered in the wake of a string of recent tragedies, including two suicides of young men in Northbrook, the death in a car accident of a Glenbrook North student, the train derailment and bridge collapse that killed a Glenview couple, the drowing death of a 4-year-old Glenview boy, and the sudden death from an illness of a GBN special education teacher. The …

Andrew Mercer

9:29 pm on Thursday, July 12, 2012

The event last night was meaningful in so many ways and the three panelists and moderator were all great!   more ›

Monday, July 9, 2012

Northbrook and Glenview Offer Tools for Coping with Recent Community Tragedies

The neighboring villages will host a community forum with advice from trauma professionals.

In the aftermath of last week's train derailment and the string of young people who passed away last month, Glenbrook North will hold a presentation and discussion to help community members deal with grief. The event, called Tools for Coping, is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m. in GBN's Sheely Center. It will feature expert presentations, and cover topics such as: Following the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to break-out in smaller discussion groups or meet with counseling professionals. The event was originally scheduled in response to the recent sudden deaths of several high school students and the 4-year-old Glenview boy at Roosevelt Pool, but now welcomes those who are grieving after Wednesday’s train derailment…

Friday, July 6, 2012

June's Top 10 Headlines

From a tragic drowning at Roosevelt Pool to a $55 million foreclosure suit at the Glen, here's a round-up of the most popular articles that ran last month on Glenview Patch. Catch up on news you might have missed.

1. 4-Year-Old Drowning Victim Was at Pool With Child Care Center As police and DCFS continue to investigate after a 4-year-old Glenview boy drowned at Roosevelt Pool June 15, witnesses and family members speak out about the tragedy. Read Patch’s in-depth coverage of the still developing story here. 2. Senior Glenbrook North Student, Football Player Dies The loss of GBN football player Billy Garrity, 18, shocked the community last month. According to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, his cause of death was suicide. The Northbrook/Glenview communities also lost GBN alumni Ryan McCarthy, 20, to suicide and GBN senior Kyle Caraher, 17, after a car crash in Wisconin.  3. Study: Glenview Village Manager Second Highest Paid in Illinois …

Friday, June 29, 2012

Letters to the Editor

Vicente Cardenas' Family Shares Plea with Patch Readers

The Cardenas family continues to look for answers following the June 15 drowning of Vicente. 'In the dark' about how and why the 4 year old was left unattended by a Glenview child care center at Roosevelt Pool, the family asks witnesses for information.

To the Editor of Glenview Patch: I am Vicente Cardenas's uncle and write once again on behalf of the family of Vicente Cardenas. First, we would like to thank your readers for the outpouring of support, words of comfort and sympathy as we try to cope with this tragedy. We are very touched by the support of the community. We continue to be frustrated by the lack of information from Wesley School and from the authorities. We understand from news reports that Wesley School has indicated that its refusal to provide a detailed explanation of this tragedy is somehow related to the fact that the police are still investigating it.   That explanation seems disingenuous. What is their point? Are they exercising their Constitutional right against …

A Concerned Parent

11:43 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Based on the known facts in this tragedy, I have to believe that DCFS is doing a full scale investigation on Wesley as a whole, there is no way a drowning investigation should take this long. If that is the case, they should allow Glenview PD to release their findings. Not having this done before school started leaves the possibility that families could be left in the lurch if DCFS were to come …   more ›

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

After Glenview Drowning, Neighboring Park Districts Stress Safety

Officials in neighboring Niles and Morton Grove say they're being vigilant about safety in the wake of young Vicente Cardenas' drowning at Glenview's Roosevelt Pool on June 15.

UPDATED June 26 at 12:30 a.m. with additional Morton Grove Park District information. The drowning of a 4-year-old in a Glenview Park District pool 10 days ago has shaken staff and officials at neighboring park districts. Joe LoVerde, executive director of Niles Park District, and Brian Sullivan, executive director of Morton Grove Park District, said they're being vigilant about safety in the wake of young Vicente Cardenas' drowning at Glenview's Roosevelt Pool on June 15. More: Read Patch's in-depth coverage of Vicente Cardenas' drowning Cardenas was a camper at Wesley Child Care, a private camp. Both Niles and Morton Grove Park Districts have mainly their own campers coming to their pools; Morton Grove gets one private camp at each of …

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