After two hours of testimony, the Will County Board voted 14-12 on Monday to reject a proposal to put a referendum measure on November's ballot asking voters whether the elected coroner should be replaced by an appointed medical examiner.   The issue, which was first brought up in April, signaled the political fallout resulting from the Drew Peterson investigation. Under the current Will County coroner, Patrick O'Neil, a coroner's jury in 2004 ruled the death of Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, an accident.   Now, Peterson is a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, leading authorities to reopen Savio's case as a murder investigation.

JOLIET -- Proper estate planning techniques for persons with special needs and their families will be presented at a free Special Needs Trust Seminar from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at the lower level of the Joliet Area Historical Museum. With guest presentations by Richard J. Tarulis, attorney at Brooks, Adams & Tarulis of Naperville, and Gary Cardinal, financial adviser for Edward Jones Investments, guests will receive information on a variety of topics including: Â

When the notice announcing the latest assessment -- or approximate price -- of your home arrives in your mailbox this week, give it a good look. It's different this year. On the left side and less than halfway down the page, there's a new category: estimated market value. That dollar figure is the amount of money you probably could get for your home if you were to sell it today. It's an estimate, of course. You might be able to get a little more -- or a little less -- if you actually stuck a "For Sale" sign in your yard. But that's the number used by Will County Assessor Rhonda Novak to determine how much you'll pay in property taxes next year.