Articles written by Ken Knutson


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  • Sixth Street future remains a mystery

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 24, 2024

    The effort to preserve a portion of Sixth Street as a vintage all-brick road continues, but questions remain over the path to success. Sixth Street between Garfield Avenue and County Line Road is scheduled to be resurfaced next year, and residents along that stretch were told in January that the village would pay only the cost of using asphalt on most of the road. To keep it brick, a special service area would need to be established through a vote of included homeowners to cover the significantly higher price tag. At the...

  • Find a healthy pace this spring

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 24, 2024

    Time to dust off those sneakers and hit the ground running as the frequency of short- and mid-distance picks up speed this season. Whether for fitness or philanthropy - or both! - the selection of events below offers courses for all strides. • Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 83 in Lisle, will debut its new Firefly Race Series, featuring a 3K course at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3, and a 10K run at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 4. Be inspired by the facility's rolling terrain, whether taking o...

  • Ask an expert - JUNE SCOTT, TRAVEL ENTHUSIAST

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 24, 2024

    What can we learn through traveling? During a trip to Iran 11 years ago, June Scott hiked with a group to a remote village that was so off the beaten path, supplies were brought in by burro. The Oak Brook resident and native Hinsdalean approached an elderly woman sitting on a doorstep wearing a customary head covering. "She asked if we were Americans, and we said, 'Yes,' " related Scott, who had a translator. "She said, 'You know what? We like Americans. We do not like...

  • Village seeks downtown parking road map

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 24, 2024

    Hoping to optimize parking use in Hinsdale’s central business district, the village has enlisted a consultant to evaluate various facets of the complex issue over the next few weeks. “We’re just trying to figure out if we’re using the spaces as best as we possibly can,” Hinsdale Deputy Police Chief Tom Lillie said. Visitors to the downtown know well the challenge of finding a parking spot at peak times. Even after the addition of the parking deck and its nearly 200 spaces (and more than 300 when the middle school’s...

  • Ladies lead Derby Day down the home stretch

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 18, 2024

    After a single father lost custody of his seven children because of his drug addiction, he reached out to Brightpoint for the tools to get his life back on track and his kids back home. At last year's Derby Day fundraiser, sponsored by the agency's Hinsdale Auxiliary, guests were stirred by the man's powerful testimony of redemption. "And now he actually works for Brightpoint in their 'Fathers First' program," related auxiliary volunteer Beth Lyons. "It's nice to hear those...

  • Student athlete profile - Matt Ruth

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 17, 2024

    Matt Ruth Clarendon Hills What goals have you set for your senior year in volleyball? My goal for our team is I want us to win regionals again this year, If we win that, it would be our fifth year in a row as a school. Personally, I want to make at least Second Team All State. What do enjoy about the sport? I really enjoy how much of a team sport it is and getting close with my teammates. How long have you played? I started playing in eighth grade. That’s when my older b...

  • Take a walk 'Into the Woods'

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 17, 2024

    Last year Hinsdale Central's drama and music departments were deliberating over which musical to put on in spring of 2024. Like a stroke of inspiration from a fairy godmother, drama teacher Erin Lundin landed on the Stephen Sondheim-scored "Into the Woods." "We have perfect kids to do this show this year, and it just sort of gelled immediately. We knew right away it was the right (production) for this year," Lundin related. The mash-up of famous Brothers Grimm stories will be...

  • Central girls will join competition on gridiron

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 17, 2024

    Hinsdale Central will join the ranks of the state’s newest interscholastic sport next fall: girls flag football. Hinsdale High School District 86 Board members voted April 11 to field a team at Central to be part of the Illinois High School Association’s inaugural 2024-25 season this fall. “It’s a new opportunity for our female athletes,” Central athletic director Mike Jezioro said Monday. “It provides another avenue for female students to be involved with the school.” The IHSA announced in February that girls flag football...

  • Hinsdale family wants sidewalk safety

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 17, 2024

    Hinsdale officials have not done enough to improve safety outside Fuller’s Car Wash following the tragic death of 14-year-old village resident Sean Richards last summer, according to his parents, Kristi and Brian Richards. During public comment at Tuesday night’s village board meeting, an emotional Kristi Richards criticized trustees’ approval of protective bollards at the site following the accident as an inadequate measure that gives pedestrians “the false sense that they are protected” when walking past the car wash exit...

  • Giannelli departs as head of fire house

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 11, 2024

    John Giannelli wanted his final shift with the Hinsdale Fire Department to feel like his first. "I found my old pillow and blanket," said the 33-year veteran of the force, who retired as chief on Friday. "I cooked dinner and stayed the night. Went on my last call. I made (the crew) breakfast. It brought back memories of how I started." It was a poignant conclusion to a career spent in the fire service. "It's all I've done since I was 18 years old," remarked Giannelli, who...

  • Buzelis is poised for big-time bounce

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 10, 2024

    One point from victory in the Rising Stars semifinal during the NBA's All-Star weekend in February in Indianapolis, former Hinsdale Central basketball player Matas Buzelis got control of the ball after a teammate's miss. Posting up his defender, the 19-year-old took two dribbles, spun to his left and drained a fadeaway 10-footer to clinch Team Detlef's championship berth in thrilling fashion. The clutch bucket also helped fan the already strong interest around the...

  • Chamber celebrates century of vitality

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 10, 2024

    For 100 years, the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce has been working to grow and galvanize the village's economic enterprises for the benefit of merchants, residents and all who visit town. "The chamber helps bolster Hinsdale's reputation as one of the most desirable suburbs in the Chicago area. It's here to see that the reputation continues, by providing services for the demands of our residents, and the organizational network on which the business community thrives," declares...

  • Ask an expert - SHERI KUPRES, COMMUNITY MARKETING/OUTREACH MANAGER

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 10, 2024

    What's important to know about home care? Sheri Kupres of Home Helpers in Hinsdale was meeting with a family about senior care when the daughter asked her elderly parents about some dents she noticed on their car. "They said, 'Oh, we hit this pole'," Kupres relayed. "And the daughter replied, 'Well, what if it was a person?' " Finding the couple a senior living facility may be the next step for some. But employing a caregiver - as the family mentioned chose - also is an...

  • Hinsdale gets ready for the solar eclipse

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 3, 2024

    So have you heard about the solar eclipse happening on Monday? The answer is likely yes, given the level of attention it is commanding. And rightfully so, as the moon's shadow will sweep from Texas to Maine on April 8 in an event not to happen again in the U.S. until 2044. And the Chicago area lies in close proximity to the "path of totality," prompting many to trek to southern Illinois or neighboring Indiana to experience it. Alan McCloud, Hinsdale Central earth science teach...

  • Chicago chamber group visits town

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 3, 2024

    The celebrated sounds of the Camerata Chicago Orchestra will serenade Hinsdale in a performance commemorating the group's 20th anniversary season. The chamber orchestra will present its concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 14, at the Hinsdale Seventh-day Adventist Church, with a program including Dvorak's "New World Symphony" and Rossini's "William Tell Overture" and guest pianist Marta Aznavoorian performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3. Music director Drostan Hall was...

  • Fostering cats purr-fect for mom/daughter duo

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 3, 2024

    When the Lohans first moved into their Hinsdale home, they discovered some unexpected neighbors: feral cats. "Then two years ago, one of these cats had kittens under our air conditioner," Amy Lohan said. "I called the Hinsdale Humane Society and said, 'What do I do?' " The lifelong dog lover and cat allergy sufferer was not exactly receptive to the humane society's suggestion that the family foster the two kittens. "I was like, 'Absolutely not. I have a dog, I don't know what...

  • Devils find rhythm in field, on court

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 29, 2024

    The Hinsdale Central baseball and softball squads' competitive schedules are already underway, while the two-time defending state champion boys tennis team faces its first test Monday in a quest for a third straight title. This is the final installment in a four-part series previewing Central's spring sports programs. Baseball First game: March 16 @ Palatine (V won 2-1) Last year: 18-15, lost in regional final Head coach: Jason Ziemer Seasons as head coach: 11 No. varsity...

  • Student athlete profile - Chloe Chang

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 20, 2024

    Chloe Chang Hinsdale What are you excited about this season? I'm focused on being a good teammmate. How were you introduced to the sport? I've been swimming since I was really young, but I didn't really know about water polo until freshman year. My friends encouraged me to try it. What's your goal? My goal is to play well and be kind of a mentor to the juniors, sophomores and freshmen. I really hope that they have the opportunities to play in challenging games and take leaders...

  • Teen delivers lessons in love at refugee school

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 20, 2024

    Hinsdale Central sophomore Arielle Shah didn't truly appreciate the gift of a good education until she entered into the young lives of those who had been denied it. The last three summers, Shah has taught English at a school for Venezuelan refugee children on the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad (and Tobago). Huellitas de Amor, whose name means "Prints of Love," is the sole educational option for the displaced kids. "They've been deprived of education for so long, so they...

  • Sudden Magnolia closing stirred 'panic'

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 20, 2024

    More details have emerged about what led to the temporary closure of Magnolia Dial Senior Living at the start of this month. In response to The Hinsdalean’s March 7 story on Magnolia suspending operations on March 1, relatives of Magnolia residents reached out to the paper detailing anxious months leading up to the shutdown and expressing frustration with parent Dial Senior Living over a lack of transparency throughout the process. Lynn Issleib’s 84-year-old mother moved into the facility about five years ago when it was Eve...

  • Village seeks to allay preservation spats

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 20, 2024

    In response to calls for additional village action to discourage the demolition of historic homes, Hinsdale trustees are considering requiring design review meetings for those looking to tear down and build new. At Tuesday night’s village board meeting, Village President Tom Cauley introduced an ordinance to modify the current process overseen by the historic preservation commission, which must issue a nonbinding certificate of appropriateness for a new construction application before demolition can occur in the Robbins Park...

  • My kind of enlightening town

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 20, 2024

    Avoid the teeming airports and bumper-to-bumper expressways out of town this spring break and make a short trip to Chicago, where world-class science and cultural facilities await with fresh attractions to enjoy. Here are a few enticing options. Adler Planetarium Join an imaginative Chicago pre-teen, on a visually stunning Afrofuturist journey in the Sky Show “Niyah and the Multiverse.” Niyah has a lot of questions about space and time. How can a special mask help us understand who we are in the world? Do we really need all t...

  • Ask an expert - BRONSON WELCH, LOCAL TREASURE HUNTER

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 15, 2024

    How did you unearth vintage bottles? That which lurks beneath has been preoccupying Hinsdale's Bronson Welch recently. The Clarendon Hills Middle School sixth-grader recently visited Graue Mill on an unseasonably warm winter day to explore Salt Creek, flowing considerably shallower nowadays due to a dam removal. "All I was doing was just trying to walk the creek because it was cool," Bronson said. As he walked, his sharp vision spied long buried bottles that had been exposed b...

  • Devils ready to meet their matches

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 13, 2024

    Hinsdale Central's 2024 spring sports action continues this week with a look at the perennially competitive girls badminton squad and the reloading boys gymnastics and volleyball programs. Last week's opener in our four-part season preview series featured girls and boys track, and boys and girls water polo. Next week swings into baseball, softball and boys tennis. Girls badminton First match: March 12 @ LT Quad (V places XX) Last year: conference & sectional champion, 6th at...

  • New entries mulled for historic listing

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 13, 2024

    The former homes of an acclaimed opera singer, a 19th-century local dance instructor and the visionary behind the village’s pioneering ice plant are among the latest candidates for Hinsdale’s Historically Significant Structures Property List. At the March 6 historic preservation commission meeting, commissioners voted to recommend seven homes for the list. Inclusion on the list is required to be eligible for incentives to help with historically sensitive home improvements, including matching grant funds, a property tax reb...

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