Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 1022
A spring break staycation may be just the way to play this year, enjoying a less crowded, more relaxed local vibe. Your favorite community spots also have special programs especially for kiddos. The Hinsdale Public Library, 20 E. Maple St., always has a slate of fun activities during spring break week. To register or for more information on the following programs, visit www.hinsdalelibrary.info or call (630) 986-1976. • Youth in grades three through five will learn to make sweet and savory snacks in Kids Can Cook from 2 to 3...
March 15, 2020, marked the first day I worked from home due to the COVID pandemic. Everything about that day was different. I fired up my computer and just stared at the screen. As COVID raged, schools, businesses, churches and transportation hubs of all kinds suddenly shut down. Stores ran out of supplies. Goods ceased to flow to and from ports. Streets and towns were eerily empty. People got very sick, and in the end, millions died. Not just faceless people in far flung...
I first met Cristina Henriquez in 2007. I wanted to do a story on a new mom for the issue before Mother’s Day, and she fit the criteria. As often happens when interviewing Hinsdale residents, I discovered there was so much more to the story. In addition to giving birth to her daughter, Sofia, Cristina had published her first book of short stories and a novella the previous year. Since that time, she has published three more novels. And her latest — “The Great Divide” — recen...
The beginning of the run is the hardest part. It takes time for your body to warm up, settle into a new rhythm and get used to the higher level of oxygen. People don't think that, though. They think that the longer you go, the harder it gets and the more tired you are. But that's not the case. I have been a runner for as long as I can remember. As a former athlete, running has always been a part of me. I've had the same 3-mile running route through Hinsdale since the seventh...
I’d like to thank the people of the Hinsdale community who attended the 2024 Community Revue, “Artificial Hinstelligence.” Our opening weekend was a spectacular success, with audiences raising the rooftops with their laughter. We hope that those who have not yet had an opportunity to see this original musical revue skewering all things Hinsdale will come to Kettering Hall for our final weekend. It will be our pleasure to entertain you, with proceeds benefiting the incredible programs that The Community House offers. And r...
Many Women's History Month pieces focus on women whose names we all know - pioneers like Marie Curie or Rosa Parks. Or they might highlight less prominent figures like Rosalind Franklin, the British scientist whose work led to the Noble Prize-winning discovery of the double helix, the credit for which went to a group of men. I'm taking a different approach and saluting women who, during the time they lived or worked here, left their mark on Hinsdale. And on me. • Ly Hotchkin I...
This is National Sunshine Week — and not because we have an extra hour of daylight following the start of daylight saving time Sunday. Sunshine Week is an initiative launched by the American Society of News Editors in 2005 to promote conversation about the importance of open government and freedom of information. The date coincides with the March 16 birthday of James Madison, known as the “Father of the Constitution” for his role in drafting and promoting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Freedom of the press is one o...
The 96th Academy Awards will be presented Sunday night. And, as usual, I will have not seen most of the films up for awards. I am a big fan of one of the best picture nominees this year — “Barbie” — which also earned nominations for best supporting actor and actress, a pair of nominations for original songs and nods for costume design, production design and adapted screenplay. I even saw this one in a theater. I appreciated the performances of Annette Bening (best actress...
When I backed into a neighbors parked car a couple years ago, I developed a fear of driving through narrow spaces. Embarrassing? Absolutely. Seemingly irrational? Of course, but fear doesn’t always make sense. My sister visited recently and was highly amused as I slowly maneuvered through the Portillo’s drive-thru, my hands at 10 and 2, my car’s camera programmed on the screen to help guide me. “I should be videoing this and sharing it with the rest of the family,” she giggl...
A host of actors, filmmakers, composers, costume designers and other talented individuals will take home an Academy Award Sunday night. With Hinsdale being such a high-achieving community, we thought it only right that some local people, places and things receive an award as well. So, without further ado — or a big opening number or jokes from Jimmy Kimmel — we recognize the following: • Best performance during an election — Cat Greenspon presented herself as a reasonable individual whose priority was district student...
As I began to write this column, I realized it would be published on Feb. 29, a leap day. Now as everybody knows, leap years only come once every four years, making them a special and somewhat rare occasion. However, for me at least, and I'm sure for many, they aren't very significant. And I don't mean to be rude to the lucky (or perhaps unlucky) few who get to have their birthday only once every four years. I wish you all a very happy birthday. Anyway, as I was pondering the...
Signs provide us with all kinds of information. "Slow, children playing" lets us know kids reside on a particular block. (Since kids live on many blocks that don't have such signs, these warnings also might indicate worried parents live on the block as well.) Signs indicating downtown Hinsdale and the Robbins Park subdivision are on the National Register of Historic Places demonstrate the importance of the village's past to Hinsdaleans - or at least to those who are...
We all know there are 365 days in a year, right? Well, not exactly. It takes the Earth 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 56 seconds to orbit the Sun. We account for those extra hours every four years by adding an extra day to the end of February. For the first time in The Hinsdalean’s history, Leap Day is also publication day! To celebrate, we’ve compiled this list of little known facts to provide both education and cocktail party conversation for the weekend. Happy Leap Day! • The Julian calendar, which Julius Caesar intr...
This past football season, I finally realized a long-standing dream of mine to watch football 24/7. Impossible, you say? Way, I say. First of all, there is some kind of football on broadcast TV, cable TV, streaming, online, etc., nonstop, all day, every day. Now, don't get me wrong. You do have to be flexible. It's not all pro or college. Sometimes you have to watch games that were decided decades ago. Sometimes you have to watch high school football, flag football, Falcon...
Robbins Park? Southeast is the true name of the controversial neighborhood in Hinsdale. It’s Southeast Hinsdale. The dirt that lies under homes — that were built in a different era, when folks listened to the radio after having dinner provided to them by live-in servants — is the focus of wealthy homebuyers these days. It’s the beauty of lot sizes, mature trees, exclusivity of Southeast that enchants buyers. Many, many homes in Southeast have been torn down and many more will be too. What some residents do not choose to admit...
Black History Month is not simply asking, “How can I remember and learn about Black people?” It is all of us asking, “How can we love Black people by seeing them, hearing them, relishing in them and creating a world where Black people feel loved, inspired and protected?” — writer Danté Stewart February is National Black History Month, an occasion to celebrate the contributions of Black Americans to the evolution of our nation across all areas of society. Locally, stop by the Hinsdale Public Library’s Youth Services Department...
I'm not worried about the world ending in a nuclear explosion or an alien invasion. The robots are what scares me. I am not the only person who worries about robots taking over the world, a quick Google search confirmed. I've been reassured by those who say that robots and AI lack the desires and motivations - say for world domination - that humans do. Others point out that robots and AI are programmed by people and operate within those set limits. But we've all seen the...
I used to think that business travel was glamorous. This was back when it was called taking a "business trip," when '80s TV shows featured beautiful, cosmopolitan people in power suits. Before I chose medicine as my career, I imagined myself striding through the airport purposefully, designer briefcase in hand. I would do impressive and important paperwork on the plane, wow clients and colleagues at my destination, eat gourmet meals and stay at fabulous hotels courtesy of a...
Which Super Bowl commercials were your favorites on Sunday? I loved Christopher Walken in BMW's "Talking Like Walken" ad, in which everyone from the valet to the guy at the drive through to his tailor offers their own impersonation of his unique voice. "There's only one Christopher Walken and one ultimate driving machine. The rest are just imitations," the announcer says, in his own Walken-esque style. The ad reminded me of one of my all-time favorite Saturday Night Live...
The Robbins Park neighborhood in Hinsdale undoubtedly is a special place. The northern half was platted in 1866 by Hinsdale founder William Robbins and contains some of the oldest housing in the village, according to the village’s website. The southern half, the William Robbins Park Addition, was platted in 1870, with curved streets and landscaping designed by Horace Cleveland. One hundred and thirty-nine homes were considered “significant” when the neighborhood was declared a National Register Historic District in 2008....
It’s 6 a.m. My phone dings once. A few seconds later, a second ding. I roll over and see the familiar green and yellow squares. And so the day begins, the family Wordle group texts are activated. I smile, assessing my mom’s score. I know she played at midnight, unable to sleep. She’s mentioned once, twice — or a dozen times — that she politely waits until 7 her time, before hitting “share” to not disturb the few of us who are an hour behind, living in the central time zone. The second ding will be on the other family group...
As is The Hinsdalean’s tradition the week before Valentine’s Day (next Wednesday, don’t forget!), we hereby issue our own “valentines” to those helping to make the community a more kindhearted place. Here are this year’s honorees as nominated by organizations in the village. • Amy and Emily Lohan, the mother-daughter team that works with the Hinsdale Humane Society’s trap/neuter/return program, manage a colony of feral cats to helps reduce cat overpopulation and euthanasia. It’s a side of rescue work that many people may not...
I wouldn’t describe myself as a huge Taylor Swift fan — although I do know all the words to most of the songs on “1989,” as it was the only music we listened to driving through Colorado on a family vacation in 2015. Of course, you don’t have to be a huge fan to know something about her. Sunday night she claimed her fourth Album of the Year Grammy, making history by surpassing the likes of three-time winners Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder. She’s won a total of 14 G...
February is a month devoted to matters of the heart. With Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14 — wait, that’s not what we’re talking about here! February is American Heart Month, a time when people are encouraged to focus on cardiovascular health. For those who didn’t pay attention in health class — or are too many years removed to remember — the heart is the primary organ in the circulation system, pumping blood throughout the body, carrying oxygen to every cell. After delivering the oxygen, the blood returns to the heart, which sends...
“If the story you’re telling doesn’t serve you, tell a different story.” I typed that while taking my morning walk and listening to my current favorite podcast, “Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris.” I wanted to remember the quote to share it with someone, which I did. And I thought I might want to listen to the episode again. If only I had written down which episode I was listening to at the time! I can never remember where I’ve heard things. There I go. Telling a story about...
