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  • Avoid the stress of the season with healthy habits

    Updated Apr 3, 2024

    The arrival of spring for many ushers in a rising level of activities, obligations — and stress. April is National Stress Awareness Month to bring attention to the negative impact of stress. The National Institutes of Health want people to recognize that managing stress is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle — and that knowing how to manage stress can improve mental and physical well-being as well as minimize exacerbation of health-related issues. Mental Health America provides a Stress Screener (ww...

  • Ninety-day minimum sounds right for house rentals

    Updated Mar 27, 2024

    Next month the Hinsdale Village Board is likely to take action on short-term rentals, changing the zoning code to prohibit people from renting Hinsdale homes for fewer than a specified number of days. Trustees, in referring the matter to the plan commission for a public hearing, suggested that threshold be 180 days. Plan commissioners said they think 90 days is a more appropriate number, and we agree. The complex nature of this issue was evident at the March 13 public hearing. First, it’s tough to determine exactly how many H...

  • Make a break for it - close to home

    Updated Mar 21, 2024

    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...

  • Sunshine Week shines light on transparency

    Updated Mar 13, 2024

    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...

  • Paper presents local awards in advance of Oscars

    Updated Mar 6, 2024

    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...

  • Learn Leap Day history, lore on this Feb. 29

    Updated Feb 28, 2024

    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...

  • Make space to embrace Black history this month

    Updated Feb 21, 2024

    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...

  • Try to protect Robbins Park before it's too late

    Updated Feb 14, 2024

    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....

  • A little bit of love goes a long way to help others

    Updated Feb 7, 2024

    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...

  • February a time to feel the love - for your heart

    Updated Jan 31, 2024

    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...

  • Candor's impact healthy as ever on 50th birthday

    Updated Jan 24, 2024

    Candor Health Education is marking a milestone this year. Exactly a half-century ago, the organization’s precursor, the Robert Crown Center for Health Education, moved into 21 Salt Creek Lane in Hinsdale, becoming the nation’s first fully independent health education center. According to the agency’s website, the moniker was a tribute to the Robert Crown Family, who had provided funding for the groundbreaking endeavor. The agency’s actual incarnation dates back to 1958 as the Hinsdale Health Museum, a locally organiz...

  • Here's hoping for better weather in District 86

    Updated Jan 17, 2024

    It’s been a stormy eight months in Hinsdale High School District 86, but we see signs that the skies are clearing. Board members say they’re excited about their superintendent hire, Michael Lach, who currently works as assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment in Township High School District 113. Lach, in turn, says he’s very excited about the opportunity. So what could go wrong? Well, we won’t dwell on that answer. But we will say that the board must remain as committed to working with Lach as...

  • Get new year flowing with a blood donation

    Updated Jan 10, 2024

    According to the American Red Cross, the country is experiencing an emergency blood shortage as it faces the lowest number of people giving blood in 20 years. With January’s designation as National Blood Donor Month, this is the perfect time to help address this critical situation with a donation of blood and/or platelets to help alleviate the shortage and help ensure lifesaving medical procedures are not put on hold. “One of the most distressing situations for a doctor is to have a hospital full of patients and an empty blo...

  • Bidding farewell to 2023, sesquicentennial coverage

    Updated Jan 3, 2024

    In our first January issue last year, we kicked off a new weekly series designed to celebrate Hinsdale’s 150th anniversary. Last week we ran the final installment. We learned a lot about our favorite village’s history over the past year — and not just from the weekly series. We also dedicated our summer series, “Quintessential Hinsdale,” to the places and events that make Hinsdale the special place it is. And, of course, we can’t forget the 120-page special section we published Sept. 28 honoring the sesquicente...

  • Make 2024 the best (or at least better) year yet

    Updated Dec 27, 2023

    Exercising more. Eating and drinking less. Spending less time on social media. Getting together more in person with friends. These are among the resolutions found on many lists as a new year approaches. Here at The Hinsdalean, we like to offer a different assortment of resolutions in our final issue of the year. So, as has become an annual practice, we offer our suggestions to local taxing bodies, agencies and residents for smooth sailing in 2024. • Take a time out If District 86 Board members hope to hire and keep a new s...

  • 'Twas the night before Christmas in Hinsdale

    Updated Dec 20, 2023

    'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the town The Hinsdaleans were scurrying, they rushed all around. For last-minute gifts and cards they did sprint, Armed with lists and ideas and maybe some hints. Gateway and Grant squares and downtown they traveled But with each stop, their nerves did unravel. The hustle and bustle had dampened their mood. They were tired and cranky and needed some food. They stopped for some lunch and looked over the list. To finish their...

  • Help Memorial Building thrive in next century

    Updated Dec 13, 2023

    The time to make a special contribution in support of Hinsdale’s enduring story is quickly running out. In commemoration of the village’s 150th anniversary, officials launched the Memorial Building Historic Plaza & Railing Campaign. Funds collected will go toward restoring the original Chippendale roof railing on the nearly 100-year-old village landmark as well as renewing the outdoor gathering space adorning Hinsdale’s “front lawn” on the south side of the structure. The iconic and treasured symbol of Hinsdale owes its exist...

  • Practice fire safety to help 'Keep the Wreath Red"

    Updated Dec 6, 2023

    How wonderful it is on a snowy December night to pull into the drive and see Christmas tree lights twinkling in the front window. But leaving those lights on while you’re not home is a safety hazard that can lead to a fire. And in the event of a holiday-related fire, the Hinsdale Fire Department will swap out a red bulb with a white one on the wreath hanging just inside the fire station’s mini museum near the main entrance at 121 Symonds Drive. The annual “Keep the Wreath Red” campaign is a joint effort between the Illinoi...

  • Many ways to count down the days 'til Christmas

    Pamela Lannom|Updated Nov 29, 2023

    My daughter Ainsley’s favorite Advent calendars are the ones you can find just about anywhere for $2.99. I’ve tried to substitute an upgraded chocolate calendar — whose windows contain more than a teeny tiny piece of the cheapest chocolate money can buy. But she wants the same kind of calendar her Gram and Papa, who are no longer with us, used to buy her. I love holiday traditions — some might even call me a stickler — and apparently I’ve passed on my passion/obs...

  • Shop local a profitable mantra for all seasons

    Updated Nov 29, 2023

    Small Business Saturday, a day to celebrate and support local shops and all they do for their communities, may have been observed last weekend. But that doesn’t mean the need to show love to local merchants is any less critical. Hinsdale stores are eager to welcome patrons with unique items hard to find elsewhere in the area. And we should welcome to the opportunity to patronize them. Here are some reasons why, as articulated in an essay by Forbes Finance Council member Joseph Lustberg: • By making a commitment to shop loc...

  • A cornucopia of reasons for which to give thanks

    Updated Nov 21, 2023

    "No amount of regret changes the past. No amount of anxiety changes the future. Any amount of gratitude changes the present." - Ann Voskamp Canadian author and blogger Ann Voskamp might not celebrate Thanksgiving, but she knows a thing or two about gratitude. One of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions is offering a list of reasons Hinsdaleans have to be thankful for - one for each day of the month leading up to Turkey Day. Nov. 1 - those who will not be with us this holiday s...

  • Generosity is one of the hallmarks of season

    Updated Nov 15, 2023

    Mark the holidays by making a life-impacting gift to a local nonprofit agency on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28. At the Hinsdale Humane Society, funds donated as part of #GivingTuesday2023 will help save animals’ lives by enabling the organization to offer the programs and services people and pets in more than a dozen area communities rely on. Contributions will be used to shelter strays, adopt out hundreds of homeless pets and provide veterinary care for animals in need. Visit www.hinsdalehumanesociety.org/donate. Gifts to Wellness...

  • Special section honors veterans and their sacrifices

    Updated Nov 8, 2023

    Two-hundred and seven. That’s how many veterans are listed in our Veterans Day special section today. And it’s a record. The number of submissions we receive has grown each year since we ran our first pages in 2015 honoring 72 men and women who had served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Some of these men and women are neighbors here in town. Others are the parents, grandparents, children, aunts and uncles of Hinsdale residents. They are members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines who fought in the Civil War, World War I, World...

  • D86 board is in crisis. Who can right the ship?

    Updated Nov 1, 2023

    Help wanted: Hinsdale High School District 86 superintendent Qualifications: • Ability to help foster a healthy, constructive dynamic on the board of education that emphasizes respect and transparency along with a deft conflict resolution touch that dissuades elected members from resigning mid-term out of futility and frustration. The fresh case studies in quitting of Debbie Levinthal (Sept. 18) and Kay Gallo (Oct. 26), both capable and motivated but compelled to depart because of “toxic” practices on the part of board colle...

  • Editors demonstrate frightening sense of humor

    Updated Oct 25, 2023

    Perhaps one of the most frightening things to happen the week before Halloween is our annual enumeration of scary scenarios that we have imagined afflicting our fair village. As always, we offer the following words of caution to readers: Beware the sarcasm. • The village takes a closer look at the old, weathered copy of its articles of incorporation and discovers it is actually dated April 4, 1874, requiring officials to coordinate yet another year of sesquicentennial celebrations. • The Hinsdale High School District 86 Boa...

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