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The Nov. 8 election is less than three weeks away. Some of you may have already cast ballots through early voting. Well done, and today, as in election years past, we take the opportunity to use this space to encourage the rest of the electorate to exercise their Constitutional right to select their government representatives. We have provided charts outlining the candidates and their positions in races at the county, state and Congressional levels. See Pages 5 and 7 in this issue for the latest installments. All of our...
Community is important to Hinsdaleans. We see it in the way they volunteer at schools and other organizations, the financial contributions they make to philanthropic agencies and the support they offer to friends and neighbors in need. The wonderful community here is woven together by many different threads. One of those threads is local government, and, by extension, the Hinsdale Caucus and the D86 Board of Education Election Caucus. And much as the school PTO or your church or the food pantry might call on you to...
Students at Hinsdale Central High School might have noticed some interesting things this week. Footprints placed in the hallway led to the school’s new student services area, where teens can learn more about depression and how to get help in times of crisis. “Lighthouses” placed throughout the school identified people who are serving as a “Beacon of Hope” to help someone in need. On Monday, students were reminded during daily announcements of the number 988, the new Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, to contact for help with ment...
“It’s the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!” — Winnie the Pooh Happy Fall! Today is the autumnal equinox, ushering in a season — as the most famous resident of the Hundred Acre Wood so gleefully conveys — replete with delights. Sunshine without summer’s humidity and cool evenings for strolls or s’mores make it the most inviting time to be outdoors for Midwest denizens. While the jury’s still out on sanctioning the term “leaf peeper...
The Hinsdale High School District 86 Board needs a special meeting with a single agenda item — to address future agenda items. At last count, the board had more than a dozen items on a list of potential future meeting topics. The “list” is actually an excel spreadsheet that identifies which board member requested the item and when, the date of the meeting at which it is set to be discussed and relevant details. Three board members’ names — Peggy James, Debbie Levinthal and Jeff Waters — are the only ones that appear in t...
Every year in this issue, we dedicate this space to remembering the events of Sept. 11, 2001, paying respects to those lost and the heroism of those who, in many cases, knew it would be their final act. As the years pile up between then and now, the unspeakable series of deadly terrorist acts that upended our collective consciousness has become the province of annual commemorative events with limited participation. But as Americans, we cannot let our collective memory consign it to the pile of the past. As President George...
Labor Day traditionally marks the unofficial end of summer. Vacations have been taken, the kids have gone back to school (unless there’s an extended summer construction schedule) and life gets back to normal. This year, some employers hope that mindset will help them convince remote workers to return to the office, according to a New York Times article. “Each pandemic fall has brought with it employers’ hopes of a broad-scale return to the office,” Emma Goldberg writes in “The office’s last stand.” “Last year’s plans we...
Hinsdale Central students may be going back to class a little later this fall, but it’s never too early to bone up on healthy habits for scholarship. Here are some tips from The Princeton Review: 1. Have more than one study space. Let variety be the spice of learning. Coffee shops, libraries, parks or even just moving to the kitchen table will provide a change of scenery to stimulate better information retention. 2. Keep an all-inclusive calendar. Tracking homework assignments is obviously important, but so is honoring e...
Students head back to school this Monday in Community Consolidated School District 181 and Sept. 6 in Hinsdale High School District 86. That means more youth and families crossing streets on their way to and from school to begin an exciting new year. May those of us behind the wheel not add to the excitement with unsafe driving behavior around our community’s learning centers; Heading back to class is always a change in routine for kids, and they may not always be as alert as they should be (i.e. eyes locked on a smartphone)...
We all know what we should be doing before we send the kids back to school in a few weeks. If students heading off to college haven’t learned to do their own laundry, now is the time. They also could use some tips on getting along with their new roommate and not running up their credit cards. Kindergarten teachers hope we’ve taught preschool grads to tie their shoes, zip up their coats and listen to directions. Countless websites offer tips on helping kids entering preschool to college with everything from social skills to st...
Periodically we get emails identifying the best and worst cities and states pertaining to a variety of categories — biking, hiking, driving, taxes, etc. One recent missive identified the best states for pioneer women, as if there were tons of females across the country wondering where they should move to grow their own crops, herd their own cattle and heat their bath water on a stove. (In case you are one of those rare women, you should move to Texas and steer clear of Rhode Island.) Another recent email identified the b...
Police sometimes have to break up a party. But this week, they’re inviting you to one. Hinsdale and Oak Brook police are hosting a National Night Out celebration at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, at Oak Brook’s Central Park West, 1500 Forest Gate Road. National Night Out was introduced in August 1984 through an already established network of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, civic groups, state and regional crime prevention associations and volunteers across the nation. The first National Night Out involved 2.5...
“Hinsdale is a low-crime community. It’s not a no-crime community.” Hinsdale Police Chief Brian King says it so often, we think he should get the phrase trademarked. But we understand the need for repetition. We’ve written more editorials than we can count reminding people not to leave their expensive cars unlocked in the driveway with a key fob and garage door opener inside. And with the commercial burglaries of late, including break-ins to Jimmy John’s, Starbucks, Wild Ginger and the Hinsdale Barber shop, and the theft of...
Hinsdale residents earlier this week enjoyed a great Fourth of July celebration, thanks in large part to efforts by the village’s parks and recreation department. So it seems fitting to take this opportunity to recognize all the department does throughout the year, as July is National Parks and Recreation Month. This summer alone, the department is hosting a plethora of events to entertain people of all ages — Lunch on the Lawn, Movies in the Park, Unplug and Play, summer camps, swimming and diving lessons and a men’s softb...
"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4 not with a parade of guns, tanks and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it's patriotism." - Erma Bombeck Countless writers have opined on our nation's birth and the way we celebrate it, many of them offering comments more...
We’re glad it’s not our job to predict voter turnout in Tuesday’s primary. “What?” you say. “There’s an election on Tuesday?” Yes, so after you drop the kids off for swimming lessons or summer camp, make sure to swing by your polling place to help determine the individuals who will represent their parties in the November general election. “Is there always an election in June?” you might be wondering. No. The Illinois primary typically takes place in March, but legislators last year voted to delay it in part because they were...
Know any good dad jokes? This Sunday is Father’s Day, a time to honor patriarchs everywhere by eliciting groans with corny puns (e.g. What do you call a wizard who’s really bad at football? Fumbledore). Once you (quickly) reach your tolerance level for that, take advantage of some of the fun family-friendly events happening nearby this weekend. Here’s a top-10 list of some options. 10. Start the celebration early with the Dad’s Day gathering from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Hinsdale Public Library. Enjoy doughnu...
Ninety-six percent of educators agree providing year-round access to books is important to student learning. Ninety-four percent of parents agree reading books over the summer will help their child during the school year. Seventy-four percent of kids say reading fiction and nonfiction helps them understand the world, according to Scholastic. And 100 percent of librarians at the Hinsdale Public Library hope kids, teens and adults will sign up for their summer reading club, which runs through July 31. A summer reading kick-off...
After a chilly April and soggy May, summer can’t come fast enough for most of us. Although the season doesn’t officially move in until June 21, the unofficial Memorial Day weekend kickoff sure was steamy enough to get us dreaming of what’s to come. So here are our top 10 reasons why we love summer in Hinsdale. 10. The farmers market The annual outdoor mart offering a range of products from produce and meats to juice and natural remedies opens this Monday along Chicago Avenue adjacent to Burlington Park and continues every...
In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky, The larks, still bravely singing, fly, Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not...
Before long, the streets of downtown Hinsdale will be dotted with brightly colored umbrellas as restaurants resume al fresco dining. OK, the umbrellas won’t be brightly colored (the village prefers neutral tones). But the overall appearance of outdoor eating areas will improve greatly, thanks to a new permit application process and design standards implemented by the Hinsdale Village Board. One of the biggest — and best, in our opinion — changes will be the elimination of the concrete jersey barriers to separate dining areas...
Public bodies can approach Freedom of Information Act requests one of two ways. They can release only what the law requires them to release. Or they can release everything except what the law prohibits them from releasing. This might seem like mere semantics, but the second approach indicates a public body is focused on real transparency rather than minimal compliance. Another way to embrace transparency is to make the documents released to one individual accessible to all. We’re pleased Hinsdale High School District 86 B...
Tomorrow, April 29, marks the 150th anniversary of an often overlooked but important holiday. The first Arbor Day was held April 10, 1872, in Nebraska. Newspaperman J. Sterling Morton (Morton Arboretum founder Joy Morton’s father) proposed a day to encourage all Nebraskans to plant trees in their community. The campaign was a success, and more than a million trees were planted. Eventually the holiday was adopted by more states and the federal government and moved to the end of the month. Village President Tom Cauley issued t...
On behalf of the whole town, we wish our friends at the Hinsdale Public Library a Happy National Library Week! The celebration is underway and runs through Saturday. Recognized since 1958, it’s a time to highlight the changing role of libraries, librarians and library workers. The American Library Association has chosen “Connect with Your Library” for this year’s theme to promote libraries’ technology resources as well as their broad selection of media, programs, ideas, and classes, in addition to books, that invite people to...
Newspapers have been a great vehicle over the decades for those looking to have some fun April 1. In 1977, The Guardian published a seven-page special section devoted to San Serriffe, a small group of semicolon shaped islands in the Indian Ocean. The two main islands were Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse, and the islands’ leader was General Pica. Phones rang all day with readers seeking more information about this idyllic holiday spot. Only a few noticed that everything about the islands was named after printer’s ter...
