Opinion / Letters To The Editor


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  • Letter - Free heart screenings at Central might save teens' lives

    Updated Apr 10, 2024

    On April 2, 2024, just1mike and Mend A Heart foundations sponsored Young Hearts for Life free ECG in-school heart screenings at Hinsdale South. Six hundred and 16 students were screened. Nine students were identified with a previously undiagnosed cardiac condition. Since 2017, 20 Hinsdale Central students have been identified with undiagnosed cardiac conditions through the YH4L screenings sponsored by the just1mike foundation. Heart screenings save lives. As junior board members for the just1mike foundation and Central...

  • Letter - Don't use taxpayer money for incentives

    Updated Apr 3, 2024

    The Historic Preservation Commission has been involved in generating grants and tax abatements to assist in the financing and construction of additions to homes on the Historically Significant Structures Property List. The HPC and the trustees are subsidizing the improvements to private homes with taxpayer money. President Cauley has said that the owners needed “incentives” to undertake these improvements. During a recent HPC meeting, a proposed new home to be built in the historic district was discussed. The HPC did not giv...

  • Letter - Support Community House at 'Artificial Hinstelligence'

    Updated Mar 13, 2024

    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...

  • Letter - New homes add value, interest to Southeast Hinsdale

    Updated Feb 21, 2024

    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...

  • Letter - Neighbors making living in Hinsdale so wonderful

    Updated Jan 31, 2024

    Jan. 14 we escaped the winter for 11 days. Like always, our neighbors take care of everything while we are gone. We stop the mail and newspaper deliveries and our “ghost lights” go on and off while we are gone. Already a day later, Shari Cornies called us in Mexico to find out if we were well and happy. She had found our Sunday news paper in the driveway. She worried if we were OK, and if we had made the trip to Mexico safely. Jan. 25 we came back from our dream vacation. Our house was icy like an igloo. We went to bed wit...

  • Letter - Schools should take role in advocating gun safety

    Updated Jan 17, 2024

    Like any parent, I am accustomed to receiving a lot of emails from my kids’ school – many of which relate to safety. Whether the communications relate to crossing the street, bundling up during the winter or staying home when sick, it is clear our schools are invested in students’ welfare. Why, then, don’t schools communicate with parents about the No. 1 cause of death among children in the U.S.? This danger is not the flu, crossing at a crosswalk or forgetting a scarf – it is firearms. Every year, 350 children in America g...

  • Letters - Anniversary special section brought back great memories

    Updated Nov 21, 2023

    I enjoyed your newspaper’s account of Hinsdale’s 150th anniversary. The 1960s-70s were an electric time. HTHS was much more than an athletic powerhouse. The junior high and high school had outstanding teachers. Robert Michalek taught an eighth-grade advanced science class that presented DNA concepts other students did not get until college. The foreign language program prepared us for college and lifetime travel abroad. In 1965, the high school hosted a Community Conference on Values. Dr. Bruno Bettelheim was the keynote spe...

  • Letter - Anniversary issue prompted reflections of high school days

    Updated Nov 15, 2023

    I enjoyed your newspaper’s account of Hinsdale’s 150th anniversary. The 1960s-70s were an electric time. HTHS was much more than an athletic powerhouse. The junior high and high school had outstanding teachers. Robert Michalek taught an eighth-grade advanced science class that presented DNA concepts other students did not get until college. The foreign language program prepared us for college and lifetime travel abroad. In 1965, the high school hosted a Community Conference on Values. Dr. Bruno Bettelheim was the keynote spe...

  • Letters - What the ads for Medicare Advantage don't tell you

    Updated Nov 8, 2023

    Medicare open enrollment, now in progress, will end on Dec. 7. Medicare recipients have two choices for covering their medical expenses not paid by Medicare Parts A and B: traditional Medicare, or a Medicare Advantage plan (also known as Medicare Part C.) “Traditional Medicare” is defined in this letter as Medicare Parts A and B, plus a Medigap plan, also known as “a supplemental,” plus a Part D plan that covers medications. Advantage plans are allowed to advertise without disclosing the financial incentives for insuran...

  • Letter - Editor's column on free speech misses key point

    Updated Nov 1, 2023

    The premise of your Oct. 26 commentary (“Want free speech? You’ll hear things you don’t like”) is at best flawed and misleading and at worst is a piece of propaganda. In this column, you do not distinguish between free speech, the right to speak our thoughts and opinions without government interference or retaliation, and unprotected speech, which includes threats and messages that transmit hatred and may provoke violence. Since you did not distinguish between free speech and unprotected speech, you misled your readers...

  • Letter - Disney's efforts to modernize princesses lauded

    Updated Nov 1, 2023

    A recent guest columnist characterized Disney’s remake of “Snow White” as an insult to the tradition of its iconic princesses. To be sure, the tradition goes way back — my three sisters and I had been obsessed with Disney princesses in the ’50s and ’60s. Fast forward to the ’90s: we raised our two daughters from China, turning to Disney flicks and traveling to Orlando for the additional treat of having tea with these princesses. Then we got lucky. “Pocahontas” came out and then “Mulan” followed. This was during the peak y...

  • Letter - Support just1mike foundation, prevent SCA with donation

    Updated Oct 4, 2023

    Damar Hamlin and Bronny James are lucky. They were in the right place at the right time when they suffered their sudden cardiac events. Many are not so lucky, like our family friend Michael Brindley. Michael attended Hinsdale Central. He was known for his big heart and big hugs. Michael loved all sports. He dreamt of becoming a sports journalist. Sadly, Michael's dream was never realized because he passed away in 2016 from sudden cardiac arrest at age 16. October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness month. SCA is the No. 1...

  • Letter - Discussion, not dysfunction, is accurate for the D86 board

    Updated Oct 4, 2023

    Last week, The Hinsdalean misquoted D86’s board president advancing a narrative of a “dysfunctional” board. During the discussion of legal representation, President Greenspon welcomed discussion: “I can ask for discussion so that everybody can provide feedback;” and contrary to the report, Dr. Yonke did not push back. Drs. Yonke and Lechner both support a legal representation review (Levinthal and Greenspon did, as well). The split 2:5 vote responded to “possible action to withdraw prior approval of minutes.” Levinthal and...

  • Letter - Join Rotary Run Sunday and support local charities

    Updated Sep 27, 2023

    Come one, come all to the 2023 Rotary Run Charity Classic this coming Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. The motto of Rotary is very simple, “Service Above Self.” That is the reason I joined the Rotary Club of Hinsdale just a few short years ago and that is the reason that this race is so important to me. Almost every penny donated to the race will be given away to excellent charitable causes, including The Community House of Hinsdale, the D181 Foundation, the Ray Graham Foundation and the Hinsdale Hospital Foundation. Since I del...

  • Letter - Pancakes perfect start to homecoming activities

    Updated Sep 13, 2023

    The Hinsdale Central High School Homecoming Pancake Breakfast is back! Please join us on Saturday, Sept. 23, from 7:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. in the beautiful HCHS student cafe. Tickets are $10. Pay at the door. All proceeds go to HCHS student programs. Brought to you by the HCHS Foundation and the Hinsdale Rotary. Yum!!!! — Pam Kalafut, HCHS Foundation...

  • Letter - No excuse for lack of new teachers contract in District 181

    Updated Sep 6, 2023

    Many in the community began the school year with attending curriculum night in District 181. We were welcomed by enthusiastic, caring, smart professionals who excel in the craft of teaching. We entrust these teachers each day with laying a solid foundation of academic excellence. We relied on these same teachers to guide us all through a global pandemic and expected our tradition of excellence to continue. It did. Yet, as we begin the 2023-24 school year, teachers in 181 are working without a contract and federal mediators...

  • Letter - Dogs deserved more than 1 point in columnist's tally

    Updated Aug 23, 2023

    In contrast to a recent guest commentary, I posit the case is overwhelmingly for dogs. Not against dogs. On behalf of dogs everywhere, I humbly offer this partial inventory and recount. Seeing-eye dogs. Bomb-sniffing dogs. Guard dogs. Hunting dogs. Police dogs. Seizure-sensing dogs. Service dogs. Sheep herding dogs. Sled dogs. Search and rescue dogs. Drug-sniffing dogs. And these are just the top-of-mind jobs dogs perform for us. We ask and dogs willingly meet the challenge. They love us more than they love themselves,...

  • Letter - Burdi's world-class car show is an asset to the village

    Updated Aug 23, 2023

    Hinsdale owes a thank you to Burdi Clothing and the other organizers of the car show held several weeks ago. Notwithstanding the rainy weather, a sizable crowd enjoyed walking among the many exotic and collectible supercars. The sheer number of collector cars in attendance, the majority of which have never seen rain, was a testament to the organizers’ influence in the small community of supercar owners. The interest and reach of this show were far from local and attracted visitors from across the country, as it was the s...

  • Letter - Letter on scooters, electric bikes, omits key factor

    Updated Aug 23, 2023

    Of course motorists need to be aware and use caution regarding kids on electric scooters and bikes and the writer (July 13 letter) correctly points out that a parent’s worst nightmare is losing a child and parents should be teaching safety to their kids. This misses a most important element: Why do parents purchase these electric bikes and scooters and leave their kids unsupervised? Senior citizens have had close encounters with riders on sidewalks crossing storefronts. Kids are observed riding fast the wrong way on First S...

  • Letter - Watch out for kids on scooters, electric bikes

    Updated Jul 12, 2023

    The swarms of kids on Go Trax scooters and Suron electric bikes are out in full force. The speed of these electric vehicles can go anywhere from 8 to 15 mph and can create the strong possibility of a parent’s/child’s worst nightmare or a driver’s worst nightmare. I have noticed these children (with or without helmets), mostly middle school age, riding all over town — on sidewalks, in the streets, in the neighborhoods. They also ride in downtown Hinsdale, where traffic can be tricky to navigate for drivers, let alone kids. D...

  • Letter - Woman thanks Good Samaritans for giving aid

    Updated Jul 12, 2023

    On May 9 I was visiting my daughter and her family from Wyoming. I was enjoying the beautiful spring morning when I encountered a uneven sidewalk and went flying through the air, hit my skull on the cement and broke my hand. When I got up and started to gather my thoughts, I shakily tried to dial my daughter and son-in-law for help. I finally located their number on my phone, got a hold of them and tried to describe my location and situation. They were about 5 miles away. I told them I was somewhere on Madison Street in...

  • Letter - Runner says its time for village to turn fountains back on

    Updated May 31, 2023

    Can someone explain why the public water fountains in Hinsdale are off? I know during the pandemic public fountains in schools, office buildings, airports, parks, etc. were turned off. But those have been brought back into service. Except in Hinsdale. As a runner, walker, biker, I have relied on those fountains. I used to stop by the tennis courts in Robbins Park or the fountains on Washington Street or the pool. Those fountains are still turned off. I know many people carry a water bottle on their walks, but for me during...

  • Letter - Writer recommends 'Our Town' for Central actors

    Updated May 17, 2023

    Recently, The Hinsdalean published an article about the musical “Urinetown” that was presented by Hinsdale Central High School this spring. Grace McGowan said “It’s the American Revolution with pee.” I can’t help but compare this musical with another play titled “Our Town.” Playwright Thornton Wilder received a Pulitzer Prize for this story. It’s about the circle of life, mortality, companionship, marriage and love. I encourage anyone interested in this play to go to the website www.twildersociety.org and read the full sum...

  • Letter - Hinsdale's new congressman ready to assist residents

    Updated May 5, 2023

    Happy Sesquicentennial, Hinsdale! For those who don’t know me, I’m your new U.S. congressman, Jesús “Chuy” García. With new congressional districts in Illinois and across the country this year following the 2020 census, Illinois’ 4th District now includes Hinsdale and many other municipalities in the western suburbs of DuPage and Cook counties as well as the southwest side of Chicago. I have represented the 4th District since 2019, and before that I served as an alderman, Cook County commissioner, and state senator. I...

  • Letter - Elected officials deserve recognition as volunteers, too

    Updated May 3, 2023

    I appreciated your recent editorial on National Volunteer Month and the contributions of volunteers to our community organizations. As a former volunteer at the Hinsdale Humane Society, and for PTOs at The Lane School, Hinsdale Middle School and Hinsdale Central, I have been lucky enough to have a ground-level view of how much volunteers contribute, on so many levels. But you neglected to mention a set of volunteers who often aren’t treated as such: the elected officials of our local government. Here in Hinsdale, our s...

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