Articles written by Ken Knutson


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  • Move nourishes HCS Family Services

    Ken Knutson|Updated Sep 11, 2024

    HCS Family Services has a new home from which to serve the community's under-resourced population. Last Friday afternoon the Hinsdale nonprofit held its first food distribution for clients at 22 N. Elm St. after moving out of the Memorial Building, where it had operated since its founding in 1937. Executive Director Wendy Michalski said the curbside delivery for 75 neighbors, as those receiving food are referred to, went smoothly using a process by which cars are...

  • Getting autumn off on the right foot

    Ken Knutson|Updated Sep 11, 2024

    Cooler weather makes for comfortable running conditions. For those looking to pick up the pace this season, there are several upcoming opportunities to both get a workout and make a difference for worthy causes. For the last 30 autumns, the Rotary Run Charity Classic has brought runners to The Community House, 415 W. Eighth St. and sent them out onto Hinsdale's streets for a healthy race and a philanthropic mission. This year's milestone staging of the run will be Sunday,...

  • Off-leash dog permits mulled for KLM

    Ken Knutson|Updated Sep 11, 2024

    Users of the dog park at Katherine Legge Memorial Park may soon need to obtain a permit in order to let their dogs run off leash. At Tuesday's meeting of the Hinsdale Parks and Recreation Commission, Mike Hayes, superintendent of parks and recreation, told commissioners that incidents of dog fights, biting and running into non-designated areas has prompted the permitting recommendation. "That way we can prove vaccination, build a database," said Hayes, with dog owners...

  • Ask an expert - DR. ROSS TANIS, ALLERGIST

    Ken Knutson|Updated Sep 11, 2024

    What should people know about fall allergies? When it comes to cherished autumn trappings, ragweed and mold do not rate highly, especially for allergy sufferers. Dr. Ross Tanis of Hinsdale's Allergy & Asthma Physicians said patients may notice that the period when symptoms are most acute is becoming more protracted. "The warmer seasons are longer, and for that reason you're seeing people having seasonal allergies last longer throughout the year," Tanis said. He cited a...

  • Trustees warm to new fire apparatus

    Ken Knutson|Updated Sep 4, 2024

    Hinsdale officials are planning to streamline the fire department’s fleet — and save some money in the process. At Tuesday’s village board meeting, trustees signaled their support for acquiring a Snorkel aerial fire truck to take the place of both the existing engine and ladder truck vehicles. Interim Fire Chief Jeffrey Pindelski, who was hired in May, told trustees that he was asked to evaluate the department’s operations when he came on board. “I have identified an opportunity to realign our emergency response procedure...

  • Hola! to Hispanic Heritage Month

    Ken Knutson|Updated Sep 4, 2024

    By Ken Knutson [email protected] ¡Celebremos! September is Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to lean into engaging programs and events reflecting the vibrancy of Latino culture. There are several opportunities to join the fiesta right here in Hinsdale and the surrounding area, so check out the details below and then vamonos! • Keep your head up when visiting nearby forest preserves. The Mexican Cultural Center DuPage, in coordination with the College of DuPage and th...

  • Hardship led woman to branch out into art

    Ken Knutson|Updated Sep 4, 2024

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as the maxim goes. Artist Marianne Patrevito recognizes that her abstract collages might not hit the beauty mark for some. And that's just fine. "Some people either like it or they don't," the Hinsdale resident said. "I'm OK if somebody says it's not their thing." Patrevito invites people to meet her and experience her work at a reception kicking off her Hinsdale Public Library exhibit, "The Process of Art in Nature," from 6:30 to 7:30...

  • Work begins to revitalize Zook home

    Ken Knutson|Updated Sep 4, 2024

    Mimi Collins got a good look at the century-old 4 E. Fifth St. home before closing on it in May. Sometimes, however, it's the previously unseen that can deliver a payoff. "Look at this chimney over here, how great that is," Collins said pointing up to the distinctive brick stack. "It was all covered in ivy." During a tour of Collins' latest Hinsdale restoration project shortly after she took possession of it, Collins was already in the early stages of breathing new life into...

  • Ask an expert - Business profile - SWEET ALI'S GLUTEN FREE BAKERY

    Ken Knutson|Updated Aug 29, 2024

    Ali Graeme was brimming with nervous excitement as she prepared to open Sweet Ali's Gluten Free Bakery in downtown Hinsdale in 2009. Surveying her shop's new sign from the sidewalk at 13 W. First St., a couple walked past. "I heard them say, 'Oh, this is a bakery. This isn't going to make it,' " Graeme recounted. Today she can reflect on 15 years of making it and baking it, serving up an assortment of delectables with the ingredients of both good health and fabulous flavor...

  • Central teams kick off their seasons

    Ken Knutson|Updated Aug 28, 2024

    Part two of our Hinsdale Central fall sports preview series examines the boys and girls cross country squads and the girls volleyball team. Both running programs have experience on their side, with room for newcomers to make their mark, while girls volleyball is looking to take the next step in a recent run of postseason success. The final installment in the series will run in the Sept. 5 issue. Boys cross country First meet: Aug, 28 vs. Benet & Fenwick Last year: 22nd in...

  • Special needs day program takes flight

    Ken Knutson|Updated Aug 28, 2024

    Reaching adulthood for those with special needs often means leaving behind structured schedules for a more independent lifestyle. That can be a daunting prospect for both the individual and their families, said Ryan Massengill, superintendent of recreation for Gateway Special Recreation Association, a consortium of local communities of which Hinsdale is a member. “We had a push from a lot of family members that had young people that were going to be exiting out of transition that wanted more recreation that was community b...

  • D86 board sets superintendent goals

    Ken Knutson|Updated Aug 28, 2024

    By Ken Knutson [email protected] Using data to boost academic performance is important to Hinsdale High School District 86 Board members. And they want their new superintendent to make it a priority. At the board’s Aug. 22 meeting, Superintendent Michael Lach was given his five goals for the 2024-25 school year, the first of which is to “identify and improve the academic performance of all students and address achievements gaps in performance results.” Board President Cat Greenspon said there’s room for growth in the...

  • Reserve a seat for fall theater

    Ken Knutson|Updated Aug 21, 2024

    Summer's sunset doesn't have to darken the mood, since the lights are about shine on stages nearby. Area theaters are getting ready to open their new seasons of productions, and there's something for everyone in the offerings. • "Is it possible to be both a symbol and a person? A postage stamp and a grandmother? And if it is, does that duality take a toll?" Those are questions posed by Jessica Fisch, director of "The Audience," which hits the Drury Lane Theatre stage W...

  • Woman finds, now leads Newcomers group

    Ken Knutson|Updated Aug 21, 2024

    Cathy Schlesinger had spent three decades in Charlotte, N.C., before the desire to be closer to her son's family led her to Hinsdale in 2021. "I had moved a lot in my earlier years, but 30 years in Charlotte was a lot to give up," she said. A couple of new neighbors invited Schlesinger to a coffee gathering sponsored by Newcomers and Neighbors of the Greater Hinsdale Area. Not only did she find a circle of fellowship - she's now president of the social organization. "It's...

  • Hinsdale Central gets summer glow up

    Ken Knutson|Updated Aug 21, 2024

    The most significant improvement project at Hinsdale Central High School over the summer, according to Principal Bill Walsh, didn't require any heavy equipment. "We renumbered all the rooms," Walsh revealed on a recent campus tour shortly before students returned. Rooms now have four-digit identifiers, with 0100 numbers in the basement, 1000 and up on the first floor and 2000 on the second. "We ran out of numbers," said Walsh, explaining the way expansion over the years had...

  • Little Leaguers reach field of dreams

    Ken Knutson|Updated Aug 15, 2024

    Summer may be winding down, but Hinsdale Little League has never been hotter. Or "gooder," according to the team's abiding mantra. "Before we take the field, we say, 'This team's good, but we're gooder!' " player Dillon Phelan revealed. On Aug. 7, the town's 12U district team captured the Great Lakes Region title in thrilling fashion to advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., for the first time in program history. Speaking Monday via Zoom from their...

  • Village still has to work out a deal with humane society

    Ken Knutson|Updated Aug 15, 2024

    The impasse remains between Hinsdale Humane Society and the village over the terms for taking in stray dogs, but officials on both sides hope a deal can be reached. At Tuesday’s village board meeting, Village President Tom Cauley opened discussion on the dispute, which came to public light last month when the humane society notified Hinsdale police that it would no longer accept dogs picked up by the department. Cauley said he was unable to accept the nonprofit’s new fees to house dogs from partner municipalities for either $...

  • Ask an expert - HADI FINERTY, ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION

    Ken Knutson|Updated Aug 14, 2024

    What's important for brain and body well-being? According to the Alzheimer's Association, nearly 7 million Americans are living with the disease. By 2050, that number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million. In 2021. Alzheimer's disease was the fifth-leading cause of death among people age 65 and older. Those are alarming figures, to be sure. But statistics should not steal people's hope in measures to stave off the effects of Alzheimer's, said Hadi Finerty, senior manager...

  • Little Leaguers make big statements

    Ken Knutson|Updated Jul 31, 2024

    It takes a village to raise a child, according to the proverb. To make a statement on the road to youth softball preeminence? Sometimes it takes five villages. The Clarendon Hills Little League 12U Softball All Stars this month put on a show of resilience and unity in winning the state championship, then battling into the final four of the regional tournament in an effort to reach the Little League Softball World Series. The result marked the best performance ever for the...

  • Ask an expert - PATRICK BAIO, CHI GUNG/TAI CHI INSTRUCTOR

    Ken Knutson|Updated Jul 31, 2024

    What are the benefits of chi gung and tai chi? Serving cups of tea. Stepping on melting ice. Gentle actions, but they can be keenly therapeutic when incorporated into the ancient practices of chi gung and tai chi. This summer instructor Patrick Baio has been teaching a 90-minute Saturday morning course on these systems of movements and body postures at The Community House (see Page 17 for details). Baio said the program is for all ages, but most students are seniors. "A lot...

  • D86 tries to slow TIF action in CH

    Ken Knutson|Updated Jul 31, 2024

    The village of Clarendon Hills wants to establish a tax increment financing district along 55th Street to promote redevelopment and increase the area’s value. But board members of Hinsdale High School District 86 voted unanimously last week for a delay in the TIF process, questioning why a relatively prosperous neighborhood needs such intervention, which would divert some property tax revenue away from school districts for 23 years or more. At a special board meeting July 24, the board requested a continuance on a vote by t...

  • Police: auto thieves target residences

    Ken Knutson|Updated Jul 24, 2024

    Hinsdale Police reported incidents of attempted auto theft that occurred early Saturday morning, July 20, in the village's northeast neighborhood. According to an alert posted on the police department's social media, the incidents took place at approximately 5 a.m. in the area just north of Hinsdale Hospital. An officer noticed a suspicious vehicle in the area, which then fled southbound on the Tri-State Tollway at a high rate of speed. Several hours later, a resident in the...

  • Stray animals now taken to Wheaton

    Ken Knutson|Updated Jul 24, 2024

    The village of Hinsdale was informed two weeks ago by the Hinsdale Humane Society that the nonprofit agency would not be accepting strays from the village’s police department until a formal agreement is finalized between the two parties. Hinsdale Police Chief Brian King said that, to his knowledge, the village had not operated under a contract for the humane society’s services up to this point but had donated funding in the past. In an email to The Hinsdalean, King said the two have been trying to hammer out a contract for...

  • Verizon armed robber gets 26 years

    Ken Knutson|Updated Jul 24, 2024

    A former Schaumburg man has been sentenced to 26 years for robbing at gunpoint a Hinsdale Verizon Wireless store in 2022 and a Wheaton Sprint store in 2019, according to DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin’s office. Stephon Little, 31, who has since changed his name to Isa Al Ahad, received his sentence July 18 from DuPage County Associate Judge Joseph Bugos, handing down a 26-year sentence on the Hinsdale robbery and a 21-year sentence on the Wheaton robbery, to be served concurrently. As detailed in a press rel...

  • Ask an expert - Business profile - Sullivan Funeral Home

    Ken Knutson|Updated Jul 17, 2024

    The funeral business has changed in the century since Harry Sullivan made the transition from an accounting career. “The first location was really just a storefront, because they were still doing wakes and everything in homes,” funeral director Brian Sullivan said of the venture his great-grandfather launched in Chicago’s Marquette Manor neighborhood in 1924. For 100 years the Sullivan family has served grieving families, helping them navigate one of the most difficult episo...

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