Articles written by ken knutson


Sorted by date  Results 418 - 442 of 873

Page Up

  • Ask an expert - BETH MURIN, COMMUNITY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

    Ken Knutson|Updated May 20, 2022

    What is the Crisis Text Line? Young people might not always be comfortable sharing their inner struggles with a parent, school counselor or coach. That is where the Crisis Text Line comes in. Adolescents simply text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the U.S., 24 hours a day. "They will talk with a trained crisis counselor, a volunteer who has been trained to take the client from a 'hot' moment to a moment of cool calm," said Beth Murin, program and communications officer for Hin...

  • Ask an expert - DR. BENJAMIN LEVY, GASTROENTEROLOGIST & CELLIST

    Ken Knutson|Updated May 19, 2022

    How can music help people feel better? "Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." - Berthold Auerbach As a medical student, Dr. Benjamin Levy had grown close to a patient with severe heart failure who had spent weeks in the hospital waiting for a heart transplant. Also a cellist, he brought in his instrument one day in a effort to ease the patient's anxiety. His tour schedule quickly expanded as he recognized the therapeutic power the music had. "The nurses k...

  • Outdoor dining plans get trustees' nod

    Ken Knutson|Updated May 18, 2022

    Hinsdale trustees Tuesday approved several outdoor dining permits as local eateries look to capitalize on the al fresco enthusiasm that’s been a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic. The permit applications were submitted with plans for each business’s outdoor space. Under an ordinance enacted last month, restaurants were granted continued use of downtown parking areas to set up their tables and chairs. The measure also established design guidelines to promote a more uniform look across the business district. “We found out t...

  • Draft lives up to Kramer's dreams

    Ken Knutson|Updated May 11, 2022

    Doug Kramer knew that if he was going to hear his name called during the 2022 NFL draft April 28-30, it would be in the later rounds on day three. "I knew it was a possibility, but obviously anything can happen," said the standout University of Illinois center by phone this week. "It's hard to have expectations for where you're going to go." After watching rounds 1, 2 and 3 on the first two days mostly by himself at his family's Hinsdale home, Kramer wanted his squad of loved...

  • Village raises pay levels in 'tough market'

    Ken Knutson|Updated May 11, 2022

    Feeling the impact of the tight labor market, Hinsdale officials have boosted village pay rates in a bid to stay competitive with other municipalities. At the May 3 village board meeting, trustees approved increases to the pay plans for full- and part-time employees, public service workers and seasonal staff, retroactive to May 1. The board held a brief discussion on the measure following the proposal’s introduction at the April 26 board meeting by Trustee Matt Posthuma. “The pay plans consist of a range and steps of pay bas...

  • Garden Study Club member helps sale grow its impact

    Ken Knutson|Updated May 4, 2022

    Keen to acclimatize to her new Golfview Hills surroundings after moving from Chicago, Eleanor Nadbielny signed up for a local garden tour. "It seemed like almost all the ladies on the tour were from the Garden (Study) Club, and they didn't know who I was," related Nadbielny, who had unwittingly made herself a club recruitment target. "I've been a member ever since," she said. That was 10 years ago, and for most of that time Nadbielny has held an officer's post in the...

  • Local runners earn spots in Boston

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 27, 2022

    Hinsdale's Alli Mason got new wireless earbuds to supply songs for her strides during her first Boston Marathon on April 18. From the start, however, she found that much of her playlist was drowned out by the raucously supportive crowds along the 26.2 mile-route. "You could not make the music loud enough," Mason said. "There was not one inch of the course where there not balloons and people shouting and cheering. It was nuts." A Boston native, she was urged in 2019 by her brot...

  • Student athlete profile

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 20, 2022

    Name: Michael D'Aprile Year: senior Hometown: Clarendon Hills What was your first experience playing water polo? I never played water polo until my freshman year. I made a bunch of great memories with the team, and I enjoyed that good spirit of community. What's it like having a full season again? It's awesome. It's really great to just get back to a normal schedule. Last year we weren't able to play in any tournaments, so it's fun to share that experience with underclassmen...

  • Walk for Wellness comes home

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 20, 2022

    When Gina Angeletti's dad was battling prostate cancer, her whole family discovered a vital source of support and comfort in Wellness House. Now six years after his passing, Angeletti is helping advance the Hinsdale organization's mission as co-chair of the annual Walk for Wellness fundraiser on Sunday, May 1. "It changed his outlook on the end of his life and truly helped my mom move on afterward," Angeletti said, stressing the aim is to raise both resources for and...

  • Teen hopes to see Red Devil Nation a little greener

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 20, 2022

    Tomorrow, April 22, is Earth Day, the annual celebration of our planet. At Hinsdale Central, sophomore Ritvi Khurana is helping light the way toward a healthier globe as vice-president of the school's Ecology Club. She is among the cultivators of this week's Earth Week activities dress days, and was clad in all black when interviewed on Tuesday for the Lights Out! theme. "(Monday) was wear blue and green. We're promoting a clothing drive every day. We're promoting riding your...

  • The Lodge gets a lift as COVID wanes

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 20, 2022

    Like so many event venues during the pandemic, The Lodge at Katherine Legge Park had some extremely quiet months the last two years. But that changed in a big way last October. “We had the biggest October on record,” said Heather Bereckis, Hinsdale’s superintendent of parks and recreation. That breakout was due largely to the backlog of wedding celebrations halted by COVID-19, she related. “We had a lot of people from 2020 that were finally able to schedule for the fall of 2021,” she explained. June and August weren’t t...

  • D181 office prospects prove elusive

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 20, 2022

    Viable sites for building a new Community Consolidated Elementary District 181 administrative center are understandably scarce in a fully developed district that is 97 percent residential. But the notion of continuing to lease office space does not appeal to some board members, who had a permanent district-owned facility in mind when they set aside $7 million 18 months ago for the endeavor. Administrators at Monday’s District 181 board meeting provided an update on the search for a new headquarters, with the two top c...

  • New owners seek landmark designation

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 13, 2022

    The Hinsdale Historic Preservation Commission last week recommended local landmark status for the historic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Bagley House. At their April 5 meeting, commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the landmark designation application from Lucas Ruecker and Safina Uberoi, owners of the 1894-built Dutch Colonial residence at 121 S. County Line Road. The vote followed a public hearing presentation from Jean Follett, former Hinsdalean and professional preservationist, who is serving as a consultant on the pr...

  • Regulatory doors opened to outdoor dining

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 13, 2022

    The Hinsdale Village Board is taking steps to support outdoor dining beyond just a temporary response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At their Tuesday board meeting, trustees signaled support for an ordinance that would allow restaurants to use village street and sidewalk areas for dining from April through October. Accompanying the ordinance is a set of design standards for tables, chairs and other elements that the businesses would need to comply with “in order to control for quality aesthetics and uniformity through the C...

  • Ask an Expert - Business Profile - Nourished

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 13, 2022

    Much is made of the search for work/life balance. But what about body balance? Hinsdale's Nourished wants to be your guide. "That's what we're about - trying to get people to a state of homeostasis, which the body likes being in," said Nourished founder and wellness chef Kathy Napleton. From hosting Wellness Workshops to serving up a selection of organic, nonprocessed foods, her business, Napleton asserted, promotes a positive alternative to settling for S.A.D - the Standard...

  • Windhover heads off for a face-lift

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 6, 2022

    The Windhover has been whisked away from its post on the west side of Hinsdale Middle School for its long awaited makeover. Well, flatbed-ed away is a more accurate description of how the 4,500-pound fabricated steel sculpture was transported Monday from the east side of Washington Street to a firm in Lake Bluff for a complete refinishing. It was a special sight for Corlyn Simmons. "It was surreal," said Simmons, a member of the Windhover Restoration Committee. "This has been...

  • Manager enjoyed leading store with special mission

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 6, 2022

    Marna Slawson was driving into her job as manager of The Courtyard a little over two years ago when she got a call. "We're going to have to shut it down," said voice on the other end, as the curtain of the pandemic closed operations at the Hinsdale furniture resale shop. "Me and volunteers went ahead and looked at what our options were," she recounted. The shop, after all, was an important source of financial support for Wellness House's programs for cancer patients. "They...

  • Thieves hit Marcus for high-end bags

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 6, 2022

    Burglars smashed a window and stole several dozen high-end purses and handbags from Hinsdale retailer Marcus, 101 S. Washington St. during the early morning hours Monday, according to the Hinsdale Police Department. "Officers received a call of a suspicious vehicle circling the business district at 4:32 a.m.," a police department press release states. "A squad made contact with this vehicle on Hinsdale Avenue in the business district. The offending vehicle fled east bound on...

  • Student athlete profile

    Ken Knutson|Updated Apr 6, 2022

    Name: Aishvarya Godla Year: senior Hometown: Oak Brook How long have you played badminton? I started playing freshman year, and I realized late in my freshman season that I could take my performance up a notch. Junior year and this season I've played on the varsity team. What you enjoy about the sport? Being able to work with my friends and being able to use strategy in matches and push myself to the limit on the court. How have you improved since freshman year? I think now...

  • Teams get into the spring swing

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 30, 2022

    Make good contact and steady improvement. That's what Hinsdale Central's baseball, softball and boys tennis teams aim to do this season, as all three hope for extended postseason runs. The coaches for each program share their thoughts on their respective 2022 campaigns. This is the final installment of a four-part series. Baseball First game: March 21 @ Plainfield North (V won 11-2) Last season: 23-4, conference & regional champs, lost in sectional final Head coach: Jason...

  • Dist. 86 board signs off on 2022-23 staffing

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 30, 2022

    Hinsdale High School District 86 Board members have approved an increase in staffing levels for the upcoming school year, driven primarily by the addition of a biology-first science sequence at Hinsdale South. At its March 24 meeting, the board unanimously voted in favor of the administration’s recommendation of 342.1 licensed staff full-time equivalents for the 2022-23 year, a net increase of 1.3 FTE over the current year. Bumps at South of 2.9 FTE and the Transition Center of 1.2 FTE are partially offset by a decrease at H...

  • Devil debaters make their case at state

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 24, 2022

    The Hinsdale Central Debate and Scholastic Bowl teams made impressive showings in their respective state competitiions last week. At the IHSA Debate state tournament March 18-19 at Illinois State University, three of the Red Devils' four two-person teams reached the final eight, or Octafinals, with the duo of juniors Sebastian Attlan and Will Schmeltz making to the quarterfinals. Social studies teacher Jen Hafner, in her first year as team sponsor, was happy with the results....

  • Retiree finds new undertaking with Assistance League

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 23, 2022

    Sue Boutin was ready to enter a more philanthropic phase of her life after her retirement three years ago. She wanted a role that would help serve the needs of others and give her a sense of purpose. Boutin found Assistance League Chicagoland West, and this publication is proud to have assisted, albeit unwittingly. "I started looking around and actually saw an article in The Hinsdalean on ALCW," remarked the 25-year Hinsdale resident. "I went, 'OK, that's local. I'll go to tha...

  • Ask an expert - ALEX KENNEDY AND SAM BELL, ATHLETIC TRAINERS

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 16, 2022

    What do athletic trainers do? The state runner-up trophy was on the line for Hinsdale Central's boys swim and dive program late last month. But injuries threatened to undermine a key relay team's performance. Athletic trainers Sam Bell and Alex Kennedy came through, and so did the relay, helping the Red Devils bring home the hardware. "One kid came over to me and was like, 'Thank you so much!' and just gives me the biggest hug, because he wouldn't have been able to swim the ra...

  • Dist. 86 mulls more early release days

    Ken Knutson|Updated Mar 16, 2022

    Hinsdale Central students would get out of school by 1 p.m. Wednesdays most weeks during the year under recommended changes to the district’s calendar. At the March 10 Hinsdale High School District 86 committee of the whole meeting, board members discussed a proposal from the district’s calendar committee to replace the current mix of late-start Mondays and flex-learning Wednesdays with early-release Wednesdays. Central Principal Bill Walsh said the shifting rhythms to make time for professional development resulted in con...

Page Down

Rendered 01/10/2025 10:26