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The Hinsdale Community Pool recently received the highest possible rating in an audit from StarGuard, the company that provides certification for lifeguards. The company audits pools randomly, said Mike Hayes, superintendent of parks and recreation. "We don't know when it's going to happen," he said. "In this case, when they did the audit on us, we got a five star, which is remarkable. In all my years in aquatics, I've never actually had a five-star audit. "Getting a three...
The Clarendon Hills Little League 11U All-Star softball team earned three times as many runs as its opponent to win the Illinois State Little League Championship last month. The team defeated Kaneland 16-5 July 21 to capture the title. The girls already had faced Kaneland en route to the championship game. "We were very hyped up and we believed that we were going to win, since we had played them before and beat them," catcher Maggie Quirk of Hinsdale said. The coaches warned...
Eight kids dressed in doctors coats sat around two tables Friday morning at The Community House, learning about prescriptions. Instructor Carey Murphy offered different scenarios to the 7- and 8-year-olds, asking them to determine how many pills a week a patient would need if the doctor prescribed two pills twice a day for three days or three pills twice a day for five days. Those who knew the right answer to the second question - 30 - were excited to put their multiplication...
After two women challenged 11 books available in Community Consolidated Elementary District 181 libraries at an April school board, The Hinsdalean decided to do its own review of the materials. The 11 books range from picture books including "Julian is a Mermaid" and "Ogilvy" to graphic novels like "Drama" and "The Cardboard Kingdom" (see sidebar for full list). According to the American Library Association, the number of books challenged in libraries across the country was...
One of my favorite episodes of The X-Files is called "The Field Where I Died." Usually the show is about aliens (which might or might not exist, depending on which season you're watching), but this one is about an investigation of a local cult that supposedly has a cache of weapons and is abusing children. During the investigation, FBI special agent Fox Mulder experiences deja vu, which leads him to find the cult leader and his six wives, hiding under a trap door and...
Studying a particular subject, like accounting or parks and recreation management, is one thing. Actually working in the field is something altogether different. For college students Ella Horstman and Jeremy Sramek, a summer internship with the Hinsdale Parks and Recreation Department is giving them an opportunity to put what they've learned in the classroom to use in the real world. Horstman, who also was an intern for the department last summer, is gaining experience in her...
The Hinsdale Public Library is a great place to check out a book, use the 3-D printer or pick up a DVD to watch over the weekend. On Sunday night, it also was a great place to hear some blues. The Bear Williams Trio performed outside on the lawn for the library's After Dark event, which also celebrated the end of the summer reading program. "I thought their musicianship was fantastic," Karen Keefe, the library's executive director, told The Hinsdalean this week. "I loved the...
The sun is shining and a cool breeze is blowing the morning of July 18 as Hinsdale Central juniors and seniors arrive for their seventh day of football camp at Dickinson Field. Before camp started July 8, it had been more than eight months since players and coaches were on the gridiron. "It always feels like a long time coming, but once it's here, its such a familiar, comfortable feeling, so it's great," varsity head coach Brian Griffin said. Quarterback Riley Contreras, a jun...
I am sorry to report Hinsdale once again has fallen short of the North Shore. One of those fancy "W" towns - Winnetka - beat out Hinsdale for the No. 1 spot on the latest list published by HomeSnacks. What is HomeSnacks, you ask? We're not entirely sure, but it produces lots of lists - safest states, most dangerous states, even dumbest states. You can read all of these lists on its Facebook page (which contains no information about who is preparing them or why). And what does...
July is National Ice Cream Month. What better way to celebrate than to enjoy some of the frozen treats available right here in Hinsdale? Twisted treats A creamy homemade vanilla soft serve swirled with a delicious fruit sorbet takes ice cream to the next level at Vistro Prime. "Right now we have blueberry from Ellis Farm," Angelyne Canicosa, pastry chef at the restaurant, said of the sorbet currently available. Of course, either flavor can be ordered individually. But the...
When I heard of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, I mentally ticked off the same list many others did - Lincoln, JFK, RFK Jr., Reagan. Then I heard a news report about an attempt on former President Teddy Roosevelt's life as he sought another term. I was surprised to hear about an assassination attempt that I didn't remember learning about in school. Then I did a little research online and discovered the list of assassination attempts on presidents...
Hinsdale paddle tennis enthusiasts likely will have two new courts to use at Katherine Legge Memorial Park this fall or winter. "We feel like this proposal is a win-win-win situation," said Kevin Parks, a board member of the Hinsdale Platform Tennis Association, citing the village, HPTA and the public as beneficiaries. "Through our partnership with the village, we have been able to create a world-class facility now over at KLM park. "It competes with anything in public...
All three Hinsdale High School District 86 members who met for dinner following their July 11 meeting say they did not violate the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Board President Cat Greenspon and board members Peggy James and Jeff Waters, who gathered at Taco Grill in Westmont, said no board business was discussed. “We all stayed after (the meeting) to help clean up as we typically do — there are any number of board members that stay after to clean up — and decided we were hungry and went to eat,” Greenspon said. “That w...
“Hope you and the family had a terrific holiday weekend,” Susan O’Byrne emailed me Sunday along with her column to run in today’s paper. “We became the new home of three pet rats and a rather large rat cage,” I responded. “Not sure that qualifies as terrific!” Susan was much more enthusiastic about the pet rats than I was, although I have to say they are growing on me. Ainsley brought the rats home July 3 after she and a friend got them for free from a lady outside a pet s...
For most Americans, the Fourth of July is a day off. That's not the case for those on staff in the village of Hinsdale, who were out in full force last Thursday morning for the Independence Day parade. Which employees were working? "Like the whole village of Hinsdale," said Mike Hayes, superintendent of parks and recreation, listing off fire, police, public works, pool staff and administration. This year's parade is the second Hayes has directed since joining the village in...
By mid-afternoon Tuesday, it was hard to believe rainy, gloomy weather had caused the Hinsdale Community Pool to close earlier that day. The sun was shining from a brilliant blue sky adorned with fluffy white clouds. The crowd might have been smaller than usual, but there are still plenty of patrons - adults swimming laps, playing with their kids in the water or reading a book in the shade of one of the large umbrellas. Two-year-old Millie Jane Muskievicz was participating...
The Hinsdale Herd U10 Black lacrosse team, with a 5-3 regular season record, went 6-0 in the post-season to become the Illinois Youth Lacrosse League state champions June 2 at Barrington High School. Parent coach Brendan Goss said his expectations at the start of the season in mid-April did not include a state title for the then third-grade boys. "We knew we had some good players. Truthfully, we never worried about wins or losses. We only cared about their effort," said Goss,...
Spring MAP test scores show Community Consolidated Elementary District 181 students are continuing to outperform their peers, with most showing a higher than expected level of growth. Thirty-four percent of students scored in the 90-99th percentile on the Measurement of Academic Progress in reading, with almost 60 percent scoring in the top decile in math, Kristin Reingruber told board members at their June 17 meeting. Seventy-two percent scored in the top three decile bands (70-79, 80-89 and 90-99) in reading and 83 percent...
A lot of Facebook posts will tell you what books you should be reading right now. I tend to look at these posts the same way I used to look at summer reading lists when I was in high school. I wanted to read all of the books so I could be as prepared as possible for the first day of school. But I’m not in school anymore, and so I don’t have to be tortured with the incomprehensible prose of William’s Faulkner’s “Light in August.” Nor do I have to find regionally appropriate...
Copperhill, Tenn., was the site of one of the largest copper producing mines in the country in the early 1900s. By about 1920, however, the copper had been depleted and the environment had been destroyed. "When that copper vein was mined out, the area was devastated economically. Copper mining was about all that they had," said Kevin Pritchett, volunteer leader of the senior high youth program at Grace Episcopal Church in Hinsdale. While conservation efforts have restored the...
Church has been a part of my life since before I can remember. And since I haven’t had to move from town to town over the years, I’ve been able to attend only four churches since I was a kid. The one I spent the most time at, and the one where I experienced the most spiritual growth, is the First United Methodist Church of Western Springs. I attended my last service there last month. Actually it was the final service for the church at 4300 Howard Ave., which started in 188...
Construction projects have started at six elementary schools to enable Community Consolidated School District 181 to offer full-day kindergarten beginning in the 2025-26 school year. “We are making great progress so far in the short amount of time that we’ve been working,” Mike Duggan, facilities director, reported at Monday’s school board meeting. At Oak School, demolition is taking place in the area of the school being remodeled, according to Duggan’s memo to board mem...
I am sorry to report Hinsdale once again has fallen short of the North Shore. One of those fancy "W" towns - Winnetka - beat out Hinsdale for the No. 1 spot on the latest list published by HomeSnacks. What is HomeSnacks, you ask? We're not entirely sure, but it produces lots of lists - safest states, most dangerous states, even dumbest states. You can read all of these lists on its Facebook page (which contains no information about who is preparing them or why). And what does...
After spending 21 days in the district and holding meetings with more than 200 parents, staff, students, board members, administrators and community members, incoming Superintendent Michael Lach explained the approach that will guide him when he begins work full-time July 1. “I kept coming back to four questions — questions that I had, but questions I think we all need to tackle together,” Lach said during a presentation at the May 30 school board meeting. The questions center around four topics: passion, trust, organ...
The newspaper business, like many others, is seasonal. Our schedule mirrors the school year in many ways, with our busiest times occurring while classes - and high school sports - are in session. And then summer rolls around, and with it comes a slightly different to-do list. One of my responsibilities each June is to thank a group of contributing columnists who have been writing for us for the past two years and to invite interested writers to apply for one of the openings....
