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Hinsdale residents will see three contested races when they head to the polls to elect village, school and library board members on Tuesday, April 6. A total of 22 candidates are running for 11 open seats on two school boards and the library board. The village president and village board races are not contested. District 181 In Community Consolidated District 181, five people have filed for three open four-year terms on the board, according to the DuPage County clerk’s office. They are incumbent Bill Cotter and newcomers J...
Nine years ago I began an annual tradition that I have somehow managed to continue. In the issue before Ainsley’s birthday each year, I use this space to write a special letter to her. When I wrote the first, Ainsley was in preschool. She wanted to call Santa and ask for a ride in his sleigh so she could visit Baby Jesus in Heaven. She hadn’t yet learned to read — although she could recite many of her books by heart — and she had just received her first real bicycle for Chr...
The winter of 2020-21 will bring on a case of cabin fever the likes of which we’ve never seen before. After living with the coronavirus pandemic for nine months, we’re ready for life to get back to normal. If the weather will cooperate, some favorite winter activities can help us all get through these next few months. Several area parks and forest preserves offer the opportunity to take advantage of winter weather — once it arrives. For more information, visit https://www.dupageforest.org, https://www.fpdcc.com or https...
Typically in the issue before winter break we use this space to present a host of ideas about fun things to do in the city while the kids are off school. We often highlight special exhibits at the Museum of Science and Industry or the new attractions at Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier. This year, of course, things are different, and "Home for the Holidays" has taken on new meaning. With most folks spending their days at home this winter break, we've collected some ideas for...
Robert Pickering, 59, and his daughter, Kendall, 15, of Hinsdale were killed in a one-car crash Tuesday evening on Interstate 85 in North Carolina. The crash occurred at 6:49 p.m. in the southbound lanes of I-85 about 2 miles south of Kannapolis, said Trooper Ned Moultrie of the North Carolina Highway Patrol. The vehicle veered off the road to the right, struck a drainage ditch, then traveled down an embankment and struck a tree, Moultrie said. The driver and passenger were...
Representatives from Hinsdale High School District 86 and the Hinsdale High School Teachers Association met again Monday in at attempt to reach a new deal for the association’s some 365 members. Both sides have spent the past two years working on a new contract to replace the last four-year agreement, which expired in June. “While this work has been slowed at times this year due to COVID-19, the bargaining team — which is composed of eight HHSTA members, three board of education members and three administrators — has been ab...
“Turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes.” — David Bowie One thing you learn as a parent is how much things change each holiday season as your kids (or kid, in my case) get older. One Christmas you’re lending Santa a hand assembling the Barbie Dreamhouse he delivered for your 5-year-old. Before you know it, her Christmas wish list includes a laptop and headphones for gaming and “merch” from her favorite YouTuber, YaBoiAction. For several years you enjoy gathering as a family...
Rob Johnson enjoys Christmas shopping - especially the trips he and son Jaden take in town to buy an outfit for wife (and mom) Stacy each Christmas. "I have a good eye for stuff like that and I like doing it," he said. The former TV news anchor appreciates good-looking and comfortable clothes for himself, as well, and is hoping to find some Lululemon pieces under the tree this year along with a pair of dark red winter boots he spotted Dave Chappelle wearing on David...
"It's a wonderful life" might not be the phrase most would use to describe conditions this December - or even for most of 2020. Earlier this year, Hinsdale Central students were crushed when COVID-19 closed schools less than a month before they were to perform "Seussical." "Obviously it was a blow for the kids," said Chris Kostro, a Central teacher and director. "We had been about three weeks away from performing." Not knowing what the fall semester would bring, Kostro said...
Several years ago I found a reprint of a vintage Betty Crocker cookie cookbook at Yankee Peddler - the very same one my mom had when I was a kid. I later regretted not purchasing it. But then I found my mom's old volume, which is even better. The "Cooky Book," as it's titled, was first published in 1963. My mom was not much of a baker, so we got out the book exactly once a year, at Christmastime. My favorite part of the cookbook then (and now!) is the photos - full-page...
Plans to add saliva screening for students in Community Consolidated Elementary District 181 have been temporarily put on hold due to new requirements announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We are looking to identify asymptomatic individuals,” Superintendent Hector Garcia said during his COVID-19 update at Monday night’s board meeting. “We know we want to use a saliva-based test. We want those results to be in less than 24 hours. We’re looking for a test that would be $20 or less. We were hoping to...
Barb Johannesen appreciates the convenience - and the safety - of being able to shop for Christmas gifts online. She also enjoyed the opportunity to stop in a few shops in town as she worked on the third installment of The Hinsdalean's gift ideas series. "It was so great to be out and see the world again," she said. Christmas at the Johannesen household is usually a big event, with Barb and husband Jim typically hosting dozens, including their six children, ages 24 to 32, sign...
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." - the 14th Dalai Lama Did you ever learn a new word and then start to see it everywhere? Or encounter the same message or theme emanating from a variety of sources? I've experienced both, and - as you might guess - am currently doing so right now. I keep discovering the same message from different people and places. It's simple and straightforward: Be kind. While I was home in quarantine with a sick husband, I counted on...
The Community Consolidated District 181 Board is poised to pass a $67.1 million property tax levy on Monday, Dec. 7. The proposed levy, which totals $75.1 million when the debt service fund is included, was approved by the board Nov. 9. Richard Engstrom, assistant superintendent of business and operations, presented a so-called “balloon” levy request that would ensure the district captures all availalbe revenue under the tax cap. Board President Margie Kleber favored the balloon levy approach, noting that the board has the...
John Bourjaily confesses he's not much of a shopper. "I can sometimes shop for other people. I cannot shop for myself at all," he said. Girls are difficult to buy for - no matter their age, the father of three offered as an excuse. So he relies on their mother, Jen. "My wife is a professional shopper," he said. "She is outstanding at it." Nevertheless, Bourjaily agreed to be one of The Hinsdalean's "guest shoppers" for the paper's annual gift guide series. This year, former co...
Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South high schools will remain open, despite a recommendation from administrators that the schools close for a two-week “adaptive pause.” Hinsdale Central Principal Bill Walsh told board members Nov. 19 that the last two weeks under the hybrid learning model have been “extremely stressful” as the number of positive COVID-19 cases has increased and large numbers of students are going remote. “They are struggling mentally, they are struggling emotionally,” he said. “Students want to be with their...
By Pamela Lannom [email protected] The Hinsdalean’s annual gift ideas series always begins with a shopping trip around town between yours truly and a willing volunteer. I’ve been shopping with my co-workers, leaders of Hinsdale’s nonprofit agencies and members of the village’s economic development commission. This year, however, with COVID-19 infection rates climbing, spending an hour or two visiting a dozen stores with a different person each week didn’t seem to be th...
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Football, turkey, pumpkin pie and Macy's parade. For many Americans, that constitutes the Thanksgiving celebration. "Thanksgiving certainly is secular in the sense that everybody has this opportunity to look around their own lives and see what they have to be thankful for," said Pastor Jay Klein of Zion Lutheran Church in Hinsdale. "Yo...
Last Monday I was supposed to start the week with a 90-minute gratitude walk at Mayslake Forest Preserve. Instead, I was home in quarantine while my COVID-19 positive husband was upstairs in isolation. I know that the best antidote to focusing too much on my troubles is to think about the things for which I am grateful. And so - without the benefit of the gratitude walk - I embarked on a list. Despite all the reasons I had to complain, I found plenty to be grateful for. • B...
I've been playing a little game with fate lately. I'll accept that I couldn't be with my mom when she took her last breath because I had the chance to say goodbye to her the day before. I'll accept that Dan's cold prevented us from having an outdoor prayer service for her, as long as he doesn't have COVID-19. Guess what? He does. We were convinced he didn't. After all, I had the same cold - with the very same symptoms - the week before and I had tested negative. He received...
Less than 24 hours after a fire destroyed most of their 119-year-old home at 329 E. Sixth Street in Hinsdale two years ago, the Reenans were getting ready to rebuild. Jennifer Reenan's first call after the April 11, 2018, fire was to David Post at EIS Group to handle mitigation. Her next call was to Michael Abraham, an architect who had worked with previous owners on renovations to the home. He and Reenan did their first walk through the day after the fire. "Everywhere you...
Jennifer Reenan was volunteering in the art room at Avery Coonley School on April 11, 2018. Her phone was off. Meanwhile, workers at her home at 329 E. Sixth St. were in the final stages of replacing the roof on the 119-year-old home. They were using a blowtorch to seal the synthetic shingles on the porte cochere when the material caught fire. "When I came out (of school), I turned my phone on and I had all these text messages," Reenan said. She and her youngest son, Declan,...
The fresh Rosebud turkeys available for order at Prime 'N' Tender in Hinsdale aren't the only items people want on their Thanksgiving table. The bone-in hams are quite popular, too. "Not everybody is a big fan of turkey, manager Christine Taylor said, noting the spiral-cut ham is from a smokehouse in Chicago. For those who do enjoy the feast's traditional centerpiece, whole turkeys are available in four sizes ranging from 12 to 28 pounds. "The 8-12 weren't available because...
"The world is round, and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning." - Ivy Baker Priest I've used that quote many times since I first read it in a book gifted to me by a friend more than 20 years ago. I find it even more poignant this week as I cope with the loss of my mom. She passed away last Wednesday from cancer, which had spread throughout her body, unchecked by new medication she began taking in January. When we learned of her condition after...
Starting in the fall of 2022, Hinsdale High School District 86 students will follow an integrated math curriculum in a move district officials say will promote thoughtful problem solving over simply producing calculations. At their Oct. 29 meeting, board members voted unanimously for the new model to enhance the learning experience for students. The integrated curriculum will weave algebra 1, geometry and algebra 2 into three courses titled Math 1, 2 and 3. Christopher Covino, assistant superintendent for academics, told...
