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Athlete profiles typically are part of our sports pages throughout the school year, with a different team member recommended each week by his or her coach. With the spring season canceled due to COVID-19, The Hinsdalean altered its sports coverage, eliminating the round-up page on which the profiles ran. We are happy to highlight these athletes now in a four-part series that began June 11. Today's athletes competed on the track, boys water polo and girls lacrosse teams. Name:...
The construction paper hearts on the barricades outside First Street restaurants flutter in the breeze. They carry messages of activism - "No justice, no peace" - and list the names of black individuals who have died at the hands of white police officers, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Others offer affirmations, such as "Compassion has no color," and "We are here. You are heard." "Personally I like the simple ones that said, 'Black lives matter' (and) the hearts...
Opinions are mixed on a proposed moratorium on the demolition of historic homes in Hinsdale. The Hinsdale Plan Commission began a public hearing on Zoom June 10 on the possible 180-day ban, which would forbid the demolition of a single-family home or building with landmark designation or that was deemed historically significant or contributing in the 1999 Hinsdale Reconnaissance Survey by Historic Certification Consultants. That survey was a point of contention for some opponents. “The 1999 survey was clearly o...
He was a fixture in Chicago journalism. His death was the second story on the 10 o’clock NBC news Tuesday night. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted about his loss. But to many of us here in Hinsdale, Dick Johnson was first and foremost a neighbor and a friend. To those of us in the Community Revue, he was our castmate. And what a castmate he was. Dick was the guy who would miss a million rehearsals (hard to argue with his excuse — he had to be on TV) and then come in and...
Recent Hinsdale Central alumnus Isaiah Robinson hopes the three protests in Hinsdale last week led people to one realization. "They have the power themselves to change everything," he said. "I don't think everyone realized, with certain issues going on in society or in the community, that they can actually do something." Robinson organized Friday's march after learning that a student-led protest set for Wednesday had been canceled. "Originally hearing that it was going to get...
Despite posts on social media that a planned protest for Wednesday afternoon in Hinsdale had been canceled, a group of more than 110 people marched through downtown Hinsdale before gathering in Burlington Park. There, co-organizer Maiwen Amegadjie addressed the protesters, encouraging them to exercise their right to vote and find other peaceful means of ending racial oppression. "I am not here to incite violence. I am only here to incite change," she said. "Peaceful change,...
Writing is a strange profession - especially when what you write is likely to be tossed in the recycling bin within 24-72 hours of its publication. And yet, writing is something I've always loved, from the time one of the poems I wrote in elementary school was published in "King Arthur's Court" in the Homewood-Flossmoor Star. The rest, as they say, is history. Most writers agree the craft isn't something you choose to do - it's something you have to do. "The impulse to write...
When Cissy Rallo heard the news that Gov. JB Pritzker was closing down eateries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she froze. "I think I was in shock, and I wasn't thinking about anything other than, 'What are we going to do?' " she said. "I not only physically shut down, I mentally shut down, too." She remained in that state for about two weeks, until customers and friends began offering some gentle prodding. "A bunch of people started reaching out to me and saying, 'Do your...
Seeing empty shelves at the grocery store during the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic created feelings of anxiety in many shoppers. And in Ron Ludwigson, who, with wife Kim, owns Kramer Foods in Hinsdale. "To see all the shelves empty and to know you can't fill them up with the next truck coming, it was difficult," Ron said. "Our supplier would only let us order 10 percent more than we normally order. That wasn't keeping our shelves full." At times, their inventory of...
Summer will look a little different in Hinsdale this year. Restaurants will offer on-street dining, many camps will be virtual and Burlington Park will be quiet Thursday nights. But at least one seasonal tradition will remain the same. Farmers and other vendors will return to Chicago Avenue for the 44th annual Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce Farmers Market. "Our intentions all along were to open on time on June 1," said Claudia Thornton, marketing director for the chamber. "I...
I’m not very skilled at saying no. I have such a hard time, in fact, that one of my friends/co-workers suggested a simple remedy if I find myself unable to respond in the negative when asked to do something I don’t want to do. I should write “No” on an index card and hold it up. I know I’m not the only person who struggles with this. And the reasons why I do are many. First of all, I’m a people pleaser. This is a role many of us — especially women — have been raised to fill....
Helping others is part of the culture at World's Finest Chocolate. So when COVID-19 restrictions were put in place, the folks who work at the Chicago company found themselves in unfamiliar territory, focused on their own survival. "Our business is around doing good and helping people do the things they want to do through fundraising," said Eddie Opler of Hinsdale, who runs the company started by his grandfather in 1939. "That came to halt and it was scary and so out of our...
I don't remember much about my high school or college graduation - and neither does former President Barack Obama. He said as much in his Saturday night speech during the "Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020" program, which aired on many networks. There are some advantages to not attending a ceremony, he noted. First, there are no speakers who drone on too long - as he said he can do at times. "Also, not that many people look great in those caps,...
"Unfazed." That's the title Hinsdale Central yearbook staffers choose - in September - for this year's publication. How prophetic. Members of the Class of 2020 have taken this unexpected season in stride, educators and parents say. And the adults in their lives have done their best to make the end of senior year special. The "Let's Celebrate Hinsdale District 86 Class of 2020" Facebook page created by Colleen Carroll, G'nee Andrulis and Polly Ascher recognizes seniors from...
Mental Health Month has been observed the fifth month of every year since 1949. But the month of May has never looked quite like it does in 2020. "A lot has changed, obviously, in the last couple of months," said Greg DiDomenico, president and chief executive officer of Community Memorial Foundation in Hinsdale. "The coronavirus has affected all of us in different ways. That's why self-care, particularly mental health, is so important." Among those who are feeling the emotiona...
Schools have been closed since March 13. Quarantine has been in effect since March 21. We've adjusted our celebrations of birthdays, anniversaries, Passover, Easter and Mother's Day and graduations. And now it's the middle of May - a month that has both taken forever to get here and has shown up without any of the usual markers that prepare us for its arrival. May is also Mental Health Month, which seems oh-so-appropriate this year. So many have ongoing struggles with mental h...
Hinsdale's first Virtual Restaurant Week is set for May 18-24. Don't worry - the food will be real. And delicious. At Vistro, chef/owner Paul Virant's carryout menu will feature a family meal for four with fish and chips, celery root remoulade, a choice of salad (little gem, Caesar or kale) and bread pudding for desert for $60. Virant recently resumed carry-out service at Vistro (and Vie in Western Springs) May 1 after closing the restaurants completely for six weeks. In addit...
The list of canceled events at times overwhelms me with sadness. When the state lockdown began on my birthday, it wasn't too difficult to shrug it off. "We'll celebrate later," we said. Then there was my father-in-law's 91st birthday in April. "How lucky we had that great party for his 90th last year," we observed. Then came Easter. "Thank God for Zoom church services," we prayed in thanksgiving. Then the scheduled Indian Princess campout - the one that would have been...
A change in operations has led to a temporary change in headquarters for HCS Family Service. With social distancing requirements in place, the Hinsdale nonprofit could no longer allow clients to shop for their own groceries at its two food pantries. Instead, HCS is offering a drive-through pick up of pre-packed bags of food. The new process - and a 78-percent increase in clients - made for tight quarters in the basement of the Memorial Building and a classroom at Anne M....
Fewer commitments and plentiful free time sound like the perfect ingredients for a good time. But mix in a stay-at-home order and social distancing precautions, and having fun is lot harder than it used to be. Favorite forms of entertainment - eating out, seeing a movie, getting together with friends - are simply not available right now. So Hinsdale residents are putting in a little work to make sure family and friends are finding ways to enjoy themselves. Katy Altemose...
First responders. Docs. Nurses. Grocery store workers. Food delivery drivers. They've all been thanked - in press conferences, TV commercials and Facebook posts. They all deserve our gratitude, to be sure. A talk I had with a good friend of mine who's nurse at a Chicago hospital really brought that home for me. I also was touched by videos of nurses that aired during the April 18 "One World: Together at Home" coronavirus special. Their faces were bruised from so many hours of...
Dr. Herb Zerth is fortunate he's not working under the same conditions as his colleagues back East. "I feel for the providers in New York who are just completely overwhelmed," said Zerth, medical director of the emergency department at Amita Hinsdale Hospital. The staff in the Hinsdale ER is healthy, and they have access to the personal protective equipment they need, he said. With the stay-at-home order in place, the 26-bed department has not been overwhelmed with its usual...
It’s official. The new pool at Hinsdale Central High School will be named The Don Watson Aquatics Center following a unanimous vote April 23 by the Hinsdale High School District 86 Board. Watson coached the Central varsity boys swim team to 12 consecutive titles and developed 167 high school All-Americans and four Olympic swimmers from 1965-78. He passed away at age 87 in November 2017. The request received the endorsement of the policy committee. Kathleen Hirsman, committee chair, said her group spent significant time discus...
Do you have a running list of COVID-19 questions? About things you can’t remember, like when the first case was reported? Or things you don’t know at all, like what the criteria for “herd immunity” are? I do. So I did a little research for a DIY Q and A, mostly looking at the New York Times online (unless otherwise specified). I’m recording all my answers here, so I’ll know where to find them — and in case you had these questions, too. When did states issue their stay-at...
An NFL player who grew up in Hinsdale, a Hinsdale police officer and 11 individuals at ManorCare Hinsdale are among those who have confirmed cases of COVID-19. Last week Hinsdale Central graduate Brian Allen, starting center for the Los Angeles Rams, became the first NFL player to admit he had COVID-19. Allen, 24, tested positive three weeks ago, the NFL announced April 15. FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer first reported the development. Rams coach Sean McVay spoke about Allen during a segment on FOX Football Now, according to the N...
