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What is the best recipe for kitchen safety? The kitchen is often called the heart of the home. It's the place where family recipes are prepared, celebrations are created and memories are made. But it also can be one of the most dangerous places in a house. "Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home injuries," said Nick McDonough, firefighter paramedic with the Hinsdale Fire Department. That's why the National Fire Protection Association has chosen "Serve up fire...
A power button will replace the stage curtain and the rewind button will take the place of a curtain call in this year's fall theater production at Nazareth Academy. Like so many events this year, the fall play at the LaGrange Park private high school will be presented entirely on video this year. After 40 years of teaching and directing, theater director Kim White said she thought she had done it all. But this year has proven to her that even with decades of experience and...
Hinsdale has always been home to Ann Reidy Smith. As a real estate broker, she's made a career of helping others make the village their home, too. "I love the community and I've always wanted other people to feel the same way about it," Smith said. A lot has changed since she began selling homes in Hinsdale, she noted. But in the decades since she sold that first house, at least two things have remained the same. "It all comes down to relationships and trust. That has not...
Anton Riegger loves just about everything about being outdoors. Everything, that is, except for the plastic waste that litters the forests, lakes and oceans that he so loves to explore. A few months ago, Riegger decided to get behind a movement to decrease the amount of plastic waste in the environment by taking a pledge to reduce his own use of plastic and encouraging others to do the same. After taking the No Plastic Drinks pledge himself, Anton signed on as a youth...
How can students succeed in the virtual classroom? School looks different for just about everyone this year. And as with any sort of change, the transition this year from in-person classes to virtual instruction taken from home comes with challenges for teachers, parents and students. The Hinsdale Public Library stepped in to help Monday with the virtual program "Teen Success at Home - How to Boost Executive Functioning Skills." Parents of teens were invited to tune in to...
A Friday morning get-together with a group of fellow Christian men changed Charles Lewis' life for years to come and the lives of thousands of Chicago residents forever. It was at one of these weekly gatherings that Lewis heard Glen Kehrein tell the story of Circle Urban Ministries and the good work it was doing to make the Austin community of Chicago a better place to live. It wasn't long before Lewis was part of the Circle Urban mission. "Circle really had a calling on my...
Wander into any Trader Joe's store in the United States and you'll find a product with ties firmly rooted right here in Hinsdale. Alongside big-name brands like Cliff and Kind bars, shoppers will find a completely natural snack called Frooze Balls. Hinsdale resident Cherie Jackson is CEO of Tino Kai LLC, U.S. distributor of Frooze Balls - the all-natural, plant-based snack born in New Zealand. Thanks in large part to Jackson's efforts over the last few years, Frooze Balls laun...
COVID-19 has gotten in the way of so many things this summer. But Kayla Weiss isn't letting it or anything else get in the way of her joy of becoming a mother. "Everyone I've talked to who is pregnant right now kind of has the same view of COVID and pregnancy," said Weiss, who, along with at least five other members of the Hinsdale Junior Woman's Club, is expecting a baby later this year. That's not to say that the pandemic hasn't played a role in these womens' road to motherh...
My mid-summer, after several months of quarantine, the Konieska family of Hinsdale was ready for a change of scenery. With travel out of the question, Stephanie Konieska turned to the internet for inspiration. She found she didn't have to go far to find new sights. Konieska discovered a list of ideas for safe outdoor activities to educate and entertain. Inspired by the list, she and her 10-year-old son, Camden, set out one day in early July to discover the art and culture of...
What are the key benefits of yoga? Alexandra Rimmele's relationship with yoga wasn't love at first sight. A marathon runner who wasn't afraid of a tough workout, Rimmele acted on her coach's suggestion and signed up for a class at Core Power Yoga in Hinsdale 10 years ago. "It was a whole new universe for me," said Rimmele, who in that first class discovered that while she could run 26 miles, she couldn't do a single push-up. "I walked out loving and hating it at the same...
The world's greatest inventions are born of necessity. For Hinsdale Central High School alum Sophia Karbowski, that need was for a quick and healthy snack. Karbowski was studying entrepreneurial management at Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth when she became frustrated with the lack of dining options on campus. Coupling her entrepreneurial spirit with her need for nutrition, Rollin' n Bowlin' was born. Acai bowls - frozen puree made from acai berries topped with granola...
Even with her requisite 200 hours of training behind her, Piyorose Narakol felt ill equipped on her first day as an au pair. Placed with a host family in Virginia, the young woman from Thailand didn't know how to open a stroller, use a dishwasher or, most critically, attend to the 16-month-old left in her care. "I knew nothing about how to take care of the kids," said Narakol, who earned her 200 hours by volunteering in her mother's school. As owner of Asia Bridge Childcare,...
Suja Mathew's first encounter with Cook County Hospital, now known as John H. Stroger Hospital, wasn't as a physician or even as a medical student. It was as the daughter of a critical patient. That experience 30 years ago led Mathew from a career in foreign service to one dedicated to providing care for underserved populations. Today as chair of medicine for the Cook County Health System, Mathew considers it "a profound privilege" to help lead the team at the same facility...
There are many lessons to be learned from seeing new places and welcoming new experiences. For the Kapcar family of Hinsdale, the first lesson of their epic 2016 journey to visit America's national parks occurred just seconds after leaving their driveway in their rented motorhome. "We were RV rookies. We didn't know how to do it at all," said Carissa Kapcar, wife of Chris and mother to Jack, Lucy and Vivian, then 12, 8 and 5 years old, of their Preparing the RV and stocking...
Sandra Holt didn't intend to become an artist. Although she had enjoyed a career teaching art to others, the purses she began making in retirement were supposed to be nothing more than a hobby. "I just couldn't stop," said Holt, who pairs her talents as an artist with the sewing skills gained from her grandmother to create one-of-a-kind handbags. Using unique fabrics and cork from Portugal, she creates special occasion bags in a variety of shapes and sizes. The bags will be am...
How can folks explore the world without leaving home? Those who enjoy Hinsdale Public Library's travel presentations share a certain wanderlust. But these days, the Voyager's Travel Discussion Club, like everyone else, is staying pretty close to home. Program facilitators Mike Oetting and Susan McBride aren't letting the COVID-19 pandemic keep folks from enjoying the world's wonders and exploring its most sought-after destinations, even if that means doing so from the safety...
Like most people, Isabella Xu was finding it hard to escape the constant flow of news, headlines and updates regarding the spread of COVID-19. But despite the 24-7 onslaught of information, Xu could find very little about how the pandemic, the abrupt end to the traditional school year and the sudden need to stay at home was affecting people her age. Rather than sit and wonder, the soon-to-be Hinsdale Central sophomore took it upon herself to initiate a research project to...
As associate vice president of facilities at Governors State University, Hinsdale resident John Potempa has a lot on his plate, not the least of which is the construction of a state-of-the-art cafeteria where students can fill theirs. The nearly $4 million remodel of the dining hall, expected to be unveiled when school starts in late August, is perhaps the largest project currently under way on the University Park campus. "It's an unending job," Potempa said of his role as...
The Hines-Shah family of Hinsdale had been to India before. They had even attended an Indian wedding before. But they had never experienced anything quite like the four-day extravaganza of 2019. Jay and Katie Hines-Shah, along with children John and Betty, traveled to India over Thanksgiving last year for the wedding of Jay's cousin's son. Generations gathered for the traditional wedding celebration, which began with a family party at which the bride and groom's families...
For this year's high school graduates, the final summer before college isn't what they planned. With businesses closed, programs canceled and pools at limited capacity, these new Central alums had to find creative ways to pass the time and put money in their pockets. Molly, Lindsey and Allison Bruns have their grandma to thank for the business venture that has kept them busy - and their bank accounts in the black - this summer. Grandma asked her granddaughters to recreate a...
After months without a cut or color, clients of iDesign Salon and Blow Dry Bar in Hinsdale are in for a treat when they return for their first post-shutdown appointment. While its doors were closed to customers, the salon celebrated its 20th anniversary with a major remodel. "People are blown away by the way the salon looks," said Tami Abraham, who owns the business with husband and hairdresser Terry Abraham. Abraham said this is the third remodel in the 20 years since...
It takes more than food to care for a family, but many food assistance programs don't allow for purchases of the things needed to keep ourselves and our homes clean - things that during COVID-19 are more important than ever. "The hygiene pantry was our idea to help families in need with keeping their homes and selves clean during COVID," said Dr. Jennifer Swoyer, director of the Amita Health Adventist Medical Center Residency Program in La Grange and a resident of Hinsdale....
When Dina Patel's parents moved to the United States from western India in 1970, there was no cultural center or organization to help them connect with people who shared their culture. So they got creative. "They used to call random people with the same last name and made friends through that cultural bond," Patel said. Born and raised in the United States, Patel said she grew up in the traditions of her culture and the community her parents helped to build. A few years after...
Service to her community has always been part of Amy Wickstrom's life. Her new job as executive director for HCS Family Services, she said, is the culmination of decades spent helping those in need. "I just always wanted to help and to take care of people," said Wickstrom, who worked with March of Dimes, Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, and a San Francisco-based service for the homeless population before landing in Hinsdale. She also spent time working as a domestic violence...
Why is pelvic floor health important? In the early months of 2020, physical therapist Khushboo Joshi was busy tweaking a telehealth version of her new private practice as a means of providing pelvic health services to women living in places that lacked easy access to care. In March 2020, that place became Joshi's own home. A physical therapist for 18 years, Joshi opened her own private practice upon moving to Hinsdale earlier this year. Along with a telehealth site that would...
