Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 1086
Lately, no matter where you look, it’s Barbie, Barbie, Barbie. The hugely popular new “Barbie” movie has scores of people writing and speaking a name that is so deeply rooted in the mid-century that you probably can’t think of a single baby named Barbara. Not now, and more than likely, not in the past several decades. That doesn’t matter, though, because the movie has made my name (at least in a diminutive form) and the toy that also bears it wildly relevant again. And that...
Dear Colleagues, It is with great excitement that I write to tender my resignation from our organization, effective immediately. While I've enjoyed my tenure among you, I've decided to accept a more appealing offer from the competition. This other group offers a looser, more lively corporate culture and a free-flowing, collaborative working style. What's more, they've eschewed much of the red tape that defines the working experience for so many of us. I've been watching them...
We’ve written a number of editorials about areas of improvement for the Hinsdale High School District 86 Board. So we thought it only fair to highlight a handful of shining moments from the last regular board meeting July 27. 1. A 7-0 vote to hire School Exec Connect to help the board find a permanent replacement for Superintendent Tammy Prentiss, who is on paid leave through March 31. Two firms made presentations to the board July 20. All seven board members not only agreed on which firm to hire, they chose the firm The H...
I've often said that in another life, I'd be a sociologist. I'm fascinated by how people live behind their front doors. Years ago, a young me would jog in the city and look into people's apartment windows as I went by. Ultimately, it was this behavior that led me to, well, fall down. Repeatedly. I was so busy pondering the lives of the people whose windows I passed that I didn't pay attention to the cracks in the sidewalks, or the curbs, or my feet. And so down I'd go....
Tuesday, Aug. 1, is National Night Out, an annual event designed to build bonds between neighbors and law enforcement, according to the National Association of Town Watch, which sponsors the event. “National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. F...
You might enjoy watching Falcon Football games at Brook Park in the fall, ice skating at Burns Field in the winter or taking a run through KLM in the spring. But summer is when the Hinsdale Parks and Recreation Department shines, so it seems fitting that July is Park and Recreation Month. And Hinsdaleans have plenty to celebrate. Residents can enjoy 122 acres of dedicated parkland at 18 sites, with opportunities for baseball, football, jogging, ice skating, tennis, pickleball, picnicking, platform tennis, soccer and...
When your child leaves for college, there is plenty of advice on how to handle the transition, ranging from gentle comedy to true grief counseling. It is an adjustment period for the whole family. What no one warns you about, though, is when they come back. By the time I went to collect my oldest this past May for his first summer home, I was desperate just to have his physical presence in my orbit. It had been months with no visits or breaks. My inner dialogue was manic....
The swarms of kids on Go Trax scooters and Suron electric bikes are out in full force. The speed of these electric vehicles can go anywhere from 8 to 15 mph and can create the strong possibility of a parent’s/child’s worst nightmare or a driver’s worst nightmare. I have noticed these children (with or without helmets), mostly middle school age, riding all over town — on sidewalks, in the streets, in the neighborhoods. They also ride in downtown Hinsdale, where traffic can be tricky to navigate for drivers, let alone kids. D...
On May 9 I was visiting my daughter and her family from Wyoming. I was enjoying the beautiful spring morning when I encountered a uneven sidewalk and went flying through the air, hit my skull on the cement and broke my hand. When I got up and started to gather my thoughts, I shakily tried to dial my daughter and son-in-law for help. I finally located their number on my phone, got a hold of them and tried to describe my location and situation. They were about 5 miles away. I told them I was somewhere on Madison Street in...
The board of trustees and the members of the Hinsdale Historical Society mourn the loss of Jim Davidson, a long-time Hinsdalean and a wonderful, wise and generous man. Jim served many years as a board member at the historical society and volunteered countless of hours to the society, re-siding and painting Immanuel Hall and doing carpentry repairs on the museum’s exterior, along with organizing the painting of the building, one side each year. Our condolences to Carol, who alongside Jim has been a supportive member, c...
In May, the U.S. Surgeon General warned about the dangers of social media for kids and teens, particularly regarding body image issues and among teenage girls. This comes as American teenagers are facing significant mental health challenges, as reported by the CDC. I graduated from Hinsdale Central in 2020. I took a job in technology policy where I began to understand the implications of these technologies. Recognizing the personal significance of these issues, I co-founded a youth-led coalition called Design It For Us, to...
Am I the only District 86 taxpayer who is thoroughly disgusted with the endless and costly discussions of Tammy Prentiss’ departure from the district? Information has been sketchy at best, but it is clear the soon to be ex-superintendent received a sweet deal. Why did the members of the school board agree to this? I realize that District 86 has excellent schools, which were there long before Tammy Prentiss was hired. I also realize that details of personnel issues should remain confidential. However, if there was any a...
Summer is the season so many of us in the Midwest look forward to, with sun-drenched warm days lasting well into the evening, and an array of outdoor activities to keep us going from morning to sundown — and beyond. To ensure everyone’s enjoyment this time of year, follow these basic safety guidelines from the American Red Cross, available at www.redcross.org. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an average of 11 people die every day from drowning, many of them children. Here are ways to guard against such tragedy: ...
According to news reports, this past July 4 was the hottest the Earth has ever been. Here at home, it was indeed hot, but that still did not stop the wonderful Fourth of July parade, which celebrated not only our nation's birth but also our town's 150th year (the Sesquicentennial...one of my new favorite words). Personally, summer is my absolute favorite season: the days are long and bright; the weather is warm; and there is so much opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with...
Summertime is concert time! Do you remember your first concert? Mine was Sly and the Family Stone. Can't say I was a big fan, but as a college freshman the invitation was hard to turn down. Since then, I have been to my share of concerts. I have enjoyed performances by Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Cher and Barry Manilow, to name a few favorites! And for a summertime concert, it's hard to beat The Beach Boys at Ravinia. This summer, I turned it up a notch and...
The good news: the Hinsdale High School District 86 Board has finally announced the fate of Superintendent Tammy Prentiss, who has been on paid administrative leave since mid-May. The bad news: district taxpayers will foot the bill for essentially two superintendents during the 2023-24 school year. Board members last week voted 5-2 to continue to pay Prentiss, who earns $277,000 a year plus benefits, through March 2024. They’ve already paid Chris Covino $10,000 for his work as acting superintendent from May through June 3...
A NHL player once said about hockey that half the game is mental and the other half is being mental. That latter part often applies to hockey fans as well. On a cold Feb. 16, 1966, my mom was nine months pregnant and watching the Blackhawks vs Rangers. Fun fact, back then the center red line was painted in a red and white pattern to distinguish it from the solid blue lines on the black and white WGN broadcast. Bobby Hull scored his 46th goal that season at 07:27 into the...
Just months after local residents were able to officially call their growing settlement the village of Hinsdale in April of 1873, they celebrated their first Independence Day as an incorporated community. Accounts of the initial Fourth of July festivities are not available, but some details of the second are (see story on Page 15). Bands, baseball and morale-boosting speeches highlighted the day. But the occasion really took off here in 1898, as Timothy Bakken chronicles in his book “Hinsdale.” The Spanish-American War was...
Recently I was having a conversation with a mom of two school-age kids. "Only 10 more weeks until school starts!" she said, already feeling drained with near constant summer activities and endless questions asked by her daughter. I nodded my head, because I vividly remember those days, running after three little boys and counting down the hours until my husband came home from work. I reminded my friend of the saying, "The days are long and the years are short," a cliche so...
Eight days from today will be Chris Covino’s last day in Hinsdale High School District 86. The assistant superintendent for academics is leaving to become superintendent of a La Grange elementary school district. His replacement was hired in May and will officially step into the role July 1. So why is his last day worth noting on this page? He has been serving as acting superintendent since Superintendent Tammy Prentiss went on paid leave May 16. What will happen after he leaves? No one knows. The board did release a s...
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in 7 years.” — Mark Twain Fatherhood is ... That sentence could be completed in a multitude of ways. Ask a dozen people to fill in that blank, and the likely result is a dozen different replies. As we approach Father’s Day this Sunday, we reflect on the traits and qualities we associate with those being honored by the occasion. While each father is unique,...
"Soy un perdedor, I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?!" If these lyrics from Beck resonate with you, you might be the father of a teenage boy or the mother of a teenage girl (or someone in need of clinical assistance). It's true - I am the dumbest, clumsiest, most thoughtless and annoying person on the face of the earth. I know because I've been told so (maybe not as directly) many times. What makes my flaws even more apparent, though, is a series of events. For...
Sometimes a piece of writing will make you laugh. Or cry. Or think about something in a completely new way. Our contributing writers have crafted columns that do all of those things. And as much as I’d like to have all of them continue writing for us, we have a practice of rotating out writers who have been with us for two years so we can expose readers to new voices every year. This summer, Bill Barre, John Bourjaily, Lisa Seplak and Lex Silberberg are retiring, so to s...
Another school year has come to an end, and another summer has begun. Every single summer I’ve spent in Hinsdale has felt like a variation of the same thing over and over again — a cup of coffee and reading on the porch in the mornings, long walks around town in the summer heat, working at night, hanging out with friends and the occasional vacation. Every single summer has been wonderful in its own way. But this summer, I’m looking for something different. Luckily, diffe...
Whether you celebrate meteorological summer, which began June 1, or wait for the June 21 solstice for the official kick-off, the fun that marks the season in Hinsdale has begun. The Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce held its first event of the season with the 50th annual Fine Arts Festival last weekend in Burlington Park, featuring works by 85 participating artists. Then, on Monday, the first chamber-sponsored Farmers Market took place on Chicago Avenue along Burlington Park. The market, featuring the produce of Midwest farmers...
