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By the year 2030, the almost 70 million U.S. adults in the Baby Boomer generation will be 65 years or older. A recent Chicago Tribune editorial by Darcy Evon and Thomas Kuczmarski eschewing ageism noted that the "movement to end ageism is being driven by the Baby Boomer generation." As a member of that generation, my own lesson in fighting that battle comes from my 90-year-old father, who wakes up every morning excited to learn something new. He has never been one to let a...
Working remote is nothing new. I've done it while I've been sick, while my husband had COVID and the first two years my daughter went to sleep-away camp in Holland, Mich. But I've never worked remotely "on the road," so to speak, where I've stayed in a different hotel every night. That's what I did last week as I accompanied my husband, Dan, on sales calls. We dropped Ainsley off near the shores of Lake Michigan Monday and hit the road Tuesday, traveling some 558 miles to...
Three years ago, I was looking to attend a college that felt like a step into the real world. I wanted to go to a place far from home. I wanted to meet new people who came from backgrounds different from mine. And I wanted an environment where people were filled with love and pride for their school and community. Attending the University of Georgia brought me everything I had been looking for - and then some. Going into my freshman year, I knew very few things about the place...
Signs provide us with all kinds of information. "Slow, children playing" lets us know kids reside on a particular block. (Since kids live on many blocks that don't have such signs, these warnings also might indicate worried parents live on the block as well.) Signs indicating downtown Hinsdale and the Robbins Park subdivision are on the National Register of Historic Places demonstrate the importance of the village's past to Hinsdaleans - or at least to those who are...
“Hinsdale is a low-crime community. It’s not a no-crime community.” Hinsdale Police Chief Brian King says it so often, we think he should get the phrase trademarked. But we understand the need for repetition. We’ve written more editorials than we can count reminding people not to leave their expensive cars unlocked in the driveway with a key fob and garage door opener inside. And with the commercial burglaries of late, including break-ins to Jimmy John’s, Starbucks, Wild Ginger and the Hinsdale Barber shop, and the theft of...
Sarah was about four months pregnant when she received news no mother ever wants to hear. She was told her baby had triploidy and would not survive. “She had an underdeveloped brain, underdeveloped kidneys, underdeveloped heart. I don’t think she had a spleen. It was pretty heart-wrenching when I found that out,” said Sarah, a Hinsdale resident who asked that I not use her last name. She had two choices: Wait for her baby to die and deliver her stillborn or terminate the p...
Sometimes I wonder whether Teri Goudie was a figment of my imagination. Surely, no one individual could embody so much love, energy and life. She was the stuff that tall tales are made of: Supermom of five, Professional Guru, Adventure Enthusiast, an absolutely tireless Seeker of Light. Do I make her sound intimidating? She wasn't. Warm and caring, Teri was a woman who simply loved her family, her work, her faith, her friends. She was buoyed up by a boundless energy that...
Vive la France! Today is Bastille Day — France’s equivalent of the Fourth of July — so break out the escargot and French onion soup! Or how about the mac and cheese? July 14 is the comfort food’s national day, too. Ever try it with a nice Bordeaux? As much as we amour our French friends, this piece is really about edibles. No, not that kind. So many wonderful foods and taste sensations in the world, but only 365 days per year to chow down. Luckily the good folks at https://www.holidayinsights.com offer some gastron...
Editor’s note: — Bill Lewis first wrote this column in November 2017. “Mary” is really Teri Goudie, who died Friday after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 64. If there’s one thing I excel at, it’s being “right.” Just ask me (but not my wife). And I’m happy to tell you that, in case you don’t know. Don’t get me wrong, I know everyone has their own reasons for their beliefs. That’s why I’m always willing to help people realize why they’re wrong. What can I say? I’m...
Hinsdale residents earlier this week enjoyed a great Fourth of July celebration, thanks in large part to efforts by the village’s parks and recreation department. So it seems fitting to take this opportunity to recognize all the department does throughout the year, as July is National Parks and Recreation Month. This summer alone, the department is hosting a plethora of events to entertain people of all ages — Lunch on the Lawn, Movies in the Park, Unplug and Play, summer camps, swimming and diving lessons and a men’s softb...
Writing an opinion column is often a challenging thing to do, especially when events leave you speechless. I was standing in front of the office Monday, just after the final entry of the village's parade had passed by, when I heard about a much different end to the parade in Highland Park from assistant village manager Brad Bloom. As the day passed, we learned more and more about the horrific events and its victims. Six killed. More than two dozen injured, either shot or hurt...
"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4 not with a parade of guns, tanks and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it's patriotism." - Erma Bombeck Countless writers have opined on our nation's birth and the way we celebrate it, many of them offering comments more...
The tweet by @samwightt gave me pause: “Chicago’s suburbs are an infinite purgatory of farmland and decrepit downtowns networked together by boring county roads.” Really, Sam? You want “boring county roads”? Pick a day in late winter and drive 400 miles southwest down I-57 to the flat, open farmland of southeast Missouri, where I grew up. At any other time I probably would have scrolled past this diss against the suburbs, which I know have issues. But “decrepit downtowns?” Also: I was in the middle of touring with and then...
A wise woman once told me the best way to affect change in the country is at the local level. That amazing woman, Patti Bellock, diligently served as our state representative for 20 years and continues to take an active role in our community on boards and as a committee person. We need more elected officials like her, giving their time and talents to better our lives on the day-to-day level. Not many folks are willing to do this; either they are reticent to become involved or have no interest in a deep dive on local issues....
It was an honor to represent Hinsdale for more than two decades as your state senator and state representative. We learned a lot of lessons during our tenures — but one that stands out is that success as a representative of the people requires character, competence, energy and innovative ideas to make a difference. Many of the challenges we currently face — rising crime, skyrocketing cost of living and burdensome taxes — have occurred because our current elected officials lost sight of what is important to their commu...
I just can't stand the bitter cold Chicago winters. With each passing year, I am becoming less tolerant of the cold, the wind, the polar vortices, the bone-chilling wind chills and the short, dark days. And so, when the summer rolls around, I bask in the long, sunny days, and I no longer complain about the heat and humidity. 99 degrees with 99 percent humidity and excessive heat warning? Bring it on! 110 degree heat index? Is that all you can do? That said, it has been very...
We’re glad it’s not our job to predict voter turnout in Tuesday’s primary. “What?” you say. “There’s an election on Tuesday?” Yes, so after you drop the kids off for swimming lessons or summer camp, make sure to swing by your polling place to help determine the individuals who will represent their parties in the November general election. “Is there always an election in June?” you might be wondering. No. The Illinois primary typically takes place in March, but legislators last year voted to delay it in part because they were...
One of my favorite tasks at work is to read the submission from our contributing columnist each week. Our writers this past year were Bill Barre, John Bourjaily, Bret Conway, Kelly Abate Kallas, Mistie Lucht (until she moved out of town) Lisa Seplak, Lex Silberburg and student writer Isabella Terry. Perhaps you know one - or more -as a friend or neighbor. Perhaps you've been reading their columns all year thinking, "Hey, I'd like to do that!" Now is your chance. Every year a h...
We'd read the reviews of the concert. Perused the set list. Compulsively checked the Baltimore forecast on our phones' weather app (which at one point was calling for thunderstorms!). And then, before we knew it, Dan, Ainsley, my birth mom and I were sitting in Orioles Park at Camden Yards, waiting for Paul McCartney to take the stage. I have always been more of a Rolling Stones fan, but Ainsley has loved the Beatles ever since she discovered Channel 18 on Sirius XM. She's...
Know any good dad jokes? This Sunday is Father’s Day, a time to honor patriarchs everywhere by eliciting groans with corny puns (e.g. What do you call a wizard who’s really bad at football? Fumbledore). Once you (quickly) reach your tolerance level for that, take advantage of some of the fun family-friendly events happening nearby this weekend. Here’s a top-10 list of some options. 10. Start the celebration early with the Dad’s Day gathering from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Hinsdale Public Library. Enjoy doughnu...
You may have seen a special email from the Hinsdale Public Library in your inbox recently. The library has begun working on a new strategic plan to guide our work in the next few years, and we’re looking for your input. The email contains a link to a brief online survey that will give you a chance to tell us how you use the library. We’re eager to hear from as many Hinsdaleans as possible: our regular users, but also residents who haven’t been in the library for a while. We think this is a great time to take a look at what yo...
Hinsdale American Legion Post 250 extends gratitude for community support to facilitate a meaningful Memorial Day. Special recognition is given to The Hinsdalean for the beautiful ad published and for providing an effective sound system. Thanks to Phillips Flowers for donating roses. Also recognized are the village staff, President Tom Cauley for his meaningful remarks, the Hinsdale Central Band and director Matt Kurinsky, soloist Annie Ascher and all the Scouts who attended and assisted. Lastly we recognize all the families...
LEGOS have been a part of my life as a mother for close to two decades. They have been barefoot torture instruments, irritating dust collectors and mostly sanity-saving distractions for "boring" days. They seem to multiply in the dark like gremlins. Recently, however, I saw a meme that made me view LEGOS in a new light. It has inspired a personal journey. If you put a single LEGO brick down on a board, it's fairly unimpressive. Add another, though and then more and,...
It was bound to happen. It does every year. I shudder and deadpan, "Summer is coming," like some bizarro "Game of Thrones" extra. The pages of the calendar turn and suddenly, summer is not just coming but here, taking off its Crocs and making itself comfortable for the next 90 some-odd days. From a child's perspective, life couldn't be better but for us parents? Send thoughts, prayers and popsicles. On deadline day, we're rounding Week 2 of summer vacation in our house...
People shouldn’t have to fear for their lives when they go shopping, but that’s become an unfortunate reality in recent years. Smash and grabs have become a popular choice for criminal networks, who break into retail stores, take all the goods they like and resell them online. They then use the profits they make to fund other criminal activities. As a state senator for suburban Chicago, I couldn’t stand seeing our economies stunted and knowing there was a spillover effect on other crimes. That’s why I sponsored the Organiz...
