Sorted by date Results 888 - 912 of 1148
There are many reasons we love living in Hinsdale. Among them is The Hinsdalean, which arrives FREE each week on our driveway. As a former state senator and aide to two governors, I have read many local or nondaily newspapers. None are published with the professionalism, pride and journalistic love of our hometown paper. Kudos to Jim, Pam, Ken, Becky and all who contribute to this vital community resource we call The Hinsdalean on winning the highly competitive Illinois Press Association’s top honors. — Kirk Dillard, Hin...
As junior board members of the just1mike Foundation, we wanted to inform residents about our Facebook fundraiser in October. Just1mike was created to honor Michael Brindley, a Hinsdale Central student, who suffered sudden cardiac death in 2016, playing basketball at just 16 years old. The mission of just1mike is to raise awareness and survival rates of sudden cardiac arrest in teens and young adults through training, screening and education. Many are unaware sudden cardiac arrest is the No. 1 killer of student athletes. It...
Rep. Sean Casten is such a breath of fresh air, so to speak, in leading the charge to fight climate change. As tempting as it might be to believe Jeanne Ives that the climate has been changing for millions of years and that there is time for policy makers to act “in a reasonable manner.” NASA, on their website, states that “humans have caused major climate changes to happen already and we have set in motion more changes still.” But it’s not all doom and gloom. Sean Casten is the former CEO of a clean energy company and has p...
Bob Dylan once sang about prior generations turning a cynical eye to youth activism. Fifty-six years later, when recent Hinsdale Central grad Maiwen Amegadjie organized June's peaceful protest against racial oppression, some Hinsdale business owners criticized young protesters claiming the timing was not right and that "nothing good will come out of it." A quote from Maiwen touched upon that criticism: "... I feel like a lot of people are sheltered and cloistered here. They...
The headline caught my eye immediately. "Is pumpkin spice good for you?" Who cares? It's delicious. My level of caring also was low because I received this digital newsletter on Sept. 8, a full 22 days before the Official Start of Pumpkin Spice Season on Oct. 1 (at least as far as I'm concerned). I know many believe PS season starts much earlier. Perhaps they are the same people who endorse the start of "meteorological fall" on Sept. 1 rather than waiting for the actual autumn...
We get it, Kevin. We agree it’s inconsiderate — bordering on rude — for citizens to come to Hinsdale High School District 86 Board meetings, complain about something during public comment and leave. And we know, board President Camden, that you have the authority to set the agenda. But moving “audience communication” to the very end of school board meetings (item 21.1 on Sept. 24) is a disproportionate response to this discourteous behavior. At best, it reads like punishment for a misbehaving child. At worst it could be...
Just before we sat down to watch the Illinois Press Association’s annual editorial awards lunch last Thursday, I asked Jim Slonoff a question. “Is there any chance we won the sweepstakes this year?” I queried. “We never win the sweepstakes,” he replied. It’s true. We received third place two years ago and an honorable mention last year, but we’ve never brought home the trophy. “I just thought maybe this would be the year,” I said with a sigh. Fast-forward about 90 minutes. We...
“But when fall comes, kicking summer out ... as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.” — Stephen King, “Salem’s Lot” Autumn is getting comfy as it begins its enchanting annual residence. With apologies to allergy sufferers,...
Every home has a story to tell. We live in an orange brick 1960s colonial revival. Our Realtor affectionately called it the "Leave It to Beaver House." Our house was well-loved, but it took time for it to really feel like it was ours. A few months after we moved in, I realized I had severely underestimated how long my painting projects would take with two preschoolers in tow. My house dreams were beginning feel a bit deflated. I was worried that my daughters might never nap...
On behalf of the American Legion Post 250 of Hinsdale, I would like to thank all the wonderful people who came out for our “Shred your Documents” event. All of you helped make this event a huge success, We would to try and make this an annual event, it at all possible (and will work hard to make it happen.) Some personal thank yous, to Mr. Dennis Jones, Hinsdale Bank & Trust Co., Mr. James Slonoff, The Hinsdalean; Emmanuel Vasquez, FastSigns of Downers Grove; Greg Siedlecki, Hinsdale Rotarian who printed the thank-you car...
When we announced this summer that we were looking for new contributing columnists, we didn't expect to have the largest applicant pool we've seen in years. (Perhaps being stuck at home with nothing to do made people more likely to apply!) While I was happy to receive emails from so many people, it made the job of selecting new writers very difficult. We announced our three new columnists - Bret Conway, Gabriela Garcia and Alegra Waverley - and our retuning writer, Kelly...
Perhaps you’ve seen the photo of Ridgway Burns on his bike, pulling a small book trailer, on the cover of the Hinsdale Public Library’s fall 2020 newsletter, “Beyond Books.” Burns is wearing his helmet and — thanks to COVID-19 — his face covering. The picture says it all. Library board members and staff have worked hard to continue serving residents during this unprecedented pandemic. And residents aren’t willing to give up what they’ve come to expect from this amazing community asset. September is Library Card Sign-up Mo...
Here’s the reason you should vote no on the proposed “fair tax” amendment to the Illinois Constitution. The amendment gives the legislature power to increase taxes on any group of taxpayers with no limits and no accountability and without any requirement to use the additional revenue to find essential needs such as health care, education or public safety. The proposed amendment would give the legislature unlimited new authority to increase income tax rates on any group of taxpayers at will, including low-income and middl...
Over the past few weeks of high school online, teachers have been told about multiple homecoming parties being planned. This is happening while some of the same families are begging for the schools to be reopened. I am amazed that some parents support the idea of partying while the national guidelines say directly to not gather in large groups. I understand some parents may be aware that those guidelines are in place and are attempting to have a coronavirus safe celebration, and I 100 percent support that idea. But,...
If there's one thing that the pandemic has taught me, it's that the over-scheduled and over-consumerized lifestyles that we were once living is not sustainable. The societal pressure to excel at everything and "keep up with the Joneses" is slowly eating away at our collective mental and physical health. For many of us, going back to basics has been a necessity. More home-cooked meals, fewer extracurricular activities and ample time in the home have prompted many to redefine...
Dan and I love to grill. We don't use a traditional charcoal grill (takes too long) or a Green Egg (too pricey) or one of those Weber wood pellet grills (too new). We have your standard issue Weber gas grill, a Father's Day gift for Dan a few years back to replace a cheap Charbroil he had rebuilt twice. His favorite part of the gift? Fuller's Home & Hardware assembled AND delivered it. The recipes we enjoy making aren't too complicated, either. Many of our favorites - includin...
“Today, let us remember that our union — forged and strengthened through adversity — will never be broken and that the immeasurable sacrifices of our patriots will never be forgotten. — Presidential Proclamation on Patriot Day, 2019 For those that bore witness to the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001, the annual observance is forever embroidered with sadness and grief. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the multiple acts of terror perpetrated in the name of hate. Among them were Hinsdale residents Jeff Mladenik and Bob...
One of my friends from college used to post questions on a little dry-erase board on the outside of his freshman dorm room door. He wrote the questions for fun - and to see how we would answer them when we walked by. The questions ranged from random to ridiculous, philosophical to funny. One question he posted was: "If you were stuck in a vat of snot and someone threw poo at you, would you duck?" I was usually too busy laughing to answer back on his board, but his question...
You see them everywhere these days. Their names are Max, Tillie, Sadie, Dixie, Leo, Rocky, Pepper. They are joyful, bounding around on lawns, their entire little bodies vibrating with the sheer excitement of being alive. Puppies! Everywhere! They are one of the silver linings of 2020's insane dystopian hell-scape. I'm counting my blessings these days. And puppies are an Absolute Good. There are a few other non-awful things this year. Biking, for one. Biking is THE sport of...
I love to have contact with friends and people. I love water and swimming! On June 22 happiness began for swimmers and “water-lovers” when the Hinsdale Community Swimming Pool opened for three hours per day. We learned that first day how fortunate we were when Channel 7 reporters interviewed us and said only two public pools had opened in DuPage County. Indeed, the past 10 weeks were wonderful. We could be in the clean water and swim and talk with new and old water-lovers. Every topic came up: kids, schools, home off...
In the early days of the pandemic, I turned to Dan Brown. I mean, if the fate of the world rests on Robert Langdon's ability to decipher the next location where a killer will strike, that doesn't leave much time to worry about whether I should wipe down my groceries, does it? Plus, since my husband had purchased several of his books years ago, they were conveniently available on a book shelf near me. I hadn't thought much about Brown since I binge-read "The Da Vinci Code" the...
Memorial Day to Labor Day. That’s how we typically celebrate the beginning and end of summer, enjoying its arrival with weekend getaways or barbecues, then mourning its departure with the same. Like Memorial Day, Labor Day originally was intended to do more than mark the beginning or end of the season. Labor Day dates back to the late 19th century, when the Industrial Revolution was at its height. Average Americans worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week in order to earn a living, according to history.com. Working c...
I first met Ly Hotchkin some 30 years ago. If I remember correctly, I had just become managing editor of The Doings when I was sent to The Community House to meet her. Ly wanted someone from the organization to write a column about something or other, and I knew I was going to have to tell her no. I was still in my 20s and found Ly a bit intimidating. She seemed used to getting her own way, and the thought of refusing her request scared me a little. I remained slightly...
Wow, is it really true that September bursts on the scene next week? No doubt many of us are still trying to keep up with day, let alone the month. And with every new month means a fresh set of obscure holiday observances in our country. Thanks to websites like nationaldaycalendar.com, all these fascinating and highly questionable designations are curated for our convenient reference. Like National Blueberry Popsicle Day on Sept. 2. We haven’t done a deep dive to see if other popsicle flavors have been deemed worthy of s...
Even in the best of times, I'm a bit squeamish about breathing the shared air in an airplane cabin. If my fellow passengers start coughing and sneezing around me, I try to keep my mind off of germs floating in my direction by focusing on a good book and taking calming breaths (but, given the situation, not deep ones.) And there's generally some rationalization on my part, too. I've survived colds and flus countless times, so what's the big deal? I wasn't sure that philosophy...
