Sorted by date Results 801 - 825 of 1148
I read with some interest The Hinsdalean’s recent article (Feb. 25) regarding the rezoning application for the property located at 505 S. County Line Road. This property is owned by Fred Krehbiel, a third generation Hinsdale resident. Fred had a very successful business career and has been a major benefactor to the village and other Chicago area non-profits for many years. I suspect that the request for a zoning modification is to preserve the residence. The statement by the ZBA chairman that this request is to enable the o...
Death brings up deep emotions and a desire to honor deceased loved ones. While we feel compassion towards those motivated to express their grief by partaking in the new ritual of tying plastic ribbons around parkway trees, our circle of compassion also includes the health of the environment. We are finding fragments of plastic ribbons on sidewalks, parkways and streets. We are facing a growing global plastic pollution crisis. There is no end in sight as virgin plastics continue to be produced. Plastic doesn’t biodegrade a...
The D86 BOE needs Debbie Levinthal at the table. I know Debbie Levinthal first as a neighbor, but when D86 started discussing curriculum changes, Debbie stepped up to advocate for our kids and the academic excellence of our schools. More than a concerned parent, Debbie approached the proposed curriculum changes calmly as a seasoned teacher — sitting down with teachers and administrators to understand what motivated the changes and what metrics demonstrated these changes would improve outcomes for all students. As a former hig...
It's not as if my teenage son needs more reason to be embarrassed of me, but at lunch recently, I know he wanted the earth to swallow him alive, right there at the cash register. I had been working at home that day as a mom. A mom whose kids were about to go back to school after a summer that had started the day before, in fact, had barely even happened. As such, I was online all morning filling out forms, ordering supplies, synching calendars, buying books, etc. On this parti...
Women are making history. At the top of the list is Kamala Harris, the first woman to serve as our country’s vice president. She also is the first Black American and first South Asian American to be elected vice president. She is not alone. Women’s Public Leadership Network, which educates, organizes and inspires women to enter public office, compiled this list of “firsts” from the November election. • Yvette Herrell (New Mexico) — first Native American Republican woman elected to the U.S. Congress • Nancy Mace — first Repub...
I remember when my mom first uttered the words. "The doctors are all kids!" she told me. My father, who was a brittle diabetic, had been hospitalized again. My mom - younger at the time than I am now - couldn't believe how youthful the medical professionals looked. From then on, she would periodically offer this assessment of any adult who was under the age of 30. They all looked like kids to her. I heard a similar comment from a co-worker's husband at an office Christmas...
I recommend Terri Walker for the Hinsdale High School District 86 Board in the April 6 election with great enthusiasm. I met Terri several years ago as a neighbor, but I have gotten to know her better through her tireless work as a parent working to improve our schools. I have sought out Terri’s opinion on a number of issues because of her sound judgment. Well before she announced her candidacy for the District 86 Board, Terri demonstrated her commitment to ensuring the children in our community have access to a world-class e...
Ken Knutson’s article from last week was timely for me. I was a “Ribbon Rower,” believing there could be more tasteful, constructive ways to memorialize the loss of a loved one. I thought the above, until three of Hinsdale’s finest police officers paid a visit to the home of my fiancé the evening of Dec. 15. The tragedy of that evening mobilized an emotional support team that I have never witnessed before. Hinsdale Central students, with the assist of parents, quickly began wrapping trees with ribbons. To quote Roger Ebert: ...
I confess I've been reading other people's mail for many of the past decades. No, I've not been opening stuff misdelivered to my mailbox. I'm talking about the letters of people famous enough to have theirs collected into books. But that's gotten me to thinking about the words of the rest of us - we who are not famous - whose stuff will never be collected into books. I've heard it said that ultimately, all we have to leave behind are our stories. I fear, by that measure, we...
As a longtime resident of Hinsdale, parent and committed supporter of District 86, I have been puzzled and appalled by the curriculum changes that have been hastily implemented in our district over the past two years. Families move to our community expecting their children to receive an excellent education. Sadly, the changes made to our science and math curriculum will put that excellence in jeopardy. One size does not fit all when it comes to education and curriculum. The science and math departments at Hinsdale Central...
The Muppets are back. And they are offensive. That's the message attached to 18 of the 120 episodes of the family variety show, which Disney Plus launched Friday. You remember them, right? Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, the Swedish Chef? And those crabby old guys in the balcony? I loved watching the show, which aired from 1977-81. I have absolutely no memory of Johnny Cash singing "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" in a barn decorated with the U.S. flag and the Confederate...
Each February, the country celebrates American Heart Month by endeavoring to adopt healthy lifestyles to prevent heart disease. Focusing on one’s heart health has never been more important. People with poor cardiovascular health are also at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Heart disease remains a leading cause of death in the U.S. The National Blood, Heart and Lungs Institute of the National Institutes of Health has designated each day of the week with a different self-care theme and hashtag. • Kick of the wee...
As a long time resident of Hinsdale since 2001 and having two sons (including a current eighth-grader at Hinsdale Middle School) attend D181 public schools (Madison Elementary and HMS), I have a deep love and respect for one of the finest school districts in Illinois. D181 was the major reason why we moved to Hinsdale in 2001 from Chicago. Therefore, the April 2021 D181 Board of Education election will be crucial given the difficulties and unexpected challenges to education created by the COVID-19 pandemic. I wholeheartedly...
Christine Dannhausen-Brun is a highly-qualified candidate for the District 181 Board of Education. She is intelligent, well-read and a hardworking volunteer. For over 12 years, while her children attended Madison School, we collaborated together in a variety of ways. Christine is an involved parent in her children’s activities, with a wide variety of school endeavors and district initiatives. Her children are very active in Scouts, sports, music and dance, and she often offers her support. At Madison School, she could be foun...
On April 6 there is a vitally important election for the District 86 Board of Education and it is crucial that our community elects Jeff Waters and Peggy James. This upcoming BOE ballot features 10 candidates, which is a testament to the passion and concern of our community for the direction of D86. The seven member BOE has four open seats and it’s composition has never been more important. Three major issues in our district are: (1) the demand from parents to return students to full-time in-person learning, (2) the r...
Remember the old cliché about insanity - doing something over and over again, but expecting a different outcome? That's, frankly, kind of the way I've been behaving for the past year. Same stuff, different day, so to speak. To my distress, I've become accustomed to the monotony, my capacity for surprise dulled into complacency and cynicism. Nothing new happens. Notre Dame had an undefeated season, only to get crushed in their final game. Again. Someone with a name that...
Perhaps you’ve heard the famous Albert Camus quote: “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” I appreciate Camus’ message of resilience. Really, I do. But I am not feeling summer, invincible or any other type, within me. This winter — and in particular, this past week — has beaten me. Our high temps since Saturday have ranged from a mere 5 degrees to 24 on Tuesday, with lows ranging from -2 to 13. We might get up to 26 today, b...
The middle of a pandemic is a tough time to approve a new teachers contract. So is the middle of a school board election. Hinsdale High School District Board members have come under fire from some candidates for the two-year agreement they approved Jan. 28 with the Hinsdale High School Teachers Association. Some of it is warranted — but some of it isn’t. Critics have noted the process took too long and said some sort of temporary agreement should have been put in place so teachers did not have to work without a contract. We...
My favorite ads on TV right now are ones that feature kids of various ages expressing some level of disgust with their parents. First, there’s the Geico “Scoop, There It Is” commercial. Dan and I have friends — with no adolescent children living at home — who thought watching hip hop group Tag Team dish up ice cream and the play on their hit “Whoop, There It Is” was hilarious. They didn’t even notice the teenage daughter — or her look of disgust as she exits the room after he...
Happy Valentines Day! Sunday is the 14th, of course, but it’s never to early to spread the love. Each year at this time, The Hinsdalean extends “valentines” to those helping to make the community a little more loving place. With a focus on Hinsdale’s nonprofit agencies, we present this year’s honorees as nominated by those organizations. • Charlton Gronlund has been a tireless supporter of Candor Health Education’s mission and has leveraged his position as a leader in the Hinsdale community to continuously advocate for the Ca...
As an over 30-year resident of Hinsdale, I am more grateful than ever for the thoughtful vision, courageous initiative and effective execution of Superintendent Tammy Prentiss and her team in negotiating a relationship that made COVID-19 vaccinations available to all critical employees of District 86 and the LADSE cooperative last week. While there are many more hurdles before our teens, their families, faculty, and supporting staff can achieve their new normal, it is a real gift to the village that Superintendent Prentiss an...
What a service to the community! As vice president of the DuPage County Board of Health, I have come to appreciate the importance of public-private partnerships for the good of the whole community. It is praiseworthy that Hinsdale High School District 86 has developed a partnership with Osco in order to vaccinate teachers and older residents. The DuPage County Health Department has been seeking additional vaccination sites to help increase the rate of vaccination delivery, and District 86 became one of the health...
In my last column, I wrote about getting drenched. I said that the sky above our family was falling and our roof was leaking. Since that column, our monsoon has thankfully passed. My family is dry, and we are together. I mentioned the buckets we placed to stave off flooding. Today, I want to tell you about the umbrellas that shielded us from the worst of the storm. They do not, cannot, mop up the messiness of our lives, collect our pain in buckets and hope it will be...
3 for '21. Gretchen Rubin's suggestion seemed pretty simple. "If you don't want to make a New Year's resolution, consider writing your '21 for 2021' list," the author of "The Happiness Project" wrote Dec. 15 in her blog. I liked the sound of it - a list of 21 concrete things to accomplish. (I also appreciated the photo of a typewriter that ran with the post!) She listed really helpful suggestions, too, like using the number 21 within this list (read 21 books, visit 21 diners)...
Four times last year we criticized leaders in Hinsdale High School District 86 for the way they handled residents who wanted to express their opinion at a board meeting. Today, we congratulate them. For the first time in four months, the “public comment” section of the agenda was back where it belonged last week, near the beginning of the meeting. Two audience members who attended in person stepped up to the microphone, and comments were read from four residents who submitted them via email. Right now the hot topic is get...
