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“Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We are all hurting. And we often are unable to comfort one another, as we focus on our disagreements and divisions rather than coming together to find solutions. To whom can we look for inspiration and solace? We turn, as so many have before us, to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His words, spoken more than half a century ago, could have been uttered this week. Let them serve as both comfort...
Historic Preservation Month typically comes and goes without controversy. Past commemorations have included coloring contests for kids and the presentation of awards from the Hinsdale Historic Preservation Commission. We’ve published everything from a single article or editorial to a month-long series reminding residents of the architectural treasures the village is fortunate to have within its boundaries. This year the discussion around historic preservation has reached a fevered pitch. Many preservations argue the only w...
In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place, and in the sky, The larks, still bravely singing, fly, Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead; short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe! To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high! If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. — J...
Beep, beep, beep. Let’s back up a bit. Despite the media hype that might suggest otherwise, Hinsdale will not offer outdoor dining on its downtown streets in the near future. Village officials are not planning to violate Gov. JB Pritzker’s five-phase plan to Restore Illinois. What they are doing is starting a conversation about steps the village could take to expand restaurant capacity once eateries are allowed to reopen in phase 4. Many expect that won’t happen until the end of June at the earliest, but the time to plan is n...
Perhaps you had planned to participate in the villagewide clean-up of parks on April 24 to commemorate Earth Day. Or you might have had other activities scheduled to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22. Now, with all of us sheltering in place, those plans have been canceled. Once again, technology is coming to the rescue. “On April 22, Earth Day goes digital,” the Earth Day Network announced at https://www.earthday.org. The site includes a wealth of information about Earth Day — including a calendar listi...
Most of us have never appreciated the rich diversity of our society as much as we do now, eager for more scenery options after weeks holed up at home. The Autism Society of America this April also wants to Celebrate Differences, making it the theme of this year’s National Autism Awareness Month. “Designed to build a better awareness of the signs, symptoms and realities of autism, #CelebrateDifferences focuses on providing information and resources for communities to be more aware of autism, promote acceptance and be more inc...
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” — John Wesley Is this ever a time to do good. Normally we would extol the virtues of altruism in this space the first week of April because it’s National Volunteer Month. But helping others is even more important as we face the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. In some ways, it’s also more difficult. The volunteers who were busy organizing spring and summer fu...
Maybe you were planning to spend spring break soaking in the rays on a Florida beach, touring the historical sites of a favorite European city or relaxing in a remote mountain cabin. Instead, you’re here, stuck in Hinsdale. For years, we’ve run an annual feature headlined “Stuck in Hinsdale for spring break,” in which we talk to those unfortunate souls who aren’t traveling somewhere exotic. This year, that’s all of us. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy spring break. You just have to be a little more creative. Here...
Last Wednesday a writer from Crain’s Chicago Business compared the coronavirus to Sept. 11. “Just as 9/11 changed us and how we live, this was the day it truly became clear that coronavirus will do the same here,” Greg Hinz wrote in his column, “On politics.” “Now another day that augurs to be at least as momentous as 9/11 has arrived. Today is the day COVID-19 truly came home to Chicago,” he added a few paragraphs later. We were offended by his decision to connect the spread of a virus to the murder of thousands of...
A teardown wave is once again causing consternation in the village of Hinsdale. A generation ago, it was the scourge of new McMansions dwarfing neighboring older homes and altering the community’s landscape. Today, in an era when reality programs show us how easily old can be made new, the hand-wringing is over the demolition of vintage homes. Twenty-four homes have been torn down in the Robbins Park neighborhood since that area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The village board is poised to i...
“From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contribution went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built American was as vital as that of the men whose name we know so well.” — President Jimmy Carter With those words, our nation’s 39th president designated March 2-8, 1980, as National Women’s History W...
Leap Day! That quadrennial quirk of our time-marking system — rendering the shortest month a little less short and making winter seem a LOT longer — is upon us. But we shouldn’t complain about more days on the calendar. It’s a gift, really, these extra 24 hours that open wide the doors to experiences and activities that would be unthinkable in a normal 8,760-hour span. Activities like The Community Revue that hits The Community House stage tomorrow and Saturday, for example. How many times over the last few decades have yo...
Don’t state the obvious. We’ve all heard that advice before — and it’s especially relevant for those of us who work in journalism. And yet we’ve violated this rule countless times as we try — repeatedly — to convince Hinsdale residents that they should not leave their cars unlocked with the key fob inside. Just take a look at these headlines: “Best deterrent for car thieves: lock car doors.” That gem ran Aug. 9, 2018. Two weeks ago we ran a similar headline: “Police advise residents to lock cars, deter thieves.” Unfortuna...
Happy Valentines Day! Tomorrow is the designated day for showing love, but we find plenty of examples in our town of how to lead with one’s heart every day. To these people, we bestow our 2020 “valentines.” • Liz Joseph puts her heart into her volunteer work at Elm School, serving as vice president of the PTO exec board and overseeing all the room parents, class parties, teacher gifts and more. She also devotes many hours to the Art Appreciation program and SELAS activities, from conception to fruition. • Hinsdale Central’s...
Hearts are everywhere this month — but not all of them are for Valentine’s Day. For the past 56 years, February has been American Heart Month. President Lydon B. Johnson issued the first proclamation in February 1964, nine years after he suffered a heart attack. Science has advanced medicine in exciting new ways since that time, but heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of Americans, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined. Seventy-two percent of Americans don’t consider themselves at risk for heart disea...
So the Super Bowl and Groundhog Day fall on the same day this year. How crazy is that? Well, OK, not so crazy since it also happened in 2014 — although this is only the second such occurrence since the game was moved to a February date in 2002. Is it possible to properly honor both occasions, and not give one short shrift, like the fate that befalls those with birthdays near Christmas? Frankly, we don’t care. For us, as serious matters convulse our society on a regular basis, the confluence serves as prime pretext to com...
In 1995 La Grange Memorial Hospital was sold and part of the proceeds were used to create Community Memorial Foundation. Who could have imagined the work the foundation would do? The foundation, which has issued more than $77 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in 27 communities, will kick off its 25th anniversary celebration tomorrow. The theme — turning Silver into Gold — reflects the foundation’s approach to working with local nonprofits. CMF works to leverage the funds it has available to provide even more finan...
There’s a reason why January is designated National Blood Donor Month. During the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s, about 500 fewer blood drives were hosted by volunteer sponsor groups than required to meet patient needs, according to the American Red Cross. Groups postpone blood drives during the winter holidays to avoid conflicts with travel and other seasonal activities. Life-threatening events and emergency medical procedures, however, never take a holiday. “Declines in donations can affect patient care. That’s why the...
Tonight, for the first time in almost a month, the Hinsdale High School District 86 Board will meet. A lot has happened since Dec. 12. Students and staff enjoyed winter break. A new year, and a decade, started at midnight Dec. 31. And Superintendent Tammy Prentiss announced that the district is slowing down its implementation of a “physics first” science sequence at Hinsdale Central, with the phased-in roll out set to begin fall 2021. The announcement should appease at least some of the parents who have raised loud and fre...
The last days of one year and the first days of the next are traditionally a time to analyze events of the past 12 months and set goals and expectations for those to come in the next 12 months. Today we offer a fusion of both, with a look at what we observed in 2019 and what we hope to see in 2020. 2019: Laurel Haarlow is elected to serve on the Hinsdale Village Board, becoming the first woman to join the group in two years. 2020: More women are elected to the board, creating a governing body that is more representative of...
’Twas the night after Christmas, when all through the town The streets were all quiet, the stores all shut down. The stockings were flung on the floor without care The spot where presents were piled now was bare. The merchants were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of full cash registers danced in their heads. For shoppers in Hinsdale had bought presents galore, Not at the mall or online — but in local stores. The residents, likewise, were content and fulfilled. Gifts they had purchased left recipients thr...
’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the townThe Hinsdaleans were scurrying, they rushed all around.For last-minute gifts and cards they did sprint,Armed with lists and ideas and maybe some hints. Gateway and Grant squares and downtown they traveledBut with each stop, their nerves did unravel.The hustle and bustle had dampened their mood.They were tired and cranky and needed some food. They stopped for some lunch and looked over the list.To finish their shopping, they knew they’d persist.But they wanted muc...
The Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce Christmas Walk, the paper’s gift ideas series (see Page 7 for this week’s installment), Holidays in Hinsdale (see Page 30), and 12 Days of Holiday Cheer (Page 32) all are designed to encourage residents to shop in Hinsdale this holiday season. We hardly think more motivation is necessary, but in case it is, we offer the following 12 reasons (one for each shopping day left until Christmas) to shop in town. 1. Find the perfect gift Hinsdale merchants offer an incredible range of merchandise for...
The Hinsdale Fire Department is once again participating in the annual statewide Keep the Wreath Red fire safety program. A wreath will be hung outside the station at 121 Symonds Drive. For each fire caused by holiday decorations, a red bulb will be replace with a white bulb. The fact the wreath had not been displayed as of Wednesday because new red bulbs were needed could be received as welcome news. Those red bulbs must have held their positions, signaling a series of safe seasons. Let’s all make sure that streak c...
If you’re a fan of Food Network, you know about the importance of balance. For every sweet ingredient, you need a salty one. At Thanksgiving, we often find ourselves writing a sugary editorial about all the things we have to be thankful for here in Hinsdale. And thankful we are. But sometimes you get a taste for something a little salty. And so, today, we offer up our own “Thank You Notes,” inspired by the one and only Jimmy Fallon. • Thank you, e-learning days in Hinsdale High School District 86, for ruining every snow da...
