Bugle Newspapers 12-8-22

Plainfield church plans annual Lucia Fest

The Swedish tradition of Santa Lucia will be observed at Church of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Covenant, 2437 Plainfield Road, Joliet, at approximately noon, Sunday, Dec. 11, following the 10:45 a.m. worship service.

The Queen of Light will be portrayed by Cyan Bradley, the daughter of Jake and Renae Bradley of Plainfield. Bradley is a sophomore honor student at Plainfield Central High School, where she competes in cross country and track. She enjoys theatre and has performed in various musicals, including Seussical, Willy Wonka, and Beauty and the Beast.

As a member of Church of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Covenant, Bradley participates in the high school youth group and serves as a volunteer in the nursery. Upon graduation from high school, she plans to attend college and will pursue a career in nursing.

As part of the traditional Lucia Fest, the Queen of Light, also known as Lucia, will be accompanied by attendants from Church of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Covenant Sunday School.

Faith Zosky will sing “Santa Lucia” and Abby Price, the 2021 Lucia Queen, will read the legend of Lucia. The celebra-

tion will conclude with a Swedish fika, a time of refreshments featuring traditional Swedish pastries and coffee.

The celebration of Lucia Fest is a Swedish custom that ushers in the Christmas holiday. According to legend, Lucia was a godly girl who became engaged to a nobleman at the age of 17. Before the wedding, Lucia gave her dowry to the poor as a thank you to God for answered prayer. Her intended husband, suspicious that she was a Christian, ordered her put to death on Dec. 13, 304 A.D.

Hundreds of years later, Lucia reportedly appeared in western Sweden during a famine to distribute food among starving people. She wore a long white gown and was encircled by light.

Following Lucia’s visit, the days grew longer, leading people to believe she brought the end of winter and the return of light. Lucia became known as a symbol of light, faith, and Christian charity.

The traditional celebration of Lucia Fest recognizes the return of light after the dark of winter and heralds the approaching Christmas season with music and candlelight.

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state elections board certifies 2022 results

The Illinois State Board of Elections certified its election results Monday, putting the final stamp on another Democratic sweep of statewide offices.

The board reported that 4,142,642 out of 8,115,751 registered voters cast ballots in the election, a turnout of roughly 51 percent. That’s down from a turnout of more than 57 percent in 2018, but up from a 49 percent turnout in 2014, according to ISBE.

The final margin of victory for Gov. JB Pritzker over Republican challenger state Sen. Darren Bailey was a resounding one, about 12.54 percentage points. Pritzker notched more than 2.25 million votes to Bailey’s 1.74 million.

The lead vote-getter for Democrats was Comptroller Susana Mendoza in her third successful statewide election. Her 2.33 million votes to nearly 1.68 million votes for Republican candidate Shannon Teresi represented a win of just over 16 percentage points, down from her near 23-point victory total in 2018.

She assumes the mantle of

most successful statewide Democrat that has for over two decades been claimed by Secretary of State Jesse White. The 88-year-old who has held that office since 1998 didn’t run again this year, paving the way for Democrat Alexi Giannoulias to win a contentious Democratic primary.

Giannoulias, the former state treasurer, received about 2.2 million votes to just under 1.8 million for state Rep. Dan Brady, of Bloomington, the Republican nominee. Last week, Giannoulias and Brady announced that the vanquished Republican would join the winner’s transition team. The margin of victory was about 10.69 percentage points.

“I am honored that Secretaryelect Giannoulias is rising above party politics by drawing on that experience to make the office the best that it can be,” Brady said in a Nov. 30 statement. “I may be leaving elected office in a few short weeks, but I have always desired to help the people of Illinois in any way that I can. I appreciate this opportunity to use my unique knowledge to help en-

hance a statewide office that affects the lives of more Illinoisans on a daily basis than any other.”

Attorney General Kwame Raoul posted similar margins to Pritzker and Giannoulias in earning a second term, besting Republican Thomas DeVore 54.35 percent to 43.45 percent. It’s a slightly closer margin than his 55-43 triumph in 2018. Raoul amassed 2.2 million votes compared to DeVore’s near 1.8 million. His margin of victory was 10.9 percent.

State Treasurer Michael Frerichs earned a third term, beating Republican Rep. Tom Demmer, of Dixon, 54.29 percent to 43.48 percent. The 10.81 percentage point margin was down from about 19 percent in 2018, but well above Frerichs’ 2014 performance in which he won by fewer than 10,000 votes.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, meanwhile, put up margins nearly identical to Mendoza, besting Republican Kathy Salvi 2.3 million to 1.7 million, for a margin just under 16 percentage points.

An amendment to the state’s constitution passed with 53.42

percent of the ballots cast in the election. The amendment guarantees workers a right to unionize in Illinois. It had two paths to passage, receiving majority approval from the total ballots cast, or receiving 60 percent approval from

those voting on the question.

The amendment was approved by 2.2 million of the 4.1 million voters to cast a ballot in the election. It received 58.72 percent approval from those voting on the question.

east Maine district 63 announces Winter Card design contest winners

East Maine School District 63’s Board of Education recognized the eight winners in the District’s 2022 Winter Card Design Contest. The top winner attended the meeting – while other winners watch online as all of the artwork was shared in a special presentation. Top honors went to Gemini Middle School 8th grader Adiliya Uzdenova, a Des Plaines resident, whose snowy nighttime landscape is featured on this year’s District 63 winter card.

District 63’s card design contest – now in its seventh year – is a chance for all students, K-8th grade, to submit a winter design and vie for the chance to adorn the District card, which is mailed to more than 300 community leaders, parent leaders, elected officials, and donors. This year, the District received a recordbreaking 105 entries. District administrators and other District 63 staff judged the pieces “blindly,” without knowing student names or schools. Best in Grade winners

were:

• Kindergarten Audrey Tom Morton Grove / Nelson School

•1st Grade Thikshitha Balaji Des Plaines / Apollo School

• 2nd Grade Jitin Goverdhanam Des Plaines / Mark Twain School

• 3rd Grade Avi Patel Des Plaines / Mark Twain School

• 4th Grade Aradhya Rawat Des Plaines / Mark Twain School

• 5th Grade Sofia Kasten Niles / Nelson School

• 6th Grade Tajalla Shaifta Des Plaines / Gemini Middle School

• 7th Grade Manha Fatima Des Plaines / Gemini Middle School

All winners will receive special certificates from the Board – while Uzdenova received a frame featuring her artwork and certificate.

District 63 offers a rich educational

setting with a multicultural perspective to 3,500 students in the diverse communities of Des Plaines, Niles, Glenview, Park Ridge, and

Morton Grove. Committed to teaching excellence that provides all students with the specific opportunities they need to succeed,

the District’s five elementary schools (K-5), and Gemini Middle School (6-8), First Steps Preschool, and Expanded Learning programs

foster each student’s academic, social, emotional, and behavioral growth and achievement. Visit www.emsd63.org to learn more.