Play at the plate
Graduation day at Willowbrook
Freshman Lindsey Rugg of the Willowbrook softball team is pictured while attempting to score a run during Friday’s game at Downers Grove South. Rugg tried to score from second base on a single by sophomore Katelyn Cox in the top of the second inning, when the game was tied at 2-2. Downers Grove South’s catcher tagged Rugg out at home plate for the third out of the inning. The Mustangs went on to defeat the Warriors 7-3 in the West Suburban Gold Conference contest. Wil-
The Village of Villa Park held its 2024 Summer Festival on Saturday in the Ardmore Business District (Ardmore Avenue and Park Boulevard, near the Illinois Prairie Path). The one-day annual event, which serves as a kick-off to summer, included food, live entertainment, vendors and attractions for children. Villa Park siblings Henry (above left) and Willa (above right) Dyrkacz (ages 10 and 8) are pictured at two of the stops in the festival’s inflatable area. The festival’s live entertainment acts included the Hard Rock Fossils—a band that performs hard rock and classic rock. The band’s drummer, Al Shaults of Villa Park, is pictured (right) during Saturday afternoon’s performance in the Rugaard Gazebo.
lowbrook rebounded from Friday’s loss to post an 11-2 win in Saturday’s game at Hinsdale Central. The Warriors bashed three home runs in the second inning of Saturday’s non-conference battle against the Red Devils of the West Suburban Silver Conference. Senior Annemarie Knudtson, freshman Isabella Dugo and sophomore Kayleigh Dennison provided the home runs. Dennison (No. 5) is pictured in the background of the above photo. For more about the Warriors, see page 14.
Arbor Day in Villa Park
Willowbrook High School’s Class of 2021 celebrated its commencement with two separate ceremonies in the school’s main gymnasium on Sunday morning. The entire class includes over 470 students. About half of those students attended the ceremony that began at 9 a.m. The others participated in the ceremony that started at 11 a.m. The photo shows members of the Willowbrook Senior Choir performing during the day’s first service. For more photos, see Page 4.
member of the Villa Park Environmental Concerns Commission, Villa Park Village Trustee Cheryl Tucker, Villa Park Village President Albert Bulthuis, Villa Park Village Trustee (and Village President-Elect) Nick Cuzzone and Leslie Allison-Seei—chair of the Villa Park Community Pride Commission. Arbor Day is observed on the last Friday of each April. The National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Villa Park with Tree City USA designation for 36 straight years. To receive that recognition, a community must have a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program and an Arbor Day observance.
Park Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2801 held its Memorial
on Monday morning at Cortesi Veterans Memorial Park. Post Commander Jim Blankshain is pictured bowing his head as Willowbrook High School students Lily Hendrickson and Anna Seelbach sound taps at the end of the ceremony. The post’s 2020 Memorial Day event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s observance included a reading of the names of the Post 2801 members who have recently died. That list included World War II veteran Charles “Sid” Bergh, who served as the
of the post’s annual Memorial Day service for several years. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Bergh
October 2020. He was 94 years old. Bergh was the post’s last surviving World War II veteran.
CHRIS FOX PHOTOS Villa Park Review
submitted photo Rock Valley Publishing
Crews put out fires that fully engulfed three semi-trucks in the 1000 block of N. Rohlwing Road. The fire began sometime before 8:50 p.m. June 20. It caused an estimated $115,000 to $120,000 in damage.
Fire department responds to multiple commercial vehicle fire
On June 20 at approximately 8:52 p.m., the Lombard Fire Department responded to the report of heavy black smoke near North Avenue and Route 53.
Crews arrived on scene at 8:57 p.m. and reported three semi-trucks fully engulfed in flames at the 1000 block of N. Rohlwing Road. The fire was upgraded to a structure fire response, bringing additional crews and equipment to the scene.
Firefighters quickly deployed multiple hose lines to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby vehicles and equipment.
The fire was brought under con -
trol within 25 minutes.
There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. The fire caused an estimated $115,000 to $120,000 in damages. The Lombard Fire Investigations Unit is currently investigating the cause of the fire.
The Lombard Fire Department was assisted by the Elmhurst and Villa Park fire departments, as well as the Addison and York Center fire protection districts.
The Lombard Police Department assisted with traffic and crowd control. For further inquiries or more information regarding this incident, contact Deputy Chief George Hyland at 630-620-5736.
Villa Park Public Library adds Braille selection for children Materials include card games, LEGO blocks
By Jane Charmelo Villa park staff reporter
The Villa Park Public Library recently announced that it has added a selection of Braille materials to the Youth Services Department collection.
According to Nancy Gergets, collection development librarian for the Youth Services Department, “We just started the collection,” adding that “We started a little bit slowly trying to test the waters” of what material is available for low-vision and visually-impaired children.
She wanted to know, for example, “how they make a picture book into a Braille book.”
“I’d already started the collection of Large Print books,” Gergets narrated, and then, “I received some information from the National Braille Press,” which offered cost-effective materials.
Library Director Sandra Hill agreed “regarding their monthly subscription service of children’s materials and thought it would be a natural extension of our existing collections,” the librarian related.
“We currently have a collection of over 300 Large Print titles in our [Youth Services] Department, and a large selection of audio books for our blind or vision impaired patrons,” Gergets stated.
“We have approximately 20 titles (mostly picture and informational picture books), a couple of card games and a LEGO collection featuring Braille blocks,” she added. “Our intention is to grow this collection as patron interest increases.” For more information, call 630834-1164.
Health screenings coming to Elmhurst on Tuesday, July 2
Residents living in and around the Elmhurst area can learn about their risk for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and other chronic, serious conditions with affordable screenings by Life Line Screening.
American Legion THB Post 187, located at 310 W. Butterfield Road, Elmhurst, will host this community event on Tuesday, July 2.
Screenings can check for:
• The level of plaque buildup in your arteries related to the risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke and
overall vascular health.
• HDL and LDL cholesterol levels
• Diabetes risk
• Kidney and thyroid function, and more Screenings are affordable and convenient. Free parking is also available.
Special package pricing starts at $159, but consultants will work with you to create a package that is right for you basked on your age and risk factors. Call 1-877-237-1287 or visit: www. lifelinescreening.com Preregistration is required.
Teenager who was on pretrial release for vehicular hijacking in Cook County charged with armed robbery in Elmhurst downtown Elmhurst.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Elmhurst Chief of Police Michael McLean announced last week that Judge Joshua Dieden granted the state’s motion to deny pre-trial release for a Morton Grove teenager accused of robbing a man at gunpoint and taking his vehicle in
Isaiah Roach, 19, appeared in First Appearance Court on Friday, June 21, and was charged with one count of armed robbery, (Class X felony), one count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class 2 felony) and one count of theft (Class 2 felony).
At approximately 10:30 p.m. on June 19, Roach allegedly met the victim in Elmhurst after responding to an ad the victim had placed on Facebook Marketplace to sell his car for $14,000.
After meeting the victim outside the lobby of the Elmhurst police station, it is alleged the victim and Roach decided to conduct the transaction inside a nearby grocery store where there were security cameras.
Once inside the grocery store, Roach allegedly reached into his waistband, displayed a black handgun, and told the victim, “Give me the keys if you ever want to see your family again.”
The victim then threw his key fob at Roach, ran to the store’s customer service desk and called 911. It is alleged that Roach drove off in the victim’s car, which the victim had parked in the police station parking lot. Evanston police officers subsequently located the victim’s car at a gas station in Evanston, where they allegedly observed Roach pumping gas.
It is alleged that Roach then fled on foot, but Evanston police were
able to take him into custody. Roach allegedly had the victim’s key fob in his pocket when he was arrested.
The Elmhurst Police Department stated that its license plate reader network alerted investigators the stolen vehicle had left the police station. That license plate reader network then detected the vehicle in Evanston a short time later. The Elmhurst Police Department thanked the Evanston Police Department for locating the vehicle and taking Roach into custody.
Roach is currently on pretrial release for vehicular hijacking in Cook County.
“It is alleged that while on pretrial release for a forcible felony, Mr. Roach thumbed his nose at the criminal justice system and committed another violent crime,” Berlin said.
“In DuPage County we have zero tolerance for the type of armed violence as alleged in this case and we will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law. I commend the Elmhurst Police Department for their outstanding work investigating this case and I thank the Evanston Police Department for their assistance in apprehending the alleged offender.”
“Citizens participating in online exchanges should heed the warning signs of a dangerous deal,” McLean said. “Any buyer or seller who is unwilling to come into a police station for a valuable transaction and instead asks to meet elsewhere late at night should be met with suspicion. Don’t agree to a dangerous situation.”
Roach’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 15, for arraignment in front of Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh.
Isaiah Roach
Villa Park’s Summer Festival draws a crowd
Saturday’s live entertainment at Villa Park’s Summer Festival featured several musical groups, including the Hard Rock Fossils. The hard rock/classic rock band delivered an hourlong afternoon performance in the Rugaard Gazebo during Saturday’s event. Pictured (left to right) in the foreground are Jeff Meister, Dominic Calderisi and George Saris. Above: The band’s drummer—Villa Park resident Al Shaults—is pictured in the background.
Villa Park Village Trustees Jack Kozar and Kevin Patrick attended the festival and manned a table that was located in the area lined with local vendors. In addition to speaking with village residents, Kozar and Patrick handed out free popcorn and water to festival attendees.
Villa Park Village President Nick Cuzzone stopped by to greet his fellow village board members during the festival. Pictured at left, left to right are: Cuzzone, Kozar and Patrick.
Villa Park Fire Department responds to structure fire on St. Charles Road
Firefighters from surrounding communities provide assistance
On Monday, June 17, at approximately 3:14 p.m., the Villa Park Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at 33 W. St. Charles Road. Villa Park Engine 82 was unavailable due to a medical call. Engine 81 was also engaged in the medical call and experienced a delay of about five minutes before responding to the fire.
Elmhurst Engine 2, recently freed from a previous call at St. Charles Road and Route 83, was the first fire vehicle to arrive on the scene.
Firefighters arrived to find a fire on the roof near a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit and immediately began fire suppression efforts at the building, which is lo-
cated on the south side of St. Charles Road at Princeton Avenue, just west of Ardmore Avenue.
According to the Villa Park Fire Department, multiple crews were assigned to both the interior of the building and the roof to ensure complete extinguishment of the fire.
The offices beneath the roof suffered minor water damage, but crews deployed tarps to prevent further damage.
The Villa Park Fire Department received assistance from firefighters from surrounding communities, including Addison, Lombard, Elmhurst and York Center. The Villa Park Police Department and Villa Park’s community development department also
Villa Park Police Department is conducting stepped-up traffic enforcement during the July 4 holiday period
As Independence Day approaches, the Villa Park Police Department is gearing up for increased traffic enforcement to ensure the safety of all residents and motorists. On June 21, the department’s officers began conducting increased traffic patrols in an effort to keep impaired drivers off the road and ticket unbuckled motorists.
The increased patrols will be in place through the early morning hours of July 8.
“It’s a straightforward message: If you’re behind the wheel, stay sober,” said Villa Park Police Sgt. James Cihak. “Don’t drink, use marijuana, or consume any other impairing substances before or when driving. Our officers will be on duty around the clock, dedicated to enforcing traffic laws and, most importantly, saving lives.”
Driving under the influence not only poses a grave risk to oneself, but also endangers passengers and fellow road users. The financial and human costs of a DUI are immeasurable. The decision to avoid driving while impaired is simple and could spare lives.
The Villa Park Police Department is collaborating with the Illinois State Police and over 200 local police and sheriffs’ departments in this unified effort to enhance statewide enforcement during this period.
To ensure a fun and safe holiday celebration, the Villa Park Police Department urges everyone to follow these tips:
provided assistance.
The Villa Park Fire Department’s Fire Investigation Unit conducted an origin and cause investigation, which revealed that the fire was confined to the roofing membrane beneath and adjacent to a rooftop HVAC unit. The likely cause was smoldering materials that went unnoticed by the roofing contractor, who was using a “torchdown roofing” method earlier that day.
An area of approximately 4 feet by 8 feet of the roof, along with a gas pipe and an electrical breaker box on the HVAC unit, were damaged and require replacement.
The scene was then released to the building owner representative.
Police encourage drivers to reduce speed for safer travel
Look for increased patrols throughout July
The Villa Park Police Department announced last week that it is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the Illinois State Police and more than 200 local law enforcement agencies to step up enforcement efforts across the state in an attempt to reduce speeding.
Throughout the month of July, mo-
torists can expect increased patrols looking for speeding, as well as other traffic violations.
“Speeding causes unnecessary danger on our roads,” said Villa Park Police Sgt. James Cihak. “Speed greatly reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around another vehicle, a hazardous object or an unexpected curve. Speeding puts drivers themselves, their passengers and other motorists at risk.”
During the month-long enforce-
ment period, officers will intensify enforcement of posted speed limits.
“Offenders will be stopped and ticketed, especially along IL Route 38 [Roosevelt Road], IL Route 83, IL Route 64 [North Avenue] and all residential side streets, where most of our speed-related crashes occur,” Cihak said. “Our goal is to save lives.”
The speed enforcement effort is made possible by federal traffic safety funds administered by IDOT.
• Designate a sober driver before heading out.
• Prevent friends and family members from driving under the influence.
• If you find yourself impaired, use safe alternatives, such as taxis, public transit and ride-sharing apps, or contact a sober friend or family member for a ride.
• Use designated driver programs available in your community.
• Report suspected drunk drivers promptly to law enforcement by pulling over and dialing 911.
• Ensure that all passengers in your vehicle buckle up. It’s not only the law, but also a crucial defense against impaired drivers.
• The current traffic safety enforcement effort, which includes the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” “Drive High, Get a DUI” and “Click It or Ticket” programs, is made possible through federal highway safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). These efforts are complemented by IDOT’s “It’s Not a Game” media campaign, which emphasizes the serious consequences of impaired driving and other unsafe driving behaviors.
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Slices of life
Dating after 50—Part 2
I recently wrote a column about dating after a certain age—50 to be exact.
At the start, I planned on a brief column. How much could there be to write about such a dire subject?
Turns out I was wrong. There are myriad factors to dating at any age, but especially after 50.
Remember dating? Most people dabbled in the sport during their teens and 20s. The lucky among us ended it there. We found our special someone and left the dating pool to the tadpoles.
But then, some of us—too many of us—are thrown back in, much later than we ever thought possible. Imagine dating three decades (or so) after you thought you’d put that chapter of your life behind you, and imagine the surprises and changes it might entail.
Imagine the humor, of dating (or attempting to do so) after 50. Again, I have no firsthand knowledge of this late-dating phenomenon. I’m only observing and assuming, which isn’t always prudent. You might want to close your eyes during the scariest parts because it isn’t always pretty. But it can be fun and maybe even funny.
The following are my further thoughts on the subject. I reserve the right to return with more (thoughts) in the future. It’s turned into a subject that just keeps on
By JILL PERTLER Columnist
giving. Too bad dating at any age can’t be more like that.
My thoughts, part two:
Dating in your 20s: You look for someone who is a good listener.
Dating after 50: You look for someone who is willing to wear their hearing aids so they are able to listen to you.
20s: It’s appealing when someone has a good head for business.
After 50: It’s appealing when someone has a good head of hair.
20s: You look for someone with the potential for wealth.
After 50: You look for someone with the potential for health.
20s: You covet tickets to the concert of the newest pop band.
After 50: You covet tickets to the concert of a classic rock band.
20s: You look for someone who doesn’t cheat.
After 50: You look for someone who doesn’t cheat at gin rummy.
20s: Dating someone with wrinkled shirts makes them less attractive.
After 50: You realize wrinkled
Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignation
After 3½ years as ILGOP chair, Don Tracy cites intraparty fighting as reason for quitting
By Hannah Meisel CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
Halfway through the 2024 election cycle and just a few weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy on June 19 announced his resignation as head of the state Republican Party.
Tracy, who’d held the job since February 2021, explained his resignation in a two-page letter that cited intraparty “power struggles.” He also said he is concerned about the direction the party is taking under the current membership of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee—a 17-person body that steers the ILGOP, with one member elected from each congressional district.
faces show character.
20s: You need furniture.
After 50: You need someone who needs the old furniture you no longer need.
20s: You seek someone who likes kids and spending their life around them.
After 50: You seek someone who likes grandkids and spending an occasional weekend around them.
20s: You enjoy a vacation that involves boozing.
After 50: You enjoy a vacation that involves cruising.
20s: Your ideal match is a golfer with a low handicap.
After 50: Your ideal match is a golfer with no handicap.
Dating after 50 involves baggage, and not just the kind you check at the airport before boarding your plane. While I’m no expert, and probably never will be, I do enjoy making observations. I’ve noticed definitive differences between dating in your youth versus dating, well, after that. The contrasts are humorous— laughable, even.
And what is life about if it doesn’t include laughter?
Well, that and pickleball, followed by an early-bird dinner.
Jill Pertler is an award-winning syndicated columnist, published playwright and author. Don’t miss a slice; follow the Slices of Life page on Facebook.
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“In better days, Illinois Republicans came together after tough intra party elections,” Tracy wrote. “Now however, we have Republicans who would rather fight other Republicans than engage in the harder work of defeating incumbent Democrats by convincing swing voters to vote Republican.”
Tracy was narrowly elected Illinois Republican Party chair in the wake of the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the U.S. Capitol by those who sought to stop certification of the election for its winner, President Joe Biden, over former President Donald Trump. Even as Republicans publicly reckoned with the events of Jan. 6, hardline conservatives on the state central committee were pushing for a more ardent supporter of Trump and his politics than the previous chair, who was hand-picked by former Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Instead, the party got Tracy, another Rauner ally who served as chair of the Illinois Gaming Board during the one-term governor’s administration. Tracy had unsuccessfully run for lieutenant governor in 2010, and in 2002, he lost a bid for a state Senate seat— but as a Democrat.
level despite picking up one seat in the state Senate.
Even so, Tracy survived a noconfidence vote last spring and was holding onto power until this week.
In his letter, Tracy cited “recent events,” including state central committee members earlier this week removing one of their own from his position as state party vice chair “without due process.” Tracy wrote the move “portends a direction of the State Party I am not comfortable with.”
According to reporting from the Chicago Tribune , Mark Shaw, a state central committee member from Illinois’ 10th Congressional District, was stripped of his title and removed from the party’s fundraising committee on June 17. The vote was a rebuke of his behavior at a state party convention last month where he allegedly voted as a delegate despite not being one, and challenged another Republican official to a fight, the paper reported.
Additionally, Tracy wrote that he was “concerned about the current infatuation” of some state central committee members “with certain individuals they call ‘grass roots’ leaders.”
One such self-proclaimed grassroots Republican, former state Sen. Darren Bailey, celebrated Tracy’s resignation on social media, calling it a “cleansing” of the state GOP.
“Fake Republicans got us into this mess,” wrote Bailey, who earlier this year lost a primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Mike Bost and unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022.
“Real Republicans standing firm will get us out!!!” The state’s Democratic Party, which had its own leadership fight two years ago, took the opportunity to gloat about the “chaos” within the ILGOP, claiming Democrats are a “united party” ahead of the November election.
Democrats panned the state GOP as “defined by a litany of electoral disasters, constant infighting, meager fundraising, and a strict adherence to a losing set of anti-choice, anti-worker, proTrump policies.”
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Tracy’s electoral history, as well as his experience as an attorney and co-owner of his family’s food distribution business, fit the mold of previous ILGOP chairs in a state where fiscally conservative and socially moderate suburban Republicans for decades were a political powerhouse. But as Republican politics have changed both nationally and in Illinois, Tracy’s run as party chair proved tumultuous.
In the 2022 election cycle, Tracy’s first at the helm, Republicans lost big at the state
“While we don’t expect new leadership to change any of that, we do wish the best of luck to the inevitable MAGA extremist who will succeed Don Tracy as chair,” the party said.
Tracy’s letter indicated he would resign upon the election of a successor, “preferably no later than” July 19, the day after the RNC is scheduled to conclude.
Responding to an article (June 6) about the need for blood donors, Lombard has a wonderful network of partners who have volunteered their time and/or facility to help the village add more blood drives each year: library, park district, Yorktown mall, First Church of Lombard, St. Pius X, Knights of Columbus, Masons and I may be forgetting a few. That is something to make me proud of my village, but then I got to thinking; with all the houses of worship we have in town—and nonprofit, charitable organizations—why have more of them not stepped up to become blood drive partners? It would take me probably 10 minutes to name all of the houses of worship we have within the Lombard borders, yet only two or three I can think of participate by hosting blood drives. To the rest of you, what’s stopping you? Especially during this time of year; like the article said, when people are on vacation and accidents/injuries happen more often during the warm weather, all of which contribute to the need for blood. For each unit of blood you collect, as many as three lives could be saved. Think about that. A family member of mine was one of them.
* * *
So the police are getting ready for July 4. What about all the illegal fireworks that the boneheads around town will be setting off? Another year that we must listen to the noise. It upsets our animals and it drives the people nuts. Fireworks are illegal in Illinois, but no one cares. Billboards on the main highways near the state border advertise stores where you can buy them and then bring them back to Illinois to break the state law. But who cares? If your neighbor is setting off fireworks, call the police. See how long it takes for them to re-
spond. What the police should do is issue a ticket and force the people to face a judge and pay a fine. After all, it is against the law. But this will be another year where no one cares.
* * *
I noticed that any column from the District 87 superintendent lately has not included a thank you to all the taxpayers who supported the whopping $183 million referendum. I, for one, did not support that kind of spending. Frankly, I don’t trust the necessity for all these big plans, especially since Glenbard East seems to always get a smaller slice of the pie, after the two Glen Ellyn high schools. As a senior on a semi-fixed income, I think it was selfish of all these voters—who can afford the tax increases—to not take us, and other lower-income taxpayers, into consideration. I don’t know how much longer I can afford to live in Lombard after 40 years of paying such high taxes to the school districts.
* * *
To give blood, you need a photo ID. But when I voted early in the last election at Yorktown, I did not need anything to prove who I was. I told the election judge “I could give you any name and you would not know who I was.” There is no wonder why we got stuck with an idiot like Joe Biden. Gas was $2.25 when he got elected. What is it now?
* * *
Hooray! The cicadas are finally dying off. Good riddance to these loud and annoying pests!
* * *
To the caller in the June 20 Speak Out who told another caller to “come into the 21st century” and pay the property tax online, I know several people who do not use the internet or even have a smart phone with which to pay bills online; for some people it
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is a choice but for others maybe it is not an option financially to be “connected,” so please stop the sarcasm.
* * *
I am very glad to see the WNBA becoming more popular. I used to be a fan of the Chicago Sky. Not anymore as long as they continue to play that Angel Reese. She is playing street ball and she is nothing but a bully. The team should do something with her.
* * *
I’m not going to waste my time listening to this so-called presidential debate (held on Thursday, June 27). The two moderators (Jake Tapper and Dana Bash) both have shows on CNN and are highly critical of Trump. All they’re going to do is go after Trump and ask old man Biden softball questions. Who are going to be the moderators of the debate in September? Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar? Trump has often said the 2020 election was rigged. Well, this debate is rigged.
* * *
We should give our adversaries China, Russia, North Korea, Afghanistan and many other countries credit for not taking more advantage of us, having a weak leadership running our country. They show some respect in sportsmanship for not kicking a man when he’s down. America’s policy of keeping peace through strength has faded with our present government.
* * *
I would like to make people aware of Illinois Senate Bill 1818. First filed Feb. 23, 2023, by Sen. Doris Turner (D) of the 48th District (Decatur), the bill is proposing to establish a new Illinois state flag. The bill reads in part: Creates the Illinois Flag Commission for the purpose of developing new State flag designs and making recommendations to the General Assembly concerning whether the current state flag ought to be replaced with a redesigned state flag. This bill has made its way through the Illinois Senate and House and was approved by Gov. Pritzker on Aug. 7, 2023. Ac-
Coming events
Circus Vasquez June 28 to July 7
cording to Turner, “While the state seal represents government, the flag should be a symbol for the people. History is living, breathing, and ever evolving and our flag needs to represent what makes Illinois the great state it is.” Sen. Turner’s belief that history is living, breathing and ever evolving means the state would have to change the flag every few years. If Illinois does get a new state flag it will cost us taxpayers untold millions of dollars. The state flag represents our history; let us not try and change that too!
* * *
How about the Chicago Teachers Union? The teachers union is in the process of negotiating a new teacher’s contract with the public school system, which calls for an extra $50 billion in funding. According to U.S. News the proficiency in reading for Chicago Public School students is 15 percent and in math it is 12 percent. The CTU wants the average teacher to make $150,000 a year, for a ninemonth job. Obviously, higher teacher pay doesn’t equal better students. If the union wants more money, then teach the kids to be better and earn your pay.
* * *
Half of the country is living in a fantasy bubble. They want to bring back the world of the puppet Howdy Doody. The character Howdy Doody, is played by Joe Biden, and the terrible Mr. Bluster is characterized by Donald Trump. Howdy Doody wants to be a president and all they have to do is figure out who can handle his strings to make him move and handle his life and the country called America. On Nov. 6 this year we may be listening again to the quote “Hey kids. What time is it? It’s Howdy Doody Time!”
* * *
I hear the Sox and the Bears both want a new stadium. Maybe the Bears and the Sox should get together. They could put themselves in a new stadium out there in Arlington Heights. You don’t need public sup-
Time: Monday - Friday: 7 p.m.; Saturday: 1, 4, 7 p.m; Sunday: noon, 3 and 6 p.m.
Location: Yorktown Center (Parking Lot). Come to Yorktown Center and enjoy the world-class show of Circus Vazquez. This event is full of thrills, a light show, a live orchestra, and very talented high-level acrobats, dancers, and aerialists. It’s perfect for children and families looking for a magical evening. Find tickets and additional information at yorktowncenter.com/events/ circus-vasquez.
Plum Library programs
Humanitarian Crisis in Palestine Saturday, July 6, at 1 p.m. Join us for a thoughtful panel discussion on the current and historical humanitarian crisis and needs in Palestine. Panelists will include Awad Sifri, Dr. Ben Norquist and Dr. Deborah Adelman. Questions for panelists can be submitted when registering for the program. Register at helenplum.org.
Summer Trivia with Baig of Tricks Entertainment Sunday, July 7, at 2 p.m. Join Baig of Tricks Entertainment for this fun and competitive trivia event. Bring your friends. Teams of one to six members can compete for the chance to win a prize. Register at helenplum.org.
Angela James to perform June 28
The Lombard Historical Society (LHS) is pleased to present Angela James in Concert as part of the Music on Maple Concert series June 28 at 7 p.m. Please bring a chair. This is a free outdoor concert. Tickets are suggest-
port, don’t need public money for that. So maybe, maybe they have to win a championship or two, get into the playoffs, be successful, then maybe we’ll talk about a small amount of taxpayer money. You know, maybe people could buy bonds and invest in it; those that want to but not everybody. So, there you go. Well, maybe even the Cubs should join that, too. They’re not doing so hot, either. * * *
Can somebody give me an answer on what the heck are they teaching people at the DMV? Five out of 10 people drive like they haven’t been taught a thing. So how do they get their license? Who is passing them? It’s ridiculous.
Calling about President Trump, who promised to drain the swamp and as history always says, when you drain the swamp, there’s nothing left but the slime and the scum at the bottom.
Hi, I enjoyed seeing the Sandro Sez article about the 10 most overplayed songs by bands and the ’burbs (June 20 issue). A few more songs to add: “Africa” by Toto and “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the Eurythmics and if they get into playing “American Pie” by Don McLean … but those songs are played way too much these days and they should be filed for 10 years, I think. Thank you.
I see where Louisiana became the first state to require the Ten Commandments be exhibited in all public-school classrooms. Enjoy it while it lasts because it’s only a matter of time before the ACLU takes it to court and gets it declared unconstitutional by a leftist judge. But let’s say someone came up with the Ten Commandments of diversity, equity and inclusion, and wanted them posted in all Illinois classrooms. We all know that would sail through the woke Illinois Legislature and be signed by Pritzker in a heartbeat!
ed and available on the website: LombardHistory.org. For more information about this event, or the Lombard Historical Society, please visit lombardhistory.org, email info@lombardhistory.org, or phone 630-629-1885.
Versiti/Knights blood drive July 13
The Fr. Boecker Council 6090/Christ the King Council 10027 Knights will host a Versiti blood drive Saturday, July 13, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 114 S. Elizabeth St., Lombard. Appointments are appreciated but walk-ins are welcome. All attempting donors will be entered for a chance to win a grill/accessories. Visit www.versiti.org/IL or call 800-7TO-GIVE to schedule an appointment.
Wine Down Thursday today
Wine Down Thursday – June 27. Come join your favorite chamber members for an informal “wine down” with our newest chamber member Robert at his cabinetry business RCR Cabinetry. Rob and the chamber will be providing some beverages and snacks, and as always, you are encouraged to bring your own special drink as well. RCR Cabinetry, 915 S. Main St., Lombard.4-6 p.m. Visit lombrdchamber.com to register.
Memory care support group to meet July 3
A support group for caregivers and families of someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia meets the first Wednesday of every month from 10:30-11:30 a.m. July 3, Saint Paul Church, 545 S. Ardmore, Villa Park, is the next meeting. Call or text Jamie at 312-543-5158. Space is limited.
PEP Squad program a hit with District 44 students
By Mara Richards
Program, which emphasizes hands-on learning, finishes second year
A school-wide program that helped Manor Hill Elementary School students become more actively involved in learning had an unlikely inspiration: mittens.
Joe Graffeo, who is now an instructional facilitator for Lombard School District 44, said he noticed his wife had a “domino effect” by making mittens. She inspired her children to also make mittens.
If his family could get so involved with a hands-on activity, then why couldn’t the students at his school find something that interests them, too, he asked.
The idea was brought to Manor Hill principal Eric Haren, and he loved it. This became the impetus for the PEP Squad program, which launched during the 2022-23 school year and returned for a second year in 2023-24.
“Being a teacher for so many years, I started realizing a lot of kids like to do hands-on stuff and do things if they are learning life skills,” Graffeo said.
“These electives are not built on academics alone but built on high-interest activities that will allow each student to see if that could be their ‘life lane’ and allow students to explore various topics to learn more about their own strengths and find their own passions.”
With PEP, which is short for Passion, Engagement, and Potential, Graffeo said he hopes to ignite a spark in students that turns into a blazing fire.
Students chose between 28 different PEP Squad classes in the spring, ranging from martial arts to fishing to robotics. The classes met on two early-release days. Students also had a different PEP Squad class for two early-release days in the fall.
The classes provided teachers a chance to share their interests and hobbies with students.
Manor Hill first-grade teacher
Lindsey March taught the baking PEP Squad class and was very passionate about the PEP Squad program.
“I think it’s very much an active learning experience,” March said.
“More and more from teaching I think kids need that. They need to be actively involved and learning. For them to be involved, doing things with their hands, moving around, talking, collaborating with others— all huge skills that you need in life.”
March and the students in her PEP Squad class made chocolate chip cookies, and reviewed adding fractions in the process. The recipe called for 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt. March and the students discussed how they needed to use the 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon three times.
Community members also led PEP Squad classes. For instance, Brian Kalbfleisch, owner of Retro Glow Cycles, led a bike maintenance PEP Squad class.
The PEP Squad program gave the students an opportunity to explore a new topic or learn more about something that interested them. These experiences can only help them in sub-
sequent years, said Robyn Cordell, the instructional facilitator at Manor Hill.
“Hopefully you can find something that lights a fire inside of you,” Cordell said. “You can go on to the middle school, and explore it further. … Maybe you’ll come back in 20 years and say, ‘Wow, I am now an engineer of this sort because of what we did at Manor Hill.’”
Manor Hill students have enjoyed PEP Squads. Students were given a survey about PEP Squads after they debuted during the 2022-23 school year and 100 percent of students said they wanted to do PEP Squads again in 2023-24, Graffeo said.
March, who worked with third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders in her spring PEP Squad class, felt the program was also good for school spirit.
“It’s a great way to energize the kids, to get them excited, give them different (learning) experiences, and also just work with different people,” March said. “We get to see these kids again. I haven’t seen them in a few years. I think it builds school community.”
Camdon Bates, who recently completed fifth grade at Manor Hill, also contributed reporting to this story.
About the author: Mara Richards recently completed fifth grade at Manor Hill Elementary School, where she participated in the journalism PEP Squad class. In addition to being interested in writing, Mara likes to act in the Lombard Park District theater company.
Customer appreciation
Old Second National Bank on Friday, June 14, held a Customer Appreciation Day in its branch at 711 S. Westmore-Meyers Road, Lombard. According to Matthew Remus, vice president of retail banking and regional manager, the Aurora-based bank is over 100 years old, and merged with West Suburban Bank nearly three years ago, adding that it was “the merger of two very long-running [community] banks.” In one photo are (left to right) Cherilyn Villanueva Liggayu, relationship banker; Raul Escanio, senior loan officer; Viona Kundacina, universal relationship banker; Victoria Shelton, teller; Kimberly Zielske, assistant branch manager; Stephanie Viguera, universal banker; Leticia Serracin, assistant vice president; and Remus. In another photo, Viguera was on-hand to offer prizes to customers who spun the wheel.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Rock Valley Publishing
First grade teacher Lindsey March mixes ingredients with Manor Hill students Triniti Eaton-Tyus and Lindsey Olesiak during a baking class March taught as part of Manor Hill’s PEP Squad program.
JANE CHARMELO PHOTOS Rock Valley Publishing
Lombard resident one of 2 Montini students recognized for achieving Eagle Scout rank
Junior Conor Kaefer, a Lombard resident, was congratulated by Montini Catholic along with recent graduate Rory O’Connor for earning their Eagle Scout rank this year.
Kaefer has been a Boy Scout for nearly seven years. He became a Boy Scout after crossing over from Cub Scouts in the fifth grade. The Sacred Heart School graduate is a member of Troop 202 in Lombard.
For his Eagle Scout Project, which was completed in May of 2023, Kaefer chose to build a 100-foot fence for the Lombard Historical Society at the Victorian Cottage Historic House Museum on Maple Street in Lombard. The Lombard Historical Society was very grateful for Kaefer’s decision and are so happy to have the new addition, posting on Instagram, “It looks amazing and is a great addition to the museum property.”
“The fence took three weeks to physically build and install, as the entire thing was handmade out of wood,” said Kaefer.
“The actual designing, planning, and coordinating took several months longer. The fence has helped beautify the appearance of the Cottage, and improves the historical effect on visitors.”
Kaefer was thankful to have the help of family members, members of his troop and personal friends to assist in the completion of his ambitious project.
“Since the very beginning of my Scouting experience, my parents (Frederick and Jeanne Kaefer) have always been there to support and encourage me,” said Kaefer. “My dad has been an assistant leader in
Coming events
Forest preserve district photo contest
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County invites you to participate in its “Preserved for You” 2024 Summer Photo Contest running through Sept. 2. On July 1, Aug. 1, and Sept. 2, the Forest Preserve District will randomly select one email address from all eligible entries, and winners will receive a $25 District gift card. For full contest details and to submit your entries, visit dupageforest.org/photo-contest.
Lombard Farmers Market
Visit the Lombard Farmers Market on Tuesday, July 2, from 3-7 p.m. in downtown Lombard on the corner of S. Park Ave. and W. St. Charles Rd. Enjoy live music from singer/songwriter, True Adkins, sponsored by JL Vintage Odds and Ends. Shop seasonal fruits, vegetables, bread, treats for your pet, and other handcrafted goods. The Lombard Farmers Market is brought to you by the Lombard Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry. For more information, including schedule changes, follow us on Facebook @LombardChamber.
my troop since my older brothers, Matthew and Paul (also both Eagle Scouts and Montini graduates) became scouts. He has gone camping with me many times, and I have learned countless things from him. My mom has also been a big supporter of my scouting career, and she was particularly supportive and helpful with the completion of my Eagle Scout project.”
Kaefer is a very involved Montini student as well. With one more year left to go in his high school career, he has already achieved more than most at Montini. He is a member of the boys cross-country and track and field teams, achieving Academic All-Conference status in both sports during his time on the teams. He is also a member of Montini’s math team and played an integral role in its sixth-place state finish this year.
He and his teammate (Seoyeon Park) were state champions in the Junior Senior 2 Person Team Division. He was inducted into Mu Alpha Theta (Math) Honor Society during his sophomore year and was most recently awarded the Robert Huntoon Memorial Scholarship, acknowledging his excellence in math.
Kaefer is also a member of Montini’s Robotics Team and traveled to Dallas, Texas, this spring to compete in the VEX Robotics Worlds Championship for the second time in his high school career. He is a member of Montini’s National Honor Society as well as the History and Spanish clubs.
Earlier this year, he was among two students at Montini who were local winners of the Veterans of For-
eign Wars (VFW) Voice of Democracy Contest. He was also selected to be a Peer Minister and will continue this mission into his senior year. He is looking forward to his senior year at Montini and has plans to study engineering in college.
Kaefer said he felt very supported at Montini throughout his long journey to become an Eagle Scout.
“My teachers at Montini have been very supportive of my scouting journey,” he said. “My cross-country coach, Coach (Eric) Brechtel, is an Eagle Scout himself, and several of my friends at Montini are on their way to becoming Eagle Scouts.”
Reflecting on his long Boy Scout career, there is no doubt Kaefer is very proud of his accomplishments
and grateful for the experience. “To me, being an Eagle Scout is the culmination of many years of hard work and fun experiences,” he said. “Through scouting I have learned many important lessons in leadership, determination, and lifelong skills. It is an honor for me to have achieved the ultimate rank of scouting.”
From left to right: Lombard resident Conor Kaefer, Montini Catholic Principal Chris Tiritilli and Rory O’Connor. Kaefer and O’Connor were recently recognized by the school for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. Kaefer just finished his junior year at Montini. O’Connor graduated from the school in May.
Man sentenced to 50 years for murder of his handicapped nephew
Dominick Taylor
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin has announced that a Bloomingdale man accused of killing his nephew in 2020 has been sentenced to fifty years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Dominick Taylor, 54, appeared in court on June 20, when Judge Brian Telander handed down the sentence.
In 2020, Taylor was living with his wife and 43-year-old physically and mentally handicapped nephew, Damian B. Scott. Taylor was Scott’s primary caregiver. On April 26, 2020, Taylor’s wife discovered
Scott’s lifeless body in his bedroom of the home they all shared. She immediately called the Bloomingdale Police Department who initiated an investigation. It is alleged that in the early morning hours that day, Taylor, who was Scott’s full-time caretaker for more than a decade, strangled Scott to death in his bedroom.
It is further alleged that after killing Scott, who was blind and unable to walk, Taylor, without permission, withdrew cash from his wife’s bank account, turned off his cell phone and purchased a one-way Amtrak train ticket from Chicago to East Lansing, Michigan, without notifying his wife or family.
Scott was brought to Glen Oaks Medical Center in Glendale Heights, where he was pronounced dead.
Following a postmortem examination performed by the DuPage County Coroner’s Office, a deep tissue hemorrhage around the victim’s hyoid bone was identified, which is consistent with manual strangulation. The exam also identified a healed fracture around the thyroid cartilage determined to be evidence of a prior strangulation.
On April 28, 2020, Taylor was taken into custody on a local warrant in Michigan. He refused extradition from Michigan and a Governor’s Warrant was approved.
Taylor was brought to DuPage County and appeared in Bond Court on June 13, 2020, where Judge Robert Miller set bond in the amount of $2 million with 10 percent to apply in accordance with a previously is-
sued arrest warrant. He has remained in custody at the DuPage County Jail since that time.
On Feb. 27, Taylor entered a plea of guilty to one count of first-degree murder.
“Domestic violence comes in many forms,” Berlin said. “What I find particularly disturbing in this case however, is the fact that as Damian’s caretaker, Mr. Taylor was responsible for the safety and wellbeing of Damian. His mission was to protect Damian’s life, not take it, as alleged in this case. I would like to thank DuPage County Coroner Dr. Richard Jorgensen and his office for their outstanding efforts in this case.”
DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen M.D. acknowledged
the extraordinary work by Deputy Coroner Michael Hutchens and staff in the investigation of the death of Damian Scott. “In the course of a postmortem examination, Chief Forensic Pathologist Hilary McElligott M.D. used her extensive training and experience to identify signs of strangulation and alerted officials of her finding that this case was a homicide,” Jorgensen said.
“Her work was instrumental in the subsequent arrest of Dominick Taylor. The DuPage County Coroner’s Office is fortunate to have such diligent and experienced professionals who serve the citizens of this county.”
Taylor will be required to serve 100 percent of his sentence.
Tips for keeping your pets cool during summer heat
Hot weather tips for your furry friends
When it gets hot outside, pet owners need to remember to keep their dogs, cats, horses and any other beloved pets cool in the good ‘ol summertime.
“Consider if you had to live outdoors when the temperature gets hot outside, what would you do to try to keep cool?” asks Nicole Johnson, DVM, Pekin Animal Hospital and president of the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association (ISVMA).
“Pet owners need to think of more than just how they’re going to keep cool when they have to be outside: What about your dog or cat when you
Police Reports
The Villa Park Police Department recently reported the following arrests and citations. Readers are reminded that an arrest does not constitute a conviction, and that suspects are considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Persons charged with domestic battery are not named in order to protect the privacy of victims. Juveniles age 17 or younger are not named.
June 18
An unknown suspect in the 200 block of W. North stole the cell phone of a complainant.
A complainant in the 400 block of S. Princeton reported his name, address and phone number have been linked to a website that does not belong to him. The complainant stated he has been receiving phone calls from unsatisfied customers.
June 17
A complainant in the 300 block of E. Roosevelt reported a suspect battered them. However, the complainant did not show any signs of injury and did not wish to pursue complaints. The parties were separated and peace was restored.
A complainant at a store in the 1-100 block of E. St. Charles reported an unknown suspect put slices of cheese on the windows of a vehicle while it was parked in the parking lot.
take them for a walk or to enjoy the backyard? Or any outdoor animals that call ‘outside’ home? Every pet owner needs to think about their pet’s safety in any weather, and summer is no different,” says Dr. Johnson. Here are some helpful tips Dr. Johnson suggests pet owners follow as the temperature outside rises:
• Never leave a pet in a hot car. Within a few minutes, even with windows rolled down, the heat in a car soars into triple digit temperatures.
• Hot walks on outdoor surfaces. If a sidewalk or parking lot would be too hot for you to walk on barefoot, it’s too hot for your dog to walk on, too. Pavement baking in the summer
June 16
A complainant at a trucking company in the 700 block of S. Route 83 reported they believe suspects committed a theft. The complainant was unable to confirm if anything was taken, but the suspects were trespassed from the business.
A complainant in the 100 block of E. Kenilworth reported that a suspect battered them.
June 15
Police said Joseph R. Soukup, 32, of Lisle, was issued an in-jurisdiction warrant near Route 83 and Riverside at 7:32 p.m.
A 31-year-old McHenry man was charged with two counts of domestic battery in the 500 block of S. Harvard at 7:09 a.m.
June 14
Jamie V. Botello, 57, of Oakbrook Terrace, was issued a citation for trespassing at a hotel in the 1-100 block of W. Roosevelt at 2:50 p.m.
Armani D. Bynum, 29, of Woodridge, was issued a citation for retail theft at a store in the 900 block of S. Route 83 at 10:43 p.m.
A complainant in the 1-100 block of W. Division reported that a suspect is harassing them via phone.
A complainant near W. North and N. Addison reported that another driver showed a gun when the complainant approached their vehicle.
A complainant in the 200 block of E. Adele reported their mailbox was
sun can burn tender paw pads. Walk them in the cooler grass and look for shaded areas in which to walk. Also schedule walks in cooler times of day, like early morning or evening hours.
• Keeping cool. Regarding shade, make sure that when your pet is outdoors that it is in a shady area, especially in the heat of the day. Bowls of frequently changed cool clean water also help keep the temperature manageable and water parasites at bay.
• Beware of certain plants. There are a number of poisonous decorative plants that may be in your yard. Some are hazardous to animals. Research what is in your yard that may be harmful to your pet. Also keep fer-
damaged.
June 13
Mark D. Finley Jr., 23, of Chicago Heights, was charged with harassment/making a threat to kill at a fitness center in the 300 block of W. North at 10:12 p.m.
A complainant at a residence in the 500 block of N. Yale reported at 12:01 a.m. that an unwanted subject was in the house.
A complainant at a fitness center in the 300 block of W. North reported at 10:59 a.m. that an unknown suspect removed their backpack from a secured locker.
A complainant at a store in the 100 block of W. Roosevelt reported that unknown suspects removed items from display shelves and left without paying.
June 12
A complainant in the 1-100 block of W. Plymouth reported at 9:33 p.m. that their trailer hitch was stolen.
A complainant at a convenience store in the 600 block of N. Addison reported at 11:57 p.m. that an unknown suspect removed items from display shelves and left without paying.
Identity theft, fraud
According to information provided by the Villa Park Police Department, police reported three incidents of identity theft or fraud.
tilizers and other yard chemicals out of your pet’s reach.
• Avoid drowning hazards. Have a swimming pool or water feature in your yard? Make sure you’re around to supervise your pet so that they remain safe from drowning. Or block pet access to the pool or water feature. Consider using a pet life jacket anytime your pet is near water or in a boat.
• Avoid heat stroke. Pets with thick fur, who are overweight or have respiratory issues are especially prone to heat stroke. Consider giving your pet’s fur a summer cut and brushing him or her frequently.
• Window and door safety. Make
sure open windows or patio doors have screens on them or keep open windows/doors closed altogether.
The Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association (ISVMA) predicts, monitors and confronts issues that affect the licenses of Illinois veterinarians. More than 1,900 ISVMA member veterinarians, veterinary students and Certified Veterinary Technicians depend upon the representation and services provided by the ISVMA. Their participation ensures the continued strength of the veterinary profession in Illinois, advancing the well-being of veterinary medical professionals, the public and the environment.
Remembering a legend
Villa Park resident and comedian Matt Kissane (second from left) poses with Chicago Rock Legend Joe Cantafio, Radio personality Scott Mackay from The River FM 95.9 and Dick Biondi film producer Pam Pulice backstage at The Moonlight Theatre in St. Charles on May 26, where there was a showing of the documentary called “Dick Biondi, the Voice that Rocked America.” In addition to comedy and music there was a Q&A session following the screening.
Meet Brookfield Zoo’s new residents - koalas
First time in zoo’s 90-year history to have the species
The wait is over!
Brumby and Willum, two male koalas, arrived at Brookfield Zoo Chicago on June 10 and have been acclimating to their new home at the zoo’s Hamill Family Play Zoo. Now, the marsupials are ready to meet the public.
Free with zoo admission, the habitat features both indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing guests to observe these charismatic marsupials, during regular zoo hours.
Willum, who was born in March 2022 at San Diego Zoo, can be distinguished by his darker nose than Brumby’s, and he is the larger of the two. His name is Aboriginal meaning “hut.”
Brumby, who will be 2 years old in August, was also born at San Diego Zoo. He has a large pink spot on his nose. His name is also Aboriginal meaning “wild horse.” He got that name because when he was a joey, his mother would run around on the ground with him on her back. Since no Aboriginal translation for “jockey” was found “wild horse” was a close second.
As the first koalas to call the zoo home in its 90-year history, their arrival is an important part of Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s continued commitment to species conservation and environmental education. The koalas, who arrived at Brookfield Zoo Chicago accompanied by an animal care specialist from both zoos, are here through a loan partnership with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and San Diego Zoo’s Koala Education and Conservation Project. Brookfield Zoo Chicago is one of only 11 accredited zoological facilities in North America, and the only in the Midwest, where the public has the opportunity to see and experience these unique and engaging animals.
“We are thrilled to have Willum and Brumby at Brookfield Zoo Chicago,” said Mark Wanner, associate vice president of animal care and conservation. “Many visiting will
never have the opportunity to see koalas in their native land. We hope seeing them here at the zoo, guests will develop a respect and appreciation for them and wildlife around the world.”
Koalas, who prefer a solitary lifestyle, live in eucalypt forests, which are their home, shelter, and food source. These marsupials are one of only a few animals that eat eucalyptus leaves, which are highly poisonous to most other animals. They have two different types of teeth to help them eat the leaves—incisors at the front of their mouths, strip leaves off branches and their molars help cut and grind the leaves to make them more digestible.
Twice a week, the zoo will receive a rotation of several different species of fresh eucalyptus leaves for Brumby and Willum. Because of the leaves’ high level of toxicity, koalas have specialized gut bacteria that breaks down the poisonous leaves, extracting all water and nutrients. This is why koalas spend most of their time—up to 18-22 hours a day—sleeping in trees conserving their energy.
Although many refer to koalas as bears, there is no relation. According to several sources, the misnomer occurred when English-speaking settlers observed koalas in Australia and thought the animal resembled a small bear. Koalas are more closely related to other marsupials (pouched mammals) like wombats and kangaroos, which can be seen at the zoo’s Australia House.
Koalas are listed as a “vulnerable” species by the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) in its native land of Australia. Found in Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales, the species faces several threats, including deforestation, fragmentation of its habitat for development, bushfires, disease, and drought.
Those interested in supporting the care of the koalas at Brookfield Zoo
Chicago can contribute to the Animal Adoption program. For $35, a recipient receives the Friend Package, which includes a personalized certificate of adoption, a 5-inch x 7-inch color photograph of a koala,
a fact sheet on the species, an Animal Adoption program decal, and an invitation to the exclusive 2024 Animal Adoption summer event.
A Plush Package is also available for $65 and includes all the benefits
of the Friend Package as well as an adorable 12-inch plush koala and four free tickets to the Animal Adoption evening in 2024. To purchase, visit brookfieldzoo. org/animaladoption.
Worship Services Directory
St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church
547 N. Main St., Lombard, IL 60148 630-627-2435
Sunday Worship at 10:15 am
Lent and Easter Services at 7 p.m.
Sunday School & Bible Study 9 am Wednesday Service at 7 pm
“The Crucial Hours”
Second Lenten Service March 9, 2022
Rev. David Ernest “Satan Has Asked to Sift All of You” Jerusalem Lutheran, Morton Grove Matthew 27:15-26
Adult Bible Study after Wednesday Service Saturday, July 27 Game Night at 4 pm
Everyone is Welcome!
Third Lenten Service March 16, 2022
Rev. Paul Spaude “What to Remember When Your are St. Matthews, Niles Seized with Remorse” Matthew 27:3-4
All services are live streamed. Watch on our website or on Facebook. sainttimothy.org
Fourth Lenten Service March 23, 2022
Rev. Jonathan Bergemann “I Will Keep the Passover” Good Shepherd, Downers Grove Matthew 26:18
Fifth Lenten Service March 30, 2022
Rev. Tom Nicholson “They Bound Him” Resurrection, Aurora John 18:12
Sixth Lenten Service April 6, 2022
Rev. Phil Schupmann “The Semblance of Legality” Resurrection, Aurora Luke 22:66
Gather with us for
Maundy Thursday Communion 7 p.m., April 14
Good Friday Tenebrae 7 p.m., April 15
Easter Sunrise 6:30 a.m., April 17
Easter Breakfast 8 a.m., April 17
Easter Festival 10:15 a.m., April 17
Weekend Masses: Saturday: 4 PM (Vigil) Sunday: 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30 AM and 6 PM
Daily Masses: Monday—Friday: 6:15 and 8:15 AM Saturday: 8:15 AM
Confessions: Saturday: 3-3:45PM
PUZZLE Page
SUDOKU
Fun by the Numbers
Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How
It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
CLUES ACROSS
1. Average damage per system (abbr.)
5. Lustful woodland gods (Greek mythology)
11. Colombian Town
12. Sour
16. A way to stuff
17. Former AL MVP Vaughn
18. Carried or transported
19. Cannot even fathom
24. Hammer is one
25. A way to separate
26. Not moving
27. Women’s service organization (abbr.)
28. German river
29. Quantitative fact
30. A person’s head
31. Process that produces ammonia
33. French modernist painter
34. Too much noise
38. Agree to a demand
39. One a line at right angles to a ship’s length
40. Employees
43. Ribosomal ribonucleic acid
44. Component of hemoglobin
45. Quick and skillful in movement
49. Passing trend
50. Part of the eye
51. One who acclaims
53. Deadly amount (abbr.)
54. Taste property
56. Genus of mosquitoes
58. Blood type
59. A group of countries in special alliance
60. Institute legal proceedings against
63. Shade of a color
64. Spoke
65. Work units
CLUES DOWN
1. Charge with a crime
2. Mended with yarn
North Atlantic flatfish
Boil at low temperature
Lapps of northern Scandinavia
Poisonous plant
Atomic #22
36 inches
Monetary unit of Russia
Type of gin
An alternative
Alone 15. A way to ooze
Publicity
American firm
Jewish calendar month
Popular sandwich
Comedian Cook
The NFL’s big game (abbr.)
Political action committee
Make a low, steady sound
Legendary sportscaster
One thousand cubic
36. Tear into two or more pieces
Supervises flying
Flying arm of the U.S. military (abbr.)
District in Peru 41. One died leaving a will
Morning 44. The world of the dead 45. Widen 46. Drink containing medicine 47. Celebrating 48. Secret encounters
50. A type of tag
Halfback
52. Modern tech 54. Monetary unit 55. Resigned to one’s sleeping chamber 57. Execute or perform
“The Golden State”
“The Beehive State” (abbr.)
State highway shootings decline as critics sue over ‘dragnet surveillance’
Same group that successfully blocked election ‘slating’ law takes aim at highway cameras
By Jerry Nowicki
Capitol News illiNois
Illinois State Police say an automated license plate reader program has helped the agency identify witnesses or suspects in 82 percent of highway shooting cases this year, including all eight that resulted in a death.
But as the state looks to further expand its network of more than 400 cameras this year, it faces a lawsuit accusing ISP of operating “a system of dragnet surveillance” by using the cameras to monitor all traffic that passes them.
The fiscal year 2025 state budget that lawmakers approved last month includes $7 million in new funding for the technology as well as $2.5 million reappropriated from a previous year.
The cameras are constantly monitoring the highways where they are installed, collecting images, time and location data on hundreds of millions of vehicles each year. In May alone, the cameras captured 1.4 million “hits,” or instances in which a pictured license plate matched one in a law enforcement database for “hot” vehicles—such as stolen cars or those connected to a crime. That was out of 215 million recorded “detections” in May, which includes any instance of a vehicle image being stored with date and time data.
The libertarian legal group Liberty Justice Center contends the constant nature of that surveillance violates the rights of two Cook County residents named as plaintiffs in their lawsuit filed May 30.
The group is the same one that successfully sued to block implementation of a state law that would have prevented certain General Assembly candidates who didn’t run in the March primary from getting on the November ballot. It was also behind the lawsuit that ultimately resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court striking down “fair share” union dues in 2018.
“Defendants are tracking anyone who drives to work in Cook County—or to school, or a grocery store, or a doctor’s office, or a pharmacy, or a political rally, or a romantic encounter, or family gathering—every day, without any reason to suspect anyone of anything, and are holding onto those whereabouts just in case they decide in the future that some citizen might be an appropriate target of law enforcement,” the lawsuit reads
The lawsuit contends the program violates the plaintiffs’ search, seizure and due process rights under the 4th and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It seeks to end the state’s
operation of the license plate reader program and to provide specific protections for the two named plaintiffs.
A lawyer for the Liberty Justice Center told Capitol News Illinois the plan is to seek a temporary injunction against the surveillance program as the full case progresses.
About three weeks after the lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois, ISP sent a news release touting the efficacy of the program.
Highway shootings had been on the rise before the legislature authorized and provided funding for automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, in Cook County. There were 51 such shootings in 2019, 147 in 2020 and 310 in 2021, according to Illinois State Police data. That dropped to 189 in 2022 and 129 in 2023, with 42 recorded through mid-June in 2024—a 42 percent decline through the same period last year. The cameras were used in at least 260 investigations this year, according to ISP.
“The use of automated license plate readers has been a game changer in investigating interstate shootings, as well as vehicular hijackings and thefts,” ISP Director Brendan Kelly said in the Tuesday news release. “They provide us vital leads for our investigation, allowing us to track the events immediately leading up to and following the shootings to identify the vehicle involved.”
State police can review images instantly upon report of a shooting or other incident, and once a suspect vehicle is identified, law enforcement can set the system to alert them if that vehicle is spotted on an ALPR.
Under law, the cameras can be used in the investigations of offenses involving vehicular hijackings, terrorism, motor vehicle theft, or any forcible felony, which includes such crimes as murder and firearms offenses. Cameras can also be used for monitoring roadway conditions for safety purposes.
The law, however, prohibits officers from using footage to enforce “petty offenses,” such as speeding.
ISP said their policy is to keep data collected by the cameras for 90 days.
“That’s kind of our big concern is the historical collection and aggregation of all the data,” Reilly Stephens, a Liberty Justice Center attorney, told Capitol News Illinois. “If you only have 24 hours of data, maybe it’s a different case.”
There’s 430 such cameras throughout the state, including 340 in Cook County, 78 in St. Clair County and
Villa Park’s Independence Day Parade begins at 10 a.m.
Villa Park Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2801 will hold its annual Independence Day Parade on Thursday, July 4. This year’s parade theme is “One Flag, One Nation.”
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. The parade route is about 2 miles long. There is a slight change to the parade route this year. Previously, the parade began on Central Boulevard near Ardmore Avenue. This year, the parade will begin at Park Boulevard and Summit Avenue. The parade will proceed west on Park to Harvard Avenue, south on
four each in Champaign, Morgan and Winnebago counties.
Later this year, ISP plans to add cameras in Macon, Madison, Peoria, Bureau, Lake and Winnebago counties. ISP said it could also “potentially” add cameras in Boone, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Henry, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, McHenry, Rock Island,
Sangamon, and Will counties, as well as on DuSable-Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.
The law creating the camera program passed in 2020 with a focus on Chicago, but a 2022 expansion covered another 6,000-plus miles of roadway outside of Cook County. That move was widely supported in
the legislature, although some raised civil liberty concerns about broad definitions in the law.
Members of both parties expressed concern that the cameras could be used to profile drivers and that individuals were not allowed to request their own data through the Freedom of Information Act.
EMH Foundation awards $6,000 in scholarships to teen volunteers
Elmhurst Memorial Hospital (EMH) Foundation Teen Volunteer Scholarship winners with hospital leaders. (left to right): Susan Tyburski, executive director, EMH Foundation; Valerie Cahill, chair, EMH Foundation Scholarship Committee; John Bobier, Glenbard East High School; Elise Tague, York High School; Julianne Kania, York High School; and Judy Jameson, Volunteer Services supervisor, EMH.
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The Elmhurst Memorial Hospital (EMH) Foundation has awarded $6,000 in Teen Volunteer Health Profession Scholarships to three area high school students who volunteer at Endeavor Health Elmhurst Hospital and plan to pursue careers in a health-related field.
Each of the recipients received $2,000 through the foundation’s Teen Volunteer Health Profession Scholarship program. Funds for this year’s scholarships were raised through the Foundation’s annual Reindeer Route Housewalk.
Recipients, their high schools and planned areas of study/occupation:
• John Bobier, Glenbard East (Lombard), pediatric dentistry
• Julianne Kania, York (Elmhurst), physical therapy
• Elise Tague, York (Elmhurst), nursing Elmhurst Hospital teen volunteers must meet a rigorous set of criteria to qualify for a scholarship, including scholastic achievements, accumulated hours of volunteer service in the hospital, strong performance evaluations from the Volunteer Department, community service and pursuit of a career in a health-related field.
For more information about the EMH Foundation and upcoming events, visit www.emhfoundation. org/events or call (331) 221-0388.
Elmhurst’s 4 on the 4th race attracts a big field
The 19th Elmhurst Running Club 4 on the 4th is one week away. Elmhurst’s kickoff to the Fourth of July weekend is drawing a large field that includes runners and walkers from 15 states, and even one competitor from the United Kingdom.
The 2024 event on Thursday, July 4, which stages on Prospect Avenue between Elmhurst University and Wilder Park, includes a 4-mile race starting at 7:15 a.m. and a kids (ages 5-12) 1-kilometer race beginning at 8:20 a.m.
More than 1,200 participants are expected.
Lured by a fast and fun course through neighborhoods and the City Centre, the 4 on the 4th draws runners of all abilities from Elmhurst and beyond. Racing this year are two-time defending champion Tim Hird of Naperville and 2022 women’s champion Jane Bareikis of Crestwood.
Registration is open and will be available through race morning, but race director Bob Richards advises participants who have not registered to do it now at www.4on4th.run.
“We really encourage registration as early as possible,” Richards said.
Pre-race day packet pickup will be at Fleet Feet Elmhurst, 124 E. Schiller, on Saturday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Wednesday, July 3, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Late packet pickup and registration will be available race morning at Elmhurst University, starting at 5:45 a.m.
“It will be a fun morning and a great way to begin the Fourth of July celebration,” Richards said. “But get those registrations done sooner, not later.”
For more information, or to register for the 4 on the 4th, visit www.4on4th. run (ending in .run, not .com).
Hitting the links
Lombard’s Montini Catholic High School held its 35th annual Bronco Classic Golf Outing at St. Andrews Golf and Country Club in West Chicago on June 14.
More than 250 golfers participated in the event, which was sponsored by the school’s alumni association. The Montini alumni who competed in the outing included three members of Villa Park’s Casey family. Pictured left to right are Cameron Casey (Class of 2015), David Casey (Class of 1979) and Liam Casey (Class of 2019).
DuPAGE DESTINATIONS
Your Dining & Entertainment Guide to the Western Suburbs
Can’t-miss events in and around DuPage County
Editor’s note: If you have information on an event in DuPage County taking place that you would like us to consider listing here, please email that information to: news1@rvpublishing. com.
Fourth of July events
Bartlett: The Bartlett Fourth of July Committee invites you to celebrate at Apple Orchard Park from Thursday, July 4 through Sunday, July 7.
Fireworks will take place on Thursday, July 4, starting at 9:15 p.m. The Bartlett Lions Independence Day Parade will be on Saturday, July 6, stepping off from Bartlett Park at 10 a.m.
Bensenville: Bensenville’s LibertyFest Independence Day Parade steps off at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 4, starting at Village Hall, 12 S. Center St., and ending at 11:30 a.m. Following the parade, come out to Redmond Park for games, events, music and food until 10 p.m. Vendor items are available for cash purchase only.
Bolingbrook: The village will be celebrating Independence Day on Thursday, July 4, with the annual celebration and fireworks show at the Bolingbrook Golf Club. Access to the grounds starts at 3 p.m. There will be live bands performing at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Fireworks start just after 9 p.m.
Burr Ridge: Fireworks at Walker Park—Wednesday, July 3, starting at dusk. Food vendors selling snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be at the park starting at 5:30 p.m. Parking passes for either the north and south lots can be purchased in advance for $20.
Carol Stream: The Independence Day Parade takes place at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 4. Later on, enjoy free, family friendly entertainment at the Ross Ferraro Town Center. Food concessions open at 6 p.m., and Hillbilly Rockstarz will be performing at 7 p.m. Stay after for the fireworks show at approximately 9:15 p.m.
Darien: The Darien Lion’s 4th of July parade starts at 9:30 a.m. It is celebrating its 53rd year. The parade route will follow the same path as 2023. Beginning at Jewel on Cass Avenue, proceeding north to 71st Street, east to Clarendon Hills Road, and then south to Hinsdale South High School.
Downers Grove: The village is excited to bring everyone together to celebrate the Independence Day Parade on Thursday, July 4, starting at 1 p.m.
The parade steps off from Main Street and Grant Street at 1 p.m., traveling south on Main to Warren Avenue.
Elmhurst: The 19th annual Elmhurst Running Club’s 4 on the 4th four-mile race starts at 7:15 a.m. Thursday, July 4. Kids 1K (for ages 5-12) starts at 8:20.
Glen Ellyn: The village’s Fourth of July parade steps off near Falwell and Lambert at noon Thursday, July 4. Lake Ellyn Park will be the site of the fireworks show, which starts at dusk. No blankets are allowed on Lake Ellyn Park until the park opens on July 4 at 6 a.m.
Hinsdale: Family Festival starting at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 4, at Burlington Park. There will be an arts and crafts fair, food vendors and kids activities. The Hat Guys will be playing from noon to 3 p.m. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at Sixth and Garfield streets.
Lisle: An Independence Day fireworks display is scheduled for Wednesday, July 3, beginning at 9:30 p.m. at Community Park. The show is expected to last approximately 25 minutes. There will be live bands starting at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Lombard: The village will be hosting its fireworks display on Thursday, July 4 at Madison Meadow park. The fireworks show will begin at dusk, or when the sky is completely dark. In the event of unfavorable weather conditions, the display may be postponed or rescheduled.
Lombard Historical Society presents Angela James in concert on Friday
The Lombard Historical Society (LHS) presents Angela James in concert as part of the Music on Maple Concert series this Friday at 7 p.m. in the William J. Mueller Gazebo at 23 W. Maple St. Bring a chair. This is a free outdoor concert; however, tickets are suggested and available on the website: LombardHistory.org.
• Events
For more information about this event, or the Lombard Historical Society, visit lombardhistory.org, email info@lombardhistory.org, or phone 630-629-1885.
James’ rich, crooning style is clearly inspired by singers from her upbringing in Tennessee; names like Hazel Dickens and Neko Case aren’t far-reaching comparisons.
(Continued from page 14)
Naperville: For the fourth year in a row, Naperville will host a free fireworks show in celebration of Independence Day at the Frontier Sports Complex, 3380 Cedar Glade Dr. Fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday July 4. There is no charge for admission or parking. Those attending can watch from a field within the park or from their vehicles. The Naperville Salute takes place from Friday through Sunday, July 5 through 7. The Salute blends community, local entertainment, and family fun. The footprint will encompass Rotary Hill along the Riverwalk in downtown Naperville. For more information, visit: www.napervillesalute.org.
Oak Brook: The village’s Taste of Oak Brook takes place Wednesday, July 3. It is hosted at Village Sports Core Fields, 700 Oak Brook Road, and opens at 4 p.m., along with food and beverage service. The event concludes around 10 p.m., following the fireworks display. The event will feature live music from the nationally recognized 80s nostalgia band, Sixteen Candles, as well as the Modern Day Romeos.
Oakbrook Terrace: The city’s parade begins at noon on Thursday, July 4, starting from City Hall. The city picnic, which is open to residents and guests only, starts at 3 p.m. Wristbands must be purchased in advance. The fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. at Terrace View Park.
Roselle: Roselle’s traditional free fireworks show returns on Wednesday, July 3 at Lake Park High School West Campus (500 W. Bryn Mawr Ave). Roselle’s 2024 celebration includes live music by Semple, as well as food trucks along Bryn Mawr starting at 7:30 p.m. Fireworks will begin at dusk.
Villa Park: The annual Independence Day Parade, hosted by VFW Post 2801, starts at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 4, going west on Central to Harvard, South on Harvard to Madison, East on Madison to Summit, North on Summit to Park, and West on Park to Ardmore for dispersal. This year’s team is “Reflections.”
Westmont: The annual Independence Day Celebration will be held at Ty Warner Park on Thursday, July 4, starting at 4 p.m. and concluding with fireworks, which typically begin at 9:30 p.m. There will be food trucks, concessions, games, beer and live music.
Wheaton: The city’s fireworks
show will take place at Graf Park on Wednesday, July 3. There will be music, games, carnival rides and other activities starting at 5:30 p.m., with fireworks getting under way at 9 p.m. The parade will step off at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 4, in downtown Wheaton, starting at the intersection of Main Street and Wakeman Avenue.
Now through Aug. 13
Summer Concert Series
Downers Grove
Recurring weekly, the free concerts are held Tuesday evenings at Fishel Park, 1036 Curtiss St., and will feature rock, country, blues, and oldies. Doors open and food and beverage sales begin at 6 p.m. The music takes place between 7 and 8:30 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets.
Now through Aug. 31
Cicadas on Parade
Glen Ellyn
Recurring daily throughout downtown Glen Ellyn through Aug.31, embrace the summer of the cicadas and visit downtown Glen Ellyn to see 25 hand-painted cicada art sculptures. These 18-inch cicada sculptures are painted via local artist and storefront owners which will be placed in flowerpots, trees and windows throughout the downtown. For more information, visit: https://downtownglenellyn.com/cicadas-on-parade.
Ongoing
Train Saturdays
DuPage County Historical Museum
Wheaton
The DuPage Society of Model Engineers operates the model railroad at the museum, 102 E. Wesley St., on the third and fifth Saturday of the month. The layout covers more than 2,000 feet of track and highlights some of DuPage County’s landmarks in a landscape full of surprises. Your family will love watching the trains run. See if you can spot Superman and the Batmobile. For more information, visit: https://dupagemuseum. org/calendar/category/train-saturdays.
North Suburban Carvers meetings
The North Suburban Carvers meet on the first and third Mondays of each month at the Wood Dale Public Library from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Anyone interested in carving, power carving, wood burning or special finishing techniques is welcome. North Suburban Carvers is a non-profit organization that promotes carving in the Chicago area. For more information, visit: northsurburbancarvers.com. org/calendar.aspx
James’ new album, “Now That I Have You,” is an embrace and celebration of a new phase of life as an artist and comes as a special-edition double LP along with her second full-length album “Time Will Tell” (2016), finally seeing a proper release six years later.
Though Time Will Tell was an ambitious step into freeing songs from more traditional forms and into the verdant world of Chicago’s improvised music scene, the questions of what might happen to her artistic life after parenthood ultimately became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
James didn’t put the record on streaming services until 2020.
“I sound like I’m looking for something and not finding it,” James said while listening to a past version of herself.
Time Will Tell is replete with questions of how one balances caregiving and creativity, Now That I Have You provides the answers and is a triumphant return to her strengths as a songwriter and performer.
This program was funded in part by the DuPage Community Foundation.
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SUBMITTED PHOTO Rock Valley Publishing
Angela James
Section B – Vendor Payments of $2,500 or more 120WaterAudit LLC, 13907; 3M Company, 3964; 7th Heaven Band, LLC, 5750; Absolute Software, Inc, 6000; ABT Electronics, Inc, 14778; Achievement Advantage LLC, 5000; Acme Truck Brake & Supply Co, 2522; Action 1 Construction Inc, 88973; ADR Systems of America, LLC, 4420; Advanced Cleaning Systems Inc, 40752; AEP Energy, 70882; Aerial Influence LLC, 8055; Affiliated Customer Service Inc, 3623; AFSCME Council 31, 16742; AI Warren Oil Co, 283353; Air One Equipment Inc, 29207; Alert All Corp, 2600; Alexander Equipment Co Inc, 4982; All Plumbing & Sewer Service, 52878; Allan J Coleman Co, 13577; Alldata LLC, 3000; Allen, Diana, 16000; Allied Garage Door Inc, 45948; Amalgamated Bank Of Chicago, 1077494; Amazon Capital Services Inc, 31396; Amazon PD Account, 18945; American Building Services LLC (ABS), 3163; American Door and Dock, 13377; Andres Medical Billing Ltd, 67668; Andy Frain Services, 96008; Aqua Backflow Inc, 22825; Aquafix Inc, 18624; Arthur J Gallagher Risk Management Services, 452269; Ascensus, 9900; Association For Individual Development, 20000; AT&T, 5570; Atomic Motors Inc, 3645; Austin Tyler Construction, Inc, 155032; Axon Enterprise Inc, 128449; B & F Construction Code Services Inc, 95510; Baker Tilly US, LLP, 18000; Barnacle Parking Enforcement, 4984; Barricade Lites Inc, 16737; Baxter & Woodman Inc, 221841; BC/BS of IL Financial Recoveries, 7806; Beacon Training Group LLC, 10328; Beary Landscape Management Inc, 144092; Bedrock Earthscapes LLC, 25490; Best Technology Systems Inc, 3195; BESTCO HARTFORD, 126515; Blue to Gold LLC, 2765; BMI Imaging Systems Inc, 10145; Borowski, Wayne & Sue, 2761; Bound Tree Medical, 7699; Bradford Lombard 1 LLC, 314693; Braniff Communications, 8125; Brothers Asphalt Paving, Inc., 1624852; Burke LLC, 1183015; C&H Precision Weapons, LLC, 2633; Carahsoft Technology Corp, 6100; Carbon Day EV Charging, 28944; Cartegraph Systems Inc, 55016; Case Lots Inc, 5113; Cassiday Schade LLP, 6652; Casualty Actuarial Consultants, Inc., 7300; CCMSI, 391630; CDW Government, 16064; Central DuPage Hospital, 3036; Chicago Metro Agency/Planning, 25643; Chicago Parts & Sound, 4244; Chicago Testing Laboratory Inc, 7904; Chicago Title Ins Co, 189365; Christopher B Burke Eng LTD, 330657; Cintas First Aid & Safety, 6863; Cintas Uniform #769, 5610; Citadel Information Management, 9350; Citizenserve, 43500; City of Naperville, 17646; CivicPlus, 28984; Civiltech Engineering Inc, 54494; Clark Baird Smith LLP, 50324; Clarke Envir Mosquito Mgmt Inc, 68280; College of DuPage #502, 97647; Comcast Cable, 36349; ComEd, 134969; Commercial Tire Service , 17613; Commission on
VILLAGE OF LOMBARD - TREASURER’S REPORT
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023
SECTION A
SUMMARY OF REVENUES BY SOURCE--ALL FUNDS For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023
Accreditation Law Enforcement CALEA, 4695; Computer Fleet Analysis (CFA Software, Inc.), 5995; Concentric Integration LLC, 16788; Conde, Ivetta, 2743; Conrad Polygraph, 6074; Constellation New Energy Inc, 119702; Continental Courier Solutions Inc, 5286; COPS and FIRE Personnel Testing Service, 4250; Core & Main LP, 103383; Crystal Clean, 2658; Cummins Sales & Service, 11716; D Ryan Tree & Landscape Service LLC, 69402; Dacra Tech LLC, 19624; Daily Herald, 5045; DataProse LLC, 81560; Davis Roofing Inc, 46000; Decker Supply Company Inc, 4130; Dell Marketing LP, 245032; Dept of Innovation & Technology, 10366; District 44 Lombard School, 789092; DLT Solutions LLC, 6379; DroneSense Inc, 8176; Dukes Root Control Inc, 46161; DuPage Airport Authority, 2931; DuPage Co Div of Transportation, 85000; DuPage Co Government Center, 3000; DuPage Co Recorder, 6295; DuPage Co Treasurer, 30240; DuPage Conv & Visitors Bureau, 132774; DuPage Materials Co, 27313; DuPage Mayors & Managers, 28326; DuPage MERIT, 6500; DuPage Public Safety Communications DuComm, 1135296; DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup, 5259; DuPage Senior Citizens Council, 25000; DuPage Water Commission, 7022839; Dura Bilt Fence Company II Inc, 5880; Dynegy Energy Services, 41786; Eaton Corporation, 33601; Elmhurst Occupational Health, 76456; Emergency Telephone System Board , 72715; Energenecs Inc, 44211; Engineered Floors, LLC, 4025; Engineering Resource Association Inc, 50521; Environmental Aquatic Mgmt LLC, 21400; Equipment Management Co, 50886; ESO Solutions Inc, 12440; ESRI, 38500; Excel Ltd Inc, 11960; EZUR, Inc, 8424; Fairfield Inn & Suites, 17707; Farooqi, Viqar, 4200; Fer Pal Construction USA LLC, 4000; FGM Architects Inc., 44200; Fiduciary Trust Company of New Hampshire, 27056; Fine Home Builders, 16165; Finkbiner Equipment Company, 2950; Fire Towing Services, 7901; Firestone Complete Auto Care, 4885; First Bankcard/FNBO, 425665; Fitness Express Inc, 3163; Fitzpatrick, Robert, 4759; Fleet Safety Supply, 7467; Flock Safety Group Inc, 29575; Flowpoint Environmental Inc, 4796; FOP #270, 35994; FOP #270_1, 4752; Forest Preserve District of DuPage Cty Treasurer, 23833; Foster Coach Sales Inc, 247773; Fox Valley Fire & Safety Co Inc, 5388; Frontline Public Safety Solutions, 7668; G & M Cement Const Inc, 1133639; Galls LLC, 47686; Gas Depot Inc, 22129; Gasaway Distributors Inc, 10748; GFL Environmental Services USA Inc, 3827; Glenbard Township HS Dist #87, 495277; Glenbard Wastewater Authority, 5021255; Globe Construction Inc, 308939; Gnarly Knots Pretzel Company, 20000; Godoy Snow Removal Inc, 23563; GovTempsUSA LLC, 92665; Grainger, 6624; Granicus Inc, 49900; Graybar Electric
Company Inc, 21782; Great Lakes Concrete LLC, 5015; Grimco, 5711; Groenewold, Jeff, 2988; Groot Industries Inc, 5016; Guzik, Elizabeth, 4528; H&H Electric Co, 10751; Hach Company, 2530; Haggerty Ford, 255347; Halo Branded Solutions Inc, 4257; Hapco Pole Products - Natl Inc, 415468; Hard Rock Concrete Cutters, Inc, 15932; Healy Asphalt Company LLC, 97304; Heather Ryan Law Ltd, 5750; Heggemann, Heather, 5000; Helen M Plum Memorial Library, 264440; HFS Bureau of Fiscal Operations , 437135; High PSI Ltd, 14217; Holstein’s Garage, 4223; Home Depot, 19520; Homer Tree Care Inc, 57010; Honda on Grand, 15187; Humana Dental, 319324; IL Dept Of Employment Security, 16815; IL Dept Of Revenue, 995564; IL Dept Of Transportation IDOT, 34219; IL Municipal League, 2500; IL Municipal Retirement Fund, 1982840; IL State Disbursement Unit, 110633; IL Workers’ Compensation Commission, 11376; Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), 912133; Illinois Phlebotomy Services LLC, 21875; Illinois Public Risk Fund (IPRF), 256729; Illinois State Police Asset Forfeiture Section, 23300; Illinois Window Shade Company, 18178; Impact Networking LLC, 3590; Imperial Surveillance Inc, 25844; Infinite, 3500; Infosense, Inc, 85328; Intergovernmental Personnel Benefit Cooperative, 4589448; Internal Revenue Service, 4388854; Interstate Batteries of Southwest Chicago, 12287; iTouch Biometrics LLC, 7460; JC Licht LLC, 2974; Jefferson Fire & Safety Inc, 3701; John Neri Const. Co Inc, 2715869; JSN Contractors Supply, 3761; Julie Corp, 6649; JX Peterbilt, 4722; Kaseeska, Christine, 5000; Kenig Lindgren Ohara Aboona, 18844; Kennedy Graphics , 3175; Khan, Mishaal, 5200; Klein Thorpe & Jenkins Ltd, 243228; Knox Company, 18628; Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA Inc, 11082; Konica Minolta Premier Finance, 36082; Kooima, Joe & Angela, 5290; Koziol Reporting Service, 3337; Krueger International Inc, 26346; Laerdal Medical Corp, 5287; Lauterbach & Amen LLP, 63800; Law Enforcement Training LLC, 3250; Law Office of Michelle L Moore , 117281; Leahy Wolf Company, 13097; LexisNexis, 3050; Lilac Parade Committee, 18000; Little, Charles A, 4000; LiveView Technologies Inc, 13157; LMK Enterprises Inc, 14130; Lombard Ace Hardware, 7633; Lombard Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry, 4904; Lombard Firefighters Local Union 3009, 209566; Lombard Firemens Pension Fund, 2553166; Lombard Historical Society, 124064; Lombard Juniors Philanthropic Fund, 7500; Lombard Park District, 117837; Lombard Police Pension Fund, 2575639; Lombard Public Facilities Corp, 1059282; M E Simpson Co Inc, 17200; MABAS , 3762; MacQueen Emergency Group, 15316; Mad Bomber Fireworks, 45360; Manco Home Builders Inc, 3200; Mannan,
Syed, 13789; Marcott Enterprises Inc, 20824; Marino, Mike & Karla, 2761; Martam Construction Inc, 88389; Mattress Overstock, 11000; Meade Electric Co Inc, 120626; Meadows, Zach, 4686; Medcor Inc, 4428; Merchants’ Credit Guide Co., 4804; Meridian Rapid Defense Group LLC, 73047; Mission Critical Partners LLC, 3600; MissionSquare, 1089493; Monroe Truck Equipment, 56340; Morrison Associates Ltd, 11550; Morton Salt Inc, 154467; Municipal Emergency Services, 58392; Murphy, Daniel, 2901; Murphys Contractors Equipment, 2650; Murray & Trettel Inc, 5025; MWM Consulting Group, 2500; Nagel Trucking & Material Inc, 84685; Napa Auto Parts, 27481; Nationwide Retirement Solution, 463190; Natl Power Rodding Corp, 60623; NCPERS Group Life Ins, 4848; Neenah Foundry Company Municipal, 4686; Nicor Gas, 32917; NMS Labs, 10374; North East Multi Regional Training, 13295; Northeastern IL Public Safety Training Academy , 2550; Northwestern Univ Center For Public Safety, 11900; Nugent Consulting Group LLC, 23700; NuToys Leisure Products Inc, 167447; Offen Petroleum LLC, 72912; Omega Electric Co. Inc, 8100; On Time Embroidery Inc, 47059; P&G Keene Electrical Rebuilders LLC, 2735; P.A. Crimson Fire Risk Services Inc, 3141; Parabon NanoLabs Inc, 2970; Passport Labs Inc, 12039; Paymentus Corp, 15221; Peerless Midwest Inc, 5760; Peerless Network Inc, 22986; Phillips, Sara, 4554; Piper, Rob, 9773; Pitney Bowes Inc, 3141; Pitney Bowes Reserve Acct, 20050; Polach Appraisal Group Inc, 4800; Polco, 22000; Pomp’s Tire Service, 29470; Power Equipment Leasing Co, 9843; Prescient Solutions Inc, 410459; Priority Products Inc, 5950; Prospan Manufacturing Co Inc, 11502; R W Dunteman Co, 1718629; Ray O’Herron Co Inc, 71133; Ready Rebound, Inc, 19074; Red Wing Business Advantage Acct, 11974; Regional Truck Equipment, 8316; Rex Radiator & Welding Co Inc, 2560; RingCentral, Inc, 49210; RJN Group Inc, 16260; Robinson Engineering Ltd, 224646; Rock Valley Publishing LLC, 2757; Roesch Ford, 19948; RoMAAS, Inc, 3027582; Rose Pest Solutions, 4035; Rubber Inc, 31483; Rubino Engineering Inc, 61941; Runco Office Supply & Equipment Co, 3494; Rush Truck Centers of Illinois Inc, 13824; Ryan LLC, 15845; S&P Global Ratings, 15000; S.L.S. Plumbing Heating & Cooling, 5000; SafetyLane Automotive Equipment, 60411; Schaaf Equipment Co, 2812; Season Comfort Corp, 45502; Seeco Consultants Inc, 17962; Segura, Freddy, 4089; Sheridan Plumbing & Sewer, 6270; SHI International Corp, 289661; SignValue Inc, 3000; SKC Construction Inc, 98990; Snyder, Todd, 5000; Sosin Enterprises, 3070; Special T Unlimited, 2521; Stanard & Associates Inc, 33693; Standard Equipment Company, 29904; Standard Industrial &
Automotive Equipment Inc., 5165; Stars & Stripes Silk Screening Inc, 3886; State Industrial Products Corp, 3105; Stenstrom Petroleum Services Group, 2919; Stern, Andrew, 3405; Stob, Randall, 3000; Strand Associates, Inc, 41297; StressCrete Inc, 48595; Structured Solutions LLC, 63740; Stryker EMS, 14511; Suburban Laboratories Inc, 17545; Superior Road Striping, Inc., 36578; Sutton Ford Inc, 232338; Syed, Mannan A, 144783; TargetSolutions Learning LLC., 28063; Teamsters Local 700, 5238; Testing for Public Safety, LLC, 12640; The Flolo Corporation , 33961; The Home Depot Pro Supply Works, 25303; The Ink Well, 5751; The Police Law Institute, 6710; The St Francis Group, 3049; Thomas Engineering Group LLC, 343854; Thompson Elevator Inspection Service Inc, 6395; Thorne Electric, 521847; Thorntons Inc. , 36985; TKB Associates Inc, 8888; Total Parking Solutions Inc, 11268; Traffic Logix Corporation, 5348; Treasurer of the State of IL, 36712; Tria Architecture, 111839; Tyco Security/Johnson Controls, 16576; Tyler Technologies, 141327; U.S. Upfitters, 5367; UIC/Univ of IL at Chicago, 5097; Unifirst Corporation, 4665; Union Pacific Railroad, 29899; United Home Builders, 7450; Uno Mas Landscaping, 27380; US Gas, 3813; USA Fence Rental and Silt Fencing Inc, 24903; Utility Service Co Inc, 390022; VC3 Inc, 108327; Vector Solutions, 4244; Verdun, Madison, 6180; Veritext, 2695; Verizon Wireless Services LLC, 104058; Veterans Vac Services LLC, 93750; Vigilant Solutions, 16955; Villa Park Electrical Supply Inc, 3494; Villa Park Office Equipment, 23015; Village of Lombard, 127087; Village of Lombard Petty Cash, 5411; Village of Romeoville Fire Academy, 22125; Vulcan Materials Co, 68545; W S Darley & Company, 6315; Wapro Inc, 3578; Warehouse Direct, 2900; Warrior Dog Foundation , 3500; Water Products Company of Aurora, Inc., 10489; Water Resources, 119959; Water Well Solutions IL LLC, 20810; Weibler, Matt, 2895; West & Sons Towing Inc, 8883; West Central Municipal Conference, 255181
Section C – Personnel Service Payments
$0-$24,999 J.Walsh; D.Miller; N.Rasmussen; B.Woods; R.Aiello; A.DiSimone; S.Lafiandra; J.Tarchinski; J.Gross; A.Puccio; D.Militello; A.Honig; B.LaVaque; B.Dudek; R.Bachner; M.Zetterquist; T.Solomon; K.Burke; E.Brezinski; K.Stanek; M.Fox; J.Bartunek; L.Zaremba; G.Berumen; N.Mcdonough; A.Rodriguez; M.Neville; A.Ziemer; W.Brehm; K. Giagnorio; C.Sundberg; S.Hernandez; M.Millett; Z.McKamey; J.Arie; M.Coppock; N.Porter; $25,000-$49,999 G.Romagnano; K.Gray; J.Wetzel; A.Dublea; T.Capua; D.Spevak; J.Downer; J.Cunningham-Johnson; B.Reyes; T.Brodzik; D.Wojs; J.Zumpano; N.Tamos; M.Kohn; P.Schlueter; P.Zolfo; R.Briones; M.Janicke; T.Weatherhead; I.Cortes; J.Turbe; N.Nichols; K.Barrie; C.Cairo; S.Frieling; J.Quezada; T.Urish; M.Devine; M.Smalec; C.Golz; P.Uhlir; G.Klunk; R.Arguilles; M.Goy; $50,000-$74,999 J.Gaik; M.Solomacha; B.Osazuwa; K. Tuttle; Y.Ortiz; N.Diaz; B.Bjerga; M.Hopman; D.Thiede; J.Nguyen; D.Jimenez; J.Menolascino; T.Ford; A.Rodriguez; C. Petty; L.Crackel; D.Jimenez; G.Hyland; M.Reszka; P.Alstott; D.Duda; L.Tomlinson; A.Ferrero; T.Gallagher; P.Ramirez; J.Ganser; J.Wintercorn; A.Johnston; J.Rumsey; T.Vokac; J.Schwinn; A.Pierandozzi; A.Smith; B.Blankenship; A.Williams; S.York; D.Anger; J.Schrepferman; B.Huizinga; G.Sanders; N.Tuttle; M.Stefans; $75,000-$99,999 J.Baker; S.Calvillo; C.Rogde; M.Klimczak; S.Cox; T.Opolony; J.Thielenhouse; T.Dixon; C.Henderson; W.Harvey; A.McGown; F.Segura; J.Johns; A.Martinez; R.Tirjer; C.Bauer; M.Clark; H.Viramontes; S.Thornburg; P.Padilla-Bozyk; K.Schweigert; G.Maranto; P.Rooney; K.McNamara; A.Papke; C.Castellanos; T.Flynn; R.Carlson; J.Karol; S.Neetz; B.Jelinek; M.Thompson; I.Olesiak; J.Nawracaj; A.Rozborski; J.Gottfried; Continued on next page
Old Tyme Base Ball brings out ‘Towns’ and ‘Gowns’
Representatives from WWII Girls Baseball Living History attend
By Dee Longfellow
FOR ROCK VALLEY PUBLISHING
Sunday, June 23 was a beautiful day for baseball on the Elmhurst University College Mall, where Elmhurst University staff and alumni (the Gown team) and City of Elmhurst staff and elected officials (the Town team) battled it out in this year’s “Town vs. Gown” old-fashioned baseball game, played by the wildly different rules of 1858.
As usual, decked in authentic 1850s garb, Dave Oberg from the Elmhurst History Museum served as “barrister,” or umpire, and did a fine job of not only calling the balls and strikes, but exchanging old-time banter with the players and the audience.
Representatives of “A League of Our Own” WWII Girls Baseball Living History League came to the event wearing their authentic uniforms from those days of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Due to other commitments, Mayor Scott Levin and University President Dr. Troy VanAken were unable to be participate this year—they are usually the captains of the Town and Gown team, respectively. 4
Instead, this year’s “Town” team was led by former Mayor Steve “Tater” Morley, while John “No-Quit” Quigley, of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce and an Elmhurst University alum, served as captain of the
“Gown” team.
Before the game, each player was invited to announce his own “nickname,” bringing up monikers like “The Mitten,” “Squints,” “Stonewall,” “Black Foot,” and many others. If there was a prize for the best nicknames, it likely would be given to Scott “The Half-Italian Stallion” LaMorte and his son Luke “The Quarter-Italian Stallion.”
The “Town” team was down going into the seventh and final inning, but they rallied for five runs to tie the score in the bottom of the seventh. But the “Gowns” came back score again, ultimately winning the game 13-12. But just wait till next year!
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE EIGHTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DU PAGE COUNTY, ILLINOIS
PUBLICATION NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE (ADULT NAME CHANGE)
CURRENT LEGAL NAME: MEHRDAD ABBASSIAN ARDESTANI
Case Number: 2024MR000370
My current name is: MEHRDAD ABBASSIAN ARDESTANI. I wish my name to be changed to: MEHRDAD ABBASSIAN. The court date for the Request I filed is scheduled on: AUGUST 13, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. at 505 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, IL, DuPage County, in Courtroom #2005.
/s/ Mehrdad Abbassian
Dated: 6/13/2024
Candice Adams Clerk of the Circuit Court 8085-943716
(Published in The Lombardian June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457411
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE EIGHTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DU PAGE COUNTY, ILLINOIS
PUBLICATION NOTICE OF COURT
DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE (ADULT NAME CHANGE)
CURRENT LEGAL NAME: VICTORIA ABBASSIAN ARDESTANI
Case Number: 2024MR000370
My current name is: VICTORIA ABBASSIAN ARDESTANI. I wish my name to be changed to: VICTORIA ABBASSIAN. The court date for the Request I filed is scheduled on: AUGUST 13, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. at 505 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, IL, DuPage County, in Courtroom #2005.
/s/ Victoria Abbassian
Dated: 6/13/2024
Candice Adams Clerk of the Circuit Court 8085-943717
(Published in The Lombardian June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457417
NOTICE
CERTIFICATE NO. 79454 was filed in the office of the County Clerk of DuPage County on JUNE 11, 2024, wherein the business firm of GLEAM & GLOW
SOLUTIONS,1258 FORDHAM DRIVE APT 304, GLENDALE HEIGHTS, IL 60139 was registered; that the true or real name or names of the person or persons owning the business, with their respective post office address(es), is/ are as follows:
Minjbolor Tumur, 1258 Fordham Drive Apt 304, Glendale Heights, IL 60139. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and Official Seal at my office in Wheaton, Illinois, this 11TH day of JUNE, A.D. 2024.
Jean Kaczmarek DuPage County Clerk
(Published in The Lombardian June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457462
PUBLIC NOTICE
LOMBARD PARK DISTRICT
NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF ANNUAL AUDIT
Notice is hereby given that the annual certified audit of the Lombard Park District, DuPage County, Illinois, for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2023 and ending December 31, 2023 is available for public inspection. The audit was conducted by Selden Fox, Ltd. inspection may be made at the administrative office of the Park District, 227 W. Parkside Ave., Lombard, Illinois 60148, from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
(Published in The Lombardian June 27, 2024) 457630
NOTICE
CERTIFICATE NO. 79459 was filed in the office of the County Clerk of DuPage County on JUNE 20, 2024 wherein the business firm of QUE CHIMBA GTO, 9 N. IOWA AVENUE, ADDISON, IL 60101 was registered; that the true or real name or names of the person or persons owning the business, with their respective post office address(es), is/are as follows: Maria D. Rodriguez, 9 N. Iowa Avenue, Addison, IL 60101.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and Official Seal at my office in Wheaton, Illinois, this 20TH day of JUNE, A.D. 2024. Jean Kaczmarek DuPage County Clerk
(Published in the Addison Independent, Bensenville Independent & Villa Park Review June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457730
J.Thinnes; J.Jakubik; T.Fukar; D.Bily; P.Johnson; E.Lindgren; $100,000$124,999 S.Muratalla; M.Beckley; H.Mussar; S.Oliver; A.Ruiz; S.Gargano; A.Lauer; B.Gatto; T.Gunn; B.Legan; M.Hovee; D.Huftel; M.Flores; E.Loh; B.Bartels; J.Wuorenma; K.Kasher; P.Hernandez; W.Chick; M.Barbier; R.Nastasowski; R.Heabel; L.Shemsiu; B.Kurth; R.Hopper; J.Tomasek; J.Fairbairn; L.Carbajal; J.Gouty; A.Boccassini; T.Moran; B.Speck; J.Malatia; M.Lurquin; L.Sharp; N.Barron; S.Stillwell; E.Hendrickson; M.Batiz; C.Stevens; E.Gouty; J.Placencia; A.Markas; S.Kemnetz; J.Trapani; D.Herndobler; K.Straughn; J.Brown; C.Kennedy; A.Bruce; A.Barylowicz; R.Postal; S.Jean; M.Kazy-Garey; T.Davis; C.Wilmot; B.Bastian; B.Bichel; P.Coy; W.Klein; C.Brasile; $125,000-$149,999 R.Schwab; D.Campbell; J.Markschat;
T.Franken; A.Martino; B.Talip; J.Virene; A.Breytspraak; T.Balsitis; K.Matthews; J.Shafer; J.Kaforski; A.Siegler; R.Newton; N.Eriksen; P.Rojas; R.Blockinger; T.Gorvett; B.Jack; K.Steiskal; C.Brack; A.Johnson; R.LaMontagna; J.White; N.Soprano; M.Orseske; M. Weibler; A.Bonnan; D.Volz; A.Putz; N.Noon; J.Statkus; J.Studnicka; D. Farris; T.Hillesheim; G.Suto; J.Shark; A.Kruckenberg; D.Herrera; A.Johnson; S.Eakins; G.Sohr; J.Kohl; M.Camuy; K.Wnek; M.Vazquez; K.Rome; B.Ranallo; $150,000-$199,999 K.Goethals; M.Laffrey; D.Gorman; D.Ekhart; A.Sally; K.Dunne-Balsamo; T.Ellis; J.Grage; R.Kickert; V.Roman; J.Chudzinski; M.Ringa; M.Heimbecker; A.Stern; M.Chudzinski; N.Aranas; W.Heniff; D.Cail; T.Wirsing; R.Sander; T.Sexton; C.Goldsmith; $200,000-$250,000 S.Niehaus
PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN That at 9:00am on July 11th 2024 a sale will be held at 60 E Hill St Villa Park IL 60181 to sell the following articles to enforce a Mechanics Lien existing under the laws of the State of Illinois against such articles for the labor/ towing services, skill, or material expanded upon a storage furnished for such article at the requested of the following designated person, unless such articles are redeemed with in thirty days of the receipt of the notice. Owner Deaunte Lester 52 W 99TH St Chicago IL 60628 and Lienholder Navy Federal Credit Union PO Box 25109 Lehigh Valley PA 18002 Lien amount $4015.00 For further information regarding this sale you may contact Laura Huntsha 630/880/8387. (Published in the Addison Independent, Bensenville Independent & Villa Park Review June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457648
MECHANIC’S LIEN NOTICE
This notice is to enforce a Mechanic’s Lien pursuant to Chapter 770 ILCS 45/1 et seq, and 90/1 et seq., against: White Jr. Silvester, Ally Financial for the following vehicle, 2012 Dodge Ram VIN number 1C6RD7LT0CS161684, for the amount owed of $8,430.80. A sale will be held at Windy Auto Sales, 865 Fairway Dr., Bensenville, IL 60106 after June 27, 2024, unless redeemed by owner within 30 days of the date of the first publication of this notice.
31,
(Published in the Addison Independent, Bensenville Independent & Villa Park Review June 27, July 4 & 11, 2024) 457578
Sports
Waves’ season continues with two home meets this week
After facing a tough Itasca team on June 19, Lombard competes against Hanover Park and Glendale Heights this week
The Lombard Waves’ 2024 DuPage Swim and Dive Conference record fell to 1-3 following last week’s loss to the talented Itasca Dolphins in Itasca.
Lombard’s individual champions in the June 19 meet against the Dolphins included Molly Gierman, who swam to two victories in the 9-10 girls division. She earned her wins in the 100-yard individual medley, which she completed in 1 minute, 29.33 seconds, and the 100-yard freestyle, which she finished in 1 minute, 15.26 seconds.
Lombard’s Evan McNulty also won two individual events during last week’s meet in Itasca. Swimming in the 9-10 boys division, he won the 100-yard individual medley, which he finished in 1:45.40, and the 50-yard butterfly, which he completed in 51.54 seconds.
Marco Garavito provided the Waves with two individual wins in
the 13-14 level of the June 19 meet against the Dolphins. He won the 50-yard freestyle (27.84) and the 100-yard freestyle (1:05.38).
Adam Hollis of Lombard delivered two individual victories in Itasca. Competing in the 15-18 boys level, he raced to first-place finishes in the 100-yard freestyle (52.42) and the 50-yard backstroke (30.52).
The three other Waves who won individual races in last week’s meet were:
8-and-under boys: Daniel Petrine (25-yard backstroke; 29.25) 11-12 boys: Matthew Goosman (50-yard freestyle; 38.60) 15-18 boys: Benjamin Bates (50-yard freestyle; 26.13)
Lombard’s boys foursome of Weslee Pounders, Adriano Bifero, Adam Hollis and Ben Wagner won the 15-18 boys level’s 200yard medley relay during the June
The Lombard Waves who won individual events during last week’s meet against Itasca included Molly Gierman, who earned a pair of first-place finishes in the 9-10 girls division. She is pictured (top right) during her victory in the 100-yard individual medley. Lombard’s Matthew Goosman is pictured (below) during his winning performance in the 11-12 boys level’s 50-yard freestyle. One more photo from the June 19 meet in Itasca shows Benjamin Bates, who is pictured (above) while providing the Waves with a win in the 15-18 boys level’s 50-yard freestyle. Lombard’s schedule this week includes home meets against Hanover Park and Glendale Heights.
19 meet in Itasca. The four Waves completed the relay race in 1:53.82.
Benjamin Bates joined Adriano Bifero, Ben Wagner and Adam Hollis to post a victory in the 15-18 boys level’s 200-yard freestyle relay in Itasca. The Lombard quartet finished that relay in 1:40.48.
The Waves’ other victorious relay team in Itasca was the 9-10 boys level’s foursome of Alexander Dola, Evan McNulty, Javier Garavito and Cooper Wedel. The quartet completed the 200-yard medley relay in 3:13.58.
The Waves, who had a bye on Saturday, June 22, will continue their regular season with this week’s home meets against Hanover Park and Glendale Heights. The Waves will battle Glendale Heights this Saturday at Paradise Bay Water Park. Lombard will complete its regular season with a July 6 home meet against Roselle.
Scholarship recipients
Several members of Glenbard East High School’s Class of 2024 received scholarships during last month’s Local Scholarship Awards Night ceremony in the school’s Biester Auditorium. The honored students included Raya Schwebl and Kaitlin Murphy, who received Madison Elementary School Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Scholarships of $500 each. Schwebl (left) and Murphy (right) are pictured at the ceremony with Glenbard East Principal Antoine Anderson (middle). The staff at Madison Elementary School selected the recipients of the scholarships, which are awarded to Glenbard East seniors who attended the elementary school. Schwebl, a four-year varsity athlete at Glenbard East, was a member of the Rams’ softball team. She will attend Eastern Illinois University, where she will major in special education. Murphy was a member of Glenbard East’s girls tennis program for four years. She was the varsity team’s captain during her senior year. Murphy will attend the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She will major in plant biotechnology.
Chris Fox photos Rock Valley Publishing
Chris Fox photo Rock Valley Publishing
Mariners pick up two more wins to raise their record to 5-1
Villa Park finishes its regular season with this week’s home meets against Bartlett and Itasca
The Villa Park Mariners raised their 2024 DuPage Swim and Dive Conference record to 5-1 with a pair of victories last week. The Mariners outscored the Carol Stream Dolphins 353-276 in Carol Stream on June 19. Villa Park beat the Hanover Park Sailfish 377-166 in Saturday’s meet at Jefferson Pool.
Six Mariners were three-time individual champions in Saturday’s meet against Hanover Park. Villa Park’s swimmers who delivered three wins in the meet included Penelope Kuhl, who competes in the 8-and-under girls level. She won the 50-meter freestyle, which she completed in 46.26 seconds. She also won the 25-meter butterfly (28.19) and the 25-meter breaststroke (35.99).
Ethan Aldana also provided the Mariners with three individual victories on Saturday. Swimming in the 8-and-under boys division, he won the 25-meter freestyle (29.75), the 50-meter freestyle (1 minute, 6.55 seconds) and the 25-meter backstroke (51.70).
Kyle VanKoughnet of Villa Park raced to three individual wins in the 9-10 boys level on Saturday. He won the 50-meter freestyle (47.91), the 100-meter freestyle (1:51.15) and the 50-meter backstroke (59.95).
Phoebe Aldana secured three wins for the Mariners in the 13-14 girls division during the meet against Hanover Park. She earned her firstplace finishes in the 50-meter freestyle (32.03), the 50-meter butterfly (36.22) and the 50-meter breaststroke (42.20).
Villa Park’s Ryan King swam to three first-place finishes in the 13-14 boys level on Saturday. He claimed his wins in the 50-meter freestyle (39.24), the 50-meter butterfly (50.26) and the 50-meter breaststroke (49.32).
Naomi Aldana joined her brother Ethan and sister Phoebe to win three races during Saturday’s meet at Jefferson Pool. Swimming in the 15-18 girls division, she won the 100-meter freestyle (1:09.27), the 50-meter butterfly (34.31) and the 50-meter breaststroke (42.49).
The Mariners’ two other Aldana siblings were two-time individual champions during Saturday’s meet. Ruth Aldana earned two wins in the 9-10 girls level, swimming to victories in the 50-meter freestyle (44.58) and the 50-meter butterfly (54.92). Lydia Aldana provided two wins for the Mariners in the 11-12 girls level with first-place efforts in the 100-meter individual medley (1:46.70) and the 50-meter breaststroke (48.07).
Villa Park’s other two-time individual winners on Saturday included Leighton Stempel, who won the 100-meter individual medley (1:50.69) and the 50-meter backstroke (51.48) in the 9-10 girls level. Maddie Lynch also won two races for the Mariners in the 9-10 girls level. She earned her victories in the 100-meter freestyle (1:44.71) and the 50-meter breaststroke (1:01.06).
Ary Carrola of Villa Park won two races in the 11-12 girls level on Saturday. She claimed her titles in the 50-meter freestyle (34.81) and the 100-meter freestyle (1:14.67). Elin
Stempel of the Mariners also won two events in the 11-12 girls division. She turned in first-place finishes in the 50-meter butterfly (41.95) and the 50-meter backstroke (42.28).
Alex Carson of the Mariners won two races in the 13-14 boys level on Saturday. He placed first in the 100-meter freestyle (1:29.15) and the 50-meter backstroke (57.46). Villa Park’s Tia Kelly was a two-time individual champion in the 15-18 girls level on Saturday. She won the 50-meter freestyle (34.90) and the 50-meter backstroke (45.43).
Villa Park’s other individual champions in Saturday’s meet included:
8-and-under boys: Henry Porebski (25-meter breaststroke; 36.25)
9-10 boys: Levi Little (50-meter breaststroke; 1:10.85)
11-12 boys: Caleb Vaughan (50-meter backstroke; 55.96) and Ryan Mueller (50-meter breaststroke; 54.75)
13-14 girls: Olivia Palutkiewicz (50-meter backstroke; 46.85)
15-18 girls: Allison Smaczny (100-meter individual medley; 1:37.69)
The Villa Park foursomes that won two relay races on Saturday included the 9-10 girls quartet of Ariana Knudtson, Maddie Lynch, Leighton Stempel and Ruth Aldana. The four girls won the 200-meter medley relay (3:48.35) and the 200-meter freestyle relay (3:18.48).
The Mariners’ 11-12 girls foursome of Colleen Pienkos, Lydia Aldana, Elin Stempel and Ary Carrola won the 200-meter medley relay (2:51.35) and the 200-meter freestyle relay (2:37.19) on Saturday.
Villa Park’s 11-12 boys lineup of Caleb Vaughan, Ryan Mueller, Cillian Connolly and Chris Spears won the 200-meter medley relay (3:28.37) and the 200-meter freestyle relay (2:55.84).
The 13-14 girls foursome of Belle Knudtson, Brooke Turner, Phoebe Aldana and Olivia Palutkiewicz won two relay races on Saturday. The four girls swam to victories in the 200-meter medley relay (2:49.07) and the 200-meter freestyle relay (2:27.71).
Alex Carson, Charlie Childress, Ryan King and Andrew Urton delivered two winning relay performances for Villa Park on Saturday. Swim-
ming in the 13-14 boys level, the four Mariners won the 200-meter medley relay (3:54.85) and the 200-meter freestyle relay (3:26.90).
Villa Park’s other winning relay teams in the meet against Hanover Park included:
8-and-under girls: Gabrielle Porebski, Maryann Drogos, Hensley Hanlon-Eberman and Layla Borkowski (100-meter freestyle relay; 3:18.62)
8-and-under boys: Ethan Aldana, Brycen Newell, Ryan Lloyd and Henry Porebski (100-meter freestyle relay; 2:35.67)
9-10 boys: Levi Little, Kyle King, Logan Turner and Kyle VanKoughnet (200-meter medley relay; 4:43.65)
15-18 girls: Tia Kelly, Lilly Buscher, Naomi Aldana and Annabelle Thompson (200-meter medley relay; 2:41.86); Tia Kelly, Annabelle Thompson, Allison Smaczny and Naomi Aldana (200-meter freestyle relay; 2:18.63)
The Mariners will conclude their regular season with this week’s home meets against Bartlett and Itasca. Villa Park will square off against Itasca this Saturday at Jefferson Pool.
Some Villa Park swimmers will conclude the 2024 DuPage Swim and Dive Conference season by competing in the Blue Division ‘B’ Meet on July 13. Other Mariners will finish the season by swimming in the Blue Division ‘A’ Meet on July 20.
Chris Fox photos Rock Valley Publishing
The Villa Park Mariners improved their 2024 season record to 5-1 following Saturday’s 377-166 victory over the Hanover Park Sailfish at Jefferson Pool. The Mariners earned another win earlier in the week, when they defeated Carol Stream 353-276 on June 19 in Carol Stream. The Villa Park swimmers who earned three individual victories during Saturday’s meet included Kyle VanKoughnet. He is pictured (above right) during his victory in the 9-10 boys level’s 50-meter backstroke. In addition to winning three individual events on Saturday, Villa Park’s Naomi Aldana swam on two victorious relay teams. She is pictured (above left) before swimming the anchor leg for the winning foursome in the 15-18 girls division’s 200-meter freestyle relay. Ryan King of the Mariners also won three individual events and swam on a pair of first-place relay teams on Saturday. He’s pictured (bottom right) during his win in the 13-14 boys level’s 50-meter breaststroke. One more photo from Saturday’s meet at Jefferson Pool shows Villa Park’s Tia Kelly, who won two individual events and swam on two winning relay teams in the 15-18 girls division. She is pictured (bottom left) during her victory in the 50-meter backstroke. The Mariners will complete their regular season with this Saturday’s home meet against Itasca.
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