Downers Grove 1-29-20

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Morton Arboretum hosts winter event, Husky Heroes The sled demonstration was originally part of a larger winter event held at the Arboretum

by MARk GReGoRy editorial director

@Hear_The_Beard mark@buglenewspapers.com

While the Morton Arboretum in Lisle has a focus on trees and educating the public about trees and their pivotal role in the ecosystem, there are events that happen on the 1,700-acres in between the trees that also bring the community in.

Last weekend, patrons flooded the grounds on two chilly, snow covered days of demonstrations of husky

sled-pulling and skijoring where the dogs pull a person on skis.

Huskies were on hand to be adopted from Adopt-a-Husky, the presenters of the two-day event.

The sled demonstration was originally part of a larger winter event held at the Arboretum, but eventually became the sole activity for a one-day event, which because of popularity, grew to the weekend experience it is now.

“This is our second longest running event, we are on year 18 now,”

said Mary D’Amico, special events coordinator for Morton Arboretum. . “The dogs are a huge attraction.

Everyone likes to go see dogs anyway, but when you can see the Siberian Huskies pull sleds, it is something you don’t see around here very often.

It is a very unique event.

“We want to bring people in all year round. We feel that you can be doing something outside 365 days a year and this is a great way for people to experience the winter and being outside.”

While events like the dog sledding is a way to get people into the arboretum to experience what it has to offer.

“Our mission is around trees and there is beauty in the trees and in nature no matter when you come here,” D’Amico said. “Trees provide something every day.”

And while the trees are the mission of the arboretum – the dogs were a big hit.

With enough show to pull sleds and not modified rigs on bike wheels, the demonstration gave the visitors a look at what the huskies were bred for.

The event was possible with the help of Adopt-A-Husky, who XXX said has been a wonderful partner.

The organization serves Illinois and Wisconsin and has a mission of saving huskies from shelters, especially kill shelters, and placing them in new, permanent homes.

“We are their last chance if they are in a kill shelter,” said Noel Dagley of Adopt A Husky, Inc. “We have a waiting list of dogs to come in and we take the ones from kill shelters first because they don’t have any time left. Our focus is around the dogs and keeping their needs first.”

The adoptable dogs as well as the sled dogs were accessible to the public at the event and from their reaction, the dogs seemed to love the attention as tails were wagging and kisses were given to children and adults alike that interacted with the huskies.

While the Husky Heroes event is completed for another year, patrons don’t have to wait around to find fun at the arboretum as it is open all winter.

The ever-popular troll hunt is an activity for any season and while the dogs are expected to be back next winter, the 15- to 60-foot wooden sculptures by Danish artist Thomas Dambo will only be hiding among the trees of the Morton Arboretum until June of this year when they will be removed.

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downers Grove north is looking for deep run into the playoffs this season

by RyAn osTRy bugle staff

@RyanOstry_BR18 rostry@buglenewspapers.com Sustained excellence is hard to do in any sport.

For Downers Grove North (21-5, 7-2) basketball coach Stephan Bolt, excellence has defined his career.

In his eigh seasons as the head coach for Downers Grove North, he has just had one losing season in his tenure, which was his first year in 2012-13.

“I give all of the credit to the kids because they buy into our system,” Bolt said. “We tell them to leave it all on the floor on the defensive side of the ball.”

Not only are the Trojans in position to make another deep playoff run, but also they are doing it with three sophomores in their starting lineup.

Eleanor Harris, Ryann Wendt and Kate Gross have all been key components to the success of this year’s team, and with senior captain Ellie Gross molding them into leaders and developing their game, the Trojans are gaining more confidence with every single game that they play.

“The underclassmen are playing very well,” Gross said. “They’re playing way beyond underclassmen and handling the pressure very well, it’s very fun to play with them and I can’t imagine how good they will all be in the next couple years on varsity.”

During Bolts tenure, the farthest the Trojans have gone is to the sectional semifinal, which was his second year on the job, and he said he believes his team is poised for another great run with the players he

has.

“Our sectional has been tough the last several years with teams like Simeon and Montini and some other teams like that,” Bolt said. “I really like our team this year though, I’m excited to see if we can make a nice little run when it comes playoff time.”

In one of the Trojans most recent games, a 52-32 victory came against a team that is trying to establish a new culture with a new head coach.

Plainfield North (13-12, 5-6), who has had success in the past, struggled last year with only winning seven games after averaging 17 wins the previous three seasons.

Following the down year, the Tigers made a change at the head coaching position as Michaela Reedy took over for Reggie Lemon.

Reedy, who played her college basketball at North Central College in Naperville, has brought over a system that she said is self-explanatory, run and gun.

“Coming into this program I understood that we had a lot of quick girls that were kind off smaller,” Reedy said. “At North Central we had a run and gun shooting offense which I was used to so I wanted to implement styles of that.”

Defensively, Reedy said that slowing down the other team by trying to put them in a half court offense so her team will have more opportunities to shoot and score is also what she has been trying to implement.

So far on the year, the Tigers have found some success, but overall mediocrity has been the part of the Tigers 2019-20 season so far.

dGn is hoping to make a deep run into the playoffs this season.

PHOTO BY RYAN OSTRY

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Helicopter in crash that killed Kobe Bryant once owned by state of Illinois by ben oRneR capitol news

www.buglenewspapers.com

The luxury helicopter that crashed Sunday morning in Califor-

nia, killing all nine people on board including former NBA star Kobe Bryant, was once owned by the state of Illinois.

The Sikorsky S-76B helicopter was built in 1991, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s aircraft registry. The state of Illinois used it from 2007 to 2015, according to helicopter information database Helis.

Under the direction of former Gov. Bruce Rauner, the state sold the helicopter along with four other surplus aircraft in 2015 for $2.5 million.

Rauner said selling the aircraft “also avoided an additional $1 million in inspections and repairs,” according to an Associated Press story after the sales.

The winning bid for the helicopter was $515,161, placed by user “Jimbagge1,” according to a listing on the state’s online auction website, iBid. Both the aircraft and its two engines had just under 4,000

hours of airframe time when the copter was sold.

At the time of the crash, the registered owner of the helicopter was Island Express Holding Corp of Van Nuys, California, which registered it a month after it was won at auction.

The state of Illinois previously attempted to sell the helicopter in 2014, but receive zero bids, according to that auction’s iBid listing.

A public information officer at the Illinois Department of Transportation, which maintains state aircraft, did not have any available information regarding the helicopter or its uses for the state.

The copter’s information page on Helis, however, labels it as “VIP Governor.”

A public information officer for the governor’s office also did not have available information. A PIO for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, which operates iBid, did not immediately

respond to a request for more information.

Sikorsky is a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, an American defense contractor.

Bryant, 41, played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2016. He won five NBA championships, the Most Valuable Player award in 2008 and appeared in 18 all-star games.

One of his four daughters, Gianna, 13, was also killed in Sunday’s crash.

Bryant also leaves behind his wife of 18 years, Vanessa.

Also killed in the crash were John Altobelli, the head baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, his wife, Keri and their daughter Alyssa.

Payton Chester, a 13-year-old basketball player, and her mother Sarah were also on board as well as Christina Mauser, a coach for the girls’ team.

The pilot, Ara Zobayan, also died.

PHOTO BY COURTESY PF IBID.ILLINOIS.GOV

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