Niles 3-29-18

MARCH 29, 2018 VOL. 62 ISSUE 25

ILLINOIS IS THE HEART OF THE U.S. INTERSTATE SYSTEM SEE PAGE 4

EASTER

Events Upcoming Easter Events in your area SEE PAGE 8

SPORTS

Top billing Girls All-Area teams announced SEE PAGE 5

BUSINESS Dave Says Make your own layoff insurance SEE PAGE 8

FORUM SPOTLIGHT

HIGHWAY LEGACY

NEWS

THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM

NILES-MAINE LIBRARY BOARD

Library board clashes over hiring powers 5-2 vote retains changes to staffing policy made in Dec. 2015

BY IGOR STUDENKOV Bugle Staff @BugleNewspapers nweditor@buglenewspapers.com

The Niles-Maine District Library Board of Trustees voted 5-2 to continue to delegate its hiring authority to the library directors.

Under the Illinois law governing library districts, library boards are responsible for all hiring decisions, but they are allowed to delegate this authority to the library director. For much of the 2010s, the Niles-Maine board went with the former, approving all hiring save for the hiring of pages and clerks. But the board changed the policy to the latter during the final meeting of 2015.

During the March 11 board meeting, Trustee Carolyn Drblik and Trustee Dennis Martin, who was elected in April 2017, tried to reverse the decision, arguing that the current arrangement violated state law and reduced transparency. But the rest of the board felt that going back to the previous arrangement would make it harder for the library to hire employees and that leaving the hiring decisions to the director would be a better use of the board’s time. They also noted, that in two

years since the decision was made, the library had no issues.

The issue has been ongoing since the Dec. 16, 2015 meeting. Under Section 30-55.35 of the State of Illinois Public Library District Act of 1991, the library director “may hire other employees deemed necessary by the [director]. Fix their compensation, and remove those employees, subject to the approval of the board.” While Morgan Dubiel served as board president, the board approved all hirings on oneon-one basis; though he later said that the director didn’t need to run all the hiring of clerks and pages.

In Nov. 18, 2015, eight months after Dubiel lost the election, the board moved to change the policy so that the library director would have discretion to hire employees.

Drblik protested, arguing that it violates the aforementioned statute – and the board decided to table the matter until library attorney Dennis Walsh could research whether that is the case.

During the Dec. 16, 2015, Walsh reported that the board could delegate the hiring authority to the director if they so chose. Either way, it would follow the library code.

Director Susan Lempke also noted that she surveyed 40 libraries in the Chicago area and found that all of them have the boards delegate the hiring authority to the director. The Niles-Maine board voted 5-2 to follow suit, with Drblik and then-Trustee Danette Matyas voting against.

It should be noted that Library Act Section 30-55 states that the trustees “shall carry out the spirit and intent of this Act” rather than following every aspect of the act to the letter. In the lead-up to March 14 meeting, Drblik asked current board President Karen Dimond to place an item on the agenda where the board would vote to reverse the decision. Dimond wound up placing an agenda item to discuss a motion to make a change to the hiring practices and potentially make a motion to change them.

Drblik and Martin both argued that the state statutes clearly indicate that the board approve all hirings, pointing to the “subject to the approval of the board” language.

Meanwhile, the remaining trustees focused on the part that stated that the director “may hire other employees deemed necessary.”

Martin argued that the board should have oversight in hiring because it is its duty to ensure taxpayer funds are spent wisely.

“If anyone questions the reason behind my concerns for the taxpayers, all one has to do is look in their local paper, to look at the large number of folks that are delinquent on their property tax.” he said, holding the notices section in the air.

“This is a lot - go to your local paper.

A lot of people can lose out on their houses.”

Lempke argued that the board actually has plenty of oversight over spending under the current arrangement. “[In other area libraries] the board approved the salary lines, and the board approved the salary schedules so the board has control over all spending, but [the spending] is up to the director to manage,” she said.

Lempke also reiterated Walsh’s legal findings. “He is our attorney and he gave us his legal opinion,” she said, “It’s wrong,” Martin retorted.

“Well, you’re not a lawyer and he is,” the library director responded.

As the discussion continued, Martin insisted that he didn’t buy that Walsh’s conclusion was correct.

“I think it would be interesting to see if he still feels that way knowing what we have all read,” he said.

In response to a question from Trustee Patti Rozanski, Lempke said that, when she wants to create

new positions, she asks the board for more money to make it possible during the board’s library budget planning meeting. That, she argued, is another way the board has control over spending.

Dimond argued that assuming that the board must directly handle every responsibility the library act gives them would be impractical.

Dimond also argued that the major problem with the board approving all hires is that potential employees had to wait for as long as month to find out if they were hired.

“That means that every other employee that we hire is likely to take a job somewhere else, because they cannot get a firm job offer,” she said. “And that was very much a problem in the past.”

Trustee Dianne Olson, who works as a school librarian at Park RidgeNiles School District 64, suggested a compromise. Her employer, she noted, has the administrators hire staff and then have the board give it a formal approval at the nearest board meeting.

“So, I mean, it’s possible for Susan to do the same thing, put in the report the new hires and we formally approve it,” Olson said.

The board wound up voting to keep the policy, with Drblik and Martin voting against.

NEWS BRIEFS

Niles to honor Holocaust survivor, resident with honorary street At the March 27 Village Board meeting, the Village of Niles Board of Trustees will unveil honorary street signs for “Joe Koek Way.” Nordica Avenue at Oakton Street will receive the honorary street name in honor of the late Joe Koek, who along with his two sisters, was among the Hidden Children of the Netherlands after the Nazi invasion in World War II. They were hidden in an upstairs apartment in Amsterdam, while their parents were captured and taken away to the concentration camps in Auschwitz, where they died.

Joe was separated from his sisters, escaping capture and death. All three survived the Holocaust and Joe eventually made his way to America, and later lived in Niles from 1970 until the early 1990s. He owned Joseph’s Tailors and Cleaners on Waukegan Road. During his life, he travelled around the country sharing his experiences from the Holocaust, and was a part of the Speakers Bureau at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie before passing away in 2015.

The Koek family will be represented at the meeting

by Steve and Phil Koek, two of Joe’s three sons, who

all grew up in Niles. Steve now follows in his father’s footsteps giving presentations about the Holocaust.

Steve will give a presentation during the Village Board meeting, sharing his father’s story of surviving the Holocaust and settling in Niles.

At the meeting, a proclamation will also be read acknowledging Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed on April 12.

Consumer fraud and identity theft will be Timely Talk April 18 In this day of high tech and instant communication, people are often confronted with a variety of scams or thieves trying to steal your identity. This is why it is so important to know how to recognize a scam and to become ever so vigilant about protecting your identity. To assist you in this endeavor, come to Norwood Crossing’s Timely Talk, and hear Norman “Skip” Gonsoulin, senior community relations liaison with the Illinois Attorney General’s office, discuss “Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft,” at 2 p.m., on April 18, at Norwood Crossing, 6016-20 N. Nina Ave. in Chicago.

INSTAGRAM: Readers, attending a game in your area? Take a photo and tag @buglenewspapers for a chance to be featured!

NEWS

THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM

3

CITY NEWS >> PARK RIDGE

City to consider allowing alcohol sales at farmers market Organizers cite Uptown business interest in the summer event

BY IGOR STUDENKOV Bugle Staff @BugleNewspapers nweditor@buglenewspapers.com

The Park Ridge Procedures and Regulations Committee of the Whole is expected to consider whether to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages at Park Ridge Farmers Market – something that the municipal code currently prohibits.

During the March 21, Park Ridge City Council meeting, Farmers Market Committee members David Arena and Dianna Madigan requested the change. Several Uptown businesses that serve alcohol are interested in being vendors, and they wanted to expand what the market offers. As with any change in the municipal code, removing the prohibition will take several steps – with the Procedures and

Regulations meeting being just the first.

The Farmers Market Committee was formed at the beginning of the year as part of the changes designed to bring it more in line with the Park Ridge city practices and procedures. The committee is responsible for choosing up to two Market Masters to handle most day-to-day aspects involved in running the market.

It also sets the vendor permit fee and determines what requirements the vendors are subject to.

As Arena told the council, the committee is looking to expand what the market offers.

“One of our goals is to increase variety of attractions,” he said. “ We’re looking to maybe bring in a chef to do a meal or a dish with products in the market. And, in conjunction, maybe have Winestyles to do a wine pairing, or Beer on the Wall do a beer pairing.”

The two businesses are notable for serving alcohol as part of their experience – which isn’t, in on itself, necessarily alcohol-

centric. Both are located in Uptown, within walking distance of the Farmers Market.

Madigan subsequently added that both businesses expressed interest in being vendors As the city staff noted, removing the provision banning alcohol sales wouldn’t, in on itself, allow them to sell it. They would need to apply for a liquor license, just like any other organization that serves alcohol on its premises.

But before sending it to committee, Park Ridge Mayor Marty Maloney surveyed the aldermen to see if they would be interested in moving forward with the change. Ald. Marc Mazzuca (6th) said that he wanted to be careful “I would be looking for something extremely narrow, a sampling sort of thing, as opposed to walking around with four ounces of beer,” he said.

Ald. Charlie Melidosian (5th) said he would be open to it, so long as there was “ at least in some moderation.”

The council ultimately agreed

to discuss removing the ban during the April 23 Procedures & Regulations meeting. Maloney said that the Park Ridge Liquor Board of Review will consider it as well some time before then.

Pest control approved requirement for restaurants Park Ridge City Council voted unanimously to give a final approval to an ordinance requiring city restaurants to hire an exterminator if fruit flies, cockroaches, rodents and other pests are found during a city health inspection.

The aldermen originally discussed the idea during the Jan. 22 Procedures and Regulations Committee of the Whole and the amendment cleared the committee during its Feb. 26 meeting.

On March 19, the city council held the final reading, approving it as part of the consent agenda.

As Jim Brown, the Park Ridge Community Preservation and Development director, explained during the Feb. 26 meeting, many restaurants already hire exterminators when something turns up during inspection. The city was simply looking to cover the ones that normally wouldn’t – which, he said, was about 20 percent of all restaurants that fail inspection.

At the time, Ald. John Moran (1st) said that it made sense.

“Basically, if someone is responsible enough to take care of the problem on their own, there’s no requirement,” he said. “But if you’re proven that you can’t take care of the problem on your own, you have to hire someone.”

Under the new ordinance, if the restaurant fails inspection, its owner has to have the exterminator do the job by the date set by the Park Ridge Health Department. They would need to show proof that the job was complemented.

The new ordinance took effect immediately.

FORUM

4

CONTACT US

E DI TORI A L

GENERAL MANAGER V.P. Advertising & Marketing A N D R E W S A M A A N andrew@voyagermediastudios.com 815.436.2431 ext. 113 MANAGING EDITOR GRACE TUCKER gtucker@buglenewspapers.com 815.436.2431 ext. 110 SPORTS EDITOR MARK GREGORY mgregory@buglenewspapers.com 815.436.2431 ext. 115 STAFF REPORTERS LAURA KATAUSKAS katauskas@buglenewspapers.com MARNEY SIMON msimon@buglenewspapers.com

DESIGN

EDITORIAL DEADLINES. Calendar & News: 3 p.m.

Monday, three weeks before date of publication. sweditor@buglenewspapers.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER SHELLEY HOLMGREN sholmgren@buglenewspapers.com

ADVERTISING & MARKETING

MARKETING EILEEN CURLEY ecurley@buglenewspapers.com (815)-436-2431 ext. 112

SALES REPRESENTATIVES LESLIE PORTER lporter@buglenewspapers.com Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Downers Grove, Woodridge, Westmont, Lisle 815.436.2431 ext. 121 S H E R I L H O TA K slhotak@buglenewspapers.com Plainfield & Shorewood 815.436.2431 ext. 107 JAMES CICHOCKI jcichocki@buglenewspapers.com Joliet, Crest Hill, & Lockport 815.436.2431 ext. 114 ADVERTISING DEADLINES: Space and copy deadlines for display and classified ads is at noon the Friday before date of insertion. Email classifieds@buglenewspapers. com | Legals, obituaries and happy ads are due at noon Friday. Email announcements@buglenewspapers.com.

Email Legals@buglenewspapers.com

ENTERPRISE NEWSPAPERS, INC.

A BO UT

23856 Andrew Road #104 2017 Plainfield, IL 60585 Phone: (815) 436-2431 Fax: (815) 436-2592 MON - FRI: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

(USPS 177-160) Published By Enterprise Newspapers, Inc. 23856 W. Andrew Rd. #104, Plainfield, IL 60585 POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to P.O. Box 892, Plainfield, IL 60544.

OFFICE HOURS : Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Published every Thursday at 23856 W. Andrew Rd., Plainfield, IL 60585.

Enterprise Subscription Rates: $25 per year within Will County and 60540, 60564, 60565, 60566 zip codes; $30 within Illinois; $50 per year elsewhere. Single copy 75 cents. Periodical postage paid at Plainfield, Illinois 60544 and additional mailing offices.

No part of The Enterprise, Bugle, & Sentinel, including advertisements, stories, photos or captions, may be reproduced without written permission from The Enterprise. Send requests to The Enterprise, P.O. Box 892, Plainfield, IL 60544. © 2018 Enterprise Newspapers, Inc.

BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM facebook.com/thebuglenewspapers twitter.com/buglenewspapers instagram.com/buglenewspapers EDITOR’S NOTE: The opinions expressed in guest columns, editorial cartoons and letters to the editor belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the The Bugle or its staff.

We want to hear from you! Send us your feedback at sweditor@buglenewspapers.com THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM

COLUMN

Illinois is the heart of the U.S. Interstate system Illinois has the third highest total of Interstate routes and mileage

BY SHANE NICHOLSON OF THE ROCK RIVER TIMES Its neighbor to the east may claim “The Crossroads of America” title, but by nearly any measure, Illinois is the heart of the U.S. Interstate system.

Illinois has the third highest total of Interstate routes and mileage. Only New York and California have more I-designated roadways, with 7- and 25-million more residents, respectively. Only Texas and California routes cover more mileage, though those states are 5- and 3-times larger by territory.

And the importance of the routes — many of which were designed to pass through or near Chicago, with its access to the global economy — further spell out the importance of Illinois as a hub of trans-U.S. travel.

The two longest treks of the Interstate system, I-90 and I-80, pass through Illinois on their coast-to-coast journeys. And two key connections to the Gulf States, I-55 and I-65, reach their nadir in the Chicago area. Add in I-57, I-64, I-70 and I-94 and an Illinois driver can reach almost every population center in the nation by navigating one interchange.

“Illinois is at the heart of the country’s interstate highway system,” the Illinois Department of Transportation boasts. That was not without intent: When the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways was authorized

in 1956, Illinois was the fourth mostpopulous state in the nation (Texas and Florida leaped over Illinois in the rankings during the second-half of the 20th century).

Illinois was a key part of the economic structure of the country: Its endless fields a critical part of the food supply; its inland port a means for the Midwest industrial centers to reach the outside world; its trainyards the center by which the entire U.S. rail system operated around.

It was natural, then, that the original Interstate plan released in 1955 saw key arteries originate and pass through Illinois, including I-55, I-57, I-64, I-70, I-74, I-80, I-90 and I-94. Illinois was cementing its place as the heart of the nation’s roads.

As the Interstate system began to take shape, Illinois’ road budget began its long climb to the present-day $14.1 billion figure. Maintenance costs ballooned from $59.6 million to $128.1 million during the 1950s.

A state commission recommended the formation of IDOT, bringing the transportation system, including the interstates, under a single office in Springfield.

When IDOT formed in 1972, only I-64 remained incomplete from the U.S. government’s original Interstate plan, and I-72, then spanning from Champaign to Springfield, had been added to the state’s growing highway system. Throughout this rapid transition of the Illinois’s highway system, the bane of existence for commuters in and around the Chicago area came into existence: the Illinois Tollway.

As the state struggled to complete modern highways during World War II, the first tollway commission was established, becoming the Illinois State Toll Highway Commission in 1953. The initial three toll roads, completed by 1958 – the Jane Addams, Tri-State and East-West Tollways – all were eventually rolled into the Interstate system as the nationwide spiderweb of superhighways began to take shape. Today, the re-christened Toll Authority has added I-355 and

state Route 390 among the ranks of its administered roads.

By the early 1990s, the majority of the modern Illinois Interstate system was complete. As the USDOT planned supplementary highways in the 1960s and 1970s to fill in gaps between anchor roads of the original 1956 decree, Illinois laid down pavement over its vast farmlands. I-24 was completed in the south of the state, and the state’s portion of I-64 was completed in 1974. State Route 5, the original moniker of the East-West Tollway, saw a re-designation to I-88 in 1987 as Illinois sought to raise the speed limit on the route connecting Chicago to the Quad Cities.

With that, I-39 saw its first segment replace the existing U.S. 51 from U.S. 20 outside Rockford to Rochelle. While IDOT had requested I-39 to stretch from the Wisconsin border to Marion County, the length of the proposed highway was shortened through a number of revisions, with the final route ending at Bloomington. U.S. 51 was upgraded through to Decatur as part of the overhaul.

Since the completion of I-39 in 1992, Illinois has seen only one new Interstate: the 9/10ths of a mile I-41 in Lake County. That roadway came about as a construct of the Wisconsin DOT re-purposing U.S. 41, from the north suburbs of Chicago to Green Bay, into an Interstate of its own. Its brief stint in Illinois sees it paired with I-94 as it crosses the state line.

All told, 24 routes — 13 primary and 11 secondary — compose the modern Illinois Interstate, covering some 2,500 miles. And while Indiana may continue to lay claim to that “crossroads” crown, as Illinois celebrates 200 years — with nearly 1,000 more miles of blue-and-red-signed roadways than its eastern neighbor — its residents should know that it is still the true heart of America’s fascination with the highway.

Shane Nicholson of the Rock River Times can be reached at shane.nicholson@ rockrivertimes.com.

Engelbert Humperdinck will be at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet and the Bugle had a chance to chat with him. Check out buglenewspapers.com for the story.

PAGE 5

THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM

ALL-AREA GIRLS BASKETBALL

TOP

BILLING Bolingbrook’s Gabby Smith is the 2018 Voyager Media Girls Basketball Player of the Year

BY MARK GREGORY Sports Editor @Hear_The_Beard mark@buglenewspapers.com

said. “When I visited, I loved the coaches and the school and when I visited there, I loved the team.”

The rest of the first team is:

When Gabby Smith stepped on the floor for her first season of basketball for the Raiders, she knew her class could be the one to get the Bolingbrook girls basketball program back on track.

As her senior season wound down – she knew they had done just that.

“I wanted to be the best leader I could for my team and help us get as far as we could,” she said. “I had a really good season and we didn’t make it as far as we wanted to, but I am glad we won the sectional.

We have a lot of momentum for next year.”

On the season, Smith averaged 19 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists per game, leading the Raiders to their first sectional title since Chris Smith took over as head coach.

For her efforts, Gabby Smith is the 2018 Voyager Media Player of the Year.

“Bolingbrook is known for girls basketball and we wanted to get it back there,” she said.

Smith was named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 3A/4A All State first team.

She will continue her career next season at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

“It is the perfect fit for me,” she

CIERRA BACHMANN MINOOKA Led the Indians with 14.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season. IBCA Class 3A/4A Special Mention.

KACHAE DONALD PLAINFIELD CENTRAL Sophomore guard averaged 14.5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.7 steals per game for the Wildcats.

She was All-SPC, a member of the Oswego East Holiday Classic all-tournament team and the team MVP. She knocked down a total of 69 3-point field goals, made threes.

SAM GALANOPOULOS NILES WEST Junior averaged 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2 steals per game for the Wolves. She was named an All-Conference selection as well as All-Tournament at York and Libertyville All-Tournament Team. IBCA Class 3A/4A Fourth Team.

OLIVIA JENKINS PLAINFIELD EAST SEE ALL-AREA PAGE 6

PHOTO BY JOHN PATSCH/FOR THE BUGLE

Gabby Smith averaged 19 points per game for Bolingbrook this season.

TWITTER: For up -to-the-minute coverage of upcoming local sport events going on in your area, follow @VoyagerSport

6 SPORTS

THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM ALL-AREA FROM PAGE 5 The Southwest Prairie Conference Player of the Year tallied 18.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for the Bengals. IBCA Class 3A/4A Special Mention.

HOLLY LUEKEN DOWNERS GROVE SOUTH Junior paced the Mustangs with a team-high 17.2 points per game to go along with 7.1 rebounds per contest, while racking up 52 total blocks. IBCA Class 3A/4A Special Mention.

TSIMBA MALONGA BENET Senior missed time with an injury, but still managed 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for the Redwings. IBCA Class 3A/4A Second Team.

JEN MASELLO DOWNERS GROVE SOUTH Senior averaged a double-double of 13.8 points and 11 rebounds per game for the Mustangs.

BROOKE SCHRAMEK BENET Player of the Year in the East Suburban Catholic Conference, she tallied 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game for the regional champions. IBCA Class 3A/4A Third Team.

JAHARI SMITH BOLINGBROOK Senior averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks for the regional sectional champion Raiders.

She will play next season at Central Michigan University. IBCA Class 3A/4A Third Team.

SECOND TEAM

ANYA BROOKS PLAINFIELD SOUTH Despite being limited to only 15 games because of a foot injury, she averaged 12.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Will play at Illinois State next season.

CHELSEA CROSS PLAINFIELD NORTH Senior averaged 10 points and 8 assists per game, while running the point for the Tigers and being the team’s best defender.

SARAH GERSCH JOLIET WEST An IBCA Class 3A/4A all-state special mention member, the senior averaged 15 points and 4 assists per game. She was named to the All-Southwest Prairie Conference team as well as being named MVP of the Oak Lawn Tournament MVP. Won Voyager Media Jeremy Izzo Character Award.

ANNALIESE GRIFFIN PLAINFIELD CENTRAL The 6-foot, 1-inch freshman forward averaged 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and blocks per game last season for the Wildcats. She was named to the All-SPC team. She posted a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds against TF South.

DANYEL MIDDLETON BOLINGBROOK Sophomore is already turning

the heads of Division-I coaches while averaging 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists this season.

SYDNEY PARDY WESTMONT Sentinel senior led all Voyager Media area scorers 20.2 points per game. She also tallied 14.3 rebounds per game to average a double-double on the season.

NICOLE SCALES MAINE SOUTH Tallied 12.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.2 assists to lead the Hawks.

HAYLEY SEMPLE MAINE SOUTH Senior averaged 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game for Maine South. IBCA Class 3A/4A Special Mention.

JALYSA STOKES JOLIET CENTRAL Freshman point guard averaged 15.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.5 assists per game for Central. She was named to the All-SPC team and was All-Tournament at Lincoln Way Central Thanksgiving Tournament and Oswego East Christmas Tournament.

NATALIE TAKAHASHI LISLE Despite missing time with injury, the senior tallied 14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, including dropping 30 points in the regional opener.

Class 1A/2A All State Special Mention.

INSTAGRAM: Readers, attending a game in your area? Take a photo and tag @buglenewspapers for a chance to be featured!

SPORTS

THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM

OAKTON

New softball coach looking to revive Owl’s program Four years ago, Alicia Mikulski, an athletic trainer at Oakton Community College, saved a basketball player’s life with her quick thinking using an automatic external defibrillator.

Now in her role as Oakton’s new softball coach, she is looking to breathe new life into a program that has won four games since 2015.

“I’m so excited about this opportunity and to make my mark on Oakton softball,” Mikulski says about the upcoming 2018 season. “I’m extremely passionate about softball. My goal is to field a competitive team that understands the fundamentals of the game. However, I also want to focus on the game being fun for the players. When athletes are enjoying themselves, there’s less pressure and they will play better.”

Besides her passion for the game, Mikulski says she brings other aspects to her first year as a head coach in any capacity.

“I have a lot of experience playing the game at Lyons Township High School and on several travel teams,” she explains. “Having played as a catcher and a first baseman I gained a unique perspective on the game. I was able to see what was going on every play from two different angles. I was able to see strengths and weaknesses of players, and that will help translate to understand the skills of the players on my current team.”

In her first season at the helm, Mikulski will be relying on the experience of five returning players: infielder/pitcher Mandy Aragon (Niles, Niles North High School), infielder/ catcher Jasmine Cetinbag (Chicago, Northtown Academy), outfielder Anais Deac (Chicago, homeschooled), first baseman

Maddie McTague (Des Plaines, Maine East High School) and outfielder Serafina Paulino (Hagatna, Guam, Academy of Our Lady of Guam).

Mikulski, who still serves as an athletic trainer at the college, says there’s a certain familiarity with many of the players, especially the two-sport athletes she has gotten to know in the training room while fixing aches and pains.

“I have a strong communication style, and many of the players already know me, which brings a sense of trust,” Mikulski elaborates.

Aargon, who also plays volleyball and basketball at Oakton, gives the new softball coach a thumbs up: “I’m really excited Alicia is coaching our team this year. She not only knows a lot about the sport, but there is that comfort level with her because of working with her as an athletic trainer. I think she will do a great job in her first season.”

Cetinbag, who also knows Mikulski from playing soccer at Oakton, agrees: “Alicia is awesome. You can tell she loves sports and playing for someone I know makes it more fun. Alicia is easy to talk to and is extremely patient. She’ll be a great softball coach.”

Mikulski says having many players like Aragon and Cetinbag back only makes her job easier with the influx of at least half a dozen new players on the roster.

“Our returners really understand the game and can help the girls with less experience by running drills,” Mikulski says.

Key newcomers include infielder Tattiana Cabrales (Park Ridge, Maine East High School) and infielder/pitcher Angie Apostolou (Niles, Maine East High School).

The Owls start the season on the road against Moraine Valley at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 22.

Oakton’s first home game of the season is slated for 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, when it hosts Morton College.

“There’s already a strong sense of teamwork and competitive fire,” Mikulski says about the 2018 Owls. “One thing is for sure – we will be very competitive and have a strong desire to win. We won’t roll over for anyone.”

5K MAY 3 Lace up your sneakers, stretch those hamstrings and sign up for Oakton Community College’s Spring 5K Run/Walk scheduled 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3, at the Lee Center Pavilion at the Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Road. This event is free and open to the public.

Registration is available at www.oakton.edu/5k, which also includes an online training program. A training regimen can also be picked up in person at the Fitness Center at Oakton’s Des Plaines campus. The event is sponsored by Oakton’s Wellness Committee and generously funded by the Oakton Educational Foundation.

In 2017, approximately 200 people participated in the 5K and this will be the fourth year

7

8

BUSINESS + REAL ESTATE EASTER SERVICES

NEWS ABOUT LOCAL BUSINESSES IN YOUR COMMUNITY THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM

COLUMN >> DAVE SAYS

Make your own layoff insurance by saving

DEAR DAVE,

Some of the people I work with have been buying into a new kind of supplemental insurance that protects against layoffs.

It costs about $30 a month per person, and the full payout if you’re laid off is $9,000. It seems to me you would have to be paying in for a long time to see that kind of return, so I wanted to see how you feel about this kind of thing.

STEVE

DEAR STEVE, Anytime insurance is there for something you could cover yourself, it’s a good idea to stop and remember that every insurance company is still a business.

They must cover all the costs of operation, plus make a profit.

Believe me, that takes a lot of money.

Statistically speaking, if lots of people cashed in on a policy like this an insurance company would go out of business. We’re talking about only $30 a month to cover $9,000. That alone tells you not many people cash in.

It’s gimmick insurance.

On average, you’re losing money when you buy insurance of any kind. Again, on average, over the scope of your lifetime you’d be better off simply saving money and self-insuring against things like this. The only things I recommend buying insurance for are things you can’t afford to cover personally. But you can afford to cover a layoff by saving an emergency fund of three to six months of expenses.

If I’m in your shoes, Steve, I’m not buying that stuff.

—DAVE * Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 13 million listeners each week on 585 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey.com and on Twitter at @ DaveRamsey.

DEADLINE FOR CLASSIFIEDS: FRIDAY AT NOON THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM BUSINESS & PRIVATE PARTY CLASSIFIED ADS: $16 PER WEEK, 20 WORDS OR LESS. WEDDINGS, BIRTHS & ENGAGEMENTS: BLACK & WHITE - $25, COLOR - $35. OBITUARIES: $35.

9

PHONE: 815.436.2431 WEB: buglenewspapers.com/classifieds EMAIL: classifieds@buglenewspapers.com

10

TAKE 5

FOR WHEN YOU NEED 5 MINUTES FOR YOURSELF! THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM

THURSDAY, M ARCH 29, 2018 | BU G LE N E WS PAPE RS .COM | PAG E 11

PAGE 1 2 | T HUR SDAY , MA R C H 29, 2018 | B UGL EN EWSPAPERS.CO M