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1 • Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent

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THURSDAY, DEC. 17, 2020

District 205 Board holds special meeting Plans to return to hybrid in-person learning Jan. 11

By Chris Fox

proposed that the district utilize Jan. 6 as a professional learning day. He The Elmhurst Community Unit said the district has received all of School District 205 Board held a the iPads it recently ordered. The special meeting on Thursday, Dec. professional learning day on Jan. 6, 10. All seven board members joined members of the district administration to participate in the virtual meeting, which took place remotely.

Board president Kara Caforio noted that current health concerns made it neither practical nor prudent to hold an in-person meeting.

The special meeting took place five days before the regularly scheduled board meeting of Dec. 15. That meeting is the board’s final regular meeting of 2020.

The lone agenda item of the Dec. 10 special meeting was the return to in-person learning in January 2021.

District 205 Superintendent David Moyer noted during the meeting that district administrators have been working in the last month to allow the return to some in-person instruction in January. Responding to rising cases of COVID-19, the district transitioned from a hybrid model of instruction to fully remote instruction as of Oct. 21. About 200 of the district’s special-needs students returned to school buildings on Nov. 30.

FOR THE ELMHURST INDEPENDENT

Moyer: Return to hybrid instruction ‘feasible, appropriate’ Moyer told the board that the district’s administration believes it is feasible and appropriate to return to a hybrid form of instruction that includes in-person learning on Jan. 11, 2021. Moyer, who said that the community has made it clear it wants students back in school buildings,

Moyer said, could serve as a day to train teachers in the use of the new iPads.

He added that Jan. 7 and Jan. 8 could be remote learning days. Then,

Monday, Jan. 11 could mark the re- days after the New Year’s Day holturn of hybrid learning that would in- iday, Moyer said that he hoped the clude in-person instruction in district members of the district community buildings.

See MEETING, Page 10 Noting that Monday, Jan. 11 is 10

Frosty the Snowman visits ICGS

SUBMITTED PHOTO Elmhurst Independent

The Immaculate Conception Grade School (ICGS) student council invited Frosty the Snowman to join them greeting students arriving at school on Friday, Dec. 11. Student council members put on a dance routine in front of the school as Frosty waved to students pulling up to school that morning.

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2 • Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent

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The Elmhurst Independent - Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 • 3

York Alumni Association commissions commemorative blankets

FOR THE ELMHURST INDEPENDENT

Elmhurst residents are commemorating their beloved town with special woven throw blankets this year and they are currently available for purchase as Christmas gifts.

The York Community High School Alumni Association is selling throw blankets that pay homage to various Elmhurst landmarks.

Originally made in the 1990s, the association created an updated version.

Kathy Wilson, the association’s president, said they have already sold 60, and they hope to sell more around the holidays.

“Since our November newsletter, people began buying them in bulk,” Wilson said. “This is something we could continue for at least another year.”

The original version of the woven throw blanket was sold by the District 205 Foundation in the 1990s and early 2000s. Since then, the alumni association commissioned a new blanket with updated landmarks.

The association decided to start selling the blankets to raise money.

Wilson said the association wants to create a nontraditional scholarship for Elmhurst students who want to attend trade schools.

Board member Lisa Fanelli thought the throws would be a great way to raise money, especially after the success the District 205 Foundation had.

Fanelli said they updated the graphics for certain landmarks, such as the Elmhurst Public Library, Wilder Mansion and York Community High School. They also decided to add York Theatre.

“We thought it was really emblematic of downtown Elmhurst,” Fanelli said.

Old renditions of the blankets in-

SUBMITTED PHOTO Elmhurst Independent

Members of the York Community High School Alumni Association, (from left): Linda Boeske-Aldis, Lisa Fanelli and Kathy Wilson, sold Elmhurst landmark blankets at the Elmhurst Farmer’s Market in July.

The woven blankets commemorate popular sites in the town.

they helped send students to a journalism conference in Washington, D.C. In addition, the group is working on an archiving program for historical records, such as yearbooks.

Wilson said the association has many things they want to accomplish, despite the difficulty of COVID-19.

“We have lots of ideas, but we need people to join,” she said.

“There’s lots of stuff we can’t do right now.”

The association is hopeful that the blankets will gain popularity, considering how meaningful they are.

“Everybody loves Elmhurst,” Wilson said. “People that grew up here come back. You don’t have to have gone to York. It’s all about Elmhurst.” order a blanket, visit elmhurst205.org/alumni/alumni-association/ychsaa-merchandise.

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cluded landmarks such as the Elmhurst city clock, York Woods County Forest Preserve and the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art. Now, the blanket includes the Veterans Memorial, Elmhurst History Museum, Elmhurst Art Museum, York Community High School, Elmhurst Public Library, Illinois Prairie Path and depot, Wilder Mansion, Glos Memorial Park, Churchville Schoolhouse, Elmhurst University and York Theatre.

The new blankets were ready for sale in late June. Wilson said members of the association started selling them at the Elmhurst Farmer’s Market in July.

They also gifted a blanket to Jean A. Schildbach for her 100th birthday. Schildbach is York Community High School’s oldest living graduate.

“Jean was thrilled,” Wilson said.

The alumni association additionally presented the 2020 Dukes of Distinction honorees with a blanket.

The new blankets are available in green and cream or black and cream, and measure 48 x 68 inches. They are available for $65 each plus shipping, but local pickup is available.

The throws are becoming popular. Wilson said it has been difficult to spread the word about them during COVID-19.

“We normally would have gone to high school games and other events,” she said.

Currently, the only advertising has been in the association’s monthly newsletter and by wordof-mouth.

“We would like the town to know that these are available,” Wilson said.

Fundraising is an important part of the York Community High School Alumni Association. Fanelli said their plans for a scholarship focus on skilled trades and any career and technical education organizations.

The association hopes to work on more education funding projects like this, Fanelli said. Last year,

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Throw blankets depict various Elmhurst landmarks

4 • Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent

The elmhursT IndependenT Your Hometown Newspaper Locally owned and operated 240 N. West Avenue Elmhurst, IL. 60126 Main Phone 630.834-8244 Fax 630.834-0900 Visit us at: TheElmhurstIndependent.com The Elmhurst Independent USPS#022-607 is published every Thursday by Rock Valley Publishing, LLC, 240 N. West Avenue, Elmhurst, IL. 60126.

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District 88’s superintendent passes away Helton served as the district’s top administrator since 2012

STAFF REPORT District 88 Superintendent Scott Helton died on Thursday, Dec. 10. According to a statement released by District 88 Board of Education Dr. Scott President Donna Helton Craft Cain, Superintendent, Helton suffered School a stroke in late District 88 October and was being treated at a rehabilitation facility.

District 88 includes two schools—Willowbrook High School and Addison Trail High School. The district serves about 3,900 students; each of its two schools has an enrollment of approximately 1,950.

Helton became the district’s superintendent in the summer of 2012, when he replaced Steve Humphrey, who retired that year.

Prior to that, Helton spent 11 years as Addison Trail’s principal.

Craft Cain’s statement noted that Helton had more than 33 years of experience in education.

“At this time, we ask that you please keep Scott’s family— including his three sons, Scott Jr., Joe and Tommy—in your thoughts and prayers,” added Craft Cain’s statement.

The president of the District 88 Board of Education added that she’s known Helton since she joined the board in 2004.

“His passion and dedication were second to none,” said Craft Cain.

“He was a tremendous leader who always put the needs of students first. Scott will be greatly missed, and his impact on our schools and

community and the legacy he has left behind will last for years to come.”

Willowbrook Principal Dan

“

He was a tremendous leader who always put the needs of students first.”

– Donna Craft Cain, District 88 School Board president

Illinois, D.C., other states file anti-trust lawsuit against Facebook Federal court filing alleges the company illegally stifled competition to protect its monopoly District 88 Superintendent Scott Helton passed away on Thursday, Dec. 10. According to a statement released Friday by District 88 Board of Education President Donna Craft Cain, Helton suffered a stroke in late October. Helton became the district’s superintendent in the summer of 2012. Before that, he spent over a decade as the principal of Addison Trail High School. District 88 includes two schools—Addison Trail and Willowbrook high schools. The file photo shows Helton at Willowbrook’s 2018 commencement ceremony.

Brenda Garcia

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Krause praised Helton in a series of Twitter posts on Saturday.

“Missing, honoring and celebrating the man and my friend who helped us all remember to be great even when we were good, that we all stand on the shoulders of giants, and our successes will always be journeys, not destinations,” stated Krause in a portion of his online comments.

“Thoughts and prayers to the entire Helton family and all who knew and loved Scott.”

Always a supporter of the community at-large, pictured is District 88 Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton with Director of Community Relations Dani Brink at a Villa Park Chamber of Commerce event in 2013.

Helton passed away on Thursday, Dec. 10, after a COVID-19 diagnosis and after suffering a stroke.

By Raymon Troncoso CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS |

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit against Facebook Inc. on Dec. 9 as part of a coalition of 48 state attorneys general and top lawyers from U.S. territories.

In the 123-page complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the 48 states listed as plaintiffs allege that Facebook used illegal tactics to undercut competition “in the personal social networking market in the United States.”

The states are asking the federal court to ban Facebook from continuing certain financial practices, restrain their ability to purchase other companies valued at $10 million or more without notifying the plaintiff states and potentially restructure Facebook by removing assets the court determines were illegally obtained.

The Federal Trade Commission has also filed its own lawsuit against Facebook to “undo and prevent its anticompetitive conduct and unfair methods of competition in or affecting commerce.”

“For nearly a decade, Facebook has profited tremendously by monetizing the personal information and online habits of users. Key to its strategy has been impeding and eliminating any perceived competition, ensuring that users have no alternative to Facebook’s platform,” Raoul said in a release distributed Dec. 9.

“Facebook’s ruthless anticompetitive practices have stifled innovation, harmed small businesses, and most importantly, reduced privacy protections and alternatives so that it could continue to earn billions of dollars at users’ expense. I am joining my colleagues around the country to ask the court to end Facebook’s monopoly and give consumers the choice and protec-

tions they deserve.”

Key to both lawsuits filed against Facebook is its 2012 acquisition of the photo-sharing platform Instagram and its 2014 acquisition of the mobile messaging application WhatsApp. The FTC and states that are suing Facebook allege that the company tracked the metrics of start-ups in industries Facebook was interested in and offered to buy out the companies with offers far above their actual value, inflating the worth of those companies during acquisition and eliminating future competition that could hinder Facebook’s growth.

Mentioned in the FTC lawsuit is Facebook’s failed attempts to purchase Snapchat and Twitter, two other now-large competitors, early in their development cycle in 2013 and 2008 respectively.

By purchasing competitors, collecting vast amounts of private information on their customers and freezing out third parties from accessing that data after they became reliant on Facebook, the company was able to establish an advertising monopoly in the social media-sphere, according to the two lawsuits.

While separate from the states’ lawsuit against Facebook, the FTC’s filing also calls for assets, such as Instagram and WhatsApp, to be removed from Facebook’s holdings under existing anti-trust laws.

“Personal social networking is central to the lives of millions of Americans,” FTC Bureau of Competition Director Ian Conner said in a release Dec. 9.

“Facebook’s actions to entrench and maintain its monopoly deny consumers the benefits of competition. Our aim is to roll back Facebook’s anticompetitive conduct and restore competition so that innovation and free competition can thrive.”

The Elmhurst Independent - Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 • 5

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Police beat

vice. The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the vehicle fled from officers and was last seen headed southbound on Route 83. This case is pending investigation.

The Elmhurst Police Department recently reported the following arrests and citations.

Persons charged with domestic battery are not named in order to protect the privacy of victims. Readers are reminded that an arrest does not constitute a conviction, and that subjects are considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Juveniles age 17-or-younger are not named.

Dec. 5 While on patrol near York and Crestview at around 9:46 p.m., an officer observed a speeding vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The vehicle fled from the officer eastbound on I-290. An ISPERN message was broadcast.

Assault, battery Dec. 8 A reporting officer met with the complainant in the 200 block of S. Pick at around 8:15 p.m., who stated a suspect has been seen loitering on her property. The complainant further stated when she confronted the suspect, he lunged at her before running westbound towards Villa Avenue. The suspect is presumed to be homeless and has been served with a no-trespass notice from the above location.

Criminal trespass to property, criminal damage to property, criminal defacement Dec. 6-Dec. 7 A complainant in the 700 block of S. Cambridge told police that an unknown suspect(s) entered the backyard and cut a set of lights displayed on their tree sometime between the above dates.

Dec. 5 A victim in the 1000 block of Eldridge told police at around 10 a.m. that three unknown suspects attempted to open her front door, smashed a decorative pumpkin, and smashed her exterior front window. The victim believes one of the suspects was responsible as they have had problems in the past.

Dec. 4-Dec. 5 A victim in the 300 block of W. Second told police that an unknown suspect damaged a section of his white plastic fence sometime between the above dates.

Dec. 4 A victim near Roosevelt and York told police at around 1:40 p.m. that during a road rage incident, an unknown suspect threw a glass bottle at his truck damaging the window. The victim did not want to pursue charges.

Dec. 1-Dec. 2 A victim in the 700 block of Cambridge told police that an unknown suspect cut two strings of Christmas lights, which were on a tree in her front yard sometime between the above dates.

Domestic battery, domestic incident, disorderly conduct, damage to property, disturbance Dec. 9 A 66-year-old Elmhurst woman was charged with domestic battery in the 100 block of N. Pine at around 10:42 p.m. A reporting officer made contact with the victim who stated an argument escalated when the suspect allegedly threw a candy dish at her, striking her.

Dec. 8 A reporting officer spoke with a com-

CALL 800-222-TIPS plainant near Church and Kenilworth who stated a suspect struck her in the head three times. The suspect stated they were involved in a verbal argument and denied ever striking the complainant. No arrests were made due to conflicting statements and no signs of injury.

Dec. 6 Nicholas Narish, 35, of Crystal Lake, was cited for possession of open alcohol in public near N. York and E. Fremont at around 10:03 p.m.

Dec. 5 A 50-year-old Elmhurst man was charged with two counts of domestic battery in the 300 block of Prospect at around 9:59 p.m. A victim told police that subsequent to a verbal argument, the suspect struck the victim in the face.

The suspect stated he moved his hands in front of his face to shield himself from the victim’s aggressive movements and accidentally made contact with the victim’s face. The officer observed the victim had a large contusion with swelling on her left cheek.

Dec. 4 Daryl Brown, 47, of Downers Grove, was issued a citation for disorderly conduct in the 100 block of E. First at around 10 p.m. Police said Brown, who was highly intoxicated, entered the lobby of the police station, was unable to keep his balance, urinated on himself, and fell as he attempted to sit down. Due to his level of intoxication and the inability to care for himself, medics transported him to the hospital, according to police.

Nov. 25 A 24-year-old Westmont man was charged with domestic battery in the 100 block of Fellows at around 11:05 p.m. Police said a reporting officer met with the victim who reported being battered by her boyfriend. The victim stated on the above date that the suspect struck her on the forearm and kicked her right knee, according to police. The reporting officer met with the suspect, who police said admitted to striking the victim.

Fleeing, eluding Dec. 7 While on patrol near Roosevelt and S. York at around 9:41 a.m., a reporting officer observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed and subsequently conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The reporting officer attempted to make contact with the driver, but the suspect drove off from the traffic stop last seen heading eastbound on Roosevelt Road towards I-290. The suspect was described as a black male, approximately 25-35 years of age, with short hair. This case is pending investigation.

Dec. 6 While on patrol in the 300 block of N. Route 83 at around 3:57 a.m., an officer observed the suspect’s vehicle disobey a traffic control de-

Possession of cannabis, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance Dec. 8 Jailene Medel, 21, of Addison, was issued a citation for unlawful possession of cannabis by a passenger in a vehicle subsequent to a traffic stop near N. Myrtle and W. North at around 10:25 p.m.

Dec. 7 Bradley West, 34, of Palatine, was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia at a hotel in the 300 block of N. Route 83 at around 6:04 p.m. Police said officers responded to the above location for the report of a subject refusing to leave. The reporting officer made contact with West, who was found to be in possession of a controlled substance, according to police.

Dec. 5 Jovany B. Barrios, 20, of Chicago, was charged with possession of cannabis by a driver, no valid driver’s license, speeding and no insurance subsequent to a traffic stop near Indiana and North at around 8:05 a.m.

Dec. 4 Octavious M. Dandridge, 22, of Joliet, was cited for illegal possession of cannabis by a driver and tinted windows subsequent to a traffic stop near Commonwealth and Butterfield at around 10:37 p.m.

Nicholas E. Day, 39, of Palatine, was charged with unlawful possession of cannabis by a driver, aggravated driving while license revoked and no insurance subsequent to a motorist assist near Route 83 and Lake at around 2;47 p.m.

Jeremy J. Jones, 32, of Chicago, was cited for unlawful possession of cannabis by a driver, tinted windows and no insurance subsequent to a traffic stop in the 100 block of E. Butterfield at around 11:09 a.m.

Dec. 3 Daniel C. Phillips, 32, of DeKalb, was charged with unlawful possession of cannabis by a driver, no valid driver’s license and tinted windows subsequent to a traffic stop near Lake and Grand at around 7:49 p.m.

Suspicious circumstances Dec. 4 A complainant in the 100 block of W. Lake told police at around 6:54 p.m. that as she was walking in the parking lot in the above location, she observed an older model, silver sedan with the driver and passenger doors open and its engine running. Two suspects, both described as black males, emerged from between parked cars, approached the complainant, and asked if she had any money. The complainant ran to an apartment and did not witness anything further.

Theft/burglary/attempted theft or burglary/identity theft/fraud/forgery/ deceptive practice/ obstruction/robbery

Dec. 9 Identity theft was reported in the 700 block of S. Mitchell at around 4:26 p.m. A victim told police that an unknown suspect(s) used his personal information to apply for a small business loan. An investigation is pending.

Attempted retail theft was reported at a store in the 600 block of N. York at around 5:35 p.m. A reporting officer met with store security who reported two suspects attempted to leave the store with unpaid liquor bottles. The unknown suspects abandoned the cart after store security confronted them. Both suspects exited the store and entered a vehicle waiting outside.

Dec. 7 Riley Hogan, 19, of Elmhurst, was charged with retail theft and possession of alcohol by a minor. Police said a reporting officer met with the complainant who reported witnessing Hogan take two bottles of liquor and walk past the final point of sale. Police said the reporting officer later located the suspect and recovered the stolen merchandise.

Theft by deception was reported at a food store in the 100 block of E. Schiller at around 5:44 p.m. Police said the complainant reported receiving an email from a suspect purporting to be her employer. The complainant was instructed to purchase Apple gift cards and send the card information to the unknown suspect.

The complainant sent the gift card information before realizing this was a scam.

Dec. 6 Delena Elianise Castanon, 21; Angel Medina, 25; and Steven M. Medina, 38, all of Chicago, were charged with theft at a car dealership in the 700 block of W. Lake at around 4:58 a.m. Police said officers responded to the above location for the report of commercial burglar alarm. According to police, officers located a vehicle leaving the area with no headlights and conducted a traffic stop. Police said the reporting officer made contact with the occupants and located four tires in the back seat of the vehicle which were found to have been stolen from the above location.

A vehicle was reported stolen from a car dealership in the 700 block of W. Lake at around noon. Police said that subsequent to a commercial burglar alarm, officers located a broken glass panel in the service bay. A key holder responded to the scene where it was discovered a white Acura RDX had been taken from the service area. Officers reviewed video surveillance which showed three suspects— two described as black males and the other described as a black female—enter the service area by kicking the glass panel on a service bay door. The suspects are seen attempting to enter a few vehicles before entering the unsecured Acura and driving out of the service bay before exiting the parking lot onto Grand Avenue. The unknown suspects arrived in a gray or silver Hyundai Elantra.

A vehicle was reported stolen in the 600 block of N. York at around 9:18 a.m. A complainant told police that he noticed a dark gray Jeep Cherokee with tinted windows parked next to his vehicle. The complainant then saw a suspect described as a black male with a blue facemask inside his vehicle with the engine started, and both his vehicle and the suspect vehicle left the parking lot last seen headed

See POLICE, Page 7

The Elmhurst Independent - Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 • 7

Top crime news

(Continued from page 6)

southbound towards I-290. The complainant stated he still had possession of his keys and was unable to get a description of the suspects due to the heavily tinted windows. This case is pending investigation.

Theft was reported in the 100 block of Fellows at around 5:46 p.m.

A victim told police that she met an unknown suspect to sell Apple Watch bands and an AirPods Case. The victim stated the suspect walked up to her vehicle, asked to see the items, and ran off with the items last seen heading westbound on St Charles.

The unknown suspect was described as a black male, approximately 18 years old, a heavier build, wearing pajamas, a black hooded sweatshirt and a mask covering his face.

Dec. 4-Dec. 5 Burglary to a vehicle was reported in the 500 block of W. Wrightwood.

A complainant told police that an unknown suspect(s) cut the padlocks on the lift gates of two white Ford box trucks and stole power tools from each vehicle sometime between the above dates.

Dec. 4 Forgery was reported in the 200 block of Maple at around 4:49 p.m.

A victim told police that an unknown suspect forged his signature on 10 personal checks over the past month.

Dec. 2 Theft was reported in the 100 block of S. York at around 10:04 a.m.

A complainant reported missing a small folding shopping cart from the parking garage.

Dec. 1-Dec. 2 Theft of vehicle parts was reported in the 900 block of Riverside. A victim told police that an unknown suspect(s) stole one rear license plate and a set of two license plates off of two of their vehicles sometime between the above dates. The Oak Brook police recovered one plate on a stolen vehicle in their town. Missing license plate was entered into LEADS as stolen.

Nov. 20 Unlawful use of a debit card was reported in the 900 block of S. York at around 4 p.m. A victim told police about several unauthorized transactions on his debit card. All transactions occurred in Elmhurst while the victim still had possession of his debit card.

Oct. 23 Identity theft was reported in the 300 block of S. West at around 10:11 a.m. A complainant stated he received notification that an Amazon employee had disclosed his email address to a third party. The employee has since been terminated from his position. The complainant later received several notifications from PayPal stating his account has been frozen due to fraudulent activity. No monetary loss was reported.

Nov. 24-Dec. 4 A victim at a car dealership in the 700 block of W. Grand told police that a white Kia Forte was taken from the dealership by an unknown suspect sometime between the above dates. The vehicle was entered into Oct. 9 LEADS as stolen.

Deceptive practice was reported in the 500 block of W. Fay at around Dec. 3 11:57 p.m. A victim reported receivIdentity theft was reported in the ing a phone call from an unknown 500 block of N. Kenilworth at around suspect, stating her devices were 11:09 a.m. A victim told police that hacked and at risk. The victim was she contacted Amazon because she then alerted of several unauthorized received the wrong product. An un- transactions on her bank accounts. known suspect contacted the victim The victim was unsure if she providand posed as an employee who was ed her credit card information or if it to assist her with the return. He re- was accessed through a screen sharquested remote access to her comput- ing app. er, her Social Security number, and her bank account information. The victim provided the information to Unemployment the suspect. The victim subsequently benefits identity learned of a charge to her account.

Theft was reported in the 100 theft block of Ridgeland at around 6:45 p.m. A victim told police that an Nov. 15-Dec. 9 Between the above dates, the Elunknown suspect stole their 8-foot lighted reindeer, which was dis- mhurst Police Department reported 32 incidents of identity theft with the played in their front yard.

Attempted burglary to a vehicle intention of using a victim’s personal was reported in the 100 block of S. information to fraudulently apply for York at around 12:47 p.m. A com- unemployment benefits through the plainant told police that unknown Illinois Department of Employment suspect(s) entered her unlocked ve- Security. In one of the incidents, a hicle while it was parked in the in- complainant told police she also disdoor garage. Nothing appeared to be covered two unauthorized charges on her credit card. missing from the vehicle.

was last seen on foot running eastbound across York Road. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the suspect. This case is pending investigation.

XBox system leads to alleged battery, robbery On Dec. 7, Terrence Thomas Jr., 18, of Elmhurst, was charged with aggravated battery and robbery in the 100 block of Fellows at around 1:18 p.m. A reporting officer met with the victim who stated he met the suspect to reportedly sell an XBox gaming system. When they were about to finalize their transaction, police said

Thomas Jr. punched the victim in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. The suspect then repeatedly punched the victim and fled from the scene with the merchandise, according to police.

Fight results in broken restaurant door On Dec. 6, police said officers responded to the 100 block of S. York at around 12:50 a.m. for the report of a fight in progress. The reporting officer met with the victim who stated he accidentally broke a glass pane in the restaurant’s door. The victim appeared intoxicated and sustained an

injury to the back of his head. Medics evaluated the victim, who subsequently signed a refusal for treatment. No complaints were signed and the victim was released on scene.

Altercation results in alleged threat with weapon On Dec. 4, Piotr J. Janeczek, 39, of Westmont, was charged with aggravated assault and unlawful use of a weapon at a store in the 600 block of W. North at around 3:30 p.m. Police said that subsequent to a verbal altercation in the store, Janeczekr went to his vehicle, returned to the store with a metal baton and threatened the victim.

Free mobile COVID-19 testing available at Churchville School Dec. 20 The Village of Bensenville and the City of Elmhurst are co-hosting a drive through community testing site for the second time in the Churchville Middle School parking lot on Dec. 20, 2020.

Free testing will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and anyone in line at 4:00 p.m. will be tested. Churchville

Middle School is located at 155 Victory Pkwy.

In Elmhurst, and is conveniently located for both Elmhurst and Bensenville residents. Testing is available on a first come, first served basis.

Simple nasal swabs will be used and you will be called with results within a

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few days. You are asked to bring your insurance card, though you can still be tested at no cost if you do not have insurance.

Testing is available to anyone, with or without symptoms.

Additional information can be found at: dph.illinois.gov/covid19.

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pect displayed a silver revolver and took cash from the cash register. The suspect was described as an Hispanic male, approximately 40 years of age, wearing a black winter coat, blue jeans, a reflective vest and a blue baseball hat. The unknown suspect

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Armed robbery reported at gas station On Dec. 8, armed robbery was reported at a gas station in the 900 block of N. York at around 2:10 a.m.

A reporting officer met with the complainant who stated an unknown sus-

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8 • Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent

The Elmhurst Independent

Viewpoint

Dec. 17, 2020 • 8

How to end Madigan’s legacy of corruption once he’s gone

By Joe Tabor ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE

The feds are circling Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan in a bribery investigation involving utility giant ComEd. His allies are facing indictments. Members of his party are publicly demanding his ouster as party chair, and they have the votes to deny him another term as House speaker.

It’s tempting to think just overthrowing Madigan will clean up the mess.

But ousting Madigan won’t eliminate Illinois’ ethics problems or disperse power so the state again has representational government. Illinois leaders must throw out the corrupt system Madigan has built over decades.

Three years ago, Madigan celebrated his record as the longest-serving state House speaker in U.S. history. Today, it looks as if his grip on power is slipping. As of this writing, 19 state representatives have publicly opposed Madigan’s re-election this January. But these lawmakers won’t just be voting on Madigan: they’ll also vote to adopt the House Rules, which help determine how much control the speaker has over the legislative process. These rules, coupled with the lack of safeguards against this steady accumulation of power, have led Madigan to where he is today. Without change, a shrewd politician could simply pick up where Madigan left off.

The House Rules establish how business gets done in the legislature.

These rules let the speaker decide which bills get a fair hearing and which quietly die. They allow the speaker to select which politicians receive generous stipends as committee chairs. They allow politicians to

gut and replace bills to rush through legislation – such as all 1,581 pages of the $40.6 billion fiscal year 2020 budget, originally a single-sentence bill appropriating just $2.

And, contrary to the Illinois Senate, which sets term limits of the Senate president at 10 years, the House Rules do not limit the number of terms a speaker can hold. Terms as speaker should be limited to prevent another Madigan.

This January, state representatives should reject the current House Rules. They can and should be amended.

But change can’t end there. Illinois needs to reform the way it draws political maps. Every 10 years, Illinois is required to redraw voting districts to adjust for shifts in population. But redistricting in Illinois has been used to keep incumbents in power. Earlier this month, 63 candidates ran unopposed for legislative office, including a whopping 52 of the 118 seats in the Illinois House of Representatives.

This result is entirely predictable: Illinois legislators are responsible for voting on the map, so of course they will do what they can to benefit themselves. And Madigan’s bid for a new term has centered on his argument that he has the power to deliver another map that keeps his people from facing opponents.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Illinois could join the 17 other states that put independent commissions or other bodies in charge of redistricting – not lawmakers. Voters should choose their elected officials, not the other way around.

There needs to be more transparency and accountability in Springfield. Sitting lawmakers should not

See LEGACY, Page 9

Letter to the editor

Hope is here!

EEHealth: Vaccinations begin soon Next week Edward-Elmhurst Health will begin vaccinating our health care workers against the coronavirus. Together, we will fight back against the pandemic that has wreaked havoc on all our lives.

We’ve studied the data. Purchased ultra-cold freezers. Educated the staff. Established mass vaccination centers. Mobilized the delivery team and, in many other ways, prepared to change history and the course of this disease.

I am so proud of our physicians, employees, volunteers and the entire community who’ve worked together to battle this pandemic. We have witnessed unthinkable pain, suffering and tragedy. We have also felt pro-

found love, camaraderie, compassion and support.

True to form, our healthcare workers have stepped up en masse to do what is right and noble. Next week, we will receive and administer thousands of vaccines to them. In the first week, we will not have enough vaccines for all those who want them.

But they are lined up and will patiently wait for the next shipment – because they know there is light at the end of the tunnel and they must lead us all through to the end.

I am deeply honored and grateful to work with these amazing people.

Mary Lou Mastro System CEO Edward-Elmhurst Health

Slices of life

I don’t feel strong

Lately people have been telling me I’m strong. They admire my strength.

They don’t know how they’d do it if they were in my shoes. “You’re so strong,” they say, often with admiration.

Except I’m not.

I’m not strong. And although I appreciate the sentiment and the compassion behind it, I sort of wish people would stop proclaiming my strength, because quite honestly, my actions don’t constitute strength.

My actions right now are simply putting one foot in front of the other.

They are breathing in and then out and then repeating because that is what you do in life. You breathe in and out, whether you are cognizant of it or not.

Sometimes, often in the toughest of times, you are cognizant of the need and the effort required to simply breathe.

But breathing doesn’t make you strong. It makes you human. It makes you alive. It separates you from the person you lost. Sometimes the very act of simply breathing hurts because it is a reminder of this separation.

I am hurting.

My heart is broken.

So I do what I can do. All that I can do, some moments. I breathe in, and then I breathe out. And I repeat. I remind myself: I am alive; someone I loved is also alive, but not here on earth, so our lives are no longer intertwined like they were for so many years.

will bring.

Tell me you don’t know what to say or what to do, but you will be here.

By Tell me it’s okay that none of us has JILL PERTLER the answers because there are none.

Contributor Tell me that this sucks, because it does.

Tell me you can’t possibly imagine how I feel because no one can At least not now. I believe they will compare their own grief to that of be someday. We will be reunited, and another. It isn’t a grief competition. it will be glorious. I hold onto that. If Hurt and pain are hurt and pain. anything, that is my stronghold, but it I understand you want to help. I doesn’t make me strong. understand you want to make things For now, breathing is all I can do to better and because you can’t, not ward off the pain and the deep, deep really, you feel powerless and that is sorrow. Breathing is all I can do to beyond difficult. It’s terrible to have to continue living. And the others around watch someone hurting; I understand me, those who love me, need me to that. I truly do. And I thank you for continue living. stepping into that uncomfortable role But hear this, and please know: in order to support me. sadness does not make me strong, or If you truly believe it, you can think brave or better at this role that’s been I’m strong. But please don’t say it out thrust upon me. loud. I’m not ready to hear it because I’m just doing what I need to do. right now it isn’t true.

It’s the only thing I can do, except Right now I’m not strong. Not give up, and I’m not ready to do that really. Not really at all. And that’s yet. okay. Because love and having loved So I breathe.

– truly, madly, deeply – beats strength And, although I appreciate you any day. trying to build me up, please don’t tell I truly, madly, deeply loved. I sure me I’m strong. did. And I wouldn’t trade that for Because I don’t feel strong. I feel anything. Not Popeye’s muscles or weak and vulnerable and broken.

Superman’s cape. Not ever.

Heartbroken and lost.

Jill Pertler is an award-winning Tell me it’s okay to feel this way. syndicated columnist, published For now. Tell me it’s okay to just playwright and author. Don’t miss a breathe. And cry. And be afraid slice; follow the Slices of Life page on because I don’t know what tomorrow Facebook.

The Elmhurst Independent - Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 • 9

Health Department COVID-19 vaccine weekly update First shipment of approximately 13,000 doses expected next week

For more information, please visit dupagehealth.org/covid19testing.

County Would you like free home delivery officials take of the Elmhurst Independent? oath of office DuPage County hosted a virtual

Joe Tabor is a senior policy analyst at the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization that promotes responsible government and free market principles.

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pensity to cover for their own.

Madigan may be down, but he’s not out. Whether he can win back enough votes to get a 19th term as speaker remains to be seen, but Illinoisans deserve ethics reform no matter what. Changing the House Rules, adopting fair maps and instituting ethics reforms would begin unraveling Madigan’s web of corruption.

If you live in Elmhurst you can receive the Independent every week by mail at no charge.

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and in-person inauguration ceremony Monday, Dec. 7 for 11 elected officials who were sworn into office.

County Board Chairman Dan Cronin delivered opening remarks, welcoming the new and returning elected officials.

“DuPage County faces significant stresses due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “I’m confident we will work collaboratively to bring carefully crafted and thoughtfully considered ideas to the table. These challenging times require us to demonstrate leadership, to advocate and ensure our residents get the help they need as we face this unprecedented public health crisis.”

County-wide elected officials, who were sworn in to serve four-year terms, included State’s Attorney Bob Berlin, Circuit Court Clerk Candice Adams, Auditor William White, Coroner Dr. Richard Jorgensen, and Recorder Kathleen Carrier.

The six County Board members elected in November will serve twoyear terms. The following Board members took the oath of office: District 1 – Don Puchalski District 2 – Paula Deacon Garcia District 3 – Brian Krajewski District 4 – Lynn LaPlante District 5 – Amy Chavez District 6 – Greg Schwarze Berlin and Jorgensen are incumbent countywide elected officials, and Puchalski and Krajewski are incumbent County Board members. All others are newly-elected officials.

(Continued from page 8)

be able to lobby local governments or state executive agencies, and they should have a “cooling off” period after leaving the General Assembly before they lobby their former peers, as is the case in most other states.

Lawmakers need to provide more detailed financial disclosures and should have to recuse themselves from voting on legislation in which they have a conflict of interest. Finally, the legislative inspector general needs the authority to open investigations and publish findings of wrongdoing without obtaining permission from lawmakers on the Legislative Ethics Commission, who have a pro-

healthcare provider for appropriate evaluation, testing, and care.

Anyone who is seeking testing is reminded of the various options throughout DuPage County, including the two drive-thru community-based testing sites in Wheaton and Villa Park.

Note: The post office requires a new request form every three years. If you have already mailed in your form, please disregard this notice.

mer

• Legacy

side your home or with anyone not from your household; • Watching your distance, staying at least 6 feet from people outside of your immediate household and avoiding in-person gatherings; and • Staying home if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or if you have been in close contact with a person infected with COVID-19, and contacting your

sto

Antonia Balice, 70 Antonia Balice recently died at home surrounded by family at the age of 70. Beloved wife of Lorenzo for more than 52 years; loving mother of Maria (Kevin) Kresnicka, Anna (fiancé Mike Wiley) and Giuseppe (Margherita) Balice; cherished grandmother of Jacob and Thomas Kresnicka and Nicholas Gemmati; dear sister of Giovanni (Paola), Olympia (Michele), Maria, Nicola (Tina), Ascenza and Cesaria (Domenico); kind and loving sister-in-law and aunt of many. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 145 East Grand, Bensenville IL 60106. Arrangements handled by Gibbons Funeral Home, Elmhurst.

Info: 630-832-0018 or gibbonsfuneralhome.com.

for distribution in DuPage County.

As more information becomes available, DCHD will update its website. To view the page, visit dupagehealth.org/covid19vaccine.

In the meantime, the Health Department urges residents to continue doing their part in slowing the spread of COVID-19 by: • Washing your hands often; • Wearing a mask whenever out-

l Cu

Obituary

currently work in patient care units, have direct contact with patients, as well as the staff who will administer the vaccines, will be the priority.

DCHD officials are in communication with local hospitals and health care partners to finalize these plans as further information about vaccine shipments is available.

A COVID-19 Vaccine webpage has been launched for the public to stay informed of the latest information regarding the vaccine and plans

Posta

The DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) is preparing to receive and distribute the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in DuPage County next week. At this time, the amount of vaccine in the first shipment to DuPage is expected to be about 13,000 doses.

The amount of vaccine in future shipments is unknown but weekly shipments are expected.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be meeting to review Pfizer’s application for Emergency Use Authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine. If the vaccine is approved by the FDA, DCHD expects to distribute the vaccine based on a multi-phased approach, with the first shipments designated for the estimated 58,000 health care personnel and long-term care facility residents and staff.

Long-term care facilities are provided with vaccinations through a Federal program, called the Pharmacy Partnership Program.

Initially, vaccine amounts will be limited and there will be a need for sub-prioritization. Personnel at the highest-risk of exposure to COVID-19, including those who

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10 • Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent

Foundation grants more than $750,000 from two programs Art Museum, Spirito!, UCCA among recipients

The DuPage Foundation has announced its volunteer grant committee has been able to review and make 80 grants for a total of $763,192 to not-for-profit organizations from two DuPage Foundation grant programs.

Being disbursed before the end of the year, the funds have come from either the DuPage Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund or the Community Needs Grant Program.

Grants were approved at the recent November meeting of the Foundation Board of Trustees.

Forty-four grants were awarded totaling $400,000 from the DuPage Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund, making the total grant amount awarded from this fund $1,400,000 since April of 2020 in four rounds of grantmaking.

• Meeting

In addition, 36 organizations received grants from the Foundation’s signature grant program, the Community Needs Grant Program (CNGP). Those grants totaled $363,192 and were awarded to organizations with programs that fell into the categories of Education, Arts & Culture, Environment and Animal Welfare.

More than 130 grant applications were reviewed during the process and of those, 80 grants were awarded to 73 organizations based on the qualifications and needs of the grantees and the money available.

“The pain people are experiencing during this pandemic has really ramped up the need in our community,” said Megan Shebik, who chaired both grant committees. “Researching so many worthy applications and making decisions on what we could fund was extremely

challenging for our volunteer committee, but United Community Concerns Assn. they rallied, read through every application $10,000 To provide emergency food relief throughsubmitted, asked great questions, sought answers and I’m very proud of the decisions they out the pandemic.

Ray Graham Association - $10,000 made. I wish we could have funded every sinTo purchase technology for the Virtual Day gle qualifying application.”

Services Program to reduce isolation and provide activities for people with disabilities.

Area grant recipients include: DuPage P.A.D.S. - $10,000 Elmhurst Art Museum - $20,000 To prevent homelessness for people seekFunded by JCS Arts, Health and Education ing emergency shelter by providing intensive Fund To support community engagement and free support and critical diversion to help identify programming around the Chicago Freedom alternative housing arrangements DuPage Senior Citizens Council - $10,000 Movement exhibit about housing inequalities.

To provide home delivered meals (Meals on Spirito Singers - $5,000 To improve online education/programming Wheels) service and well-being checks.

For the full list in each category and more capability and increase digital marketing and information, visit dupagefoundation.org. recruitment presence.

(Continued from front page)

would stay at home during that 10day period to provide the safest environment possible on Jan. 11. He said that the district’s goal is to avoid returning to fully remote instruction, and that the district could be more surgical about any potential clo-

sures in the future by closing certain schools, if necessary, while keeping others open.

Moyer said that the district has been consulting with an infectious disease doctor, who has advised that the district has to maintain a fi-

Mayor appoints Hill to represent 2nd Ward According to a release issued by the City of Elmhurst, Mayor Steve Morley announced his appointment of Jacob Hill for Alderman in the City’s Second Ward at a City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 7.

Mayor Morley said he had interviewed a total of eight candidates for the position before recommending the appointment of Hill to the vacant seat previously held by Norman Leader. In the spring, Hill will need to be elected to the position when voters go to the polls in 2021.

A 17-year resident of Elmhurst, Hill works at Elmhurst University as an associate professor, veteran services officer, and librarian. He has a history of involvement in the

civic arena and has considerable knowledge of many topics that impact a community.

Hill holds a Masters of Library and Information Science from Dominican University and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Elmhurst University.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to support my community and do my part in addressing issues facing Elmhurst,” Hill said.

“Jacob will do a fine job representing all of the residents of Elmhurst,” said Mayor Morley. “With this appointment, Elmhurst City Council is now at full quorum, which is great news for our community.”

Governor extends Restore Illinois enhanced mitigations Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker on Saturday, Dec. 12 signed a new Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation extending his statewide declaration through Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, and signed Executive Order 2020-74 to extend Restore Illinois Tier 3 enhanced mitigations, in response to an increase in Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic cases.

Region 8 (DuPage County) and all other regions in Illinois are currently under Tier 3 enhanced mitigations, which impact restaurants and bars, health and fitness centers, hotels, indoor and outdoor recreation, theaters and cultural institutions, manufacturing, meetings, social events and gatherings, personal care services and retail businesses. For more information, visit Illinois Municipal League web site at ilm.org/COVID-19 Update – November 19, 2020.

Under the new disaster proclamation, public meetings may continue to be held remotely as long as certain requirements are met. Visit ilm.org/ FactSheet.

The application deadline for Round 2 of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (IDCEO) Business Interruption Grant (BIG) Program is on December 15 at 5 p.m.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) in a press release announced its daily test data is available online at dph.illinois.gov. Preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total tests for December 4-10 is at 9.4 percent, while the preliminary seven-day statewide positivity rate is at 11.1 percent. Visit coronavirus.illinois.gov to access the state’s Coronavirus website for cases by county.

delity to wearing masks in schools.

Additionally, the doctor advised the elimination of snack breaks while in school. The doctor also advised the importance of preserving social distancing of at least six feet.

Number of students raises concern at Bryan The district is especially concerned about preserving social-distancing guidelines at Bryan Middle School, according to Moyer, given the number of people who want to return to in-person instruction at that school.

Instead of dividing students into two groups (A and B), which happened during hybrid learning in the first semester, students at Bryan could be divided into three groups (A, B and C) during the second semester.

With students divided into two groups, each student received two days of in-person instruction per week. Wednesdays are fully remote days for all students. That model of hybrid instruction would continue during the second semester, with the possible exception of Bryan. If divided into three groups, students in the C group would receive in-person instruction on Wednesdays, and on two of three Fridays during a three-week period.

The in-person school day for middle-school students during the first semester ran from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The district stated the feedback it received included complaints about the lack of any breaks or transition time during that five-hour school day. In the second semester, the district is proposing an in-person school day for middle-school students that runs from 8:30 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. The proposed schedule would include more than three hours of additional remote instruction each week, compared to the first semester.

The proposed schedule for in-person instruction at York High School calls for students to be at school from 7:40 a.m. until 12:55 p.m. Students in Group A would receive in-person instruction on Mondays and Tuesdays, while students in Group B would be in the school building on Thursdays and Fridays. All York students would receive remote instruction on Wednesdays.

Board member Courtenae Trautmann stated she didn’t like that the

new proposals for the middle-school schedules provided less in-person time in school, compared to the in-person instruction during the first semester. She also said she didn’t like the proposal to divide Bryan Middle School students into three groups, which would lead to each student receiving in-person instruction for five days over a period of 15 school days.

The district recently sent a form to its families who received fully remote instruction during the first semester. The district asked the families if they would be interested to transition to hybrid learning during the second semester. Overall, 366 district students (about 23 percent of the student population receiving fully remote instruction) responded they wanted to switch to the hybrid model during the second semester. If those 366 students move to the hybrid model of instruction, more than 85 percent of the district’s total student population would be included in the hybrid model.

Kocinski finds parents collective wisdom ‘telling’ Board member Christopher Kocinski stated that the collective wisdom of thousands of district parents was telling. He said that even as COVID-19 cases increase, more district parents are interested in having their children receive in-person instruction. Kocinski added that numerous specialists have stated that it’s healthy for kids to attend school in person.

Moyer also spoke during the meeting about the possibility of the district paying for saliva testing to screen district students and staff members for the COVID-19 coronavirus. He said if the board wanted those tests to be up and running in the district by January, it would have to make a decision no later than the Dec. 15 meeting.

Should District purchase, perform testing?

According to Moyer, a doctor consulting with the district advised that in order for testing to be effective, the district would need a participation rate of at least 60 percent. Moyer said that the saliva testing is not a fail-safe, but it would provide another level of protection. He said that the

two primary benefits of the testing would be to reduce anxiety among staff and to create transparency concerning risk, based on available data.

He outlined possible options for utilizing the tests, which would be taken at home. Moyer said the district could test all student-athletes and make the tests available for all faculty members. The district could consider testing students only in grades 6-12, or it could test all students. If the district tested all students and found very low rates of COVID-19 in its students in grade 5 and below, it could discontinue testing for those students.

Moyer noted that the cost of the tests is $11 each. If someone tests positive for COVID-19, that person would need to go take a second test.

He said students would take the test each week.

Trautmann expressed concern about the brief timeline for potentially approving the tests and surveying the community to learn if a minimum of 60 percent of district families would participate in taking the test. Board member Jim Collins questioned why the figure of 60 percent was the minimum level for the tests to be effective. Collins stated that the district doesn’t have closed campuses, and that people go home every night. Collins referred to a statistic claiming that 50 percent of COVID-19 cases are transmitted within homes.

Moyer said that if the district does enter into a contract for the saliva testing, it would have some flexibility regarding the number of tests purchased.

Challenges remain with staffing, substitutes While discussing the staffing challenges and the availability of substitute teachers, Luke Pavone, the district’s assistant superintendent of human resources, stated the district had 233 active substitute teachers during the 2019-20 school year. He said the district still has 233 substitutes, but only 29 are currently taking assignments.

The regular meeting of Tuesday, Dec. 15 marked the board’s final regular meeting of 2020. The board’s first regular meeting of 2021 is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 12.

The Elmhurst Independent - Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 • 11

Community calendar

COVID-19 updates for DuPage County

As of 8 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, there were 52,966 total cases among DuPage County residents, including 841 deaths.

Since Saturday, there were 606 new cases and five deaths related to COVID-19.

The DuPage Health Department advised that due to delays from IDPH, data may be incomplete.

Number of cases by town At press time, the DuPage Department of Health reported the following number of COVID-19 cases in our readership communities as follows: Addison 3,355, Bensenville 1,740, Elmhurst 2,674, Lombard 2,726, Oakbrook Terrace 163, Villa Park 1,610, Wood Dale 1,056.

And now for the good news Elmhurst Hospital reports that 90 inpatients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were discharged as of Monday, Dec. 14. Since March 24, a total of 1,089 patients have been discharged.

Welcome to the Elmhurst Independent’s Community Calendar Upcoming events will be published, even if they are virtual and only available online. Please remember to be safe when attending live events by wearing masks, using hand sanitizer and maintaining the proper social distance.

If your club or organization is gathering during this time, live OR virtually, you can send the information to Independent@rvpublishing. com and put “Community Calendar” in the Subject line.

conflict are commemorated at the site along with the men. The public is invited (with masks, social distancing). Info: email ivyjeane@ comcast.net.

• Lizzadro Museum presents a “Slow Art Saturday,” with an intimate viewing is a crucial part of Chinese art appreciation. These ongoing gallery tours explore various topics found within the art. Join Asian Art Curator Dr. Tongyun Yin as she explores the Lizzadro Collection. Various pieces will be featured along with new topics on each date. Topics include: materials and techniques, Buddhist art, foreign influences, longevity and symbolism. Physically distance and mask required. In-person tours begin at 2 p.m. for 15-minute tour and 15-minute Q&A. Students and adults only. Limited capacity.

Regular Admission applies. Make reservations online at lizzadro-museum.ticketleap.com/slow-art/saturdays.

Thursday, Dec. 17 Beginning at 4 p.m., the City will host a Holiday Parade, which will bring Santa Claus around town with some of the City’s vehicles.

Check the web site for the route, it will likely be coming close enough to you home that you can walk to meet it. NOTE: Santa will not be leaving the vehicle and will not be able to speak with children due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All are welcome to come out and wave!

Ongoing programs: (Rain date: Friday, Dec. 18.)

Available through Dec. 20, the Elmhurst History Museum presents Saturday, Dec. 19 • At 11 a.m., a wreath-laying cer- “Frank Lloyd Wright and the Aremony will be held at the Spanish chitecture of Space.” From Unity American War Memorial, located Temple to the Guggenheim Musein the southeast corner of Arling- um, the dynamic interior spaces of ton Cemetery at 401 E. Lake St. Wright’s buildings were integrally in Elmhurst, for “Wreaths Across tied to the overall forms of these America Day.” A brief ceremony structures. John H. Waters, preswill be conducted by Elmhurst’s ervation programs manager at the Martha Ibbettson Chapter NSDAR. Frank Lloyd Wright Building ConTwo women veterans of the 1898 servancy, will share images and

insights into the spaces that Wright created and discuss the importance of preserving his buildings for future generations. Visit elmhursthistory.org. Info: 630-833-1457.

• Rotary Club of Elmhurst holds a Zoom meeting every Thursday at 12 noon. See what we’re all about and consider joining men and women who do good work in the community. Contact Rotary President Charlie Laliberte for Zoom invite details. Charlielaliberte@ gmail.com.

• Now through Feb. 14, 2021, the Elmhurst Art Museum presents a socially-distanced self-guided, outdoor walking tour of Elmhurst’s modern architecture. Purchase admission ticket at the web site, however, admission is free during Wright Before the “Lloyd” exhibition currently on display through Feb. 14. Link to guided audio tour expires five days after activating custom code. Advanced purchase recommended. Free to members.

Visit elmhurstartmuseum.org.

Elmhurst History Museum Now through Dec. 20, Frank Lloyd Wright: Architecture of the Interior. Through reproduction drawings, house plans, and photographs, explore the ingenious ways in which Wright maximized the feeling of open space while still accommodating the various functions of daily living. Limit: 5 people per group, 15 visitors per hour. All visitors are required to wear face masks for entry.

Admission is free but reservations are required for one-hour time slots at elmhursthistory.org. Info: 630-833-1457.

Lizzadro Museum Now until January 2021, a Special Exhibit is on display called “Re-carving the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronze and Jades.” The exhibition features 11 bronzes from the MacLean Collection and 16 Jade carvings from the Lizzadro Museum illustrating the enduring importance of antiquity in Chinese art and culture. Formerly located in Wilder Park, the Lizzadro Museum Current exhibitions: of Lapidary Art can now be found Elmhurst Art Museum at 1220 Kensington Road in Oak NOTE: Exhibition run dates re- Brook. cently changed due to new Museum hours We want to print your news!

Wright Before the “Lloyd,” open Is your church hosting now through February 14, 2021, a special event? features images and artifacts that Community Calendar portray the eclectic, early explorations of one of the world’s greatest istings are free! architects and is curated by Chica- Send details to independent@ go’s official cultural historian Tim rvpublishing.com Samuelson.

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The Elmhurst Independent - Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 • 13

Elmhurst Library Programs COD seeking to train contact tracers When we think of the fight against COVID-19, we tend to think of doctors, nurses, scientists and other frontline workers. But there’s a growing army of individuals— largely consisting of retirees, medical students and those who were recently unemployed—fighting the pandemic from behind the scenes.

Known as “contact tracers,” these trained workers help limit the spread of COVID-19. And now, thanks to the hard work of several individuals and a collaboration amongst local institutions, an innovative new program at the College of DuPage is preparing hundreds for careers in contact tracing.

To date, more than 400 students have enrolled, and many are helping fight the spread of COVID-19 right here in DuPage.

Known as “contact tracers,” these trained workers help limit the spread of COVID-19. And now, thanks to the hard work of several individuals and a collaboration amongst local institutions, an innovative new program at the College of DuPage is preparing hundreds for careers in contact tracing.

When Lori Gache-Garcia stepped into her role as program manager at the College of DuPage, she never imagined that her first year would be defined by a pandemic.

And then, over the next three weeks, COVID-19 swept across the nation, Illinois ordered residents to shelter-

in-place, and the College sent faculty home.

It wasn’t the beginning she expected.

Still, Lori didn’t panic. Instead she got to work.

As the nation faced a public health emergency and an unemployment crisis, the College of DuPage responded on both fronts, introducing a new course designed to train people for careers fighting the pandemic.

Working from her home computer, Lori collaborated with College staff and local organizations like the DuPage County Health Department to develop the contact-tracing program.

As a contact tracer, your job is to track COVID-19 and limit its spread.

The work is entirely remote. You spend a lot of time on the phone with people who have been exposed to the virus, encouraging them to quarantine and identifying others with whom they may have come into contact.

Contact tracers are often compared to detectives. There is some scientific sleuthing involved, as you follow a trail of evidence, gather clues, conduct interviews and piece together a bigger picture. But contact tracers are often less like detectives and more like counselors, broaching uncomfortable subjects while providing valuable guidance and information.

The best contact tracers are often the most personable and empathetic people.

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prove your Italian language skills (all skill levels welcome) while exploring a different Italian city each month.

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Wednesday, Dec. 23 • All day What We’re Enjoying Wednesday Our staff is here to tell you what they’ve been reading, watching, listening to, and playing lately that they Monday, Dec. 21 from 7-8 p.m. recommend. Each week’s video will be up by 9 a.m. on Ciao Italia!

Wednesdays. elmlib.org/youtube Interested in the language and customs of Italy? ImInfo: (630) 279-8696 or elmlib.org/athome

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14 • Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent

Another of the ‘First Ladies of Elmhurst’ Elizabeth Ellen (Thompson) Koppenaal (1895-1995)

CORRESPONDENT

(Reprinted with permission from The First Ladies of Elmhurst: Prominent Women of the Twentieth Century, the Independent has obtained permission from the Elmhurst History Museum to print stories from the book, published in 2001, recalling the outstanding women who have helped form our community. This week, we bring you Dr. Elizabeth Koppenaal. Some portions have been edited.)

Elizabeth Koppenaal spent most of her life serving others, first as a medical doctor and in later years, as a spiritual leader. Elmhurst residents will long remember her as the first woman physician at DuPage Memorial Hospital (Elmhurst Memorial Hospital). In 1974, I was introduced to Elizabeth Koppenaal at an Elmhurst Branch meeting of American Association of University Women (AAUW). She was a senior member and I was a recent graduate. I remember her as a quiet, gentle woman with an attractive smile. She asked me in a friendly way a lot of questions about myself but said very little about herself.

Initially I thought she was a retired schoolteacher. At a later meeting I discovered that not only was she a physician, but also Dr. Elizabeth Koppenaal was considered a pioneer in her profession!

Elizabeth Ellen was the third daughter of Dr. Joseph Addison Thompson and Lillie (Woodling) Thompson. She was born on October 5, 1895 in Tarkio, Missouri.

She attended Tarkio College where her father was President from 18871930. Her mother also taught art and music at the college. Elizabeth graduated in 1918 and was the first woman graduate to go on to medical school. She attended the University of Missouri and graduated with a physician/surgeon diploma from Washington University Medical School in St. Louis, Missouri in 1924. There were only three other young women in her graduating class that year. Dr. Koppenaal first interned at Women’s and Children’s Hospital (1924-25) in

sion.

As you can imagine, she seldom In 1945 Dr. Elizabeth Koppe- got much sleep and often was up naal was the first woman ever to almost 24 hours at a time.” be appointed to the medical staff at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. Honors and recognition As a family practitioner she deIn 1952 Dr. Elizabeth Koppelivered and cared for hundreds of naal became a founding fellow and babies over the years. She loved was a life member of the Americhildren and hated abortion. Her can Academy of Obstetricians and niece Ann Lebedeff recalls this Gynecologists. In 1974 she was about her aunt: “She led a very inducted into the 50 Year Club of busy life in Elmhurst. She seldom the Illinois State Medical Associtook a vacation or even days off. ation. She was elected Fellow of During World II she made many the American Academy of Family house calls - many of them at night Physicians in 1975. In 1990 the during heavy snows. My mother, Elmhurst Business and Professionbrother and I would go along for al Women honored her as Woman the ride. We would sit for maybe an of the Year. When she first moved hour at a time freezing in the car. to Elmhurst, Elizabeth became a She also was constantly busy with charter member of the Elmhurst Dr. Elizabeth Ellen (Thompson) office hours and housecalls because Presbyterian Church at 367 Spring Koppenaal (1895- 1995) of the shortage of doctors during Road. She was very active in the Chicago, and at Chicago Lying-In the war. After these were over, she Women’s Circle both as a particHospital (1926-27). Her family often ironed sheets and pillowcas- ipant and leader. Coming from a said she often spoke of delivering es in the basement until three or very religious family, Elizabeth albabies in those days in apartments four in the morning and then took a ways put her faith in the Lord, parbrief nap before beginning her day. ticularly when medicine alone was with newspapers and hot water.

In 1926 Elizabeth married Dr. William P. Koppenaal. The couple never had children of their own. In the 1930s Elizabeth went to work at Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park and at the Veterans Hospital in Hines. She practiced family medicine at the Maywood Welfare Clinic during the Depression. For those patients who could not pay for her medical services, Dr. Koppenaal often accepted vegetables or chickens. Her nephew James Osuna described his aunt as “dedicated, kind, and considerate.”

“She did not buy many things for herself but gave to others,” he said.

“She had a great sense of humor.”

In 1940 her husband died as a result of being gassed while serving during World War I, an injury from which he never fully recovered.

Also in 1940 Elizabeth opened her practice in Elmhurst. She designed ELMHURST HISTORY MUSEUM PHOTOS Elmhurst Independent her new house at 352 South York Taken in 1991, this is Dr. Elizabeth Koppenaal enjoying her retireStreet so that her office would be located in her home. When living in ment years at Lexington Square in Lombard. Not only was she a Maywood during earlier years she doctor at a time when few women were, but also she was a pioneer always had her office in her house. in her field.

No doubt it was more convenient and most likely less expensive, especially during the Great Depres-

not enough to cure some illnesses.

“My aunt was very religious and dedicated to her profession,” said Ann. “She went to church every Sunday - sometimes very late - but she made it! She was a fairly quiet person, very polite, and was an extremely good listener, especially with her patients.”

In later years, she moved and retired to the Lexington Square Home in Lombard, where Dr. Koppenaal became a resident minister of sorts to the residents there. She often would read Bible verses for her friends and neighbors and was dearly loved by all. When she celebrated her 95th birthday, a party was held for her at the Home. Although she was the guest of honor, it was Elizabeth herself who provided some of the entertainment by giving the following reading: “As you walk along life’s pathways through the night and through the day, you will never lose direction if you let God lead the way. For His love will pierce the darkness and make shadows disappear. As His light reveals the grandeur, as to heaven you draw near.”

“Elizabeth was so proud of her patients, especially second and third generation babies,” Ann recalled. “She was also a very kind person and never wanted to hurt anyone’s feelings.

“Generosity was also one of her traits - she was generous with her family and with her patients, giving of her time as well as money.

She also supported her alma mater Tarkio College through many years.

Since Elizabeth was the youngest in the family, she received a lot of teasing, mostly from my mother, Margaret. Both would regale us with stories of their childhood in Tarkio and the mischief they got into. I feel that times like these were one of the few ways for her to relax during her hectic days.”

Dr. Elizabeth Koppenaal died on August 20, 1995 at the age of 99 She is buried with family members in Tarkio, Missouri.

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NOTICE CERTIFICATE NO. 77879 was filed in the office of the County Clerk of DuPage County on NOVEMBER 17, 2020, wherein the business firm of YOGA ADORNED LOCATED AT 44 NORFOLK AVENUE, CLARENDON HILLS, IL 60514 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: NAME OF PERSON(S) MEGAN REILLY, HOME ADDRESS 44 NORFOLK AVENUE, CLARENDON HILLS, IL 60514.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and Official Seal at my office in Wheaton, Illinois, this 17TH day of NOVEMBER, A.D. 2020.

JEAN KACZMAREK Jean Kaczmarek DuPage County Clerk (OFFICIAL SEAL) (Published in The Elmhurst Independent Dec. 3, 10 & 17, 2020) 386340

NOTICE CERTIFICATE NO. 77876 was filed in the office of the County Clerk of DuPage County on NOVEMBER 16, 2020, wherein the business firm of WENDY’S WRITING WORKSHOP LOCATED AT P.O. BOX 5012, OAK BROOK, IL 60522-5012 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: NAME OF PERSON(S) WENDY A. SIMMS, HOME ADDRESS 5 SAINT MORTIZ COURT, ELMHURST, IL 60126.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and Official Seal at my office in Wheaton, Illinois, this 16TH day of NOVEMBER, A.D. 2020.

JEAN KACZMAREK Jean Kaczmarek DuPage County Clerk (OFFICIAL SEAL) (Published in The Elmhurst Independent Dec. 3, 10 & 17, 2020) 386352

NOTICE CERTIFICATE NO. 77909 was filed in the office of the County Clerk of DuPage County on DECEMBER 14, 2020, wherein the business firm of CHIMNEY RESTORATION MP LOCATED AT 21W551 NORTH AVENUE APT 335, LOMBARD, IL 60148 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: NAME OF PERSON(S) MIGUEL ANGEL PONCE RUIZ, HOME ADDRESS 21W551 NORTH AVENUE APT 335, LOMBARD, IL 60148.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and Official Seal at my office in Wheaton, Illinois, this 14TH day of DECEMBER, A.D. 2020.

JEAN KACZMAREK Jean Kaczmarek DuPage County Clerk (OFFICIAL SEAL) (Published in The Elmhurst Independent Dec. 17, 24 & 31, 2020) 387223

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16 • Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent

The Elmhurst Independent

Sports

Dec. 17, 2020 • 16

Off to Charleston

York senior girls soccer standout Rebic signs with Eastern Illinois University

By Mike Miazga CORRESPONDENT

Like many youth athletes with aspirations to play their chosen sport at the next level, the COVID-19 pandemic left York senior girls soccer player Maya Rebic wondering how that process would play out.

“I didn’t know where it would end up,” said Rebic of the recruiting process. “Things didn’t take off with COVID. At first, I was unsure if we would have a season and then we didn’t have a season.”

Everything worked out in the end for Rebic, who recently signed her national letter of intent to continue her academic and soccer careers at NCAA Division Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

“I am excited about Eastern,” said Rebic, a forward and midfielder.

“They watched me play at a showcase my club (Eclipse) was hosting.

The coach there reached out to me.

I went to visit the campus and I met the whole team. I ended up really liking it and went with it. I am happy that I chose there.”

Rebic, who has played for the Eclipse club team since she was eight years old, was impressed with her future teammates. “It’s very culturally diverse there,” she said. “A lot of the girls come from all over the world from Germany, Sweden and Spain. I like that aspect of it. I like the coaches — they are very friendly. There are a lot of nice girls on the team who were very helpful. They showed me around and told me about the lifestyle and how everything works.”

For Rebic, continuing at the next level is affirmation of realizing a goal set back when she started playing the sport.

“I always wanted to do it,” she said. “It’s been the No. 1 thing. I come from a family where everybody plays soccer. My parents are from

Serbia and my dad played soccer. It’s always been my No. 1 sports and I always wanted to play at the college level. It was very important to me to go Division I. I always have wanted to compete at this level. I wanted the experience of college and soccer at that level. I have always wanted to do that.”

Rebic plans to study biology and pre-med.

“I am still not sure what type of doctor I want to be. I’m figuring that out,” said Rebic, mainly a straight-A student at York. “Maybe family general practice, but I am open to other things. I like to help people and that was one of the biggest things (when choosing a major). I want to help others and make them feel better. I think I will like that as a career.”

Rebic admitted not having a junior soccer season at York due to the pandemic was a tough pill to swallow. “Really tough,” she said. “I’m

SUBMITTED PHOTOS Elmhurst Independent

York senior girls soccer player Maya Rebic recently signed a national letter of intent to continue her career at Division I Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

usually pretty excited for it. Club and high school are very different seasons. High school is a little more competitive you always want to win and make sectionals and state. With club, you are more with the team and practicing all the time and going to the different showcases and big event. High school is a little different with bonding with your teammates because you see them every day.”

Rebic, who came back strong from a sophomore-year knee injury that delayed her recruiting process a bit, is crossing her fingers that she will have a senior season at York this coming spring and now early summer based on the Illinois High School Association’s COVID-19-truncated calendar.

“Our season is supposed to go now from (May 3 to June 26) and I’m hoping it will not interfere with club,” she said. “The other thing is some colleges want you to start school in mid-July. I’m going to have

to figure everything out about when I am going to Eastern to start practicing. This is a tough situation. I want to play both club and high school.

I’m not sure what I am going to do.

I know club is going to really prepare me for college soccer, but high school is a lot of fun and you make more memories with your teammates and classmates. I’m not sure what will happen.”

During the pandemic shutdown Rebic started drawing and painting.

“I have been doing a lot of DIY little things,” she said. “Painting has been the biggest thing. I started working out at the gym more so that has taken up some time as well.”

But in the longer-term big picture, Rebic said she’s got plenty to look forward to. “When I was younger, I always said I wanted to play college soccer. I knew what I wanted. To be able to do this is like a dream come true. I have been hoping for this for a long time.”

The Elmhurst Independent - Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 • 17

sports

IC Catholic Prep’s Fisher gets hall of fame call Part of 2020 Illinois Basketball Coaches Association induction list

By Mike Miazga CORRESPONDENT

Todd Fisher’s journey as a successful girls high school basketball head coach had an interesting start to it.

Fisher, IC Catholic Prep’s current girls basketball coach, was in his second year at then Walther Lutheran High School in Melrose Park and was coaching baseball there.

“The administrator comes up to me and says they need some help on the girls basketball side and would you mind helping and being an assistant varsity coach,” Fisher recalled. “No problem. I was taught a lot. I was an assistant varsity coach one year and JV coach another year. We go into the next season and the Friday before the season starts there is suddenly a need for a head girls varsity coach in the program. With the admin that time it was one of those, ‘We need you to do this’ kind of things.”

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Fisher enjoyed a tremendous run at Walther before shifting over to IC Catholic Prep last season. Fisher’s accomplishments in the sport have landed him a spot in the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

The group recently announced its 2020

inductees from across the state.

“It’s very humbling, for sure,” said Fisher. “If you look at the list of IBCA hall of famers, it’s very humbling to be mentioned with that group. There are a ton of great coaches in the area and in the state of Illinois. The first thing I thought of when I found out is it’s truly humbling, and it’s something that when I first started coaching and even up to last year was not on my radar.

That’s not something you think about.

Something like this would be in your wildest dreams.”

COVID-19 pandemic-pending, Fisher is scheduled to start his 22nd season as a head coach. He goes into the 2021 season with a 408-204 career record between Walther and IC Catholic Prep. His 2006-2007 Walther team took fourth in Class A, while his 2012-2013 team also took fourth in Class 2A. In 13 of his previous 21 seasons, Fisher-coached teams won 20 or more games. He is a nine-time IBCA District 7 coach of the year recipient.

“It’s important to say this,” Fisher said. “This doesn’t happen without great players and great coaches along the way. Something like this doesn’t happen without great people. I’m lucky to have had great players and

coaches along the away as well as the support of administrators. It makes you kind of speechless.”

Fisher earned his undergraduate degree from North Central College and his master’s from Concordia in River Forest. When he took the head hoops job at Walther his goal was simple.

“We kind of struggled that first year (1-17) and then kind of improved each year from there,” he said. “When I took over the program needed stability.

The seniors had four coaches in four years. It was one of those things where stability was important and having expectations for everybody was important. And then we went from there.

Again, all of it is not possible without great players and great people to work with.”

Fisher’s second team at Walther enjoyed a 10-win improvement and his third team enjoyed another nine-game improvement from there. His fourth team won a regional title and he was named the now defunct Private School League coach of the year. Three years later Walther was one win away from a Class A state finals appearance.

Fisher also lauded the support he’s received over the years from his wife, Sarah, and children, Brennan (fresh-

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man baseball player at Quincy University), and Lily (will be a freshman at ICCP next year). Sarah Fisher is the head softball coach at Concordia University in River Forest.

“My wife and I are two coaches and that helped us along the way with our kids,” Fisher said. “Sarah has been

great. She has been very supportive.”

And Fisher thanked the IBCA for the prestigious honor. “I have been the all-state nominating committee (District 7 rep) for a long time,” Fisher said. “The IBCA is an awesome group to be part of. I want to thank them for this award.”

Quick study

IC Catholic Prep’s Hall to continue football career at UW Whitewater

By Mike Miazga CORRESPONDENT

When Justin Hall came to IC Catholic Prep as a freshman, football wasn’t his thing.

Hall’s sport was basketball, but the gridiron soon came calling.

“Coming into high school I was a basketball kid,” he said. “I didn’t play football until my first year of high school. It was my first time playing. I came into IC and found it was a pretty football school and had just come off a championship. It was something new to try and something new to do. I gave it a try and it ended working out.”

Quite well, in fact. Hall recently announced he is continuing his education and football career at NCAA Division III perennial powerhouse University of Wisconsin Whitewater.

“It means a lot to me especially coming into high school as a basketball kid,” Hall said. “Being able to switch sports and now being able to play this new sport at the next level is something I am very proud of. And I am proud to be able to play at such a great program like Whitewater.”

Hall, a wide receiver and free safety, contacted Whitewater over the summer and ended up attending one of their combine-type camps. “That’s where I met the wide receivers coach and we kept in close contact since then.”

Hall green-lighted Whitewater for more than just its gridiron excellence.

“They have a great business school and that is what I am going to major in,” said Hall, who said an accounting major is a possibility. “They also have a very successful football program. When I got up there to visit I was able to relate coming out of IC having a very successful program here all my years. I don’t know how to exactly put it; It was familiar — all the success they have had.

The coaches also were welcoming and very nice.”

Hall chose Whitewater over the likes of North Central College, Augustana and UW Platteville. “Whitewater has a very nice campus,” he said. “It’s a public school, but it’s not crazy big. They have 12,000 kids on campus. It’s very nice and has a very modern vibe to it compared to some of the other schools.

I loved it. It seemed like there is always something to do there.”

While his football acumen blossomed, Hall continued to play basketball at IC Catholic Prep. However, he dislocated his shoulder after last football season. “I had to sit out last basketball season and right now it’s not looking very good for getting another season (due to the pandemic). That’s

tough. I always have had a love for basketball.”

Hall said the transition into football in high school took some getting used to. “I would definitely say the physicality was something I had to get used to with blocking and tackling, and not having really practiced it before high school,” he said. “It’s something I had to adjust to and get used to. I think being a wide receiver and a defensive back helped my ball skills a lot with getting to the high point of the ball or tracking the ball down. Those things were similar between the two positions. I think playing both positions gave me a lot more options with not only playing, but learning the game.”

The whole IC Catholic football program experience is something Hall said has been hugely beneficial for him. “We have a very strong tradition that we try to uphold,” he said. “Losing isn’t exactly accepted. We come in here every day and we grind and work hard not to lose.

The coaches here have been great. I don’t think I would be the player I am or be in the position I am today without the coaches here. Coach Doherty has been super-helpful with the recruiting process. He sends out a form and we fill it out and we get broken-down film from Hudl (video service widely used in the college recruiting process) so we can highlight our plays and put it on tape.”

Hall is hoping he and the rest of his teammates get to enjoy a senior football season, which if allowed, would start in February with practices. “For sure, I am praying we have season,” he said.

“I don’t think it would be right if we left here without one more go with my guys. This is a season we have waited for a long time — me and the seniors.

This would mean a lot to us. I feel like we have just as much talent as we always have had the last couple years.”

Hall explained he’s been hard at work during the pandemic to get himself ready for the next chapter at Whitewater. “I wouldn’t say I picked up any new hobbies, it was more working out and trying to develop myself and better myself to go to college,” he said. “I am looking forward to Whitewater a lot. I know it will be a grind and I am all for it. I am willing to work my butt off every day to become a better athlete, man and student.”

Whitewater finished 13-2 in 2019 and advanced to the NCAA Division III Stagg Bowl where it lost in the national-title game to North Central College. It was Whitewater’s 10th appearance in the national title game in the last 15 years. Whitewater also won its 37th WIAC title in 2019.

18 • Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent The Elmhurst Independent - Thursday, July 16, 2020 • 19

Madigan floats income tax increase; GOP leader asks for spending cuts $3.9 billion budget deficit anticipated for this year

By Sarah Mansur CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS

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As the state government attempts to close a multi-billion-dollar budget hole, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan has said he is prepared to vote for an increase to the state’s flat income tax rate should the governor request it—a proposal met with pushback from his Republican counterpart, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin.

The $3.9 billion budget shortfall, projected by the state budget office, that lawmakers will confront this spring has gained an increasing sense of urgency with the defeat of the graduated income tax constitutional amendment at the ballot on Nov. 3.

Voters rejected the initiative that would have replaced the state’s flat income tax with a graduated income tax, which was projected to raise revenues by more than $3 billion annually.

The state’s flat income tax rate is currently 4.95 percent. The rate had been 3.75 percent from 2015 to 2017, and it was 5 percent from 2011 to 2014.

The state budget office has projected budget deficits ranging from $4.8 billion in 2022 and $4.2 billion by fiscal year 2026, according to a report last month from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget.

That report attributed the sizable budget deficit largely to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic that has forced many businesses to shut down and led to skyrocketing levels of unemployment.

Madigan’s comments, reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, came during a speaker candidate forum of

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“And I will say that I have not yet heard back from the leaders about what their best proposals are for what cuts need to be made. And so, I’m awaiting their responses.”

On Dec. 8, Durkin, of Western Springs, called on Pritzker to release the spending cuts his administration requested from each agency leader last September. Pritzker made that request in an effort to reduce the state’s bill backlog, which was roughly $7.3 billion, as of June 30, 2019. The bill backlog had reached about $7.6 billion as of Dec. 8.

The September 2019 request by Pritzker’s administration asked each Cabinet director to submit budget proposals that would reflect a 6.5 percent spending cut.

This September, Pritzker warned state agency directors to prepare for a 5 percent budget reduction this year, and a possible 10 percent cut in fiscal year 2022, which begins July 1.

When asked about whether Durkin has drafted his own proposed list of agency spending cuts, a spokesperson for Durkin said he has asked “repeatedly to begin by looking at this list of agency cuts.”

In his letter to Pritzker on Dec. 8, Durkin said he asked the governor to release the agencies’ budgets reflecting a 6.5 percent cut when they spoke by phone last month.

“As of today, I have not received that document, and I am now asking again for the list of spending reductions by agency,” Durkin wrote. “Speaker Madigan has stated he will work with you on another tax increase, but I hope you will respect the will of the voters and instead look to live within our means.”

Pritzker touts promising vaccine data

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the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus on Dec. 5.

Madigan, 78, has served as speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives every year since 1983, with the exception of 1995 to 1997, making his tenure the longest of any state House speaker in U.S. history.

But Madigan’s support from his House Democratic caucus has splintered in recent months, following charges from federal prosecutors that allege high-ranking Commonwealth Edison officials bribed close members of Madigan’s inner circle for years with lucrative no-work jobs and contracts, in exchange for favorable energy legislation.

In making his pitch to House Black caucus members, Madigan said he will provide strong leadership that might be necessary if Gov. JB Pritzker asks the Illinois General Assembly to address the budget shortfall by raising the state income tax rate—a scenario Madigan described as “very possible,” according to the Sun-Times’ report, which was based on a recording of the closed candidate forum.

“I’m prepared to vote for that, presuming it’s the governor’s request,” said Madigan, D-Chicago, according to the Sun-Times.

Pritzker dodged a question at his daily briefing Dec. 8 about Madigan’s statement that he would support a tax hike endorsed by Pritzker.

“I’m focused on the cuts that need to be made in state government, making sure that we’re paring back as best we can, making efficiencies in state government, looking to Republican and Democratic leaders as I already have and asking them for their best ideas about what it is that we need to cut in state government,” Pritzker said.

YORK HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE WEEK YORK HIGHEMILY SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE WEEK FLECKENSTEIN GIGI BARR YORK GIRLS VOLLEYBALL YORK GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Fleckenstein recently signed her national Barr was the recipient of the 2019-2020 York Val Cothern letter of intent to continue her academic junior female athlete of the year award. Barr went over the and volleyball careerslastatfall NCAA 1,000-career kill threshold for the Division Dukes girlsIvolleyUniversity of Maryland-Baltimore. ball team and still has a season to add to that total.

Gov. JB Pritzker said the first delivery of a vaccine could arrive in Illinois as early as this week, although it could take several months before it is widely available to the general public.

Speaking at a daily media briefing in Chicago, Pritzker noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had released its analysis of data on a vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech.

Although the state of Illinois is having its own independent team review the data, Pritzker said the vaccine appears to be effective in 95 percent of the people who receive it, and in 94 percent of people over age 65.

“Illinois will only distribute a vaccine that is deemed safe, and we are one of many states that have established additional review panels, including Indiana, California, New York, West Virginia and Michigan,” Pritzker said.

“Our Illinois team is already poring over the analysis released by the FDA on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.”

An FDA review committee was scheduled to meet Dec. 10 to decide whether to grant the companies Emergency Use Authorization to release the vaccine.

If that happens, Pritzker said, the first shipment could

arrive in Illinois this week.

The drug company Moderna has also applied for Emergency Use Authorization for a vaccine it is developing.

Bonnie Blue, 68, of Chicago, who has suffered from severe asthma much of her life, was among the people who took part in clinical trials of that vaccine. She spoke at a briefing last week to encourage everyone to get the vaccine once it becomes available.

“For a person who has been on life support so many times, for me to take part in this trial was a huge risk, a risk that my family and friends were not happy that I was taking,” she said. “But I am here. I’m fine. I did not have horrible side effects from anything.”

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said it could take as long as a year for the vaccine to reach everyone in Illinois. She said the first priority will be health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.

“We can only allocate the vaccine that we’re actually given, so we’re prioritizing those at greatest risk of exposure and severe illness,” Ezike said. “And then we will continue to move through those established priorities. I hope people will understand that yes, there will be people that get the vaccine before you, but we are hoping for everyone to get this vaccine in the coming year.”

The Elmhurst Independent - Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 • 19

The Elmhurst Independent

Real Estate/Business The DuPage County Health Department’s (DCHD) safe medication disposal program has collected and safely disposed of more than 132,250 pounds, or in excess of 66 tons, of medications since the program launched in 2009.

On Friday, Dec. 4, 17 municipalities participated in a DCHD drop-off event where 3,701 pounds of medications were collected. In 2020, the RxBOX program held three collection events, during which 12,093 pounds of medications were collected.

“During this pandemic, we continue to see the importance of the RxBOX program’s efforts to encourage residents to clear out their medicine cabinets and safely dispose of their medications,” said Karen Ayala, executive director of DuPage County Health Department. “Safe disposal

of unused medications helps address the ongoing concern of substance use within our communities and to reduce the opportunities for these medications to be misused. We are thankful to our municipal partners and the residents of DuPage County for making this effort possible.”

After collection, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (ILEPA) arranges for the incineration of these medications to ensure they are not reused.

The DuPage County Heroin Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Taskforce has supported safe drug-disposal through RxBOX and other drug take-back programs.

For more information including a list of items that are not accepted and RxBox locations, visit HOPE DuPage.

By Peter Hancock

in any part to the stricter Tier 3 mitigations that went into effect Nov. 20.

Those include closing bars and restaurants to indoor service, closing casinos, video gaming facilities, theaters and indoor recreation centers, and limiting the size of both indoor and outdoor public gatherings.

“Remember that there are a lot of things that affect employment that occurred long before just a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “We’ve seen layoffs at major companies that were in the works for some number of months now, so I can’t answer that question.”

The Labor Department also reported that 26,450 people filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a federally funded program for a class of workers who don’t normally qualify for traditional unemployment.

But state officials have noted that the PUA program has been fraught with fraud since its inception earlier this year and it is unclear how many of those claims are legitimate.

Meanwhile, there was only a 1 percent increase in new claims filed under the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, another federally-funded program that provides 13 weeks of additional jobless benefits for people who have exhausted their state benefits.

New jobless claims surge in Illinois

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS

More than 107,000 Illinois workers filed first-time unemployment claims, a 45-percent increase over the week before as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to wreak havoc on the state and national economies.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security reported that there were 107,616 new claims filed during the week that ended Saturday, Dec. 5, up from 75,536 the previous week. That compares to 14,798 initial claims filed during the same period last year.

That increase was part of a nationwide trend as the entire country has experienced record numbers of new cases and hospitalizations due to the pandemic. But the increase in new jobless claims in Illinois was sharper than it was nationally.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, new unemployment claims nationwide rose 32 percent over the prior week, to 947,504.

The number of people receiving continuing unemployment benefits has also risen. In Illinois, that number went up 14.5 percent, to 340,919, while nationally it rose 10 percent, to just under 5.8 million.

Gov. JB Pritzker declined to say whether the state’s increase was due

Wilder Mansion named ‘The Knot Best of Weddings 2021’ The reviews are in and Wilder Mansion is proud to make the list of The Knot Best of Weddings 2021. This accolade represents the highest-and most-rated wedding professionals as reviewed by real couples, their families and wedding guests on The Knot, a leading wedding planning and registry brand and app.

Despite COVID-19 interrupting many weddings and events this year, Wilder Mansion continued to support to-be-weds throughout their wedding planning journeys. From adjusting schedules to make way for postponed weddings, to helping couples host socially distanced weddings following

state and local guidelines, Wilder Mansion helped couples continue to celebrate life and love in a safe and memorable way.

Wilder Mansion is part of the five percent of local wedding professionals listed on The Knot who received this distinguished recognition. To determine the winners, The Knot analyzed its millions of user reviews across various vendor categories—including venues, musicians, florists, photographers, caterers and more—to find the highest rated vendors of the year.

For more information, please visit wildermansion.org.

A BIG “THANK YOU”

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County’s RxBOX collects over 66 tons of medication

Dec. 17, 2020 •19

to those readers who have sent a donation to help underwrite The Elmhurst Independent. For those of you who haven’t done so in the past year, but enjoy this newspaper and would like to help us pay for its operation, please send a donation in any amount to:

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20 • Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent

Best Value in Town!

Best Value in Town!

This Charming 5 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom Home has plenty of room to grow, 2,466 sf with an additional 1,502 sf of finished living space in the basement, including a wet bar. Beautiful hardwood floors throughout the 1st floor. The 2 bedrooms on $598,000 NEW PRICE!

This Charming 5 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom Home has plenty of room to grow, 2,466 sf with an additional 1,502 sf of finished living space in the basement, including a wet bar.

Beautiful hardwood floors throughout the 1st floor. The 2 bedrooms on the main level offer flexibility for a home office, art studio, or an in-law arrangement. The 2nd floor addition features large master bedroom with en suite. Highly efficient dual zoned heating and air conditioning. The oversized lot (63 x 221) has plenty of privacy, yardspace, and a patio space for entertaining. Large 2.5 car garage with walk-up loft. $598,000

What a View!

What a View!

Open and airy 2 bed / 2 bath Condo featuring 11 foot floor to ceiling windows. Beautiful and spacious kitchen with granite tops, stainless appliances and backsplash & ample storage.

Master bedroom with large walk-in-closet, en-suite with double $419,000 NEW PRICE!

Rarest of Opportunities

Rarest of Opportunities

Rare 1st floor master suite on a 3,500sf main level footprint.

Set on a 75x190 meticulously landscaped lot on one of the center of town’s quietest and best streets. Lots of prep for the market - tear off roof (2020), new carpet, fresh paint, $1,299,900 Center of Town with 1st Floor Master

Rare 1st floor master suite on a 3,500sf main level footprint. Set on a 75x190 meticulously landscaped lot on one of the center of town’s quietest and best streets. Lots of prep for the market tear off roof (2020), new carpet, fresh paint, refinished hardwood floors, and new windows. 4 beds, 4 baths, & heated 3 car garage w/ internal staircase to the basement. Chef’s kitchen w/ large prep/entertaining island, large separate eating area, high end SS appliances, w/ vaulted ceilings. And MUCH MORE! $1,299,900

All Brick McDougall Ranch

All Brick McDougall Ranch

This 3 bed/2 bath home sits on a 60 x 168 lot across the street from Visitation Grade School. Hardwood floors throughout the entire first floor, new kitchen floor tiling, Stainless Steel Appliances, Newer Countertops, Breakfast nook picnic table,

This MacDougall Split Level has 4 finished levels with nearly 3,600sf of finished living space. Well-cared by this 2nd owner, this home is a great family home with 4-5 bedrooms, oversized rooms, an eat-in kitchen, master suite with master

This MacDougall Split Level has 4 finished levels with nearly 3,600sf of finished living space. Wellcared by this 2nd owner, this home is a great family home with 4-5 bedrooms, oversized rooms, an eat-in kitchen, master suite with master bath, family room with stone fireplace, home office, a finished basement with tons of storage, attached 2.5 car garage, large laundry room, back deck and huge backyard. Walkable to Jefferson school with bus service to Bryan JRHS and York HS. Also, 3 blocks from the IL Prairie Path. Updates include AC, Hot Water Heater, Furnace, and Tear off Roof. $535,000

$535,000

Sharp Brick Ranch

Sharp Brick Ranch

Walk to Town/Train Location! This solid home has gorgeous HWD flrs a showstopper kitchen w/ open concept floorplan. 3 Bedroom 1 Level Living with over 2,200 sqft of finished living space. All the heavy lifting is done, you can move right in & $369,900

Don’t Miss This One!

Don’t Miss This One!

Attention Builders or Rehabbers. Great potential for building your Dream House located in awesome neighborhood. The home is situated on a 50 x 167. 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, stainless steel appliances, full unfinished basement. Tiny Tot

Attention Builders or Rehabbers. Great potential for building your Dream House located in awesome neighborhood. The home is situated on a 50 x 167. 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, stainless steel appliances, full unfinished basement.

Tiny Tot Park located just 3 homes away. Close to downtown Elmhurst amenities, great expressway access.

Home needs TLC or build new! $329,900

$329,900

Center of Town

Center of Town

This new Center of Town luxury home’s location puts you within walking distance to everything! Over 4,800 sf with its finished basement - exercise room, rec room, custom bar and wine room! Gracious 10 ft first floor ceilings welcome you to

Attention Savvy Investors!

Well-maintained 3 bed / 2.1 bath townhome in sought after Lancaster Square. Open floor plan w/ hardwood floors & spacious living area. Large eat-in kitchen w/ island, stainless appliances & great storage leads to balcony space. On the

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Walk to Town/Train Location! This solid home has gorgeous HWD flrs a showstopper kitchen w/ open concept floorplan. 3 Bedroom 1 Level Living with over 2,200 sqft of finished living space. All the heavy lifting is done, you can move right in & enjoy! The 167 foot lot offers loads of greenspace, mature, private landscaping! Lovely easily accessible patio area for dining al fresco & 1 car attached garage. HUGE Basement w/ Rec Rm/office space/ TV/Lounge Area for R&R. Potential 4th bedroom & SO MUCH STORAGE! Walk to Hawthorne GSl, Wilder Park/Court Plus/ Whole Foods, the WHOLE Package for the Affordable Price! $369,900

This new Center of Town luxury home’s location puts you within walking distance to everything!

Over 4,800 sf with its finished basement exercise room, rec room, custom bar and wine room! Gracious 10 ft first floor ceilings welcome you to this impressive home with HWF’s & extensive trim & ceiling detail throughout, 5 beds, 4.5 baths, 2.5 car garage, custom kitchen w/ highend SS appliances open to family rm, master suite w/ spa bath, designer plumbing/lighting fixtures, surround sound + more! Equipped with all the bells and whistles - backup generator, central vac, security system, & irrigation system.

1,295,000

1,295,000

Attention Savvy Investors!

$269,900

This 3 bed/2 bath home sits on a 60 x 168 lot across the street from Visitation Grade School. Hardwood floors throughout the entire first floor, new kitchen floor tiling, Stainless Steel Appliances, Newer Countertops, Breakfast nook picnic table, well kept Living Room Fireplace perfect for the Winter months, Finished basement with an additional 4th Bedroom w/ large walk in closet, All Brick 2.5 Car Garage, large spacious deck for Summer months and deep back yard. Low taxes! Close to Oak Brook Mall, Expressways, and More! $410,000

$410,000

Perfect Family Home

Perfect Family Home

Open and airy 2 bed / 2 bath Condo featuring 11 foot floor to ceiling windows. Beautiful and spacious kitchen with granite tops, stainless appliances and backsplash & ample storage.

Master bedroom with large walk-in-closet, ensuite with double vanity sink and large soaking tub. In-unit laundry. Steps to everything in this vibrant Fulton Market / West Loop localeRestaurants, Bars, Mariano’s, Whole Foods, Jewel, CTA, Metra, easy highway access & much more. Well-managed building with Doorman, Fitness Center, Dog Run & Bike Storage. Indoor heated garage is included. Unwind on your private balcony with picturesque Skyline views. $419,000

Well-maintained 3 bed / 2.1 bath townhome in sought after Lancaster Square. Open floor plan w/ hardwood floors & spacious living area. Large eat-in kitchen w/ island, stainless appliances & great storage leads to balcony space. On the 2nd level you will find the primary bedroom en-suite w/ walk-in-closet, two additional bedrooms / home office, full bathroom & conveniently located laundry. Cozy lower level family room w/ gas fireplace & attached 2 car garage. Ideal location is easily accessible to downtown Lombard, Yorktown & Oak Brook malls, shopping, restaurants, schools, IL Prairie Path, train & major transportation routes. $269,900

Gold Coast of VP

Gold Coast of VP

Right when you walk in the door the cathedral ceiling floor to ceiling fireplace will take your breath away! Gorgeous HWD Flrs throughout, Arched Doorways & the Charm/Character w/ the Open Concept/Updates to Envy! Updated Kitchen with $399,900

CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE: http://PrairiePathRealtors.com/

Right when you walk in the door the cathedral ceiling floor to ceiling fireplace will take your breath away! Gorgeous HWD Flrs throughout, Arched Doorways & the Charm/Character w/ the Open Concept/Updates to Envy! Updated Kitchen with Bonus 1st Floor Family beats anything on the market! Valuable Features include: New Windows, Roof, deferred maintenance items checked off the list! 3 HUGE BRs, 2 BAs this Home has over 3200 sqft of finished space, plus TONS of great storage space and a HUGE yard with a Trex Deck and Pool AND additional greenspace all within a 5 minute walk to the BEST of Villa Park & Prairie Path! $399,900

The Elmhurst Independent - Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 • 21

Interest rates under 3% and low inventory levels make this a perfect time to sell your home! Call 630-279-9500 for a FREE MARKET ANALYSIS on your home.

Premier Location!

Premier Location!

Rare opportunity to own this updated & expanded brick Georgian that has been lovingly looked after for over 45 years.

Enjoy the quiet single tree-lined block of S Lawndale from your front porch, yet close to all Elmhurst has to offer in this $559,000 NEW PRICE!

Rare opportunity to own this updated & expanded brick Georgian that has been lovingly looked after for over 45 years. Enjoy the quiet single tree-lined block of S Lawndale from your front porch, yet close to all Elmhurst has to offer in this center of town location - shops, restaurants, train. This 3 bed / 2.1 bath home boasts flexible living & entertainment options w/ a great floor plan perfect for today’s owner- Living room w/ gas fireplace, separate dining room, large Great room w/ expanded ceilings & exposed brick accent wall, family room/office w/ walls of windows. Large eatin kitchen w/ solid wood cabinets, SS appliances, backsplash & granite tops, wine fridge & wet bar. $559,000

Double Wide Lot For Sale

Double Wide Lot For Sale

Endless possibilities and potential to build your dream home on this oversized 100x125 lot close to City Centre, restaurants and Metra. Convenient access to all major transportation routes. Top-rated Field Elementary school. Well built 2 bed / 2

Endless possibilities and potential to build your dream home on this oversized 100x125 lot close to City Centre, restaurants and Metra.

Convenient access to all major transportation routes. Top-rated Field Elementary school. Well built 2 bed / 2 bath / 1765 sq ft brick and stone Ranch home is currently on property. Flexicore basement ceiling. Rehab, add on, or build new. As-Is Sale. Value in the land. $279,000

$279,000

Rarest of Opportunities

Built for the long-haul inside and out! Rare, 1st floor master suite on a 3,500sf main level footprint - enjoy all the convenience of single level living while still having a 2-story home with an entertainer’s dream basement offering another $1,299,900

Center of Town with 1st Floor Master Rarest of Opportunities Built for the long-haul inside and out! Rare, 1st floor master suite on a 3,500sf main level footprint - enjoy all the convenience of single level living while still having a 2-story home with an entertainer’s dream basement offering another 3,500sf. 75x190 meticulously landscaped lot on one of the center of town’s quietest streets. Updates: tear off roof (2020), new carpet, fresh paint, refinished hardwood floors, and new windows. 4 beds, 4 baths, and heated 3 car garage with internal staircase to the basement. Chef’s kitchen with vaulted ceiling, large prep/entertaining island, separate eating area, & high end stainless steel appliances. 2 story great room will blow you away with access to the back paver patio and yard from all sides. The basement is great for all ages - shuffle board court, vintage London pub, see-through fireplace, media room, gaming area with huge lightwell, tons of storage and steam shower. Zoned HVAC with radiant heat for the garage and basement. Within a short walk to downtown Elmhurst & schools. $1,299,900

Chic, Modern Farmhouse

2016 built modern farmhouse in sought after Jefferson school district. Covered, bluestone front porch welcomes you to 4 impressive levels of finished living space. Open 1st floor with white custom kitchen with large island, large family room with 1,125,000

386420

Chic, Modern Farmhouse 2016 built modern farmhouse in sought after Jefferson school district. Covered, bluestone front porch welcomes you to 4 impressive levels of finished living space. Open 1st floor with white custom kitchen with large island, large family room with gas fireplace flanked by built-ins, 1st floor office/e-learning, mudroom with built-in, powder room, formal dining room, and parlor room. The 2nd level offers 4 beds & 3 full baths, with impressive primary suite with walk-in closets and gorgeous bathroom. All bedrooms have bathroom access and large walk-in closets. The 3rd level is a finished yoga/zen/workout space with full bathroom.

Fully finished basement with full bath, bedroom, play area, and rec room with fireplace. Fenced yard with large playset and dog run on side yard. Freshly painted interior, custom window treatments and backup generator. Walk to Butterfield Park, Jefferson/Visitation schools, the Prairie Path, and great highway access. Nothing to do but unpack! 1,125,000

22 • Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent

E L M H U R S T 130 W. PARK AVE.

The Schiller Team • 4bed/4.1ba • $1,550,000 630.992.0582 • 186South.info

Yvonne Despinich • 5bed/4.1ba • $1,195,000 630.989.9500 • 111Adelia.info

Maria Gracik • 5bed/5ba • $649,000 630.306.7882 • 817Willow.info

Yvonne Despinich • 5bed/6ba • $1,495,000 630.989.9500 • 329Kenmore.info

The Schiller Team • 5bed/3.1ba • $1,124,900 630.992.0582 • 265Poplar.info

The Schiller Team • 5bed/4.1ba • $1,350,000 630.814.4065 • 614SColfax.info

Yvonne Despinich • 4bed/3ba • $695,000 630.989.9500 • 393Emroy.info

The Schiller Team • 4bed/2ba • $479,900 630.992.0582 • 732Parkside.info

Roseann Stuker • 5bed/3.1ba • $659,900 847.867.4004 • 692Indiana.info

Eva Sanchez • 4bed/2ba • $475,000 630.561.8742 • 944SParksideAvenue.info

MICHIGAN

Cathy DeBernardis • 4bed/3.1ba • $389,900 630.699.2757 • 166ELakeStE.info

Anne Thompson • 4bed/2ba • $371,900 630.740.2221 • 559Indiana.info

BENTON HARBOR Jackson Matson • 3bed/2ba $549,000 • 269.214.0240 174MorningWalkPath.info

ST. JOSEPH Chris Marzke • 4bed/2.1ba $475,000 • 269.208.3635 3822FoxCrossing.info

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The Elmhurst Independent - Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 • 23

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE A NEW HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

329 S KENMORE AVENUE, ELMHURST Offered at $1,495,000

155 E MARION STREET, ELMHURST Offered at $895,000

111 E ADELIA STREET, ELMHURST Offered at $1,195,000

393 N EMROY AVENUE, ELMHURST Offered at $695,000

421 S MITCHELL AVENUE, ELMHURST Offered at $665,000

BUYING OR SELLING? GIVE ME A TEXT OR CALL!

YVONNE DESPINICH, BROKER, CRS 630.989.9500 yvonned@atproperties.com • movetoelmhurst.com

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24 • Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020 - The Elmhurst Independent

435 North York Street Elmhurst, Illinois

www.PedersenRyberg.com info@pedersenryberg.com 630-834-1133

Robert “Bob” Chapelle has served many families at Pedersen Ryberg over the last 30+ years and we are excited to have him back!

He is truly committed to each family that walks through the door and treats them as his own.

Pedersen Ryberg Funeral Home is dedicated to providing a full range of services by our staff of compassionate professionals.

From pre-planning and pre-funding to an unexpected death, we are here for you and your family 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - no matter the situation.

For well over fifty years, we have been providing meaningful and proven options with total respect in keeping with family values (and budget) - whether a traditional funeral, celebration of life, burial, entombment, or cremation. We strive to respect your wishes with uncompromised quality and value and help create a way to memorialize yourself or a loved one.

Our commitment and goal is to assist families in any way we can during what is considered one of the most difficult times in their lives.

NEW Lounge on Main Floor

Plan Ahead ✓Let Your Wishes be Known ✓Don’t put the Burden of Decision Making on Family

Celebrate your life - personalize your service to be as unique as you are.

Make your sendoff an experience for family and friends, of sharing and togetherness.

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✓