Villa Park’s Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2801 welcomed 46 recruits from Naval Station Great Lakes for last week’s Thanksgiving celebration. Volunteers waved American flags to welcome recruits to the post at about 9:30 a.m. The recruits spent about eight hours at the post, which is located at 39 E. St. Charles Road. In addition to enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, the recruits were
able to communicate with loved ones.
their
has held
Villa Park’s Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2801 resumed a longtime Thanksgiving tradition last week.
For several years, the post has welcomed recruits from Naval Sta tion Great Lakes on Thanksgiving.
The young recruits spend the day at the post, where they can relax, watch football games on televi sion, reach out to loved ones and enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
ing.
Holiday events were canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic; this year’s gathering welcomed 46 recruits from Naval Station Great Lakes place in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The celebration returned this year, with a busload of 46 recruits spending Thanksgiving at the Villa Park post last week.
Freshman Lindsey Rugg of the Willowbrook softball team is pictured while at tempting to score a run during Friday’s game at Downers Grove South. Rugg tried to score from second base on a single by sophomore Katelyn Cox in the top of the second inning, when the game was tied at 2-2. Downers Grove South’s catcher tagged Rugg out at home plate for the third out of the inning. The Mustangs went on to defeat the Warriors 7-3 in the West Suburban Gold Conference contest. Wil
Willowbrook High School’s Class of 2021 celebrated its commencement with two separate ceremonies in the school’s main gymnasium on Sunday morning. The en tire class includes over 470 students. About half of those students attended the
The post’s event to welcome re cruits on Thanksgiving didn’t take
The recruits arrived at the post at about 9:30 a.m. Volunteers wav ing American flags lined the side walk to welcome the recruits as they approached the post’s front door.
lowbrook rebounded from Friday’s loss to post an 11-2 win in Saturday’s game at Hinsdale Central. The Warriors bashed three home runs in the second inning of Sat urday’s non-conference battle against the Red Devils of the West Suburban Silver Conference. Senior Annemarie Knudtson, freshman Isabella Dugo and sophomore Kayleigh Dennison provided the home runs. Dennison (No. 5) is pictured in the background of the above photo. For more about the Warriors, see page 14.
“We enjoy doing it; I wish we could have done it for the last cou ple of years,” said Post 2801 Com mander Jim Blankshain while dis cussing the post’s history of wel coming recruits on Thanksgiving.
ceremony that began at 9 a.m. The others participated in the ceremony that started at 11 a.m. The photo shows members of the Willowbrook Senior Choir performing during the day’s first service. For more photos, see Page 4.
“We want to help them so they can call home, get on the internet and have a nice Thanksgiving outside of the base.”
recruits, who were seated at sever al tables in the post’s main hall— the Sid Bergh Room. The meal included roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, cranberries and a variety of desserts.
Shortly after arriving, the re cruits, who have been in boot camp for the last several weeks, picked up donuts, pastries, coffee and juice. They also used computers, phones and tablets to reconnect with family and friends. Since they began boot camp several weeks ago, the recruits hadn’t been al lowed to have online contact with their loved ones—until Thanksgiv
Blankshain, who stated that the recruits will be graduating from boot camp this week, delivered a brief speech to the recruits shortly after their arrival. At the end of his remarks, he invited a couple of recruits to lead the entire group in singing the unofficial march song of the United States Navy— “Anchors Aweigh.”
Culinary students from College of DuPage prepared the holiday meal for the recruits. The vol unteers at the post heated up and served the food on Thanksgiving Day.
Franklin Park, located at 218 N. Third Ave., are: Villa Park Village Trustee Christine Murphy, Justin Shlensky—chair of the Villa Park Environmental Concerns Commis sion, Margaret Schiefer—a member of the Villa Park Environmental Concerns Commission, Villa Park Village Trustee Cheryl Tucker, Villa Park Village President Albert Bulthuis, Villa Park Village Trustee (and Village President-Elect) Nick Cuzzone and Leslie Allison-Seei—chair of the Villa Park Community Pride Commission. Arbor Day is observed on the last Friday of each April. The National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Villa Park with Tree City USA designation for 36 straight years. To receive that recogni tion, a community must have a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, a comprehensive com munity forestry program and an Arbor Day observance.
At 4 p.m., the recruits were able to make turkey and ham sand wiches and enjoy some additional dessert items. The recruits, who weren’t allowed to bring any food back to Naval Station Great Lakes, departed from the post at about 5:30 p.m.
Villa Park Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2801 held its Memorial Day service on Monday morning at Cortesi Veterans Memorial Park. Post Commander Jim Blankshain is pictured bowing his head as Willowbrook High School students Lily Hendrickson and Anna Seelbach sound taps at the end of the ceremony. The post’s 2020 Memorial Day event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s observance included a reading of the names of the Post 2801 members who have recently died. That list included World War II veteran Charles “Sid” Bergh, who served as the master of ceremonies of the post’s annual Memorial Day service for several years. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Bergh died in October 2020. He was 94 years old. Bergh was the post’s last surviving World War II veteran.
At noon, about 20 volunteers served Thanksgiving dinner to the
From Oct. 16 to 30, District 88 hosted 22 students and two staff members from Helmholtzschule in Frankfurt, Germany, as part of the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) student exchange. GAPP’s purpose is to provide information about cultural, social and political life in Germany by encouraging intercultural dialogue and enabling cultural in volvement. This was District 88’s second time participating in the program.
During their time here, the group visited Addison Trail and Willowbrook, where they toured the buildings and viewed extracurricu
lar activities. They also spent time in Chicago, visiting several landmarks.
“The purpose is to build a relationship be tween students of two countries and keep that relationship even after high school,” said Nilay Woodbury, District 88 world language teacher.
“One of District 88’s greatest strengths is the rich diversity among its students and staff. The district has about 50 languages and more than 30 countries represented among its families, and almost half of the nearly 4,000 students in the district speak a language other than English at home.
“District 88 continuously provides opportu nities for students to experience other cultures, and through the GAPP, pupils from Addison Trail and Willowbrook will visit Germany in
June 2023. Whether it’s traveling to Europe or hosting guests from abroad, those interactions teach students life lessons and help them de velop a global mindset.”
The DuPage County Board on Tuesday unanimously approved its Fiscal Year 2023 budget, which includes a balanced, $584.1 million spending plan and a reduction in property taxes for homeowners.
Due to conservative financial planning, DuPage County is projected to finish the 2022 Fiscal Year with a surplus of $40 million. Among the ways the County will utilize those funds include:
• $3 million for major renovations at the DuPage Care Center;
• $2 million for transportation infrastructure, including roadway improvements and enhanced pedestrian and bicycle pathways;
• $6 million to replace the County’s existing financial system which will soon reach end of life;
• $3.25 million to replace aging vehicles;
• $250,000 for the DuPage Neighborhood Revitalization Program;
• $393,800 for solar panels to provide clean energy for part of the County campus;
• $398,680 for a stormwater improvement project at Winfield Creek.
“During our financial planning process, my intention is always to create a budget that sets a strong foundation for the future,” Cronin said. “As I prepare to leave the office of County Board Chairman, I am confident this budget will provide a foundation for success for the next generation of County leaders.”
The total proposed budget for DuPage County is $584.1 million, with a General Fund budget of $234.6 million. The General Fund is the County’s chief operating fund covering most personnel and program operations.
The proposed budget includes a $69.9 million property tax levy and a property tax abatement of $5 million, which will be automatically deducted from homeowners’ property tax bills in 2023. Residents do not need to take any action to realize the savings.
The 2023 Fiscal Year begins on Dec. 1. DuPage County is AAA bond rated. The County’s latest reported unemployment rate was 3.3 percent for the month of September.
To view the full FY2023 County budget document, visit dupagecounty.gov/finance.
Area police departments recently reported the following arrests and citations. Readers are reminded that an arrest does not constitute a con viction, and that suspects are consid ered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Persons charged with domestic battery are not named in order to pro tect the privacy of victims.
Juveniles age 17 or younger are not named.
Editor’s note: There was no report submitted by the Addison Police De partment last week.
Jacqueline Floro, 30, of Schaum burg, was charged with DUI, driv ing too fast for conditions and no insurance near N. Route 83 and W. North at 1:34 a.m.
A 29-year-old Villa Park man was charged with two counts of domes tic battery in the 400 block of N. 3rd at 2:51 a.m.
Nov. 18
George Ilibasic, 42, of Addison, was charged with possession of a
controlled substance, obstructing justice/tampering with evidence/ false information, DUI—combi nation of alcohol, drugs or intox ication compound, driving while license revoked, driving a vehicle on a sidewalk and no insurance in the 400 block of N. Ardmore at 7:55 p.m.
Theft of a vehicle was reported in the 1000 block of N. Villa at 6 p.m. A complainant reported unknown suspect removed a vehicle that was parked in a parking lot.
Police said Antwan Broughton, 19, of Chicago, was arrested on a failure to appear warrant out of DuPage County near N. Villa and E. North at 12:27 a.m. Broughton also was issued citations for driving while license revoked and operating a vehicle with a cancelled, suspend ed or revoked Illinois registration.
Police said Danielle M. Parks, 52, of Hanover Park, was arrested on an original complaint and warrant on the above date and was charged with battery that causes bodily harm that allegedly occurred Aug. 21.
Nov. 15
Joseph C. De Matteis, 49, of Villa Park, was charged with DUI, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and disobeying a stop sign near N. Addison and W. Vermont at 8:38 p.m.
Michael Nimoch, 53, of Bell wood, was arrested on an original complaint and warrant in the 900 block of S. Route 83 at 2:27 a.m. for an alleged incident that occurred Oct. 25.
Alexander Sotiropoulos, 49, of Homer Glen, was charged with re tail theft/possessing displayed mer chandise exceeding $300, resisting or obstructing a police officer and unlawful possession of drug par aphernalia at a store in the 1-100 block of E. North at 4:36 p.m.
Theft by deception was reported at a bank in the 100 block of E. Roo sevelt at 9:54 a.m. A complainant reported they attempted to help a family in need and received what was purported to be real gold. Lat er it was determined to be costume jewelry.
A complainant in the 1600 block of S. Michigan reported at 5:33 p.m.
that an unknown subject is sending them threatening text messages.
A complainant in the 1600 block of S. Michigan reported at 12:39 p.m. that an unknown suspect broke the passenger side window of a ve hicle parked in the parking lot.
A complainant in the 400 block of W. Division reported at 5:13 p.m. that a subject threatened them via phone.
According to information provid ed last week by the Villa Park Police Department, police reported four in cidents of residents being a victim of fraud or identity theft.
According to information pro vided last week by the Villa Park Police Department, police reported one incident of a catalytic converter being removed from vehicles at the following location: the 900 block of W. North at 5:07 p.m. Nov. 14.
The Bensenville Police Depart ment recently reported the following
arrests and citations. Persons who are charged with domestic battery are not named in order to protect the vic tim’s privacy. Readers are remind ed that an arrest does not constitute a conviction, and that suspects are considered innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. Juveniles age 17-or-younger are not named.
Nov. 21, 2:48 p.m. in the 100 block of W. Grand Ave., a complainant re ported fraud at their business from a known customer. This case is under investigation. BEPC2201036
Nov. 21, 12:05 a.m. near Irving Park and York Roads, Alvardo D. Gomez-Martinez, 33, of Bensenville, was arrested for driving under the in fluence-alcohol and no valid driver’s license. BEPC2201033
Nov. 20,10:50 p.m. near Foster Av enue and N. Route 83, Ernesto I. Var gas, 36, of Chicago, was arrested for aggravated unlawful use of a weap on, possess controlled substance, ob structing justice, driving while under the influence-alcohol and other traf fic violations. BEPC2201032
Nov. 18, 9:05 p.m. in the 1000 block of S. York Road, a complainant reported a domestic incident with a known suspect. This case is under in vestigation. BEPC2201027
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Naperville Chief of Police Jason Arres announced that additional conditions of bond have been granted for a former Naperville School District 203 paraprofessional charged with possessing child por nography.
On Nov. 15, Judge Jeffrey MacKay issued a $250,000 with 10 per cent to apply arrest warrant for Jef frey Wickman, 33, of Naperville.
The Elmhurst University Festival of Lessons and Carols draws together the campus and community to wel come a joyful and spiritual season.
This year’s celebration of the tra dition will take place on Friday, Dec. 2, in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel on the campus of Elmhurst University. The University will offer two Lessons and Carols services, at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., to accommodate the popularity of the event. Doors will open half an hour before each start time. The event is free and all are welcome.
For those who cannot attend in person, the 7:00 p.m. service will be livestreamed at elmhurst.edu/blue jaytv.
The Festival of Lessons and Carols is an Elmhurst University tradition that bridges the season of Advent and Christmastide. Held since 1961, the Festival consists of nine Scriptural readings that tell the story of the birth of the Messiah, interspersed with choral music. The Elmhurst Univer sity choirs will perform time-hon ored songs to accompany each read ing and set the holiday mood.
For more information, email mar keting@elmhurst.edu.
Three days later, Wickman turned himself in at the Naperville Police Department and was released after posting 10 percent or $25,000, of the warrant.
Wickman has been charged with four counts of felony possession of child pornog raphy. Judge John Kinsella granted the state’s motion for additional con ditions of bond which includes: no contact with any minor under the age of eighteen; refrain from entering any Naperville School District 203 build ings or grounds; stay 1,000 feet away from any school or park; have soft ware installed on his electronic devic es to monitor his online activities; not consume any controlled substances, including cannabis and submit to test
ing; and not possess any firearms, fire arm ammunition, firearm parts, FOID or conceal carry card.
Through the course of their con tinuing efforts into combating child pornography, investigators from the Naperville Police Department re ceived a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding an IP address pos sibly engaging in child pornography.
one of these disgusting images rep resenting yet another victim,” Berlin said. “The charges filed against Mr. Wickman sends the message that law enforcement in DuPage County will aggressively and proactively pursue child pornographers wherever they may lurk.
charges are in no way connected with Mr. Wickman’s association with Na perville School District 203. Author ities at the school have been exceed ingly cooperative and for that I thank them.”
Wickman’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2023, for ar raignment in front of Judge Kinsella. Jeffrey Wickman
Based upon this information and following the execution of a search warrant, it is alleged that a search of Wickman’s Google Drive account yielded child pornography. It is fur ther alleged that following a search warrant executed at Wickman’s home on Tuesday, Nov. 1, authorities found cached images of child pornography on Wickman’s electronic devices.
“Child pornography is vile, abusive to thousands of young children and is not a victimless crime with each
“I want to stress however, that these
The Villa Park Review is published every Thursday by Rock Valley Publishing, LLC, 240 N. West Avenue, Elmhurst, IL. 60126.
Display Advertising: 630.834-8355
Classified Advertising: 630.834-8244 News: 630.834-8244 General Information: 630.834-8244
Advertising Department: ads1@rvpublishing.com News Department: CFox@rvpublishing.com Classified Department: Classifieds@rvpublishing.com
A busload of 46 recruits from Naval Station Great Lakes visited Villa Park’s Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2801 on Thanksgiving. The recruits arrived at the post at about 9:30 a.m. and stayed until about 5:30 p.m. Several volunteers served a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to the recruits at noon. Area businesses and organizations donated food, money and other items to con tribute to the holiday celebration. Culinary students from College of DuPage prepared the Thanks giving meal, which included roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuff ing, cranberries and more. Shortly after the recruits arrived, Post 2801 Commander Jim Blankshain gave a brief speech. Near the end of his comments, Blankshain invited the recruits to stand and sing the unofficial march song of the United States Navy—“Anchors Aweigh.” While spending the day at the post, recruits were able to reach out to their family and friends for the first time in several weeks. The recruits hadn’t been allowed to speak to their loved ones since they began boot camp.
Free celebration includes photos with Santa from 5-8 p.m.
Rae Rupp Srch—a former Vil la Park village president who is involved in multiple charitable organizations—chaired the com mittee that put together last week’s Thanksgiving celebration at the post. She and her fellow volunteers began planning the event in August.
“We are your family for today,” said Rupp Srch in her brief com ments to the recruits at last week’s gathering. “We want you to enjoy every moment.”
A significant part of Rupp Srch’s duties in arranging the Thanksgiv ing festivities at Post 2801 was to contact area businesses to ask for donations for the event. She said that numerous groups were very generous in making donations of food, money and other items.
Rupp Srch mentioned some of the businesses and organizations that contributed to the event. She noted that Mike’s Market of Villa Park supplied the turkey for the re cruits’ Thanksgiving dinner, while Kuppie’s Bakery provided donuts and other pastries.
The Villa Park Review is mailed to the 60181 zip code areas for $45.00 yearly. Out-of-area mail subscriptions are $50.00 yearly. For home delivery information call 630.834-8244.
Content appearing in the Villa Park Review may not be reprinted without permission of the publisher or editor. Requests should be directed to Independent@rvpublishing.com or 630.834-8244.
Postmaster: Please send address changes to:
THE VILLA PARK REVIEW 240 N. West Avenue, Elmhurst, IL. 60126
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 11am-3pm
The Villa Park Chamber of Com merce will hold its annual Joyful Traditions celebration this Saturday, Dec. 3. The free family event will take place from 4–8 p.m. along the Illinois Prairie Path, just west of Ardmore Avenue, near the Rugaard Gazebo.
Santa Claus is expected to arrive at about 5 p.m. He will be available to take photos with children in the gazebo until 8 p.m.
Villa Park Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2801 will serve
ANDON BICA, 65
Andon Bica, age 65, of Villa Park, formerly of Korçë, Albania, died Nov. 25, 2022 at his home.
A Visitation was held on Monday, Nov. 27, from 4-8 PM at Brust Fu neral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lom bard with a Funeral Service held on Tuesday, Nov. 28, at 10 AM, also at the funeral home. Interment at Forest Hill Cemetery, Glen Ellyn.
Info: www.brustfuneralhome.com or 888-629-0094.
RONALD J. WALLS, 59
Ronald J. Walls, age 59, of Villa Park, formerly of Chicago and Mo kena, died Nov. 26, 2022.
A Visitation will be held on Satur day, Dec. 3, from 9:30 AM followed until the time of a Funeral Service 12:00 PM, at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main St., Lombard. Interment will be private.
Info: www.brustfuneralhome or 888-629-0094.
free hot chocolate. Carolers from the Willowbrook High School Choir will perform familiar holiday songs.
The festive holiday event will also include food trucks, trolley rides, a s’more station and more.
She stated that Costco donated pies, while School District 45 pro vided some of the computers that the recruits used to contact their loved ones. The Villa Park Po lice Department supplied phones for the recruits to use to call their family and friends. Students from School District 45’s Jefferson Mid dle School and Salt Creek School District 48’s Stella May Swartz El ementary School in Oakbrook Ter race created cards and decorations for recruits to enjoy during the hol iday celebration.
G.M. Smith & Son Realtors, located at 203 S. Villa Ave., Villa Park, is holding its annual food drive through Friday, Dec. 16. The food drive is collecting non-perishable food items and household necessities, which will be delivered to local food pantries on Dec. 17. Items needed include: canned or bagged beans, canned tuna or chicken, canned soups, stews, broth, chili, fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, jams and jellies, ketchup, mustard, relish, pickles, processed cheese, cereal, oatmeal, pasta, rice, mac and cheese, instant breakfasts, napkins, paper towels, toilet paper, milks (condensed, evaporated and powder), juices (100 percent), flour, flour-based mixes (bread, brownie and cake) diapers, baby wipes, soap, shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste. No glass containers. For more information, call 630-834-2632.
Illinois House Speaker Emanu el “Chris” Welch, who recently an nounced he has the support for an other term as House speaker, says he looks forward to governing with an even larger supermajority than he had during his first two years.
“Expanding our caucus was definite ly a priority of mine,” he said during an interview with Capitol News Illinois. “But from a policy standpoint, we want to continue to build on the budget work that we’ve done. Expanding our caucus would not have been possible if people didn’t believe Democrats were doing the right things.”\Welch, a Democrat from suburban Hillside, was elected speaker in January 2021 after most in the Democratic caucus refused to back longtime Speaker Michael Madigan, who’d been implicated in a bribery scandal and has since been in dicted on corruption charges.
During his first two years, Dem ocrats held a 73-45 advantage in the House, and Welch used that to pass landmark legislation, including the Clean Energy Jobs Act, which pro vides state support for carbon-free en ergy production and seeks to phase out fossil fuel power plants by 2045.
That supermajority also enabled Democrats to control the redistricting process when lawmakers drew new maps for the General Assembly, con gressional districts and the Supreme Court. In the elections that followed, Democrats widened their majority in the House by at least four seats—one race remained too close to call as of last week—while also capturing a 5-2 majority on the state supreme court.
In all, while Democrats who ran for statewide offices received, on average, about 55 percent of the vote, Demo crats captured roughly 66 percent of the state legislative seats.
When asked whether gerryman dering played a role in those results, Welch said it did not.
“What I would say is that the maps reflect the diversity of our state,” he said. “And one of the things that I said as the leader of our caucus and the speaker of the House last year when we were going through that process, that any fair map would reflect the di versity of our state. And if you look at the election results, the election results show that.”
He said the results in the House were an example of that.
“We elected our first Vietnamese American to the House,” he said. “We elected our first Korean American to the House. We elected our first Arab American Muslim to the House. We elected our first Indian American Mus lim to the House. We elected our first South Asian, Pacific Islander Amer ican to the House. Diversity is well represented in the Illinois House, and we look like Illinois, and we look like America. And we should be proud of that.”
Welch said one key factor in the
election that worked in Democrats’ favor was the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June overturning Roe v. Wade. That decision, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, said the U.S. Constitu tion does not protect a woman’s right to have an abortion, effectively giving states the authority to regulate that pro cedure as they see fit.
“It certainly played a role in what happened on Nov. 8,” he said. “You know, I said it in a number of speech es here during the campaign that No vember was coming. And if you look at what happened here in Illinois and across the country, that decision really got women to the polls. It got 18- to 24-year-olds to the polls, and they vot ed in droves.”
When the Dobbs decision was handed down, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly quickly called for
a special session to call for even more protection for abortion access in Illi nois. Likewise, a few weeks later after a mass shooting at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, they called for a special session to call for more restrictions on assault-style weapons in Illinois.
But in the ensuing weeks, both of those issues were put on hold as var ious “working groups” were formed with lawmakers and stakeholders in an effort to reach a consensus on mea sures that could actually pass.
While Illinois has among the least restrictive abortion laws on the books, Welch said there is still more the state can do, possibly including a state con stitutional amendment to protect abor tion rights.
“That’s certainly one of the ques tions that’s out there, and it’s a strong possibility,” he said. “But again, I don’t want to get ahead of the working group or the recommendations they formally
present. I’m certain that’s one of the things that’s on the table.”
Regarding assault weapons regula tion, Welch said that issue will have to wait until the 2023 session begins in January, when only a simple ma jority of votes is needed to pass new laws with an immediate effective date. That’s because the Illinois Constitution requires a three-fifths majority for bills passed after June 1 to have an immedi ate effective date.
“Anything that we do on assault weapons, we would want it to be effec tive immediately,” he said. “And I just don’t think we would have 71 votes to get something done in this shortened veto session. But I do believe that we’re going to be able to deliver for the people of Illinois an assault weap ons ban next year, and we’re going to work real hard to make that happen.”
Lawmakers still had the veto ses sion, which continued through Dec.1.
Welch said the top priority for those days were to pass “clarifications” to the SAFE-T Act, a sweeping criminal justice reform package passed in Jan uary 2021 that includes, among other things, eliminating cash bail effective Jan. 1, 2023.
In particular, he said, there has been disagreement among prosecutors and law enforcement officials about what should happen on Jan. 1 with people already being detained pretrial in lieu of bail. The law doesn’t specifically say what happens to those individu als, which has led some to claim that it could lead to their widespread release from jail.
“They’re interpreting it in a way that says that they have to swing the jail doors open at midnight,” he said.
“And even though that’s absolutely not true, we’re going to add some lan guage making it explicitly clear how that transition should work.”
Our Comfort Care Dentistry makes going to the dentist an unexpected pleasure.
We’ve been changing people’s ideas about dentistry for a long time.
No Black Fillings! Tooth colored fillings that look pleasing.
Gentle dental care for adults and children.
Convenient location and appointment times.
No shot laser fillings available. New technology allows for smaller, faster fillings without discomfort.
Knowledgeable staff using the latest technology.
Watch movies or listen to music while you have your teeth fixed. Whitening, implants, and smile makeovers.
The Willowbrook girls basketball team earned its first win of the season when it closed out its Thanksgiving invitational with last week’s 37-32 triumph over Lockport.
The Warriors, who improved to 1-3 with the victory, lost their first three games in the five-team, round-robin event. They lost to Plainfield East, Montini Catholic and East Aurora before completing the invitational with their win over Lockport on Nov. 22.
Junior Elle Bruschuk scored a team-leading 14 points in the War riors’ win over the Porters. Senior Rimon Kari added 10 points. Senior Yazmin Setaram scored five points, while senior Sara Stout provided four points with a pair of fourth-quar ter baskets. Senior Nina Nytko and junior Tia Kelly scored two points each.
Willowbrook led Lockport 14-5 after one quarter. The Porters cut the Warriors’ lead to 19-16 by halftime. The Porters made a 3-point shot with about five minutes left in the third quarter to take a 22-21 lead.
Willowbrook regained a 25-24 lead when Bruschuk sank a 3-point shot with a little more than two min utes left in the third quarter. The War riors held that 25-24 edge at the end of the period.
Stout’s second basket of the fourth quarter gave Willowbrook a 30-28 lead with 3:10 to play.
Bruschuk pushed the Warriors’ lead to 33-28 when she drained a cor ner 3-point shot with about 2:15 left in the game. Bruschuk’s inside bas ket extended the lead to 35-28 with 1:33 remaining.
Lockport made a 3-point shot with about one minute to play to trim Wil lowbrook’s lead to 35-31. The Por ters added a free throw with about 40 seconds on the clock to cut the War riors’ lead to three points.
Lockport missed a 3-point shot that could have tied the game in the closing seconds. The Porters re bounded the missed shot, but subse
quently turned the ball over.
Lockport fouled Kari with 3.7 sec onds to play. Kari went to the freethrow line and made a pair of shots to seal the Warriors’ first victory of the season.
One night before playing Lock port, Willowbrook suffered a 55-33 loss to East Aurora. The Warriors trailed the Tomcats 21-3 after one
quarter and 27-11 at halftime. East Aurora’s lead grew to 45-19 by the end of the third quarter.
Stout scored a team-high 12 points in the Warriors’ loss to East Aurora. Setaram contributed six points by making a pair of 3-point shots in the second quarter.
Montini Catholic won the title at Willowbrook’s invite. The Broncos
went 4-0 in the event, scoring dou ble-digit wins over each of their op ponents.
Bruschuk and Nytko were named to the invitational’s all-tournament team.
The Warriors opened their West
Suburban Gold Conference season with this week’s game at Hinsdale South. This week’s schedule also includes a non-conference battle at Lake Park, as well as Saturday’s conference matchup at District 88 rival Addison Trail.
Willowbrook’s girls basketball team captured its first victory of the season last week when it completed its own Thanksgiving invite with a 37-32 win over Lockport on Nov. 22. The Warriors lost their first three games in the five-team, round-robin invitational. Willowbrook led Lockport 25-24 through three quarters of last week’s game. Ju nior Elle Bruschuk (No. 33 - above) is pictured while launching and making a 3-point shot that gave the Warriors a 33-28 lead with about 2:15 to play. Bruschuk added an inside basket to raise the Warriors’ lead to 35-28 with about 1:30 left in the game. Senior Rimon Kari (No. 30 - bottom left) is pictured at the free-throw line in the game’s closing seconds. Kari made a pair of free throws with 3.7 seconds to play to lock up the win for Willowbrook. Another photo shows Brus chuk and senior Nina Nytko (No. 21 - right), who were both named to the invite’s all-tournament team. Willowbrook’s schedule this week includes West Suburban Gold Conference games at Hinsdale South and Addison Trail.
The Willowbrook boys basketball team began its 2022-23 season by winning one of four games and earn ing a sixth-place finish in St. Charles East’s eight-team Thanksgiving tour nament.
The Warriors opened the event with a 68-54 victory over South El gin on Nov. 22. One day later, Wil lowbrook dropped a 73-61 decision to Plainfield East. The Warriors com pleted play in their four-team pool with a 65-49 loss to Benet Academy on Friday. Willowbrook then faced St. Charles East in Saturday’s fifthplace game. The Saints defeated the Warriors 72-48.
non-conference contest.
Willowbrook senior Noah Camp bell was named to St. Charles East event’s all-tournament team. Camp bell scored a team-leading 25 points in the Warriors’ victory over South Elgin. He also had three rebounds and three assists in the 14-point win over the Storm.
Senior Isaac Sobieszczyk provid ed 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in Willow brook’s win over South Elgin. Senior Luke Davis supplied 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Junior Kenyon Rhodes and senior Tyler Royal delivered eight points each.
The Warriors defeated Chicago’s Gary Comer College Prep (756), Marian Catholic (60-22) and St. Rita (42-32)
Saturday. The Willowbrook wrestlers who posted perfect 3-0 records during the day included senior Elijah Smith, senior Charlie Hayes, senior James Duffecy, sophomore Josh Puknaitis and sophomore Elias Samayoa.
The Warriors’ season continues with this Friday’s West Suburban Gold Conference home meet against Morton. The Warriors will compete in a tournament at Plainfield North High School this Saturday.
After beginning their season with a 1-3 start at the Thanksgiving tour nament in St. Charles, the Warriors’ season continues with this Friday’s West Suburban Gold Conference opener at Morton. Willowbrook will play its first home game of the sea son on Dec. 7, when it will square off against Naperville Central in a
Campbell poured in 31 points in Willowbrook’s loss to Plainfield East on Nov. 23. He added six rebounds and three assists. The Warriors trailed Plainfield East 28-25 at halftime, but the Bengals pulled away in the sec ond half to earn a 12-point win.
Americans look forward to celebrating the simplest of gifts and gathering with family and friends around the table during the holiday season.
It is also often a time of giving thanks as Illinois farmers mark the end of another growing season.
The past few years have confronted all Americans to pivot, adapt, and learn as we navigate uncharted waters.
In March 2018, American farmers were dealing with market destruction because of China’s trade wars. The May 2019 spring planting season reminded Midwest farmers that Mother Nature was in charge when many acres went unplanted.
The pandemic that began in March 2020 forced all of us to pivot. Farmers continued to grow food to feed our neighbors in rural, urban, and global communities.
The curveballs continued in 2022 with high inflation, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and uncertainty for an already fragile economy. Farmers vividly remember the role inflation played in the 1980s farm crisis. That crisis is forever etched in farmers’ memories as historically high-interest rates reached 19 percent. Many farmers didn’t survive the crisis. Those who did spent many years paying off the debt created by the high-interest rates.
Despite the adversity many family farms have faced over the years, 96 percent of Illinois farms are still family-owned.
I understand firsthand the role inflation has had inside our home and farming operation. Inflation running at 7 percent to 9 percent in recent months is robbing consumers (and farmers) of their buying power Food price inflation is even higher. Other factors include supply chain disruptions and the war in Ukraine, with other countries pulling back on exports to protect domestic food supplies.
When I’ve been interviewed by news media over the past four years, the standard question is, “How will this impact consumers?” The truth is a farmer’s share of the food dollar is only 7.4 cents.
Illinois shoppers participating in the 37th annual American Farm Bureau Federation’s Thanksgiving Cost survey captured a statewide average price of $65.53 for a classic Thanksgiving meal for 10 people, a 13 percent increase over the previous year’s state average of $58.15. General price inflation is a big part of the increase in cost for the meal.
It is likely those high prices will continue through the remaining holidays and into the new year
Food prices reflect many factors including transportation, distribution, and food company marketing costs. Rising costs for fuel, which have more than doubled, and fertilizer, which have tripled, are driving food prices up. As President Kennedy said many years ago, “Farmers are price takers and not price makers.”
The food we grow is shared with our family, friends and neighbors. Farmers understand the pain consumers are feeling at the checkout counter this holiday season.
November is typically gratitude month. It’s a time for us to take stock of and count our blessings, being mindful of them and appreciating all that life has bestowed upon us.
We all know we should practice gratitude every day of the year, but heck, like the song says: one out of twelve ain’t bad.
I love gratitude better than a good turkey gravy poured over a big pile of mashed taters on a cool autumn day in November. And I’ve been known to tout this loudly: “Be grateful right now, or I’ll give you something to be grateful for!”
The last two Novembers— supposedly gratitude months—have been difficult for me. And, with a sign, I admit this year seems to be mirroring the last two. So, instead of being grateful for the normal things (which are great to be grateful for, but the way.) I’m taking a new path, a new route of gratitude. Much like I’ve taken a new route in life.
There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from Mia Ashley Sosa to the new name of Riley Knight Sosa. The court date will be held on 12/29/22 at 9:00 a.m., at 505 N. County Farm Rd., Wheaton, DuPage County, in Courtroom #2007. /s/Mia Sosa Mia A. Sosa (Published in the Addison Independent, Bensenville Independent & Villa Park Review Dec. 1, 8 & 15, 2022) 429466
As we give thanks again this year for our many blessings, please know farmers will strive to provide affordable food sustainably to make sure our traditions continue.
This op-ed was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com.
This year, I am thankful for memories. And feelings. And the life I’ve lived so far (been blessed with so far) because it has been wonderful. We are told not to look back, not to look forward, but to stay in the present, but today I’m indulging myself.
Today I’m taking a peek at the past—with gratitude. Today I give thanks for 33-plus years of wonderfulness and things that surge the gratitude within me.
I am grateful I need to sleep with a weighted blanket because I was so
By JILL PERTLER Columnist
used to being hugged all night long.
I am grateful for the atlas I still keep in the car. You never trusted the app maps on your phone, and preferred to rely on good old paper navigation. I no longer use the atlas, but I’ll keep it forever, because it reminds me of you.
I am grateful for the many years I had someone to dance with at weddings.
I am grateful you got to see our daughter get married and walk her down the aisle at her wedding.
I am grateful we raised our children together and they got to adulthood (or nearly so) before you left this earth.
I am grateful for all the youth football games, the hockey tournaments, the voice recitals and the theater productions we attended together to celebrate our kids and our family
I am grateful for all you did for our family. You were a hand’s on dad. You were a loving husband. You took out the trash and cleaned up the cat vomit. You did the dirty work without complaint and often with a smile. You made me my coffee every morning.
I am grateful for your blue eyes
and your smile.
I’m thankful for the one time you talked me into going for a ride on the jet ski and I held onto you for dear life, because I trusted you and even though the jet ski was far (very far) from my comfort zone, I was able to do it because you were by right my side (or more correctly directly in front of me) during the entire ride.
I am grateful for your proofreading skills. I lost my editor when I lost you, but you continue to help me edit—in your own, new way.
I am grateful for all the times we walked and held hands. I know you did that for me because you know I loved it. Thank you for doing the things I loved, just to make me happy.
I am grateful for 33 years with my best friend and soulmate. I wouldn’t trade them for anything— not a million or a billion dollars. Well, I’d have to think about the billion …
Two years. It’s been two years since you left and it is so easy to dwell on those two years versus reflecting on the past—the 33 years that came before that. I don’t want to live in the past, but I don’t want to forget it, either. You gave me the last three decades of your life. What a beautiful gift.
Thank you.
Jill Pertler is an award-winning syndicated columnist, published playwright and author. She invites readers to follow the Slices of Life page on Facebook.
The Elmhurst Public Library in vites the public to join cookbook author and media contributor Shauna Sever for a special holiday season event. Shauna will share her love of food, baking, and some tips to help enhance your holiday gatherings in a virtual format.
On Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 7-8 p.m.,
Shauna’s work is perhaps best defined by her baking-centric cook books, her fourth of which, Midwest
Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland, was named one of the Best Baking Cookbooks of 2019 by The New York Times.
Since her career began in broad cast journalism, she uses the same skill set for her regular television ap pearances on the TODAY Show and
Food Network. After 12 years of Cal ifornia living, Shauna and her family returned to Chicago, where she now bakes, writes, and is always on the hunt for great old-school Midwest ern bakeries.
Chicago Tribune food critic Loui sa Chu will join Shauna in conversa
tion. This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events.
Registration required at elmlib. org/author. For more information, visit elmlib.org or call (630) 2798696.
Cantigny Park, part of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, award ed a check for $16,000 to the Mid west Shelter for Homeless Veterans (MSHV) in Wheaton. The donation represents net proceeds from the 18th annual Cantigny 5K Run/Walk held on Nov. 5.
The check amount included cash donations from participating runners and walkers totaling $2,196—money contributed beyond their entry fees.
MSHV board President Scott Ziemba accepted the donation during Cantig ny’s Veterans Day commemoration. Matt LaFond, Cantigny Park execu tive director, presented the check.
Including this year’s donation, the Cantigny 5K has now generated $156,000 for MSHV since 2008, the event’s first year of association with the shelter.
MSHV also receives funding from Cantigny Post 556 of the American Legion, based at the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park. The le gionnaires hosted a pancake break
This
People walking through downtown Springfield Nov. 21 looked up to an un usual sight—a helicopter hovering over the Old State Capitol, dropping a rope and lifting away the flagpole that sat atop the bronze-colored dome.
“We took off the flagpole of at the Old State Capitol today in preparation for a new automated one that will be going up probably in a few months,” said Troy Gilmore, assistant site superintendent for the Springfield State Historic Sites with the Illinois Department of Natural Re sources.
The operation took fewer than 15 min utes and was part of an ongoing reno vation project that has kept the historic building shrouded behind scaffolding for about two years. The project involves re pairing roof leaks, repairing and replac ing windows, and replacing portions of the columns known as “capitals”—the decorative portions at the top of Corin thian columns.
Gilmore said replacing the manually controlled flagpole with an automated one will improve safety for workers who raise and lower the flag to half-staff or full staff when occasions call for it.
The Old State Capitol, located a few blocks northeast of the current State house, was used by lawmakers from 1840
to 1876. It was the Capitol when Abra ham Lincoln served in the Illinois House and it is where he delivered his famous “House Divided” speech in 1858 after ac cepting the Republican Party nomination for the U.S. Senate.
Gilmore said that when the legislature left the building in 1876, it was purchased by Sangamon County, which operated it for the next 90 years, during which time it made several substantial changes.
“The most drastic change that the county made was in 1900, when they raised the building up 11 feet taller than it even stands today,” he said. “And that was to add another level of offices on the ground floor. So, after 1902 you walked straight into the building off of the street level, you didn’t even walk up the steps as you would have today.”
The state of Illinois purchased the building in 1966 and launched a threeyear restoration project to return the building to its original state, a project that involved taking the building apart and re building it piece-by-piece.
Gilmore said the current renovation project will soon move into its second phase, which will involve removing as bestos from the boiler rooms and install ing new restrooms for the first time since the 1960s.
He did not offer an estimate of when the entire project will be complete.
• 4-8 p.m. ~ Food trucks (My Funnel Truck, Tickle my Tamale, Spoon Burger, Hat Trick BBQ)
• 5-8 p.m. ~ Featuring free photo with Santa, courtesy of JW Reedy
• 5-8 p.m. ~ Trolly with stops at St. Nick’s Mart (library) & the historical museum (raffle & more)
• 5-8 p.m. ~ Character photo-ops (Mickey, the Grinch)
• 5-8 p.m. ~ Petting zoo & pony rides
• S’mores station, Free hot chocolate provided by the VFW, Choir Carolers!
• Head across the street to Standard Meadery for their pop-up cookie event and an adult beverage!
Villa Park calling. I am appalled to see on Facebook the number of cats and dogs that go “missing” ev ery few days or so. I can’t help but point to owner irresponsibility; not having the pet chipped or otherwise wearing a collar and tag, guarding the doors against escape or making sure fences are secure and gates are closed, etc. And I do speak from ex perience. The rescue where I adopted my dog warned us he was a “runner.” He managed to slip out of his collar on a walk and took off lickety-split. Luckily, I nabbed him when he stopped to do his business! But after that, it was walking with a harness and always making sure he couldn’t get out when we opened a door to the outside. And for people with an “indoor-outdoor” cat, those especial ly should be chipped and definitely spayed or neutered. But do you real ly think the animal can take care of itself against a coyote or fox? Then you wonder why the cat never came home? If you think a cat should be allowed to roam outside, you might consider either not owning one or moving to a farm.
* * *
I see there was a UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt. Never mind how much carbon was emitted into the atmosphere flying represen tatives to these talks. They agreed to establish a fund to pay developing countries for loss and damage caused by global warming. Hooray! China has the world’s second largest econ omy and emits more carbon than the U.S. and the European Union com bined, but guess who’s not going to contribute to this fund? China! The Chinese climate envoy has already said China won’t contribute, and China is still classified by the U.N. as a developing nation. Great job, U.N. (By the way, if anyone thinks I’m spreading misinformation, be my guest and check all of this out.) You can bet the U.N. and those who attended this conference like John Kerry will let China slide, like they
always do.
States 2022 that just came out. They explain the crisis in detail: Illinois is ranked 48th on their list.
The McHenry County coroner recently announced that the woman who was driving the wrong way on I-90 in a fatal crash this past summer had a blood alcohol level of .164, twice the legal limit. The crash killed a family of six and their 13-year-old family friend. What a senseless trag edy. Why aren’t we hearing more about the driver, who also died in the crash? Where was she coming from, and how did she manage to drive the wrong way on an interstate?
* * *
Does anyone remember before Trump was elected it was politically incorrect to say Merry Christmas? If Americans don’t stand up for free dom of speech, they will lose their freedom and culture. As Superman used to say, “Truth, justice and the American way.”
* * *
Hello, I’d like to see these officials stop using the language that there’s “no danger to the public.” Well, of course at that minute when they’re making the announcement, there’s no danger to the public, but had you been at the area of a shooting before, during, after, you’re in danger. Quite frankly, you’re in danger with all these nut jobs with guns every time you go out anywhere. Let’s face re ality.
* * *
Hello, and well, thank goodness the midterms are over. Is it too early to start saying “Lock him up”?
* * *
Did you see the leftist Washington Post’s recent report about the FBI raid on Trump’s Florida home? Ac cording to the report, there’s no ev idence that Trump had any “nuclear secrets” or was trying to give or sell information to Russia, Saudi Arabia or any other country. Of course, that won’t stop the dim bulbs in Speak Out and elsewhere from parroting the left-wing nonsense that Trump had “nuclear secrets” at his house. Those people still believe the Russia collu sion hoax, which was cooked up.
President Biden did one thing I can agree with: He pardoned turkeys Chocolate and Chip.
* * *
Based on the election results in Illinois, I get the impression that most Illinoisans do not understand the magnitude of the fiscal crisis in this state. Please do some research on this. You can look at Truth in Accounting’s Financial State of the
President Biden blames everything from inflation to energy on Putin. Ev idently, Putin is the one running our country.
* * *
The quality of life is going down the toilet in DuPage County. It takes 10 stop lights to pass I-355 after 2 p.m. on many days from North Ave nue. The amount of time the drivers in this county have to sit in their cars because of the traffic is too much. I-355 was supposed to help traffic, not cause more of it. Recently, a truck fell and all lanes were closed on northbound 83 in Bensenville. You could only go half a mile in 15 minutes. What is going on and what is being done to alleviate the traffic in this county?
* * *
I saw an interesting story pub lished online. The headline was: Movement to create a new state in southern Illinois gaining momen tum. The story stated that there’s a
growing list of Illinois counties dis enfranchised with what goes on in Cook County, and they have voted in nonbinding resolutions to leave Illinois and form a new state. The group called New Illinois seeks a state split, following the process provided in the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, Sec. 3). This is how West Virginia split from Virgin ia. It’s too bad the chances of this happening in Illinois are slim and none because the Illinois General Assembly would have to pass a res olution consenting to the state split, and only Congress has the power to create new states. But I have to say my heart is with them. I appre ciate their efforts and understand their frustrations. If I lived in any of these counties, I’d be attending their meetings.
Davis contributed 14 points in the loss to the Bengals. Sobieszczyk had six points and 13 rebounds.
Campbell scored a team-lead ing 26 points in Willowbrook’s loss to Benet on Friday in St. Charles. Benet, one of the area’s top-ranked teams, led the Warriors 32-21 at half time.
St. Charles East led Willowbrook 37-20 at halftime of Saturday’s fifthplace contest.
Campbell, who averaged 24 points
per game during the tournament, provided 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals against the Saints. Sobieszczyk delivered 11 points and 11 rebounds. Rhodes scored eight points, while junior An drew Ciesinski tallied six points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.
Benet won the tournament title at St. Charles East with a perfect 4-0 record. The Redwings defeated Pro viso East 68-59 in Saturday’s cham pionship game.
Willowbrook High School senior Leslie Avila Torres was named her school’s recipient of the 88’s Best award for the month of November. Avila Torres was recognized during the District 88 Board of Education’s Nov. 14 meeting. She is pictured (left) at the meeting with Willowbrook Principal Dan Krause. The 88’s Best honor recognizes students for their achievements in and out of the class room. Avila Torres received the 88’s Best award for exhibiting the continuous growth and improve ment that educators hope for in students. Her counselor at Willowbrook—Lourdes Piña—described Avila Torres as focused, responsible and engaged. “Her senior year has been a wonderful example of how far she has come,” stated Piña in her comments congratulating Avila Torres on receiving the 88’s Best award. “She embodies the tenacity and perseverance of a Warrior and has overcome her initial obstacles.” While English is her second language, Avila Torres has successfully completed courses with and without additional support. Avila Torres is a member of Willowbrook’s Students for H.O.P.E. (Helping Organ Procurement Education). She is enrolled in the cosmetology program at Technology Center of DuPage (TCD). Krause noted during the recent board meeting that Avila Torres is assisting West Chicago High School’s theater department by serving as the makeup artist for its upcoming productions. Avila Torres plans to pursue a degree in nursing. She’s also looking forward to opening her own salon with her sister and uncle.
Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
The Knights of Immaculate Conception Catholic Prep (ICCP) hoist the trophy over their heads after winning the Class 3A state-championship game at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, beating Willliamsville by a score of 4817. ICCP finished the season 13-1, winning its sixth football state championship since 2002 and its fourth under Coach Bill Krefft.
https://homepaintingillino.wixsite.com/website PAINTERS. FULL-SERVICE.
https://homepaintingillino.wixsite.com/website
at 1-900669-9777. The toll-free tele phone number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.
State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen Ayala has announced plans to retire at the end of her cur rent contract, which concludes Jan. 31, 2023.
Ayala has served as State Super intendent since early 2019, shep herding Illinois schools through COVID-19 and kickstarting their academic recovery - leading most re cently to a decade-high in the state’s graduation rate. Ayala was the first woman and the first person of color to serve as permanent superintendent for the Illinois State Board of Educa tion (ISBE).
“Dr. Ayala represents the highest level of dedication to public service,
and over her long career she has pos itively impacted thousands of Illi nois students,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “Not only did Dr. Ayala’s steadfast leadership guide our schools through an unprecedented pandemic, but she also kick-started students’ academ ic recovery. Under her leadership, we’ve seen significant growth in high school graduation rates and other key educational metrics, a true testament to her hard work and dedication to Illinois students. I’m grateful for her service and wish her and her family all the best for a well-deserved retire ment.”
Prior to her appointment as state superintendent, Ayala served as su
(Continued from page 9)
fast at Cantigny during the 5K that collected $539 in direct donations to the shelter. MSHV is the primary community service activity of Post 556.
The Midwest Shelter for Home less Veterans opened its doors in 2007.
It provides vets and their fami lies with housing and supportive services that lead to self-sufficien cy. MSHV’s operations include
three facilities in downtown Whea ton. To learn more, visit the shelter online at helpaveteran.org.
This year’s 5K attracted 750 reg istered runners and walkers. The next Cantigny 5K is on November 4, 2023.
Cantigny Park is open daily in December from 9 a.m. to sunset. More information is online at Can tigny.org, including a full calendar of seasonal events.
perintendent of Berwyn North School District, assistant superintendent in Plainfield and Aurora East Districts, and as a classroom teacher in Aurora and in Chicago Public Schools. Aya la provided leadership for Illinois schools during COVID-19, oversee ing an unprecedented shift to virtual and socially distanced learning.
During Ayala’s time at ISBE, the state recorded its highest high school graduation rate since reporting began in 2011, driven by increased gradua tion rates for Black and Hispanic stu dents under Ayala’s equity-focused
leadership. ISBE also saw educa tor retention and diversity increase during her tenure.
Ayala also shepherded the devel opment and implementation of the 2020-2023 ISBE Strategic Plan and the creation of the Equity Journey Continuum, which helps school dis tricts identify gaps in students’ ac cess to opportunities, resources, and supports.
Ayala is a graduate of Mundelein College, Dominican University, and Loyola University of Chicago with undergraduate, masters of business
administration, and doctorate in ed ucational leadership and policy de grees. She previously served as an executive board member on the Lati no Policy Forum, where she champi oned equitable funding and increased resources for English Learners.
Ayala has held positions on nu merous boards and committees, in cluding the Illinois State Board of Education Bilingual Advisory Coun cil, Illinois Women in Educational Leadership, Illinois Resource Center, and the Illinois Professional Review Panel for Evidence-Based Funding.
Over the weekend of May 6 and 7, the 26th Annual Art in Wilder Park will return to Elmhurst offering a wide selection of arts and wares to the over 7,500 visitors who are ex pected.
In 2022, the Elmhurst Art Museum helped relaunch Art in Wilder Park with a widely successful festival that drew art enthusiasts from throughout the area. As lead producer in 2023, the Museum has set its sights on an even larger, more inclusive, and accessible event for the whole fam ily. Programming will feature more than 125 booths of one-of-a-kind art, various food vendors and numerous hands-on activities for kids.
In 2022 the event was voted one of the Best in the West, featured in numerous press outlets, and attracted nearly half of its visitors from out
side Elmhurst. Booth fees are $400/$500, Jury fee $25. Artist applications are available at elmhurstartmuseum.org. Artist ap plications are due Saturday, Feb. 19, 2023.
Art in Wilder Park 2023 jurors include: Roz Long of RGL Market ing for the Arts, Inc.; Debbie Vene zia, Director of Arts DuPage and long-time organizer of Naperville’s Riverwalk Fine Art Fair; and Krista Renfrew, former Director of Special Events at the Milwaukee Art Muse um and organizer of the Lakefront Festival of the Arts.
Art In Wilder Park’s presenting sponsor is Kelly Stetler Compass, in partnership with the Elmhurst Park District with consulting by RGL Marketing for the Arts. Additional sponsorship provided by Discover
DuPage and Unlimited Heating & Cooling. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more informa tion, visit elmhurstartmuseum.org.
Discoverable on the weekend of the 26th Annual Art in Wilder Park will be a newly commissioned pub lic art installation of life-sized su perhero sculptures by area artists and youth groups. This installation will be a bold preview of our sum mer show, Marvelocity, featuring the iconic work of comics legend Alex Ross. Marvelocity is scheduled to open Friday, June 9.
