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By Paul Valade | Daily Herald

Barrington High School senior Celia Shaheen, right, takes a photo of fellow graduates before their commencement ceremony on Friday, May 29, 2026 at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington. | Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com

Barrington High School held its graduation ceremony on Friday, May 29, 2026 at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com

Barrington High School held its graduation ceremony on Friday, May 29, 2026 at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com

Barrington High School held its graduation ceremony on Friday, May 29, 2026 at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com

Find more photos here.

Downtown Streetscape Enhancement Project Phase 2 Update

The streetscape project is moving along as scheduled, and Phase 2 demo and concrete replacement are complete.

Downtown Streetscape Enhancement Project Moved to Phase 3 This Week

On Tuesday, Phase 3 of the streetscape project began, which includes:

  • Paver removal and new concrete sidewalks on the northwest section of Park Avenue and part of East Station Street
  • An expanded outdoor dining space outside of the restaurants on Park Avenue
  • New landscape beds

Landscaping and clay brick banding will be installed throughout all phases of the project simultaneously, beginning the week of June 8.

All businesses remain open throughout construction. We appreciate your support of our local businesses, always and especially during the construction season.

To stay informed and receive project updates, please visit the construction updates page on the Village’s website or watch for email notifications.”

Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, and Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, speak at a rally for the POWER Act, a bill regulating data centers, about the bill’s next steps after the session ends. | Capitol News Illinois photo by Peter Hancock

By Nikoel Hytrek and UIS Public Affairs Reporting (PAR)

Article Summary

  • The POWER Act, an expansive bill to regulate data centers, will not pass the General Assembly this spring, but the bill’s leaders say the measure isn’t dead and negotiations will continue through the summer.
  • In the meantime, they and other lawmakers who have signed onto the POWER Act said the legislature should pause data center tax credits that have been in place since 2019.
  • According to a 2024 report, at least 27 data centers had received incentives totaling $983 million in estimated lifetime tax breaks and benefits.
  • Lawmakers said negotiations will include multiple stakeholders, from utility companies to energy advocacy groups, labor unions and the data center lobby.

This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

Read the article here.

Source

Salvia comes in red, white, and blue. (RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden)

By Tim Johnson | For the Chicago Tribune

I saw an article recently suggesting that we plant our gardens or pots in red, white, and blue this year to pay tribute to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

I love that idea and am trying to embrace it. However, I lean toward pinks and purples and whites as my favored color scheme. I am struggling with red geraniums and canna lilies. Are there burgundy geraniums or other selections?

Do you have any tips regarding the red, white, and blue theme?

— Angela Pinto, Hawthorn Woods

The red, white, and blue theme is an interesting idea. There are lots of annuals to choose from now in the garden centers. One option is to go to your local garden center, walk through the sales racks, and pick colorful plants. I suggest going early, as soon as they open. Choosing the right plant for your garden’s sun exposure and using a high-quality growing medium designed for containers is also important for success. Keep in mind that your containers must have a drainage hole in the bottom, too. Generally, if the annuals are under a shade structure in a garden center, they’re best grown in shade at home. There may be exceptions if a garden center keeps them under shade to help reduce watering; a short holding period under shade for sun plants won’t be an issue. The annuals on display on sunny racks, on the other hand, will typically be best in full sun.

One of the Garden’s horticulturists has been using one annual variety per pot in a grouping of pots with a different annual in each one with great success. The simplicity of the display is dramatic.

For the shade garden, blue is going to be the more challenging color to find. I would be content with lavender. You can get very close to the red, white and blue theme using selections of impatiens from the Beacon series or the New Guinea impatiens. You can use white caladiums and red coleus for coarse texture. It’s easy to find white and red wax leaf begonias, too, which can grow well in the sun. Lobelia is another blue option for lightly shaded areas.

There are many more options for your annual theme colors that grow in direct sun. There are burgundy geraniums, which you may be able to find with some shopping around. You should be able to get close to the theme colors with varieties of Angelonia, verbena and petunias. There are nice blues and whites with salvia and ageratum. White, blue, and rose colors in alyssum. Celosia for a strong red accent. I think you’ll get the best results from visiting a couple of garden centers and letting the plants for sale fuel your creativity.

For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden. 

When out and about this morning, please be aware there will be a charity 5K run or walk starting at 9 AM starting at Presbyterian Church of Barrington, 6 Brinker Road, Barrington Hills. Click here for more information.

1904 Medical Horse Buggy

“Small moving sale, select furniture pieces and many small miscellaneous items. Items need to be removed by Monday June 1 by 5 pm. Cash only

Many small vintage items, interesting pieces are not pictures here to many to list. Sale at garage of the home and one of the barns the one farthest to the east. Parking along driveway okay but try and stay off the grass”

See the full listing post here.

“Dear Residents,

I have received emails from residents regarding the Village of Hoffman Estates Plan Commission meeting that is taking place next week.   They are holding a public hearing regarding a proposed rezoning request for M-2.

Sec. 9-9-2. – M-2 Manufacturing District.

A. Legislative Intent. The purpose of the M-2 Manufacturing District is to provide areas for a variety of industrial uses where major transportation networks provide accessibility. This district is intended to be developed in a manner which will minimize potential adverse influences to adjoining districts through the application of performance standards.

B. Permitted Uses.
1. Permitted uses of land or buildings, as hereinafter listed shall be permitted in the M-2 Manufacturing District under the conditions specified. No building or lot shall be devoted to any use other than a use permitted hereunder with the exception of the following:

a. Uses lawfully established on the effective date of this Code; and
b. Special uses allowed in accordance with the provisions of Section 9-9-2-C.
2. The following uses are permitted in the M-2 Manufacturing District:
a. Offices.
b. Research and development facilities.
c. Contractor and construction supply and shops conducted wholly within an enclosed building, including but not limited to plumbing, HVAC, roofing and electrical.
d. Accessory uses, including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) Antennas and communication towers.
(2) Architectural or landscaping embellishments, pools, fountains and bridges.
(3) Public utility installations and public service uses to include requirements for the furnishing of electricity, gas, oil, telephone and television services.
(4) Storage of building materials (during course of construction only).
(5) Temporary buildings for construction purposes only in accordance with the provisions of Section 9-3-10.
e. The following uses are permitted, however, when the property is adjacent to any residential development, the uses shall only be permitted provided all improvements on the M-2 property, including parking and other structures, are set back a minimum of 100 feet from the nearest residential property line:

(1) Wholesale and distribution facilities.
(2) Wholesale florist or greenhouses.
(3) Printing and publishing facilities.
(4) Manufacturing, production, processing, assembly, fabricating, cleaning, servicing and repairing of materials, goods and products.
(5) Mail order facilities.
(6) Packaging and crating facilities.
(7) Warehouses.
f. Data center.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday June 3, 2026, at 6:30 PM at the Hoffman Estates Municipal Building, 1900 Hassell Road, Hoffman Estates, IL.

The request seeks to change the zoning of approximately 186 acres from CMU Commercial Mixed Use and TN Traditional Neighborhood to M-2 Manufacturing District. The property is generally located between Illinois Route 59 to the east, the Canadian National Railway to the west Higgins Road (Route 72) to the south and is across the street from the Woods of South Barrington.

Any residents interested in learning more or providing public comment should make plans to attend the meeting.”

Thank you Mayor McCombie!

Related:(Plum Farms) NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING JUNE 3,” “Hoffman Estates could see third data center campus with sale of Plum Farms property,” “Hoffman Estates approves sewer, water for development of 185 acres west of The Arboretum,” “Hoffman Estates approves tax incentive at routes 59, 72,” “District 220 lawsuit against Hoffman Estates, Plum Farms developers dismissed,” “South Barrington residents sue over Hoffman Estates development,” “Editorial: Listen to agencies that would feel consequences of Hoffman Estates development

Photo: RDNE Stock project / Pexels

By Esther Wickham | The Center Square

Spending more taxpayer dollars doesn’t make kids smarter, according to experts.

As K-12 test scores and student proficiency rates continue to decline nationwide, education experts question whether increased education funding is improving student outcomes or merely contributing to inefficiencies within the public school system.

National Assessment of Educational Progress data released in 2024 show that the average reading score for 12th-grade students fell three points since 2019 and is 10 points lower than the first assessment in 1992. Average math scores for 12th graders have also declined by three points since 2019.

Critics argue the issue is not a lack of funding, but how education dollars are being spent

“We don’t have an education funding problem. We have an education spending problem,” Ryan Walters, CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance, told The Center Square.

Walters said increased funding has often gone toward administrative bloat rather than students and teachers. He said schools should be raising academic standards, improving accountability and implementing school choice programs to give parents more control over their children’s education.

“School choice is a huge factor in this. We need that universally across the country so that if schools are low performing and they don’t want to shape up, parents should be able to take their kids somewhere else,” Walters said.

Please read more and watch a video here.

Location: Willow Creek, 67 Algonquin Rd, South Barrington, IL 60010

Time: Doors open at 5:30 pm. The ceremony begins promptly at 7:00 pm.

Prelude Performances: Senior musical and dance performances from 5:45 – 6:45 pm

Livestream: The ceremony will be live streamed beginning at 6:45pm. Click here to view the livestream. (Please note that the same link will be used to livestream other area high school graduations prior to May 29. The link will not work for the BHS ceremony until Friday, May 29.)

Click here for further information.