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Archive for September, 2021

Arlington’s final turn Saturday: Fireworks and a tribute to the first winning horse

Posted in Politics, Resident Spotlights, Taxes, Topics Of Interest on September 24, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Arlington

Arlington Park will host its last races of 2021 — and perhaps forever — on Saturday. Except for a postrace fireworks show and historical videos in-between races, there are no special ceremonies scheduled to mark the closing.

At 6:12 p.m. Saturday, a field of a dozen horses will enter the starting gates for quite possibly the final time at Illinois’ grand racing palace.

The name of the race for fillies and mares 3 years and older?

Luxembourg, in tribute to the equine who won the inaugural race at Arlington Park on Oct. 13, 1927.

Once the horses cross the finish line of the 5½-furlong turf course race Saturday evening — the ninth on the card that day — there’s sure to be pictures in the winner’s circle with the winning horse, jockey, trainer and owner.

But track management isn’t planning any special ceremonies or commemorations on the final day — save for a 7:45 p.m. fireworks show and a few historical videos on TV screens in between races — despite discussions earlier this year with village officials to do something bigger.

“Really, it’s just to go out with grace,” said Arlington Park President Tony Petrillo, during a brief interview Thursday afternoon after an Illinois Racing Board meeting. “Our focus is on the experience that we have to deliver to people.”

“The chapter to this book is still to be written,” Petrillo added.

Read more here.

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Nearly 40 cents of every education dollar in Illinois goes to pensions

Posted in 220, 300, Barrington Education Association, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Unions on September 24, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Teacher Pension

Rapidly rising pension costs compete with classroom spending, reducing resources for teachers and students while driving up property taxes.

Growing pension costs for retired educators and administrators are quickly crowding the classroom out of Illinois budgets.

Pension costs are crowding out direct education spending throughout Illinois school districts.

In the coming school year, 39% of the money the state allocates to education will be diverted away from teachers and students to meet required pension payments.

This represents a 458% increase in spending on teacher and administrator pensions since 2000, compared with a mere 17% increase in general education spending during that period, adjusted for inflation.

This massive growth in pension spending is especially concerning for younger teachers new to the workforce and parents with children enrolled in public schools whose needs will be delayed to make room for rising retirement costs.

Pensions aren’t the only thing crowding out student needs. Pensions take the first and largest bite out of the budget, then excessive administrative costs caused by Illinois’ overabundance of districts take another bite before any money actually gets to the classroom. Furthermore, district administrators tend to have some of the largest pensions with some collecting millions in retirement.

Read on here.

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Barrington United Methodist Church annual rummage sale starts tomorrow

Posted in Barrington United Methodist Church, Entertainment, Fundraisers, Resident Spotlights on September 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »

rummage sale

Holiday décor will make up one department in a church filled with treasures at the 87th annual Barrington United Methodist Church Rummage Sale Sept. 24-25.

Do you love a great find? Then come explore an array of affordable, quality items at this year’s Barrington United Methodist Church Rummage Sale.

The much-anticipated sale returns to Barrington United Methodist Church, 98 Algonquin Road, on the southeast corner of Route 59, in Barrington from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 25.

Masks will be required, social distancing will be stressed and the event will be following COVID precautions that are applicable at the time, which may include limiting the number of shoppers in some spaces.

For up-to-date notifications, visit barringtonumc.com/article/87th-annual-rummage-sale.

Great finds and treasures will fill an entire wing of the church and spill out into two tents. Thousands of clean, usable sale items will include clothing, shoes, accessories, toys, lamps, housewares, tools, sporting goods, linens, holiday items, crafts, fabrics, small furniture pieces, bikes, and lawn items. There will be no books, DVDs or CDs.

Among the many departments, you won’t want to miss the French Room, filled to the seams with carefully selected, high quality items such as china, jewelry, clothing, antiques and collectibles.

For information, to donate or to volunteer, call (847) 836-5540 or visit www.barringtonumc.com.

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46th Annual Art in the Barn is this weekend

Posted in Entertainment, Fundraisers, Resident Spotlights on September 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »

image-asset

“Art in the Barn was started in 1974 when a group of ten women and local artists met to develop a quality art event for the Barrington community.

What began as an art show with 30 artists and 1,500 attendees has grown to be one of the most iconic and highest quality art festivals in the Chicagoland area with up to 180 juried artists exhibiting their work. With more than 45 years of momentum, this beautiful event draws returning art lovers and new visitors from the surrounding area where they enjoy not only the exhibition and sale of fine art, but also music and entertainment, food from a variety of vendors, and children’s art.

Art in the Barn is one of the major fund-raisers for Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital which has donated millions to the hospital. It is sponsored by the Auxiliary of Good Shepherd Hospital.”

Stop by Saturday or Sunday, September 25th-26th, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  Admission is $5 for adults and children under 12 enter free.

For information, please visit Art in the Barn.

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District 220 expands equity initiatives   

Posted in 220, Board of Education, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts on September 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Blue Hands

“At the Sept. 21st Board of Education meeting, Nate Rouse, the district’s Director of Equity, Race and Cultural Diversity Initiatives, gave a presentation to the Board about the district’s ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

During the presentation, Rouse shared information about Critical Race Theory in order to provide context to the conversations currently taking place locally and nationally around the concept and its place in K-12 schools. Critical Race Theory is NOT being taught in Barrington 220 schools. It is an academic concept that is generally taught in higher education systems; primarily law schools. Rouse also discussed several ongoing efforts under his leadership, including:

  • A new district equity webpage which provides more information and clarity related to the district’s efforts in equity, race, and inclusion.
  • The work of the District Equity Team, which is made up of district staff, PTO members, Board of Education members, and representatives from various community organizations.
  • Current examples of culturally responsive teaching strategies being implemented throughout the district.
  • Upcoming opportunities for district staff to participate in professional development that will deepen their understanding of the district’s commitment to equity and the actions needed to move towards equitable outcomes for all students and staff.
  • Collaboration with community organizations in order to keep the community informed about the district’s equity work.

You can listen to Rouse’s full presentation beginning at 1:25:03 in the Board meeting video.”

The new Equity 220 webpage can be found here.

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NW Indiana health professionals, vets decry attempts to treat COVID-19 with ivermectin: ‘This is garbage’

Posted in Topics Of Interest on September 22, 2021| 1 Comment »

Just when you thought you’d heard everything…

Equimax

Equine veterinarian Kate Hodson holds a box of ivermectin after administering it to a horse named Trouble in the barn at her Hebron home on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. 

As a fourth wave of infections caused by COVID-19 sweeps the country, some of those who won’t get the vaccine are turning to an unproven treatment for the disease readily available over the counter in livestock stores and by prescription from some medical providers.

As some Americans turn to ivermectin, a cheap drug used to kill worms and others parasites in humans and animals, federal officials have seen a surge in prescriptions this summer, accompanied by worrying increases in reported overdoses.

At Franciscan St. Anthony Health in Michigan City and Chesterton, a handful of cases where ivermectin was in use have crept into the emergency room.

Dr. Erik Achramowicz, medical director of emergency medicine for Franciscan Health Michigan City and Chesterton, said he has seen four cases come through the emergency room in recent weeks. Three of those cases were people who had been taken ivermectin on a prescription from a nurse practitioner. One other patient had purchased the ivermectin they ingested at a farm.

There have been no cases so far in other Franciscan hospitals, according to a hospital spokesperson.

In each case, the individuals had been treating their COVID-19 symptoms with ivermectin for about a week before coming into the emergency room. Typically, people suffering from COVID-19 who wind up in the hospital come in around day nine or 10, he said.

Read more here.

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220 Board of Education meets tonight

Posted in 220, Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, His Master's Voice, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Video Streaming on September 21, 2021| 1 Comment »

New BOE

The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 7:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street.  A copy of the agenda can be viewed here.

The meeting will be livestreamed on the district YouTube channel.

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District 220 Safety Week begins today

Posted in 220, Public Safety, School Districts, Video Recordings on September 20, 2021| Leave a Comment »

220 Safety Week

Barrington 220’s Third Annual Safety Week kicks off on Monday, Sept. 20. During a crisis situation, it is important for our district stakeholders to work together and we want to make sure we’re providing our community members with the appropriate information to facilitate that.

Throughout the week, all schools will participate in safety drills that are mandated by the State of Illinois, including fire drills, tornado drills, lockdown drills and bus evacuation drills. In addition, each day students will view a short video that has a “Safety 220 Tip of the Day”. Each tip corresponds with a safety theme for that day of the week. The topics for each day include:

  • MONDAY, Sept. 20: Welcome to Safety Week
  • TUESDAY, Sept. 21: Weather Emergencies (tornado drill)
  • WEDNESDAY, Sept. 22: Run, Hide, Fight (lockdown drill)
  • THURSDAY, Sept. 23: School Evacuations (fire drill)
  • FRIDAY, Sept. 24: Transportation Safety (bus evacuation drill)

To view this week’s welcome message from Austin Johnson, Barrington 220’s Director of Safety and Security, please click on the video link here.

To visit the Safety 220 webpage, click here.

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Apple Fest Returns to Long Grove September 24-26

Posted in Entertainment on September 20, 2021| Leave a Comment »

LG Apple fest

One of the largest Midwestern tributes to apple season will take place in historic downtown Long Grove once again when the 30th annual Apple Fest returns September 24th through September 26th.

The 2021 edition includes countless apple delicacies, everything from fresh apple cider donuts to apple wine. In addition, as always, there will be live music in multiple areas, family activities, and a classic carnival.

At the heart of Apple Fest are the vendors doling out local made, apple-inspired cuisine. In the past, Apple Fest has featured creative options, mouthwatering items like chocolate caramel apples, candy covered apples, apple wine, apple sangria, hard apple ciders, fresh apple cider donuts, spiced apple lattes, granny apple popcorn, green apple cotton candy, apple crisps, apple goat cheese dumplings, apple cheesecake, apple pie, cinnamon apple ice cream, apple sugar cookie, apple tempura, and much more. This year visitors can expect more of the same as well as other autumn favorites too.

For more information, click here.

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On tap this weekend: Oktoberfests, Depot Days, Fall Fests, Riverwalk Fine Art Fair & more

Posted in Entertainment on September 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »

The 9th annual “The Hills Are Alive” family fun festival is Sunday from noon to 4 PM at Village Hall.

Goebbert’s Fall Festival: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through Sunday, Oct. 31, at 42W813 Reinking Road, Pingree Grove, and 40 W. Higgins in South Barrington. Both locations have animals, mazes, wagon rides, pig races and more. See websites for hours. Oktoberfest at Pingree Grove Friday through Sunday features music from Semple Band, Two Hype Crew and more plus fireworks on Friday and Saturday. General admission tickets are $17 on weekdays; $20 on weekends, including Oktoberfest. $12 seniors and free for kids 2 and younger. Some activities cost extra. goebbertspumpkinfarm.com South Barrington.

West Dundee Heritage Fest: 6-11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19, in downtown West Dundee. Highlights include a business expo Friday through Sunday; fireworks at 8 p.m. Friday over the Fox River; music from Modern Day Romeos at 9 p.m. Friday and Hi Infidelity at 9 p.m. Saturday on the main stage downtown; food and drinks; Lions Heritage Fest 5K along the Fox River at 8 a.m. Saturday; art and craft fair on Saturday and Sunday along the Riverwalk; a car show on Saturday and Sunday on South Second Street; and a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. Sunday in downtown. wdundeeheritagefest.org.

Whispering Hills Fall Festival: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, at Whispering Hills Garden & Landscape Center, 8401 S. Illinois Route 31, Cary. Free activities, art and craft goods fair, food and live entertainment. Bring packaged food items to be donated to Crystal Lake Food Pantry. www.whisperinghillsnursery.com.

Deer Park Food Truck Series: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, at Deer Park Town Center, 20530 N. Rand Road, Deer Park. Food trucks will be located in front of Pottery Barn and Kendra Scott. Free admission and parking. For a food truck lineup, see shopdeerparktowncenter.com.

It’s Our River Day: 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, in Cornish Park, 101 S. Harrison St., Algonquin. Learn about local environmental, conservation and outdoor groups. Sponsored by the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County and the Village of Algonquin. Free. algonquin.org.

Elgin Short Film Festival: 7-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, at Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. Six short films will be shown and winners will be selected by a panel of celebrity judges. Audience members will cast their votes for their favorite film. Chamber Music on the Fox will perform. $9-$10. www.cityofelgin.org.

For more options, click here.

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