Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Tickets for Ravinia 2025 Go On Sale this Thursday at 8AM!

April 23, 2025 by Barrington Hills Observer

All concerts for Ravinia’s 2025 season go on sale to the public this Thursday, April 24 at 8:00AM CDT—exclusively at Ravinia.org.

Here’s our guide to securing your tickets quickly and easily:

  • Get in line! When you visit Ravinia.org on April 24, there will be a digital waiting room to enter the website, and starting at 8:00, you will be assigned a number in line. Please do not refresh your page, leave your screen, or press the “back” button—you are in line and will gain access shortly!
  • Simple checkout: When your wait is over, you will be directed to a page listing each summer concert date. Scroll or use the search tool in your browser to go to a date, then use the buttons to choose tickets or add-ons. After adding tickets to your cart, you can either check out or return to the calendar to select tickets for another event. You’ll have 20 minutes to complete your purchase.
  • Digital tickets: Once your order is completed, you will be emailed a detailed confirmation. Your tickets will be delivered to your Ravinia account about 7 days before the performance. Use the Ravinia App to scan your ticket at the park entrance.

Read more here.

Posted in Entertainment | Leave a Comment »

Gun rights advocacy group expresses displeasure with terms like “RINO, Backstabbing Traitor” and “Botox Queen” describing a senator’s vote on Senate Bill 8

April 22, 2025 by Barrington Hills Observer

The Illinois Firearms Association recently the following on their Facebook page:

“J.B. Pritzker and the Dems in Springfield just rammed a gun control bill (Senate Bill through the Senate, but they didn’t do it alone! RINO-Traitor Darby Hills voted for this crap, even though it could put gun owners in prison for years! Get the details by watching our video in the comment section….then call Senator Hills TODAY!”

Their post has drawn 174 comments and 163 shares at the time of this posting.

Additionally, they posted a video commentary on YouTube which can be found here.

Posted in Deception, Dinky, Ethics, Letters to the Editor, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Village Board | Leave a Comment »

Barrington Area Council of Governments meets tonight

April 22, 2025 by Barrington Hills Observer

The Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) is scheduled to have multiple meetings today beginning at 6 PM at the South Barrington Village Hall, 30 South Barrington Road. Those meetings include:

  • 6:00 Finance
  • 6:40 Nominations
  • 7:00 Executive Board

Meeting agendas are posted by BACOG, but their website does state, “Copies of approved minutes for BACOG committee and executive board meetings are available upon request. Please submit requests by email to bacog@bacog.org.”

Posted in BACOG, Deception, Ethics, Open Meetings Act, Politics, Property Taxes, Transparency, Unions, Well Water Quality | Leave a Comment »

Morton Arboretum plant sale: Anyone for Lungwort or Barrenwort plants? Maybe Belgian giant tomatoes?

April 21, 2025 by Barrington Hills Observer

Kris Bachtell, The Morton Arboretum’s vice president of collections and horticulture, strolls through one of the center’s Quonset huts where plants are being readied for the Arbor Day Plant Sale. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

By  Stefano Esposito | Chicago Sun*Times

The long, low-slung hut without windows and a gun-metal gray door with only the number “12″ to identify it, looks like it might hold a closely guarded military secret.

Military? No. A secret? Yes, sort of — at least until April 24.

Kris Bachtell opens the door, and inside are hundreds upon hundreds of plants — in startling colors: a metallic purple and a neon-bright chartreuse. In another hut, a plant with a yellow-and-peach flower that resembles the most delicate origami creation.

The coral bell shrubs and the paper-like barrenwort are among the approximately 36,000 mostly perennial plants that The Morton Aboretum will have on sale during its annual three-day Arbor Day Plant Sale. Billed as “one of the largest seasonal plant sales in the Chicago region,” the arboretum is offering their plant “geniuses” for gardeners who might need a little advice.

Morton Arboretum Arbor Day Plant Sale
When: April 24 – 26
Where: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle
Tickets: $32 (includes general admission and a $15 purchase voucher)
Info: mortonarb.org

For now, the plants are maturing in 10 Quonset huts. They’ll soon be hauled out on carts to a 38,000-square-foot facility for the sale, which runs April 24-26.

The plants are all designed to handle Chicago weather, including about 30 varieties of tomatoes.

Bachtell, Morton’s vice president of collections and horticulture, and Sharon Yiesla, Morton’s plant knowledge specialist, took a Chicago Sun-Times reporter and photographer on a recent preview tour.

Purple Heuchera, or coral bells, are part of the Arbor Day Plant Sale at The Morton Arboretum. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Read more here.

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Going green, The Morton Arboretum | Leave a Comment »

Barrington Area Conservation Trust Earth Day planting event tomorrow

April 21, 2025 by Barrington Hills Observer

Posted in BACT, Going green | Leave a Comment »

Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District Board meets tonight

April 21, 2025 by Barrington Hills Observer

The Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District (BCFPD) Board of Trustees meets tonight at 6:30 PM at 22222 N. Pepper Road in Lake Barrington. Topics on their agenda include:

  • Consideration and possible approval of an Ordinance declaring surplus property and authorizing and approval the disposal of said equipment (A5)
  • Capital Plan Ambulance Purchase Concurrence Request
  • Lieutenant/Paramedic Promotional Recommendations
  • Deputy Chief Annual Review, and
  • BCFPD Pension Plan Discussion

A copy of their agenda can be viewed here.

Posted in Agendas, BCFPD, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Jewel-Osco, Pension Funding, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Taxes, Unions | Leave a Comment »

America’s Second-Richest Elected Official Is Acting Like He Wants to Be President – Wall Street Journal

April 20, 2025 by Barrington Hills Observer

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is scheduled to speak at an event in New Hampshire this month, fueling speculation about a potential 2028 presidential run. | Photo: Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/AP

Billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois is one of the top Democrats being watched as the party searches for a way out of the political wilderness

By John McCormick | The Wall Street Journal

CHICAGO—If JB Pritzker runs for the Democratic presidential nomination, he will be betting his party’s best prospect is a political punch-throwing heavyset billionaire who inherited massive wealth. While that sounds like President Trump, the two-term Illinois governor would be wagering on himself.

Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, has become one of the most-outspoken critics of Trump at a time Democrats are struggling to counter him. Wealth has long opened doors for Pritzker and there are signs he wants the next one to be into the Oval Office.

The 60-year-old is visiting New Hampshire, traditional home of the nation’s first presidential primary, to speak April 27 at a party fundraiser about what he sees as Trump’s authoritarianism and to call Democrats to action. The trip is likely to boost speculation that Pritzker, among those vetted by Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign as a possible running mate, is interested in the 2028 nomination.

“There is no doubt that he is going to run,” said Chicagoan Bill Daley, who served as President Bill Clinton’s commerce secretary and President Barack Obama’s chief of staff. “The real question is whether he runs for re-election first or just runs for president.”

The governor, who declined an interview, has yet to say whether he will seek a third term. An announcement is expected in the next few months, with the March 2026 primary less than 11 months away.

Read more here.

Posted in Clown Car, Commodius Maximus, Deception, Dinky, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Ethics, Fat Bastard, Girlie man, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Unions, Wall Street Journal | 1 Comment »

‘Integral part of our courthouse’: McHenry County Circuit Court’s new comfort dog achieves certification

April 20, 2025 by Barrington Hills Observer

Honey, a Golden Retriever, was announced in September as the McHenry County courthouse’s newest employee to provide emotional support to visitors, judges, employees and attorneys. She was recently certified after undergoing training. | Provided Photo

By Sam Borcia | Lake & McHenry County Scanner

The McHenry County Circuit Court announced its newest four-legged employee has been officially certified as a comfort support dog following rigorous training.

The 22nd Judicial Circuit Court in September announced that Honey the canine was its newest employee at the Michael J. Sullivan Judicial Center in Woodstock.

Honey, a nine-month-old Golden Retriever, was purchased from Sunset Goldens in Villa Park to assist in alleviating stress and promoting a calming environment within the court.

She recently completed training as a certified service animal with the Masonic Association of Service and Therapy Dogs (M.A.S.T).

The circuit court announced last week that Honey had successfully completed her certification as a service therapy dog.

Honey, a Golden Retriever, was announced in September as the McHenry County courthouse’s newest employee to provide emotional support to visitors, judges, employees and attorneys. | Provided Photo

“Congratulations to Honey, and Dan Wallis for all of the hard work and training that went into Honey’s certification as a service/therapy dog. Honey has become a very special part of our 22nd Circuit Court family, and we’re very fortunate to have her here,” Chief Judge Michael Feetterer said.

Read more here.

Posted in Animal Welfare, County, McHenry, Topics Of Interest | Leave a Comment »

Kane County sets dates for low-cost vaccine and microchip clinics

April 20, 2025 by Barrington Hills Observer

Submitted by Kane County Public Information Office

Kane County Animal Control has set the 2025 spring/summer dates for its popular low-cost drive-through rabies vaccine and microchip clinics.

The clinics will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 26; 4:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 14; and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 14, at the Kane County Animal Control Facility, 4060 Keslinger Road, Geneva.

Additional dates will be announced later.

A one-year rabies vaccine with tag is $30 (neutered) or $55 (not neutered). There’s a discount for those age 65 or older with ID of $15 (neutered) or $25 (not neutered).

Cost for microchip is $15.

For questions, contact Kane County Animal Control at (630) 232-3555 or animalcontrol@countyofkane.org. Visit www.pets.kanecountyil.gov for additional details.

All owners must verify that their pet has not bitten anyone in the past 10 days. An adult over the age of 18 must be present and handle the animal. If your pet requires a muzzle, it must be provided by the owner and put on before entering the clinic.

Kane County residents are required by law to purchase a registration tag at the time of vaccination.

Posted in Animal Welfare, County, Kane | Leave a Comment »

For trans athletes in high schools sports, IHSA says it will follow state law — not Trump executive order

April 19, 2025 by Barrington Hills Observer

Illinois Republican lawmakers sent a letter* to the Illinois High School Association asking it to explain how for its plan to amend policy to adhere to Trump’s executive order aimed at “keeping men out of women’s sports.” | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

By  Violet Miller | Chicago Sun*Times

Trans athletes can continue to participate in high school sports competitions, the Illinois High School Association said this week as it affirmed its current policy in the face of demands to exclude trans athletes by the Trump administration and Illinois Republican lawmakers.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February aimed at “keeping men out of women’s sports” and threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that didn’t do as he wanted. His administration this week sued Maine for not complying.

The IHSA’s announcement came in a letter issued to Republican lawmakers. It said that Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois Department of Human Rights had informed the agency that it was required to maintain a policy in lockstep with state law. It also clarified that its trans athletes policy only applied to the state series competition it sponsors, and that individual schools could determine whether transgender students participated during the regular season.

“Compliance with the Executive Order could place the IHSA out of compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act and vice versa,” IHSA Board President Dan Tulley and Executive Director Craig Anderson wrote in a statement. “The IHSA simply desires to comply with the law and takes no position on which of the foregoing is correct. Given the conflict described above, however, we are left in an untenable position.”

Illinois law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, requiring schools to protect transgender students’ right to use facilities and participate in events and programs that match their gender identity.

Read more here.

*The letter Illinois Republican lawmakers sent to the Illinois High School Association can be found here.

Posted in 220, 300, Barrington Education Association, Chicago Sun*Times, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Ethics, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, School Districts, Springfield, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)?, WTF | Leave a Comment »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »