Suspicious incidents / BG Days partnership / Library book challenge
In the gutter – Police were called to Bowlero about a customer who was allegedly causing a disturbance. Police reports say officers found the man, who appeared intoxicated, in the parking lot. He told police he was upset that he was asked to leave.
Suspicious incident – Officers were dispatched to the parking lot at Garden Fresh Market regarding a suspicious incident. The complainant called 9-1-1 stating an unknown subject attempted to open her vehicle's door while she was driving through the parking lot. He was described as a white male in his 20s wearing a black jacket.
Upon arrival, officers checked the surrounding area, but were unable to locate the subject. The driver told police as she was driving through the parking lot near the front entrance a male subject walked in front of her vehicle and appeared to wave his arms at her. The driver stated she didn't know the subject and went past the subject The subject then walked around the passenger side of her vehicle and attempted to open the front passenger side door. She stated her vehicle's doors were locked and the subject was unable to get into her vehicle.
The driver then pulled into a parking stall and called 9-1-1. She stated she didn't know what the subject wanted or if the subject mistook her vehicle for someone else
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Converter stolen -- A Villa Verde resident reported to police that the catalytic converter was stolen from his car overnight on Jan. 13. The converter was valued at $1,500.
Suspicious incident -- A resident on Essington Lane told police that a silver four-door car backed into his driveway with the hazard lights on. The resident told police he observed a taller male, wearing a black ski cap and a black jacket, exit the vehicle and walk up his front side walk and around the side of his home and look into his backyard.
The resident told police he was unable to see what model vehicle was in his driveway and was unsure of a better description of the male subject, but noted that the interior lights of the vehicle were on and there may have been a second unknown subject inside the vehicle.
He also explained that he believed the unknown subjects were "casing" his residence and wanted the incident documented. Nothing was reported missing from his home or backyard and no damage was observed.
In Other Community News
Board nixes vaccine requirement – Covid vaccines for people doing work for the village are not going to be required – unless they are employees. The Village Board Jan. 18 voted down a proposed ordinance that would require all elected officials, appointed officials, consultants and volunteers of the village to be vaccinated. The vote was 4-2 against the measure with trustees Eric Smith and David Weidenfeld voting in favor. The Board is expected to consider a similar measure that would require vaccination for elected officials only at an upcoming meeting. The Daily Herald has more coverage here.
Village meetings to remain virtual
Village meetings, including Village Board meetings, will remain virtual at least through February.
That’s what Village Manager Dane Bragg recommended to trustees during the Jan. 18 meeting. Bragg told the Board that the current spike, which led to prohibiting public access of village facilities, was a key driver in maintaining virtual meetings. He told the Board that some models say a peak in the current surge may last another four weeks.
Despite Bragg’s information and recommendation, some trustees disagreed. Trustee Greg Pike said he favors a return to in-person meetings, citing his travels around the country. He did not, however, explain the correlation between his travel and in-person meetings. Pike asked Bragg how neighboring municipalities were handling meetings and was told that some are meeting virtually, some are using a hybrid model.
Village President Beverly Sussman agreed with Bragg saying “it was too early to make a call” and that a decision should wait until the end of February. Trustees David Weidenfeld and Eric Smith said they understood Pike’s desire to meet in person, but said the topic should be discussed at the Board’s February meetings. Neither Weidenfeld or Smith said if they had traveled. The Board has a Committee of the Whole meeting Feb. 7 and a regular Board meeting Feb. 22. Unlike the Jan. 18 meeting, neither February meeting is during a full moon.
BG Days partnership gets nod
In general, the MOU defines the role each entity will handle during the annual event on Labor Day weekend.
In a report to the Board, Deputy Village Manager and Public Works Director, Mike Skibbe, who is the staff liaison to Buffalo Grove Days, noted that the partnership worked well during the 2021 BG Days.
“The 50/50 partnership highlighted the skills of each agency, with the Park District leading sponsorship acquisition and beverage sales at the event,” he noted, adding that “they (Park District) also assisted with site preparation, advertising, and entertainment activities.”
He also noted in his report that the village continued to coordinate purchasing, contract execution, public safety planning, site set up, and more.”
Skibbe also noted that the village continued to work with the Buffalo Grove Days committee to coordinate the many volunteer hours needed to host this event and that the coordination would continue in 2022.
However, Paulette Greenberg, longtime chair of the Buffalo Grove Days Committee, expressed concern about a potential diminishing role for the committee, especially in the planning of the event.
Skibbe told her that the MOU established a structure for responsibilities and that the Committee will still have a key role in the event.
Trustee Andrew Stein, the lone dissenter to the agreement, echoed some of Greenberg’s concerns. He expressed concern about the budget saying some things, such as the children’s craft fair have been eliminated and the entertainment budget has been “slashed.”
Skibbe said the partnership helped the 2021 event be a “financial success.” Stein, however, intimated that since the event is in essence a “village party” and that “if we lose money, it’s no big deal.”
Trustees noted that the Buffalo Grove Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, which has operated the beer tent in the past, should continue to have a role.
“I see the memo of understanding as a positive thing,” trustee Eric Smith said. “The Park District does things on a day-day basis and are good at them. But the chamber has been involved for 30 years. It’s revenue for them. It needs to be a win-win-win situation.
This year’s Buffalo Grove Days are scheduled from Sept. 1 – 5.
Utility e-billing hits snag
The village reports that some utility e-billing customers are not presently receiving notification e-mails. The village is asking residents to log in to the utility services dashboard to view their most recent bill, which for some customers is dated Thursday, Jan. 13.
The village bills residential customers in two cycles, so if residents were scheduled to billed last month, they would not receive a bill this month.
Residents with questions should contact the village's Utility Billing Department at (847) 459-2500 or send an email.
In addition to the e-billing problems, residents are reminded that payment via Chase Pay is still experiencing issues processing payments to the village. Residents are asked to use an alternate payment method and/or contact Chase directly at (800) 935-9935.
Cops participating in Valentines project
The Police Department is partnering with the Vernon Area Public Library on Hearts for Heroes. Pick up a pre-printed card at the Police Station and create a Valentine’s Day wish for your favorite heroes. Cards can honor first responders, healthcare workers, veterans and others. Drop off completed cards at the police station through Sunday, Feb. 6.
Speaking of Valentines
Congressman Brad Schneider (D-10) is sponsoring a “Valentines for Vets” program to collect and distribute Valentine’s Day cards to local veterans.
Constituents of all ages are encouraged to participate by dropping off cards in a drop box at Schneider’s Lincolnshire office. The deadline for submissions is Friday, Feb. 11.
This is Schneider’s sixth year hosting the program. In previous years, his office collected more than 1,000 cards from constituents and area schoolchildren, which Schneider distributed to veterans at Lovell Federal Health Care Center and a breakfast of the Lake County Honor Flight.
Schneider’s office is located at 111 Barclay Blvd, Suite 200, Lincolnshire Ill. 60069. There will be a drop box outside the front door of the district office, beginning Monday, Jan. 24 as the office remains closed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Library presents author
The Indian Trails Public Library District will present “An Evening with Silvia Moreno-Garcia” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 26. The bestselling and award-winning author of Mexican Gothic will discuss her newest book, Velvet Was the Night, and her genre-defying mashups of cultural noir and Lovecraftian horror. Velvet Was the Night is one of The New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2021. You can register for the live Zoom program at this link.
Farmers Market Committee to meet
The initial meeting for the 2022 Farmers Market season will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 26. Persons interested in joining the committee are invited to attend. The meeting will be virtual and can be accessed at this link.
Want to exercise? Walk the Dome
Residents who want some exercise during the winter months can “Walk the Dome” from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday at the Park District’s golf dome, 801 N. McHenry Road. “Walk the Dome” is free courtesy of underwriting by Culver’s.
New parking at Buffalo Creek
Lake County Board representative Marah Altenberg (Dist. 21) has announced that new parking is available created just outside of Buffalo Creek to alleviate cars scattered around the neighborhood. The parking is just behind the Long Grove Soccer Park lot. The new parking spots are accessible from the intersection of Old Hicks and Checker Road. No parking is allowed in the soccer lot.
Pop-up used book sale rescheduled
The used book sale at the Indian Trails Public Library originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 8, will now be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12, from 10 am-2 pm. It will be held in the Lake-Cook room. Scanners are allowed from noon to 2 p.m.
Library challenges readers
The Indian Trails Public Library District is sponsoring a “Rise to the Challenge” annual reading program.
High school and adult readers are challenged to read 20 books during 2022.
Participants can register online or at the Adult Services Desk, (847) 459-4100, ext. 3.
You can track your progress online or on Beanstack’s mobile app. The Adult Services desk also has a paper log to track your progress. For information about Beanstack, go to this link.
For every five books completed, participants will earn a raffle ticket for the chance to win one of the grand prizes at the end of the year. Raffle tickets will be submitted online using Beanstack or at the Adult Services desk.
Readers who finish 20 books will receive a prize and, wait for it, earn three additional raffle tickets.
Participants can earn additional grand prize raffle tickets by completing bonus activities. These challenges are written down in the paper log and are on Beanstack.
Bonus activities include watching a documentary about a topic you don't know much about, writing down how you would change the ending of a book, and attending an Indian Trails program.
ASHS summer school registration open
Students interested in attending summer school at Stevenson High School, can now register online at this link.
School officials are recommending summer school registrations be submitted by 4 p.m. on March 4 to avoid a class cancellation due to insufficient enrollment.
Late registrations for summer school will be accepted up until 4 p.m. on June 3, but after March 4, all registrations are on a space-available basis and late fees will be applied.
The tuition fees (and additional lab, book, and/or field trip fees where appropriate) are listed in the course description. All fees must be paid at the time of registration. Please contact the summer school office at (847) 415-4520 or via e-mail at summerschoolreg@d125.org with questions.
Summer camp staff sought
Vernon Township is looking for lifeguards, pool attendants and camp counselors for its 2022-day camp program. No previous lifeguard training or experience required. Lifeguard training will be provided upon hiring, if necessary.
Additional information is available at this link.
Auditions set for two children’s productions
Auditions for Big Deal Productions’ 2022 Children's Non-musical production, Game of Tiaras, by Don Zolidis. Will be from 6:15 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 31 at the Community Arts Center, 225 McHenry Road.
Auditions are open to all performers in grades 4 - 12, Callbacks will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 1 in the evening. For more information on the auditions, please visit bgparks.org, or contact Jessi Hersman at (847) 850-2152.
Auditions are also scheduled for Big Deal Productions children’s spring musical, Moana, Jr. Auditions are open to all performers in grades 2 - 7, and will be held from 6 - 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 14 and Tuesday, Feb. 15 at the Community Arts Center. Callbacks will be held the evening of Thursday, February 17. Performers should prepare approximately one minute of a musical theater song, and bring an accompaniment track on a device that can be connected to a Bluetooth speaker. Please dress comfortably, and wear appropriate footwear for a dance audition.
Performers cast in the show will need to pay a $250 participation fee which includes nine weeks of musical theatre instruction, a commemorative script, and a show t-shirt.
Rehearsals for this production will be held on from 6 - 8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday evenings, and from 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturdays.
Cast members will be responsible for securing appropriate footwear/tights/undergarments and stage make-up for the show. Performances are scheduled for April 28 - May 1.
Auditions appointments are limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, contact Lindsay Grandt at (847) 850.2132.
Arlington Heights Road focus of hearing
The Lake County Department of Transportation (LCDOT) is hosting a virtual public meeting for a planned improvement project on Arlington Heights Road between Lake Cook Road and Route 83. The hearing will take place from 5 – 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27 on Zoom.
The meeting will cover the project overview and schedule, and seek public comment after a live presentation and Q&A session.
Full information is at this link.
Need a reason to celebrate?
Mark your calendars for these upcoming observances!
Jan. 24
National Compliment Day
National Beer Can Appreciation Day
Community Manager Appreciation Day
Jan. 25
Observe the Weather Day
National Irish Coffee Day
National Plan for Vacation Day
Jan. 26
National Peanut Brittle Day
Indian Republic Day
National Spouses Day
Jan. 27
Clashing Clothes Day
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
National Chocolate Cake Day
Jan. 28
National Kazoo Day
National Fun at Work Day
National Lego Day
Jan. 29
National Corn Chip Day
National Puzzle Day
Jan. 30
Yodel For Your Neighbors Day
National Draw A Dinosaur Day
National Croissant Day
For more information on these festivities and to find others, go to nationaltoday.com
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In case you didn’t know…
Buffalo Grove News and Info, is independently produced by Buffalo Grove resident Stan Zoller. A longtime journalist and journalism educator, Zoller covers Buffalo Grove and monitors news and information about the village, its schools, park district and community events. Buffalo Grove News and Information is not affiliated with any municipal body.
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