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Our Town News

Oswego Senior Center News

Free Tax Preparation Available

For the third year, the Oswego Senior

Center will be preparing free income tax

returns. Volunteers will be available ev‐

ery Monday starting February 4th

through April 8th from 1 to 5pm. Ap‐

pointments will also be available for two

Saturdays, March 9th and 23rd. from 9

to Noon. Call 630-554-5602 to make an

appointment and/or for more informa‐

tion.

Individuals who earn $25,000 or less and

seniors and families who earn up to

$51,000 are eligible for the free tax

preparation of federal and state forms.

Volunteers are trained through VITA

(Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) in

collaboration with the IRS.

Information you need to bring includes

proof of identi"cation for you and your

spouse if "ling jointly, Social Security

cards for spouse and dependents, birth‐

dates, all W-2's and/or 1099's, property

tax bill, if homeowner information on

other types of income (interest, self-em‐

ployment, etc.), a copy of last year’s tax

return if possible, and bank routing

numbers for direct deposit in case of a

refund.

All appointments take place at the Os‐

wego Senior Center, 156 E. Washington

St.

CASINO TRIP

Oswego Senior Center's "rst casino trip

of the year will take place on Wednesday,

March 6th. Buses will leave the senior

center and take you to the Jumer's Casi‐

no in Rock Island leaving at 8 am and re‐

turning at 5:30 pm.

Before February 11th, the cost is $32.00

per person which includes $5.00 free

play and $5.00 toward buffet. Aer that

date cost is $35.00 per person. Reserva‐

tions must be made by Feb. 22nd. Info

needed includes legal name, birthdate,

and complete address. Legal ID is need‐

ed for admittance to casino.

ONGOING PROGRAMS

e Oswego Senior Center has continu‐

ing programs designed for the mature

adult:

Gentle Yoga takes place every Tuesday at

11 am and on Fridays at 11:30 am. Sug‐

gested donation for those over 60 are $2

per class for 6 for $10.

Tai Chi for beginners takes place every

Tuesday at 9:45 am and Friday at 10 am.

Regular Tai Chi is on Wednesdays at

12:45. No fee for this class.

Line Dancing takes place on Friday's at

10 am. Cost $1.00.

Chair exercises take place on Monday

and ursday mornings at 9 am. No Fee.

For more information on these and oth‐

er programs, call 630-554-5602 or stop

2 Kendall Weekly Times

in at 156 E. Washington Street. We are

open Monday through Friday from 9 am

to 4 pm.

IRISH SPLENDOR

Enjoy an eight day trip to Ireland with

the Oswego Senior Center. e tour will

take place October 29th till November

5th, 2013. e Collettte Tour includes

round trip air from O'Hare International

Airport, air taxes, and fees/surcharges

and Hotel Transfers and 9 meals (6

breakfast and 3 dinners).

Vis i t D ubl in , Ki l l arne y, Ding le

Peninsula, Cliffs of Moher and Cong-

Tullamore. Sights include tour of Dublin

and Guinness Storehouse. Stay overnight

in Ashford Castle and an evening at a lo‐

cal Dublin Pub for fun and music. Cost

of trip: double $2749 per person, single

$3049 and triple $2719 per person. Cost

of insurance is not included. Take

$250.00 off price if you book by March

31st.

To learn more about the trip, visit our

w e b s i t e a t

www.oswegoseniorccernter.org and click

to watch the video. You can also call Lor‐

raine at 630-554-5602 or stop in at 156

E. Washington St. for more information

and to book your vacation.

Village of Montgomery News

Recycling Event--Electronics and More!

Saturday, March 16

Drop off items for recycling! Items ac‐

cepted are electronics of all types (in‐

cludes anything that plugs in), appli‐

ances, metal, batteries and car &uids of

all types. Not accepted: tires and paint.

Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Address:

Montgomery Police Department

10 Civic Center Avenue

Montgomery, IL 60538

Contact: 630-896-8080 ext. 1116

Boulder Hill Water Main Improve‐ments Project Open House

Construction, which will begin this year,

will involve replacing approximately

18,000 feet of water main and related ac‐

cessories with the purpose of improving

water main quality. e locations of the

proposed improvements can be viewed

by clicking on "additional info" below.

In anticipation of many questions, the

Village has scheduled a project open

house. Please feel free to drop by any‐

time between 7:00 pm and 8:30 pm on

February 21 to view various exhibits, ask

questions, and provide comments. No

formal presentation will be given.

Please feel free to contact the Village of

Montgomery Director of Public Works,

Mike Pubentz, at

630-896-9241 or Julie Morrison with

Engineering Enterprises , Inc. at

630-466-6700 with any

questions.

Yorkville News

PARKWAY TREE TRIMMING

e United City of Yorkville Public

Works Department is going to begin

Parkway Tree Trimming on or about

February 11th. It is important you re‐

move all holiday lights from trees as City

Hall will not be responsible for any dam‐

age done

SNOW REGULATIONS

e United City of Yorkville would like

to remind all residents of the regulations

regarding snow events for parking, shov‐

eling snow into the street and mailbox

replacement

Plain"eld IL VILLAGE NEWS

Tax Assistance

e Tax Assistance Program (TAP) pro‐

vides free tax return preparation for

households and individuals that qualify.

Services are offered at the Plain"eld Of‐

"ce of Representative Tom Cross, 24047

W. Lockport Street, on Saturdays in

February, March, and April. For details,

click here to review the TAP Brochure.

Coffee with the Mayor - March 13

Please join Mayor Collins for coffee and

conversation on Wednesday, March 13,

2013 at 9 am at the Village Hall, 24401

W. Lockport Street. All residents are in‐

vited.

Electronics Recycling Event

3Kendall Weekly Times

Do you have old electronics at home tak‐

ing up space? Recycle them on March

16, from 9 am - 1 pm at Vintage Tech

Recyclers, 14110 S. Route 59, during

their FREE electronics recycling event.

Click here for a list of accepted items.

For more information, contact Vintage

Tech at (630) 305-0922.

Chamber of Commerce Business Expo

Mark your calendar for the Plain"eld

Area Chamber of Commerce's Annual

Business Expo on March 23! At the

Expo, you can meet over 100 local busi‐

nesses and organizations while enjoying

a variety of family entertainment. e

Expo runs from 9 am - 2 pm at Plain"eld

Central High School. Visit plain"eldex‐

po.com for details.

Yard Waste Pickup Resumes in April

Yard waste pickup has ended and will re‐

sume in April 2013. Please make sure

that all yard waste is properly packaged

in kra yard waste bags and/or a Waste

Management yard waste cart.

Consolidated Election 2013

e Consolidated Election is April 9,

2013. For details about becoming an

election judge or for other election infor‐

mation, visit the Will County Clerk’s

web site at www.thewillcountyclerk.com

or call (815) 740-4632.

City of Joliet

RUBY STREET BRIDGE RE-OPENING FEBRUARY 19, 2013

e Illinois Department of Transporta‐

tion (IDOT) has announced that the re‐

pair work has been completed and the

Ruby Street Bridge (IL Route 53) over

the Des Plaines River will be re-opened

Tuesday, February 19, 2013.

For additional information, contact Joli‐

et Public Works Department at

815-724-4200.


Election News

Ryan Kauffman, candidate for Oswego

Village Trustee, will host his second

meet & greet/fundraiser at the Fox Val‐

ley Winery on Tuesday, February 26,

2013. e Fox Valley Winery is located

at 5600 U.S. 34 in Oswego.

All Oswego residents are welcome to at‐

tend this event and learn more about

Ryan and his platform. e event will

begin at 5pm and last until 8pm. e

cost per person is $25. Discounted wine

purchases are available for attendees.

For more information about Ryan Kauff‐

man and his ideas for Oswego, please

v i s i t h i s o ffi c i a l w e b s i t e a t

www.vote4ryan.weebly.com.

e election for the Village Board of

Trustees will take place on April 9, 2013.

Early voting will take place from March

18 to April 4, 2013.


Erin Patti

Metal Movable Type

A New Year, New Laws and New Highs

By Erin Patti

January proved to be an eventful month

for the markets and investors alike. We

started with the passage of the American

Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA), a signi"‐

cant piece of legislation that averted the

"scal cliff by extending some tax cuts

and raising taxes on upper income

households. It also put in place tempo‐

rary tax breaks for businesses, extended

unemployment bene"ts for 2 million

people and postponed automatic spend‐

ing cuts, known as the sequester, until

March. Another provision eliminated

the temporary cut to Social Security pay‐

roll taxes, which increased them from

4.2% to 6.2%. e ATRA, however,

failed to address the debt ceiling, and

Congress just passed a debt-limit mea‐

sure that would allow additional borrow‐

ing until mid-May.

Also, during the last week of the month,

the Commerce Department reported

that gross domestic product shrank in

the fourth quarter for the "rst time since

the recession, falling 0.1% compared to

an expected 1.1% gain. Stocks temporar‐

ily dipped on the news, but recovered

quickly, ending the month higher than

their December close.

As of the end of the month, the Dow

Jones Industrial Average hit 13,861,

while the NASDAQ closed at 3,142. e

broad market S&P 500 "nished at 1,498,

its best January performance since 1997.

Performance was boosted by the "scal

cliff deal, positive signs from Europe and

the Federal Reserve’s stimulus moves.

For example, the Fed announced that it

will continue to buy bonds for the time

being. In addition, it’s expected to main‐

tain its accommodative monetary policy

aer a two-day policy meeting this week.

Reports that the economy added 192,000

private sector jobs in January and that

single-family home prices rose in

November also helped balance out the

disappointing GDP report. In addition,

the corporate earnings season started out

strong, boosting investor interest in

stocks.

Now that we’re moving toward "scal res‐

olutions in Washington, you might won‐

der how tax changes brought on by

ATRA will affect your family as you pre‐

pare for tax season,

I’d be happy to discuss the tax implica‐

tions for your investment strategy and

work with your tax advisor to optimize

your "nancial plan.

Please call me at your convenience so we

can discuss your portfolio holdings as

well as any tax-planning strategies that

may prove helpful.


Health Corner

By Christina Dennis-Riforgiate

Sinking your feet into a pool of warm,

bubbly water may be relaxing. But did

you know that bacteria can be intro‐

duced into your bath, thanks to the pipes

that carry the water?

Avoid soaking in someone else’s bacteria

by being picky about your foot bath.

Some spas use pipe-less pedicure chairs,

which reduce the area in which bacteria

can hide. Opt for easy-to-clean individu‐

al buckets or bowls. Before you book

your service, ask the spa which type of

basin it uses. And remember, regardless

of basin type, the technicians should still

clean between each client.

When booking your appointment, make

sure to mention if you’re a diabetic, and

ask if they have a trained pedicurist (like

a medical nail technician) that does dia‐

betic pedicures. ese specialists know

to be gentle, the do’s and don’ts, and will

point out to you any wounds or other

symptoms that they notice while helping

you. Safety is a prime concern, and it’s a

good idea to ensure that you get pedi‐

cures with someone experienced.

Take the Right Steps

You should wash and inspect your feet

daily. Turn the chore into a treat.

1. Wash: Clean feet are healthy, so

perform this task daily—not just for a

pedicure.

2. Exfoliate: Get rid of the dry skin

that prevents full moisture absorption.

3. Moisturize: Rub a thick moisturiz‐

er into feet, avoiding the area between

toes.

4. Clip: Cut toenails straight across

to prevent ingrown nails.

5. Soen: Stop cuticles from crack‐

ing by rubbing them with soothing oil.

6. Polish: Go ahead, have fun!


Patient Advocacy-Self Awareness

By Sharon Pointer

Who can speak to your insurance com‐

pany or provider regarding your health

bene"t issues? It may seem difficult to

"nd someone to address questions for

services listed on your EOB (explanation

of bene"ts) or your hospital charges.

e best advocate that you can have is

YOURSELF. Today, we have so many

tools available for patients to advocate

for themselves. Listed below are some of

the tools that are available:

• Assistance with medications

• Free or low-cost diabetic supplies

• Free seminars provided by your

local hospitals

• Free information and tools

through WebMD.com and other web‐

sites dedicated to assisting patients

• Free assistance in understanding

the ABC’s of reading your EOB and hos‐

pital bills

• Assistance with hospital bills for

those on "xed income or low income

ese are just a few of the tools that are

available to you. Have you ever gotten a

bill from your doctor that immediately

shocked you? I have been there, did that.

My "rst reaction was “what does this all

mean and how am I going to pay these

bills?”

Your "rst thought may be to jump into

panic mode. But if you understand the

process and the items on the bill, you are

better equipped to empower yourself

with the tools needed to resolve the

medical bills. Your health care provider

takes care of your health issues. ey bill

your insurance company for reimburse‐

ment of services provided. eir billing

service is there to assist you with billing-

related issues, but if you are well

equipped, you can provide them with in‐

formation that will ensure that your

provider is paid for your health care ser‐

vices with little money coming out of

your pocket. at leaves a win-win solu‐

tion.

Medicare is one of the largest health care

payers, but at times can be very compli‐

cated. In addition, your provider has to

work hard to get paid for their services.

Being your own health care advocate,

you will know what services are covered

and what services are not. is way, you

are prepared when meeting with your

prov i d e r t o d i s c u s s h e a l t h c a re

treatments.

Go to the Medicare.com website for

handbooks for patients. It is loaded with

lots of information regarding what is

covered, what is not, what you can be

charged for, and what you cannot be

charged for. You will be glad that you

did. Empower yourself with the knowl‐

edge base of healthcare.


Brian Basilico

http://www.b2b-im.com/trust-me-two-ways-to-earn-it/

Coffee Shop by Brian Basilico

“Trust Me”… Two Ways to Earn It!

by Brian Basilico on February 13, 2013

in Crowdsourcing, EMail Marketing,

Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing Tips and

Tools, Networking, Social Media, Social

Networking, Twitter, Websites

Trust is not something you can buy, ne‐

gotiate, or or circumvent. It has to be

earned. Once earned, it has to be nur‐

tured, maintained and re-earned with

every transaction, interaction, and reac‐

tion.

So you may get people to KNOW you,

and they may even LIKE you aer a cer‐

tain amount of time, but getting them to

TRUST YOU… is usually a arduous task.

It takes time, communication, and usual‐

ly some interpersonal interaction.

Trust can be primarily earned in two dis‐

tinct ways. First, by working with a per‐

son in a one-on-one or group level. is

group or person has to have some prede‐

"ned task that is expected of you. You

have to meet or exceed expectations. e

second way is through referrals, testimo‐

nials, and some other "rst hand experi‐

ence with you, and your products, or

services.

1) Exceeding Expectations

Working with clients and giving them

over and above customer service is a

sure "re way create a referral machine.

When you exceed expectations, and help

them realize the true value proposition

of what you have to offer, they are cer‐

tain to share your contact information

when somebody asks “Do you know

anybody who can…”.

As a marketing company, our value

proposition is this, “Marketing should

always be an investment, and never an

expense. If you spend $100, you should

make $300… $100 to cover the market‐

ing costs, $100 for your time and invest‐

ment, and $100 pro"t. If we don’t see an

opportunity for three times return on in‐

vestment, then we should not do the

project.”. Now, I can’t always guarantee a

3 to 1 return on investment, but it sets us

apart from the competition. It’s hard to

help those that don’t want to be active

and participate in the process. Again,

that’s not what we offer. I tell customers

that” We are in the business of making

you more money!”.

ere have been some projects that

could not live up to that offer, but many

more times we’ve made clients 3 to 1, 5

to 1, 10 to 1, and even 25 to 1 or more in

pro"ts. You can bet that those customers

are my best sales force.

2) Testimonials & Reviews

at leads me to second way to obtain

trust. is is through recommendations

and reviews. Nothing is more powerful

in a Google or LinkedIn search than

positive, glowing reviews of your busi‐

ness and your work. Reputation manage‐

ment can be an arduous task, but it’s part

of the new reality in this ‘Google –

Search For It’ world.

Recently, LinkedIn had started some‐

thing call Endorse Me to create more in‐

teraction with users. is is not the same

as a recommendation. A recommenda‐

tion is a heartfelt testimonial of your

business. If you need some more recom‐

mendations, it’s not offensive to ask for

them from connections that you have ac‐

tually done business with on LinkedIn.

Just be prepared to reciprocate with a

positive review for them as well.

Positive reviews on Google, Yelp, Mer‐

chant Circle, Yahoo Local and others,

can be one of the most convincing tools

for people to trust you enough to pick up

the phone to call you, or visit your web‐

site and "ll out a request form, or send

you an email. ink about being on the

other end of that transaction. Do you

read reviews before purchasing a prod‐

uct or service? Most of us do.

I have been asked more than once about

how to deal with a negative review. ere

are no phone numbers to call and dis‐

pute with Google, and few websites have

system in place to let you deal with

them. e only way to meet a bad review

head on is get tons more of positive ones

that push it further and further down the

list of reviews. One bad review with

three good ones can create an aura of

concern for potential customers. One

bad one with a hundred good ones, will

certainly drown the lone bad one out!

Ask for reviews and recommendations.

Manage them, nurture them, and most

certainly, be aware of them. ey are

your biggest asset in building trust with

those who are just getting to know about

you, your products and/or services!

Final oughts?

So what have you done to build trust

with clients or potential customers?

Share some of your ideas or experiences

in the comments section!


Kris Heiman

Curb Appeal

How to Improve Curb Appeal by Kristine Heiman

With the coming spring season, now is

the time to think about what you need

to do to get your home ready for the

upcoming selling season. Spring is tra‐

ditionally busy for us Real Estate agents

and for those who want to sell their

homes as well. Following some of these

simple exercises can help you improve

the value of your home and make it

marketable.

Curb Appeal Exercise

e next time you come home, stop

across the street or far enough down the

driveway to get a good view of the house

and its surroundings.

1. What is your "rst impression of the

house and yard area?

2. What are the best exterior features of

the house or lot? How can you enhance

them?

3. What are the worst exterior features of

the house or lot? How can you minimize

or improve them?

Park where a potential buyer would and

walk towards the house. Look around as

if it were your "rst visit. Is the approach

clean and tidy? What could you do to

make it more attractive?

Take photos of the homes exterior. If you

have a digital camera, view the color ver‐

sions "rst, then remove the color and

look at it in black and white, because it's

easier to see problems when color isn't

around to affect our senses.

Make a list of the problem areas you dis‐

covered. Tackle clean up and repair

chores "rst, then put some time into

projects that make the grounds more at‐

tractive.

· Kill mold and mildew on the house,

sidewalks, roof, or driveway.

· Stow away unnecessary garden imple‐

ments and tools.

· Clean windows and gutters.

· Pressure wash dirty siding and dingy

decks.

· Edge sidewalks and remove vegetation

growing between concrete or bricks.

· Mow the lawn. Get rid of weeds.

· Rake and dispose of leaves, even if your

lot is wooded.

· Trim tree limbs that are near or touch‐

ing the home's roof.

Don't Forget the Rear View

Buyers doing a drive by will try their

best to see your back yard. If it's visible

from another street or from someone's

driveway, include it in your curb appeal

efforts.

Evening Curb Appeal

Do your curb appeal exercise again at

dusk, because it isn't unusual for poten‐

tial buyers to drive by houses in the

evening.

One quick way to improve evening curb

appeal is with lighting:

· String low voltage lighting along your

driveway, sidewalks, and near important

landscaping elements.

· Add a decorative street lamp or an at‐

tractive light "xture to a front porch.

· Make sure lighting that's visible

through front doors and windows en‐

hances the home's appearance.

Landscaping Decisions

ere are times that adding elements to

your landscaping can improve curb ap‐

peal, but there are other times when re‐

moving something is even more effective.

For example, we had a listing for a large

brick house with large white columns.

Tall evergreens, planted in front of each

column, had grown taller than the roof.

ey obscured the columns and win‐

dows and made it difficult to see the

front of the house.

We suggested that the owner remove

them. She trimmed them back, but it

didn't do the trick—they were unattrac‐

tive and still kept potential buyers from

seeing the true character of the house.

I sold the house to a couple who could

see past the trees. One of their "rst tasks

aer closing was to yank them out of the

ground, instantly boosting the home's

curb appeal.

Most buyers cannot visualize changes,

and oen won't take a second look at a

house if the "rst look doesn't appeal to

them. Home buyers who can visualize

changes, and are prepared to make them,

expect you to reduce the price of the

house to compensate for the work they

plan to do.

A Few Curb Appeal Tips

· If you can budget it, a fresh paint job

does wonders for a dingy house. Drive

around your town to "nd color schemes

that are appealing.

· Install a more attractive front door,

maybe something with leaded glass in‐

serts.

· If you can't justify the cost of a new

door, consider replacing plain doorknob

hardware with something more attrac‐

tive.

· If new hardware is beyond your budget,

repaint or stain the door and polish the

hardware?

If you brainstorm, you'll "nd that there's

a solution to most problems—one that

lets you stay within your budget. e

trick is to "nd the areas where improve‐

ments are needed, then work on them as

best you can.

Just a few ideas as you are preparing that

house for the Sale that will help you to

pursue your dream home.


Job Advice with Sheryl Krase

Statistics show that approximately 50

percent of mid-sized companies and al‐

most all large corporations use an appli‐

cant tracking system (ATS) to screen

candidates for job opportunities.

ere are a variety of reasons recruiters

and hiring managers adopt this type of

technology. With an ATS in place, hu‐

man resources departments can auto‐

mate and store hiring documents online

so HR professionals never have to worry

about siing through stacks of paper‐

work or hundreds of emails to "nd what

they need.

Colin Day, the founder and chief execu‐

tive officer of iCIMS, Inc., a provider of

talent acquisition soware for growing

businesses, is in an excellent position to

advise job seekers on how to maximize

their online applications. Here are Day's

top suggestions for getting the most visi‐

bility out of your online application:

1. oroughly read job descriptions.

Most recruiters will tell you a big pet

peeve is hearing from job seekers who

apply even if they aren't quali"ed for the

job. Take the time to understand exactly

what the company expects from appli‐

cants for jobs that interest you; do not ig‐

nore the detailed description of what the

job entails. "ATS technologies can "lter

candidates by those whose responses

dovetail best with speci"c job descrip‐

tions. For the best response rates, make

sure your content and experience match

up accordingly," Day says.

2. Create an original cover letter. If the

company asks for acover letter, be sure to

include one. Make sure to write one spe‐

ci"c to your accomplishments and skills

and one that addresses the job descrip‐

tion properly. Go a step further and

mention how you will use that knowl‐

edge and those skills on the job. Avoid

sending out a generic, run-of-the-mill

cover letter. "Despite the cover letter be‐

ing digital, it's oen the "rst thing re‐

cruiters read when viewing candidate

pro"les—even ahead of the resume,"

Day explains. "Use the cover letter as an

opportunity to showcase your personali‐

ty, quali"cations, and desire for the job."

3. Identify key words and tailor your re‐

sume. Take your time and look over

your resume. Find the key words in the

job description and make sure you indi‐

cate how your accomplishments address

those requirements. Be sure to cus‐

tomize your resume and/or cover letter

slightly to each speci"c job.

4. Make sure your responses are on tar‐

get and error free."With paper applica‐

tions, poorly written submissions can be

tossed in the 'circular "le,' never to be

seen again," Day says. "But with digital

applications, error-laden content lives on

at that company, potentially hurting your

chances for a relationship with the em‐

ployer in the future as well." is is a

scary thought, but one that should moti‐

vate you to triple-check your content for

spelling, content, and grammar. Addi‐

tionally, Day suggests you make sure all

of your information is completely spelled

o u t — i n o t h e r w o r d s , a v o i d

abbreviations. In many cases, abbrevia‐

tions that may be understood readily by

the hiring managers are not familiar to

the "rst-line recruiters.

5. Maintain one candidate pro%le per

company. Once you apply to a company

that uses an ATS, the organization saves

your personal information. While you

should tailor your resume and/or cover

letter for each job submission, maintain

one master pro"le for all of your applica‐

tions for that company. "Multiple pro"les

in one company's system can cause con‐

fusion," Day says. "By only submitting

one pro"le per company, you can elimi‐

nate the odds of the wrong pro"le being

disquali"ed by a "rst-line recruiter."

Next week we will focus in Interviewing

Techniques. Happy Hunting!


Evie Givens

Chicago Bulls Start 2nd Half by Evie Givens

With the All Star break being over, the

Bulls continue to improve as the season

goes on. ey are also looking at the re‐

turn of Derrick Rose which will help im‐

prove the tempo of the offense. Without

the services of Rose, the Bulls have

maintained respectability in the East and

over the past weekend. Two Bulls made

the All Star Game; Luol Deng and

Joakim Noah, who have helped to "ll the

void. e Bulls back court has seen a li

in the past few weeks with the emerging

play of Nate Robinson coming off the

bench and adding scoring and defense.

Overall the Bulls have played well during

the "rst part of the season with spots

where they have struggled. e Bulls

struggle against teams that have quick

point guards and three point shooting

capabilities.

With the return of Rose, this should help

with his defense and play making capa‐

bilities. e Bulls need to continue to

play with the tempo on defense and force

the other team to commit turn overs and

that transcend into fast break points.

is is the key to the continued success

of the Bulls. So as we kick off the 2nd

half of the season we once again invite

you to join us on Facebook to weigh in

on the Bulls current season.


Black Hawks Tie the Mark by Dick Kolf

e Chicago Black Hawks are destined

to go down in history as one of the best

teams to ever start a season. Tying the

mark the Hawks have an opportunity to

have the best start ever by any team in

NHL History. So you may ask how they

are doing it. Answer is team work with

Kane and Houssa as the stars the rest of

the Blackhawks are a great supporting

cast. However this team has little room

for All Stars.

e Hawks are just a few years removed

winning the Stanley Cup and the last

two seasons fought and made the play‐

offs playing tough but coming up short

and not advancing past the "rst round.

So what has changed with the strike

shortened period many players rededi‐

cated themselves to working hard in the

off season and preparing for the Return

of hockey. Fan’s notice the difference in

play the Hawks are more physical and

are coming less penalties and allowing

their defense to be included in the of‐

fense.

With the opportunity to set a new stan‐

dard the Hawks still face traditional foes

in Detroit and St. Louis on their path to

the post season. Houssa recently was in‐

jured and should be on the return how‐

ever the Hawks play San Jose for the op‐

portunity to have the best start in league

history. It will be tough for the Hawks to

continue this trend. So once the "rst loss

happens it is done and on to the rest of

the Season.

Cubs ready to report by Dick Kolf

Well the Northsiders have reported to

spring training and we are no closer to

"guring out this riddle we call the Cubs

than we are of having world peace.

When we last le the Cubs they had just

"nished a 100 loss season and traded

away Veterans in order to make way for

the youth movement. e brainchild

known as eo Epstein is trying to free

up salary cap room and provide the team

with Free Agents or put the Cubs in po‐

sition to make a trade.

Well nothing happened over the winter.

e Cubs acquired one of the Hairston’s

brothers who is said to add some power

the lineup taking pressure of Alonso So‐

riano. Pitching remains the same with a

few additions and the cubs look to an in‐

jured Garza and Jeff Samardija, to begin

to round out the rotation. Together they

do have the Talent to win 30 games and

help the Cubs but there is reality and

Samardija is prone to be injured by July

and has never completed a full season in

his 5 plus years in the League.

So looking at reality we have unproven

youth , tomato can pitching , an aged

player in Sorriano,and a farm system

that can produce the like of Sterling Cas‐

tro who has a great bat but leaves some‐

thing to be desired with his Fielding. I

am reminded of the "lm major league

when the owner attempts to tank the

season so she can move the Team to a

new city. I know it is funny to look to

Hollywood for inspiration however it has

been 105 years since the North side won

the World Series. So Cub fans we begin

yet another season of the unknown.


Sox Ready to Run by Kyle Veeder

Here we go the start to the 2013 cam‐

paign and the Good Guys are ready for

another Season of Ventura Ball. With the

departure of AJ the Sox will have to "ll

the void of that leadership role. Look for

a couple of players to step up and add

the presence within the club house. e

Sox last season "nished 3 games behind

Detroit and we on the brink of post sea‐

son except for a late season slide.

is year the Sox are prepared with

Peavy and Gavin Floyd return healthy

with John Denks assuming the closer

role. e sox pitching looks strong this

season with Chris Sale ready for another

season.

Sox hitting is same as last year get on

base and let the big men knock it out of

the park with Paul Konerko and Adam

Dunn combining for 67 home runs and

171 runs batted in. is however is far

from murders row with the loss of AJ

and Youklis the Sox will need to "nd that

run production somehow. Look for the

rise of Flowers and Rios who hit for av‐

erage and have speed to help create run

production.

Sox typically make some moves in the

spring training and "ne tune the Roster

during the 1st part of the season. How‐

ever 2013 is the 30 anniversary of win‐

ning ugly that magical season of 1983.

is team reminds of that squad with a

few more moves they can also achieve

success of over 93 wins. Let’s go sox!


Fun with Scouts

Scouting is an excellent way for young‐

sters to experience, enjoy, and learn

about the great outdoors. e Kendall

County Forest Preserve District is offer‐

ing terri"c scout programs this spring

and summer.

Daisy Girl Scouts (K-1st Grade) can

earn their Birdbath Award on Saturday,

April 13 from 12:00-1:00PM at Hoover

Forest Preserve by learning about the

different habitats found in Kendall

County. Scouts will learn why habitats

are important and how they can take

care of some of our wild animal friends

that live in these habitats. e program

cost is $5 per scout.

Webelos (Grades 4-5) working to earn

their Naturalist Badge will enjoy fun ac‐

tivities at Harris Forest Preserve on Sat‐

urday, May 4 from 12:00-1:30PM that

will meet requirements 4-11. Scouts will

learn skills to observe wildlife, study bird

&yways and how birds use them, and

learn about aquatic ecosystems. e pro‐

gram costs $5 per scout.

Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts will enjoy

our Badge Bonanza on ursday, June 6

from 9:00AM to 3:45PM at Hoover For‐

est Preserve. Girl Scouts from Brownies

to Cadettes, and Cub Scouts from Wolf

to Webelos will have a blast working on

requirements for achieving patches.

Each age group will visit three different

stations during the workshop. e pro‐

gram costs $5 per scout, registration

deadline is June 3.

Please contact the Environmental Edu‐

cation Department at 630 553-4111 or

[email protected] for more infor‐

mation or to register.


NaturalAreas Restoration

Forest Preserve staff and volunteers were

very busy this winter working to restore

the natural areas of the Kendall County

Forest Preserve District. ere are many

tasks that need to be done to help restore

a natural area, all aimed at increasing the

he a l t h and bio d ivers i t y of our

woodlands, prairies, and wetlands.

Brush removal is an important compo‐

nent of managing natural areas. Invasive

shrubs such as honeysuckle and buck‐

thorn shade out our native &ora, which

leads to a decline in animal diversity.

is winter, staff and volunteers cut

brush from sections of Lyon, Richard

Young, Jay Woods, Maramech, and

Blackberry Trails Forest Preserves.

Native plant seed collected last fall was

processed over the winter, mostly by our

terri"c volunteers. Separating seed from

the chaff makes spreading the seed easier

and allows for better germination rates.

e native plants seed is distributed to

sites being actively managed in order to

increase plant cover and diversity.

Springtime brings lovely wild&owers that

carpet the forest &oor. Unfortunately, the

warm weather also brings out the dread‐

fully invasive plant, garlic mustard. Staff

and volunteers will be out combating

garlic mustard at targeted sites again this

year. Le unchecked, garlic mustard

would choke out the native &ora.

See page 9 for information on how you

can volunteer and help restore the beau‐

tiful natural areas of the Kendall County

Forest Preserve District!


Family Fun Night

Fun for the entire family awaits at Ellis

House & Equestrian Center on the "rst

F r i d a y o f e v e r y m o n t h f r o m

4:00-7:00PM!

Each Family Fun Night includes pony

rides, hayrack rides, cras, face painting,

and more.

Family Fun Nights are free, except for

pony rides ($3 per ride or $5 for two

rides) and concessions.

For more information please contact us

815 475-4035 or [email protected].

is year we are adding special activities

to our Family Fun Night lineup!

• March 1 - e Easter Bunny ar‐

rives early, so youngsters will want to

join us for our Easter Egg Hunt!

• April 4 - Spring breezes are great

for &ying kites. Make, decorate, and &y

your own free kite.

• May 3 - Hit the trails and enjoy

the spring wild&owers in a nature hike

along the beautiful Aux Sable Creek.

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