Articles filed under Constable, Burt

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When a Class 3 Killstorm turns out to be ho-hum snow Feb 28, 2013 12:00 AM
Is it just me, columnist Burt Constable asks, or do we obsess about the weather far more than we used to? Storm coverage reminds me of “The Simpsons” episode when TV anchorman Kent Brockman tells viewers a storm has been upgraded from “Winter Wonderland” to a “Class 3 Killstorm.”
Burt's predictably grouchy about celebrity doppelganger Feb 26, 2013 12:00 AM
“Has anybody ever told you that you look like …” We've all heard this. Quite possibly while watching Oscar coverage. Someone looks you over and then decides to share the opinion that you resemble somebody famous. “Has anybody ever told you that you look like George Clooney?” would be nice to hear, but that's not what Burt Constable gets.
'Much hope' as Bartlett native revamps schools in Kenya Feb 24, 2013 12:00 AM
A Bartlett native who calls herself "a teacher at heart" has founded a unique venture that uses cell phones to teach children in Kenya. Toni Maraviglia's MPrep beat out more than 200 companies to earn a spot in the prestigious Unreasonable Institute.
Daily Herald columnist receives Maryville spirit award Feb 23, 2013 12:00 AM
Daily Herald columnist Burt Constable received the Spirit of Maryville Award Saturday during Maryville Academy's seventh annual Guardian Medallion Award Gala held at the Marriott in downtown Chicago. That spirit is about "respecting and nurturing the dignity of each young person who comes to Maryville," Maryville Academy Executive Director Sister Catherine Ryan said.
Plastic surgery provides lift in our saggy economy Feb 21, 2013 12:00 AM
Our economy still looks a little droopy. It could use a lift or at least an injection of good news. Plastic surgeons are happy to oblige. The number of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures jumped 5 percent to 14.6 million in 2012, according to statistics released this week by the Arlington Heights-based American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Disabled woman’s smartphone reveals glitch for all of us Feb 19, 2013 12:00 AM
Having grown up with a developmental disability, Cindy Moore managed to get a steady job with a good company and live in an Arlington Heights apartment with another woman with similar mental abilities. But buying a smart phone led to trouble.
Twin doctors from Lake County team up on “The Amazing Race” Feb 17, 2013 12:00 AM
Twin brothers Idries and Jamil Abdur-Rahman already have blazed trails as African-Americans, Muslims and doctors. Beginning with their TV appearance Sunday as part of "The Amazing Race," the Lake County doctors aim to win over viewers and defeat their competition.
Valentine’s Day never the same for those widowed young Feb 14, 2013 12:00 AM
The pressure to make Valentine's Day the most romantic experience can be overwhelming for some couples. It can rev up the loneliness for those without a special someone. So how does the Chicagoland Young Widowed Connection observe Valentine's Day?
Goofy brothers get serious about fighting cancerFeb 10, 2013 12:00 AM
Brothers Tom and Bill Latourette have been competitive since they were kids. So when the suburban dads took to the golf course to raise a few bucks for a friend with cancer, they vowed to raise more the next year. A dozen years and nearly $400,000 later, they're pushing to raise more through the wackiest fundraiser ever.
Sure of wife choice, guys still fret about engagement ring Feb 7, 2013 12:00 AM
When superstar performing artist Justin Timberlake asked actress Jessica Biel to be his wife, he presented her with a custom-made diamond engagement ring he designed himself. Biel gushed to celebrity magazines about Timberlake's artistic flair with jewelry. Most men are not Justin Timberlake. “A lot of times it's hard for a guy to just walk into a jewelry store. He's very nervous about getting the wrong ring,” says Wyatt Austin Jewelers owner Candice Milstein.
Suburbs rise, join billion dancing women to change world Feb 5, 2013 12:00 AM
On the most romantic day of the year, groups around the suburbs will rise up, speak out and dance as part of a worldwide effort to end violence against women. Says 71-year-old Mary Shesgreen, one of the organizers and a longtime member of Fox Valley Citizens for Peace and Justice: "Dancing feels wonderful. It feels liberating. It feels empowering. It's aesthetically expressive. Dance is a very strong and liberating force."
Hawthorn Woods man preserving historyFeb 3, 2013 12:00 AM
Jim Dryden was a boy when he received a Japanese sword his uncle brought back from World War II. Now nearing retirement, the Hawthorn Woods man has ammassed a collection or more than 100,000 war items and hopes to open a museum. “It's a hobby,” observes the reserved Dryden, who lives in Hawthorn Woods and makes his living as a financial services consultant and partner in collection agencies.
Mom 86s fear of our family's fatal birthday curse Jan 31, 2013 12:00 AM
Mom, my sisters and I knew we really couldn't believe in our family curse, even with the overwhelming mountain of evidence supporting it, columnist Burt Constable writes. In the year leading up to Mom's 86th birthday on Jan. 28, the curse crept into our conversations. When we would talk about plans for 2013 and beyond, Mom would beg off. “Well,” she would say, “let's just wait and see.”
Elk Grove teen’s idea blossoms into pizza for 488,000 troops Jan 27, 2013 12:00 AM
In 2008, retired Air Force Sgt. Mark Evans of Elk Grove Village wanted to ship pizzas to the soldiers fighting in the Middle East. An effort that started with a goal of 300 pizzas has shipped more than 122,000 pizzas to troops overseas."God has made me a pizza delivery man," Evans says.
Local students win money for duck calls, aluminumJan 24, 2013 12:00 AM
High-schoolers (or at least their parents) constantly are on the prowl for college scholarships. Most involve lots of writing and little money. But to win a scholarship from a trade organization in Wauconda, all you have to do is is come up with a good aluminum extrusion design.
Local wildlife refuge grows from grass-roots passionJan 22, 2013 12:00 AM
The giddy celebration for local folks came earlier this month on a warm, sun-kissed day at the nation’s first wildlife refuge on Florida’s Pelican Island. Adding a plank reading “Hackmatack” to the boardwalk, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar officially commemorated our nation’s newest and 561st wildlife refuge, which spans parts of McHenry County and southern Wisconsin.
Wimpy winter teaches Plainfield teens cold facts of businessJan 20, 2013 12:00 AM
The Blizzard of 2011 financed everything from an iPad and expensive new baseball equipment to shovels and a snowblower for two pals who launched their Shovel Boys business that year. Now grizzled teens, the Shovel Boys are trying to survive a nearly snowless winter. “What can we do?” Nick Pardo says. “I mean we can't make it snow.”
Tie that binds Lincoln, Marx, Sinatra and Magilla Gorilla Jan 17, 2013 12:00 AM
The one fashion accessory that President Obama seems certain to sport at Monday's inauguration ball is the same one that Abraham Lincoln, lots of other presidents and even some suburban characters have favored: the bow tie.
Trauma therapy dogs help suburban teens with test angst Jan 15, 2013 12:00 AM
In the days after the horrific school shooting in Newtown, Conn., a group of seven golden retrievers and their handlers from the suburbs went to the community of Sandy Hook Elementary School to let the traumatized kids and parents spend some spirit-rejuvenating time with dogs. Now, the power of these highly trained dogs is taking on another anxiety-inducing suburban phenomenon — high school finals testing.
Bartlett native's cancer motivates her life, her work Jan 13, 2013 12:00 AM
As a teenager who watched both her parents die of cancer, Bartlett native Colleen McGrath managed to defeat the pancreatic cancer that hit her at age 13. Now 27 and dedicating her life to helping other kids cope with cancer, McGrath is once again battling her old nemesis after being diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.