The briefs: Voter registration deadline nears

The deadline to register to vote in the Feb. 5 primary is Jan. 8. For details on how to register, check your county clerk's or election commission's Web site for more information. Some other forms of local government, such as townships and villages, also sometimes have voter registration services available. The Cuba Township offices, for example, are open from 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for voter registration. Additionally, the office will be open from 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 5. Any Illinois resident can register to vote with two forms of identification. One must be a photo ID and one with a current address.

Wheeling approves budget

The Wheeling village board unanimously voted last week not to increase property taxes for the 2008 fiscal year. At an earlier meeting, the board had been split on whether to raise taxes 5.25 percent. The total 2008 budget is $92.6 million, up 4.4 percent from last year's budget.

Skate park gets a name

The Schaumburg park board has named the new skate park at Olympic Park after former Commissioner Nancy Wroblewski, who was a driving force behind its creation before she stepped down last summer. Wroblewski had served on the park board starting in 1985, but retired when she and her husband moved to Georgia. She made her last appearance as a commissioner at the dedication of the skate park in June. She was president of the board when the Olympic Park site was dedicated in 1996. Wroblewski returned to town earlier this month to be present at the meeting in which the commissioners formally voted on the naming of the skate park.

Wetlands work honored

The Valley Lakes Community Association of Round Lake has received the Conservation and National Landscaping Award from Chicago Wilderness and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The association was honored for its work restoring 273 acres of wetlands and 21 ponds in the Fox Valley watershed. Also cited in the award notice was Tallgrass Restoration Inc. of Schaumburg, which has worked with the Valley Lakes association since spring 2006 to design native shorelines and create wetland management plans. Award organizers called the association "a model of citizen stewardship and grass-roots environmental education." The award recognizes local government agencies and businesses for "exemplary natural landscaping and conservation development."