Greatest stories are from heart of Palatine
Interesting how life tends to come full circle.
After some time away, I've come back to my roots to take over as the Daily Herald's new Palatine reporter.
I grew up in the area, a product of Marion Jordan, Sundling and Fremd. I'm currently trying to swallow the idea of my upcoming 10-year high school reunion. Scary.
Much has changed since I left for school a decade ago: The downtown area has undergone an extreme makeover, for one. And Harper College seems to have doubled in size.
But the most enduring stories aren't always the obvious ones. The best scoops come not from village and school board meetings, but you. So give me a call sometime and share your story.
Jesse's positive thinking: Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White was quite the motivator during his recent tour of the Palatine Opportunity Center.
He first passed along words of wisdom to a group of young girls working on a craft project.
"Remember, everyday put something between your ears other than scalp," White says. "We're talking about knowledge."
Next in his rounds was a class of boys learning about bucket-drumming.
"Don't forget in life to always look up and aim high," he said, drumsticks in hand. "Only look down to tie your shoes."
And then there was the occasional joke.
"If you cut that hair of yours, I need it," joked the balding politician to a young girl. "My barber let me down."
White spent about an hour at the center, which is home to community-based organizations that provide education, health care, counseling, recreation and library services to area residents.
"You've got to aim to be teachers, doctors, lawyers, policemen, firefighters and pharmacists," White said.
He added: "You've got to pay the bills."
Health kicks into high gear: Palatine's campaign to get healthy is in full swing.
As part of the yearlong effort, "The Palatine Great American Health Challenge," the village recently teamed up with Wellness Place and Whole Foods Market for the Healthy Taste of Palatine/Eat Right Challenge.
A number of activities were held, such as cooking demonstrations, learning how to slim down your child and nutrition and exercise physiology lessons from registered dietitian Bridget Feeny of the Buehler YMCA.
Palatine Township Elementary District 15 schools are on board, too. Lunch menus, which look completely different today than in years' past, will undergo even more changes come May. That's when efforts kick in to reduce calories, fat and sodium.
Harper College gets in on the action with its Wellness Week -- actually a three-day event from Tuesday to Thursday. A total of 25 free wellness programs will address a variety of issues, and a health fair is set to take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday. Highlighting the "week" is a keynote speech by presidential candidate Ralph Nader entitled "Careless Health Care."
Visit harpercollege.edu for more information.
Got the scoop on what's happening in Palatine? Contact Kimberly Pohl at (847) 427-4472 or kpohl@dailyherald.com.