Briefs: Dist. 95 superintendent retiring

The Lake Zurich Unit District 95 school board this week approved allowing Superintendent Brian Knutson out of his contract a year earlier so he can retire at the end of July 2009. Knutson started with the school district in 2004 and has seen it through tough financial issues, budget cuts and facilities problems including the closing of the original May Whitney Elementary School due to toxic mold last August. He was formerly superintendent of Rich Township District 227 in the South suburbs. District 95 officials have not begun the search for his replacement.

North Tri-State work

Construction lane closures on the tollway system will be limited over the holiday weekend, but a major traffic shift will affect motorists heading to and from Wisconsin. Traffic between Grand Avenue and the state line will be shifted with one northbound lane traveling on the southbound side of the road in an express lane. The express lane is for cars only, and drivers do not have access to exit for about 11 miles until 104th Street in Wisconsin. Northbound traffic planning to exit at Rosecrans or Russell Road should stay to the right in local lanes. Also, the exit ramp from the southbound Tri-State to Route 41 will be closed for the rest of the construction season. A detour will be posted.

Library open Sundays

Wauconda Area Public Library patrons will now be able to use the library on Sundays during the summer for the first time in its history. The library will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays year-round. "Library usage here is higher than ever before, and Sundays have become one of our busiest days of the week," library Director Tom Kern said. "People's needs for information and entertainment extend beyond the school year, and we are very glad that we can now accommodate the community's need for Sunday service all year long." For information, visit www.wauclib.org or call Kern at (847) 526-6225.

Walking against tobacco

Lake County residents are invited to join the "Steppin' Out Against Tobacco" walk on May 31 in celebration of World No Tobacco Day. The 3.7-mile walk, sponsored by the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center's Tobacco Free Lake County program, is to honor loved ones lost to a tobacco-related illness and to support efforts to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. It will begin at 9 a.m. at Lake County's Independence Grove Forest Preserve, 16400 W. Buckley Road, Libertyville. Early registration is urged. Walkers can register by calling (847) 377-8090. On-site registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at the North Bay Pavilion. For more information about the walk or programs offered by Tobacco Free Lake County, call (847) 377-8090 or visit www.co.lake.il.us/health.