Northwest suburban briefs

Rat moves to Hoffman High:

Labor union Local 118 moved its protests to Hoffman Estates High School Wednesday, as "Scabby" the inflatable rat once again marked the scene. Union members continue to protest protesting Murphy Paving for failing to hire union workers. Murphy has a contract for work at all five Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 schools. Superintendent Roger Thornton said it's possible protesters could eventually appear at all five schools. Last week, the union drew sympathy from other workers installing artificial turf at the Fremd High School football field in Palatine. They refused to cross the picket line and temporarily halted that project. Speedy Gonzalez Landscaping is handling the turf work this year at Fremd and Schaumburg high schools.

Traveling baseball tryouts:

Tryouts for the 2009 season of Schaumburg Athletic Association's travel baseball are scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 23. Residency requirements have been loosened to allow out-of-district players to now participate in the SAA program. The SAA currently has 10 travel teams that compete at five age levels for ages 10 to 14. For more information, go to saa-online.com and click on the "Travel Baseball" tab.

Resources for aging, disabled:

Anyone interested in helping to form a suburban aging and disability resource center is invited to attend a meeting from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 13 at Schaumburg Township Hall, 1 Illinois Blvd., Hoffman Estates. The meeting is hosted by the township's disability services department along with AgeOptions from the Suburban Area Agency on Aging and the Progress Center for Independent Living. The township serves residents in portions of Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Roselle, Hoffman Estates and Streamwood, as well as some unincorporated areas. For more information, call (847) 884-0030, ext. 2025.