Lake County briefs

Help clean a preserve

Grab some work gloves Saturday and join other volunteers to clean up the Grant Woods Forest Preserve near Lake Villa. The cleanup effort, open to people of all ages, begins at 9 a.m. at the preserve. New volunteers and groups of four or more should RSVP to stewardship coordinator Tom Smith to ensure enough equipment is available for everyone. Send him an e-mail at tasmith@co.lake.il.us.

Family help sought

Libertyville Elementary District 70 schools are collecting money to help nine families displaced by an apartment building fire. Collection containers have been set up in the offices at Adler Park, Butterfield, Copeland Manor, Highland Middle and Rockland schools. The drive runs through today. Seven families from Butterfield and one family from Highland, along with a Butterfield employee, had to relocate after a fire Jan. 6. No one was seriously injured in the fire but about 150 people had to find temporary shelter. Checks can be made out to the school directly.

Weather patrols

The Illinois Toll Highway Authority has activated its "Zero Weather Road Patrols" to help stranded drivers. The 24-hour service dedicates hourly patrols to search for disabled vehicles in response to calls to *999 or police. Cars or trucks with empty fuel tanks, flat tires, overheated radiators or mechanical difficulties are among the most frequent problems reported. Cell phone users calling *999 should try to note the nearest milepost marker, which is a number located on small green and white sign posts along the road. The tollway also runs help trucks from 5 a.m. To 8 p.m. weekdays. Road information can be obtained by visiting www.illinoistollway.com or by calling 1-800-TOLL-FYI.