Northwest suburban briefs

Political forum Tuesday

State Rep. Sidney Mathias, a Buffalo Grove Republican, will hold a town-hall meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11 at the Wheeling Village Hall, 2 Community Blvd., with State Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican and gubernatorial candidate. Topics will include an update on the state budget and issues of local concern such as the need for meaningful ethics reform, tax relief, and investments in transportation, education and health care. For questions or information, call Mathias' office at (847) 222-0061 or Murphy's office at (847) 776-1490.

Walker hosts town hall meetings

State Rep. Mark Walker, an Arlington Heights Democrat, will speak with residents and answer questions at a town-hall meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, at the Elk Grove Village Hall, 901 Wellington Ave. Walker will host a second town hall meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 25 at the Mount Prospect Public Library, 10 S. Emerson St. Both meetings were originally scheduled for June but had to be postponed due to overtime state budget negotiations. To reserve a seat, call Walker's district office at (847) 640-8645 or e-mail repmarkwalker@gmail.com.

Police expo in Rosemont

Private security, law enforcement and public safety professionals will learn about new techniques pertaining to lifesaving issues during the 2009 Midwest Security & Police Conference/Expo Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 11-12, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont. The free conference and expo is being put on for the ninth year by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and ROC Exhibitions Inc. It will feature presentations on a wide variety of topics, including street drugs, autism, automated license plate recognition technology, the Latino community and photo traffic enforcement. For information, e-mail info@rocexhibitions.com or visit www.mspce.com.

Look at Studebaker's history

The Des Plaines History Center's monthly Coffee Talk series will feature a program on the history of Studebaker cars 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13 in the Visitor Center, 781 Pearson St. The program is free and no reservations are needed. Coffee, tea and cookies will be served. The program will be presented by Studebaker Drivers Club member Alan Krodel and will cover more than 100 years of Studebaker history.