Lake County briefs

Mother's Day plant saleMore than 70 varieties of sun-loving, shade-loving and savanna plants will be available for purchase at the Lake County Forest Preserves' 13th annual native plant sale. The event is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 8, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 9 at Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville. Native wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, vines and trees that thrive in local gardens will be available. For a complete list visit www.LCFPD.org/plantsale. The sale is a fundraiser benefiting the forest preserve district's EnviroPatrol Programs, including Mighty Acorns and Preservation Partners, which teach students about the damaging effects of nonnative species on the balance of nature. Independence Grove is on Route 137, east of Milwaukee Avenue. Call (847) 367-6640.Pageant applications outApplications for the upcoming Miss Mundelein pageants are available at the village's website, mundelein.org. Three competitions, for girls and young women of various ages, will be in late June as part of the annual Mundelein Community Days festival.New leaders for CLC boardCollege of Lake County board members Tuesday night selected Barbara Oilschlager of Grayslake as chairman and William Griffin of Lake Forest as vice chairman. Both will serve one-year terms in their capacities on the elected board. Oilschlager has served on CLC's board since 1989. Known for advocating for community colleges at the state and national levels, she has served as president of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association for the past year and has previously served several times as the CLC board chairman. Griffin was first elected to the CLC board in 1995. A full-time business faculty member at Triton College in River Grove, he previously held positions as chief operating officer of XTnrgy, a firm that acquires and operates district energy systems, and as general manager of Commonwealth Edison's Chicago Region, a position from which he retired.Lake County asks residents to reduce air pollutionLake County officials want residents to mark Air Quality Awareness Week by making efforts to limit their contributions to air pollution. The week is May 3 to 7 and officials from the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center say they're encouraging residents to "Be Air Aware." County officials say air pollution can cause heart attacks, strokes and symptoms of asthma. Authorities say residents can reduce air pollution by limiting driving on air pollution action days, combining errands, sharing rides and taking public transportation. Experts also suggest bicycling or walking to errands and limiting use of gas-powered equipment. -- The Associated Press