Northbrook in 60 seconds
Northbrook Cares
To support positive mental health in Northbrook, Community Action Together for Children's Health, a local, all-volunteer organization, in February launched a public art display and provided posters for business, schools, offices and places of worship around the village.
The brightly colored banners and posters, a creation of the husband-and-wife team of Kevin Fogelson and Heather Havlicek, shows people interacting outside of the gazebo at Village Green Park. CATCH notes that connection is a key factor in psychological well-being and can help alleviate depression and anxiety. Simply being outside and active also helps, as the artworks illustrate.
The Village of Northbrook supported this project with funds designated to pandemic response.
From Feb. 17-March 3 banners were posted around places such as Village Green and Wood Oaks. For the entire month of March they'll be at Village Hall, at the intersection of Shermer Road and Walters Avenue, and other locations.
Havlicek, who specializes in narrative illustration, is an art teacher at Westmoor Elementary School in Northbrook. Her husband, Fogelson, is a digital artist who teaches graphic arts at Antioch Upper Grade School.
Posters and car magnets featuring their work for this display are on sale, with proceeds benefiting the Northfield Township Food Pantry and area families severely affected by the pandemic. Posters are $5 and magnets $10, and are available at the Book Bin, 1151 Church St.; and Payton Rose, 2760 Dundee Road.
CATCH focuses on mental health and ensuring resources are available for young people at home, in school and in the community. For information on the organization, visit its website, catchiscommunity.org and the many videos offering resources on its YouTube channel.
A reminder
The League of Women Voters of Glenview/Glencoe will present a series of remote candidate forums for local contested races on the April 6 consolidated election ballot.
Village of Northbrook residents may submit questions for the candidate races by email to lwvglens@gmail.com. Two of the deadlines to submit questions are today, however.
March 6 (question deadline March 4): Northfield Township trustees.
March 11 (question deadline March 9): Village of Northbrook president and trustees.
March 13 (question deadline March 11): West Northfield District 31 school board.
Due to the large number of candidates running for the Glenview High Schools District 225 school board, a modified forum format will be held March 7 (question deadline March 5).
All forum candidates will meet remotely using the Zoom platform. Forums will be prerecorded without an audience. Moderators will be from outside the boundaries of the contested race. Recordings will be posted on the League of Women Voters of Glenview/Glencoe website, lwvglens.org, within 24 hours of the forum for on-demand viewing.
Residents may submit questions for the candidate races by email to lwvglens@gmail.com no later than two days prior to the forum to which they apply. Forum questions will be selected from those submitted.
Questions should be generally applicable to all candidates and relate to specific issues within the jurisdiction. They should also include which race the question pertains to and the home address of the sender.
Legislative update
The Northbrook Chamber of Commerce & Industry's March 10 "Ask the Experts" Zoom session will offer a Legislative Update featuring U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, State Rep. Jonathan Carroll and Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton for a federal, state and local update.
The agenda includes the legislators' perspectives on the status of the next COVID relief package, vaccine availability and the effect Gov. J.B. Pritzker's proposed budget will have on businesses. There will be time for questions after their presentations.
"Ask the Experts" will run on Zoom from 3:30-4:30 p.m. March 10. It is free for chamber members, but $20 for guests. To register, visit northbrookchamber.org and select the appropriate entry under "Virtual Events."
Blood drive
Temple Beth-El will host a mobile blood drive with Vitalant - formerly LifeSource - from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 14, in the Culver's parking lot at Dundee and Sanders roads in Northbrook. To schedule an appointment, email Joan at jfreud36@comcast.net, call (847) 272-4554, or visit Vitalant.org and use group code NB66. Vitalant follows all CDC safety guidelines. One donation can save up to three lives.
Wescott update
In a response to its updated Master Facility Plan, which found that in 2016 the district was "out of space," Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 planned to build at Wescott School, 1820 Western Ave., Northbrook.
The plan adds eight classrooms and a gym, plus provides an extension of the drop-off lane.
The District 30 board has been told construction will begin at Wescott on March 20, according to school communications. Fencing will be erected around construction areas for the new classroom and gym additions, and underground water detention will be installed during spring break, scheduled from March 22-26.
The district noted that construction traffic would avoid the beginning and end of the school day. Beginning after spring break there will be a loss of parking spots in the south parking lot, which will cause bus traffic and temporary parking to occur in front of the school.
This capacity project is projected to be completed in August, in time for the first day of school on Sept. 2.
Police report of the week
Northbrook Police received the report of a suspicious item from a complainant at the Goodwill store on the 4100 block of Dundee Road on Feb. 21. The complainant reported a plastic bag in the donation box that contained small bags with a rocklike substance.
Green awards
Through March 31 the Village of Northbrook is accepting applications for both its "Green Resident" and "Green Business" awards. The village has created these awards to acknowledge positive environmental impacts and to share sustainable practices.
One resident and one business will each receive these awards. They must be located within the village.
For information on the awards and an application, start by visiting the Village of Northbrook website, northbrook.il.us. Select the "Living & Visiting" tab and then "Green Leadership & Awards."
Speaking of green ...
Go Green Northbrook will join Go Green Deerfield for a virtual presentation on creating gardens for monarch butterflies at 7 p.m. on March 10.
The presentation will discuss the difficulties the important pollinators face and what plants can assist their survival. People can learn how to grow those plants inexpensively from seed, and can ask questions following the presentation.
For more information and a link, email to Marilyn@gogreennorthbrook.org.
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