DuPage County briefs

Habitat ready to break ground:

DuPage Habitat for Humanity will break ground at 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 24, on a $3 million neighborhood of affordable energy-efficient houses in West Chicago. DuPage Habitat, College of DuPage and ComEd are working together to build 11 houses near the intersection of Lyman and Brown streets.

Neuqua teacher honored:

A music teacher from Naperville's Neuqua Valley High School, William Jastrow, will receive The Evans Drumheads Award for Excellence in Teaching Percussion today in Washington, D.C. He also will receive a cash prize to support his ongoing work in the profession along with an original award created by Miami-based artist and Grammy- and Emmy award-winning producer William Edwards.

Special Olympics honors man:

Former Clarendon Hills police Chief Tom Reasoner of Lisle has been named the 2009 Special Olympics Illinois Outstanding Volunteer of the Year. He was honored at a reception earlier this month before the Special Olympics Illinois Summer Games Opening Ceremonies at Illinois State University in Normal. The award recognizes an individual who through their volunteer efforts improve the quality of the Special Olympics Illinois program to benefit all aspects of the organization. Reasoner has been involved with the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics since its inception in 1986. He was DuPage County's first Torch Runner and assumed the role of Leg Leader for Leg 14 in 1997.