DuPage County briefs

Prairie Path plantings

ComEd, in cooperation with DuPage County, is paying for and undertaking a planting program on the Illinois Prairie Path and Great Western Trail. ComEd trims the trees along the trails to maintain overhead power lines and prevent outages from fallen branches. Tree trimming during the past year left some stretches with "standing stumps." The county has identified the trees that need to be removed and replaced with a mixture of sumac, dogwood and viburnum bushes that grow up to 12 feet. The removal and planting is under way, to be followed by mulching.

Benedictine receives Rice grant

The Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation has made a $500,000 two-to-one challenge grant to support the renovation project at the Dan and Ada Rice Center on the Benedictine University campus at 5700 College Road, Lisle. The foundation will award the grant in two installments, the first next December and the second in December 2011. The foundation challenged the university to raise an additional $1 million. Renovation work at the center began this fall with work to replace the basketball floor and install new bleachers, baskets and a scoreboard.

Bureau chief wins election

Jim French, a fire prevention bureau chief with the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District, has been elected president of the Illinois Fire Inspectors Association board of directors. The group works to promote fire and life-safety initiatives throughout the state.