Briefs: Author cancels appearance

Weather problems have forced author Gregory Maguire to cancel his scheduled appearance tonight in Naperville. Maguire, who penned "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," had been scheduled to speak at Naperville Central High School about his take on another childhood icon, the tooth fairy, in his new book, "What-the-Dickens."

City celebrates substation

Naperville's department of public utilities will celebrate the opening of the new Jefferson Electric Substation with a dedication ceremony at 1 p.m. today at the station, 1676 W. Jefferson Ave. A reception will follow at 2 p.m. at the Electric Services Center, 1392 Aurora Ave. Work on the substation began in May 2006 and construction was completed just last month. The $6 million facility will serve new-load growth, provide emergency backup and improve transmission reliability.

Food for financial help

REACH, or Regularly Extending Assistance to Community & Humanity, will offer food for area community organizations and individuals seeking assistance from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday in the parking lot of DuPage AME Church, 4300 Yackley Ave., Lisle. Each attendee will receive at least $100 of food or groceries until the supply is exhausted. For details, call Rev. Darryl Franklin at (630) 969-9800. REACH also is offering a speaker on personal economic empowerment from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Westin Lombard, 70 Yorktown Center. The keynote speaker is Kelvin Boston, PBS host and author of "Who's Afraid To Be A Millionaire." The event is sponsored with HSBC Bank, Northern Trust, State Farm and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Lunch and complimentary parking are included. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. For details, visit the Web site at www.reachcorporation.org or call (630) 969-8274.

Park district on the Web

The West Chicago Park District has launched a new Web site, www.we-goparks.org, designed to be fun, interesting, colorful and easier to navigate. In addition to viewing parks information, visitors will be able to enroll in district programs, beginning April 14, and link to other agencies within the city.