Briefs: Roadwork boxes in school
Palatine Township Elementary District 15 opens for the year today, and parents driving their kids to Plum Grove Junior High in Rolling Meadows should expect to be inconvenienced through at least November. Roadwork being done by the Cook County Highway Department is months behind schedule and for 30-minute windows during bus drop-off and pickup times, access to the Old Plum Grove Road entrance will be limited to about 20 school buses. Parents must use the staff parking lot on Plum Grove Road, which requires vehicles to enter and exit from the southbound lanes. "There's no way around it; this is going to be a pain for awhile," said Jim Garwood, assistant superintendent of administrative services. Police will be there to direct traffic every day.
Back to School Safety Day
The Streamwood police and fire departments will present their 11th annual Back to School Safety Day, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the McDonald's at 91 W. Irving Park Road in Streamwood. Also there to provide information and demonstrations will be Illinois-Wisconsin Rescue Dogs, Illinois State Police and the Rollover Machine, the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, St. Alexius Hospital and more.
Service for Zambian president
The Zambian-American Organization will hold a memorial service Saturday in Des Plaines for Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, 59, who died Tuesday. The service will be held in a conference room inside the Comfort Inn, 2175 E. Touhy Ave., Doors open at 4 p.m.; the nonreligious service will begin at 5 p.m., said Sally Mwalongo of Schaumburg, a member of the organization. Mwalongo said she estimates there are 300-400 Zambian-Americans in the region, most of them in Chicago and in the Northwest suburbs. Mwanawasa died in a hospital near Paris, where he was being treated for a stroke he'd had in late June. All suburban residents are welcome to Saturday's service.
Ferrari on auction block
Fellowship Housing, a nomprofit transitional housing program based in Hoffman Estates, will host its 12th annual golf outing today at Stonewall Orchard Golf Club, 25675 W. Route 60 in Grayslake. Local businessman Tony Orsini has donated his 2003 Ferrari for the silent auction at this year's outing. The mission of Fellowship Housing has been to move families "from homelessness to hope, one family at a time" for more than 17 years. Call (847) 882-2511, ext. 2115, for details.
Charity car show Sunday
The Woodfield Area Children's Organization will present its eighth annual charity car show from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Alumni Club, 871 E. Algonquin Road in Schaumburg. There will be music, prizes, raffles, food and drink. The first 100 vehicles to register between 8:30 a.m. and noon will receive free hats or T-shirts. The entry fee is $20. A rain date of Sept. 7 has been scheduled. For more information, call (847) 593-6749 or (847) 381-5866.