Briefs: Early voting ends Thursday

Thursday is the last day for voters in Illinois to participate in early voting ahead of the Nov. 4 election. DuPage County has 15 locations open throughout the region. To find locations and hours of operation visit dupageelections.com and click the "early voting" tab on the right side of the page. DuPage County Election Commission officials originally estimated that as many as 44,000 people would cast an early ballot. Now they expect that number to be higher. Early voting started Oct. 13. Some locations were open seven days a week. The voting machines used during early voting are not used on Election Day.

Contractor accused of theft

A 52-year-old Morton Grove man was indicted in DuPage County Wednesday on a variety of charges stemming from what State's Attorney Joseph Birkett described as a scheme to "line his pockets at taxpayers' expense." Scott G. Franz is accused of inflating invoices for work he was doing for the county to secure a higher line of credit than his company was entitled to. Three of the inflated invoices totaled more than $100,000 and occurred in 2006, according to a release from Birkett's office. He secured the money through an Arlington Heights-based credit union. A judge issued a $400,000 bench warrant for Franz's arrest following the grand jury indictment.

Ackerman Park cleanup

A group of residents will be cleaning Ackerman Park from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 1, in Glen Ellyn. Residents will meet in the park's parking lot at the end of Rifort Road. For details, visit saveackermanwoods.com.

Award nominations wanted

Nominations are being accepted through 5 p.m. Nov. 21 for the "2009 Outstanding African-American Award" given by the Aurora's African-American Heritage Advisory Board. Nominees should exhibit leadership, volunteerism and service that contributes to the advancement of the African-American community in Aurora. The recipient will be honored at a dinner on Feb. 5. Nomination forms may be downloaded from aurora-il.org or picked up at the Mayor's Office of Special Events, 5 E. Downer Place., Suite A, in Aurora. For details, call (630) 844-4731.

Hispanic applicants sought

Aurora's Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board is seeking applicants from the 2009 Hispanic Youth Leadership and Service Scholarship for high school seniors and higher learning students ages 18-21. Scholarships are in the areas of Leadership in the School Community, Leadership in the Aurora Community and Leadership/Excellence in Academics. Applicants must live in Aurora and be of Hispanic descent. For applications, call the Mayor's Office of Special Events at (630) 844-4731 or download them from the city's Web site at aurora-il.org. The deadline for submission is Dec. 12.

City offers free light bulbs

Aurora residents can receive free compact fluorescent light bulbs while supplies last by stopping by city hall, 44 E. Downer Place, or the Customer Service Center/Fire Station 8, 3770 McCoy Drive. Senior citizens 65 and older may pick up five bulbs. Other residents will receive one bulb. Recipients should bring proof of residency. The bulbs were made available through a grant from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. For details, call (630) 264-4636.