Briefs: County holiday hours

All Lake County government offices will be closed Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. The 19th Judicial Circuit Court will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas. All other county offices close at 1 p.m. Christmas Eve. All offices will observe normal business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 31, but it is recommended people call prior to visiting. Normal county business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., resume on Jan. 2, although the clerk's office is open until 7:30 p.m. Fridays for customers who need vital records such as birth, marriage and death certificates or marriage licenses.

Football team recognized

The Lake Zurich High School football team's days of glory haven't ended, as it turns out.

At the Hawthorn Woods board meeting Monday, the team garnered another honor, this time from the village. The team won the Class 7A Illinois High School Association state football championship in November and was recognized with a village resolution. Both players and coaches were there to accept the honor. "You folks and certainly your coaching staff, coach, have just provided outstanding leadership," Mayor Keith Hunt said while presenting the award to Bryan Stortz, the team's coach. "We want to congratulate you on that." The village, Hunt said, would also present Stortz with a copy of the resolution mounted on a cinder block to represent the "building blocks" of the football program.

Schools win awards

Wright Junior High School and Half Day Elementary School, both in Lincolnshire-Prairie View Elementary District 103, received top honors for attendance this fall. The Lake County Regional Office of Education recognized Wright as the #1 School With More Than 650 Students during fall attendance week. The attendance rate for Wright was 98.01 percent. Half Day was recognized as the #2 School With Less Than 650 Students as it achieved an attendance rate of 97.92 percent.

Art sale until end of month

Arts in Action Gallery in Lake Zurich is hosting a holiday art sale through Dec. 30 to support local artists and arts programs. The show will feature unique artwork, jewelry and fine woodworking that is made by local artisans. The gallery is at 10 W. Main St. and is open from 1 to 7 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays or by appointment. Visitors also can meet some of the artists through the sale. Scheduled will be Mort Luby on Friday, Lauren Kellog on Saturday, Sheila Papaioannou on Sunday, Lee Radke and Barb Benstein on Dec. 28 and John Pasch on Dec. 30.

Hospice names interim CEO

Bill Ries, former president of Lake Forest Hospital, has been named interim president and CEO of Hospice of Northeastern Illinois. The move follows the resignation of former CEO Carolyn Handler last week. Ries brings more than three decades of hospital administration experience to his new post, having worked at Lake Forest Hospital from 1975 to 2006. Ries holds a master of professional studies in hospital and health services administration from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., a bachelor of arts in economics from DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., and is a candidate for a master of science in communication from Northwestern University. Hospice of Northeastern Illinois is a community based, not-for-profit organization serving families throughout McHenry, Lake, northwest Cook, Kane, Boone and DuPage counties. It provides comprehensive end-of-life care to nearly 1,500 patient families each year. For more information, visit www.hospiceanswers.org.