Good News Sunday: Palatine's St. Patrick's Day parade will be back next month after two-year break

This is Good News Sunday, a compilation of some of the more upbeat and inspiring stories published recently by the Daily Herald:

Palatine's St. Patrick's Day parade will be back next month after a two-year hiatus.

The parade on March 12 is sponsored by Durty Nellie's, the downtown restaurant and music venue that next month also will celebrate its 50th year in business.

“It's exciting to have it back,” Durty Nellie's co-owner Jimmy Dolezal said of the parade, which was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Village council members on Monday approved the necessary permits for the parade and festivities.

“It's only brought positives to the downtown. Thank you for inspiring it and continuing on after years,” Councilman Scott Lamerand said.

Durty Nellie's is partnering with Vicarious Multimedia to organize the parade, which will step off at 11 a.m. March 12 and head west on Wood Street from the village hall, then north on Smith Street, ending at Colfax Street.

For the full story, click here.

Geneva High School teacher gives students hands-on training in virtual economy classes

Students in one of business teacher Jamie Dunlap's classes at Geneva High School have an important task during the daily noon hour - leasing beachfront property available on a private island to potential customers across the country or overseas.

It's a lofty business for any leasing company, let alone a group of high school students in an advanced business course. But this is what happens when students engage in a virtual economy, learning what it would be like to get hired and play a key role at a company conducting digital business online.

Dunlap has been in charge of Geneva High School's Virtual Enterprises classes for the past eight years, earning accolades from the Virtual Enterprise International organization that oversees the virtual economy world in which students work.

“Everything the students do is part of a real virtual economy,” Dunlap says. “But the products they are buying or selling are not real.”

For the full story, click here.

Jazz, ultramarathon and physics make 85-year-old triple threat

Many of our nation's finest athletes are competing for gold at the Olympics in Beijing. Retired 85-year-old Fermilab physicist Roy Rubinstein, our nation's fastest ultramarathon runner for his age, is in his Lombard apartment preparing for his next gig as longtime bandleader and trombonist of the Chicago Hot Six jazz band.

The 112 marathons and longer ultra races Rubinstein has run since 1982 include ones in Hong Kong and China, where he was part of a U.S. delegation of physicists meeting in 1988 with Chinese leaders in Beijing for the startup of a Chinese particle accelerator.

Born in England in 1936, Rubinstein received his degree in physics from the University of Cambridge and his doctoral degree in particle physics in 1961 from the University of Birmingham. Rejecting a chance to have his college jazz band turn pro, Rubinstein came to the United States in 1962 on the Mauretania ocean liner for a job at Cornell University, doing physics research and some teaching.

In 1973, Rubinstein took a job at Fermilab in Batavia and moved his family to Glen Ellyn. That allowed him to play with bands at John's Buffet, a tavern in Winfield known for live Dixieland jazz music.

He retired from Fermilab at age 80. While he admits his running and trombone playing are slowing down, he has no plans to stop, and no regrets. “I really enjoyed being a physicist, and I enjoy music as a hobby,” Rubinstein says. “I've had fun, and they've paid me to do it.”

For the full story, click here.

Pick up a pin to show support for 'Random Acts of Kindness Day'

Recovery Centers of America outpatient treatment center at RCA Outpatient Center at South Elgin recognizes “Random Acts of Kindness Day” on Thursday, Feb. 17, a day to celebrate and encourage random acts of kindness, distributing “Practice Random Acts of Kindness” pins to the community.

“Kindness makes all of the difference, benefiting both one's physical and mental health,” says Karen Wolownik Albert, CEO of RCA at St. Charles and South Elgin. “Acts of kindness offer positive power to support ongoing sobriety and the will to rebuild life in recovery.”

“Supporting our community members is everything, and the smallest act of kindness can last a lifetime. A simple thank you to a policeman and firefighter, holding the door for a stranger, or even giving an unexpected compliment can make a difference. Help spread some kindness in our community,” says Tim Kolb, chairman of the board, South Elgin Economic Development Council.

Five locations where community members can pick up complimentary pins in South Elgin starting Sunday, Feb. 13, include: Cross Kicks Fitness, 317 Randall Road; Village Squire, 480 Randall Road; Dogtopia, 580 Randall Road; Riverside Pizza & Pub, 456 Redington Drive; and Village Tavern & Grill, 464 Redington Drive.

Good News Sunday will run each weekend. Please visit dailyherald.com/newsletters to sign up for our Good News Sunday newsletter.