Friendship teacher chosen to attend C-SPAN conference

• Dave Benes, a social studies teacher at Friendship Junior High School, Des Plaines, attended the 2019 C-SPAN Educators' Conference July 22-23, in Washington, D.C., where teachers from around the country gathered to learn more about how to use the network's online resources in their classrooms.

Benes was one of 32 educators from across the nation, who were selected to attend the middle school conference by a panel of C-SPAN representatives. The educators were evaluated on commitment to learning new educational resources; applying them in the classroom environment; and the sharing of professional development experiences in the academic community.

The conference provided Benes with the opportunity to explore C-SPAN Classroom's free teaching resources, hear from guest speakers, including C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb, and learn how to search, clip and share videos from the C-SPAN Video Library.

He also learned how to incorporate C-SPAN Classroom content into his curriculum and create engaged learning experiences for his students.

• Rolling Meadows resident Vinnie Sluga has been recognized by Mayor Joe Gallo and Police Chief John Nowacki with a commendation award for his commitment to the community.

"Vinnie Sluga has demonstrated a desire to make his community safe and secure by offering his assistance to law enforcement," according to the award certificate, which Gallo presented to Sluga at a city council meeting earlier this year.

Sluga, 32, has been a Rolling Meadows resident since 1999. He is a member of the Friends of the Rolling Meadows Library and volunteer at Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights.

His "actions and willingness to do good for the community of Rolling Meadows reflects positively on him," the certificate states.

• Real estate industry veteran Doug Wakeley has joined the Starck Real Estate joined the management team as managing broker of the Mount Prospect office.

Wakeley, who has a record of entrepreneurship, founded his own IT consulting business in the early '90s before starting a successful career in real estate. After many years as a top producing real estate broker, he became a managing broker in 2007, prior to starting Milestone Real Estate, Ltd., in Palatine.

His experience includes coaching and recruiting real estate brokers, as well as the operational management of top performing offices with full profit and loss responsibility.

Wakeley replaces Connie Hofherr, who has served in various sales and management roles at Starck Real Estate for more than 40 years. Continuing with Starck, Hofherr is returning to full-time sales, where she hopes to be able to spend more time with her family and do some traveling with her husband, Dick.

• Scott Muller, of Lake Forest, owner of Muller's Woodfield Acura, was elected to the Chicago Automobile Trade Association's board of directors.

Muller, who began working exclusively in the auto industry in 1975, became owner of Muller's Woodfield Acura in 1986. Prior to that, he served in various positions at Highland Park Pontiac -Honda.

"When I opened my Acura store 33 years ago, the Chicago Automobile Trade Association helped me with a unionization issue," said Muller.

"Over the decades, the Chicago Automobile Trade Association has fought big and small to make things better for dealers and consumers, and now I have the opportunity to pay it forward. I am honored and will do my best to keep the fight going."

Muller, also part owner of Honda, Subaru and Volkswagen stores in the Chicago area, is a member of the Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce, and an active fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project and the Navy SEAL Foundation.

• Submit your 'Neighbors in the News' items to Norrine Twohey at ntwohey@dailyherald.com.