opinions

Hinsdale Library’s watercolor exhibit is cheerful, summery cool

HINSDALE — It’s the color more than anything that initially pops out at the Hinsdale Public Library’s art exhibit in the quiet reading room. Look quickly and then close your eyes. Turquoise will be the hue you recall. The title of this watercolor exhibit by …

Sister, can you spare a dime?

“Stranded College Student – or a Skillful Scammer” was the title of a Chicago Tribune column by Barbara Brotman a few weeks ago. I read it with interest as who among us has not been confronted by someone on the street asking for money? What …

O’Laughlin scholarships keep the ‘Joy’ going

School may be out for summer, but several bright and earnest young people are looking forward to the next academic chapter in their lives, thanks to a scholarship awarded to them in the name of Kelli Joy O’Laughlin. Even as the person accused of taking …

Vacation Bible school part of kids’ summer fun

CLARENDON HILLS — Every year, some 300 kids, give or take a dozen, attend the joint Christian Church of Clarendon Hills and Christ Lutheran Church of Clarendon Hills Vacation Bible School. This year the two churches are using the Kingdom Rock—Where Kids Stand Strong for …

Commemorating the ‘last times’ is difficult

I’m glad to know that this is my last Doings column. I’m sad it’s my last column, but I’m glad I know it. Last times and first times have the most weight for me. First times are always easy to recognize. Last times often aren’t. …

Hinsdale senator reflects on Abraham Lincoln

Kirk Dillard’s Reflections on Abraham Lincoln talk emphasized what an important and involved lawyer Lincoln was. The talk at the Hinsdale Public Library included how Lincoln’s years in the Illinois Assembly shaped him politically and readied him for the presidency. But just as interesting about …

Western Springs girl heads to national spelling bee

OAK BROOK — Regional spelling bee champ Alia Abiad of Western Springs stumped the presenter at a send-off to the nation’s capital May 23 hosted by sponsor ComEd. Bound for the national championship in Washington, D.C., the seventh-grader from McClure Junior High School exercised her …

Hinsdale Central yearbook editor urges you to pull out your yearbook

If you are a high school graduate, chances are you keep your high school yearbooks either holed up in the basement, in a corner of the attic, or collecting dust on a bookshelf at your parents’ house like my parents do. Yearbooks are like home …

Rare chance to visit Fullersburg Cemetery in Hinsdale

HINSDALE — Expand your Memorial Day commemoration. Of course you should attend the annual parade at 10 a.m. in Hinsdale as well as the observations at Memorial Hall to honor those who have served our country and community. In addition, this year the historic Fullersburg …

To gray or not to gray

LA GRANGE — I have four sisters and we’ve remained close over the years in spite of the geographic distances that separate us. We make a concerted effort to get together a couple of times a year, just the five of us. Often, when I …

Program focuses on how to love your teen

HINSDALE — Being part of a rather large crowd at last week’s Loving Your Teen Without Losing Your Mind presentation was encouraging and empowering, though some material was downright startling. “Parents of teenagers all feel like fools and failures,” said Michael J. Bradley. “You’re here …

Breaking down barriers with the homeless

Library: a shelter for the homeless with shelves of books. Some days that’s how it seems in my town’s library. I sometimes smell them before I see them. They settle in the soft chairs on the library’s second floor — talking, eating, sleeping or just …

Searching for a child’s ‘lovey’

When you say “My Child’s Lovey,” people from all walks of life will give you a knowing nod. A lovey can be anything — blanket, pacifier, stuffed animal, random household object — but it always has the same job; it is a young child’s touchstone …

Look outside the medicine cabinet when treating pain

I will never forget that morning six years ago when everything changed. I awoke to vertigo, head and neck pain so severe I was bedridden for days. Next came the doctor circuit. Everyone had a different theory about what was wrong with me — Meniere’s …

If not now, when on gun violence

I am endearingly known as “Danger Woman” in my family. This is not because I am a daredevil, but because I am always on the lookout for potential hazards. I recall several Fourth of July seasons when I threatened to picket in front of our …