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Want to know more about Earth Day? Ask the young at heart.

For updates and more features, we invite you to check out our online version at: www.kendallweeklytimes.net.

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Aurora Launches Tech Trainingby Jennifer Flowers

Dateline Aurora – In the past week Mayor Weisner has taken an oppor-tunity to help bring education to the youth of the city. Teaming up with area business owners and labor lead-ers, they are launching a new tech-nical training school to help train young residents of the City in areas

of trades and technical-related fields.

Cooperating with area school dis-tricts, the program will offer men-toring and technical training, help-ing young people prepare for their future in the job force. Speaking before 400 people at the State of

the City Address, joined by fellow mayors Dale Berman of North Au-rora, George Pradel of Naperville, and Marylin Michelini, who were on hand to lend support for the new program.

This technical school will also allow area youth to begin to build long-term employment working with the area trade unions. For more informa-tion on this new program, please visit the City web site: www.aurora.il.us.

Naperville and Area Tech Savvy by Sheryl Krase

If you are not familiar currently with the power of Social Media, then here is a quick lesson. Facebook has more than 800 million daily users and Twitter has 50 million daily users, which means one sixth of the planet uses some type of social media dur-ing their daily habits. Recently, a study done by the UIC concluded that Naperville was number one and Chicago was number two.

What does this mean it means that more municipalities are investing in a better web presence to help keep in contact with their residents? In cities

like Aurora and Elgin, plans are be-ing made to link emergency con-tact information for 911 respond-ers to make it easier for people to reach and contact for help. Smaller communities like Yorkville, Mont-gomery, and Oswego have joined the 21st Century Revolution with launching Facebook and Twitter ac-counts. Currently, Montgomery has gone through an entire overhaul of its website to better serve the online presence. There is no doubt that the power of the internet and our ability to stay in constant contact helps City Hall.

Paula Dean in Joliet by Dick Kolf

In the event you have not heard, re-cently Paula Dean, a star with the Cooking Network, was in Joliet to open her new Buffett style eatery at the Harrah’s Casino.

Here is a press re-lease about the opening: Harrah’s Joliet Casino & Hotel cel-ebrates the grand opening of Paula Dean’s Kitchen, the first Paula Dean buffet-style and ala carte restaurant and retail store located outside of the South. Paula Dean’s Kitchen, cre-ated with the personal touch of the Queen of Southern Cooking herself, aims to create a memorable dining experience that goes beyond great food, but also provides patrons the feel of a home cooked meal served right from Paula’s dining room.

Menu highlights include “build your own” savory skillets and omelets for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, in-dulge in Paula Dean’s renowned crab cakes, baby back ribs, shrimp and grits, and much more. The Sat-urday and Sunday Brunch menu also includes delectable cocktails, includ-ing mimosas and the Georgia Peach. Complete the dining experience with scrumptious treats such as butter rum and chocolate layer cakes.

In addition to enjoying delicious Southern cuisine, guests can also stop by the restaurant’s retail store to pick up some of Paula Dean’s signature items such as aprons, cookbooks, cookware and even pieces from her recently introduced furniture line. For more informa-tion visit http://www.harrahsjoliet.com/casinos/harrahs-joliet/restau-rants-dining/paula-deens-kitchen-detail.html. Good eating you all!

Online difference for Plainfieldby Jennifer Flowers

Recently as I was doing a Google search for topics in Plainfield, I un-covered this unique website that pro-vides current news for the Village of Plainfield. It is unique because it of-fers information central to the Plain-field area and invites local people to participate.

As one of the fastest areas, Plainfield is in need of this service. What you will find is anything from local news to political updates. This site is really a service to a community that is ever growing, and in the age of the inter-net, it is great to see a community-based site devoted to helping to keep the residents of Plainfield informed. So take the opportunity to learn more. Here is the website informa-tion: http://plainfieldonline.com.

City of Aurora

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Meet Oswego Web Developer by Sheryl Krase

If you have a small business and need a website, then look no further than Weblinx owned by Oswego graduate Andy Clements.

Started in late 2000, the company incorporated in 2001 and now has more than 40 clients and currently moved to their 5000-square-foot facility in 2008. With clients that differ from nonprofits to manufac-

turing, Weblinx offers talented staff to help with design and content. So if you have a small business and are in need of their service, stop by their website and receive a free quote. http://www.weblinxinc.com

Primary Election 2012 wrap-upby Sheryl Krase

March 21, the residents of Kendall County went to the polls to nomi-nate the candidates who would rep-resent their party for the November election.

Across the County, voter turnout was at just about 22 percent, with the majority choosing a republican ballot. In precincts across Kendall County, many residents were con-fused because of redistricting and the census precinct boundaries have been split and changed. The County Clerk’s Office did send out new voter

registration cards; however, accord-ing to election judges, there still was some confusion.

Other than some minor issues at the polls, there were no major issues to report in Kendall County. Here is a look at the different offices and the winners. The General Election will be held on November 6th.

Congressional Showdown

by Dick Kolf

Now the games begin. The battle for the majority touches down right here in Kendall County!

Democrat Bill Foster, who served in the U.S. House of Representa-tives from 2008-2011 has come back to attempt to win another term in the US House. Being defeated two years ago, by Randy Huntgren Congressman Foster will now face Congressman Judy Biggert in the newly drawn 11th Congressional District that includes Kane, Kendall, Will, DuPage, and Cook Counties. Congressman Biggert has served since 1996. This will be one of the marque races as we head into November!

On the 14th Congressional side, current incumbent Randy Huntgren will face Democrat Dennis Ander-son who easily defeated perennial candidate John Farnick. The 14th

District covers Kendall, Will, Kane, and McHenry Counties. The Gen-eral Election will be held on Novem-ber 6th.

Ballot Questions by Martin Flowers

The Residents of Kendall County also voted on some ballot questions. Here are the results:

Kendall County Auditor

Yes 8,578 No 4,334

Kendall county Recorder Yes 9,546 No 3,609

Ken Com 911 Yes 4,181 No 9,223

All City questions were passed by the voters. For any further questions about the results, please call the County Clerk at 630-553-4104.

County Board Races by Sheryl Krase

New faces will be joining the Ken-dall County Board if the candidates have anything to say about it.

During the primary, there was talk of change and on March 21 voters in the Republican primary nominat-ed five new faces to represent their party in the General Election. In District One, Judy Gilmour was the top vote-getter with 3,909 votes. She will be joined by John Purcell, John Shaw, Bob Davidson, and newcomer Mathew Prochaska.

There are five seats up in the Gen-eral Election, and the Republi-cans in District 1 will be joined by Democrat Amy Cesich. In District

2, Scott Gryder was the top vote-getter with 2,692. He will be joined by Dan Koukol, Jeff Wehrli, Jeremy Swanson, and Lynn Cullick. They will now face Democrats Kris Hei-man, Evie Givens, and Herman Johnson in the general election.

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State Races by Jennifer Flowers

If you are having a hard time keep-ing score at home, join the club. Since the redistricting, Kendall County finds itself in four Sen-ate Districts and five State House districts, and there were primaries on both sides to find out who would represent their parties for the Gen-eral Election.

State Senate –25th Jim Oberweis outlasted Dave Rich-mond and Richard Slocum to cap-ture the party nomination. He will now face Democrat Corrine Pierog who defeated Steven Hunter.

State Senate–38th Democrat Christine Bensen defeat-ed two primary challengers and will now face Republican Sue Rezin.

State Senate–42nd Democrat Linda Holmes will face Republican Peter Hurtado.

State Senate–49th Republican Garrett Peck defeated three other Republican Challeng-ers and will face Democrat Jen-nifer Bertino Tarrant, who was unopposed.

State House – 50th Democrat Andrew Bernard will face State Representative Kay Hatcher.

State House–75th Democrat Jeremy Ly will face Re-publican Pam Roth.

State House–84th Democrat Stephanie Kifowit de-feated two challengers and will now face Republican Pat Fee.

State House–97th House Leader Tom Cross currently does not have an opponent. General election is November 6th.

Long-time resident new Judge by Nadia Kanhai

In last month's primary election, long-time county resident Melissa Barnhardt was nominated to become judge for the newly created 23rd Ju-dicial Circuit.

"My past tenure in the Kendall County State's Attorney's Office and my additional private legal practice have given me over two decades of experience in both civil and criminal matters," Said Barnhardt. "To be a good judge means to have an experi-enced understanding of the law and to combine it with integrity, dedica-tion and fairness when ruling in the courtroom."

According to her site, Judge Barn-hart has more than 25 years of legal experience, including 23 years of extensive litigation in State Circuit and Appellate Courts, and Federal Courts prior to appointment to the bench. She is also a proud member and volunteer in the Kendall Coun-ty Community and has been for 26 years.

Melissa has been a resident of Oswe-go and currently resides in Yorkville.

Elections courtesy of the Kendall County Clerk

Election Coverage

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Judy Biggert

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Common Cents Design with Pat Gavros Going Green Interior Design

Earth Day is almost here and one wonders exactly what that means. How can we, as homeowners and

consumers, make a positive difference on this earth while still surrounding ourselves with environments that please, sooth, invigorate and ulti-mately enhance our everyday lives? Feathering our nests is an ongoing occupation due, in part, to the nev-er-ending array of shelter magazines, sales flyers that enter our homes, and general interest in all that’s new in the design realm. When we finally decide to do something to our space, the mind-boggling number of choic-es can ultimately paralyze us. Having a solid idea of what our ultimate goal is, or perhaps why we’re unhappy with our spaces, can direct us toward a confident resolution. But, where do we start?

With Earth Day on the horizon, keeping in mind a commitment to go as “green” as possible can help make your choices easier. Where do you find that information? The internet of course! It’s all there….anything you want. Are you going to paint? Then you’ll want to purchase non-toxic, low VOC paint. Tell your paint dealer what you want and they can direct you. Will you be adding new carpeting or flooring? Think of re-newable materials such as real wood,

bamboo, etc. when selecting floor-ing. If we simply try to think of the impact of the various manufacturing processes, we can alleviate much of what, in the past, has been taken for granted.

My mind doesn’t retain informa-tion as well as it used to, but when I’m ready to make a purchase, I have several factors that guide my deci-sion making. First, is it made in the U.S.A? Whenever possible, I try to buy American….not just assem-bled here, but made with Ameri-can materials, labor and in our own manufacturing facilities. Secondly, I try to find out what is used in the processing. Does it create unnec-essary pollution? If you’re speak-ing to a knowledgeable salesperson, they can actually tell you a lot about the product you’re buying. How it’s made. What it’s made with, etc. We don’t have to go green overnight, but educating ourselves and being aware are an important first step in this ongoing process. I do have a ca-veat to some products that are said to be “green.” Take for instance, the new CFL lightbulbs. No one, in-cluding myself, seems to understand how using a bulb which includes mercury, cannot be disposed of in your garbage, must be returned to a particular site for discard, cannot be swept up or vacuumed up, and in general must be treated as a haz-mat situation, can be good for the environment! Not only do I person-ally believe that the savings in energy spent does NOT outweigh the mer-cury hazard, the loss of jobs, and the poor light output it generates, but in this instance, has put many people out of work by closing the light bulb manufacturing plants. It seems that we lose sight of the word “balance.” So, when it’s time to feather our nests, let’s try to remember that beauty and comfort can also be “green.” Not the color….just the concept. Remember, we only have one earth. Let us try to be the best stewards we can and safeguard this planet.

Aurora Green Fest by Mavis Bates

Aurora Green Fest and Solar Pow-ered Concert, June 9th, 2012 Fox Valley’s Premier Sus-tainable Community Event! Win a complete solar power system for your home courtesy of WCP Solar

March 26, 2012 Aurora welcomes Green Fest 2012! Mark your calen-dars for June 9th, 2012, 10 am - 3 pm. Join us at Prisco Community Center & McCullough Park at 150 W. Illinois Ave for our third annual Celebration of Sustainability! This family event is free to the public.

Aurora Green Fest features local ed-ucators, entrepreneurs and environ-mental groups working together to build our local green economy. This is a BIG party with a BIGGER pur-pose – promoting ecological balance and inspiring social entrepreneur-ship to raise up our entire commu-nity. Visitors will enjoy:

•Environmental Education – be aware of issues impacting our neighborhoods and homes •Local Organic Farms – boost family health and support our local farmers •Be Green to Save Green – learn how to lower utility bills, ex-plore alternative energy sources •Sustainable Living Solutions from local green vendors and sponsors •Green Art Show – 3D sculp-ture art from reusable objects

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Pat Gavros, Common Cents Design

Mavis Bates

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•Recycling Extravaganza – Bring computers and electronics, medi-cines, documents for shredding, metals, and more.

Big additions to this year’s festival include:

•The area’s first-of-its-kind So-lar Powered Concert, powered by WCP Solar, Inc. featuring live music from The Giving Tree Band – Chi-cagoland’s nationally-acclaimed, enviro-conscious music group •Green Car Show featur-ing the latest trends in envi-ronmentally friendly vehicles •Live Eagles and Hawks from SOAR, an organization focused on conservation and preserva-tion of American raptor species •Keynote Speaker Jack Darin - Di-rector of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter

Festival attendees will have a chance to win the concert’s solar system for

their home. The grand prize includes a complete five-kilowatt residential solar system and installation, made possible through a generous contri-bution from WCP Solar. Raffle tick-ets are only $10, with proceeds go-ing to help grow Aurora Green Fest in 2013, when the committee hopes to move the festival to the city’s new festival grounds at RiverEdge Park.

“We are thrilled to take the Green Fest in new directions,” said Mavis Bates, the Festival’s director and chairman of Aurora Green Lights. “We are on a mission to spread the word about building a sustainable future. We invite everyone to learn more about green initiatives and participate in what’s happening right here in our own Fox Valley.”

“WCP Solar is excited to demon-strate the potential of solar power to the community in such an innovative way,” says Dr. Everton Walters, WCP Solar’s founder and CEO, about the

solar-powered concert, “This is a great opportunity to show the com-munity how well solar works, and how it can help you not only save money on your electric bills, but de-crease the amount of power coming from dirty sources.”

Limited sponsorships and vendor spaces are still available. Visit au-roragreenfest.com for information. What: Aurora Green Fest & Solar Powered Concert When: 10 am to 3 pm Saturday, June 9th Where: Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora IL 60506 Cost: Free

Aurora Green Lights is an independ-ent, non-profit citizens’ group, with a mission to promote sustainable liv-ing in the Greater Aurora Area.

The Conservation Foundation is a non-profit group dedicated to pre-serving and restoring natural ar-eas and open space, protecting riv-ers and watersheds, and promoting stewardship of our environment.

WCP Solar Services, LLC is a full-service engineering firm that special-izes in the design, development, and installation of Solar Photovoltaic and Thermal Systems.

Health and Fitness by Annie Craig Mix up Your Cardio for spring!

Ah, spring is here!! Although we’ve had a fairly mild winter there is still nothing like the joyous new burst of life when the spring blooms arrive.

It is time to get outside and exercise in the fresh air and take a good look at your cardiovascular training. The importance of cardio work should never be overlooked when develop-ing your fitness program and with the nicer weather the choices for types of cardio exercise are numer-ous. This is not just working so you’ll look better in your bathing suit (al-though summer IS right around the corner!)… This is training to improve the capacity of your heart and lungs. One common comment that I get from people is “Cardio work is so bor-ing!” Well, it certainly doesn’t have to be. Ditch the treadmill and mix it up. Cardio exercise is exercise that gets your heart rate into its training beats per minute. Talk to your doctor and a fitness professional regarding this number or range of numbers as previous conditions and medications can alter your target zone. It’s a must to let your doctor know that you are preparing to engage in a cardiovas-cular fitness program. Now, think of all of the choices you have outside once you have decided to embark on your mission towards cardiovascular

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Annie Craig, Health and Fitness

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fitness. Think of the many beautiful settings we have here in the Fox Val-ley Gilman Trail and the many beau-tiful sights along the Fox River are among the choices of which to roam. Sign up for a 5k or 10k runs if a goal helps to get you moving. Grab a bud-dy if that helps you get motivated.

Walking, biking, kayaking, canoeing, swimming and hiking are all excel-lent forms of cardio. Mix it all up. Sign up for The Amped Up Adven-ture Race Series in Aurora which consists of biking, running, pad-dling and maneuvering through an obstacle course. (This year’s race is on May 27th…finding more info at www.ampedupadventurerace.com.) Mix up your walking with short burst of running and leg lung-es, or add light hand weights (1 to 3 pounds). Cardio work should be

done for a minimum of 20 minutes at least three times a week but when it is fun and it’s outside the time can fly by. Don’t forget to slow down a bit and smell the spring flowers!!

Spring on the Farmby Amber Zilvitis

Normally, this feature focuses in on a person, but this month we would prefer to focus in on a place—The Ellis Equestrian Center. Located in Minooka, Illinois, the Ellis Center provides many wonderful services that benefit the beginners who are looking or horseback riding. Since opening in the all of 2009, the Ellis Center has grown to provide servic-es from hosting parties to corporate luncheons. Overseen by the Kendall County Forest Preserve, this amen-ity is like no other that

Kendall County can offer. The Equestrian Center’s mission is to connect environmental steward-ship with the equestrian, educational and recreational opportunities It provides to County residents. Ellis

Equestrian Center strives to reach the surrounding communities so every household can embrace one or more concepts of horse or environ-mental stewardship to use in their own lives.

One tool the Center uses is its horses, which teach children and adults how conservation can be recreational as well as a regeneration of the environ-ment we live in. Part of the care of the horse is the care of its environ-ment. Every dollar and hour that is donated or paid to the Equestrian Center will go back into making the Center sustainable as well as im-prove recreational and educational activities. The Center focuses on the community at large as well as cater-ing to horse owners.

In 2009, Ellis started paid program-ming that introduces horses and their environment to children and adults. Also the first year, the pro-grams were supplemented with facil-ity rentals, open arena times and hay sales, and special event rental of the Ellis estate house.

The current facilities have an archi-tecturally beautiful house that is-sued or rental and seminar requests. There is an 8-stall barn with a tack room and wash stall attached to an indoor riding arena. A 100-foot by 200-foot outdoor riding arena is just south of the indoor arena, with acres of fenced-in pasture, parking lots, and other public amenities of inter-est. Stop by their website and learn about why this is something you should know.

Building Green with Ron Bartlett

Over the next few weeks, we will be discussing green building and other ways of going green around your ex-isting home, I hope this will get you all thinking about how you can help conserve energy and help you save money.

Build to suit your site. Instead of cutting all the trees on your lot, use existing trees and plant new ones for passive solar heating and cooling, drought-resistant plants and ade-quate drainage systems will also help keep the exterior in line with a green home model.

If building a new home, you can po-sition your house and add extra win-dows so that low-angled rays from the winter sun will flood south-fac-ing rooms, reducing dependence on expensive sources of energy.

Investigate the area you live in to learn about your environment when designing or planning a retrofit for a green home. For example, light-color exteriors siding will reflect heat from the sun, benefiting homes in warmer regions, and darker exteriors absorb heat for warmth in cold climates. Also, don’t forget the roofing materi-al. I see this problem every day, peo-ple think that black or dark brown asphalt shingles look great, but not only do they heat your home exces-sively during the summer months but they wear out much sooner than a lighter color of the same quality.

Remember to always choose your construction materials wisely and build with sustainable woods, recy-cled, reusable, and durable materials.

As always, you should use common sense and proper safety equipment, and if you are not sure about some-thing, consult with a professional.

Ron's 10 tips for going green!By Ron Bartlett

1. Stop Idling

Every moment you spend idling your car's engine means needlessly wast-ing gas, as well as rougher wear on your vehicle. Idling for more than 10 seconds wastes more gas than is needed for start up. Overall, Ameri-cans idle away 2.9 billion gallons of gas a year, worth around $78.2 billion.

2. Turn Off Your Computer

Save energy and wear and tear on your hardware by shutting down your computer at night. You'll save an average of $90 of electricity a year.

3. Sign Up for Green Energy

More than half of all electricity con-sumers in the U.S. now have the op-tion of purchasing green power from their utility. Find out how you can buy it by visiting the Department of Energy's state-by-state list of pro-viders. You can also check with your own utility to see what's available.

4. Turn Down the Thermostat

It definitely pays to give a thought to your heater and thermostat, since most households shell out 50 to 70% of their energy budgets on heating and cooling. For every degree you lower the thermostat, you'll save be-tween 1 and 3% of your heating bill.

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Do the same thing in reverse with air conditioning.

5. Wash Your Laundry in Cold Water

An easy way to clean green is to turn the dial on your washing machine to cold. Most loads don't need hot wa-ter, and 90% of the energy used by washing machines goes into heating. The higher the water temperature, the higher the cost to you and the planet.

6. Pay Bills Online

Save natural resources -- as well as late fees -- by enrolling in online bill-paying options. Paperless billing not only saves trees, it also eliminates the fossil fuel needed to get all those bill-ing envelopes from them to you and back again. Plus, you'll save money on stamps

7. Jettison Junk Mail

Around 100 million trees and 28 bil-lion gallons of water are used to send junk mail to Americans every year, according to greendimes.com. You can stop 75% of unsolicited mail by registering on the Mail Preference Service on the Direct Marketing As-sociation Website (for a fee of $1). Within 90 days, most unsolicited mail will stop.

8. Print on Two Sides

Know what? It's not that hard to print on both sides of the paper. But even though most software programs give that option, most of us still print only on one side of the page. Consid-er this: the U.S. alone uses 4 million tons of copy paper annually, about 27 pounds per person. Save dough and your local landfill. Print on two sides.

9. Carpool It!

If your drive to work is 25 miles each way and at least half is in typical

stop-and-go traffic, you'll save al-most 10 percent of your monthly carbon emissions by carpooling. Not to mention the gas dollars you'll save and the fun you'll have sharing office gossip with your friends.

10. Choose Hormone-Free Milk

Look for milk that has been certi-fied organic or carries the words "no artificial hormones." Conventional dairies inject cows with synthetic re-combinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), aka bovine somatotropin (rbST), to boost production. The practice has been implicated in ud-der infections, requiring more vet-erinary antibiotic use, and is banned in many countries. Some scientists worry the hormones may affect consumers.

Preserving the Fox River by Tony Michelassi

The Fox River, beautiful and sce-nic, is one of the treasures we share through the Fox Valley. Along the River you can boat, enjoy the nature trails, and see unique things that you may not see anywhere else. There is a new opportunity to join and help preserve this treasure of the Fox Val-ley. It is called preserving the Fox and consists of the following in a press release explain this new program.

A Citizen's Guide to Preserving the Fox River is a partnership with many organizations, governments,

businesses and citizens to focus on preservation of our Illinois portion of the Fox River.

The overall goal with this project is to engage more local residents in protecting their Fox River. This new project will be kept alive through the ongoing work of The Conservation Foundation and the Fox River Eco-system Partnership.

The Project has two components:

• A coffee-table style guide promot-ing the Fox River as a special place in our communities that needs our help and support, as well as provid-ing easy and effective ideas people can do to help the river (rain gar-dens, native landscaping, etc.) and special places to visit to gain better appreciation.

• A detailed website providing in-structions (how to) to what peo-ple can do in their neighborhoods, homes and places of business to protect the Fox River, such as how to build a rain garden, how to install a rain barrel, and where to get help.

The printed Guide content includes:

• Maps with lots of pictures so peo-ple get a better understanding of the Fox River and how we are all con-nected to it.

• Brief history (flora and fauna) of the Fox River, and how the River has changed over time.

• Special places within the watershed where people can go on short trips

and experience nature and the Fox River (unique forest preserves, parks, nature preserves, sections of the river to canoe, etc.)

• Real ideas on what people can do such as build rain gardens, install rain barrels, rainwater harvesting, river/creek cleanups, native land-scaping, etc.

In working relationships with nota-ble organizations like the conserva-tion foundation, this program is also reaching out to the community to coordinate efforts in education and awareness. On their website you can find information as well as what you a property owner can do to help pre-serve the Fox River. To learn more please visit Preserving the http://pre-servethefox.org/index.htm.

Earth Day Around the Fox Valley by Kris Heiman

Glacier Forest Preserve

Date: Saturday, April 21, 2012 Time:9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Presented by:River Prairie Group Leader: Bruce Blake - 630-629-2520 rllnstns1@aol.com Level:Easy Signup Restrictions:Registration with DuPage Forest Preserve Volunteer Office is required at least five days in advance. A signed waiver is also required. Signup Instructions:Registration: Individuals must register with the Volunteer Office (630-933-7681) at least five business days prior to the event; include your name and phone number. Please ask for Gla-cial Ridge Forest Preserve. Waiver

Tony Michelassi

Ron Bartlett

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Requirements: All first-time volun-teers must complete and submit a workday waiver to the Site Steward in order to participate in workday ac-tivities. Volunteers that are younger than 18, must have the waiver signed by their parent(s) or guardian(s). The waiver can be downloaded from the District’s website at www.dupageforest.org/GetInvolved/Vol-unteer (click on "Additional in-formation" below). The waiver can be found on the right sidebar. Bring:Feel free to bring refresh-ments. How to Dress: Wear sturdy shoes or boots, long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and bring your own work gloves, if possible. Dress in layers. Shorts are not recommend-ed, as you will be working amidst thorny brush and, occasionally, poi-sonous plants. Flip-flops, sandals and open-toe shoes are forbidden. Location:Walnut Glen Park, 860 Wal-nut St, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137, USA Directions:We meet at at Walnut Glen Park, corner of Walnut St and Longfellow Ave, west of Whittier and north of Hill Ave in Glen Ellyn. Additional information

Would you like to help restore a lo-cal prairie, woodland or wetland? The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has several resto-rations going on. One of these is at the Churchill Woods/Glacial Ridge Forest Preserve in Glen Ellyn. We are looking for volunteers to help re-move invasive plants, cut brush, and collect and plant native seed. For more information: Contact Stew-ard Bruce Blake at 630-629-2520 or Rllnstns1@aol.com. Preregistration and waiver are required.

Sponsor: Forest Preserve District of DuPage County

2012 Dates: April 21, May 12, June 16, July 21, Aug. 18, Sept. 8, Oct. 6, and Nov.10 this will be an ongoing event on these dates .

Downtown Aurora Cleanup

Date: Saturday, April 21, 2012 Time:9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Presented by:Valley Of The Fox Group Leader: Fran Caffee - fran.caffee@gmail.com Linda Cole - linda.cole@illinois.sierraclub.org Registration: Registration Required before April 20, 2012 5:00 PM Location:Fox River Trail (Algonquin to Aurora), Aurora, IL 60506, USA Valley of the Fox Group FOX RIV-ER CLEAN SWEEP Earth Day, April 21, 2012 9 -12 Noon Join Si-erra Club and other local groups as we continue a 10 year tradition of clearing the Fox River banks of winter's debris. Gathering place: Orchard Ave. This small street is just south of IL RT. 31/Lake Street in Aurora near the intersection of Lake St. and IL Ave or just west of the IL Avenue Bridge. Watch for Green SC signs at entrance of park-

ing lot. You can’t miss us if you cross the bridge from either direction. We provide gloves, bags and T-Shirts, but bring heavy gloves if you have them. We also provide snacks and water but you must bring a reusable

water bottle. Throw-away water bot-tles not allowed on site. They are one of the biggest problems; reusable is part of the solution. Pre-Registration strongly encouraged to be sure we have enough supplies on hand. All participants must sign a waiver and participants under age 18 will require a parental signature. Email cleanup leaders if you are under 18 and need a waiver form in advance of the event for your parent or guardian to sign. Become a member of the Sierra Club by visiting their website at http://illinois.sierraclub.org/

Earth Day Benefit DinnerPress Release

The annual Earth Day Benefit Din-ner is The Conservation Founda-tion's largest fundraiser of the year. Held each year in April near Earth Day, this wonderful evening is filled with laughter and camaraderie, all in support of conservation. It features an exquisite dinner, raffles, an in-

spiring video and a not-to-be-missed nature-themed silent auction. This year's Earth Day Benefit Din-ner will celebrate The Conservation Foundation's 40th Anniversary and be held on April 19th, 2012 from 5:30 pm to 9 pm at Bobak's Sig-nature Events, 6440 Double Eagle Drive in Woodridge.

Registration: Tickets to the 2011 Earth Day Ben-efit Dinner are $100/person. Invita-tions will be mailed in mid-March. To register, make a cash donation or purchase raffle tickets online, click here. Three cash raffle prizes of $100, $250 and $500 will be given at the dinner. If you purchase raffle tickets prior to the event, you need not be present to win.

This event's success each year is due to the support of our sponsors and silent auction donors. We accept sponsorships and auction donations throughout the year. If you are in-terested in making a contribution to the 2012 Earth Day Benefit Dinner, please call Chere Hayes, Director of Development at 630-428-4500, Ext. 17 or email her. All sponsorships and auction donations are tax deductible. Table Sponsorship We offer sponsored tables of eight at the $5,000 Platinum, $2,500 Gold and $1,500 Silver levels. Silent Auction Members and friends of the Foun-dation and businesses throughout Northeastern Illinois donate art-work, books, jewelry, native plant material, trips, and adventure, sports and dining certificates each year that have earned our silent auc-tion its acclaimed reputation. If you would like to donate an item to the silent auction, please fill out the Silent Auction Donation form. We are very excited to again feature the BidPal electronic auction system at this year's Earth Day Benefit Din-ner. The nature-inspired silent auc-tion is always a highlight of this event, and BidPal goes a long way toward making it more paperless and user-friendly. Upon arrival at the dinner, each guest or couple will receive an iPod Touch device to use throughout the evening to bid on silent auction items, purchase raffle tickets, visit the wall of wine and make donations...from anywhere in the room! BidPal is simple to use, eliminates bid sheets and the need to walk back to the auc-tion table to keep track of the items you've bid on. You'll be alerted when you've been outbid and can place a new bid right from your table, the hallway, anywhere in the building! Don't worry - it's very easy to figure out, and once you get the hang of it, you'll have a blast.

We are looking forward to this spe-cial and important evening and hope you will join us!

http://www.theconservationfoundation.org/

www.o'connorandnendick.comhttp://thewarriordogproject.myevent.com/

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Putting People First: YARNby Martin Flowers

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Deborah Anthony, Executive Director for a new com-munity-based innovative called the YARN Foundation, a 501c3 organi-zation that will help serve the com-munity’s youth.

The Foundation recently held its first fundraiser and was able to raise $14,000 to fund this program. However, this is no ordinary char-ity, and Deborah Anthony is no ordinary person: her mission is to help serve the community through education and development. YARN (Youth and Restoring Nations) is a charity that has a three-step pro-gram to help develop and give the youth of Kendall County an oppor-tunity to excel.

Three-Step approach Community Center- providing a place where residents can go for a central place for activities and build-ing a support network.

The Youth Experience This program will also assist youth in the following areas, involving participation from other agencies and partners:

*Job Training *Resume Writing & Interview Skills *Job Placement *Life Skills Assessment *Vocational and College Prep *Anger Management *Financial Management *Case Management – Tracking of Youth for One Year *Referral to Literacy Programs *Student Accountability Programs *Provide opportunities to include parents and siblings who did not receive their high school diploma to test for GED.

The Cave Program

The programs activities include: In and Out of-School Programs, Performing Arts, Family Guidance Services, Parenting and Family Workshops and a Pregnancy Crisis Center.

*After School Program *Development of Performing Arts *Family Counseling Services *Parenting Classes/Family *Pregnancy Crisis Center

Each program is offered through positive reinforcement. With area youth and families facing challenges due to many social and economic factors, the YARN Foundation of-fers a place where families can work together to overcome the hurdles they face.

With a dedicated board and group of volunteers, YARN has built a reputation with local civic, busi-ness, and community organizations that have joined to help support this cause.

“We are different in our approach. We are here to build working rela-tionships that will be a long-term commitment to the community,” said Deborah Anthony, vice presi-dent of the Yarn Foundation.

Recently, volunteers canvassed area neighborhoods and spent time rais-ing awareness and bringing together the community to support this new foundation to help serve in educat-ing the at-risk youth of Kendall County.

In the months ahead, YARN plans to continue spreading the word through its community connection and creating a long-term solution to the issues we as a community face with these tough economic times. However, the need to con-tinue to fund-raise is always at the core of helping to spread the aware-ness. Currently Yarn needs to raise $250,000 to help fund the project.

“Long term, our vision is to provide computers and other educational resources to help people to prepare for different challenges,” Antony said.

The Community Center is planned for 71 Boulder Hill Pass, so if you are out and about, stop by in person and learn more about this impor-tant cause. If your are interested in

more information, please visit their website at www.yarnfoundation.org.

As a community, this is something that is positive and works once again in showing the fabric and charac-ter of what a great place Kendall County is.

Senior News Pat Feeley

Advisory Council seeking members The Oswego Senior Center Advi-sory Council is seeking individuals who are interested in serving on their committee. do you care about senior issues? Have ideas for recreation, nutrition, health screenings or education? Maybe you have an expertise that would enhance our senior center and our programs or fund raising ideas. We are seeking seniors, businessmen and women, members of organiza-tions, school and churches who are interested in helping seniors and our center. The Council meets on the 3rd Tuesday of every month with the next meeting on April 17th at 9 am at the Oswego Senior Center, 156 E. Washington St. Come to our next meeting and see what we are all about. For more information, contact Lor-raine or Pat at 630-554-5602 or you can e-mail our advisory coun-cil chairman, Diane Beukelman at dbeukelman@jenningsterrace.com New Casino Trip The Oswego Senior Center, 156 E. Washington St., will be sponsoring a new casino trip on June 6, 2012. They will be traveling to Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. The cost is $32 per person, which includes a $5 play and $5 toward

food. Payment is required at time of reservations. We will need legal name, complete address and birth date. The deadline for reservations is May 18th. Call 630-554-5602 or see Lorraine to sign up.

Second Annual Dinner Dance Come and join the Oswego Senior Center for our second annual din-ner dance on Saturday, May 19th from 6 pm to 10 pm. Our theme this year is "Blue Hawaii," "The night is young and so are we." The Dance is open to anyone over 18. Enjoy an evening with your friends and meet new ones for a mere $15 per person. Kaptain Karaoke will provide the music til 10 pm. The menu in-cludes, baked ham, chicken ter-riyaki, broccoli-cauliflower mix, sweet potato casserole, tossed salad, tropical fruit salad, chive cheddar bread, as well as dessert, appetizers and refreshments. There will also be door prizes, raf-fle prizes and a 50/50 raffle. And don't forget, we will have a king and queen contest and the winners get to ride in the Prairiefest Parade. For more information, contact the senior center at 630-554-5602.

Civic Club News by Jennifer Flowers

Knights of Columbus News April 2012

Sat 4/14: Oswego KC Texas Hol-dem Poker Wed 4/18: Oswego KC Ladies Aux-iliary Meeting Thu 4/19: Regular Oswego KC Meeting Fri 4/20: Auxiliary "Sock Hop" for Kirsten Bohr Fri 4/27: Misericordia Candy Fund-raiser weekend Sat 4/28: Misericordia Fundraising weekend Sat 4/28: Oswego KC "ROSARY FOR LIFE"

Celebrate Differences by Jennifer Flowers

Meet Rebecca Christian, a mother with a full time job; however, the sto-ry continues. In 2004, Rebecca gave birth to twins and how different they in every way. Kyle and Ryan were the For results, advertise with us: www.kendallweeklytimes.net

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miracles of life that were delivered to Jeff and Rebecca that day.

However being twins, there was a dif-ference, Ryan was born with Down syndrome. As any parent would, Re-becca and Jeff decided that Ryan was special in his own way and created an environment in which he could reach his full potential.

With the love and support of family, Jeff and Rebecca set out to help cre-ate an environment where their child would have every advantage!

Building the environment was also dealing with the medical commu-nity. Being a nurse, Rebecca had the knowledge to understand and deal with the medical profession; howev-er, she did not have the experience. Upon starting this journey, Rebecca soon discovered the medical profes-sion was not always equipped to deal with the special needs community. Due to this experience and the won-derful support of Jeff and family, they found they were blessed to be able to provide for their child. Wanting to provide this gift for other families, this mother of four, with a full-time

job, started Celebrating Differences in April of 2007.

Celebrating Differences is a non-profit organization devoted to sup-porting families who have a special needs member.

The organization's vision is to foster a community of acceptance, which promotes the best opportunities for individuals with disabilities to ex-ceed expectations and achieve their dreams.

Celebrate Differences is commit-ted to supporting individuals with

disabilities in reaching their fullest potential by providing positive re-sources and information to families, communities and health care provid-ers while promoting a competent lev-el of awareness and understanding.

More specifically they provide:

oInformation on and referrals to lo-cal resources for children with spe-cial needs.

oEducational workshops and train-ing on various topics to educate par-ents and professionals to better meet a child's needs at home, in school and in the community.

oNetworking opportunities through support groups, events, workshops and training.

oResource library of books and vid-eos on various special needs topics.

oSPARK - Special Parents Alliance for Resources and Knowledge, an educational parent group that meets monthly.

oScholarships to individuals with a disability and to siblings and or peers studying in a specified area.

The program breaks down into four parts

Celebrate Differences provides re-sources, education and support to families of children with disabilities. In addition, the organization par-ticipates in many activities to raise awareness in the communities in which these individuals live.

Celebrate Differences offers one educational seminar per year. Topics and speakers vary.

Each year in October, the organiza-tion offers an educational disability awareness unit to local schools free of charge. If you would be interest-ed in obtaining one for your school, contact Celebrate Differences in September.

Celebrate Differences presents to community organizations, colleges and businesses to educate about individuals with disabilities and to raise awareness. If you would like the organization to present to your organization, please send an email toinfo@celebratedifferences.org.

Annually, Celebrate Differenc-es grants a $1000 scholarship to the Elmhurst College Life Skills Program.

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If you are a teacher, please sign up to receive Inclusive Solutions, the organization's quarterly informative newsletter.

Celebrate Differences provides re-sources, education and support to families of children with disabilities. In addition, the organization par-ticipates in many activities to raise awareness in the communities in which these individuals live.

Their biggest awareness project is the awareness calendar, which profiles children with disabilities and sends a positive message to the community of what these children can do. If you are interested in having your child in our 2013 calendar, please print out this form and mail it to the organiza-tion's office.

Celebrate Differences presents to community organizations, colleges and businesses to educate about individuals with disabilities and to raise awareness. If you would like a presentation to your organization, please send us an email toinfo@cel-ebratedifferences.org.

Each April, Celebrate Differences hosts Kendall County's only disabil-ity awareness walk.

Celebrate Differences strives to in-crease awareness about disabilities and to foster a community of accept-ance. One way to reach others is by presenting its calendar to schools and doctor's offices. If you would like a calendar donated from your child, please contact 630-885-3006 or email info@celebratedifferences.org with Calendar Donation Program in the subject line. They start taking requests in January. The program continues until the calendar supply runs out.

Celebrate Differences provides re-sources, education and support to families of children with disabilities. In addition, the organization par-ticipates in many activities to raise awareness in the communities in which these individuals live.

The parent support group meets the second Monday of each month at 7pm.

The annual summer party takes place in July of each year at Centen-nial Beach in Naperville.

Celebrate Differences' annual holi-day party takes place each year and includes cookies with Santa, playtime, story-time and photo opportunities.

Workshops are offered to siblings twice a year. Siblings will enjoy lively, relaxed events that emphasize a kids-eye view of sibling issues.

The Next Chapter Book Club of-fers young adults an opportunity to socialize out in the community and to gain, or continue, their skill of reading.

Playgroups are for infants, toddlers and school aged children. It is an all -inclusive group. Siblings are wel-come. They meet the last Wednesday of each month at 11am.

Celebrate Differences provides re-sources, education and support to families of children with disabilities. In addition, the organization par-ticipates in many activities to raise awareness in the communities in which these individuals live.

The disability resource directory provides links to organizations for assistance, advocacy, education, and support related to disabilities.

Check out their list of our resources library, of books and videos on vari-ous special needs topics, available for check out.

Be sure to sign up for the Celebrate Differences monthly electronic newsletter, which is full of valuable information.

Their “First Responder” new parent resource bags have been donated to local area hospitals and are given to parents who have a baby born with a disability

With a program that offers so much to help families with special needs members, Rebecca is a person who is successful in helping others to cel-ebrate their differences.

Dr. Gill To Speak at Oswego Senior Center Press Release

Hear from Fox Valley's top car-diologist. Dr. Santosh Gill will speak at the Oswego Senior Cent-er, 156 E. Washington St. on Wednesday, April 25th at 10 am.

Dr. Gill is the founder of the Fox Valley Heart Foundation and medical director, Cardiology Ser-vices at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora. She will speak on "How to Take Care of Your Health." In addition to Dr. Gill's appearance, there will also be cooking demonstra-tions and tasting by Laura Barr of the University of Illinois Extension Program and Whole Foods. See fast and easy heart healthy food ideas. Also learn about local op-portunities for heart health. Refreshments will be provided by Rush-Copley Medical Center. This program is being presented by Aurora University's Community Leaders Active Adult Committee: Aurora University Institute for Col-laboration, Fox Valley Heart Founda-tion, Oswego Senior Center, City of Aurora, Rush-Copley Medical Cent-er, Fox Valley Park District, Oswego-land Park District, Whole Foods, Aurora Township, and Heart Sisters. For more information, call 630-554-5602 and www.oswegoseniorcenter.org.

Fit & Strong

Suffering from osteaoarthritis; need to learn what physical ac-tivity you can do to manage your symptoms? Learn to perform safe stretching, balance, aerobic and strengthening exercises which will gradually increase in frequency, duration and intensity over time. Incorporate physical activity into your lifestyle by exercising three times a week for 1 1/2 hours. The program will help you to develop individualized, tailored, multiple component physical activity pro-grams that are sustainable after program ends and will help you maintain independent functioning. In cooperation with One-on-One Fitness, the Oswego Senior Center will hold classes three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 11am to 12:30 pm. from April 16th to June 8th. Classes are free.

This program is possible through a grant from the Northeastern Il-linois Area Agency on Aging. Call 630-554-5602 for more infor-mation and to sign up or stop in at 156 E. Washington St. in Oswego. Also visit our website for informa-tion on other programs, www.os-wegoseniorcenter.org.

http://www.celebratedifferences.org/index.html

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Celebrate Differences Scheduleby Jennifer Flowers

Celebrate Differences April 11th: Simple Switches for Healthy Eating & Living- Lunch & Learn -

Learn how to make simple switches in your home and eating habits that won't break the bank. She is a single mom, has a daughter who is recov-ered from Epilepsy, a brother with Down Syndrome, and is a certified special education teacher. She "gets" what your family life is like and will help you make getting healthy easy! Learn quick snacks, edible meals, and smoothies on the go for your family. Quick clean up ideas includ-ed! ALL snacks, meals & smoothies will be ALL NATURAL and mostly ORGANIC. 11-2 pm

April 12 & April 26th Next Chap-ter Book Club - Our Next Chapter Book Club offers young adults an

opportunity to socialize out in the community and to gain, or con-tinue, their skill of reading. Our book club meets at Panera in Os-wego every other Thursday at 7PM. April 14th Lights Up Sound Down Sponsored by Celebrate Differences - Is free for the families. Starts at 9AM Watching a movie during prime time hours can be challenging for families and children with Autism and sen-sory issues. Celebrate Differences has partnered with the Kendall 10 Goodrich Quality Theater to present Lights Up, Sound Down, a program open to everyone, but specifically giving families and children with Au-tism and sensory issues the opportu-nity to enjoy their favorite movies in a comfortable, sensory - friendly set-ting with the lights turned up and vol-ume turned down in the auditorium. April 16 Moovin N Groovin Sto-rytime 10 AM Join us for story time with music. Little ones will enjoy the movement as we move and groove to music. Each class has a theme. Intended for ages 2-4. April 17th Guardianship Law: What You Need to Know When Your Child Turns 18 - Please join us for

an informational session about guardianship law given by Attorney Kevin E. Williams. Kevin will discuss what you need to know as a parent of a disabled adult child relating to guardianship, the basics of obtaining guardianship for your child as they reach adulthood, and answer any questions you have about this topic. Refreshments will be served. 7 PM April 21st Signing Time Class - For children with disabilities, ages 0-6, and their adult caregivers, baby sign language classes are a fun and inter-active way to communicate and bond with your child. Classes will incor-porate music, dance, games, activi-ties and story time to introduce ba-sic American Sign Language (ASL). You will be amazed at all of the things your little one has to say and how sign language helps reduce frustra-tion as your child learns to express their needs and feelings. 10:30 AM April 27th Wendy's Night. What do you have to do? Just eat at Wendy's! That's it! Just show up on the last Friday of each month between 5 and 8pm and Celebrate Differences will receive a percentage of the evening's proceeds!

From the Hill by the editorial staff

Each month, we will feature a series of editorials related to the current events that are helping to shape our political news. We welcome input and feedback through our online is-sue, which you can find at www.ken-dallweeklytimes.net.

Join us on twitter for the discussion. This month, we feature Roger Shee-man, political director, and Mar-tin Flowers, publisher, who weigh in on reaction to the past primary and looking forward to the General Election.

Joe Fosco joins us with his take on the upcoming debate about the School pension plan. All in this month’s edi-tion of the editorials.

Obama’s Re-Election Strategy by Roger Sheeman

It’s obvious that in the last month or so, the President is in full re-election campaign mode. The other thing that is obvious is that he cannot run for re-election on his record.

Unemployment is still very high and has remained high during his term in office. The economy is growing, but at such an anemic rate, it’s not creating enough jobs to reduce un-employment. Business start-ups have fallen to a 30-year low, and gas and oil prices are at an all-time high. Home values continue to fall, with 1 out of 4 homes in foreclosure. Under his term in office, he has accumulat-ed more debt in three years than all the previous Presidents combined, and we are now have over $15 tril-lion in debt. His signature piece of www.ronwestphalchevy.com

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legislation, dubbed “Obamacare,” may be overturned by the Supreme Court, which he warned about over-turning, a disgraceful action by a president who does not understand the constitution, even though he claimed to be a constitutional pro-fessor at the University of Chicago.

Not a great record to run for re-election.

So, not be able to run on his ac-complishments, he has decided to blame others for his failures. He has demagogued the Republicans by saying they want dirty air and water which will poison our kids. He said the Republicans will leave children with autism and seniors to fend for themselves. Oh, and don’t forget that famous TV ad alleging that Republi-cans would push grandma over the ledge. He has said Republicans want to restrict women’s reproductive rights when the real question was religious freedom. Can anyone take these as credible statements of Re-publican policy? The answer is NO.

President Obama has repeatedly blamed President Bush for our cur-rent economic situation, even after 3 years-plus in office, although of late, he has abandoned that theme be-cause the American public was not buying it anymore. He has blamed the Republicans in Congress for the slow economic recovery by not pass-ing his jobs bill. His jobs bill was de-feated in the House with many Dem-ocrats voting against it. The facts are the Republicans in the House have passed over 30 bills dealing with job creation and deficit reduction. The President’s budget proposal was de-feated unanimously in both houses of Congress. Has he blamed the Democratic-controlled senate for not passing a budget in over 1000 days? Of course he hasn’t. He has blamed the rich for not paying their fair share instead of asking why 50% of all Americans pay no federal in-come tax at all.

Mr. Obama has told so many lies, I don’t know where to start. How about “I will close Guantanamo

Bay within one year.” That has not happened. “If you pass this stimu-lus bill, un-employment will not go over 8%.” It has been over 8% for 36 straight months. We have shovel-ready projects, then omitted they did not have as many as they thought. During his 2008 campaign, he said it was immoral to have deficits, and he would balance the budget with-out raising taxes. He has added $5 trillion to our debt in just 3 years. Obama said his health care plan would reduce the cost of health care, except it is laden with new taxes and penalties. So where is the savings?

Obama claimed he was a professor at the University of Chicago, when in fact he was a part-time lecturer, a far cry from being a professor. There are so many Obama lies, I could write a book on them. I have lived on this earth with 10 different Presidents, none of whom have ever lied more to the American people than Barack Obama. Why anyone would want to re-elect a person who has been so divisive, blamed others, and has lied as much as he has? So we can all hope for change. I hope that the next President will restore America to its constitutional roots and change us from this progres-sive, socialist agenda Mr. Obama has embarked on these past 3 years.

Illinois Taxpayers on the Line for Springfield’s Pension Debacleby Joe Fosco

The Teachers’ Retirement System is broke and it is largely the fault of the state government, at least accord-ing to TRS Executive Director Dick Ingram. According to new numbers making the rounds throughout Il-linois, the Teachers’ Retirement System may be insolvent as soon as 2030 because the state legislature has repeatedly delayed or flat out refused to supply promised fund-ing. The TRS currently has $81 bil-lion in long-term liability, with the long-term unfunded liability of $44 billion.

But to hear the governor and state legislature talk about it, you might think this funding nightmare is not the fault of anyone. House Speaker Michael Madigan, who has been in the state legislature since 1971 and has been Speaker for over 25 years, certainly is not to blame. “We’ve got

huge budget problems in this state. Why? Well, there was overspending in the past and many people engaged in the overspending. It wasn’t just one or two people,” the Speaker recently opined at a rare press conference.

So the State has obligated itself to unions and is required by law to put money into the pension system, but that is unimportant. Decades of Democrat cronyism has resulted in promises the government could not keep, but that is unimportant, too. What’s important now is that the State does not want to pay out of the substantial revenue streams they already have – they want us to pay more instead.

Speaker Madigan thinks that the State should be allowed to ignore the repercussions of Springfield’s machine-style business practices and instead pass the gargantuan debt of unfunded teacher pensions back to the school districts and teachers. At a recent forum run by the Chi-cago Tribune, Governor Quinn was quick to impugn anyone besides the Democrats for Illinois’ pension fias-co, despite the fact that the party has controlled all the branches of state government since 2002. The gover-nor was particularly keen on shifting the blame for shortfalls to the schools themselves, saying "they should have a stake in the retirement of their own employees." Governor Quinn seems to be forgetting that teachers and school districts already contribute to the pension program. The teachers, who pay in a little over 9%, have met their obligation for decades.

Of course, moving the unfunded li-ability back to school districts and teachers is just another cop out. Dis-tricts will need to pass referendums to up taxes, not only to meet new ob-ligations but also to make up for the state’s dereliction of duty all these years. That doesn’t matter to Madi-gan and Quinn, though. As long as they can find a way to keep taking our taxes and not spend them on the programs they promise to fund, you can be sure they will be glad to pass the blame to anywhere but Spring-field. In the end, however, we are the ones stuck with the bill.

Watch for GI Bill black holesThe Kendall Times Vet

To the normal bright-eyed, bushy-tailed vet returning from overseas or to the civilian life, the words “mili-tary friendly” makes them perk up

and pay attention. In no other case is this truer when hunting for a college or university to attend.

In the first two years of the Post 9/11 GI Bill enactment, it dished out some $4.4 billion so universi-ties could enroll attending veterans. Along with the expanded 9/11 GI Bill benefits this year, dishing out greenbacks to the tune of $9 billion to over 600,000 vets, colleges and universities are seeing green. Dollars that is.

Many colleges are now starting to put “military friendly” as a slogan in their admissions pitch or even ad-vertisements, when they are anything but. Most of them do not have a vet-eran’s organization on campus and will not even accept military credits. (Something I know all too well about) When promotions come around, it’s time to get on the computer and start doing some e-army learning and get credits up to get extra points on the promotion board. These credits--as I found out at one school--stop there. Though all classes are said to be credited and have classes just as long with tests as a normal distance learn-ing class at a big state college. So in-stead of Joe Somebody thinking that he is 3 credits shy of an Associate's degree, they get to end up taking all those wonderful classes again.

Another thing with some of these colleges touting the “military friend-ly" slogan is they have horrible ac-crediting practices, are not transfer-able into a larger 4-year college or university and sometimes even lose their accreditation. Not to name names or anything but University of Phoenix, which gobbled its share of $133 million between 2010 and 2011, is a major offender of the afore mentioned.

To cut to the chase, many of the “military friendly” lists do not do much in the way of proper vetting and surveying. Most schools that re-spond to a “military friendly" school list request will make such a list. Many lists such as the GI jobs school

Roger Sheeman Political Director Joe Fosco

23Kendall Times

list and the Military Advanced Edu-cation (MAE) magazine list don’t cut it. In fact, there is no law state or federal guidelines for such a thing either.

There is, however, one bill making its way through congress right now by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., called the "G.I. Bill Consumer Awareness Act" that would push colleges and the Department of Veterans Af-fairs to disclose more information on questions like licensing and job placement rates, and to develop poli-cies to prevent misleading marketing.

My main point I want to make to all the veterans out there, new and old, is--become informed. Take those “military friendly” list with a grain of salt…in an open wound. They are not what they are cracked up to be, and most are just out for your hard-earned benefits.

With that said, there are some on those lists that are good. Maybe take the list as a stepping stone in your se-lection of a college or university. Go to the school, look around, talk with the advisers of both your college and your major that you’re interested in. Make a list of questions you need an-swered. Get involved. After all, it is your money, whether it comes from you or not. Also, to anyone who does know of a college practicing these selfish acts, please contact your lo-cal congress man/woman and let it be known. And support any bills or referendums that deny these terrible deeds.

The War of the Rosesby Martin Flowers

As my esteemed colleague wishes to express about the nature of our Pres-ident's reelection campaign of stat-ing mis-facts and representation of record; it would be easy to get caught up in the drama and theatre of the political debate; however, 2012 is not a year we can allow ourselves to get caught up in a War of the Roses scenario.

The War of the Roses was a dis-pute between two families who laid

claim to the English throne and dis-tinguished themselves by the color of rose--one family wore white and the other wore red. In the end, one family captured the throne, in which three brothers continued to have civil unrest because they all thought they should be king.

Here in America, we do not worry about a king or a dictator because we have a democracy in which we can pick and choose our leaders on our right to vote.

So here is where the story of 2012 will become the reality that we must begin to allow ourselves to face. Over the past four years, we have witnessed change. In 2008, our na-tion voted to have President Obama and the Democrats take control and lead our nation out of the worst eco-nomic crisis since the great depres-sion. During the two years between 2008 and 2010, policies that were centered on health care and bail-out money dominated the headlines in American debate.

Then in 2010, the nation decided another path should be taken, so the nation once again voted for change with the election of the Republican majority. Upon arriving on Capitol Hill, the republican majority ran on a platform of job creation and reduc-ing the budget. So what dominated the headlines? Their agenda of lay-ing siege to the American debt, cut-ting spending, and stonewalling the president to create a bipartisan panel or blue ribbon committee to reduce the national deficit by over a trillion dollars. The outcome--broken cam-paign promises to create jobs and return the national economy to full strength.

To be fair to both parties, we did need to address the banks and cre-ate health care for Americans. Our national spending and our debt were reaching unrealistic records. Now here in 2012, what will the American people decide? Will we take the road of theatre or will we take the road of common sense? A question that has yet to be answered.

What America needs are the ideas and opportunities to once again exercise the democratic principles. We need a national discussion and

a medium in which to address the issues we face together. Both sides have a valued opinion and the only way to allow for the American de-bate is to leave the playground tac-tics at home.

Here is the simple truth, we still face a long road back to being a healthy and vibrant nation again. We still face unemployment and home fore-closure. The road out of this situa-tion rests in our ability to open new fields of employment, looking long term, and allowing all Americans to be part of the economic recovery.

This is not about who is a dictator, or who would best sit on the throne. This election needs serious people who bring forth the serious debate that will allow America to recover. Obama is not a king or a dictator, but rather an American who has served during a time with so many issues. His plan to be reelected is as simple as Mint Romney’s to be elected, and that is to present the facts and of-fer their ideas of what America can become.

One side is not wearing red rose and the other side is not wearing a white rose, but rather the colors that we all share, and that is red, white, and blue. So let the great American de-bate begin.

To my esteemed colleague, please next month at least get this one right: his name is Barack Obama, he is your president, and he is ready to have the great American debate!

Special Editorial by Dennis Anderson

Last Thursday, the United States House of Representatives passed the 2013 Federal Budget in a 226-191 vote. The vote was along straight party lines, with 13 no votes. The budget (House Concurrent Reso-lution 112) proposed by Congres-sional Republicans, would create $3.5 trillion in additional spend-ing and $2.9 trillion in revenue. The Republican budget cuts fund-ing to Agriculture by 9%, takes $7 billion out of the Commerce and Housing Credit, puts Social Security investments into the Stock Market, and passes the financial burden of rising health costs to the individual. “This bill will do irreparable harm to the people of this district.” Dennis An-derson stated upon the bill’s passage. “This isn’t bad because it’s the

Republicans that proposed a budg-et. They’re the Majority party in the House and it’s their job to do so. It’s bad because it runs con-trary to the needs of the people in this district. My campaign has been about putting people first. I agree, we have a deficit that needs to be dealt with, but we deal with it by putting people back to work.” Anderson is the Democratic nomi-nee for the 14th Congressional District, and hopes to unseat one-term incumbent Randy Hultgren in November. Nearly 25% of the registered voters in the new 14th Congressional District are of re-tirement age and is mostly rural along the western, central, and southwestern ends of the district. If elected to Congress, Dennis said he would not vote against the inter-ests of his district and ensure that aspects of the federal budget that ef-fect his constituents are adequately funded.

Baseball 2012 Preview by Timothy Flowers

American League East – The big boys division, as many call it, in the beast of the east you will find the Yankees and the Red Sox, two tradi-tional powers who have held court in baseball for the latter of the past two decades. In Recent years the Devil Rays have come through with some exciting baseball with their young team. The East however in the past three years has not advanced to the Fall Classic.

http://www.honorflightchicago.org

Dennis Anderson

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25Kendall Times

Prediction

Yankees – with the addition of Andy Pettite to go along with an offense of Jeter and A-rod this year Yankees will be diversified and score runs and hold opponents too few runs.

Devil Rays – young and already ac-complished with playoff experience and a trip to the World Series under their belt this team is poised to make a run at the Yankees to compete for the Division Title and after a couple of years knocking on the door this could be the year for the Devil Rays.

Boston Red Sox - with two titles and the departure of Theo Epstein this year’s club is in a transition. Still have enough talent to compete but need a big start to survive the injury bug in mid summer, which has hurt the Red Sox the last few years.

Toronto Blue Jays – Team of many years trying to regain form of early 90s. With consistent planning and development of farm system the Blue Jays are a sleeper who could surprise some teams and compete for the Division Crown.

Baltimore Orioles – Another season of more questions have become the Abbot and Costello of the American League “who’s on first?” Well, here is the answer. Who will finish last? The Orioles.

American League Central

Detroit is the sexy pick; however, there are some teams who could sur-prise this division, which typically is close. Heading into 2012, the Tigers have the advantage with addition of Prince Feilder and the Pitching of Justin Vanderlinden. Tiger town has not had a world Championship since 1984 with this years campaign could make all the difference.

Detroit- Prince Feilder hits a career high in average and home runs at Hitter friendly park

Kansas City Royals – Young 500 is for real and possible Wild Card if make playoffs first time since 1985!

Chicago White Sox – new man-ager back to fundamentals will go as far as Dunn and Konerko will take them. Have decent start-ing pitching. Need Adam Dunn to rebound and hit 30 Home runs and hit above his body weight. Cleveland Indians – Well it once again the Indians come into the season with youth and are a team of highs and lows. Last Season the Indians were in some close games if

they can reverse the trend this years team can surprise some people. In-juries have plagued the Indians if Healthy can finish 500.

Minnesota Twins – team of miss for-tunate of being in a small market. Twins have excellent talent but can-not keep up with the payroll. Twins have fielded teams in the past and have had some success. Made play-offs three times in last decade. How-ever this is a year of rebuilding and attendance will be low.

Al West – the wild west with the A’s, Angels, Mariners, and Rangers fun

teams to watch score allot of runs. This years division is going to be a toss up early we will give the nod the Angels because of Albert Pujois coming to the American League and a hitter friendly Ball Park he should have career highs. The Rangers have experience being to the Fall Classic the last two seasons. Mariners and A’s have talent but need another sea-son of experience with young teams. This Division will have all four teams playing 500 ball!

Angels – Albert Pujois and great pitching!

Rangers – scrappy team finds ways to win great starting rotation.

A’s Barto Colon rebound wins 16 games not enough to keep in division race against Angels and Rangers!

Mariners – Matzui is still there get-ting long in tooth still can steal some bases and lend experience to young team will finish above 500!

National League East

The Atlanta Braves and Phillies will dominate. This will be a battle all season long the East features the

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Braves, Phillies, Mets, Marlins, Na-tionals. The East will feature teams who will hit allot of Home Runs. This is a battle however of the Braves scrappy team built on pitching and fundamental baseball vs the Phillies dominate pitching and long ball of-fense. Phillies coast to another Di-vision crown and Braves make wild card.

Phillies – Howard another big year!

Braves – great fielding and another year finally get back to post season.

Marlins- young team, Ozzie Guillen manager team could surprise with late September Run.

Mets – bad business decisions equal another subpar year

Nationals - simple young talent, look for fire sale at trading deadline, an-other rebuilding year!

National League Central

Cardinals are back lost Pujois, Reds have inside track with solid pitch-ing and good young core of players. However, with the retirement of La-russa, the Cardinals are in a rebuild-ing year. The Cubs have a new GM and a hardnosed manager have some talent with Sterling Castro Sorriiano is getting up their in age however team is young and with new spirit on the North Side could turn things around Quickly . Pirates offer excit-ing young team however product of small market. Milwaukee Brewers team capable of winning division or another flop. This year’s prediction is the Reds!

Cincinnati Reds – Stable, good pitching and have Dusty BAKER been to playoffs ready to advance and thinking Fall Classic for the first time since 1990.

Chicago Cubs- Theo brings new life and manger gets results Sorriano re-turns to form and Castro matures. Ryan Demptser will win 17 games and Cubs will finish above 500.

St. Louis Cardinals – have enough talent to finish third.

Pittsburg Pirates – start out and fin-ish cold. Lack of depth in the bullpen.

Milwaukee Brewers- Feilder gone, no pitching, have some power and will score runs. Lack of fundamen-tals team capable of a lot time will tell!

National League West - Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Rockies, and Dia-mondbacks. Giants and Dodgers have the talent, Diamondbacks are the team of future; however, this year Dodgers walk away with the West too much Talent.

LA Dodgers- new ownership and new attitude hits Dodger Stadium. Good pitching and return to Dodger baseball fundamental and team play.

San Francisco Giants – Have good pitching and no hitting, getting old, and injuries, are sure to be happier this campaign.

Arizona Diamondbacks –finish above 500 a year away from over tak-ing Dodgers.

Colorado Rockies – with the high al-titude in the mile-high city, they will hit some home runs and finish 10 games under 500!

San Diego Padres – all was qui-et this winter. payroll still is-sue, youth movement has begun

Go Cubs Go Dick Kolf

Well another season and here we go. After the season to forget, is this the year we finally will step to the winner’s circle and end the 104-year curse and win the big one.

With new GM Theo Epstein as the headliner, and new makeup in the front office and manager al-ready in place will the Cubs have enough talent to get off to an early start, and we can see about adding some moves through the season to strengthen the team. Right now, the Cubs have some talent with Castro, Barney, and Soto. The youth in the middle and speed at the top of line-up will help.

Pitching # - Pitchers - B/T - Ht - Wt - DOB 54 - Shawn Camp R-R, 6'0"205,Nov 18, 1975 52 - Lendy Castillo S-R,6'1" 170, Apr 8, 1989 46 - Ryan Dempster R-R, 6'2"215, May 3, 1977 48 - Rafael Dolis R-R, 6'4"215,Jan 10, 1988 22 - Matt Garza R-R, 6'4"215,Nov 26, 1983 28 - Paul Maholm L-L,6'2" 220,Jun 25, 1982 49 - Carlos Marmol R-R, 6'2" 215,Oct 14, 1982 40 - James Russell L-L,6'4"200,Jan 8, 1986 29 - Jeff Samardzija R-R,6'5"225,Jan 23, 1985 32 - Chris Volstad

R-R, 6'8"230,Sep 23, 1986 34 - Kerry Wood R-R, 6'5"210, Jun 16, 1977

With Dempster and Garza, the Cubs have a nice one-two punch. Wood adds stability to the bullpen and Marmol should return to form to be the closer. However, the Cubs need some help from the 3,4,5 starting pitching, and Samardzijia needs to finally show he is a big league pitcher. Dempster wins 17 games and Garza equals Cubs have a chance.

# - Catchers - B/T - Ht - Wt - DOB 51 - Steve Clevenger L-R, 6'0"195,Apr 5, 1986 18 - Geovany Soto R-R, 6'1"220, Jan 20, 1983

Catching duties will be handled by Soto, needs to return to form capable of hitting 20 plus home runs and calling a good game to help staff be successful. Clevenger, good fielder and backup, should do well in pinch hitting role and adding stability behind plate.

# - Infielders - B/T - Ht - Wt - DOB 3 - Jeff Baker R-R, 6'2"210,Jun 21, 1981 15 - Darwin Barney R-R, 5'10" 185, Nov 8, 1985 13 - Starlin Castro R-R, 6'0"190,Mar 24, 1990 11 - Blake DeWitt L-R, 5'11" 195, Aug 20, 1985 6 - Bryan LaHair L-R, 6'5"240,Nov 5, 1982 2 - Ian Stewart L-R, 6'3"215, Apr 5, 1985 21 - Luis Valbuena L-R, 5'10" 195, Nov 30, 1985

This part of the team is simple. They need to have decent 3rd base play. Let Barney and Castro mature in the middle and someone capable of fielding at first. More help should be added if they are in contention. Look for a trade for veteran 3rd baseman through the season.

24 - Marlon Byrd R-R, 6'0"215,Aug 30, 1977 9 - David DeJesus http://www.facebook.com/oswegotourismbureau

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L-L,5'11" 190, Dec 20, 1979 5 - Reed Johnson R-R, 5'10" 180, Dec 8, 1976 16 - Joe Mather R-R,6'4" 215, Jul 23, 1982 12 - Alfonso Soriano R-R, 6'1" 195,Jan 7, 1976

Byrd, Johnson, and Soriano roam the outfield look for solid play. Leadership from Byrd and hustle from Johnson are typical contribu-tions they have made throughout their careers. Sorriano needs to return to form and have strong season! Overall, the Cubs start the season in a position to be a surprise. If they can stay healthy, they are capable of 500 ball. This may be another year we do not win the title; however, the Cubs will improve over last season and will be fun to watch.

Sox take wait and see position by Kyle Veeder

Last season, the Southsiders were picked to compete for the Central Crown. High hopes were backed with the addition of Adam Dunn to a lineup of big hitters.

Combined with a pitching staff made up of veterans, the Sox ap-peared on paper to be a contender. Then reality hit the south side. Adam Dunn forgot his hitting skills, the pitching collapsed, and long-time manger Ozzie Guillien was shown the gate. GM Kenny Wil-liams turned around and hired fan-favorite Robin Ventura to manage, and decided to rebuild with talent in the farm system. Things were quiet and the Sox entered spring training trying to find an identity.

The 2012 campaign motto should “be wait and see.” Here is a preview of the roster, and let’s see what will happen. # - Pitchers - B/T - Ht - Wt - DOB 26 - Jesse Crain - R-R - 6'1" - 215, Jul 5, 1981 50 - John Danks - L-L - 6'1" - 215 - Apr 15, 1985 34 - Gavin Floyd - R-R - 6'6" - 235 - Jan 27, 1983 41 - Philip Humber - R-R - 6'3" - 210 - Dec 21, 1982 65 - Nate Jones - R-R - 6'5" - 185 - Jan 28, 1986 77 - Will Ohman - L-L - 6'2" - 225 - Aug 13, 1977 44 - Jake Peavy - R-R - 6'1" - 195 - May 31, 1981 43 - Addison Reed - L-R - 6'4" - 220 - Dec 27, 1988

49 - Chris Sale - L-L - 6'6" - 180 - Mar 30, 1989 53 - Hector Santiago - R-L - 6'0" - 210 - Dec 16, 1987 48 - Zach Stewart - R-R - 6'2" - 205 - Sep 28, 1986 37 - Matt Thornton - L-L - 6'6" - 240 - Sep 15, 1976

Peavy, Danks, Floyd: if they can stay healthy should combine for 45 wins to help set the table for the season. Bullpen needs production out of Santiago, a flamethrower with fast ball in mid 90s. The closer duties will fall to Will Ohman, a vet-eran who has shown he has the stuff to get people out. Sox have a young and talented core of pitching to go with veteran leadership. # - Catchers - B/T - Ht - Wt - DOB 17 - Tyler Flowers - R-R - 6'4" - 245 - Jan 24, 1986

12 - A.J. Pierzynsk - L-R - 6'3" - 235 - Dec 30, 1976

A.J. is back will handle the battery duties look for typical season of leadership and late inning heroics. Flowers is a good back up!

Infielders - B/T - Ht - Wt - DOB 15 - Gordon Beckham - R-R - 6'0"190Sep 16, 1986 32 - Adam Dunn - L-R - 6'6" - 285 - Nov 9, 1979 38 - Eduardo Escobar - S-R - 5'10" - 165 - Jan 5, 1989 14 - Paul Konerko - R-R - 6'2" - 220 - Mar 5, 1976 22 - Brent Morel - R-R - 6'2" - 220 - Apr 21, 1987 10 - Alexei Ramirez - R-R - 6'2" - 180 - Sep 22, 1981

Here is the meat of the lineup: Konerko, who comes into season

80 home runs short of club record, will have typical year and will leave season 47 home runs short. Dunn, capable of big numbers if he returns to form, will stabilize. DH. Ramier-iez adds speed and talent, capable of 20-plus home runs. The rest of in-field is new and untested with good balance, and will need Konerko to help educate younger players in the way of Robin Ventura baseball hit and run Look for the Sox to be ag-gressive on the base paths.

Outfielders - B/T - Ht - Wt - DOB 30 - Alejandro De Aza - L-L - 6'0" - 190 - Apr 11, 1984 1 - Kosuke Fukudome - L-R - 6'0" - 200 - Apr 26, 1977 18 - Brent Lillibridge - R-R - 5'11" - 185 - Sep 18, 1983 51 - Alex Rios - R-R - 6'5" - 215 - Feb 18, 1981 24 - Dayan Viciedo - R-R - 5'11" -

240 - Mar 10, 1989

Rios is fast and will steal bases; Fukudome will start slow, but give 18 home runs, solid average, and great outfield play. The outfield will spend its first month building iden-tity will pick it up in May.

The Sox appear to have the stuff to make noise in 2012, can compete in Central, and have opportunities in May to make moves. The team will start out slow and heat up in May. Pitching and health are key to this season, and Good Guys have to make their own luck. Look For GM Ken Williams to wheel and deal if Sox are in the hunt. If they can show viability, ownership will spend money to add talent. Youth needs to come of age. This will be a season of wait and see. The jury is still out!

Bulls Beat Bulls continue their Ride to the Top by Dick Kolf

The Bulls continue their strong play. With the end of season around the corner, they find themselves in the driver’s seat to be top seed in the East.

This past month, injuries and little losing streak helped the team to re-focus on the core values of what has made them successful: Team play, good defense, and setting the offense with All World point guard Derrick Rose showing leadership and strong guard play.

Joakim Noah has been a tower of strength at Center, rebounding and adding scoring from that position. Deng and Boozer have played well up front at the Forward. And Taj Gibson has been lights out off the Bench.

With April, the Bulls look to close out and prepare for the Playoffs. The Road to the finals will go through Miami and the Big three. Boston still has some talent and old veterans approach. If the Bulls are to make it another deep run in the playoffs, re-cent setbacks and handling some ad-versity has brought them closer as a team. The Bulls will finish the season strong, and next month we will have playoff preview.

Blackhawks BeatBlackhawks gear up for playoffs by Ron Bartlett

The Hawks finished off the regu-lar season with another convincing overtime win against the Redwings and look like they're ready for the playoffs to begin.

The captain also looks ready to play again as he is finally prac-ticing with contact and has de-clared himself ready to go. The Hawks ended the season in the #6 position, and faced the #3 seed Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday at 9 pm. This was a tough first-round match-up, as the Coyotes took the regular season match up 2-1-1, and their goalie Mike Smith far out-played Cory Crawford and shut the Hawks out their last meeting. Smith's play has gotten strong as the playoffs neared so the boys had bet-ter be ready to go.

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The bright side is that Cory Craw-ford has his game back on track, and it is a good thing for the team because the Hawks will need him to play like he did in the playoffs last year if they are to advance deep into the playoffs.

Time to drop the puck for the most exciting time of the year the Stanley cup playoffs!! Let’s go Blackhawks!!!

Chamber News Montgomery Chamber April Luncheon “Not-For-Members-Only” by Pam Nagel

All Greater Montgomery Area Chamber (GMACC) members, guests and prospective members are invited to attend the next “Not-For-Members-Only” Monthly Luncheon on Tuesday, April 24. Unlike other area Chambers, the GMACC part-ners with a different Montgomery restaurant each month. This gives members the chance to enjoy a

change of scenery while helping sup-port our local economy. This month, we’re headed to Poor Boy's Pub, where they proudly serve "the best, giant- mouthwatering burgers in the area along with the coldest Coors Light drafts (poured at below freez-ing)." Poor Boys Pub is a friendly neighborhood gathering place for delicious food, affordable drinks, and weekend live entertainment.

Enjoy networking, socializing, and an open line of communication with the Chamber Board, ambassadors and Village officials. In addition, April attendees will have a chance

to win one of two door prizes – a stunning floral bouquet from mem-ber, Mary Ann Kutnick of Schaefer Greenhouses, and a surprise sports package from member, Mike Mallon of Goodwill - Amazing!

The Chamber is giving its guest speakers a break this month, so at-tendees will have more time to en-joy the company of fellow members and guests. Be prepared to share your "30-second introduction" and everyone will have an opportunity to meet you and your business, too! Networking will start at 11:30 am with lunch being served at noon. As always, there is no fee for this event, just the price of your lunch. Reservations are not required, but strongly recommended to ensure enough seating for everyone.

Register on line at the Chamber website: www.chamberofmontgom-eryil.org, or by calling the Chamber office: 630-897-8137 before April 24th.

For more information about the Greater Montgomery Area Cham-ber of Commerce and other upcom-ing activities, visit the Chamber web-site: www.chamberofmontgomeryil.org, or call: 630-897-8137.

Laugh it up in the Western Burbs by Tony Michelassi

“Comedy on the Fox” is the name of the new weekly stand-up revue at the Gray's Mill Restaurant on River Street in Montgomery. Every Tues-day evening at 8, comedy fans from across the western suburbs can gath-er in the 160-year-old building and watch some of the suburbs' finest co-medic talents.

Amelia Kleymann, executive pro-ducer of the show, has been living in Aurora for some time and was struck at how little stand-up there was out-side of Chicago.

“I wanted to cater to comics from the suburbs. That's why I started it,” Kleymann said. The restaurant's homemade food is proving to be a perfect pairing with the show's pro-fessional production, and has already started gathering a regular audience.

“My face hurt from smiling so much,” said audience member Angel Newmann of Oswego.

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Shows usually feature eight comics – a host, a headliner, and six feature acts – with performers coming from across the Chicagoland area. Many of the performers come back to the Mill as regular acts, including co-median Joe Montisi. “I always love the crowds in the suburbs,” he said. “They're coming to be entertained.”

Admission to the Tuesday night shows is $5, but patrons receive 10% off food orders if they choose to dine while watching. Kleymann plans to expand the show to Satur-day nights starting in May; and while the current show is definitely for the 21-and-over crowd, the planned Sat-urday shows will add a segment of family-friendly comedy.

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Coffee Shop by Brian Basilico

And I Still…Haven’t Found…What I’m Looking For!

I wanna be #1…

How many times have you got this email, “We can make you #1 on Google!”, “Offering a Free Evalua-tion of your website!” “Rank #1 in the Top 10 Search Engines!”?

I have a dare for you--Search Google, Yahoo, Bing, (and the other 7 com-panies they are promising – whatever they are) for “Rank #1 in Google,” and see what shows up? I can guar-antee you that it’s not that company that sent that email.

Half the time, those emails come from someone@gmail.com, @ya-hoo.com or @hotmail.com. People, if someone offers you the ability to make tens of thousands of dollars and does not even have a company email address, run the other way (FAST!).

Trust me, if anyone had the answer to that problem, they would not be sending YOU email. They would be too busy picking which type of caviar they want to eat on the yacht off their one private island off the Caribbean!

Google is worth over $600 per share. It got that way by understanding user habits and changing their algorithms daily. Google sells advertising and would not give people inside infor-mation, tips and tricks, discounted keywords, or special keys to locked doors…and not sharing its fortunes like a long-lost relative from Nigeria (although if you send those com-panies offering you to be number 1 Google your money, you will get about the same in return for sending a check to Nigeria to get those prom-ised millions).

Being #1

There is only one thing that will guarantee you being #1… being the best at what you do and convincing others that you can live up to that commitment.

On the opposite side of that is your website and your marketing that drives people to it! You can spend all the money in the world driving traffic to you site, but if your website

does not live up to the expectations of your users, it can be a #FAIL.

There is something I like to call the “Microwave Effect” with websites. If people don’t understand it, they won’t buy it! In the old days (the 1970s) some microwaves had dials, buttons, and switches. Today if you buy one, everyone has a button that says “Popcorn” and cooks it to per-fection. I don’t care what you have to sell… If your website is not intuitive and easy to use, people will leave and go to the next one.

Here are a few tips to help you make sure that all your marketing efforts are worth the time, money and ef-forts (yes that picture below is of a REAL WEBSITE)…

* Cute & Cool are not Cohesive I have seen buttons that fly around

the screen, tilted off angles, and are named things like “Imagination Al-ternatives” (code for ‘What We Do’ or ‘Our Services’). If you are selling to creatives like yourself,that is cool (pat on the back). If you are selling to a 50-year-old purchasing manager from a Fortune 500 company, you’s just done lost them!

* Short Attention Span Theatre

If you think people are going to read your manifesto of the development of the potato chip and its existential relationship to the things that make you different from the Corporate Anti-Establishment Terrianism, get over it! You have 3 clicks and 2 min-utes to make the sale. Interest them. Let them dig deeper, then entice them to contact you via an email, phone call, or a form (or whatever THEY want to use).

* Be There… or Be Square Just because you don’t like a particu-lar method or social media does not mean your clients don’t also. If your clients use Twitter, LinkedIn, Face-book, text messages, phone calls, or smoke signals, you better be there to receive their messages If not, I GUARANTEE there is a competitor who is, and would love to have your business scraps!

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* Final Thoughts… You spend a lot of time, energy, money, and sweat equity driving people to your website. Make it more focused on your customers' needs (features and benefits) and less about you. If you make it customer friendly through simple navigation, you are more likely get that phone call, email, or smoke signal that leads to your ultimate goal…BUSINESS!

Business Profile Here comes the Trolley By Sheryl Krase

Have you ever been downtown Na-perville and heard the sound of the Trolley, ding ding?

Well meet Naperville Trolley and Annette Wehrli, owner and opera-tor of Naperville Trolley. The trolley started with her father, based on an idea he had when he went to a fam-ily reunion and witnessed the trol-ley service in the local community. Being from Naperville and seeing the long-term vision of what down-town Naperville would become, he thought this was an excellent idea for his hometown. With idea in hand and the support of his famil,y they went out and realized the dream.

Starting 19 years ago with one Trol-ley, Annette and her family have grown Naperville Trolley to now include 4 trolleys with conductors. What Naperville Trolley has to offer is a variety of services that include weddings, special outings, tours, and a whole host of services. With the summer just around the corner, Na-perville Trolley is getting into their busy season with all the upcoming weddings and community events.

As a treasure, Naperville Trolley also offers tours that feature the historical aspect of Naperville, with the con-ductors doing the tours.

So if you have an opportunity to see the Trolley in your journeys around Naperville and would like to book this special treasure, they are available by calling 630-420-2223 or visiting their Website at www.napervilletrolley.com so all aboard and enjoy the family-owned treasure, and give Annette a call. Ding ding, here goes the Trolley.

Forest Preserve News April 2012 Education Programs Kendall County Forest Preserve District

Program Highlights Family Fitness With Fido (Family): Sunday, April 22; 2-4PM at Harris FP, Fee: $20 per family, one dog per each adult

Enhance your bond with your dog, stay fit with your family, and en-joy the beauty of spring all in one class! Angela Murray, Certified Dog Trainer of Nature Your Pet, will lead this class that includes training dis-cussion, 1-mile hike with challenge stations, and tips on pet nutrition with free samples from Go Dog Go of Oswego. No flexi-leads, choke, or pinch collars and you are required to pick up after your dog. Trail Runners Club (Ages 16+): Saturday, April 28; 9-11AM at Mill-brook South FP, Fee: $8 per class

Whether you are looking for a change of pace, less impact, or to learn a new skill, trail running has a lot of benefits to offer runners. Learn the ins-and-outs of trail run-ning with ACE certified personal trainers Al and Kristen Wade from Misfits Endurance Coaching. Dur-ing class, you’ll learn basic injury prevention, build skills, and gain

experience running trails in differ-ent distance runs. Classes for Children Babes in the Woods: Wild Weather (Ages 3-6): Tuesday, April 17; 9-10:30AM; or Wednesday, April 18; 9-10:30AM at Rookery Build-ing, Hoover FP, Fee: Free

If you’ve ever wondered about weather before, this is the class for you! We’ll study different kinds of spring weather in this fun hands-on class for preschoolers and their caregiver. Boy Scout Merit Badge Workshop: Nature Study Part II (Grades 6+): Saturday, April 21; 9AM-12PM at Rookery Building, Hoover FP, Fee: $10

This workshop for scouts will cover requirements 4a, 4c, and 4g of the Nature Study Boy Scout Merit Badge. Whether you started the badge in our fall workshop or are just beginning, this will be a great hands-on experience! Adult Programs Over 21 Club: Ellis House & Equestrian Center (Adult): Wednesday, April 11, 10AM-12PM, meet at Ellis House & Equestrian Center, Fee: Free

Ellis staff will be leading a tour of the house and stable, along with

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a walk along the wooded banks of the Aux Sable Creek. Bring a sack lunch to enjoy after the tour. Play With Me (Adults-no children please): Tuesday, April 10; 6:30-7:30PM at Historic Courthouse, Fee: Free

There’s more than meets the eye as your child plays! This season’s class will focus on the developmental benefits of play. You’ll learn fun and exciting ways to help your child’s development through nature play activities. Spring Wildflowers Field Photog-raphy Workshop (Ages 16+): Sat-urday, April 14; 9AM-12PM at Rookery Building, Hoover FP, Fee: $40

Learn the secrets of taking terrific up-close photos of spring wildflow-ers in this hands-on photography workshop. Bring your camera and hiking shoes for an inspirational workshop led by Charlie Peterson, pro photographer. Opportunities at Ellis Equestrian Center Family Fun Night (All ages) Fri-day, April 6; 4-7PM at Ellis House and Equestrian Center; Fee: Free, except for pony rides ($3 per ride or $5 for two rides) and concessions. -Pony rides, hayrack rides, and oth-er terrific activities await during our monthly Family Fun Night. Every month has different crafts and fun! Earth Day Celebration (All Ages): Sunday, April 22; 12-3PM at Ellis House & Equestrian Center, Fee: Free -From composting to nature hikes, we’ve got a fun way to celebrate Earth Day! There will be lots of great hands-on fun, demonstrations, and activities to take part in all afternoon! Summer Camp News Summer camps are filling up but there’s still room for your child ages 4 through entering High School.

Natural Beginnings Information We are looking into the possibility of adding a Tuesday/Thursday class that would meet from 9-11:15AM for next year. The Monday/Wednes-day class has just a few openings left. We have concluded our open house series for the year but visits can always be arranged by calling ahead. More information is avail-

able by contacting Jessica Pierson, Lead Naturalist, at jpierson@co.kendall.il.us or 630 553-4111. Sneak Peeks! Many great programs are coming up this spring and summer- read our newsletter online to learn more about what’s next!

Cooking With Barb Easy Chicken Weeknight Spring Dinner By Barb Johnson

Total Time: 40 min Prep: 5 min Cook: 35 min

Yield: 4 servings Level: Easy

Ingredients: - 1 1/2 pounds large Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces - 4 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - Kosher salt - 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless

chicken thighs (5 to 6 thighs) - 2 teaspoons smoked paprika - Freshly ground pepper - 4 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley - 2 lemons (1 juiced, 1 cut into wedges) - 2 large or 3 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced

Directions: Position a rack in the upper third of the oven. Place a large cast-iron baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet on the rack and preheat to 500 degrees F. Put the potatoes, garlic, olive oil, 1 tablespoon water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large mi-crowave-safe baking dish and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, pierce the plastic in a few places with a knife and microwave 8 minutes to partially cook.

Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry and transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle with the paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add 2 tablespoons

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parsley and the lemon juice; toss to coat. Set aside.

Remove the hot baking dish from the oven; carefully add the potatoes and spread in an even layer. Scatter the onions on top. Roast until the potatoes start to brown, about 12 minutes.

Flip the potatoes and lay the chicken pieces on top, adding any accumulated juices from the bowl; return to the oven and roast until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 12 more minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Per serving: Calories 452; Fat 14 g (Saturated 3 g); Cholesterol 141 mg; Sodium 882 mg; Carbohydrate 41 g; Fiber 4 g; Protein 39 g

Enjoy! See you next month for Mothers Day!

Wrap Up by Nadia Kanhai

Stop by the Kendall Weekly Times and discover more stories and fea-tures. Once again thank you for allowing us to keep you with the times and we hope you enjoyed this

edition. Next month in the Maga-zine we will be focusing special on Mother’s Day and how you can treat the special lady in your life www.kendallweeklytimes.net

New Feature next month by Kris Heiman

Look next month as we begin to bring you the Trading Market. A place to feature small business and if you have that item you wish to

sell then let us know we will work

Victorian Char Featured item in the Trading Market $575 contact kendall.times@gmx.com for more information http://allstateagencies.com/PAULCOLLINS/Welcome

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