Wilmette Life

New Wilmette exec looks to downtown economy, resident services

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 08:56:55 -0500

As he completed his first two weeks on the job, new Wilmette Village President Bob Bielinski was keeping his “to-do” list short: economic redevelopment, especially downtown; careful budgeting; and continued high quality village services for residents.

Study: Chicagoans spend $300 million yearly on unused data for cellphones

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:03:34 -0500

Chicagoans pay nearly $300 million every year on unused data for their cellphones, according to a new report. The study, from the Citizens Utilities Board and Texas-based wireless research firm Validas, said that Illinoisans each spend about $30 a year on unused data on wireless phones and almost $200 a year on unused data on smartphones, totaling more than $1 billion a year on data that no one uses. “Illinoisans are spending more than the combined team salaries of the Cubs, White Sox and Cardinals,” said CUB executive director David Kolata. The research is based on data collected through Validas’ …

Report: 9 percent of Illinois’ bridges ‘structurally deficient’

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:38:37 -0500

Nearly 9 percent of Illinois’ bridges are “structurally deficient” and in need of serious maintenance or replacement -- an uptick of 1 percent from two years ago, a new report on the state of the nation’s bridges indicates.

Buyer saves Long Grove Confectionery days before closing

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:38:42 -0500

LONG GROVE — The Long Grove Confectionery Co. was days away from closing when its founders, John and Heidi Mangel, negotiated its sale last week to Arway Confections, Inc. of Chicago.

Wall reconstruction means long days at Centennial

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:24:01 -0500

Bill Lambrecht arrived at the office at 3:30 a.m. Monday; by 10:30 he’d already put in close to a regular workday. With a laundry list of repairs to check at the Centennial Park recreation complex, he had a long way to go before heading home Monday night. He’s used to it, the Wilmette Park District parks and planning superintendent said as he took a break from checking progress on Centennial’s tennis club wall repairs. If work on those repairs continues smoothly, however, Lambrecht may soon be able to reacquaint himself with a reasonable schedule. “Engineers are here, and the east …

Nine Wilmette families invest in new restaurant

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:40:00 -0500

When you sit down to eat at Nick’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill, a waiter won’t place a basket of bread on the table. Instead, you’ll be munching on kale chips before your meal.

Northbrook man rolls SUV, gets DUI charge

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:44:00 -0500

WILMETTE — A Northbrook man who police say rolled his SUV, then walked away from the vehicle before being found and taken to the hospital has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, following the June 11 incident on Lake Avenue in Wilmette.

House parties celebrate free cash for insulation from feds

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:50:04 -0500

When the contractor said it, you could hear a gasp. Craig Matteson told the dozen or so North Shore residents gathered around how, and how not, to solve heat loss through windows.

Wilmette overrides zoning board on trio of requests

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:37:37 -0500

A year-round sports court for one family’s kids, a spacious front porch for another family and a Sheridan road home whose pergola and generator placement raised official eyebrows; each came to Wilmette trustees June 11 with official stamps of zoning disapproval. And each in turn received the municipal thumbs-up from trustees. In all three cases – each of which came from Wilmette’s Zoning Board of Appeals with negative recommendations – Village Board members peppered petitioners with questions. Ultimately, all but one of the board’s votes to overturn ZBA decisions was unanimous. Trustees began their deliberations with a request from 16th …

Wilmettte’s Summerfest evolves from sale to celebration

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:42:35 -0500

Last month, retiring Wilmette Village President Chris Canning talked about the revitalization of downtown Wilmette. One attractive event, he said, was the Wilmette-Kenilworth Chamber of Commerce’s Summerfest. Weeks later, new Village President Bob Bielinski referenced the two-day event as well.

Highcrest school breathes life into Chinese dragon

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:36:21 -0500

Banners preceded him; drums and cymbals announced him as he bobbed and weaved across the Highcrest Middle School playground. The great dragon ushered across the blacktop June 3 by some of teacher Xixi Yu’s enthusiastic students was altogether admirable.

Gurnee looks ahead to digital streaming

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:26:01 -0500

Libraries long ago stocked more than books as they evolved with modern media, adding vinyl record albums, cassette tapes, laser discs, and then CDs and DVDs.

Checking out the future: Libraries look beyond the shelves

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:28:14 -0500

Jeff Weisensel doesn’t have a job, not for the past 14 months anyway, since Kraft Foods restructured him out the door after 22 years. But he does have a library — the $28 million Glenview Public Library, opened in 2011 — whose inviting lobby is part art gallery, part cafeteria — patrons are welcome to eat and drink there — and part social center.

New Trier students row for charity, world record

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:23:14 -0500

WINNETKA — Only 15 minutes after taking their last final exam of sophomore year, New Trier rowers Hunter Johnson and Kenny Michalec began their summer break with a quest for a world record.

Metra cops will be spending more time on trains, platforms talking with riders

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:28:02 -0500

The new safety initiative merely redeploys the existing 100-person Metra police force and is not a response to a specific crime concern, Metra officials said.

Suburban runners say Ragnar Relay tests limits

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 05:19:16 -0500

Nothing compares to the feeling of coming home after a long trip – especially one that involves running around the clock with 11 of your sweatiest friends. The tail-end of the June 7-8 Ragnar Relay Race weaved through the North Shore, to reach the sandy finish line at Montrose Beach.