Newly-elected Senator, Tom Rooney (R-Rolling Meadows), was sworn in on Sept. 29, affirming his position in the Illinois General Assembly as the State Senator for the 27th District. Circuit Judge Martin Kelley administered the oath to Senator Rooney.

Cook County

Salute to the Armed Forces event to honor military vets

Veterans for Unification, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting quality care and benefits for all military veterans in the VA Healthcare System, will host the 6th Annual Salute to the Armed Forces celebration at 1 p.m. Oct. 13 in the Grand Ballroom of the Double Tree Hotel, 5000 W. 127th Street, Alsip. All Cook County veterans, reservists and military personnel are invited to attend the free event, sponsored by 6th District Cook County Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy, Vitas Healthcare, Dignity Memorial and the Doubletree Hotel. All branches of military service men and women in attendance will receive an honorary “Salute Certificate” and a custom-designed brass commemorative pin. The ceremony also includes a Patriot program, a POW-MIA remembrance service, guest speakers, patriotic entertainment and a Color Guard presentation. Refreshments will be served to all honorees and guests. Doors open at noon. Registration is required, and is due by Oct. 11. To access a registration form, visit www.veteransforunification.org. Completed forms must be mailed to Office of Cook County Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy, 5405 W. 127th Street, Crestwood, Ill. 60445 or faxed to (708) 389-2240. For more information, call Murphy’s office at (312) 603-3789.

Oak Park

Ten restaurants in village awarded for sanitation efforts

The village reported that 10 Oak Park restaurants received awards from the Oak Park Department of Public Health and Board of Health for producing the highest two-year average inspection scores. Each of the 10 restaurants’ food service sanitation efforts earned a Johnson Restaurant Award, named for Oak Park’s first lunchroom, which operated in the 1890s at 124 Lake Street. The 2016 award-winners are Boss Burrito, 1110 W. Westgate Street; Buzz Café, 905 S. Lombard Ave.; Cucina Paradiso, 814 North Blvd.; Jerusalem Café, 1030 W. Lake Street; King & I, 105 N. Marion Street; Michael’s Beef House, 6747 North Ave.; Munch, 104 N. Marion Street; and Wendy’s, 11 Harlem Ave. This year’s winners were chosen from 79 eligible restaurants. Buzz Café, Cucina Paradiso and King & I each won for the fourth straight year, marking those establishments as the longest-running honorees in the 31-year history of the Johnson Restaurant Awards. For more information, call (708) 358-5480, send an email to health@oak-park.us or visit www.oakpark-us.

Niles

Village reports progress on community garden project

The village reported that progress is continuing on the Farm on Franks Community Garden, located at 7087 N. Franks Ave. Public services employees have been preparing the project site by removing boulders, clearing old shrubs, and bringing in layers of crushed limestone and wood chips. Volunteers from local corporations and organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, also have participated by building raised beds, adding soil and compost, and further preparing the garden for planting in 2017. The garden will include ADA-accessible planting beds, with some of the harvest targeted for the Niles Food Pantry. In addition to a $8,000 grant from ComEd/Openlands, the community garden effort has received $1,600 in donations to cover the costs of building and running the venue. Once the project is completed, the registration process for residents interested in planting at the garden will begin Jan. 3, 2017. For more information, call (847) 588-8010 or visit www.vniles.com/green.

Park Ridge

Police Dept. Deputy Chief Jogmen earns railroad safety award

The city announced that Park Ridge Police Department Deputy Chief Lou Jogmen recently was honored with the Lauren Elizabeth Wilson Award, presented by the DuPage Railroad Safety Council (DRSC), for his strong commitment to railroad safety. As Chair of the Traffic Safety Committee for the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP), Jogmen was instrumental in the development and implementation of the first statewide Rail Safety Week, in 2014, as well as subsequent safety weeks in 2015 and ’16. The DRSC, founded in 1994, is comprised of railroad and government officials, engineers, educators and private citizens who advocate for increased railroad safety measures. For more information, call (847) 318-5200 or visit www.parkridge.us.

Schaumburg

Day of public tours on tap at historic Schweikher home

The village announced that the Schweikher House Preservation Trust will host public tours of the 1938 Paul Schweikher home and studio, located at 645 S. Meacham Road, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 8. The structure, a Modernist home listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is recognized by the American Institute of Architects as one of the top 150 architectural sites in Illinois. Pre-scheduled, 50-minute tours of the house, studio and grounds will be offered, starting on the hour. The tours will feature an inside look at Schweikher’s creative integration of brick, glass and wood, including an iconic brick fireplace, passive solar room, cantilevered construction, exposed wood beams, built-in furniture, a Japanese soaking tub, a raked gravel courtyard, and gardens designed by noted Midwestern landscape artist Franz Lipp. The cost of each tour is $25 per person, with a maximum of 12 people per tour. To register, and for more information, call (847) 923-3866, send an email to info@schweikherhouse.org or visit www.schweikherhouse.org.

Burr Ridge

Police Chief Madden graduates from prestigious FBI program

The village reported that Burr Ridge Police Chief John Madden graduated from the 265th Session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy Program, in Quantico, Va., on Sept. 16. Madden was one off 229 law enforcement executives — representing men and women from 47 states, the District of Columbia, 24 international countries, three military organizations and four federal civilian organizations — included in the 2016 graduating class. The FBI National Academy Program consists of 10 weeks of advanced communication, leadership and fitness training for selected personnel with proven records as professionals within their respective agencies. Participation is by invitation only, conducted through a nomination process, with less than 1 percent of the nation’s top law enforcement administrators invited to attend on an annual basis.

–Cook County News Briefs–