Volunteers show bounty from what they removed during a past DuPage County River Sweep. Help is needed for this year’s cleanup.

COUNTY

Recorder’s office honors vets

DuPage County Recorder Fred Bucholz will offer a free service to veterans on Honor Rewards Day May 17. Veterans are invited to bring in their discharge papers (DD-214) to be recorded free of charge. Veterans and local businesses can also enjoy complimentary refreshments and learn about the Recorder’s Honor Rewards program, which provides community discounts at more than 150 area businesses. The Honor Rewards Day celebration takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Recorder’s Office in the JTK Administration Building, 1st floor, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton. To learn more about the event or the Honor Rewards program, visit dupageco.org/recorder.

Volunteers dig out trash from county rivers

Volunteers are wanted for the annual DuPage County River Sweep, a countywide stream cleanup and restoration event, slated for May 20. Volunteers help clean by picking up debris in and along the local waterways and restoring nearby land to its natural state. Work will be done from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

On the 25th anniversary of the River Sweep in 2016, a record 890 volunteers participated. About 96 miles of shoreline were cleared of debris. Items such as a 55-gallon drum of antifreeze, 25 pounds of golf balls, a payphone, car parts, tires, a 25-gallon propane tank, a no-parking sign, a shopping cart and more were removed.

The sweep encompasses the east and west branches of the DuPage River and Salt Creek, as well as many tributaries. This year’s efforts will concentrate on Hitchcock Woods Forest Preserve, Lisle; Hidden Oaks Conservation Area, Bolingbrook; Springbrook Nature Center, Itasca; and Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve, Winfield. To register, contact Jan Roehll at jroehll@theconservation foundation.org or (630) 428-4500, ext. 121.

WHEATON

Lecture to look at local men who fought in in WWI

Wheaton’s WWI heroes will be the subject of a lecture at 6:30 p.m. May 18, at the Mary Lubko Center in Memorial Park, 208 W. Union St., Wheaton.

The Great War saw 500 men from the Wheaton area enlist. Of those 500, 13 died in service. The lecture will cover some of their actions as well as a viewing of several WWI propaganda silent films from 1915-1919.

Admission is free. For more information, call the Wheaton Historic Commission, (630) 260-2000.

NAPERVILLE

Wolf’s Crossing Road work to take 3 days

Naperville road crews will begin phase two of the Wolf’s Crossing Road reconfiguration May 15. A portion of the road – between the CN Railroad line and 248th Avenue – will be closed to traffic for about three days.

Construction crews will add a temporary connection to attach the new north-south extension of Wolf’s Crossing to the existing east-west connection. Detour signs will be posted to direct traffic to use Eola Road, Haffenrichter Road and 91st Street.

The entire project, worked in multiple phases, is designed to widen and realign Wolf’s Crossing Road to 95th Street. The final stage of the project is set to occur late this year or in early 2018. For more information, visit naperville.il.us/wolfscrossing. To sign up for the city’s Naper Notify notification system, including traffic alerts, visit napernotify.com.

Organic seeds for sale for spring planting

The Green Earth Institute will have organic vegetable and herb seedlings available for purchase 8 a.m.-1 p.m. May 13, at McDonald Farm, 10S404 Knoch Knolls Road, Naperville. Tomatoes, peppers, kale, Swiss chard, eggplant and herbs are among the available plants. All of these seedlings are certified organic and grown by Green Earth staff and volunteers right at the McDonald Farm. Veggie gift boxes and bowls are new this year, and designed for Mother’s Day gift giving.

Students asked to name Ribfest mascot

You got Miss Piggy, Babe and Porky. But what about the new pig mascot of Naperville’s 2017 Ribfest?

Fest Organizers want a name for its mascot, and is turning to local schoolchildren for inspiration and help. The Exchange Club, who sponsors the event, is asking each school in Naperville District 203 and Indian Prairie District 204 to submit one entry per grade for the pig’s name. The winning grade will get 30 tickets to the fest, good from July 1 to July 3.

Mascot name submissions must be in by 5 p.m. May 23.

Ribfest runs from June 30 to July 3. In its 30-year history, the event has raised more than $15 million to help victims of child and domestic abuse.

The public will get an opportunity to meet the new mascot, when it walks around the Knoch Park grounds for the entirety of the event. For questions regarding the naming contest, sent emails to Pam Keith at ribfestmascot2017@yahoo.com.

GLEN ELLYN

Gas station project OK’d over residents’ objections

A new gas station will be built, over the objections of residents who signed petitions and spoke out against the project. The Glen Ellyn Village Board voted 5-2 Mya 1 to sell land at 825 N. Main St. for a proposed gas station and convenience store with a liquor license.

Residents do not want the business, citing traffic and noise concerns and the possible negative environmental impact on a school a block away.

As a provision for the sale, the station will close from midnight to 5 a.m. seven days a week and the gas station operator, True North, will provide additional on-site landscaping.

The village has owned the site since September 2010, when it purchased the neglected land for $590,000. It then invested $90,000 in remediation, demolition and restoration efforts over six years. A gas station had been on the property.