The Buffalo Grove Police Department has begun its annual collection for the Toys for Tots program, in partnership with the United States Marine Corps Reserves.

Buffalo Grove

Police Dept. collecting Toys for Tots donations

The Buffalo Grove Police Department has begun its annual collection for the Toys for Tots program, in partnership with the United States Marine Corps Reserves. Donation boxes to collect new and unwrapped toys are available in the lobby of the Police Department, located at 46 Raupp Blvd. The program runs through Dec. 18. Donations will then be picked up by the Marines and distributed to area youth through the help of local community and religious groups, and social services agencies. For more information, call the Buffalo Grove Police Department at (847) 459-2560 or visit www.toysfortots.org.

Wheeling

Library to host special seminar with State Rep. Carroll

The Indian Trails Public Library District, 355 Schoenbeck Road, will host, “Back To Work,” a special seminar/town hall meeting with Illinois State Representative Jonathan Carroll (D-57th) from 6-7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 in the library’s Lake Room. Community members who attend are invited to voice any opinions and concerns. No registration is required. Carroll, a Northbrook resident, began serving his first term as state representative in October. A former special education teacher and longstanding learning disability advocate, Carroll earned a B.A. in Communications from DePaul University and a M.A. in Learning Disabilities from Northeastern Illinois University. For more information, call (847) 459-4100 or visit www.indiantrailslibrary.org.

Barrington

Batch of local schools earn national P.E. award

The Barrington 220 School District announced that seven of its elementary schools — Barbara B Rose, Countryside, Grove Avenue, Hough Street, North Barrington, Roslyn Road and Sunny Hill — recently received the 2017 Let’s Move! Active Schools National Award. The award is the nation’s top physical education award for K-12 schools. Barrington 220 is one of just seven Illinois school districts with schools named as award winners. To earn the national award, a school must have met significant benchmarks in five areas: physical education, physical activity before and after school, physical activity during school, staff involvement, and family and community engagement. A total of 452 U.S. schools, representing 37 states and the District of Columbia, were recognized in 2017. For more information, call (847) 381-3600 or visit www.barrington220.org.

Fox River Grove

Village Board set to reduce overall property taxes

The village reported that the Fox River Grove Village Board recently recommended an increase of $18,506 (2.1 percent) to the amount of property taxes collected for the village portion of the property tax bill. This will be offset by a $24,643 abatement of a portion of the village’s outstanding general obligation bond, resulting in a reduction of property taxes by $4,048 (0.4 percent) for 2018. Further property tax relief is scheduled in 2019 when the village will retire its only outstanding general obligation bond. A resident with a home valued at $200,000 can anticipate an annual property tax savings of $48, representing a 10.6 percent reduction of the village portion of the bill. The village portion represents about 6 percent of the overall property tax bill in Fox River Grove, while the other 94 percent of the bill is in the control of other taxing bodies. For more information, call (847) 639-3170 or visit www.foxrivergrove.org.   

Lakemoor

Library adopts half-mile stretch of Lily Lake Road 

Friends of Lakemoor announced that the River East Public Library, 813 W. Route 120, is the latest organization to adopt a road in and around Lakemoor. Through a partnership with the McHenry Township Road District and the Village of Lakemoor, the library has adopted a half-mile stretch of Lily Lake Road. The program offers an opportunity for families and organizations to adopt a stretch of road with the commitment of periodically performing clean-up efforts. For more information, call (815) 385-1117, send an email to villagehall@lakemoor.net or visit www.lakemoor.net.

Gurnee

Timothy O’Toole’s earns Best of Gurnee Award

The village announced that Timothy O’Toole’s Pub, 5572 Grand Ave., is the recipient of the Fall 2017 Best of Gurnee Award. The award program, designed in 2016 as a way to recognize businesses that go above and beyond to support their customers and the community, is managed by the village’s Economic Development Committee under the leadership of Village Trustee Karen Thorstenson. Nominations are accepted year-round in two categories: Bringing Me Home and Pay It Forward. The Bringing Me Home award is intended to recognize a business that fosters community pride by infusing excellence into its business operations with evidence of long-term, sustained commitment to its customers and the community. The Pay It Forward award acknowledges a business that recognizes needs within the community and meets them head-on. After a review of the nominations, Timothy O’Toole’s Pub was selected to be the winner in both categories. Owners Humberto Martinez Jr. and Sarah McKinnon accepted the award during the Village of Gurnee Chamber of Commerce 2017 Luncheon, in November. For more information, call (847) 599-7500 or visit www.gurnee.il.us.

Ela Township

Ela Township offers babysitting classes for teens

Ela Township will host Safe Sitter Essentials, a program designed to provide teens (grades 6-8) with instructions on the most important aspects of caring for children, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 16, and Jan. 27, Feb. 24 and March 17, 2018, at the Ela Community Center, 380 Surryse Road, Lake Zurich. Topics include basic first aid, personal safety, injury prevention, behavior management and more. In addition, participants will discuss ethics and learn about the business side of babysitting. The cost is $30 and includes a manual and completion card given out at the end of the class. Participants should bring a baby-sized doll (if possible) and must bring a sack lunch. Registration forms are available online at www.elatownship.org. For more information, call (847) 438-9160 or send an email to youth@elatownship.org.            

–Lake County News Briefs–