DuPage County News Briefs

Chronicle Media
Six of the 11 recipients of Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation's Teen Volunteer  Health Profession Scholarships are (from left) Jared Applegate, Lydia Faber, Zoha  Khan, Valeria Martinez, Trevor Rempert and Sofia Yunez.

Six of the 11 recipients of Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation’s Teen Volunteer. Health Profession Scholarships are (from left) Jared Applegate, Lydia Faber, Zoha Khan, Valeria Martinez, Trevor Rempert and Sofia Yunez.

COUNTY

Animal facility opens after improvements

The DuPage County Animal Care and Control facility is a more comfortable place for animals that have been unwanted or mistreated. The self-supporting center, which operates on fees and donations from an associated nonprofit, recently reopened.

The nearly $1 million in improvements to the facility, 120 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, include an array of new features – a HVAC unit, isolation ward, improved filtration to combat diseases, improved flooring and better soundproofing.

The renovation was paid for entirely with revenue from fees collected by the facility, with a third of the expenses covered from the Friends of the DuPage County Animal Care and Control Foundation.

ELMHURST

Two seasonal events mark beginning of summer

The Elmhurst Farmers Market and Block to Block have kicked off the summer season in Elmhurst.

Courtesy of the York & Vallette Business Association, the Elmhurst Farmers Market goes from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays through October at York and Vallette streets.

The market has a new meat vendor, Heartland Meats from Mendota, specializing in Piedmontese beef, a lean and tender beef. Another addition is My Donut Lady, a company that specializes in apple cider doughnuts.

Like previous years, there will be a different weekly participant in the resource booth. The DuPage Monarch Project and the DuPage County Farm Bureau will join the organizations this year that take advantage of the Farmers Market to raise awareness about their causes and issues.

The farmers market will feature more than 20 farmers and vendors selling everything from cheese, vegetables, fruit, bread and spices.

Parking will be available in the lot adjacent to the market on Division Street and the Illinois Prairie Path, on York and Vallette streets, and on Kenilworth and Arlington avenues.

Meanwhile, the Elmhurst City Centre is getting ready for the seasonal Block to Block Party event, a musical showcase in downtown Elmhurst with a variety of rotating acts. Every Wednesday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in June and July, diners, shopper and visitors in downtown Elmhurst can enjoy the evening with help from musicians located in different places.

A larger act will perform in Fountain Plaza and a solo musician will perform south of the tracks in the zero to 100 block of York Street for patrons of businesses nearby.

Hospital foundation awards health profession scholarships

The Elmhurst Memorial Hospital (EMH) Foundation has awarded $22,000 in scholarships to 11 area high school students who volunteer at Elmhurst Hospital and plan to pursue careers in a health-related field.

Each of the recipients received $2,000 through the Foundation’s Teen Volunteer Health Profession Scholarship program. Funds for this year’s scholarships were raised through the Foundation’s annual Reindeer Route House Walk.

The scholarship recipients were judged on their scholastic achievement, strong performance evaluations from the Volunteer Department, community service and plans for a career in a health-related field. They also had to have a minimum 160 hours of volunteer service in the hospital.

Recipients, their high schools and areas of study are:

  • Sara Acosta, York, nurse/nurse midwife
  • Yasmeen Ali, York, pediatrician
  • Jared Applegate, home schooled, physician
  • Lydia Faber, York, obstetrics/gynecology
  • Zoha Khan, Islamic Foundation, pharmacy
  • Nincy Kurian, York, nurse
  • Valeria Martinez, York, pediatrician
  • Trevor Rempert, Hinsdale Central, physician
  • Monica Thokkudubiyyapu, York, physician
  • Sofia Yunez, Montini Catholic, physician
  • Michelle Wiese, York, physician

For more information about the EMH Foundation and upcoming events, visit www.emhfoundation.org/events or call (331) 221-0388.

NAPERVILLE

Strong financial health reaps high bond ratings

Naperville has once again been awarded a AAA bond rating by both Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s. 

Naperville has received the triple-A rating by S&P consistently for every debt offering for more than two decades. The city has also held the triple-A rating issued by Moody’s over the same 21-year period. Both the S&P’s and Moody’s ratings are reflective of the city’s economy, budgetary flexibility and availability of funds and strong debt position, with more than 80 percent of Naperville’s debt scheduled to be retired in the next 10 years.

North Central strips Hastert of honor

North Central College in Naperville is the second area institution of higher education to revoke an honorary degree it gave to Dennis Hastert.

He had been the county’s longest-serving U.S. speaker of the house, but soon will begin serving 15-month sentence in a hush-money case. Hastert pleaded guilty to violating banking laws while seeking to pay $3.5 million to someone he sexually molested during his time as a teacher and wrestling coach at Yorkville High School.

Hastert received the honorary degree in 2004 when he delivered the commencement speech to the 139th North Central graduating class.

Last month, Northern Illinois University revoked an honorary degree bestowed upon Hastert.

State Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant recently filed legislation in Springfield to strip Hastert of his General Assembly Retirement System pension. 

The General Assembly Retirement System has failed to stop Hastert’s state lawmaker pension, but has suggested reducing it from $28,000 to $9,000.

Under Senate Bill 442, the legislation Bertino-Tarrant has introduced, a member of the General Assembly could lose his pension at any time if he commits a felony against a student or other victim.

LOMBARD

Cruise downtown this summer

Cruise Nights return to Downtown Lombard, giving the public an opportunity to enjoy unique classic cars and live musical performances. The annual Saturday night event opens June 11 in Downtown Lombard, near St. Charles Road and Main Street. The time is 6-10 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 27. (No Cruise Night Fourth of July weekend.)

Village officials are looking for more volunteers this season. Volunteers will make sure Downtown Lombard stays clean, attendees don’t block entrances to open businesses and cruise cars park legally. To volunteer for any of the Cruise Nights’ dates, send an email to meadea@villageoflombard.org.

–DuPage County News Briefs–