Opinion

Autumn Self-Care Turning the calendar into September, the smell of autumn is in the air, crisp nights have returned, and the leaves are beginning to glow with color. With the transition into autumn, however, we must tend to the body to ensure we weather this transition in a healthy manner.

I love to write. I have a lot to say, or at least I think I do. I wish I had paid more attention in Mrs. Hansen’s English class back at good ol’ CCHS so I can write properly today. I remember back in grade school having to do SRAs for English class. Danny Renn, Misty Johnson and I kicked butt getting those stacks of SRAs whipped out. I remember us being so far ahead of most of our classmates that we didn’t have to do a few levels of them. Maybe if I had, I would know where punctuation goes today?

We all do better… My erstwhile hero Paul Wellstone once said, “We all do better when we all do better.” I’d like to add one more word—together. My dream is that we stop pointing fingers at the “other” and look at the many ways we can work together to make our community— and the world—a better place.

A New School Year, a New Vision for Our Schools: Understanding the Upcoming Bond Referendum As the new school year begins, our community is also preparing to make an important decision that will shape the future of education in Cook County. On November 5, 2024, residents of Cook County Public School District will vote on a bond referendum proposing significant investments in our PreK-12 school building.

We had a big scandal during my 8th grade football season. That league was for the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.

Dietary Wellness To begin, I want to make it clear that I am not a dietician, and any of my thoughts on food and diets are based purely off of my own research and personal experience. I do, however, have many clients ask me about dietary things and about my own food habits.

Hydrogen Peroxide I don’t normally like to consider chemistry. Mostly because I don’t know the first thing about chemistry.

I went to hear William Kent Krueger at Drury Lane Books last weekend, a fine experience that reflected why we live here. The occasion was promotion of Krueger’s latest Cork O’Connor novel, More than 100 Grand Maraisians brought camp and lawn chairs to the event next to The Lake.

For several years now the fastest growing sport in America, Pickleball, has been played by a substantial group of Cook County West End residents at the Birch Grove Community Center. They play on the outdoor tennis court and, until recently, on the indoor gym floor, both of which have been “lined off” for the court dimensions to play the game. Recently, the Town of Tofte has had the aging floor in the gym replaced with a new and enhanced surface. However, with the removal of the old floor the dimensional lines demarking the pickleball court have been eliminated. At this time there appears to be some reluctance to re-do the pickleball court lines, even though the pickleball participants, who only use the court at most two times per week, have offered to participate in the cost of the re-lining project. Also, participants do pay a fee for use of the indoor court.