2025 at 12:26 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}By the end of the 2025 program more than 6,930 students will have earned the "Merit Scholar" title and nearly $26 million will be given to students IL — One Lake Bluff student was named in the first group of winners in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program Jie's probable career field is Biomedicine according to the National Merit Scholars Corporation and this award recognizes the outstanding students of Pfizer colleagues' children Each of the 830 winners was judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments skills and potential for success in college The scholars were selected from students who advanced to the Finalist level in the competition and met the criteria of their scholarship sponsors This year's National Merit Scholarship Program began in October 2022 when high school juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT which served as a screening for the entrants The highest-scoring students in each state were named semifinalists representing less than one percent of the nation's high school seniors Only 15,000 students moved on to become finalists based on their scores and other requirements more than 6,930 students will have earned the "Merit Scholar" title and nearly $26 million will be given to students Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience Learn more about our use of your data by reading our Privacy Policy three Lake Forest College students who have spent months researching the history of Black Presence at the College will take part in a panel session that will focus on the latest discoveries the students have made Panelists include Payton Ross ’27, who conducted oral histories with Black alumni of Lake Forest College; Emilce Fabian ’27, who researched and organized newspapers that addressed Black life in Lake Forest and at the College; and Josh Marchbanks ’26, who researched within Lake Forest College’s archives and engaged with Black alumni Mamani’s newspaper research included diving into old issues of Lake Forest College’s newspaper “It is important to learn more about the place where you are living,” Fabian explained “It is something powerful to learn more about the Black communities who have been so silenced and overlooked in mainly white towns like Lake Forest When you do the research and look at primary sources you realize these places aren’t as white as you first think and you start to understand the importance of resistance.” This research has been enabled by a grant awarded to the History Center and Lake Forest College from the National Archives. Students are working on this research under supervision of Associate Professor of History and African American Studies Courtney Joseph and Assistant Professor of English and African American Studies RL Watson The event will take place at 7 p.m on November 20 at the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff History Center in Lake Forest Illinois 60045 847-234-3100 Admissions: 847-735-5000 Lake and McHenry County Scanner A SWAT team is responding to a standoff with a man near Lake Bluff who made threats and barricaded himself during an attempted eviction Thursday morning The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said late Thursday morning that deputies and their Tactical Response Team were on the scene in the 200 block of Skokie Highway in unincorporated Lake Bluff A person being evicted from their home on the property made threats to law enforcement Sheriff’s officials said the man barricaded himself prompting the request to the SWAT team to respond There is no immediate threat to the surrounding area and the scene is confined to the home Traffic on northbound Route 41 north of Route 176 was being impacted due to the incident The sheriff’s office said additional information would be released later No part of this website may be reproduced or stored in any form without written permission from Lake and McHenry County Scanner To keep you informed about the latest news across Lake and McHenry counties as it happens 2025 at 12:18 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}At about 10 a.m. deputies were sent to a large commercial site in the 3600 block of Skokie Highway to enforce a court-ordered eviction (Lake County Sheriff's Office)LAKE BLUFF IL — What began as an eviction notice turned into an hours-long standoff Thursday between Lake County Sheriff's Office deputies and a man who lived in a tent hidden in foliage for seven years A section of the property is densely covered in foliage and last summer the property owners discovered a concealed tent hidden in thick brush had been living in the tent for seven years prompting the property owners to seek an eviction order," the sheriff's office said in a statement Deputies served Hermanson with an initial eviction notice in the fall law enforcement decided it would be safest to enforce the eviction in late winter or early spring When deputies arrived to enforce the final eviction notice on Thursday "When deputies arrived today to enforce it he began shouting threats from inside the tent that he was armed and would kill them if they approached insisting the property belonged to him," the sheriff's office said The Tactical Response Team responded to the scene with K-9s Hermanson also threatened to kill the dogs if they came close to him negotiators began issuing final warnings and ordered Hermanson to surrender Hermanson cut a hole in the tarp and emerged from the tent with a hammer while advancing toward the deputies "Deputies deployed a less-lethal beanbag shotgun striking him and allowing TRT to take him into custody without further incident," officials said Paramedics brought Hermanson to a local hospital for treatment before he was released back into the sheriff's office's custody Police have announced the arrest of a babysitter accused of stealing jewelry handbags and clothing from homeowners in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff and selling them online Lake Forest Police Chief John Burke said his department was notified last month of a babysitter who was suspected of stealing jewelry handbags and clothing from both Lake Forest and Lake Bluff homeowners was accused of taking the items from various residences and posting them for sale on Facebook Marketplace A joint investigation ensued by the Lake Forest and Lake Bluff police departments The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved an arrest warrant for Chavarria charging her for the first Lake Forest case on January 9 with two counts of theft between $500 and $10,000 The Lake Forest Police Department was soon after informed by a Lake Bluff resident of jewelry bags and clothing — totaling over $10,000 — that were missing from her residence Burke said the missing items were discovered as being sold by Chavarria on Facebook Marketplace The Lake Forest Police Department contacted the Lake Bluff Police Department alerting them of the incident A second Lake Forest resident came forward on January 27 reporting missing jewelry The Lake Forest Police Department obtained a search warrant on January 28 for Chavarria’s residence in unincorporated Lake Bluff The Lake Forest and Lake Bluff police departments executed the search warrant on the same day The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office on Friday approved another arrest warrant for two counts of theft between $500 and $10,000 The Lake Bluff Police Department also obtained an arrest warrant for Chavarria for theft over $10,000 “We commend the victims who came forward to report these thefts,” Burke said “Many people hesitate to report theft but victims coming forward is essential helps us recover stolen property and also prevents future crimes,” Burke added Anyone who previously hired Chavarria as a babysitter is asked to check their valuables and contact their local police department if they suspect they were victimized 2025 at 10:46 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}This upcoming weekend Smith II will go up against the fastest runners in the country at the Arcadia Invitational (Nathan Ciral Simon ’25 / North Shore Country Day)LAKE BLUFF IL — A Lake Bluff teen is set to represent an Illinois High School at a national track meet in Los Angeles but his many accomplishments almost never happened Smith II enrolled at private high school North Shore Country Day as a freshman due to the school's fall sports requirement for ninth graders he decided to give cross country running a try "Fast-forward four years and Brian now holds multiple school records and has gone from unknown to elite on the national scene," a spokesperson from North Shore Country Day said Smith has racked up many awards including: Smith decided he would focus solely on track opening his outdoor season by setting personal bests in the 200-meter race and clocking the second-fastest time for the 400-meter race in Illinois he'll go up against the fastest runners in the country at the Arcadia Invitational determination and unexpected transformation — from a student-athlete just trying out cross country to a nationally ranked sprinter representing Illinois on one of the biggest stages in high school track," officials said 2024 at 3:02 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}With trick-or-treat hours spanning the afternoon and early evening local officials recommend that families remain vigilant about safety and as communities across the North Shore gear up for the holiday local officials have issued recommended hours to help families safely enjoy trick-or-treating official recommended trick-or-treating hours begin at 4 p.m trick-or-treating runs from 3:30 to 7 p.m. trick-or-treating hours are set from 3 to 7 p.m. trick-or-treaters are encouraged to head out after school Officials reminded parents to ensure their little ghouls and goblins stay on sidewalks use marked crosswalks and avoid darting between vehicles to keep everyone safe on Halloween night and communities across the North Shore are dedicated to making sure everyone has a safe and memorable night Parents should keep the following tips in mind to ensure everyone stays safe and has a spooky good time: A SWAT team arrested a homeless man who advanced on them with a hammer after deputies tried evicting him from a property he was squatting on for the past seven years near Lake Bluff The Lake County Sheriff’s Office attempted to enforce a court-ordered eviction in the 3600 block of Skokie Highway in unincorporated Lake Bluff around 10 a.m The property is a large commercial site with extensive land including a section densely covered in foliage according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli The property owners last summer discovered a concealed tent structure — approximately 400 square feet — hidden in thick brush had been living there for approximately seven years Hermanson refused to leave after being asked prompting the property owners to seek an eviction order Sheriff’s deputies served Hermanson with notice of his eviction hearing in the fall deputies determined late winter or early spring would be the safest time to enforce the eviction,” Covelli said Hermanson was recently served with a final notice of eviction Covelli said deputies arrived Thursday to enforce the eviction and Hermanson began shouting threats from inside the tent that he was armed and would kill them if they approached despite attempts by deputies to de-escalate the situation Additional resources were requested and the Lake County Sheriff’s Tactical Response Team (TRT) responded along with canine units Covelli said Hermanson also threatened to kill the canines if they came near him Sheriff’s crisis negotiators attempted to reason with Hermanson for approximately four hours but he refused to exit peacefully The SWAT team began issuing final warnings just after 2 p.m Covelli said Hermanson suddenly cut a hole in the tarp around 2:10 p.m and emerged from the structure with a hammer Covelli said the man refused commands to drop it as he aggressively advanced toward SWAT members Deputies deployed a less-lethal beanbag shotgun striking him and allowing tactical team members to take him into custody without further incident Hermanson was transported to a local hospital treated and released back into the sheriff’s office’s custody He remains in custody while deputies work with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office to determine charges Northbound Route 41 from Route 60 in Lake Forest was shut down for hours during the incident 2024 at 5:57 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Traffic backs up on southbound Route 41 in Lake Bluff Tuesday evening after a seven-vehicle crash temporarily closed the roadway (Lake County Department of Transportation)LAKE BLUFF IL — A seven-vehicle crash caused the closure of southbound U.S Route 41 in Lake Bluff for less than an hour Tuesday evening Police said crash took place around 4:45 p.m. just south of the railroad bridge over the road North Chicago police managed traffic control and North Chicago provided emergency medical services according to Lake Bluff Deputy Chief Erik Gehrke told Patch Paramedics evaluated seven people for injuries and three vehicles required towing from the scene Southbound Route 41 was partially shut down for under an hour as crews cleared the area Lake Forest High School alumnus Caleb Durbin has played for a few little-known minor-league teams such as the Somerset Patriots and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders he’s hoping to earn a spot with a team a short drive from his Lake Bluff home that is recognized by all: the Milwaukee Brewers the New York Yankees traded Durbin to the National League team in a multi-player swap Caleb Durbin flourished on the baseball field at Lake Forest High School but my family is excited for me to be closer to home,” said the 2018 Lake Forest High School graduate “A lot of my friends haven’t seen me play since high school The Brewers general manager (Matt Arnold) and manager (Pat Murphy) both called and welcomed me to the organization I have talked with a lot of people with the Brewers and have gotten a great feel for the team.” Though he has yet to play a game in the majors the then-Yankees prospect set a record with 29 stolen bases averaging more than one per game; though not blessed with incredible speed he credits preparation and instincts for his stolen-base savvy As a shortstop for Division III Washington University he was named to the World Series All-Tournament Team in 2021 he notched a .385 batting average and compiled 47 RBI in only 40 games which helped prompt the Atlanta Braves to draft him in the 14th round in 2022 Durbin is hoping to play in the major leagues close to home for the Milwaukee Brewers All of this has been accomplished while Durbin stands only 5-foot-6 No doubt major leaguers have found success at similar small sizes (see 5-foot-7 Hall of Famer Joe Morgan or 5-foot-5 Freddie Patek) the average height for players is around 6-foot-2 while Yankees star Aaron Judge stands 6-foot-7 “I’ve always been the shortest guy on every team,” said Durbin “I wouldn’t change anything about my height or how I play the game I know our people understood what kind of guy we got here,” he told MLB.com “He fits a team that plays the way we’ve played recently Murphy has coached successful players on the smaller side before – he guided 5-foot-9 Dustin Pedroia at Arizona State University who ended capturing both the American Rookie of the Year award followed by an AL MVP in the majors playing for the Boston Red Sox “I want to play like Dustin Pedroia,” Durbin said The fact that my new manager coached him fires me up He was one of my favorites to watch growing up.” Durbin was asked to share his goals for spring training aside from the most obvious one of making the team “Making sure that I’m staying on top of my nutrition and on top of my supplements,” he said Sometimes you want to eat whatever you want as you go through the grind but it’s important to make the best decisions of what to put you in the body You want to feel the best you can across 162 games.” Durbin shone as a baseball player at Lake Forest High School; he set Scouts records in hits (121) But he also lettered four times in wrestling and achieved school records there too His brother Regis won a state wrestling championship when Durbin was a freshman “That was one of my favorite sports memories I wanted to follow in his footsteps,” Durbin said “It was brutal sport with cutting weight and waking up early I talk about that discipline throughout baseball training – I know what it takes to push myself.” Durbin believes playing Division III baseball – where he could also focus on his double major of economics and finance — rather than Division I lifted him to greater heights “There were a lot of things outside of baseball that attracted me to Washington University We were one of the top teams in the country while I was there –every year we were competing for the championship It gave me everything I could ask for in a college experience The practices were no minute wasted and intense you only get 15 or so practices in the fall Durbin has been a strong defensive player throughout the years Knowing that a baseball career could end anytime because of injury or performance Durbin shared what he’d like to do afterward “I love baseball and can see myself coaching,” he said “But there are a lot of different paths I could myself going on Playing baseball really is on a year-to-year basis Charges have been filed after a SWAT team arrested a homeless man who advanced on them with a hammer while he was being evicted from a property he was squatting on for seven years near Lake Bluff Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell said Hermanson told deputies things such as “Come close and I will kill you” and “I’m contemplating killing you.” “You don’t want me to come out” and “This is my home “Nobody wanted this to be the end solution they just wanted him to simply leave the property Instead of talking it through with the deputies he once again resorted to violence,” McConnell said adding that Hermanson ran at the deputies with a hammer attempting to kill them The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges of two counts of aggravated assault of a peace officer attempted aggravated battery with a deadly weapon obstructing service of process and criminal trespass to land The state’s attorney’s office filed a petition to detain Hermanson and Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the petition following a detention hearing on Friday afternoon One person has died and a second person was seriously injured after a wrong-way driver crashed head-on into another vehicle on Route 41 in Lake Bluff Sunday morning Lake Forest Fire Department and Lake Bluff Fire Department responded around 4:52 a.m to Route 41 south of Route 176 for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries Lake Bluff Deputy Police Chief Erik Gehrke said officers arrived to find two vehicles were involved in a front-end collision A preliminary investigation showed one of the two vehicles was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of Route 41 The Lake Forest Fire Department responded with two ambulances to the scene One driver was determined to be deceased at the scene while the other driver was transported to an area hospital with “significant injuries,” Gehrke said The drivers were the sole occupants of their vehicles and no other passengers were found The Lake Bluff Police Department requested assistance from the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) to aid in the investigation due to the severity of the crash Northbound Route 41 was shut down at Route 60 and remained closed until around 9:45 a.m when the scene investigation was completed and the cars were removed Gehrke said the people involved in the crash have yet to be identified and further information on the incident would be released as it becomes available Investigators say a 20-year-old Northwestern University student killed in a wrong-way driving crash on Route 41 in Lake Bluff was the at-fault driver and was suspected to be impaired Sunday to Route 41 south of Route 176 for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said Monday that the deceased victim was identified as Britney Perez An autopsy performed on Perez on Monday showed she died from blunt force injuries in the crash MCAT investigators learned Perez was the driver of a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek which was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of Route 41 was traveling northbound on Route 41 at the same time Officers pulled Perez from her vehicle following the crash and she was pronounced dead Investigators say that Perez was suspected to have been impaired at the time of the crash The driver of the Jeep was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he remains with severe injuries but his condition is stable Perez was a student at Northwestern University in Evanston according to the school’s campus ministry The campus ministry said students who wished to talk to someone can do so by contacting them via phone or visiting the Sheil Catholic Center in Evanston The incident remains under investigation by MCAT and the Lake Bluff Police Department Numerous fire departments responded after a driver mistook the gas for the brake and crashed their SUV into a house Lake Forest Fire Department and Lake Bluff Fire Department responded around 5:13 p.m Saturday to the 300 block of Wimbledon Court in Lake Bluff for a vehicle crash with injuries Fire crews arrived to find a Volvo XC90 SUV that had crashed into the house Numerous fire departments respond to the 300 block of Wimbledon Court in Lake Bluff Saturday evening after a car crashed into a home Lake Bluff Village Administrator Drew Irvin said the driver of the Volvo mistook the gas for the brake accelerated into the home instead of stopping The Volvo struck the front of the residence adjacent to the front door The car went through a brick wall and windows Irvin said the structure stability was a concern The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level to bring numerous fire departments with specialized techs and equipment to the scene A board-up company and the village building department were also called to the scene Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings and more around Lake County and McHenry County 2024 at 12:59 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Early voting is underway in the Lake Forest area ahead of the Nov IL — Early voting is in full swing as we head into the home stretch of the 2024 general election in Lake Forest Residents have until Halloween to request a mail-in ballot and those who have yet to register must do so in person while casting a ballot or at an early voting site with grace period registration offers early voting and grace period registration from 9 a.m Other nearby early voting locations include North Chicago City Hall 200 Deerfield Road and the Highwood Library and Community Center at 102 Highwood Ave (A list of all early voting and grace period registration sites in Lake County While the closest and most nationally consequential race on the ballot is expected to be the presidential contest between former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris there are several other notable races on the ballot in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff with local residents challenging incumbents on the Lake County Board and State's Attorney's Office In the Illinois General Assembly's 58th District, which includes Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, State Rep. Bob Morgan, the Deerfield Democrat who sponsored the statewide ban on assault weapons, faces a challenge from Highland Park Republican Carl Lambrecht, a local precinct committeeman who made a series of dubious claims at a recent forum Read more: 58th District State Rep. Bob Morgan Defends Legislative Record, Carl Lambrecht Makes Dubious Claims Voters across the county are deciding whether to authorize Lake County Forest Preserve officials to borrow $155 million to buy more land restore and improve it and enhance flood controls the bond issue would end up costing the owner of a $300,000 home about $33 in the first year of the increase Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart is running against Republican Lake Bluff Village Trustee Mary Cole a former assistant state's attorney in his office who says she quit because of how politicized it became after Rinehart's election four years ago Read more: Lake County State's Attorney Forum: Rinehart Repeats Trump Jab, Cole Calls Out Hawaii Cost the second-generation co-owner of a local funeral home In the race for Lake County Board, incumbent Highland Park Democrat Paras Parekh, a marketing executive for a pharmaceutical company, is being challenged in his bid for a second term in the 12th District by Lake Forest Republican Andy Dalkin a former Cook County prosecutor who now represents police unions In the 13th District, incumbent Lake County Board President Sandy Hart, a Lake Bluff Democrat, faces a challenge from Lake Bluff Republican Ben Grum a commander with the Lake Forest Police Department Read more: Lake Forest Cop Takes On Lake County Board Chair In District 13 Candidate Forum There are three statewide advisory questions — non-binding referendums sometimes used by Illinois politicians to block citizen-led initiatives from appearing on the ballot or to otherwise buttress their policies — on the ballot the questions ask whether insurance plans should cover assisted reproductive treatments if they cover pregnancy if a 3 percent tax on incomes over $1 million should fund property tax relief and if candidates should face penalties for interfering with election workers Illinois lawmakers put them on the ballot in May through Senate Bill 2412, which also changed the rules for slating candidates that a judge later found to be unconstitutional The coroner has released the identity of a 20-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way driving crash on Route 41 in Lake Bluff Police have not yet said which vehicle Perez was driving or released further details on the crash Emergency crews are responding to a large gas leak caused by a construction crew that has prompted the evacuation of a school and homes and shut down roads in Lake Bluff The Lake Bluff Police Department and Lake Bluff Fire Department responded around 11:53 a.m Tuesday to the area of 8 West Scranton Avenue for a report of an odor investigation Fire crews arrived and reported a strong smell of natural gas spanning the entire block Police said a construction crew is believed to have ruptured a gas main at a residence in the 600 block of Mawman Avenue North Shore Gas was requested with an expedited response The gas company arrived at the scene around 12:10 p.m Officers have shut down the area to traffic and Forest Bluff School The students were relocated to the Lake Bluff Public Library while emergency crews were on the scene working with the gas company Residents in the 600-700 block of Mawman Avenue and Rockland Avenue are also being evacuated Residents were also warned to not start any vehicles or outdoor appliances Displaced residents are being allowed to use the village’s Public Safety Center community room Police said they are hopeful the leak will be mitigated “very shortly.” A man was found with a loaded machine gun in the parking lot of the police department in Zion after officers spotted him and knew he was wanted was charged with machine gun possession and four counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Dino Katris said detectives with the Zion Police Department spoke with Rodriguez’s girlfriend on August 9 Detectives asked the woman to come to the police department to collect belongings at which time they served a DNA sample warrant on her Katris said other officers saw Rodriguez in the woman’s car in the parking lot and knew he had a warrant for his arrest That case stems from Rodriguez allegedly participating in a gun sale transaction where the gun involved was later linked to a homicide that occurred on January 10 in Zion Officers were speaking with Rodriguez when he grabbed a bag near his feet Katris said Rodriguez refused to let go of the bag and officers broke the window after he was uncooperative Officers found the bag had a Glock handgun with an extended 30-round magazine that was loaded It was modified with an auto sear or “switch,” which renders the gun fully automatic Other items with Rodriguez’s identity were found in the bag Katris said Rodriguez had just ended court supervision the month prior for a 2023 juvenile case where he illegally possessed a gun The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Rodriguez pending trial in his latest case involving the machine gun possession Lake County Judge Bolling Haxall granted the petition and remanded Rodriguez to the Lake County Jail during a detention hearing late last month “There’s no reason to possess this other than to cause harm to as many people as possible as quickly as possible That’s the whole point of a machine gun,” the judge said A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday 2024 at 1:36 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Lake Bluff library board trustees plan to hire an interim director to fill in for departing Library Director Renee Grassi IL — The director of the Lake Bluff Public Library is quitting to take a position with less responsibility in Wilmette Renee Grassi announced last month that Sept 20 will be her final day on the job in Lake Bluff after which she plans to take a job as assistant director of the Wilmette Public Library Grassi has been on the job just over 18 months but she has made an impact during her relatively shore tenure guiding the library through various initiatives aimed at enhancing services upgrading infrastructure and improving accessibility according to library representatives “Lake Bluff Public Library has a long celebrated history in this town and I am deeply honored to have been a part of it," Grassi said in a statement Among Grassi's accomplishments was overseeing a universal accessibility assessment to identify and resolve design challenges for disabled library patrons She also played a key role in executing the library's Strategic Facilities Plan to evaluate the ability of the library's 50-year-old building to meet the needs of residents That led to a series of upgrades to public furnishings new wayfinding signage and the installation of automatic door mechanisms Grassi also worked to address the financial stability of the library She worked closely with library trustees to bring salaries in line with industry standards and the cost of living while spearheading efforts to recover over $80,000 in unallocated Personal Property Replacement Tax funds from the village the library also obtained several notable grants Illinois State Library awarded Lake Bluff Public Library a $45,000 “Remodeling for Accessibility” grant in 2023 aimed at ensuring the library meets compliance with the Illinois Accessibility Code and the Americans with Disabilities Act “Addressing these urgent and specific facility needs will allow the Library to better serve all patrons with a specific focus on better serving those with physical and intellectual disabilities and differences,” Grassi said at the time the grant was announced their buildings need to be compliant and accessible in order to fully live out their mission.” the outgoing library director also worked with trustees to cut operating hours Citing financial constraints and low attendance library leaders put a pilot program in place to reduce hours and shutter the Scranton Avenue building every Sunday "While there are challenges ahead for the organization and the residents of Lake Bluff," Grassi said library trustees agreed to hire an interim library director to take over following Grassi's resignation The board also agreed to hire a search firm to find her replacement Grassi moves to the Wilmette Public Library where Anthony Auston has been the library director for the past six years Wilmette's library has a budget of about $4.9 million while Lake Bluff's operates with about $1.3 million Both are governed by elected boards of volunteer trustees She will receive $117,000 a year as Auston's assistant in Wilmette "My sincere wish and hope," Grassi said in a statement "is that the community can work together to ensure that Lake Bluff Public Library has a strong and permanent place in the future of this community." Read more: Lake Forest, Lake Bluff Libraries Get $82,000 To Improve Services Fergus Arthur of Reign Storm Racing and Kendall Ryan of L39ion of Los Angeles take wins on the sixth stop of the American Criterium Cup at Chicago Grit Fergus Arthur managed to break away with Josh Burnett from the MitoQ New Zealand Cycling Project in the final laps of the technical course in the northern Chicago suburb Saturday was not the first time the pair had made for a successful breakaway tandem this week as both riders also fought for the win on Wednesday night’s Chicago Grit race Lucas Bourgoyne of the Austin Outlaws won the field sprint for third on both of the two days where the pair took the first two spots on the podium it was another showdown between the fastest finishers as Kendall Ryan squared off against Skylar Schneider of the Miami Blazers with all four of those teams bringing strong squads that fought for prime position at the front of the race throughout the 75-minute race the L39ion women have a formidable train and by the time the bell rang with one lap to go the squad had a firm grip on the front of the peloton Six turns later it was L39ion all over the front of the sprint with Ryan winning her third ACC race of the summer ahead of Skylar Schneider and her teammate and sister Alexis Magner in third Lake Bluff hosted the Chicago Grit’s stop on the ACC calendar with a course perfectly suited for dynamic racing and high levels of attrition While it might not be the most highly touted course Lake Bluff is certainly one of the more challenging in the nation The women started first with a large peloton full of strong teams vying for the win and points in the American Crit Cup Chief among them were the two Williams Development teams and their top-flight sprinters: L39ion of Los Angeles with Kendall Ryan and the Miami Blazers with Skylar Schnieder This season when those two teams have turned up in full the races have followed a predictable pattern as both teams look for a sprint in most scenarios the front of the peloton was a bit more crowded as Goldman Sachs EFTS and DNA Pro Cycling both showed their strength as well showing up early and holding position at or around the front of the peloton With six corners and two chicanes the fight for the front and the tentative attacks throughout the race the stress of the race stayed high at both the front and the rear as riders kept dropping off the back almost every time an attack was fired off the front with all the attacks ending as quickly as they had begun the ACC mid-race sprint point provided the other tangible action as Rylee McMullen was looking to defend the jersey she has held since ACC night one in Tulsa ahead of Skylar Schneider who had been taking lumps out of McMullen’s lead at the past few ACC races The two squared off once again halfway through the race and it was Schneider who edged out McMullen for the full points on offer McMullen’s second place was enough to stay even on points with Schneider L39ion was the team that managed to wrestle control from the melee with five of their riders claiming the inside lines around the course during the final six laps One by one the laps counted down and the result seemed increasingly inevitable as Ryan has shown this year that when she has a team in front of her come the last lap she is virtually unstoppable but the finishing pace of Ryan was too much to be denied “Honestly I didn't have to do anything today,” Ryan said after the finish “The team was so resilient and covered everything I could just sit in the pack and save it for the end It's all about having a good squad and keeping the morale of the squad high and having fun.” Claudia Marcks (Fearless Femme Racing p/b Robertet) Skylar Schneider (Miami Blazers) – 83 points Rylee McMullen (DNA Pro Cycling) – 57 point Kendall Ryan (L39ion of Los Angeles) – 45 points Paola Muñoz (Goldman Sachs EFTS Racing) – 45 points Makayla Macpherson (DNA Pro Cycling) – 37 points Arielle Verhaaren (Austomatic-Abus Racing) – 35 points Alexis Magner (L39ion of Los Angeles) – 34 points Samantha Schneider (Miami Blazers) – 27 points Marlies Mejias (Virginia’s Blue Ridge Twenty24) – 26 points Coryn Labecki (EF Education-Cannondale) – 21 points 135 riders took to the start but with the tight course and a stacked field the mood around the starting corral was tense as riders looked to circumnavigate the crowd control that the official tried to institute to keep riders from jumping the queue before they were called to the line it was easy to see why as the race was immediately strung out into a line that was over 20 seconds long For the first 20 minutes riders were stretched out from the exit of the final bend to the entrance to turn one Fractures turned to splits and riders were dropped in fits in starts as attacks rolled from the riders and teams without a rock-solid sprint option Central to all of this were the teams of Reign Storm Racing and the MitoQ New Zealand Cycling Project Reign Storm has been the standout team in the ACC this season as the team in orange has already clinched the top spot in the team classification and was looking to add another win to their tally came on strong at the Chicago Grit series after a summer of American crit racing MitoQ was coming fresh off a win on Friday in Northbrook where the team took the first two steps on the podium after a late two-up attack the team donned special tiger-print kits for the night a special flare that only added to their visibility at the front of affairs Mixing it in with those two teams were attacks from L39ion and the Miami Blazers as those teams have lacked sprint wins this season especially since Noah Granigan crashed in the final lap of Boise Twilight there were enough eager riders to weld things back together In the twists and turns of the Lake Bluff course the race was hard enough to jettison over 80 riders from the race but lacked some of the elements to cause a selection when there were two very strong teams marking the other throughout the entire event With three laps to go Josh Burnett took off from the front of the field The Kiwi from MitoQ has been an attacker throughout his time in the US and looked to replicate his ride from Indianapolis two weeks ago where he managed to go solo from the start of the race all the way until two laps to go his fate was flipped as he was joined in the attack by Fergus Arthur who was flashed a thumbs up by his director to continue the attack quickly building an advantage of over fifteen seconds as the bell rang for one lap to go “I can't believe it I was having some flashbacks to a couple of days ago I was just happy he worked with me,” Arthur said of having the same breakaway buddy as Wednesday night in Burnett “Once we had some separation I thought at the very least we'd have people chasing for our guys behind “I had a little bit of a scare on the last corner there I clipped a pedal and I thought I was going down He heard it and took off and I thought it was over at that point it was a great night for Reign Storm as the team took the win extended their top three riders lead in the individual standings and essentially wrapped up the ACC green sprint jersey with Danny Summerhill taking the maximum points in that classification to give him 26 total points 13 points higher than the second place rider Josh Burnett (MitoQ New Zealand Cycling Project) Marshall Erwood (MitoQ New Zealand Cycling Project) Jordan Parra (Reign Storm Racing) – 68 points Alfredo Rodriguez (Reign Storm Racing) – 57 points Danny Summerhill (Reign Storm Racing) – 51 points Lucas Bourgoyne (Austin Outlaws) – 43 points Clever Martinez (Rockland Development) – 41 points Bryan Gomez (Reign Storm Racing) – 29 points Ben Oliver (Above and Beyond Cancer) – 29 points Luke Lamperti (Soudal Quick-Step) – 28 points Cade Bickmore (Project Echelon) – 23 points Riley Amos Earns Best-Ever Men’s Mountain Bike Result at Paris 2024 Olympic Games Recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States View Children's Online Privacy Protection Policy 2024 at 6:44 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Students in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff begin heading back to school for the 2024-25 academic year during the week starting Aug IL — Back-to-school planning is already underway in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff with calendars now available to help parents prepare for the first day of classes in each of its seven public school districts here are some of the important dates to get on the calendar ahead of the start of the 2024-25 school year in school districts in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff: 2024 at 11:03 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Holiday decorations make the season shine and capture the magic of the season Share decorations in your neighborhood for inclusion in our roundup of Chicagoland's best holiday lights and festive decorations transform neighborhoods into magical winter wonderlands every December making the holiday season feel brighter and even more joyous taking in our neighbors’ outdoor holiday lighting displays and other decorative touches is as much a part of the season as exchanging gifts and singing Christmas carols Patch and T-Mobile have partnered to help you compile a list of lights around Lake Forest and Lake Bluff that deserve a visit There’s science behind the joy these displays bring Decorating for the holidays and taking in the lights can have a powerful impact on our mood a psychologist and senior professor at New York’s Adelphi University “It does create that neurological shift that can produce happiness,” Serani said “I think anything that takes us out of our normal habituation and then our senses measure if it’s pleasing or not." Decorating for the holidays “will spike dopamine So who has the best light displays in the Lake Forest area? Email LakeForest@Patch.com and let us know the address Please include "Holiday Lights 2024" in the subject line and please send a photo (that you took yourself) if you wish to appear in our holiday roundup 2024 at 9:48 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Republican Lake Forest Police Commander Ben Grum and Democratic Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart Both Lake Bluff residents are running for the county board in the 13th District (Patch composite/via League of Women Voters of Lake Forest Lake Bluff Area)LAKE BLUFF IL — A pair of Lake Bluff residents competing for a seat representing the area on the Lake County Board appeared together this month at a cordial candidate forum a member of the 19-member board for the past dozen years and its chair since Democrats gained a majority in 2018 for the first time in its history faces a challenge from Republican Ben Grum a Lake Forest police commander making his first foray into electoral politics in his campaign for the 13th District Both candidates found agreement on the importance of affordable housing development public safety and reporting illegal burning questions from the moderator and fact-checking from the incumbent exposed the newcomer's lack of familiarity with the functions of county government adding 8 cents a gallon to each and every gallon of gas that you purchase and I think there's no reason to believe that's not going to continue to go up in the coming years," Grum said it is the lowest gas tax [of] any other county in the Chicagoland area and that 4-cent gas tax takes the burden off of our property owners," Hart responded it can't increase that quickly," Hart said The Illinois County Motor Fuel Tax Law which governs the board's authority to levy a gas tax permits rates ranging from a minimum of 4 cents to a maximum of 8 cents per gallon with increases tied to the consumer price index Grum emphasized the need for someone with public safety experience to join the board which approves the budgets of the Lake County State's Attorney's Office and the Lake County Sheriff's Office "We are making critical decisions on what we are funding and the laws that are being passed at the state level having someone with hands-on experience as to how to address those issues and how they're going to play out in the real world I think is extremely important I think taxes have been a burden on all of us," he added "I think it's been a smokes-and-mirrors game from the beginning." Grum's public safety prescriptions primarily pertained to policy decisions outside the purview of the county board and the county board doesn't have anything to do with those decisions we do however manage the budgets for those two departments," Hart said When asked what the county board can do to improve public safety Grum suggested improving recruitment for the sheriff's office and staffing jails we can't be transporting prisoners across county lines to have them housed the operations of the county stops with the board but there are [implementations] that the Lake County Board can take to make sure that these measures are taken care of and done and that's what I would do," Grum said "The operations of the sheriff's office [are] under the purview of the elected sheriff The board does the finances," Hart responded "The contract to ship people out to McHenry County was signed by the sheriff The board chair then pointed to the savings and 911 response time improvements gained by consolidating emergency communications response across towns and fire protections district "We've already seen a 911 consolidation here on a smaller scale this is much larger and we intend for that to grow with our new building in Libertyville," Hart said Both candidates were asked to name three items from the county budget that they would eliminate to save money for taxpayers explaining he had gotten a booklet a few days earlier containing about a hundred pages of information about county services "I absolutely think there's at least three," he said "But without being on the board and without this being my primary duty I feel like trying to pick those out without a detailed thorough look at it would be inappropriate and irresponsible of me." Hart pointed out anything eliminated items would have to be non-mandated services giving the children's advocacy center as an example mosquito abatement districts — things that we no longer need — to save taxpayer money," Hart said Grum also suggested separating the dual roles of Lake County members serving simultaneously as Lake County Forest Preserve Commissioners, though Hart later pointed to the existing state law that provides for forest preserves as separate legal entities when a county has at least 800,000 residents Lake County is about 100,000 people short of that mark At the Oct. 6 candidate forum which was hosted at Lake Bluff Middle School by League of Women Voters of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff along with Lake County League and Mano a Mano Family Resource Center Hart was asked if the county should shift its revenue source from its current mix of sales and property taxes "Our revenue actually comes from many more places than that," Hart said The board chair said property taxes comprise about 29 percent of the county's revenue She said about 8 cents of homeowners' tax bills goes to the county government "What do you get for that 8 cents out of every dollar?" asked the Democrat you get the funding of the Lake County Health Department You get funding for the jail and our sheriff's office Grum said property tax increases are out of control and must be curbed "I think we need to look for other revenue sources I think economic development is one option," suggested the Republican "We all drive through Pleasant Prairie and Kenosha and we see some of the campuses and some of the businesses are moving up there," he said "And if you drive down Sheridan Road in Waukegan and North Chicago we have vast sections of industrial and commercial areas that can be developed into something that can increase revenues from other sources." Watch Full Video: 2024 Lake County Board District 13 Candidate Forum