Kendall Weekly Times

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Our Town News

Oswego Senior Center News
Free Tax Preparation Available
For the third year, the Oswego Senior Center will be preparing free income tax returns. Volunteers will be available ev ery Monday starting February 4th through April 8th from 1 to 5pm. Ap pointments will also be available for two Saturdays, March 9th and 23rd. from 9 to Noon. Call 630-554-5602 to make an appointment and/or for more informa tion. Individuals who earn $25,000 or less and seniors and families who earn up to $51,000 are eligible for the free tax preparation of federal and state forms. Volunteers are trained through VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) in collaboration with the IRS. Information you need to bring includes proof of identi cation for you and your spouse if ling jointly, Social Security cards for spouse and dependents, birth dates, all W-2's and/or 1099's, property tax bill, if homeowner information on other types of income (interest, self-em ployment, etc.), a copy of last years tax return if possible, and bank routing numbers for direct deposit in case of a refund. All appointments take place at the Os wego Senior Center, 156 E. Washington St.

CASINO TRIP
Oswego Senior Center's rst casino trip of the year will take place on Wednesday, March 6th. Buses will leave the senior center and take you to the Jumer's Casi no in Rock Island leaving at 8 am and re turning at 5:30 pm. Before February 11th, the cost is $32.00 per person which includes $5.00 free play and $5.00 toward buet. Aer that date cost is $35.00 per person. Reserva tions must be made by Feb. 22nd. Info needed includes legal name, birthdate, and complete address. Legal ID is need ed for admittance to casino.

ONGOING PROGRAMS
e Oswego Senior Center has continu ing programs designed for the mature adult: Gentle Yoga takes place every Tuesday at 11 am and on Fridays at 11:30 am. Sug

gested donation for those over 60 are $2 per class for 6 for $10. Tai Chi for beginners takes place every Tuesday at 9:45 am and Friday at 10 am. Regular Tai Chi is on Wednesdays at 12:45. No fee for this class.

Line Dancing takes place on Friday's at 10 am. Cost $1.00. Chair exercises take place on Monday and ursday mornings at 9 am. No Fee. For more information on these and oth er programs, call 630-554-5602 or stop

Kendall Weekly Times

in at 156 E. Washington Street. We are open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm.

Village of Montgomery News

Recycling Event--Electronics and More! Saturday, March 16 Drop o items for recycling! Items ac cepted are electronics of all types (in cludes anything that plugs in), appli ances, metal, batteries and car uids of all types. Not accepted: tires and paint. Time: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM Address: Montgomery Police Department 10 Civic Center Avenue Montgomery, IL 60538 Contact: 630-896-8080 ext. 1116

cessories with the purpose of improving water main quality. e locations of the proposed improvements can be viewed by clicking on "additional info" below. In anticipation of many questions, the Village has scheduled a project open house. Please feel free to drop by any time between 7:00 pm and 8:30 pm on February 21 to view various exhibits, ask questions, and provide comments. No formal presentation will be given. Please feel free to contact the Village of Montgomery Director of Public Works, Mike Pubentz, at 630-896-9241 or Julie Morrison with Engineering Enterprises, Inc. at 630-466-6700 with any questions.

SNOW REGULATIONS e United City of Yorkville would like to remind all residents of the regulations regarding snow events for parking, shov eling snow into the street and mailbox replacement

IRISH SPLENDOR
Enjoy an eight day trip to Ireland with the Oswego Senior Center. e tour will take place October 29th till November 5th, 2013. e Collettte Tour includes round trip air from O'Hare International Airport, air taxes, and fees/surcharges and Hotel Transfers and 9 meals (6 breakfast and 3 dinners). Vi s it D u bl i n , K i l l ar n e y, D i ng l e Peninsula, Clis of Moher and CongTullamore. Sights include tour of Dublin and Guinness Storehouse. Stay overnight in Ashford Castle and an evening at a lo cal Dublin Pub for fun and music. Cost of trip: double $2749 per person, single $3049 and triple $2719 per person. Cost of insurance is not included. Take $250.00 o price if you book by March 31st. To learn more about the trip, visit our website at www.oswegoseniorccernter.org and click to watch the video. You can also call Lor raine at 630-554-5602 or stop in at 156 E. Washington St. for more information and to book your vacation.

Plain eld IL VILLAGE NEWS

Tax Assistance e Tax Assistance Program (TAP) pro vides free tax return preparation for households and individuals that qualify. Services are oered at the Plain eld Of ce of Representative Tom Cross, 24047 W. Lockport Street, on Saturdays in February, March, and April. For details, click here to review the TAP Brochure. Coee with the Mayor - March 13 Please join Mayor Collins for coee and conversation on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 9 am at the Village Hall, 24401 W. Lockport Street. All residents are in vited. Electronics Recycling Event

Boulder Hill Water Main Improve ments Project Open House

Construction, which will begin this year, will involve replacing approximately 18,000 feet of water main and related ac

Yorkville News
PARKWAY TREE TRIMMING
e United City of Yorkville Public Works Department is going to begin Parkway Tree Trimming on or about February 11th. It is important you re move all holiday lights from trees as City Hall will not be responsible for any dam age done

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Do you have old electronics at home tak ing up space? Recycle them on March 16, from 9 am - 1 pm at Vintage Tech Recyclers, 14110 S. Route 59, during their FREE electronics recycling event. Click here for a list of accepted items. For more information, contact Vintage Tech at (630) 305-0922. Chamber of Commerce Business Expo Mark your calendar for the Plain eld Area Chamber of Commerce's Annual Business Expo on March 23! At the Expo, you can meet over 100 local busi nesses and organizations while enjoying a variety of family entertainment. e Expo runs from 9 am - 2 pm at Plain eld Central High School. Visit plain eldex po.com for details. Yard Waste Pickup Resumes in April Yard waste pickup has ended and will re sume in April 2013. Please make sure that all yard waste is properly packaged in kra yard waste bags and/or a Waste Management yard waste cart. Consolidated Election 2013 e Consolidated Election is April 9, 2013. For details about becoming an election judge or for other election infor mation, visit the Will County Clerks web site at www.thewillcountyclerk.com

or call (815) 740-4632.

City of Joliet
RUBY STREET BRIDGE REOPENING FEBRUARY 19, 2013
e Illinois Department of Transporta tion (IDOT) has announced that the re pair work has been completed and the Ruby Street Bridge (IL Route 53) over the Des Plaines River will be re-opened Tuesday, February 19, 2013. For additional information, contact Joli et Public Works D epar tment at 815-724-4200.

Kendall Weekly Times

Trustees will take place on April 9, 2013. Early voting will take place from March 18 to April 4, 2013.

Election News
Ryan Kauman, candidate for Oswego Village Trustee, will host his second meet & greet/fundraiser at the Fox Val ley Winery on Tuesday, February 26, 2013. e Fox Valley Winery is located at 5600 U.S. 34 in Oswego. All Oswego residents are welcome to at tend this event and learn more about Ryan and his platform. e event will begin at 5pm and last until 8pm. e cost per person is $25. Discounted wine purchases are available for attendees. For more information about Ryan Kau man and his ideas for Oswego, please visit his o cial website at www.vote4ryan.weebly.com. e election for the Village Board of

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people and postponed automatic spend ing cuts, known as the sequester, until March. Another provision eliminated the temporary cut to Social Security pay roll taxes, which increased them from 4.2% to 6.2%. e ATRA, however, failed to address the debt ceiling, and Congress just passed a debt-limit mea sure that would allow additional borrow ing until mid-May. Also, during the last week of the month, the Commerce Department reported that gross domestic product shrank in the fourth quarter for the rst time since the recession, falling 0.1% compared to an expected 1.1% gain. Stocks temporar ily dipped on the news, but recovered quickly, ending the month higher than their December close. As of the end of the month, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 13,861, while the NASDAQ closed at 3,142. e broad market S&P 500 nished at 1,498, its best January performance since 1997. Performance was boosted by the scal cli deal, positive signs from Europe and the Federal Reserves stimulus moves. For example, the Fed announced that it will continue to buy bonds for the time

being. In addition, its expected to main tain its accommodative monetary policy aer a two-day policy meeting this week. Reports that the economy added 192,000 private sector jobs in January and that single-family home prices rose in November also helped balance out the disappointing GDP report. In addition, the corporate earnings season started out strong, boosting investor interest in stocks. Now that were moving toward scal res olutions in Washington, you might won der how tax changes brought on by ATRA will aect your family as you pre pare for tax season, Id be happy to discuss the tax implica tions for your investment strategy and work with your tax advisor to optimize your nancial plan. Please call me at your convenience so we can discuss your portfolio holdings as well as any tax-planning strategies that may prove helpful.

Erin Patti

A New Year, New Laws and New Highs

By Erin Patti
January proved to be an eventful month for the markets and investors alike. We started with the passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA), a signi cant piece of legislation that averted the scal cli by extending some tax cuts and raising taxes on upper income households. It also put in place tempo rary tax breaks for businesses, extended unemployment bene ts for 2 million

Metal Movable Type

Kendall Weekly Times

Health Corner By Christina Dennis-Riforgiate

Sinking your feet into a pool of warm, bubbly water may be relaxing. But did you know that bacteria can be intro duced into your bath, thanks to the pipes that carry the water? Avoid soaking in someone elses bacteria by being picky about your foot bath. Some spas use pipe-less pedicure chairs, which reduce the area in which bacteria can hide. Opt for easy-to-clean individu al buckets or bowls. Before you book your service, ask the spa which type of basin it uses. And remember, regardless of basin type, the technicians should still clean between each client. When booking your appointment, make sure to mention if youre a diabetic, and ask if they have a trained pedicurist (like a medical nail technician) that does dia betic pedicures. ese specialists know to be gentle, the dos and donts, and will point out to you any wounds or other symptoms that they notice while helping you. Safety is a prime concern, and its a good idea to ensure that you get pedi cures with someone experienced. Take the Right Steps You should wash and inspect your feet daily. Turn the chore into a treat. 1. Wash: Clean feet are healthy, so perform this task dailynot just for a pedicure. 2. Exfoliate: Get rid of the dry skin that prevents full moisture absorption. 3. Moisturize: Rub a thick moisturiz er into feet, avoiding the area between toes. 4. Clip: Cut toenails straight across to prevent ingrown nails. 5. Soen: Stop cuticles from crack ing by rubbing them with soothing oil. 6. Polish: Go ahead, have fun!

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payers, but at times can be very compli cated. In addition, your provider has to work hard to get paid for their services. Being your own health care advocate, you will know what services are covered and what services are not. is way, you are prepared when meeting with your provider to discuss healthcare treatments. Go to the Medicare.com website for handbooks for patients. It is loaded with lots of information regarding what is covered, what is not, what you can be charged for, and what you cannot be charged for. You will be glad that you did. Empower yourself with the knowl edge base of healthcare.

Patient AdvocacySelf Awareness

By Sharon Pointer
Who can speak to your insurance com pany or provider regarding your health bene t issues? It may seem dicult to nd someone to address questions for services listed on your EOB (explanation of bene ts) or your hospital charges. e best advocate that you can have is YOURSELF. Today, we have so many tools available for patients to advocate for themselves. Listed below are some of the tools that are available: Assistance with medications Free or low-cost diabetic supplies Free seminars provided by your local hospitals Free information and tools through WebMD.com and other web sites dedicated to assisting patients Free assistance in understanding the ABCs of reading your EOB and hos pital bills Assistance with hospital bills for those on xed income or low income ese are just a few of the tools that are available to you. Have you ever gotten a bill from your doctor that immediately shocked you? I have been there, did that. My rst reaction was what does this all mean and how am I going to pay these bills? Your rst thought may be to jump into panic mode. But if you understand the process and the items on the bill, you are better equipped to empower yourself with the tools needed to resolve the medical bills. Your health care provider takes care of your health issues. ey bill your insurance company for reimburse ment of services provided. eir billing service is there to assist you with billingrelated issues, but if you are well equipped, you can provide them with in formation that will ensure that your provider is paid for your health care ser vices with little money coming out of your pocket. at leaves a win-win solu tion. Medicare is one of the largest health care

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Coee Shop by Brian Basilico

tinct ways. First, by working with a per son in a one-on-one or group level. is group or person has to have some prede ned task that is expected of you. You have to meet or exceed expectations. e second way is through referrals, testimo nials, and some other rst hand experi ence with you, and your products, or services.

2) Testimonials & Reviews

at leads me to second way to obtain trust. is is through recommendations and reviews. Nothing is more powerful in a Google or LinkedIn search than positive, glowing reviews of your busi ness and your work. Reputation manage ment can be an arduous task, but its part of the new reality in this Google Search For It world. Recently, LinkedIn had started some thing call Endorse Me to create more in teraction with users. is is not the same as a recommendation. A recommenda tion is a heartfelt testimonial of your business. If you need some more recom mendations, its not oensive to ask for them from connections that you have ac tually done business with on LinkedIn. Just be prepared to reciprocate with a positive review for them as well. Positive reviews on Google, Yelp, Mer chant Circle, Yahoo Local and others, can be one of the most convincing tools for people to trust you enough to pick up the phone to call you, or visit your web site and ll out a request form, or send you an email. ink about being on the other end of that transaction. Do you read reviews before purchasing a prod uct or service? Most of us do. I have been asked more than once about how to deal with a negative review. ere are no phone numbers to call and dis pute with Google, and few websites have system in place to let you deal with them. e only way to meet a bad review head on is get tons more of positive ones that push it further and further down the list of reviews. One bad review with three good ones can create an aura of concern for potential customers. One bad one with a hundred good ones, will certainly drown the lone bad one out! Ask for reviews and recommendations. Manage them, nurture them, and most certainly, be aware of them. ey are your biggest asset in building trust with those who are just getting to know about you, your products and/or services!

So what have you done to build trust with clients or potential customers? Share some of your ideas or experiences in the comments section!

1) Exceeding Expectations
Working with clients and giving them over and above customer service is a sure re way create a referral machine. When you exceed expectations, and help them realize the true value proposition of what you have to oer, they are cer tain to share your contact information when somebody asks Do you know anybody who can. As a marketing company, our value proposition is this, Marketing should always be an investment, and never an expense. If you spend $100, you should make $300 $100 to cover the market ing costs, $100 for your time and invest ment, and $100 pro t. If we dont see an opportunity for three times return on in vestment, then we should not do the project.. Now, I cant always guarantee a 3 to 1 return on investment, but it sets us apart from the competition. Its hard to help those that dont want to be active and participate in the process. Again, thats not what we oer. I tell customers that We are in the business of making you more money!. ere have been some projects that could not live up to that oer, but many more times weve made clients 3 to 1, 5 to 1, 10 to 1, and even 25 to 1 or more in pro ts. You can bet that those customers are my best sales force.

Brian Basilico

Trust Me Two Ways to Earn It!

by Brian Basilico on February 13, 2013 in Crowdsourcing, EMail Marketing, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing Tips and Tools, Networking, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, Websites Trust is not something you can buy, ne gotiate, or or circumvent. It has to be earned. Once earned, it has to be nur tured, maintained and re-earned with every transaction, interaction, and reac tion. So you may get people to KNOW you, and they may even LIKE you aer a cer tain amount of time, but getting them to TRUST YOU is usually a arduous task. It takes time, communication, and usual ly some interpersonal interaction. Trust can be primarily earned in two dis

Final oughts?

http://www.b2b-im.com/trust-me-two-ways-to-earn-it/

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Curb Appeal
Park where a potential buyer would and walk towards the house. Look around as if it were your rst visit. Is the approach clean and tidy? What could you do to make it more attractive?

appeal is with lighting: String low voltage lighting along your driveway, sidewalks, and near important landscaping elements. Add a decorative street lamp or an at tractive light xture to a front porch. Make sure lighting that's visible through front doors and windows en hances the home's appearance. Landscaping Decisions ere are times that adding elements to your landscaping can improve curb ap peal, but there are other times when re moving something is even more eective. For example, we had a listing for a large brick house with large white columns. Tall evergreens, planted in front of each column, had grown taller than the roof. ey obscured the columns and win dows and made it dicult to see the front of the house. We suggested that the owner remove them. She trimmed them back, but it didn't do the trickthey were unattrac tive and still kept potential buyers from seeing the true character of the house. I sold the house to a couple who could see past the trees. One of their rst tasks aer closing was to yank them out of the ground, instantly boosting the home's curb appeal. Most buyers cannot visualize changes, and oen won't take a second look at a house if the rst look doesn't appeal to them. Home buyers who can visualize changes, and are prepared to make them, expect you to reduce the price of the house to compensate for the work they plan to do. A Few Curb Appeal Tips If you can budget it, a fresh paint job does wonders for a dingy house. Drive around your town to nd color schemes that are appealing. Install a more attractive front door, maybe something with leaded glass in serts. If you can't justify the cost of a new door, consider replacing plain doorknob hardware with something more attrac

tive. If new hardware is beyond your budget, repaint or stain the door and polish the hardware? If you brainstorm, you'll nd that there's a solution to most problemsone that lets you stay within your budget. e trick is to nd the areas where improve ments are needed, then work on them as best you can. Just a few ideas as you are preparing that house for the Sale that will help you to pursue your dream home.

How to Improve Curb Appeal by Kristine Heiman

Take photos of the homes exterior. If you have a digital camera, view the color ver sions rst, then remove the color and look at it in black and white, because it's easier to see problems when color isn't around to aect our senses. Make a list of the problem areas you dis covered. Tackle clean up and repair chores rst, then put some time into projects that make the grounds more at tractive. Kill mold and mildew on the house, sidewalks, roof, or driveway. Stow away unnecessary garden imple ments and tools. Clean windows and gutters.

Kris Heiman With the coming spring season, now is the time to think about what you need to do to get your home ready for the upcoming selling season. Spring is tra ditionally busy for us Real Estate agents and for those who want to sell their homes as well. Following some of these simple exercises can help you improve the value of your home and make it marketable. Curb Appeal Exercise

Pressure wash dirty siding and dingy decks. Edge sidewalks and remove vegetation growing between concrete or bricks. Mow the lawn. Get rid of weeds. Rake and dispose of leaves, even if your lot is wooded. Trim tree limbs that are near or touch ing the home's roof. Don't Forget the Rear View

e next time you come home, stop across the street or far enough down the driveway to get a good view of the house and its surroundings. 1. What is your rst impression of the house and yard area? 2. What are the best exterior features of the house or lot? How can you enhance them? 3. What are the worst exterior features of the house or lot? How can you minimize or improve them?

Buyers doing a drive by will try their best to see your back yard. If it's visible from another street or from someone's driveway, include it in your curb appeal eorts. Evening Curb Appeal Do your curb appeal exercise again at dusk, because it isn't unusual for poten tial buyers to drive by houses in the evening. One quick way to improve evening curb

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Kendall Weekly Times

percent of mid-sized companies and al most all large corporations use an appli cant tracking system (ATS) to screen candidates for job opportunities. ere are a variety of reasons recruiters and hiring managers adopt this type of technology. With an ATS in place, hu man resources departments can auto mate and store hiring documents online so HR professionals never have to worry about siing through stacks of paper work or hundreds of emails to nd what they need. Colin Day, the founder and chief execu tive ocer of iCIMS, Inc., a provider of talent acquisition soware for growing businesses, is in an excellent position to advise job seekers on how to maximize their online applications. Here are Day's top suggestions for getting the most visi

bility out of your online application: 1. oroughly read job descriptions. Most recruiters will tell you a big pet peeve is hearing from job seekers who apply even if they aren't quali ed for the job. Take the time to understand exactly what the company expects from appli cants for jobs that interest you; do not ig nore the detailed description of what the job entails. "ATS technologies can lter candidates by those whose responses dovetail best with speci c job descrip tions. For the best response rates, make sure your content and experience match up accordingly," Day says. 2. Create an original cover letter. If the company asks for acover letter, be sure to include one. Make sure to write one spe ci c to your accomplishments and skills and one that addresses the job descrip

tion properly. Go a step further and mention how you will use that knowl edge and those skills on the job. Avoid sending out a generic, run-of-the-mill cover letter. "Despite the cover letter be ing digital, it's oen the rst thing re cruiters read when viewing candidate pro leseven ahead of the resume," Day explains. "Use the cover letter as an opportunity to showcase your personali ty, quali cations, and desire for the job." 3. Identify key words and tailor your re sume. Take your time and look over your resume. Find the key words in the job description and make sure you indi cate how your accomplishments address those requirements. Be sure to cus tomize your resume and/or cover letter slightly to each speci c job. 4. Make sure your responses are on tar get and error free."With paper applica tions, poorly written submissions can be tossed in the 'circular le,' never to be seen again," Day says. "But with digital applications, error-laden content lives on at that company, potentially hurting your chances for a relationship with the em ployer in the future as well." is is a scary thought, but one that should moti vate you to triple-check your content for spelling, content, and grammar. Addi tionally, Day suggests you make sure all of your information is completely spelled outin other words, avoid abbreviations. In many cases, abbrevia tions that may be understood readily by the hiring managers are not familiar to the rst-line recruiters. 5. Maintain one candidate pro le per company. Once you apply to a company that uses an ATS, the organization saves your personal information. While you should tailor your resume and/or cover letter for each job submission, maintain one master pro le for all of your applica tions for that company. "Multiple pro les in one company's system can cause con fusion," Day says. "By only submitting one pro le per company, you can elimi nate the odds of the wrong pro le being disquali ed by a rst-line recruiter." Next week we will focus in Interviewing Techniques. Happy Hunting!

Job Advice with Sheryl Krase

Statistics show that approximately 50

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Evie Givens

Chicago Bulls Start 2nd Half by Evie Givens

With the All Star break being over, the Bulls continue to improve as the season goes on. ey are also looking at the re turn of Derrick Rose which will help im prove the tempo of the oense. Without the services of Rose, the Bulls have maintained respectability in the East and over the past weekend. Two Bulls made the All Star Game; Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, who have helped to ll the void. e Bulls back court has seen a li in the past few weeks with the emerging play of Nate Robinson coming o the bench and adding scoring and defense. Overall the Bulls have played well during the rst part of the season with spots where they have struggled. e Bulls struggle against teams that have quick point guards and three point shooting capabilities. With the return of Rose, this should help with his defense and play making capa bilities. e Bulls need to continue to play with the tempo on defense and force the other team to commit turn overs and that transcend into fast break points. is is the key to the continued success of the Bulls. So as we kick o the 2nd half of the season we once again invite you to join us on Facebook to weigh in on the Bulls current season.

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Kendall Weekly Times

than we are of having world peace. When we last le the Cubs they had just nished a 100 loss season and traded away Veterans in order to make way for the youth movement. e brainchild known as eo Epstein is trying to free up salary cap room and provide the team with Free Agents or put the Cubs in po sition to make a trade. Well nothing happened over the winter. e Cubs acquired one of the Hairstons brothers who is said to add some power the lineup taking pressure of Alonso So riano. Pitching remains the same with a few additions and the cubs look to an in jured Garza and Je Samardija, to begin to round out the rotation. Together they do have the Talent to win 30 games and help the Cubs but there is reality and Samardija is prone to be injured by July and has never completed a full season in his 5 plus years in the League. So looking at reality we have unproven youth , tomato can pitching , an aged player in Sorriano,and a farm system that can produce the like of Sterling Cas tro who has a great bat but leaves some thing to be desired with his Fielding. I am reminded of the lm major league when the owner attempts to tank the season so she can move the Team to a new city. I know it is funny to look to Hollywood for inspiration however it has been 105 years since the North side won the World Series. So Cub fans we begin yet another season of the unknown.

Black Hawks Tie the Mark by Dick Kolf

e Chicago Black Hawks are destined

and not advancing past the rst round. So what has changed with the strike shortened period many players rededi cated themselves to working hard in the o season and preparing for the Return of hockey. Fans notice the dierence in play the Hawks are more physical and are coming less penalties and allowing their defense to be included in the of fense. With the opportunity to set a new stan dard the Hawks still face traditional foes in Detroit and St. Louis on their path to the post season. Houssa recently was in jured and should be on the return how ever the Hawks play San Jose for the op portunity to have the best start in league history. It will be tough for the Hawks to continue this trend. So once the rst loss happens it is done and on to the rest of the Season.

to go down in history as one of the best teams to ever start a season. Tying the mark the Hawks have an opportunity to have the best start ever by any team in NHL History. So you may ask how they are doing it. Answer is team work with Kane and Houssa as the stars the rest of the Blackhawks are a great supporting cast. However this team has little room for All Stars. e Hawks are just a few years removed winning the Stanley Cup and the last two seasons fought and made the play os playing tough but coming up short

Cubs ready to report by Dick Kolf

Well the Northsiders have reported to spring training and we are no closer to guring out this riddle we call the Cubs

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Sox Ready to Run by Kyle Veeder

Here we go the start to the 2013 cam paign and the Good Guys are ready for another Season of Ventura Ball. With the departure of AJ the Sox will have to ll the void of that leadership role. Look for a couple of players to step up and add the presence within the club house. e Sox last season nished 3 games behind Detroit and we on the brink of post sea son except for a late season slide. is year the Sox are prepared with Peavy and Gavin Floyd return healthy with John Denks assuming the closer role. e sox pitching looks strong this season with Chris Sale ready for another season. Sox hitting is same as last year get on base and let the big men knock it out of the park with Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn combining for 67 home runs and 171 runs batted in. is however is far from murders row with the loss of AJ and Youklis the Sox will need to nd that run production somehow. Look for the rise of Flowers and Rios who hit for av erage and have speed to help create run production. Sox typically make some moves in the spring training and ne tune the Roster during the 1st part of the season. How ever 2013 is the 30 anniversary of win ning ugly that magical season of 1983. is team reminds of that squad with a few more moves they can also achieve success of over 93 wins. Lets go sox!

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Fun with Scouts

Scouting is an excellent way for young sters to experience, enjoy, and learn about the great outdoors. e Kendall County Forest Preserve District is oer ing terri c scout programs this spring and summer. Daisy Girl Scouts (K-1st Grade) can earn their Birdbath Award on Saturday, April 13 from 12:00-1:00PM at Hoover Forest Preserve by learning about the dierent habitats found in Kendall County. Scouts will learn why habitats are important and how they can take care of some of our wild animal friends that live in these habitats. e program cost is $5 per scout. Webelos (Grades 4-5) working to earn their Naturalist Badge will enjoy fun ac tivities at Harris Forest Preserve on Sat urday, May 4 from 12:00-1:30PM that will meet requirements 4-11. Scouts will learn skills to observe wildlife, study bird yways and how birds use them, and learn about aquatic ecosystems. e pro gram costs $5 per scout. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts will enjoy our Badge Bonanza on ursday, June 6 from 9:00AM to 3:45PM at Hoover For est Preserve. Girl Scouts from Brownies to Cadettes, and Cub Scouts from Wolf to Webelos will have a blast working on requirements for achieving patches. Each age group will visit three dierent stations during the workshop. e pro gram costs $5 per scout, registration deadline is June 3. Please contact the Environmental Edu cation Department at 630 553-4111 or kcforest@co.kendall.il.us for more infor mation or to register.

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NaturalAreas Restoration
Forest Preserve sta and volunteers were very busy this winter working to restore the natural areas of the Kendall County Forest Preserve District. ere are many tasks that need to be done to help restore a natural area, all aimed at increasing the health and biodiversity of our woodlands, prairies, and wetlands. Brush removal is an important compo nent of managing natural areas. Invasive shrubs such as honeysuckle and buck thorn shade out our native ora, which leads to a decline in animal diversity. is winter, sta and volunteers cut brush from sections of Lyon, Richard Young, Jay Woods, Maramech, and Blackberry Trails Forest Preserves. Native plant seed collected last fall was processed over the winter, mostly by our terri c volunteers. Separating seed from the cha makes spreading the seed easier and allows for better germination rates. e native plants seed is distributed to sites being actively managed in order to increase plant cover and diversity.

Springtime brings lovely wild owers that carpet the forest oor. Unfortunately, the warm weather also brings out the dread fully invasive plant, garlic mustard. Sta and volunteers will be out combating garlic mustard at targeted sites again this year. Le unchecked, garlic mustard would choke out the native ora. See page 9 for information on how you can volunteer and help restore the beau tiful natural areas of the Kendall County Forest Preserve District!

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Kendall Weekly Times

Family Fun Night

Fun for the entire family awaits at Ellis House & Equestrian Center on the rst Friday of ever y month from 4:00-7:00PM! Each Family Fun Night includes pony rides, hayrack rides, cras, face painting, and more. Family Fun Nights are free, except for pony rides ($3 per ride or $5 for two rides) and concessions. For more information please contact us 815 475-4035 or info@ellishec.com. is year we are adding special activities to our Family Fun Night lineup! March 1 - e Easter Bunny ar rives early, so youngsters will want to join us for our Easter Egg Hunt! April 4 - Spring breezes are great for ying kites. Make, decorate, and y your own free kite. May 3 - Hit the trails and enjoy the spring wild owers in a nature hike along the beautiful Aux Sable Creek.