This letter is in response to the editorial cartoon, published in the February 7, 2013 edition of the Northbrook Star, depicting Northbrook Police officers as burglars. As the Chief of Police of the Northbrook Police Department, I feel it necessary to let you know that I found the cartoon offensive and in poor taste. Let me remind you that the Northbrook Police Department uncovered the information that led to our suspicions about the one officer. Based on this information we contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation for outside assistance. We took the appropriate action without hesitation, as it was the … ]]> Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:15:08 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/18782375-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/18782375-474/letters-to-the-editor.html

The District 30 Caucus is endorsing Ursula Sedlak, Fred Sloneker and Ken Spero (incumbent) as candidates for the April 9th School Board election. The District 30 Caucus members have a vested interest in selecting the best candidates for the Board as each Caucus member has at least one child attending either Maple, Wescott or Willowbrook schools. The Caucus members interviewed many District 30 Board candidates and after lengthy discussions we decided that Sedlak, Sloneker and Spero would best represent District 30. These three candidates each have children attending District 30 schools, they are well known within the community and possess … ]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:06:01 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/18781823-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/18781823-474/letters-to-the-editor.html

To the Grey Lantern: Call me Cat Grandma. I am a super hero, too. As Cat Grandma, I bring wrongs to right. You know the texting fool in front of you who doesn’t move when the light turns green? I, Cat Grandma, am the one who uses her horn to get the line moving. Surely you are aware of people who lose their doggy’s doo on a neighbor’s lawn. I, Cat Grandma, return it to the owner’s front porch. Yes, I admit it, I’m partial to kitties, so when dogs roam the forest preserve bike trail unleashed, I confront the … ]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:08:45 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/15003607-474/letter-cat-grandma-to-the-rescue.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/15003607-474/letter-cat-grandma-to-the-rescue.html

Sportsman’s  pricing should be  more competitive Recently, I touched on pricing for a round of golf at Sportsmans. Let me explain the situation in more detail. There are 40 of us that play in a nine hole league at Sporstmans every Monday morning. The league is very well managed by the club, and they are glad we are there. Many of this same group of guys get together during the week for more golf. I spoke with club management last year and stated that we would play Sportsmans more often, if they were not over priced. “We are priced competitively … ]]> Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:07:07 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/14388920-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/14388920-474/letters-to-the-editor.html

Why play golf at Sportsmans? I am a Northbrook resident, senior, and have a $25 resident card. Weekday golf for 18 holes is $46 with cart. The fairways are in poor shape and there are goose droppings all over the course. The course is not busy, and I’m not surprised. Other public courses offer a much better value and my shoes are clean. Glenview has a coupon for $35 that includes a round of golf, cart, lunch, and a sleeve of balls. Deerpath’s senior rate is $39 for non-resident. Bonnie Brook is $28 with cart. I could go on. Last … ]]> Mon, 10 Sep 2012 06:01:37 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/13775442-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/13775442-474/letters-to-the-editor.html

Proud of my service No decision has been as hard as to stand down from my position on the Village of Northbrook’s Senior Services Commission. When I joined my sole motivation was to improve the well-being and safety of Northbrook seniors. I was willing to do what was necessary to identify opportunities and common sense solutions to many of the issues facing seniors and especially those at Crestwood Place. As a senior service commission member I had approached the task of great challenges and transformation with new ideas, bold action, and the resilience to overcome resistance to change. The following … ]]> Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:26:20 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/13699164-474/letter-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/13699164-474/letter-to-the-editor.html

Safe disposal sites needed in Northbrook My husband and I have lived in Northbrook for over 30 years and have always been pleased with the services available to us. My husband has Multiple Sclerosis. In order to control this disease, he injects his medications three times per week. We have always returned the used syringes to the pharmacy. They no longer accept them and recently told me to go to the police stations. The police station accepts medications but not “sharps.” It is widely known that it is not acceptable to dispose of used needles in the garbage or recycling … ]]> Mon, 04 Jun 2012 08:03:15 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/11941315-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/11941315-474/letters-to-the-editor.html

Proposed New Health and Community Center I am a Northbrook citizen and a member and active user of our local YMCA and have been for over thirty years. My children, and now my grandchildren, are also members and users of the North Suburban YMCA. Membership dues are reasonable, affordable, and do not cost one penny more out of my real estate taxes. The programs available to its members are extensive and over just about every imaginable exercise of physical and mental activity. It is a “family” Y — a facility for every member of the family from age 2 to … ]]> Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:15:50 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/11151635-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/11151635-474/letters-to-the-editor.html

Northbrook is an urban area, not agricultural Can you believe it? The village trustees are considering letting people raise chickens in Northbrook. What’s next goats and sheep? One trustee said, “I think there is a movement in this country to have local food and to have sustainable food, and I think that we should at least look at it.” Perhaps the Landmark Inn would like to put a few head of cattle in their parking lot, they could advertise locally grown hamburgers (local food). The coyotes which have been seen more and more in Northbrook wouldn’t mind a chicken dinner … ]]> Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:30:21 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/10186037-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/10186037-474/letters-to-the-editor.html

Greenberg slighted Natasha Wasinski’s article on the 57th state House contest (Pioneer Press Dec. 8, 2011) unfairly slights challenger Jonathan Greenberg as “dabbling” in politics, yet (laughably) seems to suggest that incumbent Elaine Nekritz has already set Illinois on the path of economic recovery. That was surely news to a lot of readers, Democrats and Republicans alike. Greenberg is a respected member of the community. His professional experience in political advocacy demonstrates that he is no novice to the political process and is not shy about taking a position. Someone who can stand up to the powers that be in … ]]> Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:03:28 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/9537518-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/9537518-474/letters-to-the-editor.html

Circulating petitions For Illinois residents, Sept. 6, 2011 — the first day that candidates begin circulating petitions — is the start of the 2012 political season. This means that candidates will be knocking on your door to ask for signatures between now and Dec. 5, 2011, the last day to file petitions with local election authorities. The petition is the first step in democracy; a candidate cannot be placed on the Ballot for the Primary Election on March 20, 2012 if they do not have enough signatures. Please sign the petition form when a candidate comes to your door! Signing … ]]> Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:30:17 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/8522648-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/8522648-474/letters-to-the-editor.html

Generous donors deserve praise We would like to shine a public spotlight on the exceptional parents and community members of West Northfield School District 31 who helped to restore $111,000 in budget cuts with their generous donations to the Major Donor Campaign. This funding drive was initiated by our remarkable parent leaders of our District’s Education Foundation and Parent Teacher Club who came together with a plan to lessen the impact to our students and schools of the $1 million in budget cuts we had to make for the 2011-12 school year. During the months of June and July, parents … ]]> Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:00:03 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/8038750-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/8038750-474/letters-to-the-editor.html

The Northbrook Park District was saddened to hear of the passing of Father Francis Kamp from the Society of the Divine Word and is grateful for his generous contributions to the District. His vision and commitment to our community’s open space will be a legacy for generations. Father Kamp was instrumental in the sale of almost 40 acres of land from the Society of the Divine Word to the Park District in 1958. The District sold five acres to School District 28 to build a junior high school and began developing the rest of the property into Meadowhill Park. In … ]]> Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:59:23 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/7774287-474/letters-to-the-editor-we-will-miss-divine-words-father-kamp.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/7774287-474/letters-to-the-editor-we-will-miss-divine-words-father-kamp.html

Consolidation of school districts would lead to real citizen benefits The 840, approximately, school districts in Illinois are too numerous, and that numerosity necessarily leads to duplication in management positions, electoral expenses, support functions, legal representation, and a host of other expenses. Part of the reason we have 840 separate school districts is protection of redundant school district functions and positions, such as 840 school superintendents and 840 school district business managers, etc. The introduction in Springfield of legislation to consolidate Illinois school districts has launched school district lobbyists to issues position papers and press releases exposing the “myths about … ]]> Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:46:13 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/7119157-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/7119157-474/letters-to-the-editor.html

A wonderful man the community should know There’s someone in the community that readers should know about. A wonderful man named George Pinkowski, a former fire service member, lives on the north end of Sunset Ridge Road in Northbrook. You’ll know his house by the gorgeous flowers in front and the restored John Deere tractors in his yard. I’m writing to tell area residents about the kindness and generosity of George. I met him when I saw a sign for a flower sale. He grows his own beautiful flowers and sells them to earn a few bucks and to keep his passion … ]]> Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:20:25 -0500 http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/7242492-474/letters-to-the-editor.html http://northbrook.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/7242492-474/letters-to-the-editor.html