Monday 30 November 2015

This Day In History - November 30th



1993

Brady Bill signed into law



During a White House ceremony attended by James S. Brady, President Bill Clinton signs the Brady handgun-control bill into law. The law requires a prospective handgun buyer to wait five business days while the authorities check on his or her background, during which time the sale is approved or prohibited based on an established set of criteria.

In 1981, James Brady, who served as press secretary for President Ronald Reagan, was shot in the head by John Hinckley, Jr., during an attempt on President Reagan’s life outside a hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan himself was shot in his left lung but recovered and returned to the White House within two weeks. Brady, the most seriously injured in the attack, was momentarily pronounced dead at the hospital but survived and began an impressive recovery from his debilitating brain injury.

During the 1980s, Brady became a leading proponent of gun-control legislation and in 1987 succeeded in getting a bill introduced into Congress. The Brady Bill, as it became known, was staunchly opposed by many congressmen, who, in reference to the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, questioned the constitutionality of regulating the ownership of arms. In 1993, with the support of President Bill Clinton, an advocate of gun control, the Brady Bill became law.





1874

Winston Churchill born


Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, the British leader who guided Great Britain and the Allies through the crisis of World War II, is born at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England.

Churchill came from a prestigious family with a long history of military service and joined the British Fourth Hussars upon his father’s death in 1895. During the next five years, he enjoyed an illustrious military career, serving in India, the Sudan, and South Africa, and distinguishing himself several times in battle.

In 1899, he resigned his commission to concentrate on his literary and political career and in 1900 was elected to Parliament as a Conservative MP from Oldham. In 1904, he joined the Liberals, serving in a number of important posts before being appointed Britain’s First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911, where he worked to bring the British navy to a readiness for the war he foresaw.

In 1915, in the second year of World War I, Churchill was held responsible for the disastrous Dardanelles and Gallipoli campaigns, and he was excluded from the war coalition government. He resigned and volunteered to command an infantry battalion in France. However, in 1917, he returned to politics as a cabinet member in the Liberal government of Lloyd George. From 1919 to 1921, he was secretary of state for war and in 1924 returned to the Conservative Party, where two years later he played a leading role in the defeat of the General Strike of 1926. Out of office from 1929 to 1939, Churchill issued unheeded warnings of the threat of German and Japanese aggression.

After the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Churchill was called back to his post as First Lord of the Admiralty and eight months later replaced the ineffectual Neville Chamberlain as prime minister of a new coalition government. In the first year of his administration, Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany, but Churchill promised his country and the world that the British people would “never surrender.” He rallied the British people to a resolute resistance and expertly orchestrated Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin into an alliance that eventually crushed the Axis.

In July 1945, 10 weeks after Germany’s defeat, his Conservative government suffered an electoral loss against Clement Attlee’s Labour Party, and Churchill resigned as prime minister. He became leader of the opposition and in 1951 was again elected prime minister. Two years later, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his six-volume historical study of World War II and for his political speeches.

In 1955, he retired as prime minister but remained in Parliament until 1964, the year before his death.

Sunday 29 November 2015

This Day In History - November 29th



1947 

U.N. votes for partition of Palestine



Despite strong Arab opposition, the United Nations votes for the partition of Palestine and the creation of an independent Jewish state.

The modern conflict between Jews and Arabs in Palestine dates back to the 1910s, when both groups laid claim to the British-controlled territory. The Jews were Zionists, recent emigrants from Europe and Russia who came to the ancient homeland of the Jews to establish a Jewish national state. The native Palestinian Arabs sought to stem Jewish immigration and set up a secular Palestinian state.

Beginning in 1929, Arabs and Jews openly fought in Palestine, and Britain attempted to limit Jewish immigration as a means of appeasing the Arabs. As a result of the Holocaust in Europe, many Jews illegally entered Palestine during World War II. Radical Jewish groups employed terrorism against British forces in Palestine, which they thought had betrayed the Zionist cause. At the end of World War II, in 1945, the United States took up the Zionist cause. Britain, unable to find a practical solution, referred the problem to the United Nations, which on November 29, 1947, voted to partition Palestine.

The Jews were to possess more than half of Palestine, though they made up less than half of Palestine’s population. The Palestinian Arabs, aided by volunteers from other countries, fought the Zionist forces, but the Jews secured full control of their U.N.-allocated share of Palestine and also some Arab territory. On May 14, 1948, Britain withdrew with the expiration of its mandate, and the State of Israel was proclaimed by Jewish Agency Chairman David Ben-Gurion. The next day, forces from Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq invaded.

The Israelis, though less well equipped, managed to fight off the Arabs and then seize key territories, such as Galilee, the Palestinian coast, and a strip of territory connecting the coastal region to the western section of Jerusalem. In 1949, U.N.-brokered cease-fires left the State of Israel in permanent control of those conquered areas. The departure of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs from Israel during the war left the country with a substantial Jewish majority.


Saturday 28 November 2015

This Day in History - November 28, 2015


1925

The Grand Ole Opry begins broadcasting


The Grand Ole Opry, one of the longest-lived and most popular showcases for western music, begins broadcasting live from Nashville, Tennessee. The showcase was originally named the Barn Dance, after a Chicago radio program called the National Barn Dance that had begun broadcasting the previous year.

Impressed by the popularity of the Chicago-based National Barn Dance, producers at WSM radio in Nashville decided to create their own version of the show to cater to southern audiences who could not receive the Chicago signal. Both the Grand Ole Opry and the National Barn Dance aired on Saturday nights and featured folk music, fiddling, and the relatively new genre of country-western music.

Both shows created a growing audience for a uniquely American style of music and were launching grounds for many of America’s most-loved musicians–the singing cowboy Gene Autry got his first big break on the National Barn Dance. The WSM producers recognized that Americans were growing nostalgic for the rural past, so all live performers at the Grand Ole Opry were required to dress in hillbilly costumes and adopt old-time names.

The four-and-a-half-hour Grand Ole Opry program became one of the most popular broadcasts in the South, and like its Chicago cousin, helped make country-western an enduring part of the popular American musical landscape

Small Business Saturday


 History of Small Business Saturday

American Express launched Small Business Saturday in November 2010 to help bring attention to smaller stores in communities and encourage shoppers to support local business instead of just mega-stores on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

By the next year, the day had become nationally supported and endorsed by local governments and the White House. In 2014, an estimated $14.3 billion was spent on Small Business Saturday, according to American Express.

Why Focus on Small Business Saturday?

Small Business Saturday is nestled in between the major shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday – so it makes sense people (and their wallets) may want to take a break. Plus, it’s hard to believe local businesses can compete with deals from mega-sellers like Wal-Mart, Macy’s and Amazon. So why should a person embrace the shop small mentality?

The shop small movement is less about getting the best possible deal and more about supporting the local community. It helps keep cute cafes and mom-and-pop delis from turning into Starbucks and Quiznos. It also keeps money in the community.

In fact, according to the American Independent Business Alliance, 48 percent of the money spent on purchases at a local independent businesses is re-circulated locally, but less than 14 percent of purchases at chain stores stay within the community.

https://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday/




Friday 27 November 2015

Keep A Child Warm Coat Giveaway & Health Fair




 


Message from Sauk Village's State Representative Elgie Sims and Senator Donnie Trotter





Keep A Senior Warm Coat Giveaway & Health Fair



Message from Sauk Village's State Representative Elgie Sims and Senator Donnie Trotter









Bloom Township is accepting applications for Christmas Holiday food baskets on a first come first served basis.



Must be a Bloom Township resident


Documents needed are and must match-

Photo ID- current state of Illinois driver's license or state ID
Current Utility bill (from last 30 days)
Lease/Mortgage/ Section 8
Proof of all household income for the last 30 days.
Baskets will be distributed in December.
Applications must be returned by November 30, 2015.

Call Bloom Township for additional information  708/754-9400

Thursday 26 November 2015

Happy Thanksgiving from the Hanks Family



The most special day of the year for nearly every child in this country


Thanksgiving is a time for being with family and friends and for reflecting upon the blessings in our lives.  If you can’t be with your family and friends, you will most likely be thinking about them on that special day. 


This weekend is also a time when parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles all begin asking those special children in their lives what they want for Christmas.  There are millions of Moms and Dads who have struggled to simply put food on the table for Thanksgiving this year.  Next they will begin to worry about how they will find the extra money for luxuries like a Christmas tree or a present or two for their children.    


Fortunately for these destitute parents there will be thousands of Marines and Toys for Tots volunteers collecting toys and raising funds to purchase toys for these children. While this program is off to a pretty good start this year; please keep in mind that they always run out of gifts before running out of families asking for help.  And there’s only four weeks till Christmas!
    

If you have time, please shop for a toy or two for a local child in need.  If more convenient, you can make a donation at (www.toysfortots.org).
In 68 years the American people have never let the Marine Corps or its Toys for Tots Program down!    


Did you know that Toys for Tots is a top rated charity?
97% of your donation goes to our mission of providing toys, books and other gifts to less fortunate children. The 3% spent on support principally covers fundraising expenses – not one donated dollar goes to pay for salaries or any other manpower costs.




All Toys “R” Us Stores are collecting toys and dollars for our program again this year.  You can always donate there while you’re shopping.


Happy Thanksgiving!   


Wednesday 25 November 2015

Happy Thanksgiving


Team Work - Fighting Blight and Reducing Crime


The Sauk Village Police Department remains committed to continue working with the Sauk Village Housing Commission. In the past several months we have identified 3 homes that fell under the Crime Free Housing Ordinance. We are actively working with the property owners on a resolution to these matters.

We are also continuing to work with the commission and the Cook County Sheriff's Office in demolishing homes that were deemed uninhabitable. So far to date we have watched 6 of the initial 9 homes demolished and still have more to go.

In this team effort the Housing Commission, ComEd and Nicor continue to work together to make these homes safe for demolition by discontinuing utility service to those homes prior to their being demolished. This team effort helps expedite the process by the Cook County Sheriff's Office ridding the village of this blight.

We are also being proactive by setting up an anonymous hotline/tip line for citizens to call and report crime in the Sauk Village area. As soon as it is established the phone number will be provided on the official village website as well as an update in the Southland Voice.

Our goal is to reduce crime in Sauk Village and provide a safer and more secure environment for our citizens and their guests.

Police Chief Robert Kowalski

Thursday 19 November 2015

Sauk Village Director of Administrative Services Report - November 10, 2015


Sauk Village Administrative Services Director Sherry Jasinski 

Night court -
There were 221 tickets on the docket
209 were no shows
10 Guilty
2 Not Guilty 

We have finished the vacant list it should be 98% merged. Within the next week or two we will start placing the vacant stickers on the vacant houses and encourage residents to call the Police if they see individuals going in and out.  The Code Department will be keeping a close eye on the homes that have the stickers, if we find any of them to be occupied they will be turned over to the Police Department for further investigation due to squatters.



Lastly, the Boost cell phone store has closed due to the Owner relocating for his job. 

This concludes my report

Sauk Village Finance Department Report - November 10, 2015


On Tuesday, November 3rd I met with the heads of Departments to review how they were doing when is comes to budget v/s actual's. 

As of today, I have met with the Fire Chief Stoffregen (Fire Department) and Director Kevin Weller (Water/Sewer) and the Village Administrator and I will be meeting with the Police Chief within the next week.

The Police Audit of 2014/2015 completed and has been e-mailed to our Auditors by the Village Treasure Jim Griegal.

That ends my report.

Wednesday 18 November 2015

Pancakes With Santa and Donation for Toys for Tots! - December 6, 2015

This year the Sauk Village Fire Department is partnering up with Toys-for-Tots. So during the annual pancakes with Santa they are asking for everyone to please bring unwrapped toys for girls or boys of all ages. 

This is the season for giving so let’s all play apart in putting a smile on over 7 million children faces.

For More Information: Please call the Sauk Village Fire Station at (708)758-2225

***Mark Your Calendars Now***


Location: Sauk Village Fire Department 1804 222nd St. Sauk Village, Illinois  
Date: December 6, 2015
Time: 8am until Noon
Cost: $5 for adults / $4 for children/Seniors


Santa Claus is Coming to Town - December 5, 2015


Tuesday 17 November 2015

Tollway Opening

·       Traffic Operations Technician  $14.05/Hour  
·       High School graduate or equivalent. 
·       Prior experience in traffic operations.
·        Knowledge of the Tollway roadway system, CAD operations and computer operations. 
·       The ability to type forty (40) words per minute. 
·       Demonstrable ability to read a map, demonstrable logic skills, and the ability to work with minimal supervision.



NEW UPDATE TO APPLICATION PROCESS:

As of September 10, 2014, the Tollway will begin using an on-line application system to assist prospective and current employees in the job application process. This system will allow users to create an individual account, create and maintain a profile of education, experience and certifications, identify job interest categories, search for open positions, and submit job applications. This system will automatically notify users of recently posted jobs based on the job interest categories chosen.

For the employee to be notified of open positions and submit job applications, this system requires the user to have an email account. This could either be a personal account (i.e. gmail, yahoo) or getipass.com account.

To apply for a posted position or to create a “Job Interest Card,” applicants should visit the Tollway’s website, www.illinoistollway.com.
Completed applications may be mailed to the Tollway or dropped off in person at the agency’s Downers Grove headquarters between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. All applications must be received within the dates indicated on the job posting.


The completed Illinois Tollway Employment Application is due Wednesday, December 2 2015 and can be completed on our on-line application system, which can be found at the www.illinoistollway.com under ‘Employment Opportunities’, or mailed or hand-delivered to Human Resources, 2700 Ogden Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515.

Please ‘click’ on the Job Titles above for more information, including additional job requirements and preferences. More information can be found at www.illinoistollway.com.

Questions should be directed to Human Resources at (630) 241-6800 ext. 2333.

Message from Village Clerk Debbie Williams

I would like to start off by saying how we value everyone who reaches out to find ways to help  our residents during the holiday season. This year I am working with the Community Outreach Partnership Committee and the Public Relations Committee on various projects.

SHOP WITH A COP- The Community Outreach Partnership Committee is working once again with the Sauk Village Police Association to escort 27 students (3 from each elementary grade level) to a store to purchase gifts. The amount provided for each child will depend on the donation received. The goal is between $50-$75.00 per child. This is a time honored tradition that has not taken place for several years.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS, COCOA AND MORE- Sauk Village has always tried to provide some form of assistance to the families in the way of food baskets in the past either through the food pantry or individual programs. Last Year the Christmas Carols, Cocoa and More was a huge success. Fifty families received a bag of non perishable food items and a Jewel Foods gift card. Every child in the room under the age of 12 was given the opportunity to choose a gift. Trustee Williams read "The Night Before Christmas" by the fireplace while Santa was in the hall getting the kid's Christmas lists. Cookies and cocoa were served in the Senior Center.

Neither of these events can take place without donations from our residents and valued community partners. We appreciate your generosity.

If you would like to participate in this year's holiday community outreach please contact me by email.

Again, we do appreciate you and look forward to working with you. If there is anything I can do to be of service please do not hesitate to ask.

Happy Holidays!
Village Clerk Debbie Williams
dwilliams@saukvillage.org

FINAL LEAF PICK UP- REVISED

Announcement from Public Works Director Kevin Weller:

Leaf pick up begins next week.

All leaves must be raked to the street by Sunday, November 22, 2015. Final sweeps will occur on garbage days of the week of November 23rd until completed.

Public Works will not return to areas after they have been swept. 

In addition, when raking leaves to the streets please do not block sewer drains

Sunday 15 November 2015

Meet the Mayor - November 14, 2015 Update

Special Thank You to State Representative Elgie Sims for coming out to meet with Sauk Village residents and providing an update on what's happening in Springfield. 

Some of the key points from Saturday's meeting were:
  • Contact the Governor and State Representatives and let them know that "Illinois does not want Washington style gridlock". 
  • Call the Governor and the Majority/Minority Leaders of the House and Senate and tell them "Come to the Table Now!
  • Differences of Business and Government
Business = Profit
Government = People

Illinois Governor 
Governor Rauner (R) - 312 814-2121 

Illinois Senate
President of the Senate: John Cullerton (D) - 773.883.0770 - Chicago Office
Majority Leader: James Clayborne, Jr. (D) - (618) 875-1212 - East St Louis Office / (217) 782-5399 - Springfield Office 
Minority Leader: Christine Radogno (R) - 630-243-0800 - Lemont Office / P 217-782-9407 - Springfield Office 

Illinois House
Speaker of the House: Michael Madigan (D) - (773) 581-8000 - Chicago Office / (217) 782-5350 -  Springfield Office
Majority Leader: Barbara Flynn Currie (D) - (773)-667-0550
Minority Leader: Jim Durkin (R) - 630-325-2028 Burr Ridge Office / (217) 782-0494 - Springfield Office










                           


                     

Pictures from the November 12th Wheelchair Basketball Event







       


       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

LWSRA WINS AGAIN  

Valiant effort by the State Representatives

CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!