News Briefs: State Rep. Carroll resigns; Rotary scholarships available; HP park district wins award

Illinois Rep. Jonathan Carroll resigned on Friday evening after six years of serving the 57th District, which currently includes portions of Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe and Northfield.

Carroll made the announcement in a statement Friday:

“This is a very difficult decision but in the best interest of my family for our physical and mental health,” his statement says in part. “Being a father is my most important job and my children’s wellbeing is my most important responsibility.”

Carroll’s resignation comes amid a challenge from Tracy Katz Muhl, a fellow Democrat from Northbrook and an attorney who is the Northfield Township Democratic committeeperson. Muhl received a slew of endorsements, including from U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider and State Sen. Laura Fine.

In 2022, Carroll’s use of campaign funds came into question, according to a report by The Journal & Topics.

Carroll had already announced earlier this year that he was not going to run for another term. It is unclear who will fill Carroll’s seat for the remainder of this term, but many expect it to be Muhl.

Muhl said when she announced her candidacy:

“Our district and state face real challenges. We’ve been dancing around key issues for decades. We’ve made progress, but we haven’t been able to make the necessary hard decisions needed to consistently balance budgets, fully fund education, and provide equitable access and opportunity to everyone in Illinois.

“Our district needs a strong and representative voice in Springfield that can speak for our communities.”

Rotary Club of Wilmette opens scholarship for vocational students

The Rotary Club of Wilmette and The Friedman Foundation invite local students pursuing vocational or trade careers to apply for $1,500 in scholarships.  

Fifteen scholarships will be granted this spring to students living in Chicago’s north, northwest and western suburbs. Applications are due in early March.

Careers include welding, auto mechanics, business administration, administrative assistants, heating/ventilating/air conditioning tech, computer tech, paralegal, pharmacy tech., human services, law enforcement and elder care.

According to a release from the rotary club candidates must be sponsored by their local rotary club and show good high school grades in relevant subjects, work experience in their chosen field, volunteer work in their chosen field, extracurricular activity, character recommendations and more. Rotary clubs will screen applicants and sponsor one or two students each to the suburban Rotary selection committee. That committee will interview and screen applicants further to help determine the vocational scholarship winners.

Park district recognized for financial reporting

For the 34th consecutive year, the Park District of Highland Park has received the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada award for its comprehensive annual financial report, according to a release from the park district.

The honor is reportedly the highest form of recognition given to government financial reporting by a government and its management and demonstrates a “spirit of full disclosure” designed to inspire residents to understand and use the financial information.