The National Weather Service Chicago for Northern Illinois has issued an air quality alert for northern Chicagoland, including the North Shore.
The air quality on Thursday, July 31, a result of shifting smoke from Canadian wildfires, falls under the National Weather Service’s “unhealthy” designation, meaning all individuals could experience health effects, according to NWS Chicago.
Individuals with heart or lung conditions, older adults, children and teens may be especially at risk, according to information the Wilmette Park District posted on social media.
The diminished air quality is expected to last through Friday, forecasters say.
A graphic from the National Weather Service posted on Thursday, July 31.
The alert comes ahead of a summer weekend full of local events, including the Wilmette Art Fair on Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 2-3; however, the weather service expects the air quality to improve in the coming days.
According to AirNow.gov, the local air quality for Friday is expected to be “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” such as those listed above, and improved to “moderate” by Saturday.
The park district’s Facebook post recommended individuals stay hydrated and seek out shade as needed. The post also stated outdoor activities may be moved inside and extra precautions are being taken at camps and programs to ensure safety.
As of now, Wilmette’s Sound of Summer concert at the Wallace Bowl Thursday night will continue as scheduled despite the air quality alert, and the district is encouraging individuals of sensitive groups to wear a mask to the event if they choose to attend. Lakeview Center will also be open for people to take breaks inside as needed.
Highland Park’s Food Truck Thursdays will continue as scheduled as well. Musicians will play as long as they are comfortable and people can come and go from the food trucks as they please said Amanda Bennett, the city’s communications manager.
AirNow recommends that both sensitive and nonsensitive groups take precautions due to the unhealthy air quality.
Those in the sensitive group should avoid strenuous activity, limit time outside and move outdoor physical activities indoors to reduce exposure to dangerous conditions. Everyone else should choose less strenuous activities to reduce heavy breathing, limit active time spent outdoors and wait to resume outdoor physical activity until the air quality improves.
The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.
Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.
Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.
Mayors across the North Shore and Chicago metropolitan area have entered into discussions to issue recommendations to the Illinois General Assembly ahead of the state enacting reforms to the region’s public transport system.
The Illinois Senate passed the Sustainable Transit for Northern Illinois Act — or House Bill 3438, Amendment 3 — on May 31, the last day of the legislature’s spring session. The Illinois House of Representatives unanimously approved the bill in April.
But the final version of the bill “was only filed publicly in the final hours of the legislative session despite months of public hearings,” according to a news release from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, which is chaired by Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering.
As Governor JB Pritzker has not yet signed the bill into law, the caucus is leading discussions among its 275 member municipalities to assess how the bill will impact their communities and present unified recommendations to legislators when they return to Springfield for an October veto session.
“While we commend the bill sponsors for hosting extensive public hearings to design this important legislation, the timing of the final bill’s release fell short of true partnership,” Rotering said in the statement.
“For local communities to support new transit reform legislation that serves the public and makes reform successful, there needs to be genuine collaboration between mayors and policymakers throughout the entire process,” she added.
If the bill is enacted, the Regional Transportation Authority — which currently oversees CTA, Metra and Pace — will gradually be replaced in three years by a new agency called the Northern Illinois Transit Authority.
NITA, as it’s commonly called, would create a more unified fare system and help coordinate public transit service across six different northern Illinois counties while still leaving the existing CTA, Metra and Pace respective collective bargaining agreements in place, according to a WTTW report.
The new transportation agency would also create a new multijurisdictional law enforcement task force to address crime on public transit systems.
While the bill would reorganize how public transportation in northern Illinois is run, leadership at the Regional Transportation Authority has also issued warnings that the regional transit system is in dire need of more funding and could see a 40% cut in service if not supported by the state legislature.
As the northern Illinois region sees millions of daily trips across its public transportation, “the stakes are too high for anything less than a collaborative” approach among all stakeholders to find solutions that serve riders, increase access and support economic growth, the caucus statement said.
“More efficient and effective public transportation systems are critical to the long-term success of our region,” Wilmette Village President Senta Plunkett said in an emailed statement.
“Therefore, any changes resulting from NITA must ensure that suburban communities, which are heavy users of Metra and Pace (as well as the CTA in Wilmette with the Linden Station), are recognized as key stakeholders and need to be properly represented at the table during negotiations as well as part of any future new transit board,” she added.
Rotering declined to speak with The Record further about what the caucus’s specific deliberations in the coming weeks will entail.
But as the October veto session looms, it’s likely that the caucus board, which includes Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, and members will focus on how to best lobby state leadership to revise the bill.
The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.
Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.
Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.
Plans for a new Northfield grocery store are on the table – but it may be another year until residents can dig in.
An unnamed company has applied for a special-use permit with the Village of Northfield to operate a food store at 1822 Willow Road, the home of Mariano’s from 2014 until a month ago. The application notes the store is aiming for a “late 2026 or spring 2027” opening.
In its permit application, the prospective tenant is represented by attorney Chris Canning, and while a company name is not mentioned, the applicant’s narrative includes a description of “signature dining concepts” Smokehouse and BeriGood Acai Bowls, brands that are found in stores from Highland Park-based Sunset Foods.
Sunset Foods has seven north-suburban locations under two titles: Sunset Foods (5 locations) and Grand Food Center with its two stores, which Sunset Foods acquired in 2021.
Neither Canning, Sunset Foods officials nor property owner Swanson Development Group representatives returned messages from The Record.
The special-use application, which can be viewed in full online, will appear in front of Northfield’s Plan and Zoning Commission on Aug. 7 for an initial review.
In Canning’s memo to the commission, he called the tenant “an amenity that enhances the neighborhood. Losing a grocery store in this location would be a (devastating) blow to the Village Center specifically and the Village in general.”
The property owners, Swanson Development Group, are also requesting to subdivide the property at 1822 Willow to enable an outlot.
A letter to the Village of Northfield from Greg Horejs, president of Cage Engineering on behalf of Swanson, says an outlot will “enhance” the property for the new tenant.
Documents show the request is for a 12,000-square-foot outlot in the northwest corner of the property, bordering Northfield Road and Willow roads.
If it were …
John Cortesi and his uncle Adeodata Fondata founded Sunset Foods in 1937 with a grocery store in Highland Park.
Seventeen years later, they had a much larger store at Sunset Foods current Highland Park location on Green Bay Road. Locations in Northbrook (1961) and Lake Forest (1965) soon followed, and eventually Sunset opened stores in Libertyville (1998) and Long Grove (2010).
Under the leadership of third-generation CEO John Cortesi, Sunset Foods acquired longtime North Shore grocer The Grand Food Center in 2021.
According to the food-store application with the Village of Northfield, the tenant would include typical grocery-store departments — such as a deli, bakery, wine and spirits section, cold-foods section and grocery-lined aisles — as well as fresh meals from its barbecue concept Smokehouse and acai bowls from BeriGood.
The application also says the store focuses on “organic, natural and better-for-you products,” which the company pledges to bring to its new store.
Aside from robust grocery offerings listed in the application, the prospective tenant also touts its connections with its communities, such as sponsorship of local sports teams and community events, among other local engagement.
“Beyond our products, we aim to remain a cornerstone of community life,” the application reads. “We will host seasonal events, support local food producers and artisans, and continue to offer friendly, personalized service that large chain stores simply can’t match.”
The property
Now-defunct grocery store Dominick’s occupied the 47,732-square-foot building on the three-plus-acre property at 1822 Willow Road for 38 years.
Swanson Development Group, of Chicago, reportedly acquired the property and Mariano’s lease in 2023.
The closing of Mariano’s Northfield location is part of a larger Kroger story. The brand is closing or has closed approximately 60 stores nationwide, according to a 2024 Kroger’s earnings report.
Mariano’s locations in Buffalo Grove and Northbrook, 2323 Capital Drive, are also closing; though, another location in Northbrook, 784 Skokie Blvd., will remain open.
The closings occur in the wake of a failed $24.6 billion merger between Kroger and fellow grocer giant Albertsons, which operates Jewel-Osco. The deal fell apart in December 2024 when a federal judge sided with federal regulators who claimed the merger would drive up prices and harm consumers.
The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.
Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.
Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.
Andrew Greensphan was a sophomore at New Trier West High School when his father, Irving, opened Irving’s for Red Hot Lovers in 1975.
As a teenager, Greensphan spent his afternoons working behind the counter at Irving’s, 3207 Lake Ave. in Wilmette, and as the owner’s son, he was always on call — a role that he jokingly described as “indentured servitude.”
Fifty years later, Greensphan still spends his days in the Lake Avenue storefront. Only now, he’s the owner and since the mid-1990s has entered the franchise business, updated menu items, kept Irving’s afloat through the COVID-19 pandemic and, as of June, landed the restaurant a spot in the Vienna Beef Hot Dog Hall of Fame.
While the times have changed, Greensphan said Irving’s service style has not.
To this day, Greensphan maintains Irving’s commitment to high-quality foods, including Chicago dogs and Merkts cheese fries, and customer service.
“What I love is when I come in here every day and I see people who are appreciative of Irving’s being here after 50 years,” Greensphan said. “It’s really what keeps me going.”
Andrew Greensphan with a plaque representing Irving’s place in the Vienna Hot Dog Hall of Fame. | Photo from Village of Wilmette
On Friday, July 18, the restaurant commemorated its 50th anniversary, in honor of its opening on July 17, 1975, with a community celebration. The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local leaders, in-store promotions and a raffle.
Greensphan said approximately 100 people attended, including Village President Senta Plunkett, WGN’s Bob Sirott (a Wilmette resident) and even a longtime customer who traveled from Florida.
The celebration also acknowledged Irving’s induction into the Vienna Beef Hot Dog Hall of Fame, making it the 157th business to join the institution since its inception in 2006.
Representatives from Vienna Beef attended the ceremony and presented Greensphan with a plaque that now hangs above the restaurant’s counter.
“I think that the mark that Irving’s has left in the hot dog business in Chicago is part of the legacy that Vienna wanted included, besides 50 years of business and selling a lot of their products,” Greensphan said.
Greensphan was in contact with Vienna Beef regarding Irving’s Hall of Fame admission since the winter. To earn the hall-of-fame honor, a hot dog restaurant must meet various criteria, including contributing to one’s community, serving Vienna Beef products for a number of years and prioritizing customer satisfaction.
After coordinating with Vienna to offer specific products and update signage to meet requirements, Greensphan said his hopes to join the hall of fame came to fruition.
The induction is one of many accomplishments for Irving’s. One of the biggest, Greensphan said, was the development of a franchise program.
After Greensphan graduated from Purdue University in 1982 with a degree in nutrition, which he described as an “oxymoron” given his business, he opened an Irving’s location at Lincoln Avenue and Kimball Avenue. Irving’s began franchising in the ’90s and expanded to 14 outlets, including four in the Loop and two in Japan, among other locations.
Although many of these locations have since closed, Greensphan still reflects on the time as “a really great educational experience.”
Greensphan also has a commitment to staying involved locally. Since Irving’s opened, Greensphan said he has supplied food for school events, sports teams and “anything that (he) can sponsor to assist in the village.”
Through it all, Greensphan has had the support of his wife, his employees and, of course, his customers.
“A lot of people make this a destination because it’s such a traditional place; it’s been part of their lives,” Greensphan said. “I get three generations of people coming in. … It’s very rewarding to have that type of recognition in the business.”
The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.
Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.
Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.
Highland Park city officials gathered Tuesday evening to review the latest plan for a 232-townhome residential community planned for the former home of the Solo Cup Company facility.
The Habitat Company has petitioned for the Highland Plan and Design Commission’s recommendation to rezone 28 acres of vacant land at 1700 Deerfield Road from industrial to residential.
The commission voted 4-3 on Tuesday to direct city staff to assemble a “finding of fact” about the development plan so the commission might vote on whether to give their rezoning recommendation at their next meeting at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26 in The Moraine community center 1201 Park Avenue West.
If the project earns City Council approval, the developer will move forward with the 49-building neighborhood slated to include a clubhouse with a pool, sauna and fitness center; 690 parking spaces across surface spaces and garages attached to the units; nine acres of open green space that will feature a dog park, publicly accessible “Tot Lot” and walking trail.
(Editor’s Note: An original version of this story listed a three-story parking garage as part of the project. That garage was part of another nearby development.)
The commission last reviewed the development plan in an April public meeting. The Habitat Company on Tuesday presented various revisions to their plan to commissioners, city staff and an audience of approximately 60 people.
The latest modifications include the reduction of the development’s density to 232 total units, instead of the previously proposed 240 units, which will now include 35 affordable units instead of 36.
The decrease allows the development to increase buffers along the northern property line and eastern property line abutting a railroad track, said Terry Smith from BSB Design, an architecture firm working for The Habitat Company.
The developer also increased the space between buildings to 15 feet and reduced the parking on the site to 690 spaces from 714. As a reported public benefit, 14 parking spaces will be available for the City of Highland Park and 12 will be non-exclusive spaces, slightly more than what was previously offered.
A site plan for the proposed development shows nine acres of green space, which the City of Highland Park reportedly is not interested in maintaining as a public park. | Image from The Habitat Company
The details
The plot of land in question is located just west of Route 41 and south of Deerfield Road, neighboring the Highland Park Police Station. Residential neighborhoods exist a couple hundred yards to the west, off Ridge Road, and to the south, starting with Grove Avenue.
According to a traffic study, the development’s surrounding intersections have capacity to accommodate the projected increase in traffic, according to Karl Burhop, the city’s senior planner.
Before the Solo Cup facility closed in 2008, the site apparently generated 40-56 more in and out traffic trips during peak hours than the residential community is projected to generate, Burhop said.
For a density comparison, the Highland Park Chantilly townhouse community has 193 units on 24 acres with 2.84 parking spaces per unit compared to the 2.98 spaces per unit at the proposed development.
Several individuals who spoke during the meeting, however, still expressed concerns the development will cause an increase in traffic, that the designs of its road may be unsafe or inefficient, and that the current industrial zoning of the land fits its environment.
William Dixon, who identified himself as a neighbor to the Red Solo lot, highlighted a specific concern: The Habitat Company is seeking permission from the City to have some of the townhomes sit at 41 feet tall, an increased height than what is currently allowed in Highland Park building code.
“I’d like to see a really nice development back there; I think they’re going to build it, I really do,” Dixon said, “(but) I think it’s too dense, but it’s not for me to say, I don’t get to dictate to them what they do. But I think that the standards are the standards for a reason.”
Jeff Malk, who said he’s a developer from a separate company, voiced overall support for the plan and said The Habitat Company has a good reputation compared to other developers.
“This site has been sitting vacant for as long as I can remember,” Malk said. “I grew up in the Red Oak neighborhood. It’s been, frankly, just a wasteland and we live in a phenomenal community and there should be real tax revenue getting generated from a site like this.”
Previous plans
The former Solo Cup plot has now gone through multiple iterations of proposed developments ever since Solo Cup sold the land in 2009. All of Solo Cup’s buildings were demolished by 2015.
A 500-unit housing development was first proposed for the site in 2018 but the community raised concerns about scale, traffic and neighborhood fit, according to a presentation from The Habitat Company.
The land is now owned by the Red Cup Land Company, which previously proposed turning the plot into an industrial center with 300,000 square-feet of warehouse and distribution space. That plan also drew pushback as it would have encroached upon nearby sensitive wetlands and removed heritage trees.
Accommodating other feedback, the current development plan includes 53% more trees than required by code, multiple townhome color schemes and facade types, a 1,430-linear-foot public access walking trail through preserved wetlands and added parking for industrial businesses on Richfield Road according to The Habitat Company.
The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.
Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.
Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.
It pays to be first, and in this case the prize for early-bird Princeton basketball was New Trier guard Christopher Kirkpatrick.
Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson and his team were in pursuit of the 6-foot-3 Kirkpatrick from day one, Kirkpatrick said, helping the rising senior understand his potential role in the program.
With that in mind, Kirkpatrick announced with a social media post on July 24 his commitment to the Ivy League power.
“The head coach was just very consistent with reaching out to me ever since coaches could contact me,” Kirkpatrick said. “I really liked the guys when I went on my official (visits) there and the style of the play. I also definitely want to play as a freshman, and they think very highly of me and I have a good chance to do that when I go there.”
100% committed to the admissions process at Princeton University. Thank you to everyone who has helped me get to where I am now.
Kirkpatrick came into New Trier with a game that already had the attention of college scouts. He ascended to the Trevians’ starting lineup as a sophomore, helping the team make a second straight state-finals appearance.
A three-level scorer and high-level defender, Kirkpatrick became the team’s statistical leader as a junior. He averaged 22 points to go with 6 assists and 6 rebounds per game, and though he missed multiple weeks with an ankle injury, he eclipsed 1,000 varsity points.
His play as a Trevian and with club program Fundamental U attracted multiple offers from Division I programs, such as Brown, Green Bay and University of Illinois at Chicago. In the end, Princeton edged the others, including Loyola University at Chicago, especially because it offered an opportunity to get on the court immediately, Kirkpatrick said.
“My whole life I’ve just played and I just want to continue to get as many reps as possible so I can continue to get better,” he said.
Kirkpatrick is not the only Trevians hooper to find his way to the Ivy League. In recent years, Jake Fiegen (Cornell) and Jackson Munro (Dartmouth) also headed to and found starters’ minutes in the prestigious league.
A bit before then, 2013 New Trier graduate Steven Cook competed with Princeton basketball after leading the Trevians to an elite eight appearance as a senior. Cook became a three-time All-Ivy League selection. He texted Kirkpatrick to congratulate him on his Princeton commitment.
“It’s cool to see guys where I am from be successful in the Ivy League,” Kirkpatrick said. “That definitely makes me feel good about going there.”
In front of his teammates, Kirkpatrick celebrates a big shot against Kenwood in 2025.
Princeton has the most conference championships (30) in the history of Ivy League men’s basketball. The Tigers’ last title came in 2024, which completed a three-peat atop the league.
Princeton is coming off a 19-11 season in which the Tigers finished tied for third in the league with an 8-6 record.
The Tigers are known for their active and quick offense, focusing on movement and finding open looks at the rim and behind the arc. Sound familiar?
“We kind of run a Princeton-style offense at New Trier,” Kirkpatrick said. ” … It’s a fast offense where guys read and react, and the ball is in the guards’ hands a good amount and that’s what I like.”
Not that it’ll be easy.
Kirkpatrick knows he has work to do — apart from competing in a final high school season — before he’s ready for Division I basketball.
“I want to continue to put on weight, get after it in the weight room,” he said, “and I want to continue to work on my leadership skills, because going in as a freshman and a point guard, coaches are going to expect you to know how to lead the team.”
The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.
Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.
Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.
The following reports were pulled from the latest incident summaries provided by law enforcement departments in our coverage area (Wilmette, Winnetka, Highland Park, Northfield, Kenilworth and Glencoe).
WILMETTE
July 24
• Two individuals were arrested for allegedly possessing a stolen car used in an attempted car burglary in Winnetka. The individuals reportedly were found in a residential garage after a search on foot.
July 23
• A bicycle reportedly was stolen from a building’s garage in the 400 block of Linden Avenue.
July 22
• Items reportedly were stolen from an unlocked car in the 1600 block of Wilmette Avenue.
• An individual was arrested for allegedly attempting to steal a bag full of items from a store in the 400 block of Green Bay Road.
July 21
• A package reportedly was stolen from a building’s common area in the 300 block of Ridge Road.
WINNETKA
No reported incidents between July 22-28 that meet The Record’s standards for publication.
GLENCOE
July 21
• A home reportedly was broken into in the 1000 block of Hillcrest Drive, setting off a burglary alarm at approximately 8:28 p.m. A glass door reportedly was shattered to gain entry and it is unknown what, if anything, was taken.
HIGHLAND PARK
July 27
• An unlocked car with the keys inside reportedly was stolen from the 600 block of Pleasant Avenue.
• A backpack reportedly was stolen from a car in the 600 block of Burton Avenue. The car’s passenger window reported was shattered to gain entry.
July 24
• Two personal watercraft reportedly were taken from the 20 block of Lakewood Place without consent, used and damaged.
July 23
• Four vials of fentanyl reportedly were taken from the pharmacy at Highland Park Hospital, 777 Park Avenue W.
July 22
• Two catalytic converters reportedly were stolen off vehicles at Highland Park & Auto Center, 2900 Skokie Valley Road.
July 21
• Tools reportedly were stolen from a home in the 1200 block of Linden Avenue. Homeowners also claim a contractor failed to complete agreed-upon work valued at $7,000.
NORTHFIELD
July 25
• A customer of Blue Pearl Animal Hospital was issued a trespass warning after reportedly creating a disruption at the business.
KENILWORTH
No incidents reported between July 18-25
The Record’s police reports are taken from police-activity summaries prepared by local police departments. Police Reports contain public information from preliminary reports and are not a complete listing of all police activity. The Record does not publish the names of individuals arrested and named in preliminary reports unless the incident is a matter of public safety or has significant community implications. All arrestees are innocent until proven guilty.
Spring was a season of success for North Shore schools’ science olympiad teams.
New Trier High School and Marie Murphy School had historic finishes in the 41st annual Science Olympiad National Tournament on May 23-24, when they competed against peers from across the country.
New Trier placed sixth overall in Division C for Grades 9-12; Marie Murphy placed 10th in Division B for Grades 6-9.
To qualify for the national competition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, teams each had to secure a top-two finish at the Illinois Science Olympiad State Tournament in April at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. New Trier placed first in Division C, winning a 17th Illinois championship, and Marie Murphy placed second in Division B.
Regional, state and national competitions make up science olympiad’s championship season. Teams competing in the championship events are allowed 15 members to cover 27 events. Twenty-three of the events count toward a team’s total score, while the remaining four are trial events that do not affect placement.
New Trier
New Trier’s sixth-place national finish was the school’s highest finish in 13 years.
Led by team co-heads Kevin Huang, Kaci Morris and Malachi Noel, New Trier medaled in 12 events (medals awarded through sixth place) to set a new school record.
New Trier’s medals included three first-place finishes (Astronomy, Dynamic Planet, Geological Mapping), one second-place (Optics), a third-place (Codebusters), two fourth-place (Bungee Drop, Ecology), one fifth-place (Protein Modeling) and four sixth-place (Electric Vehicle, Materials Science, Wind Power, Hovercraft).
Antony Harper has helped coach New Trier’s science olympiad team since 2005. As an assistant coach, he advises students in biology events and occasionally Earth science events at the team’s weekly practices. Outside of practice times, he is available for students to consult him about additional questions.
“If you take a look at the individual events, you’ll see that they’re not for the faint hearted,” Harper said. “I mean students not only have to master a lot of basic information, but they also have to be able to think on their feet … so I’m there to help them with all of that.”
As the championship season progresses, Harper said that the attitude of the team becomes more intense to match the circumstances, but he doesn’t put an expectation on the team to win. Instead he works on bringing out the students’ best, letting the score “take care of itself.”
Science olympiad competitions are scored on a points system, where the lowest amount of points corresponds to the top finisher. At the national tournament, New Trier scored 290 total points, finishing 40 points behind the national champ.
Although Harper retired from teaching in 2012, he said he thinks of working with New Trier’s science olympiad team as one of the greatest experiences of his career.
New Trier’s success this season is a joint accomplishment by the students, coaches and parents, Harper said. He described the team’s sixth-place finish at Nationals as “excellent.”
“The fact that they were able to keep the focus through regional, state and nationals is a monumental accomplishment,” Harper said.
Full New Trier results: First in Astronomy — Malachi Noel and Jerry Du; first in Dynamic Planet — Malachi Noel and Alice Pan; first in Geological Mapping — Malachi Noel and Kaci Morris; second in Optics — Kevin Huang and Nora Witting; third in Codebusters — Catherine Ji, Elan Hao and Vivian Chen; fourth in Bungee Drop — Catherine Ji and Nora Witting; fourth in Ecology — Kaci Morris and Kate Kang; fifth in Protein Modeling (Trial) — Cassie Li, Michelle Ren and Carolyn Li; sixth in Electric Vehicle — Kevin Huang and Ary Varshney; sixth in Materials Science — Elan Hao and Albert Zhu; sixth in Wind Power — Jerry Du and Ary Varshney; sixth in Hovercraft (Trial) — Elijah Song and Stephen Stolyarov.
Marie Murphy
Marie Murphy’s varsity science olympiad team at the national competition in May.
Marie Murphy’s performance at the national tournament netted the school a second straight 10th-place finish.
Students medaled in six events with two first-place finishes (Dynamic Planet, Scrambler), two fifth-place finishes (Ecology, Meteorology) and two sixth-place finishes (Entomology, Tower).
James Gravagna, an eighth-grade science teacher at Marie Murphy, has coached science olympiad for 29 years. He said it is a “blessing” for Marie Murphy to do as well as they did at in major competitions considering the high caliber of schools in Illinois and the size of Marie Murphy compared to others in the events.
“For what they accomplished for our size, I could not be more proud of them,” Gravagna said.
The championship team was composed of a sixth-grader, three seventh-graders and 11 eighth-graders, Gravagna said, who added that, typically, the older students take on more events.
Participating in science olympiad requires discipline, he said, and students have approximately one hour of practice per event per week in addition to homework to further study their materials.
“These are highly motivated students who already get good grades and put a lot of time into their normal core classes and the other extracurricular activities they do,” Gravagna said.
Throughout the competitions, students support each other through the ups and downs, Gravagna said. Gravagna also keeps his students grounded, reminding them not to take the competitions too seriously.
“We always tell them you’ve put in all the work, just go out there and do the best you can,” Gravagna said.
Full Marie Murphy results: First in Dynamic Planet — Nathan Zitzner and Nathan Hsin; first in Scrambler — Emma Song and Loukya Prabhu; fifth in Ecology — Nathan Hsin and Aaiza Khwaja; fifth in Meteorology — Sera Izenstark and Nathan Hsin; sixth in Entomology — Sera Izenstark and Eli Routsalis; sixth in Tower — Nadiya Kundu and Jaya Vasudevan
The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.
Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.
Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.
On the vessel of their choosing, nearly 60 racers took off from the Park Avenue Boating Beach in Highland Park on Saturday, July 26.
The site is home to the North Shore Yacht Club, which was hosting the sixth annual Beach 2 Beach Paddle Race that included participants from all over the Midwest in various races (5K, 10K, 15K and 1-mile).
The paddleboard and kayak races were part of the Midwest Paddle League Series and scored in accordance with the World Paddle Association rules, according to the yacht club, a nonprofit founded in 1933 and headquartered in Highland Park.
Wilmette Art Fair on Saturday-Sunday
The Wilmette Art Fair returns for its second year on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 2-3, when approximately 100 juried artists will showcase everything from paintings and ceramics to photography and jewelry.
The event will also include live music, on-site painting classes, selfie stations, and activities for children, such as Kids Art Stops, where artists invite children to stop at their booth to learn more about the art-making process.
For the first time this season, mosquitoes caught in Northfield tested positive for West Nile virus, according to a new release from the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District on Friday, July 18.
The mosquito batch was collected on July 16 and tested the next day, July 17, at the organization’s Northfield facility.
According to its surveillance dashboard, the abatement district has trapped West Nile-positive mosquitoes in Wilmette, Winnetka, Skokie, Glenview and several other communities near Northfield.
The risk of human infection remains low, according to the NSMAD, but the organization still recommends that residents practice personal protection measures, such as:
• Using an EPA registered insect repellent, • Wearing loose fitting clothing, and • Avoiding peak mosquito feeding times during the hours around dawn and dusk.
Property owners are also encouraged to eliminate from their properties any items that can hold water, “particularly smaller items that may be easily overlooked.”
West Nile virus is a disease transmitted through mosquito bites that causes fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or rash, according to the CDC. Although it can be asymptomatic, about 1 in every 150 people affected develop a serious illness, which in some cases can be fatal.
The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.
Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.
Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.
An update that village officials are calling a “significant change” is on the way for Wilmette’s highest-profile project this year.
Planning for Wilmette’s multi-million-dollar police station crossed its first formal check-in Tuesday, July 22, reaching a stage in the process where village trustees echoed the design hesitations previously expressed by one of their advisory boards.
Wilmette Appearance Review Commission earlier this month — in its third nonbinding advisory analysis of designs for the village’s police station — detailed multiple objections about the facility’s current site plan, The Record previously reported.
Those concerns included perceptions that the building lacks an aesthetic fit within its neighborhood and the overall community and a hesitation with the design materials used, the structure’s massing and a perceived lack of landscaping.
Wilmette Village Manager Michael Braiman opened the July 22 session by saying project planners will be presenting a “pretty significant change” to the Appearance Review Commission in early August when they showcase updated designs for the large-scale public facility.
Before trustees offered specific feedback, Braiman described the goal of the session as “an interactive dialogue used as a visioning session” with the aim of providing the project’s architectural firm, FGMA, with clear design direction before they return to the Appearance Review Commission.
Trustees quickly reached a consensus in expressing their hopes for the future of the project’s design. The key, nearly every member of the board said, is making the building feel like it is a part of the community.
Trustee Gerry Smith said he was initially struck by the dark, stark appearance of the original design. He challenged planners to take the typical industrial feel of such a building and make it feel as though it’s residential.
Similarly, Trustee Justin Sheperd said that ensuring the new building fits in the neighborhood should be planners top priority, then making it “interesting” should be a subsequent goal.
Village President Senta Plunkett applauded appearance review commissioners for what she described as the noticeable improvements that have already been made. Village trustees, Plunkett said, through their interactions with neighbors and the community, are uniquely positioned to express what they believe “a police station in our community, on Ridge Road, facing Howard Park, should be.”
“Even though this is a new building, the police station has been there for over 65 years so this is something that is familiar to the neighbors and to our community,” she said. “I just think that’s a perspective that we as a board can interject into this process right now.”
Appearance review commissioners are next slated to review the project’s design during their Monday, Aug. 4 meeting. From there, the project is scheduled to return to Wilmette’s Village Board on Aug. 26, Braiman said.
Village staff will look to finalize the station’s site and floor plans as well as sustainability components during that session.
“We understand that we might not be ready to approve the exterior design but we’ll see where our progress is with the ARC and we’ll be sharing updates with the board over the next several weeks,” Braiman said.
Wilmette officials in August plan to issue a formal request for qualifications in an attempt to narrow the list of eligible general contractors that can bid for the project. Rezoning work required for the police station to advance will begin in September, Braiman noted.
Another key goal during September, per Braiman, will be finalizing any exterior planning work by Sept. 9, which is the board’s first meeting of the month. Doing so will give FGMA time to prepare construction schedules and keep in line with the goal of a spring of 2026 groundbreaking.
Tuesday’s meeting marked what planners had previously tabbed as the first of four formal checkpoints for the project. The initial checkpoint was intended to provide an updated cost estimate but officials noted that will need to be tabled until further design work takes place.
The second and third checkpoints will be crossed during the development of construction documents, with officials slated to conduct one each at 50% and 95% completion, as The Record has previously reported. A final checkpoint will come in December of this year or January of next right before the targeted goal of awarding the project’s construction contract.
In late April of this year, Wilmette officials updated the new estimated cost of the project to $50.5 million and said the target approximate size for the facility will be 53,000 square feet.
The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.
Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.
Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.
