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FullScore Chamber Orchestra Announces: Winter Classics Concert and Tribute to former Principal Trumpet.

Northern Lake County has a jewel people are just beginning to hear about. With professionals, advanced students, and community musicians as its players, FullScore Chamber Orchestra carries the torch for live eclectic music in northern Illinois. From annual outdoor events in Zion to accompanying artists at the Genesee in Waukegan, this ensemble is not to be missed. They play everything from Bach to rock and they do it all with tremendous enthusiasm and professionalism.

Under the direction of artistic director Ron Arden, the FCO also plays for hundreds of grade school children every year and boasts that 90% of its members either teach public school music or teach private lessons. This educational thread is paramount to their mission and will be expressed in a wonderful way at a concert in Gurnee on February 25th. In the spectacular St Paul the Apostle Sanctuary in Gurnee at the corner of Gages Lake Rd and Hunt Club, FullScore announces its “Winter Classics” event. The concert is at 7:30pm and tickets are $10 at the door.

The program includes a rousing brass fanfare “La Peri” by Dukas, concerto for alto saxophone by Glazunov, a set of jazz standards, and “Ancient Airs and Dances” by Respighi. Ivan Arden, the director’s son who is a jazz major at NIU, will be the soloist in the Glazunov. This choice is most fitting in a number of ways. Ivan’s high school band director in Zion was Mark Rymer, former principal trumpeter of FullScore who passed away suddenly last Spring at age 34. It was partly Rymer’s influence that affected Ivan to be a jazz major and to attend Rymer’s alma mater – NIU. In addition to the concerto, Ivan will be joined by colleagues and friends of Mark Rymer from all over the region to celebrate a set a jazz standards in his honor. Including music educators and musicians Mark went to school with; these players will join FullScore in announcing two most important missions honoring his legacy. These are the Mark Rymer Music Education Scholarship and the Mark Rymer Endowed Principal Trumpet position. The scholarship will go to Zion high school musicians pursuing music education and the endowment will pay the principal trumpet chair and other creative endeavors the orchestra pursues.

In the heart of Lake County, FullScore Chamber Orchestra celebrates not only the making of great music at such reasonable prices but also the reality that music education is non-negotiable, necessary for all students, and worth every effort to sustain the enrichment of young artists. You can find more information at www.fullscore.org and also call the office at 847-746-3472. This is a not to be missed celebration of the best Lake County has to offer.

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Roger’s Automotive Service, located at 3525 Route 173 in Zion, will be having a special Valentine’s Day discount to brake repairs throughout the month of February and early March. The special will be $20 off any brake repair, expiring March 16, 2012.

Stop in today and get your brakes checked!

The fundraising lock down for the Saturday night of January 28th at Winthrop Harbor’s Schlader Building was a wonderful success!

The idea, conceived of Winthrop Harbor Trustee Kathy Luke, netted just under $3300 in cash and checks, with an additional amount of donated goods that filled 80 ‘Spoiling You’ packages for troops in Afghanistan. Kathy Penich-Garross founded the Sgt. John Penich Memorial, Inc. in honor of her son, 25-year-old Army Sergeant John Penich, who lost his life in Afghanistan in October 2008.

Each standard-sized box is purchased from the P.O. for the special military destination price of $12.95. The lock-down evening began at 8 p.m. on Saturday and was to go until 8 a.m. Sunday morning with volunteer ‘inmates’ to be released on $500 bail from money they had raised from donors or contributed goods.

People came through! All the tables were occupied with non-perishable foods, toiletries, and other hygiene essentials such as razors, toothbrushes and paste, hand warmers, etc. Ramen, cans of Spam, tuna, beef jerky and large rolls of summer sausage, writing implements, paper and blank greeting cards to be sent home by solders were only some of the items that troops are destined to receive.

Once the boxes were filled and the table holding them began sagging under the bounty, the boxes were loaded into a waiting truck and the volunteer jailbirds were given early release, dispersing for home about 11 p.m.– much earlier than expected.

John Penich’s family as well as Trustee Kathy Luke would like to thank all who participated as well as donated either goods or financial support.

Any contributions for this ongoing cause can be written to Sgt. John Penich Memorial, Inc. or/and added to the memorial fund under the same name at First Midwest Bank in Zion. All contributions are 100 percent tax deductible for this non-profit 5010C-3 non-profit charity.

Current aspirations are to make this an annual event, but future ones will probably be held in the summer.

Marine Larry Gene Bailey relaxes in his home with his parents Larry Gene Bailey I and Mary Bailey.

Patriot Guard Steve Friedlander is among the many who welcome Lance Corporal Bailey home.

He has since been brought to a Chicago Bulls game where he had the pleasure of being brought down on the playing field where a cheering crowd honored him. He also thrilled to witness the Bulls defeat the Charlotte Bobcats.

Things for Lance Corporal Bailey are a lot different since he last left his Zion home in April of 2011.

Dad and friend Albert Farmer prepare to give Larry a ride into the house, which he declines.

Bethesda supplies individual apartments equipped with special amenities to accommodate rehabbing soldiers. Bailey’s mother and father, himself a 30-year retired Navy vet, take turns flying to Bethesda to live with him in his apartment as non-medical assistants.

Marine Veteran Representative Robert Perose welcomes Bailey home after his long journey.

His physical changes have been no detriment to his dauntless spirit unless it has been to make him even more determined.

His plans for returning home include college to study sociology and psychology.

Mr. McKinney, a star basketball player at Zion-Benton Township High School, played college basketball at Northwestern University before entering the NBA. He has been a part of the NBA for 30+ years, establishing himself as one of the most experienced and versatile executives in the NBA. He presently serves as the Director of Scouting for the Milwaukee Bucks and has a great story to tell of his journey to success in the NBA.

The Boys & Girls Club of Lake County/Zion-Benton is very pleased to have Billy as our speaker this year. His success is an example of the perseverance and determination that our children should strive toward. The club, which meets on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week, trains school aged boys and girls to strive to be successful in life through: after school tutoring, mentoring, leadership development, technology training, arts and crafts, gym time, snack time, and much, much, more. We have three priority outcomes areas for our kids: academic success, good character & citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. Please plan on attending this event to support the boys and girls from the Zion-Benton area.

By: Sandy Dickson

If you saw a blue sky with about 175 yellow, blue and white balloons floating upward on Sunday a little before 11 a.m on January 8, it was for a good cause.

The balloons were released from Davis Park, just east of ZBTHS high school in tribute to Bernard Everitt, a high school senior who died suddenly Tuesday, January 3 of cardiac arrest. As of January 10, the results of an autopsy were still pending.

High school classmates were shocked and wanted to do something to memorialize their popular friend. So Rachel Murphy, Shannon McKennie, Tori Shelton and Jalen Torres decided a fitting tribute would be to have his classmates release helium-filled balloons in his honor from the football field of the high school.

Plans were soon changed to the park adjoining the high school field when the student organizers realized the ZBTHS teachers who might want to participate, could not cross the picket lines because of the simultaneous teachers’ strike.

Sunday morning, the students gathered in the Davis Park parking lot and purchased balloons for $2 apiece with the money after the cost of the balloons going to Bernard’s sister, who is his guardian in the absence of his deceased parents. Each also had the option of hand writing a personal note to Bernard to be attached to the balloon, as well as signing a larger card that would be given to his sister with the funds collected.

The students also plan to sell tee shirts on his behalf as part of the fund raiser. His wrestling team also plans on selling different tee shirts to raise money for his sister.

Teachers and students alike all had positive comments about him, such as his extraordinarily beautiful smile, but especially about his wonderful and quick wit that kept anyone in his presence laughing and enjoying his company.

His was a bright and prosperous future for a life cut expectedly and too soon short!

Photo Courtesy of ZBTHS.org

The teachers and staff of ZBTHS have been without a contract for nearly a year, and negotiations between the teacher’s union and Board of Education have been taking place since April of 2011. The primary concerns: a change in the pay scale to reflect new Illinois law that teachers must be 67 to retire, and the cost of health insurance.

With meetings lasting nearly 17 hours per meeting, the teacher’s union and the Board of Education have reached a tentative agreement and have been ratified by Union members.

With the days missed due to the strike, the school board has scheduled January 16, February 20, March 5, and April 6 as make up days. Finals have also been rescheduled for January 18, 19, and 20.

More information regarding the new contract will be posted as soon as it becomes available to the public. Please visit GoFLO.com/forums for more information and to view the new contract when it becomes available.

For more than 90 years, Kiwanis has been helping children and communities, and we believe that now is the time to lead, to offer people an opportunity to help others. We believe that now, more than ever, is the time for Kiwanis, and we invite and encourage people to join us, to be part of a global service organization where one person—you—can make the difference.

Kiwanis has numerous opportunities for you to get involved, and provides numerous benefits to members—friendship, fellowship, business networking—in addition to the service Kiwanis provides to children and the Zion-Benton community.

We need your hands and your hearts to help those who cannot always help themselves. The more hands, the more children we can help. Some of the programs sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Zion-Benton are: ACE Hardware-Children’s Miracle Network, Beach Park Youth, Scout Troop 663, Boys and Girls Club of Lake County, Dolphin Swim Team, Family Resource Center of Zion, Food Pantries, Great Lakes Adaptive Sports, Love, INC., Spinoza Bear, ZBTHS Scholarships and more!

The Kiwanis Club of Zion-Benton meets on Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. at El Lago Mexican Restaurant in Zion. All are invited to come and see what the club is all about. If you are interested in joining but can’t make a breakfast meeting, let us know! We are planning an alternate monthly meeting time and have a survey posted at www.zbkiwanis.org.

Join Kiwanis as we work to change the world for the better, one child and one community at a time. Please do it today. The children cannot wait.

From what seemed to be at least the most popular spoken consensus at a community forum called on Sunday January 8 for that evening, the general conclusion voiced was that the Zion-Benton Township High School teachers were being told by concerned parents and citizens that one can’t get blood out of a turnip.

Only residents of areas served by Zion-Benton Township High School were invited and had to show proof of living address at the door to gain entrance.

Cheri Ditzig, Zion-Benton Township Supervisor and Chris Szymanski, webmaster and owner and creator of GoFlo.com and ZBguide.com, both of whom hosted the event, were concerned about the issue enough to realize that a forum needed created whereby citizens could address their concerns on the high school strike issue. Word spread fast throughout the community by word-of-mouth and flyers for the Zion Market Square location to be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Sunday. When the event began, there was standing room only.

School Board attorney Tony Ficarelli told the attendees: “The Labor Relations Board’s last, best and final offer can be seen at the ILRB website. The teams mediated at the end of December in a meeting that started Wednesday at 3 p.m. and didn’t finish until 5 a.m. Thursday morning. They are the hardest working people I have ever seen and they are very dedicated.

”Both sides are trying to reach an agreement. Friday both parties resumed at North Point Marina regarding salary and insurance benefits, terms and conditions of working. That meeting lasted from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Both teams are working hard trying to get an agreement and both parties are extremely professional and cognizant of how it affects community and students, but the current contract, the School Board cannot sustain.”

Ficarelli said the Board of Education and the administrators are committed to resolving this by arriving at a fair and equitable agreement that satisfies both sides. The other objective is to keep with financial constraints and preserve the quality of the high school. He assured that the Board of Education is aware of how important it is to take tests and that there will b a test week along with sufficient prep time.

Emceeing the event was Jerry Boothe, popular radio announcer on WKRS 1220 am. Local citizens were instructed to line up in groups of ten, to voice their concerns. As each took the microphone, they were given two minutes to finish their thoughts so that all could express their sentiments on the issue. Some of the comments are below:

“My son’s a junior and he’s really upset. The teachers gave him homework and I gold him not to do it. Let him do it when the teachers get back. Why should he work when they’re not?”

“I’m a bus driver and the kids are sad. On the last bus, the kids were really quiet.”

“It shouldn’t be happening. What happens to our 2,800 students who won’t be graduating? We’ve also got kids going into the service. It’s all talk about money, but no one’s talking about the students.”

“It’s a big mess. I think it’s more personal with the personalities than the issue.”

“I have three grandchildren at Zion. By them not being in school they are missing out.on a lot. They need quality education and I’m concerned. We need to hear from the union about why no compromise. It’s not a fair playing field.”

“Zion has the highest taxes in Lake County. Money also goes to pensions and Lake County. Fifty percent of teachers don’t even live in Zion. The more we throw at schools, the worse it gets.”

“Staff and teachers are wonderful, but the 2010 figures are that the staff makes over $120,000 a year. The information is on www.golfo.com”

“As a taxpayer, I cannot afford it anymore. Teachers, I understand your problem, but–no longer on the backs of the taxpayers.”

“It should be income frozen, pensions frozen.”

“If we don’t pay current teachers more, we’re going to lose new teachers. We have to have a balance of power.”

“With a $64,840 median income of this community, it’s a $7,300 difference between that and the $84,886 compensation package. School board—hang tough!”

“As an employee, I don’t understand why we’re not working and negotiations aren’t resolving anything.”

“This is a bigger problem than we’re looking at. If you’re fed up about taxes and board of education, vote. Get involved. If there’s no money, there’s not a lot that can be done about it.”

“The board is currently offered at a 10% raise. How about offering a decrease?”

“The average increase of teachers is roughly 8% a year.”

“We’re in some of the worst time’s we’ve ever seen. School board—do your thing!”

“We don’t print money here. If we’re going to continually give raises, where’s the report card for the teachers?”

“It’s not about the money, but the kids. If these teachers can’t do this for the kids, they need to get another profession.”

“This is a clear example of needing people to get involved. Rules for teachers and union are not the same and that’s created by state legislature.”

“Teachers need to give somewhere, because if they can’t afford to pay the teachers, they’re going to lose teachers.”

“I’m a bus driver. We took a pay cut to keep our jobs. Twenty out of 300 teachers live in this community. Only on e teacher is in the library teaching kids.”

“Why didn’t we get these negotiations done before school? The neighborhoods are getting more empty. House rates are going down. Something has to give.”

”With our teachers quitting on us, what is that teaching us?”

“I love our teachers, but I just can’t afford them. We stand behind teachers, but also stand be4hind our board and say enough is enough!”

“I work at the high school so of course when it’s closed, I don’t get a paycheck.”

“The rank and file are being lied to by the union. Teachers, I respect you, but it’s your job to get back in the classroom.”

“We’ve got such a nice school…but why don’t we keep jobs in our community instead of hiring outside of it?”

(Students)
Colleges I’m applying to want me to send copies of transcripts now. We can’t walk into the college process as it is, and there’s no way for us to move forward.”

“If we don’t take our finals now, we’re screwed up for the rest of our lives.”

Items should be brought to the Zion Public Works Facility between 9:00 AM and 12:00 noon on the first and third Saturday of the month (closed on holidays).

The Public Works Facility is located at 3220 27th Street (two blocks west of Lewis Ave) Enter through the 2nd (west) gate and follow signs/direction to the drop-off site.

Illinois state law provides for fines of up to $50 for placing items listed below in the trash. The Zion Municipal Code provides for fines of up $750 for dumping items along roadways, in alleys, etc.

The following is a list of items that are accepted and not accepted at our electronic collection. Items that are prohibited by State law from being disposed in the trash are underlined.

ACCEPTED ITEMS:
Televisions, Monitors, Printers, Computers (including tablet computers), Electronic Keyboards, Facsimile Machines, Videocassette Recorders, Portable Digital Music Players, Digital Video Disc Players, Video Game Consoles, Small Scale Servers, Scanners, Electronic Mice, Digital Converter Boxes, Cable Receivers, Satellite Receivers, Digital Video Disc Recorders, Computer Drives, Modems, Mainframes, PDA Organizers, Telephones, Stereos, CD Players, Cameras, Shredders, Small Household Appliances, Holiday Lights, Microwave Ovens, Alkaline Batteries, Non Rechargeable and Rechargeable Batteries.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT BATTERIES:
Alkaline batteries, non rechargeable and rechargeable batteries will only be accepted from individual residents

Common household batteries that are accepted include:
- Alkaline Batteries: AA, AAA, C, D and 9V
- Long Life Non-Rechargeable Batteries: Lithium, Zinc-air, Silver-oxide (common button cell batteries)
- Rechargeable Batteries: Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh), Lithium Ion (Li-ion), Small Sealed Lead Acid

To avoid the risk of cross contact of battery terminals that can result in sparking and possible fire; residents must place a piece of household type tape over the contact points on each rechargeable battery or place each rechargeable battery into a self-locking plastic baggie (one rechargeable battery per bag).

HOLIDAY LIGHTS:
All electronics collection locations accept holiday lights year round. Light bulbs may remain on the strings. We do not collect decorative items such as wreaths, lawn figurines, trees, etc. that have strings of lights attached.

Items NOT Accepted:
Broken Glass, Air Conditioners, Dehumidifiers, Large Household Appliances, Lead Acid Batteries, Electric Fixtures, Fluorescent Light Bulbs, Compact Disks, Software Disks, Tapes, Liquid or Chemical Waste, and Packaging Materials.

For information on the City of Zion collection facility, contact the Public Works Department at 847-746-4060

If you have questions regarding recycling or disposal of other items not found on this page, please contact the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) at 847.336.9340 or visit www.swalco.org