Issues
Ready for the Big Time
York grad Reiff prepares to shake down the thunder with Notre Dame By Jeff Vorva Joseph Reiff V had been to college football games before. His father, Joseph IV, played football for Northwestern, so the two had taken in some games in Evanston over the years. But THIS? Joseph V went to a Notre Dame…
Read MoreIt Takes a Village
For support and connection in the early parenting years, look no further than the Elmhurst Area Moms group By Valerie Hardy | Photos courtesy of Elmhurst Area Moms Meghan Kastenholz was 37 weeks pregnant when she moved to Elmhurst in 2022. She didn’t know a single person in her new hometown besides her husband, but…
Read MoreThe Community’s Cornerstone
Stone, storms, and the family legacy that shaped Elmhurst By Anna Hughes The 8,300-acre quarry that sits just south of North Ave. on Route 83 stands out against the surrounding suburban landscape. Although rarely open to the public, the historic Elmhurst Quarry has served the area for decades as the largest flood control facility in…
Read More‘Side Thing’ Now a Main Thing
By Jeff Vorva Timothy Christian graduate Samantha Drye took soccer and basketball seriously. Those were the sports she spent a lot of time and energy working on, playing with various club and travel teams. The three-sport athlete also played tennis for the Trojans, and she called it “a side thing.” But now, it’s her main…
Read MoreWish Granted
Reaching out a second time helps Schroder make it to Harvard By Jeff Vorva First, Grant Schroder was denied. But then things changed. The Downers Grove North track and cross country star is heading to Harvard in the fall. However, the process of getting there was not easy. After the high school cross country season,…
Read MoreMission Accomplished
After scouring the Midwest, Molinari finds her school By Jeff Vorva Ashley Molinari went on a fact-finding mission all over the Midwest to find a perfect college/soccer fit for her. Some of the stops the Downers Grove South defender made were Iowa, Northwestern, Indiana, Nebraska, and Illinois, among others. These weren’t just get-to-see-the-campus meetings. These…
Read MoreMenus with a Mission
At one of Dave Sloan’s restaurants, every meal means more By Anna Hughes Every morning, Elmhurst native Dave Sloan wakes up with the same goal: to make other people happy. To him, that’s the essence of the restaurant industry—where he’s spent the past 15 years building a name and a mission. “I found my passion…
Read MoreA Taste of Home
Hinsdale resident gives more than just the gift of good food By Anna Hughes Fresh, natural food: That’s what Andy Koziarski noticed was missing from American grocery shelves. When he first immigrated to the United States from Poland in 1994, the Hinsdale resident was surprised to see that the ingredient lists on packaged foods were…
Read MoreLife Under the Golden Arches
JJC Family Restaurants owns and operates 19 area McDonald’s locations By Maureen Callahan “One in eight Americans have worked at McDonald’s. You might see the golden arches and think, ‘big, global corporation,’ but it’s us behind it,” said West suburban businessman, John Carnagio. “All across the world, these [individual McDonald’s restaurants] are family businesses.” You…
Read MoreHinsdale’s Healing Home
Wellness House has supported cancer wellness and holistic healing for 35 years By Anna Hughes For the last 15 years, Elaine Adams has been volunteering at Wellness House in Hinsdale. On Wednesdays, she works the front desk. On Mondays and Thursdays, she helps women experiencing hair loss from cancer treatment find the right wig. Each…
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