For the second consecutive year, township officials have announced they will sign the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge from the National Wildlife Federation through a formal vote at the May Township Board of Trustees meeting.

Through this program, local governments state they will take on three initiatives to preserve the dwindling numbers of monarch butterflies.

“Townships, including New Trier, historically worked to prevent the growth of ‘noxious weeds,’ which likely had detrimental impacts on butterfly and other insect populations,” said New Trier Township Supervisor Gail Schnitzer Eisenberg. “I am glad that our township is now taking steps to encourage our beautiful native plants thrive.”

Specifically, the township plans to issue a proclamation detailing the declining numbers of the butterfly and its need for habitat, according to township spokeswoman Melanie Berman.

The township will help by supporting a native seed or plant sale, giveaway or swap and assist in a milkweed seed collections or propagation efforts. In 2023, the township both hosted and promoted an art sale detailing the need for conservation efforts.

“Cities, towns and counties play a pivotal role in advancing monarch butterfly conservation in urban and suburban areas,” noted Patrick Fitzgerald, senior director of community wildlife at the National Wildlife Federation, in the statement. “By working together, we can ensure that every American child has a chance to experience majestic monarchs in their communities.”

According to the National Wildlife Federation, the monarch butterflies population reached nearly 1 billion about 30 years ago. The organization reports those numbers have significantly decreased due to urban development, modern agricultural practices and cropland conversion.

The pledge requests communities to choose from a selection of 30 actions to preserve the butterfly.

Glencoe resident Betsy Leibson, the co-founder of the Friends of the Green Bay Trail, has spoken frequently of the need for preservation efforts.

“It’s great news that other people are concerned about the decline of the monarch butterfly,” Leibson said. “The monarch is the canary in the coal mine. It is raising awareness about many other animals that are endangered and threatened by the same issues that are threatening the monarch.”

Other local communities taking the pledge include Wilmette, Winnetka and Evanston.

Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.

Myles Mendoza was elected last month to the Glencoe Caucus School Board Nominating Committee, representing the village’s first precinct. He will be one of the four members from the first precinct and one of 17 overall committee members.

He has experience in the education field owing to his work as president at the non-profit Empower Illinois, which helps provide private school scholarship opportunities to low-income families

“The goal for me is to introduce diverse perspectives into the slating of candidates who will run for school board,” Mendoza said in an interview. “The idea that great minds think alike is actually wrong. Great minds think differently and the more diverse perspectives we get, the better candidates we will end up getting and the better education our kids will wind up receiving.”

The Glencoe Caucus is split between the Village Board Nominating Committee, which vets candidates for the Village Board, Park District Board of Commissioners and the Library Board; and the School Board Nominating Committee, which analyzes and eventually selects candidates for the Glencoe 35 School Board.

Mendoza’s election to the caucus follows his appearances at some village meetings during which he said DEI efforts lead to antisemitism in the greater community.

“While I understand the intentions behind DEI programs are to foster inclusivity and understanding, I know that the unintended consequences are that these initiatives foster antisemitism,” he wrote in a letter earlier this year to village officials. “Across various platforms and instances, well-intentioned DEI efforts have inadvertently led to situations where antisemitism has been either overlooked, normalized, or worse — quietly promoted. This is not only alarming but goes against the very ethos of inclusivity and equity these programs aim to promote.”

Mendoza appeared at several village meetings using the public comment time to discuss his views. He also sent several like-minded letters to Glencoe officials.

The issue reached a new level of tension at the May meeting of the Glencoe Council for Inclusion and Community. Mendoza was asked to stop his remarks after exceeding the three-minute time limit for public comment, according to meeting minutes. People who attended the meeting said harsh words were then exchanged between the committee members and Mendoza.

After the meeting, Mendoza wrote a letter to Village President Howard Roin labeling the experience as “regrettable” and listing a series of incidents where he attempted to connect some recent incidents to overall DEI initiatives.

“I have attended and participated in meetings civilly for over three years. However, it seems that my civil contributions and those of others sharing similar perspectives have been consistently dismissed,” Mendoza wrote in a letter obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Roin then responded to Mendoza’s critiques in two separate letters.

“You say that your attacks on the village for promoting anti-semitism have been ‘communicated civilly.’” wrote Roin, who is Jewish. “However, there is nothing ‘civil’ about making baseless charges of anti-semitism. If the village really did something anti-semitic, please tell me so we can fix it and make sure it does not happen again. But unless you have something real to report, I respectfully request that you stop smearing the village and its volunteers with groundless charges of anti-semitism.”

Glencoe Caucus Advisory Council Chairman Andre Lerman said he was indirectly aware of some of the heated rhetoric between the Mendoza and the village, but he expresses confidence the existing caucus procedures will not lead to greater problems.

“What we tell everyone is to check your partisan beliefs at the door and come in with an open mind thinking about what is best for the community and in this case, what is best for District 35,” Lerman said. “Within the caucus process there is no room for personal attacks. It is strictly to meet and understand what the needs are at District 35 and to respond to that.”

Now that he is on the nominating committee, Mendoza said he hopes to broaden transparency at the schools, both financially and within DEI efforts.

Mendoza did not specify which residents he wanted to run for school board, but hopes people with similar perspectives seek election to the body that presides over the village’s three schools.

“There are 150 parents in the Jewish community who are concerned that DEI has led to anti-semitism. To me, those are the hopeful candidates in Glencoe,” he said. “They are coming from probably the left side of the aisle but their awareness of DEI leading to anti-semitism has given them a sense of balance. Their own diverse viewpoint will help the schools (become) better.”

Mendoza’s election to the nominating committee occurred as he applied for one of the two open slots on the committee representing the first precinct. No one else chose to run, according to Lerman. However, after the deadline application passed, fellow resident Jim Thompson staged a write-in campaign and was elected to the nominating committee.

Residents have until September 15 to apply for consideration by the caucus. Candidates receiving the support of the Glencoe Caucus often run unopposed in the municipal elections.

There are four seats up for election in 2025 on the seven-member District 35 board. Incumbent Enna Allen told Pioneer Press she plans to apply to the caucus for another term. Board President Kelly Glauberman along with Board Members Marc Gale and Joshua Markus said they haven’t decided whether they will seek another four year term.

A general membership vote on the entire caucus slate is expected at a town hall meeting in December.

Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.

The city is examining whether to move its police headquarters from its longtime home at 255 Deerpath Road to a building in the Conway Park office complex on Lake Forest’s west side.

In April, the City Council unanimously approved a purchase and sale agreement for a three-story building at 1925 Field Court, providing the city the option to eventually move the police into the building if that is deemed as the best option.

City Manager Jason Wicha said at the June 3 council meeting, several contracts have been awarded with private firms to investigate a possible move including facility conditions, space needs and environmental assessments.

Wicha said all of the reports are expected to be completed soon and he expects the information will be analyzed at a July 1 council workshop. At that meeting, the elected officials and staff will also engage in preliminary construction financing options.

Wicha added that a decision whether to move forward on the sale of the property could be made at the July 15 council meeting.

The examination whether to move the department comes as Lake Forest is looking for a new police chief.

City spokeswoman Dana Olson wrote in an e-mail that candidate interviews are set to occur in July leading to a selection likely to be announced in early August.

The city is looking for a new leader of its police department after the retirement of Karl Walldorf earlier this year. Michael Lange has been serving as interim chief.

In a separate issue, the city is also working on an update of its strategic plan, and has held four community engagement sessions since April as part of the process.

Wicha believed a draft strategic plan will be formally presented to the council in August, and he anticipates the final draft of the plan will be up for approval at the September meeting.

Lake Forest Hospital update

At the June 3 meeting, Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital President Seamus Collins and Chief Medical Officer Jeffrey Kopin offered a snapshot of the progress of its latest expansion effort.

This project is scheduled to include construction of two incremental inpatient pavilions with the goal of greatly expanding capacity, a relocation and expansion of the emergency room and increasing licensed critical care beds from 12 to 24.

“It will provide incremental capacity for growth on our procedural platform that will allow us to bring higher complexity and acuity services to the community,” Collins said.

Collins added a four-story parking garage with a 900-vehicle capacity opened in February.

Collins said 65% of the campus will remain green space, and the project is scheduled to be completed in 2026.

Northwestern Medicine opened the $399 million building in March 2018. Collins was named LFH president in April following the retirement of his predecessor, Marsha Oberrieder.

Preservation awards

Lake Forest Preservation Foundation Executive Director Marcy Kerr announced 10 city properties have received the organization’s annual preservation awards tied into categories of preservation, rehabilitation, heritage and infill.

Kerr made the announcement as she is scheduled to retire at the end of June after 17 years.

“It’s been a wonderful job, it’s a wonderful community,” she said. “I feel so lucky to be involved in all the things we have preserved, and the education we have helped in the community.”

Kerr said after the meeting the LFPF board has hired Jennifer McGregor as her successor. McGregor is a Lake Forest High School graduate and executive in the architectural world. She is an officer with the Lake Forest Caucus.

With the team preparing for the 2024 season, the Bears have announced their practice schedule, with the first open practice session scheduled for July 26 at their Halas Hall headquarters in Lake Forest. The subsequent open practice dates will be July 27 and 30, and Aug. 4, 6, 7, 13 and 14. The final open session will be Aug. 15 in a joint practice with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Specific times will be announced later, according to a team spokesman, who cautioned the times and dates of individual sessions can be changed with little notice.

In 2023, attendance ranged between 1,300-1,700 people during every public training camp session, according to the team. However, while intense interest is expected this year due to the presence of Williams, the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft, capacity will remain limited to 1,700 people per session.

“We’re not increasing, as we want to provide a comfortable environment for fans to truly enjoy the experience,” the team spokesman wrote in an e-mail.

In a continuation of past procedures, parking will once again be available at Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills. Visitors will have to present a mobile ticket at the parking lot and then board a shuttle bus which will bring them to Halas Hall.

Ride-sharing or guest drop-off will not be permitted at Halas Hall and tailgating will not be allowed at Hawthorn Mall, the team said.

Tickets are free and will be available through ticketmaster.com starting on July 9. Requests can be for up to four tickets. Mobile tickets are required for everyone except children 32 inches or less who will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Beyond watching practice, other scheduled events include children-friendly activities, virtual-reality opportunities and autograph sessions with former players.

Some current players will be available after practices to sign autographs for a limited time in sessions for both the general public and after children-only sessions.

The Bears moved training camp to Lake Forest ahead of the 2020 season. While the 2020 camp was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been open to the public since 2021.

Lake Forest Community Development Director Catherine Czerniak said the city is in constant communication with the team and the businesses in the Conway Park office complex about the operation and expects a similar approach to previous seasons.

“We are very pleased with how smooth, and how it has brought people into Conway Park and everyone seems to enjoy it,” Czerniak said. “We want to build on the success of the previous years.”

Training camp will have a new twist this year as for the first time, the Bears will be the focus of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” program.

In October 2020, the Glencoe Village Board approved a development agreement for the property to build 29 single-family houses now formally titled the Forest Edge Subdivision. However, the building process never started on the acre-plus tract of land at 1800 Green Bay Road and is now under contract to be sold to an organization titled Estates of Glencoe LLC.

Simon Berger, the LLC’s principal, confirmed the transaction is under contract, but it has yet to be finalized.

But that could change soon, Berger noted.

“If we do move forward with the project, we will start moving dirt no later than July 15th,” Berger said.

Berger said he would release additional details on the developer’s plans for the property if and when the sale closes.

With the Estates of Glencoe LLC on the verge of taking over, the current developer, Glencoe Developers, LLC and the property owner, Hoover Owner, LLC, are moving on.

“We couldn’t build what we wanted to build, we decided to sell it,” developer Arthur Goldner said. “There are a lot of things that happen in this world that prevent you from doing what you want to do. We are fine with the way this happened.”

The would-be transaction represents the latest chapter in lengthy village drama going back several years when members of the Hoover family, popularly known for their eponymous vacuum cleaners, put the estate up for sale. To accommodate the envisioned houses, the existing manor house, couch house and stables were razed.

The village board approved the final plat of subdivision and development agreement in October 2020, after a series of meetings with some neighbors of the property expressing stormwater management concerns.

Development stalled for years but village officials are hopeful that will soon change.

“It was disappointing that it stopped but it is starting again,” Village President Howard Roin said. “This appears to be real and we have every reason to believe they will start infrastructure work this summer. It’s never over until its over but the new buyers appear to be very serious.”

On May 17, Village Board trustees approved two amendments to the existing development agreements as part of the anticipated sale of the property.

Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.

David M. Stein, 75, of Glencoe died Sunday after public safety personnel responded to a report of an unresponsive person in a pool early Sunday afternoon at a home on the 300 block of Old Green Bay Road, according to Deputy Chief Andrew Perley.

Officers administered live-saving techniques at the scene, Perley added. Stein was then transported to Highland Park Hospital, where he died.

The village initially classified the death as a drowning, but it was later determined to be a heart-related event, Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Stephen Newton said.

Newton added Stein was in cardiac arrhythmia when the paramedics arrived.

Stein was married to his wife for 53 years and they had two children and four grandchildren, according to an online obituary.

Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.

Like so many others, she woke up on that July 4 morning anticipating a fun-filled day of watching the parade with her family. However, a gunman opened fire on the festivities killing seven and injuring dozens more, including Turnipseed.

She was transported to Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital with pelvis and leg wounds. Her organs and bones were not directly hit, but there was nerve and tissue damage. In addition, she had a 14-centimeter wound on the back of her leg, leading to severe pain. Doctors did not remove the shrapnel believing that would be too risky.

As the months after the shooting passed, there were multiple stays in the hospital for Turnipseed, but she said her physical pain and mental anguish continued.

“When you are in chronic pain, it wears you down,” she said. “I tried to remain hopeful and focused, as I had a full-time job, so I am trying to manage through all of that. But, there were absolutely days I was frustrated, and there was always anger because something happened to me that never should have happened to me.”

The constant burning and shooting pain in her pelvis made simple walks outside or playing with her daughter challenging, if not impossible. Turnipseed’s doctors eventually suggested she visit Dr. Jason Ross, an anesthesiologist and pain-management specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Ross used injections and medications that provided short-term relief, but long-term problems remained. He then recommended a dorsal root ganglion stimulator, or DRG.

“We were getting to the point that some of the more conservative options were exhausted, and I thought the DRG option was a reasonable option for her,” he said.

The DRG procedure — which has been around for about 10 years — comes in two parts, where doctors insert a stimulator focusing on the dorsal root ganglion nerves that serve the pelvis region, Ross said. After surgery, patients can use a held-hand held iPod, or an iPhone app, to change the stimulation settings within prescribed limits.

Turnipseed did some online research and opted to have the surgery in November. Her situation improved immediately, and said she continues to make progress in the months since.

“If I am having a day where I have increased pain or something going on, I can go into the app, and pick the part of my body where I am having issues and turn up the intensity of the device,” she said.

DRG represents an evolution in spinal cord stimulation that, in general, has been around for about six decades, but was not always effective for certain types of pain, including in the pelvis.

“It is very effective in the correct type of person,” Ross said.

While it is unclear how often DRG is used, Ross said about 50,000 spinal cord stimulators are implanted each year.

Ross stressed that DRG is not for everyone, and it isn’t the first option he would recommend for someone with a painful condition.

“A lot of times, you should exhaust more conservative management before you consider a surgical intervention,” he said.

He said DRG is covered under certain health insurance plans, but it depends on a patient’s diagnosis.

“Sometimes that is the most complicated part,” Ross said. “I wish these were available for everyone, but unfortunately that is the world we live in and it can be a challenging environment to navigate.”

As for Turnipseed, she is still taking a high dose of a nerve-pain medication with serious side effects. If the pain continues to ease, she hopes to lower the dosage.

She can walk more now, including taking out the family dogs or getting to an airport gate within a reasonable distance of the entrance. However, there is still a ways to go.

“I’ve made a ton of progress,” Turnipseed said. “I’m infinitely better than where I was, but I still have pain. I can wake up the next day and feel pretty good, but before DRG, that wasn’t the case.”

She is grateful for that initial suggestion to meet Ross.

“I’m glad I have a doctor who is innovative, and willing to work with me and helping me get better,” she said.

Ross said, “Being able to restore some normalcy to her life is honestly one of the best successes of my career.”

The officer slate proposed by the Lake Forest Caucus Committee received 1,042 yes votes, with 375 against, according to results provided by the caucus. This outcome sharply contrasted with the first election in April, when essentially the slate was voted down 132-125.

Following the April election, the caucus leadership initially said it was going to proceed with the slate despite the general membership vote. After a group of residents threatened litigation, the leadership then opted to hold a special election.

With the approval in the election, Joe Oriti, who had been a caucus vice president, will move up to a one-year term as president.

“I am excited to continue the great work for the caucus,” he said in an interview.

Oriti said he was not surprised by the much larger number of voters in Thursday’s election held at the Gorton Community Center, compared to April’s election.

“We did a lot of effort to increase engagement to get people to turn out,” he said. “I expected 1,000 people to turn out and vote, so we exceeded that by roughly 40%. Despite the large differential, it was a victory for the whole community.”

The special election was the latest in a series of unusual events for the caucus, which vets residents interested in serving on various city boards and commissions. Candidates with caucus support for public office such as mayor, City Council or school board, often run unopposed in the municipal elections.

In November 2022, the general membership did not approve the Caucus Committee endorsement of Stanford “Randy” Tack for mayor. However, the caucus moved to proceed with the endorsement and he was elected last year, but after a contested election.

Last November, the Caucus Committee proposed removing the general membership acceptance vote out of the process, but members voted down that idea.

Then in April, the officer slate was rejected, leading to the second vote.

Before voting started, Oriti sent out a community e-mail saying he had heard the anger and frustrations of community members and promised changes were ahead for the organization.

“The best thing for the community going forward would be to address the current bylaws and either amend or rewrite a new charter,” he wrote.

Oriti added in the interview he wants to have an improved process and guidance to operate the caucus, which has been part of Lake Forest since 1935.

“It needs to happen sooner rather than later so that we can operate and avoid what has happened and eliminate any anger, frustration in the community, and strive the operations continue and they are carried out to fulfill the mission,” he said. “The vast majority (of residents) like the caucus and want to see it succeed.”

Oriti said he wants to talk with different community members to establish trust in the caucus process and assist with any process improvements.

John Trkla, the co-founder of Lake Forest For Transparency, an advocacy group created amid all the recent controversy, acknowledged Oriti’s pledge to make some changes.

“I am very pleased with Joe Oriti’s commitment to restore our caucus bylaws … and to address the bylaw on what to do in the case of no vote,” he said.

At Gorton, some residents spoke of their reasons for their votes on the slate.

“I like to keep our town the way it is,” Carl Middelgge said. “The caucus does a good job of vetting candidates to keep the character of Lake Forest.”

Gordon Lamphere said he was another yes vote.

“I think the caucus does a good job of keeping our politics nonpartisan, and there is too much partisanship in life in America,” he added.

One person who said she voted against the slate was Kari Arouca.

“I don’t think the caucus has the best interest of the community with the leaders at the top of the slate,” she said. “That is based upon their track record and ignoring community votes.”

Besides Oriti, the other newly elected officers include Regina Etherton as vice president, Fred Brewer as treasurer, Dale Tauke as secretary, Jennifer McGregor in fundraising, with Armando Guzman and Mark Pickett in communication positions.

Oriti said a meeting would soon be scheduled for the officers to formally start their new roles.

“The little kid in me always gets a kick out of these things because there are so many parts,” Loughran said. “I get all geeked up over it.”

On that Thursday afternoon, Harris arrived in Glencoe as she went to a Sheridan Road home for a political fundraiser. Her appearance culminated days of planning for Loughran in combination with a series of other law enforcement agencies.

“It was very impressive how everyone stepped to it,” he said. “There is no way we could have pulled that off without that mutual assistance.”

Loughran said his department started getting general indications about three weeks in advance that Harris might be coming to Glencoe for a quick visit. Then on May 8, the department received a formal request for enhanced support for the visit from the U.S. Secret Service. While they provided generalities of the trip, the specific routes she would be going on were still unclear as plans had yet to be finalized.

“There was only so much you can prepare for at that point,” he recalled.

While Loughran had to deal with some unknowns, he had nearly 30 of years of experience to rely on. Prior to his hiring in Glencoe last October, Loughran worked for the Chicago Police rising through the ranks and finishing up as deputy chief where he oversaw security for large events.

With word of the Harris visit, Loughran soon contacted with his former colleagues.

“I felt like it was very beneficial to Glencoe because there wasn’t as steep as a learning curve,” he said. “It was very good that I was where I was in Chicago because I had direct knowledge of all their capabilities and I knew what to expect and what to ask for.”

Loughran was tasked with overseeing the law enforcement effort for what village officials believe is the first visit to Glencoe by either a sitting president or vice president since 1978 when President Jimmy Carter attended a fundraiser at the one time FCC Commissioner Newton Minow’s house for local Congressman Abner Mikva.

Working directly with the U.S. Secret Service, Chicago Police and the Illinois State Police, Loughran spearheaded an effort that included a meeting of roughly 100 people at the Glencoe Park District’s Takiff Center including some public works employees ahead of the event.

Finally, on May 12, he received final confirmation that Harris was coming and he enlisted the assistance of other agencies of many different law enforcement agencies including neighboring communities of Northbrook, Highland Park, Winnetka and as far away as Berwyn.

“It was a tremendous show of support from every agency within sight and sound of Glencoe,” Loughran said. “Everybody really gave what they could.”

After Harris stopped off in Milwaukee earlier that day, she flew down to O’ Hare Airport and took the lengthy route to Glencoe with Lake-Cook Road as the main entry into the village.

With North Shore Congregation Israel and Lake Shore Country Club utilized as staging areas, there were at one point 250 officers in the area.

Loughran said police were prepared for the presence of protesters but that did not materialize. The only problems he encountered were related to traffic disruptions for local residents. He expressed regret about that but added couldn’t reveal the routes for the Harris entourage.

Village President Howard Roin offered a similar sentiment.

“We were pleased to help accomplish this with as little disruption as possible, although there was disruption, just to make sure it was safe for everybody,” he said.

When Harris took off from O’ Hare, Loughran was pleased everything went smoothly.

“You really do get to see some absolute professionalism performed by your public safety guys and gals,” he said.

He thought the Harris visit could serve as a good training opportunity for the future, which could be as soon as this summer. He said it was possible Glencoe officers could be asked to assist in security at either of the upcoming Democratic or Republican National Committee convention set to be held in Chicago and Milwaukee respectively.

“We gave it a max effort and we got them out there,” he said. “I wanted to get our people involved in every step of the way for next time.”

Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.

At least one suspect entered the house via an unlocked exterior office door and took vehicle keys and the homeowner’s wallet from a desk, according to a note posted on the village’s website Wednesday.

After getting the keys, the suspects tried to steal two locked vehicles from the property, one parked in the driveway, the other in a garage, police said. There were signs of forced entry on the side access garage door, police added.

The homeowner confronted the suspects outside the property where both sides traded gunshots, according to police.

The suspect who fired the weapon was then seen entering a four door silver Audi fleeing the scene heading south on Sheridan Road. Police believe the care went west on Ash Street where a suspect who fled the scene on foot is believed to have entered the car.

The approximate quarter mile stretch of Sheridan Road between Ash Street and Sheridan Road was closed for several hours Monday morning, but police believed this was an isolated incident.

The village’s Memorial Day Parade and Observance occurred as scheduled Monday morning.

No one was injured in the incident, police said. The case remains under investigation with police looking for three suspects.

Police state they have seen footage of the incident on social media are asking anyone with video, audio or photos from the incident to be turned over to authorities.

The Winnetka Police Department can be reached at 847/501-6034.

Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.