Qualifications include being knowledgeable about our local Latino community, either as residents or business or service providers, and preferably being bilingual.

For a full description of the Latino Advisory Committee’s purpose, intent, and activities, consult the Township’s web site, http://morainetownship.org. (Click on the link to Latino Advisory in the left column or go directly to http://morainetownship.org/super/latino_advisory.html.)

To apply, contact Supervisor Mari Barnes at the Township office, (847) 432-3240, or email super@morainetownship.org. Residents interested in volunteering may obtain the Volunteer Application form on the Township’s web site and submit it to the Township office, 777 Central Avenue, Highland Park.

State Sen. Susan Garrett

Legislation sponsored by State Senator and Majority Caucus Whip Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) that will help increase the recycling rate of discarded electronics was signed August 10 by Governor Quinn.

Changes to the Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act include expanding the list of available recyclables, instituting a grant program for county officials to inform residents of recycling opportunities, and increasing fines on manufacturers who fail to meet recycling goals.

Prior to this legislation, only computers, computer monitors, televisions and printers were prohibited from being disposed of in a landfill.  Products now included in this category include electronic keyboards, facsimile machines, videocassette recorders, portable digital music players, digital video disc players, video game consoles, electronic mice, scanners, digital converter boxes, cable or satellite receivers, digital video disc recorders, and small scale servers.  Expanding the list of available recyclables will enable Illinois’ residents to recycle items that until recently would have ended up in a landfill.

“I have worked with Governor Quinn to make recycling of e-waste a top environmental priority for the state,” Garrett said.  “Senate Bill 2106 will increase the amount of e-waste that is recycled, reducing the amount of trash in landfills as well as protecting the environment and human health.

“Far too often, I have heard stories from constituents who have had a tough time locating an electronic recycling center as well as knowing what items a certain center accepts,” Garrett added.  “Included in this legislation is a yearly grant program that allocates $2,000 to the recycling coordinator of every Illinois county.  This grant money will be used to inform residents of local recycling opportunities, ensuring all Illinoisans’ have
information necessary to recycle their e-waste.”

“The Township’s General Assistance Fund will be used to cover up to $150 for electric bills incurred for necessary air conditioning to keep our residents healthy and safe this summer,” said Township Supervisor Mari Barnes.

A fact sheet showing the decreasing budget allocations in Illinois based upon cut backs in the federal budget is available at http://www.liheap.org/assets/fact_sheets/liheap-IL-2011.pdf.

For further information, contact Paula Peddle at the Township office,847-432-3240.

We need professional clothing for both men and women, including jackets, skirts and trousers, blouses and shirts, sweaters, shoes, belts, and ties. It’s a real confidence-booster to walk into that job interview knowing you are dressed appropriately. And, of course, every day afterwards when you dress for that job you now have.

Clothing donations will be directed to Democrats United For Fairness (DUFF). Two drop-off sites are listed below, or call 1-847-266-8683 (1-847-266-VOTE) to make other arrangements. If you’re planning to drop off your donations with the Moraine Township Democrats, please call first to be sure that someone is in the office to receive them.

Moraine Township Democratic Organization (MTDO)
442 Central Avenue, Highland Park, 2^nd floor (above Enaz Boutique)
847-433-8344

Park Place Senior Services
414 South Lewis Avenue, Waukegan
847-244-4900

Thank you so much!

Funding support will be given to the following agencies: A Safe Place, Cancer Wellness Center, Career Resource Center, Center for Enriched Living, College Bound Opportunities, Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Equestrian Connection, Family Network, Family Service, Glenkirk, Highland Park Community Nursery School & Day Care Center, Highland Park/Highwood Home Child Care Association, Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs, JCYS/Lutz Center’s Champ Camp, The Josselyn Center, Lambs Farm, Links-North Shore Youth Health Service, Nurture, Southeast Lake County Faith in Action Volunteers, The Art Center of Highland Park, Tri-Con Child Care Center, YWCA Lake County, and Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center.

“We could not be as confident of our decisions to make these important awards without the detailed study of proposals made by our community volunteers,” said Supervisor Mari Barnes. “They put in many hours of dedicated effort to come up with their recommendations, and we thank them most sincerely.”

“The allocation was significantly more than last year’s to respond to the continuing economic crises facing local nonprofit agencies,” according to Board liaison Trustee Jackie Schechter (Highwood).

Members of the Citizen Grant Advisory Committee this year were Chair Harry Crane, Judy Datz, Wendi Ezgur, Mark Gilhooley and Beth Olderman (all of Highland Park) and Matt Ferrari of Highwood. A second Board liaison was Trustee Bryna Gamson (Highland Park).  All members of the Township Board are Democrats.

Moraine Township Supervisor Mari Barnes (D-Moraine Twp.) announces that the Township has engaged Tim Horsley, PhD, an English archaeological geophysicist, to conduct a survey of its historic Mooney’s Cemetery.  Township officials hope to gain clarity on what lies beneath the grass and trees at the cemetery on Ridge Road in Highland Park.  Horsley, an assistant research scientist at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Anthropology in Ann Arbor, typically is called upon to explore what may lie beneath planned excavation projects in historically sensitive locations.  His work has taken him to Greece, China, and Iceland, among other places.

Horsley predicts that his report may take several months to complete.  According to Barnes, the township hopes that when the  report arrives, “We will be in a better position of knowing where there are bodies buried and where there are none.  And from that, perhaps we will be able to resume grave sales, or at least be confident of burying people in deeded plots where there are no previous bodies.

“Once again,” says Barnes, “we urge residents who think they have a deed to a Mooney’s (or Daggitt) Cemetery plot to please check with the Township in advance of need to see if our records match theirs. When the situation arises for burial, and the residents claiming ownership have no deed and the Township has no record, problems ensue.”

You can check out Horsley’s progress and read about the history of the Township’s two cemeteries, Mooney and Daggitt, online at http://MoraineTownship.org.  The summer issue of the Talk of the Township newsletter, posted on the site, has the second of two feature articles on the cemeteries, and the Township has begun posting documents and photographs concerning their histories and present condition.  Links to human services resources and photos of Moraine’s Pantry Plants Garden Project also have been posted.