MEDIA ALERT * MEDIA ALERT * MEDIA ALERT

Media invited to cover final step for local applicants seeking U.S. citizenship

WHEN: Thursday, July 1, 2010

11 am to noon

WHERE: Cantigny Park

1s151 Winfield Road

Wheaton, IL  60189

WHAT: The ceremony at Le Jardin restaurant in the Cantigny Visitors Center will be conducted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  About 100 immigrants will become U.S. citizens after taking the United States Oath of Allegiance.

The ceremony is the final required step in naturalization, which is the process of obtaining U.S. citizenship.  At this point the participants have met all other requirements.  They have demonstrated English language proficiency, plus an understanding of the fundamental concepts of American democracy and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Students from Marmion Academy in Aurora will post and retire the colors.  The Chicago Brass Band will perform the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America.”

When entering the park, please identify yourself as media.  Security will direct you, and you will not be charged a parking fee.

PHOTO This will be a highly photogenic event with many still and video opportunities. The ceremony is solemn but the underlying tone will be celebratory. We

OPPS: expect that many participants will be open to sharing their citizenship experience with the media.  A full-size Liberty Bell replica will be on site as well.

CONTACT: Jeff Reiter

Cantigny/McCormick Foundation

630 260 8218

JReiter@McCormickFoundation.org

WHEATON, IL, June 22, 2010 – Cantigny Park, part of the McCormick Foundation, will be alive with patriotic sights, sounds and activities for the whole family on Independence Day.  Continuing an annual tradition, events and parking will be free at Cantigny on July 4^th.

From noon to 3 pm, the Cantigny Parade Field will feature inflatables, sack races and other games for kids.  Children can also get an American flag tattoo, ring the Liberty Bell and sign the Declaration of Independence.  Cannon demonstrations will be conducted by Revolutionary War reenactors.

The Robert R. McCormick Museum will host children’s activities on the south porch, also beginning at noon.

At 3 pm, the Southwest Community Concert Band will play patriotic music in front of the First Division Museum.  Guests should bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating, and picnic baskets are welcome.

The First Division Museum and McCormick Museum will each be open on July 4^th from 10 am to 5 pm.  Admission to the museums is free.  A stroll through Cantigny’s spectacular gardens is another option to consider. Cantigny also features a large public picnic area with a playground.

Inside the Cantigny Visitors Center, Le Jardin will serve lunch from 11 am to 3 pm, and Bertie’s (for ice cream, snacks and coffee drinks) will operate from 9 am to 4:30 pm.

Cantigny Park is open every day in the summer from 7 am to dusk.  A complete schedule of concerts and events is online at Cantigny.org.

WHEATON, Ill. – The City of Wheaton would like to help downtown businesses become more energy efficient. Federal grant money available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has enabled the City of Wheaton to launch the Energy Wise Fund today. The fund will allow downtown businesses and institutions to be reimbursed up to 50 percent of the cost of energy efficiency improvements.

To qualify, downtown business owners/tenants and institutions must be located within the set boundaries established by this map (pdf), and qualifying energy efficiency improvements must be at least $1,000. This program is offered on a first-come, first-served basis until the $100,000 allotted through the grant is depleted. The Business Energy Wise Fund application (pdf) is available on the City’s website.

The City encourages interested individuals to attend the Business Energy Wise Program Open House from 9-11 a.m. Wednesday, June 16, in the City Hall Council Chambers, 303 W. Wesley St. Representatives from the City will present the Business Energy Wise Program, and representatives from ComEd will review and answer questions regarding ComEd’s Smart Ideas for Your Business component, which is required to be eligible for the Energy Wise Program reimbursement.

WHEATON, Ill. – The Annual Fourth of July Fireworks will be held on Saturday, July 3, 2010 beginning at dusk.

During the Fourth of July Fireworks, the Wheaton Police Department will temporarily close:

· Manchester Road – between Gables Boulevard and North County Farm Road.

This condition should exist for approximately two hours (9 to 10:30 p.m.).

During the fireworks display, no one will be allowed on the railroad pedestrian overpass situated behind Monroe Middle School since it lies within the safety zone required for the safe launching of fireworks.

The Annual Fourth of July Parade will be held on Sunday, July 4, 2010 beginning at 12 p.m.

During the Fourth of July Parade, the Wheaton Police Department will temporarily close:

· North Main Street – from Geneva Road to Wesley Street;

· West Wesley Street – from Main Street to Wheaton Avenue;

· Wheaton Avenue – from Wesley Street to Front Street; and,

· Front Street – from Wheaton Avenue to North Cross.

This condition should exist for approximately two and hours (11:30 a.m. until approximately 2 p.m.). During this time period, passing over the parade route at intersecting streets will not be permitted.

During this time period, these streets will be adequately staffed with uniformed Police Officers to assist and direct traffic.

WHEATON, Ill. – A new option from the Wheaton Police Department can assist you in keeping your home secure while you are away for business or travel. Wheaton residents can now submit a request for the Police Department’s vacation house watch service through the City’s website. Upon submitting a request, the Police Department will periodically inspect your home during the specified time period.

The vacation house watch service is not to be used if someone is going to be living at your home caring for pets, plants, etc., or if the house is vacant due to being for sale or other circumstances.

To submit a request for this service, visit the City’s website at http://www.wheaton.il.us/servicerequest/.

Please note that only the homeowner can submit a vacation house watch request. If your plans change and you will be returning sooner or later than the dates originally stated, please call the Wheaton Police Department at 630-260-2161 as soon as possible. There is no need to notify the Police Department if you are returning when scheduled.

The Wheaton Police Department cannot guarantee your property will not be victimized, nor can it guarantee how often the property is inspected by an officer.

Always arrange to have someone pick-up your newspapers, mail, and take out the trash while you are away. Also, leave a lamp or two on a timer to make your home appear occupied.

If you have any questions, please call the Wheaton Police Department at 630-260-2161.

WHEATON, Ill. – With the help of a device available for free check-out, Wheaton residents can begin watching their watts. Today the City of Wheaton launched another portion of its Energy Efficiency and Conservation initiative called the Wheaton Kill-a-Watt Program.

Grant funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act through an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant has enabled the City to purchase 10 Kill-a-Watt devices that allow residents to calculate how much power electronic devices in their homes consume. The device plugs into an electrical outlet, and users plug their electronics into the Kill-a-Watt device to find out how much energy each electronic device consumes.

The device comes with a CD that allows users to enter data about their specific appliances and electronics into a spreadsheet that calculates how much it costs to operate the devices on a monthly or annual basis. Using the Kill-a-Watt device can help residents identify energy “hogs” and determine which appliances are not worth keeping on all of the time.

Wheaton residents can check out Kill-a-Watt devices from the reference desk of the Wheaton Public Library, 225 N. Cross St. Each Kill-a-Watt device can be checked out by library card holders for two weeks. Wheaton residents who do not have a library card and live within city limits can register for one by bringing two forms of identification (such as a driver’s license and utility bill to show proof of your current Wheaton address) to the main checkout desk.

Residents who have questions when using the device can reference the Kill-a-Watt manufacturer’s website at www.p3international.com.

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SUMMER NATIONAL GATHERING at Theosophical Society in America
1926 North Main Street, Wheaton, IL 60187

Phone: 630-668-1571 ext 300
Fax: 630-668-4976
http://www.theosophical.org/events/nationalprograms/SNG10/index.php

June 25-29

Nature: Gateway to Sacred Treasure

Featured Speakers:

Saturday, June 26 – 9:15 a.m.

Scott Olsen, Ph.D.: The Golden Section: Nature’s Greatest Secret

Dr. Olsen will present many of the discoveries that led to the writing of his award winning book, The Golden Section: Nature’s Greatest Secret. The Golden Section is one of the most beautiful and elegant ratios in the Universe. A fundamental principle of aesthetics that has been carefully applied in music, architecture, and art, it has played a central role in the ancient wisdom traditions, including those of ancient Egypt, the Pythagoreans, and Plato. Dr. Olsen will share some of the very recent empirical discoveries in biology and quantum mechanics physics that help to establish once and for all the importance of the Golden Section in the transformation of form, life, and consciousness.

Saturday, June 26, 3:30 p.m.

Kathryn Gann: Journey into Beauty: How Nature Supports Our Every Step

Nature’s beauty is inspiring, but does it provide real support on the spiritual path? On this virtual journey, we’ll see how nature provides nourishment, stability, and guidance as we navigate the spiritual path. Discover how nature inspires us to be authentic in our self-expression, and how it evokes a sense of awe—the gateway to Spirit. Saturating you with nature’s beauty, this multimedia presentation includes stunning nature photography and gentle music to uplift and inspire.

Sunday, June 27, 1:30 p.m.

Jonathan Zimmer, M. A.: Bridge Over Treasured Waters: Mathematics, Metaphor, and the Weird and Wonderful Gap between Thing and No Thing

Madame Blavatsky wrote: “Nature geometrizes universally in all her manifestations.” Religions have long offered stimulating metaphors for linking the physical world and the spiritual realm. Mathematics is yet another avenue, potentially as rich, deep, and exciting, connecting the earthly and the ethereal, the concrete and the abstract, the worldly and the mystical.

Sunday, June 27, 4:15 p.m.

Uma Krishnamurthy, M.D.: Yoga Psychology and the Transformation of Emotions

The transformation of negative emotions to positive ones is a major problem in psychotherapy as well as for the journey to positive mental health. In this lecture, yoga psychologist Uma Krishnamurthy will talk about the healing of negative emotions from the yoga perspective and her own research.

Monday, June 28, 2 p.m.

Amit Goswami, Ph.D.:

World renowned quantum physicist Dr. Amit Goswami will be here in person for a screening of his latest documentary The Quantum Activist, wherein  he shares his vision of the unlimited potential of consciousness as the ground of all being, and how this revelation can actually help us to live better.  Questions and Answers to follow, including book signing by Amit Goswami.

STORYTELLING CARNIVAL AND CAMPOUT

http://www.theosophical.org/events/nationalprograms/Storytelling%20flyer_2010.pdf

Saturday June 19

Celebrate the Summer Solstice with music, storytelling, crafts, games and family fun!

1 – 5 pm: Storytelling (free admission, tickets available for crafts, games and food))

6 pm: Campout $10 (dinner, stories around the campfire, breakfast and a nature walk) Pre-registration required for

WHEATON, Ill. – Wheaton’s monthly electronic recycling drop-off events continue to expand the types of items collected. In addition to electronics and household appliances, residents can also safely dispose of their household batteries.

From 9 a.m. to noon on the second Saturday of each month, Wheaton offers free electronic – and now battery – recycling at the Public Works Facility located at 821 W. Liberty Drive. Household batteries such as AA or AAA; lithium; those used in hearing aids, cameras, etc.; will be accepted and do not need to be sorted. Please note that batteries for cars, sump pumps, boats and other engines will NOT be accepted.

If you also have unwanted or expired medicine, the Environmental Improvement Commission encourages you to use the same trip to dispose of them safely at the Police Department, which is just past the Public Works Storage Facility (900 W. Liberty Drive). Properly disposing of medicine, batteries and electronics keeps them out of landfills and prevents the hazardous materials they contain from entering our soil and water supply.

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WINFIELD, Ill., June 8, 2010 – Caring for someone with Parkinson’s disease is a unique challenge. There are gradual changes in the condition and new questions that arise every day. Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) believes the success of a patient’s daily life depends on a balanced and supported caregiver. On Saturday, June 19, CDH will offer the free seminar “Parkinson’s Perspectives: Creating Balance for Caregivers” at the Westin Chicago Northwest (400 Park Blvd., Itasca).

The event, which begins at 8 a.m. and includes a continental breakfast, will include formal presentations and an opportunity for casual question-and-answer sessions with the speakers.  Community resource representatives will be on hand from a home health care agency, a skilled nursing facility and an estate/financial planning organization.

Featured Speakers & Topics Include:

Lance Reinke, PsyD, Neurocare, A Better Understanding of Your Loved One: Cognitive and Emotional Effects Related to Parkinson’s Disease.

Kelly Gill, MD, Suburban Lung Associates, Sleep Disturbances Associated with Parkinson’s Disease.

Sarah Stukas, MS, LCPC, American Parkinson Disease Association, Creating & Maintaining Intimacy Across Relationships.

Keynote Speaker, Cheryl Woodson, MD, FACP, AGSF, Family Healthcare and Geriatrician, How to Survive Caregiving: Protect Your Physical, Financial, Emotional and Spiritual Health While Giving Great Care.

Space is limited, free registration must be made by calling 630-933-4234 or toll free at 877-933-4234. For the hearing impaired, please call 630-933-4833.

About Central DuPage Hospital

Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) is a nationally recognized 313-bed facility located in Winfield, Ill., a suburb west of Chicago. CDH is a leading center for medical technology and one of the busiest surgical hospitals in Illinois.

For the last four consecutive years, Thomson Reuters has listed CDH as a 100 Top Hospital in the U.S. Similarly, U.S. News & World Report has included CDH on their list of Best Hospitals in the orthopaedics category each year since 2007.

The hospital is part of an interdependent network of health-care organizations and services, including convenient care centers, occupational health services and a full range of options for senior living, home health and hospice care. For more information or to find a doctor on the medical staff of CDH, visit www.cdh.org or call 630-933-4CDH (4234)/ TTY 630-933-4833 for the hearing impaired.

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Congressman Roskam will be hosting a job fair on Monday, July 26 at Medinah Shriners Banquets in Addison. Exhibitor space will be provided free of charge to prospective employers, educational institutions and non-profits.