Happy Halloween!

Most of us who grew up in Libertyville are very familiar with the legend of "the gate" on River Road - I just stumbled across a great story the Tribune ran this week - Happy Halloween!

Here's Ruth Fuller's write up in Wednesday's Trib - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northnorthwest/chi-haunted-gate-nzone-28oct28,0,4184245.story

FINALLY: Clean-up Ordered @ Old Frank's Nursery Site

Something will finally be done with the former site of Frank's Nursery on the South Side of Libertyville. For years now, a skeleton of what was supposed to be a high-end grocery store has stood without any progress. According to a story in today's Daily Herald - a judge has ordered the existing structure torn and the site cleaned up. Hopefully, this will open the door to a better financed project for the site!

Today's Daily Herald story from Mick Zawislak - http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=332970

Vintner's Cellar Winery of Libertyville Closing

I received this e-mail today from Vanessa & Stan Oien - it's some very sad news about a great downtown shop. Vanessa and Stan have been great members of the Libertyville business community - I wish them the best!

Dear Jim,

As the end of the year approaches, Stan and I want to thank you for your business in 2009. It has been a great year for us, in spite of a down economy. We also are sadly announcing that we will be closing our store before the first of the year. As some of you know, I have been working on my masters of wine degree and I am at a stage where I am ready to pursue some other opportunities. Although, I love what I do today, I know to further my self-growth and wine knowledge, I will need to move on to the next chapter.

With this announcement, starting tomorrow, Thursday, October 22nd, everything in our store which includes merchandise and fixtures will be up for sale. Wines by the bottle will be 30% off and we have several batches in production that will be available for 30% off as well. If you are looking for reasonably priced gifts for the holidays, you now can purchase a customized bottle of wine for as low as $8.50. Also, if you know any home wine makers, we are willing to sell the juice, yeast and other packets bundled with a carboy.

I have addressed some questions you may have below. If you have any other concerns, please feel free to call me directly.

Again, Stan and I truly want to thank all of you for your business over the past 3 years. We will miss you as many of you have become friends. We hope to see you over the next few weeks!

Cheers,
Vanessa & Stan Oien

Question: I currently have a batch of wine in production. Now what?
Answer: We will be finishing production on all customer wines. If you have wine that needs to be bottled, please make an appointment to bottle your wine as soon as possible!

Question: I have a gift certificate? Is it still good?
Answer: We will be honoring all gift certificates that are under one year old to the best of our ability. If your gift certificate is for a batch of wine, you can pick something that is in production. We have several batches waiting to be adopted!

Question: Will you still be offering daily wine tastings and wines by the glass?
Answer: Yes, please come in and see us! Question: Will you be booking any private parties through now and December?Answer: At this time, we will not be booking any private parties for the holidays.

Question: What are the store hours for the remainder of the year?
Answer:

Wednesdays: Noon-6 pm
Thursdays: Noon-8 pm
Fridays: Noon-8 pm
Saturdays: Noon-5 pm
Sundays: 1pm-4pm
Closed Mondays & Tuesdays

Libertyville Village Board Meeting TONIGHT - Other News

Village Board Meeting TONIGHT @ 8pm

The Libertyville Village Board is set to meet tonight at 8pm at Libertyville Village Hall. After taking a look at tonight's agenda - there doesn't seem to be a lot of potential for fireworks, or very much excitement - but, two items on the agenda do stick out... (Here's a link to the agenda)

The first item being the recommendation of the Special Projects Committee regarding the Village's involvement in the future of the Brainerd Building. In recent months there has been a lot of momentum behind the Brainerd project - and the Village Board giving their official "stamp of approval" to the project will only further help fundraising for the effort, plus it will open the door to state and Federal grants. This is a win-win for everyone!

The second item of interest tonight will be the Village's vote regarding video gaming in the village. I don't know of anyone who thinks this is a good idea - I expect it to be an easy vote - but it will be fun to watch nonetheless.

The Village has a write-up on their website giving a background into tonight's video gaming vote: http://www.libertyville.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=157

Study Shows Homes Near Wind Turbines Suffer A Decrease In Property Value

Yesterday's News-Sun recapped a weekend informational session held at the Libertyville Civic Center, hosted by the Citizens for the Protection of Libertyville.

Here's the story by Ed Collins: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/1820561,libertyville-wind-turbine-opposition-101209.article

Lovin Oven Opens For Business!!

I'm sorry I didn't have this up here sooner - I just got word that the much anticipated Lovin Oven will open for business the morning of Tuesday October 13th!

Here's their website: http://lovinovencakery.com/

I'll see you there! (355 N. Milwaukee - Corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Church Street)

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: MISSING MAN FOUND

Not many details have been released - but, according to the Daily Herald - missing Mundelein resident Brandon Kirchhner-Weinfurter has been found safe.

Here is the latest from Mick Zawislak at the Daily Herald: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=328212

BREAKING NEWS: MISSING MUNDELEIN MAN LAST SEEN IN LIBERTYVILLE

The Lake County Sheriff's Department has released information this afternoon about a missing Mundelein man last seen at his place of employment - Libertyville Acura.

Here is the release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office:

Sheriff’s Office Seeks Assistance in Search for Missing Mundelein Area Man

Waukegan- The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is looking for information on the whereabouts of an unincorporated Mundelein man. 20 year-old Brandon J. Kirchner-Wenfurter was reported missing this morning at approximately 12:10 AM by members of his family.

According to reports, Brandon left Libertyville Acura, his place of employment, at approximately 9:30 AM yesterday. He was last seen wearing dark blue slacks with a light blue shirt bearing his nametag. Brandon is 5’9”, 135lbs with brown eyes and brown hair. Brandon’s family is worried about his well being and has been unable to reach him. Brandon was last seen driving a 2002 black Acura MDX with Illinois registration X308 403.

Anyone with information regarding Brandon is encouraged to call Detective Bob Dever at 847 377 4147 or 847 549 5200.

End of Release

Pumpkin Fest this weekend! (and other odds & ends)

MainStreet Libertyville's Pumpkin Fest

PumpkinFest, MainStreet Libertyville's fun, fall celebration, is coming downtown TODAY - Saturday, October 10 from 10am to 2pm.

FREE PUMPKINS!Bring a non-perishable food item (or more!) to be donated to the Libertyville Township Food Pantry and receive a free pumpkin from the Sunrise & Noon Rotary Clubs.

Cook Park ~ Come Early ~ Limited Supply 10am ~ 2pm

Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society Meeting

This coming Monday night is the next monthly membership meeting for the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society. The meetings are held at 7:30pm on the second Monday of the month at the Libertyville Township government offices at 359 Merrill Court. This month's meeting will feature longtime Libertyville resident Waly Lowry - he'll talk about the upcoming Mexican/Latin American Day of the Dead/All Souls Day.

Libertyville Mayor Terry Weppler Talks About Red Light Cameras Coming To The Village:

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/libertyville/news/1807233,libertyville-patlenhoffcolumn-100809-s1.article

New Library Board Member

The Cook Memorial Library Board will name a new member to their board this coming week - they haven't announced who the new member is, but I hear it's a newcomer to the area political scene.

Lake County Flood Insurance News

I received the following e-mail from my Lake County Board Representative, Ann Maine - It's mainly directed towards folks in the township affected by flooding. If you're interested in joining Ann's e-mail list, feel free to drop her a note at: amaine@lakecountyil.gov



Dear Neighbors,

Lake County is pleased to announce that Unincorporated Residents may be eligible for Discount on Flood Insurance Premiums thanks to the efforts of the Lake County Board and others. Residents may be eligible to save $142 a year on average.

On October 1, 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) accepted Unincorporated Lake County into the Community Rating System (CRS) program as a Class 7 Community. With this rating, Lake County unincorporated residents may receive up to a 15% discount on flood insurance premiums. Residents should contact their flood insurance agent to obtain individual savings information.

As part of the CRS recertification process, Lake County prepared an Annual Evaluation Report for the County-Wide All Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan for Unincorporated Lake County. Highlights from the report include:

-Lake County approved eight projects to remove structures from the floodplain

-Lake County Stormwater Management Commission received funds to purchase 11 repetitively flooded properties

-One repetitive loss structure was elevated above the base flood elevation and removed from the floodplain

-Lake County has contributed to eight projects to improve capacity of existing drainage systems through the Drainage Improvement Fund

I'm always happy to hear from you about this or any other issue. Please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Ann Maine
847-374-9787 or at amaine@lakecountyil.gov