The Lake Bluff Village Board of Trustees on Feb. 28 presented letters of commendation to the three police officers involved in the rescue of a man from a burning home on Woodland Road in Lake Bluff. The officers are Damon Schmidt, who first located the fire while he was on patrol, and James Reynolds and Tom Vinson who responded to the scene to assist. Here they are at Village Hall before the in a photo taken by GazeboNews Photographer Cyn Sansing Mycoskie of www.cynimage.com

Lake Bluff Police Department Officers, from left: Tom Vinson, Damon Schmidt, and James Reynolds

Here is the text of the letter of commendation:

SUBJECT: Letter of Commendation for Case # 201100001575

On Sunday morning at approximately 3:59 A.M. you, Officer Schmidt, were on routine patrol in the area of Sheridan Road and East Scranton Ave. and you observed what appeared to be smoke coming from the area of East Woodland Road. You quickly responded to that area and observed a house in the 10 block of East Woodland Road fully engulfed in fire. You notified Lake Bluff Police Dispatch requesting assistance and the Fire Department.

You exited your squad vehicle with the fire extinguisher and responded to the front door attempting to put the flames out and make entry to make sure that the home was unoccupied. By this point Officers Reynolds and Vinson arrived on the scene and the three of you started to check the outside of the building looking for a place to make entry. All of you used squad vehicle fire extinguishers attempting to extinguish the fire.

Officer Schmidt used the battering ram to force open a door on the southeast side of the building when you noted a sound coming from inside the room. Without hesitation you started to crawl inside the burning structure and located the feet of the homeowner. You called for assistance and Officer Reynolds responded and between the two of you the resident was removed from the burning structure.

You, Officer Schmidt, with the assistance of Officer Reynolds and Officer Vinson were able to move the victim away from the burning structure and initiate CPR. Shortly there after the Fire Department arrived and Fire Medics from Lake Forest assisted you and ultimately transported the victim to Lake Forest Hospital where it [...]

The Deer Path Middle School music department is taking its annual trip to Disney World this week to participate in the theme park’s “Magic Music Days Festival.”

Between March 2 and March 6, the DPM band, orchestra and chorus will perform their own 25-minute concert at Downtown Disney’s “Waterside Stage,” and they also will participate in the “Disney Sings!” and “Your Instrumental” workshops. The trip comprises 69 8th graders who have worked hard to prepare for these performances and are eagerly anticipating the trip, said DPM Choir Director Ben Gray. While on the trip, the students also get to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom.

This has been an annual trip for Deer Path students since annually since 2001. The first trip to Florida took place in 1997. The Deer Path Middle School Music Department staff includes Diane Rener and Sarah Truding (orchestra), Ivan Navedo and Gina DeGregorio (band), and Ben Gray (choir).

A car traveling east on Route 176 collided with a car traveling north on Greenbay Road just before 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27. The northbound vehicle then struck the traffic control signal box on the northeast corner of the intersection, causing the traffic lights to malfunction temporarily, said Lake Bluff Deputy Chief David Belmonte. He said three occupants of the northbound vehicle were service members from the Great Lakes Naval Base, and that they were transported by ambulance to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital with minor injuries. He also said the driver of the eastbound vehicle was cited for disobeying the traffic control signal.

Here is the photo of the accident site, which was submitted to GazeboNews by a reader Sunday night.

Route 176 and Greenbay Road on Sunday, Feb. 27

Lake Bluff resident Grant Chamberlain is featured in a Sun-Times story about ice fishing in the Midwest. It’s written by freelance writer Brian E. Clark and begins: “Lake Bluff investment banker and longtime angler Grant Chamberlain has never been on the moon. But he said fishing on a frozen lake is something of a lunar experience.” Click here to read the story.

The three officers who rescued Lake Bluff resident Kevin Westre from a burning house will receive letters of commendation tonight at the Board of Trustees meeting. Lake County News Sun reporter Frank Abderholden interviewed Mr. Westre and wrote about his ordeal. Click here to read “He Went To Rescue A Dog And Found Me”.

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards is on Sunday night–have you seen the movies? Lynette Paulsen of Lake Forest has seen most of them and has a pretty good track record for picking the winners, so we asked her to share her predictions. She points out that she’s not a movie reviewer–she’s just a gal who loves movies (preferably good movies).

“There are a few movies I haven’t seen yet (127 Hours and Rabbit Hole).  I didn’t think I could take James Franco cutting his arm off in 127 Hours, nor the ravages of the loss of a child in Rabbit Hole,” she said. “I’m beginning to feel the pull though, so Saturday I’ll probably see Rabbit Hole.  IF it’s as depressing as Biutiful and Blue Valentine I may just have to watch Modern Family episodes on my DVR all night to recover.”

And when she emerges from her Modern Family marathon, she’ll fix a Cosmo, surround herself with friends and settle in to watch the Oscars. Here are the nominees with Lynette’s choices in bold-face type and listed in order of preference.

Best Picture
The Social Network This was a great movie that nearly everyone can watch (no children please).  A real story of our time with little sex and violence, go figure! Oh yeah, plenty
of greed and egotism.
The King’s Speech This is a fabulous movie!  Go see it!  Story, acting, costumes, scenery it has it all.  And you’ll have something to talk about with your parents or grandparents.
Black Swan This is a movie I liked better after it was over.  The psychosis was a little unsettling, but afterwards when I could put it all together, I thought it was brilliant.
The Fighter Great movie, wonderful real life characters.  Loved the story, loved the sisters (they played a small part in the film, but just cracked me up)
True Grit Ok, I don’t remember the first one with John Wayne, but this IS good.  Young Haley did an amazing job.  Fun to watch and just to hear the formal western lingo.
The Kids Are All Right Loved this view into the lives of a lesbian couple.  Great story even without gender references.  Don’t worry, it’s not the girl version of Brokeback Mountain.  See it.
Inception Liked it, but not much.  Too confusing for me.  Even when I got that it was a dream within a dream within a dream, I didn’t really care.
Toy Story 3 Loved this story.  Bring tissues.  Don’t really see why [...]

The Village of Lake Bluff is planning two public hearings regarding the Stonebridge development to get feedback on the 55-plus age restriction, which Stonebridge Lake Bluff LLC is requesting to have removed. The meetings are planned for:

• March 16: Zoning Board of Appeals-7 p.m. in the Board Room of Village Hall
• March 17: Plan Commission at 6:30 p.m. in the Board Room

The Village sent a notice to residents who live near the development at 136 Greenbay Road in Lake Bluff, and it invites anyone to attend the hearings. You also can submit a written response to Village Hall in care of the ZBA or Plan Commission.

Here’s a copy of the notice sent to neighbors on Feb. 25:

By C. Kent McKenzie, Emergency Management Coordinator for
Lake County

The National Weather Service (NWS) is continuing the flood warnings for Lake County, and the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) remains in YELLOW ALERT (Threat Holding) flood status. Weather over the next five days is expected to remain unsettled, with snow possible Friday night and Saturday, and rain or snow possible Sunday night and Monday morning. There is some disagreement between various forecast models, which means that confidence in forecast storm tracks, precipitation amounts, and even types of precipitation is low. People with homes or businesses in flood-prone areas should monitor the evolving weather forecast over the next several days in the event that any protective actions become necessary.

• Current water levels: The area creeks and rivers crested recently and are receding slowly. The Chain O’Lakes system continues to rise slowly and appears to be cresting near the “summer pool” elevation, with stage readings between 4 and 5 feet. At this water level, the Chain still has some capacity to store additional water, but storage continues to decrease.

• Weather: The snow that was forecast for Thursday night did not develop in our area. There is a potential for significant precipitation this Sunday night and Monday, with forecast models showing a storm developing and our area likely in the mixing zone of warm moist air and cold Canadian air. The current NWS 5-day forecast includes from 1 to 1.5 inches of precipitation for Lake County, but model uncertainty is high. Also, the form of precipitation with the Sunday/Monday storm is uncertain, and precipitation that does fall could be in the form of snow, rain, or a mix of both.

• Runoff Conditions: A higher-than-normal portion of rain that does fall is expected to move quickly to streams and rivers, as the ground remains essentially frozen. Rain that falls in the upper reaches of the Fox and Des Plaines watersheds could lead to melting of the remaining 1 to 4 inches of snowpack, adding to increased runoff amounts.

• River Forecasts: At this time, the NWS is not forecasting the area’s creek and river water levels to increase, but these forecasts may be updated in the coming days as the precipitation forecasts are revised. Current and forecast river levels for some locations are available at the NWS webpage: www.weather.gov/chicago. Choose the [...]

The Lake Bluff School District 65 Board of Education is planning a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 28 at 900 North Shore Drive, Suite 220, in Lake Bluff. The meeting’s purpose is to discuss the Lake Bluff Elementary School principal search, said Superintendent John Asplund, who added that there is no anticipated action being taken. Here’s the info:

AGENDA

Board Members:
Kim Burke, President _______
Mary Jane Brady, Vice President _______
Terry Kearney, Secretary _______
Al Fifhause, Member _______
Eric Grenier, Member _______
Corinne Torkelson, Member _______
Eric Waggoner, Member _______

1. Determination of Quorum and Call to Order – Kim Burke

2. Communications and Questions from Visitors – Kim Burke

ACTION:

3. Closed Session

MOTION: Moved_____ that the Board of Education enters into Closed Session to discuss appointment, employment, and dismissal of personnel.
Second¬¬¬¬¬_____ Discussion Voice Vote_____

4. Return to Open Session

5. Possible Action as a Result of the Closed Session

6. Adjournment – Kim Burke

MOTION: At _____ AM moved_____ seconded_____, that the meeting be adjourned.
Second_____ Discussion_____ Vote_____

Administration:
Dr. John Asplund, Superintendent
Jane Lair, Director of Business Services
Dr. Anne Wirtz, Director of Special Services
Dr. Andy Henrikson, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Katie Williams, Principal, Lake Bluff Elementary School
Nathan Blackmer, Principal, Lake Bluff Middle School
Kathleen Tomei, Assistant Principal, LBES / LBMS
Kathleen Reidy, Coordinator/Communications and PR

The Lake Forest-Lake Bluff League of Women Voters is making it easier than ever for you to follow the local school board election and decide for yourself which candidates to vote for on April 5 (early voting begins March 14). Instead of hosting a candidate forum, the League created video bios of each of the 12 candidates in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Knollwood. There are four candidates each for Districts 65, 67, and 115. The video runs approximately an hour.

(c) Copyright 2011 LWV-LFLB. See www.lwv-lflb.org for more information.