Local News and Info

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Voting Help: Voting for Judicial Candidates

Community Enagement, Election information, General Information, Local News and Info, Political Science / By /
Judges gavel

Often people skip the judicial candidates on the ballot because they have no idea who to vote for. It is much easier to research other types of candidates. How does the average citizen know which judicial candidates are qualified for the job? If you live in Cook County, the Vote for Judges website makes it easy. The Alliance of Bar Associations has compiled the ratings of 12 different Bar Associations into an easy to read chart in which the candidates are rated on their qualifications and whether each association recommends them or not. You can get to the chart from the Vote for Judges page — scroll down below “November 2022 Retention Election Evaluations” and click on the link for the PDF. (See screenshot below to see where to click – I highlighted the link in yellow.)

If you live in Dupage County, you can go to the Dupage County Bar Association Judicial Candidate ratings or to the Illinois Bar Association’s Judicial Candidates for Dupage County. If you live in Will County, I was only able to find compiles ratings from the Illinois Bar Association’s Judicial Candidate ratings for Will County.

If you need help researching any other candidates, please Ask a Librarian.

Thinking of Randy Conner

Local News and Info / By /

All of us in the library, we deeply saddened at the passing of Randy Conner, faculty member in Humanities. Randy was a dear friend and colleague who was always willing to be part of our library’s cultural programming.

Randy was an innovative teacher who developed several new courses, most notably HUM 155, LGBTQ Humanities. Additionally, he was an accomplished scholar publishing and editing many texts. His book series The Pagan Heart of the West challenged traditional views of Western spirituality.

Here are a few of Randy’s talk:

A review of Hermann Hesse’s Demian (including a great deal of Randy’s own life story)
Reflections on Fire: The Symbolic, Sacred & Destructive
The Hero’s Journey & the Power of Myth: A Faculty Panel Discussion

Our campus and our library will not be the same without him.

Chicago–The Candy Capital of the World

History, In the Collection, Local News and Info / By /

Halloween is almost here. Getting to dress up in costumes is only part of the holiday fun. Because let’s face it, Halloween is also about the candy. Did you know that a lot of the candy that fills trick-or-treaters’ buckets has a history in Chicago?

Tootsie Rolls, M&Ms, Snickers, Brach’s, Wrigley, Lemonheads, Red Hots, Baby Ruths, Butterfingers, Jolly Ranchers, Milk Duds, Cracker Jack, the list goes on and on. These candies and many more are Chicago products. Even Hershey owes its start to Chicago, since it was at the1893 Chicago World’s Fair that Milton Hershey got the idea to start his own chocolate company. Chicago has long been known as the Candy Capital of the World, having been throughout most of its history the producer of one third of all the candy made in the United States.

Learn more about Chicago’s delicious history in the book Chicago’s Sweet Candy History, by Leslie Goddard. You can also find more histories of candy here in the MVCC Library collection.

Frida Kahlo Exhibit

Celebrating Latino Americans, In the Collection, Local News and Info / By /

The Frida Kahlo exhibit that spent the summer at nearby College of DuPage was impressive and drew visitors from all 50 states and 42 countries. In case you were unable to enjoy the event in person, or would like to revisit some of what you experienced, this virtual tour is a great way to connect with the exhibit. Through exhibit photos and narrative, the curator walks us through Frida’s difficult life and then helps the viewer engage with a few of the paintings on display. We also see reproductions of Frida Kahlo’s garden and house. Frida Kahlo Timeless Virtual Tour

To engage even further with the life and works of the artist, check out the MVCC Library’s collection on Frida Kahlo.

Be Ready For Tornadoes

E-Resources, In the Headlines, Local News and Info / By /

Late last night, Naperville residents had about 3 minutes between hearing their local emergency sirens and the formation of a huge tornado with winds possibly over 100 mph. Residents in Naperville, Woodridge, and Darien suffered damage to their homes and communities. A few individuals ended up in the hospital and many lost their homes. Trees damaged power lines and many lost power. Tornadoes don’t leave a lot of time for you to react, so the best way to deal with them is to prepare ahead of time.

While this event didn’t impact the MVCC campus directly, tornadoes can affect any community. Here are some resources that will help you be ready in case the next disaster is in your area:

Tornado Preparedness Resources:

5 Things to Know When the Tornado Siren Blares (Alternative link)

Tornado Preparedness and Safety

Illinois Severe Weather Preparedness Guide

Building and Emergency Kit

Get Emergency Alerts on Your Phone

Apps and Social Media for Monitoring Severe Weather:

Want to help?

Suburban Chicago Tornado: How to Help Storm Damage Victims

Information about Volunteering, Donations, and Food Pantries

Smoke on the Prairie

General Information, Local News and Info, Science / By /
MVCC Campus 4/12/21

The Moraine Valley campus is surrounded by Cook County Forest Preserves. Most of us drive by without much appreciation of the open land. The amount of work that goes into sustaining these green spaces is staggering, not only financially but also the amount of strategic planning to keep these spaces viable for future generations.

You may have recently noticed the smoke billowing out of the Preserves that surround the college. During the spring and fall, the Cook County Forest Preserve conducts a prescribed burn. This procedure “helps to stimulate the growth of native plants and hinder invasive vegetation. Simply put, native plants in this area evolve alongside periodic fires, while most invasive species introduced to this area later did not.” View this short video on A Day in the Life of a Cook County Burn Crew.

Check out the MVCC catalog or the science databases for more information on this topic

Voting for Judges

Community Enagement, Election information, General Information, Local News and Info / By /

Voting for judges has always seemed weird for me. How does the average person know if a judge is qualified? This is especially difficult in Cook County where there are so many judges (62 on the ballot). Worry not, the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screenings has compiled a grid that will help you. Each candidate is rated by up to 12 different Bar Associations on whether they are qualified and/or recommended. They have a separate page that summaries judicial candidate recommendations; it even states which associations said no. If you want to look more in depth, Injustice Watch has a Check your Judges page. If you live in another county, the Illinois State Bar Association reviews judicial candidates by county.

File:3D Judges Gavel.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Voting Information for the November 3, 2020 Election

Election information, General Information, In the Headlines, Local News and Info / By /

Key Dates for the November 3, 2020 Presidential Election

  Date  Event
  10/6/2020  Voter registration closes for deputy registrars and local election officials
  10/7/2020  First day of grace period registration and voting
  10/18/2020  Last day to register to vote by online application
  10/19/2020  First day of early voting
  10/29/2020  Last day to request a mail ballot, including military and overseas voters
  11/2/2020  Last day of early voting
  11/2/2020  Last day of grace period registration and voting
  11/3/2020  Last day mail in ballots can be postmarked or dropped off in a secure Mail Ballot Drop Box
  11/3/2020  Election Day

Vote by mail

Any registered suburban Cook County voter may request a mail ballot using the online application. Once your registration is verified and the application is processed, a paper ballot will be sent to the mailing address you designate in your application. The deadline to apply is five days before the election.

The Clerk’s Office will offer secure mail ballot drop boxes. Additionally, the Clerk’s office will offer an Election Day Drop Box in Daley Plaza in Chicago. Ballots may also be returned via USPS.

For the November 3, 2020 Presidential Election, traditional Early Voting will take place October 19-November 2. 

Early Voting locations and hours in suburban Cook County

If you live in the City of Chicago please visit chicagoelections.com for their Early Voting locations and other important information.

Election Day Voting

Registered suburban Cook County voters can only vote in their home precinct on Election Day.

Registered and unregistered Cook County residents can find their assigned polling place with the Your Voter Information tool.

Residents who are not registered to vote may register and cast a ballot on Election Day with same-day registration and voting. Those who wish to register on Election Day must present two qualifying forms of ID.

A voter who needs ID, but who cannot present ID, may cast a Provisional Ballot on Election Day. In order for that Provisional Ballot to be counted, the voter must present ID within 7 days of the election to the Cook County Clerk’s office, 69 W. Washington St., Suite 500, Chicago IL 60602.

Source COOK COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE

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