On March 22, Chairman Dan Cronin and District 4 Board members Grant Eckhoff, Lynn LaPlante, and Mary FitzGerald Ozog presented a proclamation to the Glenbard West High School basketball team recognizing their Class 4A state championship. Congratulations to the Hilltoppers on a tremendous accomplishment!
 County Hosting Arts Festival
DuPage County will host its inaugural Community Arts Festival on May 28 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds to support artists and musicians.
The festival will have three stages with musical acts, along with food trucks and a beer tent providing refreshments. Local community artists will be showcasing and selling their work throughout the festival. DuPage County formed an Ad Hoc Fine Arts Committee to develop the festival as an opportunity to support local artists, many of whom have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This event will highlight the importance of the arts and the pivotal role they play in driving economic development. A thriving arts community means a thriving DuPage County,” said Lynn LaPlante, Chairwoman of the Ad Hoc Fine Arts Committee. “This brand-new initiative gives these talented artists a platform to promote the amazing work they’re doing. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to come together and celebrate as a community after a very difficult two years.”
Groups scheduled to perform during the festival include the headline act, Ides of March, and others including the Orbert Davis Quintet, Muriel Anderson, Ralph Covert and Ralph’s World, Son Monarcas, the DuPage Symphony Ensembles, the Chicago Jazz Academy, Vital Signs, the Road Show Inc. Show Choir, Elmhurst Symphony Chamber groups, and many more.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit dupagecountyfair.org/event/dupage-community-arts-festival.
After a sharp decline since a peak in January, COVID-19 infections are rising again in DuPage County, bringing the County from Low up to Medium Community Level.
COVID-19 vaccination and boosting continue to be critical prevention measures. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 75 percent of DuPage County children aged 12-17 years are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but only 50 percent of children aged 5-11 years are fully vaccinated.
Low vaccination rates continue to increase risk of preventable infection, severe illness, and COVID-19 spread in households, schools, gatherings, and communities. Continuing to expand vaccine coverage and ensuring all eligible people are up to date with vaccination is essential to protecting individuals against hospitalizations and deaths. More information and resources are available at dupagehealth.org/covid19.
 Chairman Cronin Discusses Western Access to O’Hare
Chairman Dan Cronin met with Illinois Tollway Interim Executive Director Lanyea Griffin, local mayors, elected officials, and staff on April 14 for an update on the Elgin O’Hare Western Access construction project.
Chairman Dan Cronin presented a proclamation recognizing May as Asian American Pacific Island Heritage Month to Bill Liu of the Xilin Association at the May 10 County Board meeting.
DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin and Member Mary FitzGerald Ozog presented a proclamation on April 26 recognizing three DuPage County natives who competed in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Ethan Cepuran from Glen Ellyn, who won the bronze medal with the U.S. speed skating team, attended the meeting in-person with his parents, Marilyn and Carl. Savannah Harmon, a former Downers Grove resident, and Alexa Knierim, formerly of Addison, attended the meeting virtually. Harmon won a silver medal with the women’s hockey team and Knierim and her partner Brandon Frazier won the silver medal for pair figure skating. Congrats to our local Olympians for their accomplishments and representing DuPage County well!
Emergency Telephone System Board member Grant Eckhoff and Board Chairman Greg Schwarze wished DuPage Public Safety Communications Executive Director Brian Tegtmeyer good luck at his last meeting on May 11. Brian is leaving DuPage County to serve as the Coordinator of the National 911 Program.
DuPage County has received two Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The awards honor innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents.
NACo recognized the DuPage County Sheriff’s tattoo removal and cover-up program and the County’s partnership with DuPage PADS Interim Housing Center.
DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick started providing tattoo removal as part of a gang-cessation and jobs program created to reduce recidivism at the DuPage County jail. Once tattoos are removed or covered up, the action signifies an inmate’s commitment to a gang-free future. The program has removed or covered up 48 gang tattoos so far and with more than 100 inmates on a waiting list to have their tattoos removed.
The DuPage PADS Interim Housing Center provides emergency housing for persons experiencing homelessness in DuPage County. The County Board voted in December 2021 to provide $5 million in federal COVID relief money to DuPage PADS to buy and remodel a former hotel and convert it into a space for people and families to recover from their housing crisis and identify permanent housing options.
Nationally, awards are given in 18 different categories that reflect the vast, comprehensive services counties provide. The categories include children and youth, criminal justice and public safety, county administration, information technology, health, civic engagement and many more.
DuPage County recently launched a new web application to look up your various political, taxing, or school districts. Click here to use the new tool and type in an address in the search box or click within the map. The application will display elected officials who represent that location, taxing bodies that location resides in, and other information and links.
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