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DuPage County Board Chair Deborah Conroy issued a disaster proclamation for DuPage County on April 3 in response to damage that occurred during a tornado in Addison on March 31.
"Issuing a disaster declaration allows County residents impacted by the storm to seek any state or federal resources that may become available to assist in their recovery efforts," Conroy said. "We will do everything we can to help anyone who may have been affected by this storm."
On April 1, Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a disaster declaration for counties struck by a series of tornadoes throughout the state, including DuPage. The National Weather Service reported that an EF-1 tornado traveled 1.6 miles from Lombard to Addison beginning at 8:17 p.m. Friday evening. The area the tornado hit includes at least 18 properties with varying levels of damage, according to the Village of Addison. Most common are reports of damaged roofs, downed trees, and power lines.
DuPage's disaster declaration allows for County emergency procedures to go into effect, allowing the County to help procure items or services necessary to assist the community’s storm response.
 County Celebrates Women's History Month
DuPage County celebrated women elected officials – including County Board Chair Deborah Conroy, Board member Cindy Cronin Cahill, judges, and staff on March 14 during the presentation of a proclamation recognizing March as Women’s History Month.
DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin, the 18th Judicial Circuit Court, and the DuPage Family Violence Coordinating Council on March 22 announced a new initiative to better assist victims of domestic violence in accessing the resources available to them in a safe and discrete manner. Learn more about the program.
DuPage County Announces Housing Solutions Committee
DuPage County Board Chair Deborah Conroy announced the formation of an ad-hoc County Board committee on March 14 to address issues of affordable housing for workers, seniors, the disabled, and families in DuPage County.
The committee will begin its work with a series of educational sessions, including creating a definition of affordability, evaluating the impact of local County policies on current development opportunities, analyzing actions of past Boards that attempted to increase the affordable housing supply, and determining what resources are available to address the needs.
Board members Liz Chaplin and Sam Tornatore, who serve as the Chairs of the Finance and Development committees, respectively, will serve as co-chairs of the ad-hoc committee, which will be a committee of the whole.
The committee is expected to meet monthly, with specific dates and times to be determined. At the Feb. 28 Finance Committee meeting, Board members allocated $2.5 million to begin a program for affordable housing solutions in DuPage County.
County Board Member Sam Tornatore joined local elected officials at a press conference on Feb. 27 to speak out about the potential hazards of a merger of the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads. The County joined the Coalition to Stop CPKC, a group of municipalities in the northern portion of the County that worked to fight the merger of the two railways. The Surface Transportation Board approved the merger on March 15, despite objections.
Chair Deborah Conroy presented a proclamation recognizing February as National Black History Month to Board member Michael Childress; Michelle Podkova and Emily O’Brien with the DuPage Historical Museum; and Bernie Kleina, who had first-hand experience with the Civil Rights movement. Childress provided some of his personal collection to the Museum for its Black Trailblazers Exhibit.
DuPage County Announces 2023 Scholarship Program
The DuPage County Department of Community Services is offering college and occupational training scholarships for low-income individuals with high academic potential.
The Community Services Block Grant scholarship supplements the cost of tuition, books, supplies, and other school-related items for a semester or a quarter to offset the student's needs. This scholarship is funded and designed in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Applications are available at the DuPage County Department of Community Services Office, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, or online at www.dupagecounty.gov/CSBG, under "Other Resources." Completed applications and supporting documents must be received by 4:30 p.m. May 5.
For more information, contact the DuPage County Department of Community Services at 630-407-6500, or call the toll-free number at 800-942-9412.
DuPage County Board Chair Deborah Conroy joined leaders from Cook, Will, Lake, Kane, McHenry, and Kendall counties and the City of Chicago to announce the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership, which will promote economic development across the entire Chicagoland region.
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