CN Crossing On Cuba Road in Lake Zurich

The Canadian National (CN) Railway will close the railroad crossing on Cuba Road, Lake County Route A-46, for scheduled repairs. The closure of the crossing will begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 14. Cuba Road should reopen to through traffic on the evening of Friday, May 18.  Local traffic will be allowed from IL Route 59 to the crossing and from the crossing to Ela Road. View release and detour map.

CN Crossing on Allanson Road in Mundelein

The Canadian National (CN) Railway will close the Allanson Road crossing starting on Saturday, May 19 at 8 a.m. and concluding on or before Sunday, May 20 at 5 p.m. Access to homes and businesses east and west of the crossing on Allanson Road will remain open during the repair work. View news release and map.

EJ&E Railroad Crossing on Butterfield Road in Vernon Hills
The Canadian National (CN) Railway will close its Elgin, Joliet & Eastern railroad crossing on Butterfield Road north of Illinois Route 60 for scheduled repairs, beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 21. Butterfield Road should reopen to thru traffic on the evening of Friday, May 25.  Local traffic will be allowed from Route 60 to the railroad crossing and from Route 176 to the railroad crossing. View news release and detour map. 

Did you know... more than 50 percent of commercial and residential irrigation water use goes to waste due to overwatering, evaporation, or runoff? You can help by following your local water usage and restriction ordinance. If your community does not have one, consider watering your lawn no more than twice a week, before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Thank you for doing your part to help ensure that our community and neighboring communities have a clean and reliable water source now and for future generations!

EPA Water Sense

Lake County Water Resources

Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) services, specifically assistance with unemployment insurance, will no longer be available at the Waukegan Job Center (1 N. Genesee St).  Individuals with unemployment questions, or claims should visit the Grayslake Job Center, located at 800 Lancer Lane, or call 847.543.7400.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced this change April 27, notifying Lake County that IDES staff will be moved to their main office at the Grayslake Job Center.  Veteran's services will still be available at the Waukegan Center on Mondays. Unemployment information is available at www.ides.illinois.gov.  All other services of the Job Center will continue to be available in Waukegan including: computer & internet access, job search workshops, training grants, and onsite recruitment. To view the schedule, visit www.lakecountyjobcenter.com.

ComEd has a new messaging capability that allows customers to text their outage to ComEd and enables ComEd to text restoration information back to customers.   The expanded outage alert text message program will provide added convenience for customers and help improve their experience. The new program enhancements:

• Allow customers to text the company to report an outage,
• Offer real-time information on outages, and
• Allow customers to text ComEd to opt into the program.

To report an outage, customers can text OUT to 26633 (COMED).

Sign up here. 

Eagle Nest Discovered

An active bald eagle nest was recently discovered at the Fox River Preserve and Marina in Port Barrington. Here is a link to the rookery location:  http://g.co/maps/3n6yx. The bald eagle pair is nesting alongside double-crested cormorants and great blue herons in a well-established rookery along the Fox River.

New Nature Cam

In March, the forestry crew set up two motion-detection cameras in a tree adjacent to a great horned owl nest in Wright Woods Forest Preserve in Mettawa. Four cameras were also placed at ground level, in hopes of capturing the fledgling owlets and other wildlife in this area. These special infrared cameras are able to record wildlife acting naturally, reducing the stress that flash photography can cause. Visit LCFPD.org/naturecam to see if our experimental Nature Cam was successful, and to learn more about great horned owls.

Postcard Donation

Leonard A. Lauder, Chairman Emeritus of The Est�e Lauder Companies, Inc. has donated more than 35,500 Raphael Tuck & Sons Oilette postcards to the Lake County Discovery Museum's Curt Teich Postcard Archives. The donation is valued at about $260,000 and includes funding for the storage, preservation, cataloging, and digitization of the postcards.
A well-known philanthropist and businessman, Leonard A. Lauder began collecting postcards at the age of eight. The Tuck Oilette postcard collection is part of a larger collection amassed by Lauder over nearly 50 years of collecting.

The Teich Archives is a world renowned collection of postcards and materials relating to their production dating from the 1890s to the present. The Teich Archives is used daily by researchers for a variety of projects including restoration of historical buildings and landscaping, scholarly papers, genealogy, elementary and high school history fairs, and as illustrations in textbooks, advertisements, magazines, and newspapers.

New Lake County Nature Blog

For many of us when we think of having meaningful experiences in the outdoors we think of the grand vistas of large National Parks or long road-trips to far-away destinations. However, what might be most beneficial for our health and environment is finding our own nature niches close to home. Connect daily, not once a year. Visit the new Lake County Nature blog to discover what's happening seasonally, and find your own nature niches in Lake County.

Native Plant Sale: Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13

Prepare your wish list of native plants for your yard and visit our Annual Native Plant Sale  on Mother's Day weekend May 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and May 13 from 10 a.m. to  3 p.m.at Independence Grove Forest Preservein Libertyville. Proceeds from the sale benefit Lake County Forest Preserve environmental education programs.

Bonner Farm Spring Fling: Sunday, May 20

Come out to the farm and enjoy a variety of spring-themed activities, including crafts, wagon rides, a petting zoo, music and more at the  Bonner Heritage Farm in Lindenhurst on Sunday, May 20 from 12-4 p.m. All ages invited. Learn more.

As Lake County's largest, longest-running annual job fair, JobMarketplace attracts hundreds of employers and thousands of job seekers! This is an excellent opportunity for to find full-time, part-time, seasonal, and professional employment positions. View event flyer here. 

May 17, 1-5 p.m.

College of Lake County Physical Education Center (Building 7)

19351 W. Washington Street, Grayslake 

This free event is hosted by the College of Lake County and the Job Center of Lake County.  Jobseekers DO NOT need to pre-register. Click here for a full list of employers.

Items that are seldom or no longer used, but take up space in your house, are called "Stuff." Now you can sell that without going through all of the promotional expense of running your own garage sale. Instead, just take it to the Lake Zurich Lions Club's "World's Biggest Yard Sale" on June 2-3 in Lions Park, downtown Lake Zurich.

Net cost for a 10 x 15 square ft. space for the entire two-day period is only $35. Registering is easy, simply click here then apply. Once you have completed the form and paid the fee, a Lion will contact you with your booth space information. The Lions Club does not supply tables or chairs for people selling things in the park, and since this is a two-day event, there is no rain date.

Still have questions that need to be answered? Check the information on the www.lzlions.com, then call 847-847-2171.