HP_122817

8 | December 28, 2017 | The highland park landmark news
hplandmark.com
Perkins
The Paley Family, of Highland Park
It may be a few days past the holiday, but Perkins
is feeling the spirit nonetheless.
To see your pet as Pet of the Week, email editor Xavier
Ward at xavier@hplandmark.com
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THE GLENCOE ANCHOR
Community mourns sudden
death of 16-year-old
Glencoe resident
“This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine, Let
it shine, Let it shine, Let it
shine.”
With those gentle lyrics
in their ears, the men,
women and children who
had crowded into Winnetka’s
Sacred Heart Parish
on Wednesday, Dec.
20, were sent forth into the
night after celebrating the
life of Sofia “Sofi” Troglia,
the 16-year-old Glencoe
teen and New Trier special
education student who had
illuminated so many of
their lives.
Troglia was pronounced
dead on Dec. 15 after experiencing
what Superintendent
Paul Sally described
as “a medical emergency”
in a letter to parents.
Sacred Heart was a
beautiful setting. Three
large pictures of a smiling
Troglia were placed in the
front of the church facing
the congregation and four
lighted Christmas trees
flanked the altar.
During the service, on
the last page of the hymnal,
the four family members
wrote a farewell message
that read in part: “You
came into this world with
your own challenges. But
over time, you taught us
not to be sad for you. Rather,
you taught us to love
unconditionally and to celebrate
the incredible gift
we received with you in
our family. From a beautiful
baby to a teenager, your
light was always so bright.
... You have no idea what
a profound impact you had
on the lives of so many.
“Everyone here with us
celebrating your life will
forever remember your
love and the lessons you
taught us all.”
When the Mass was
ending, Troglia’s schoolmates
at New Trier handed
members of the congregation
purple ribbons. Purple
was chosen because it was
Troglia’s favorite color, it
is the color of Advent and
it is the color of the organ
donor group to which her
parents donated her organs.
Reporting by Neil Milbert,
Freelance Reporter. Full
story at GlencoeAnchor.com.
THE WINNETKA CURRENT
Winnetka Youth
Organization participates
in collection for the
homeless
Despite their own hectic
holiday schedules, a group
of compassionate local
teens took time to participate
in the Winnetka Youth
Organization’s gathering
of goods for The Night
Ministry on Dec. 16, making
sure the less fortunate
don’t go without this holiday
season.
The group met at the
Winnetka Community
House after weeks of
gathering items such as
bandages, toothbrushes,
candy, hand lotion, hand
warmers, tissues and deodorant,
packing the items
into thoughtfully decorated
stockings.
Christina Gikas, executive
director of the Winnetka
Youth Organization,
explained the day of goodwill
has been an annual
tradition for the past 10
years, benefitting participants
and recipients alike.
“The Night Ministry is
an organization that helps
those struggling with
homelessness,” Gikas
said. “The goods the kids
have gathered will go a
long way in helping someone
who is less fortunate.
I believe activities like this
one are so beneficial to the
kids; it expands their world
view, helping them see
that there are people, not
that far away, who don’t
have access to many of the
everyday, basic items we
take for granted.”
Sophie and Lillie Krajewski,
of Kenilworth,
said they were searching
for a social service activity
to participate in during the
holidays.
“We wanted to do something
to help others, especially
around the holidays,
so we were really happy
to be part of this event
today,” Sophie Krajewski
said. “Even our younger
brother at [Joseph Sears
School] helped gather
items too.”
Reporting by Alexa Burnell,
Freelance Reporter. Full
story at WinnetkaCurrent.
com.
THE WILMETTE BEACON
Packed house debates D39
tax levy
While the United States
Congress is considering
tax reform legislation, the
Wilmette School District
39 Board has been having
a tax discussion of its own.
Nearly 30 people from
the community spoke during
the board’s tax levy
public hearing in front of a
packed house on Monday,
Dec. 18 at the Mikaelian
Education Center. Seventeen
individuals spoke in
favor of the levy, while 12
people spoke against it.
In the end, the board
voted to approve the
$53.9 million levy by a
6-1 vote. The 2017 levy
is a 4.36 percent increase
over last year’s extension.
The $53.9 million levy includes
$40.7 in the educational
fund, $9 million in
the operations and maintenance
fund, $635,800
in the transportation fund,
$85,000 in the working
cash fund, $342,120 in the
Illinois Municipal Retirement
Fund, $1.2 million in
the Social Security fund,
$281,047 in the tort immunity
fund, $309,147 in the
special education fund and
$1.3 million in the bond
and interest fund.
The Property Tax Extension
Limitation Law limits
the revenue growth from
the property tax for school
districts to the rate of inflation
plus an allowance
for new property. During
2016, the Equalized Assessed
Value of property
within the District’s taxing
boundaries was $1.8
million. The District’s
projection is that Equalized
Assessed Value will
remain flat at $1.8 million
for 2017. However, when
the county clerk extends
the taxes, it’ll be based on
the actual 2017 Equalized
Assessed Value plus new
property growth.
Reporting by Todd Marver,
Freelance Reporter. Full
story at WilmetteBeacon.
com.
THE GLENVIEW LANTERN
Ice center renovation to
appear on March ballot
A $17 million bond referendum
to finance renovation
of the 44-year-old
Glenview Ice Center and
make improvements at
The Grove will appear on
the March election ballot.
By a 5-2 vote, the Glenview
Park District Board
accepted the recommendation
of the 28-member
Citizen Task Force at its
Thursday, Dec. 21 meeting
The estimated annual
tax impact of the bond
measure would be $35.69
for a $500,000 home, or
approximately $2.97 per
month.
Board President Bob
Patton and Commissioner
Dan Peterson voted against
Please see NFYN, 12