Study says Chicago traffic congestion actually got better

Drivers in the Chicago area were stuck in traffic an average of 36 hours in 2011, 12 fewer than the 48 wasted in traffic in 2010, according to INRIX, a company that studies traffic patterns.

Lions bring the hearing bus to Barrington area

Despite damp weather, the Barrington Lions Club had more than 30 people come out to the corner of Hough and Main streets to get free screenings with the club’s hearing bus on Saturday. The Illinois Lions Club hearing bus stopped in the temporary parking lot …

Voterama in Congress, week ending May 18, 2012

House

Violence Against Women Act: Voting 222 for and 205 against, the House on May 16 approved a Republican bill (HR 4970) to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) through fiscal 2016 on a budget of $680 million annually. The bill was disputed mainly …

Lee planning another fundraising bike ride

Barrington resident Bob Lee wants to make a difference, but he knows he can’t do it alone. In September 2012, Lee will embark on the Ride for 3 Reasons: Part III, a solo cycling trip from Canada to Mexico with a goal of raising $1 …

Suburbs on alert, but so far little impact from NATO

This weekend’s NATO Summit in downtown Chicago may seem worlds away from the suburbs, but authorities throughout the region are preparing for any problems that could spill out of the city. So far, though, police departments haven’t reported any problems like the rallies that have taken place this week in the city. And many suburban hotel managers said their rooms are mainly booked to tourists and wedding parties and even factory workers — and not protesters.

Former 220 employees enjoy retirement

At the end of the 2011-12 school year, 16 teachers and staff members will retire from Barrington Community Unit School District 220. The Barrington Courier-Review is in the middle of featuring all of the retirees who choose to participate. This week’s featured retirees are Marilyn …

Kite Fly combines with event

Pat Winkelman was beaming at the Barrington Area Kid Fest Saturday morning as over 300 kids and parents came out to Citizens Park to play outside despite the initially damp weather. As Co-Founder of Barrington and Lake Zurich areas’ Leave No Child Inside initiative and …

Suit: Let disabled athletes go to IHSA state meet

The Illinois High School Association girls state track and field meet will be held this weekend ­— and Fenwick’s Mary Kate Callahan won’t be taking part. But a lawsuit to be filed Wednesday by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in federal court aims to make it possible for student-athletes with disabilities, like Callahan who is paralyzed from the waist down, to compete in future IHSA state meets.

For guys, it’s still more ‘schleppy’ than preppy

Jim Foster didn’t know what kind of pants he had on. But he knew how much he paid for them: $1. Foster lives in Glencoe, which Bundle.com says is the second-most fashionable town in America. In terms of spending dough for duds, Foster is not doing his part.

Voterama in Congress, week ending May 11, 2012

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted on matters relating to defense spending, lobbyists’ federal pensions, funding of two federal departments, voter ID laws and funding for the Export-Import Bank. Senators failed to end GOP blockage of a bill preventing interest rates on student loans from doubling, to 6.8 percent, on July 1.

Metcalf, Carsella poised for retirement

At the end of the 2011-12 school year, 16 teachers and staff members will retire from Barrington Community Unit School District 220. In the coming weeks, the Barrington Courier-Review will feature all of the retirees who choose to participate. This week’s featured retirees are Karen …

Two dead in apparent murder-suicide in Barrington Hills

A husband and wife are dead following an apparent murder-suicide Wednesday in Barrington Hills. The bodies of Julianne Damato, 47, and her husband, Joseph Damato, 56, were found in their home in the 0-100 block of Lakeview Lane in Barrington Hills, according to the Cook …

Barrington closer to adopting aggregation plan

Barrington officials approved and adopted a draft of the village’s Electricity Aggregation Program Plan of Operation and Governance at its special board meeting May 7, for which community members can review before a final copy is approved May 14. “This qualifies our authority to operate …

19-year-old fatally struck by car

A 19-year-old man died almost a week after being struck by a car on Barrington Road in South Barrington. William Deacon, of the 1000 block of East Lilac Drive in Palatine, was pronounced dead Sunday at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, the Cook …

Pioneer writer Irv Leavitt awarded Lisagor

Pioneer Press columnist and reporter Irv Leavitt received the coveted Peter Lisagor Award for best news column or commentary at a banquet Friday in Chicago. It was the second Lisagor for Leavitt, who won the prestigious plaque in 2011 for feature writing. The whimsical, self-effacing …