Thursday, December 27, 2012
It's been a wonderful first four months serving as your local editor. I can't wait to see what's ahead in the new year!
As 2012 is coming to a close, today marks my four-month anniversary as your Grayslake Patch local editor. It's a relatively short time, but it feels as though I've been here much longer. That's because I enjoy this job so much, and I hope you, the readers, have enjoyed what you've seen and read on the Grayslake Patch this year. My goal is to provide you with coverage that is interesting, informative and relevant to your lives as Grayslake residents. I can't say I wasn't kept busy. We've had a lot to talk about in my first four months, from the home invasion and the 2012 elections to the business closings and the looming teacher strike in District 46. I'm ready for the new year and hope you are as curious as I am to see what develops in …
Saturday, November 17, 2012
More and more large retail chains are jump starting Black Friday by having Thanksgiving night 'doorbuster' sales. Do you think this practice is greedy and shameful or smart and necessary for the economy?
If you work a retail job, try not to choke on your turkey leg as you hurriedly finish eating to race back to the store for the "Black Friday Creep," also known as "Gray Thursday." I can't decide what's creepier, the stores for putting employees in this position or the "sheeple" who salivate at the prospect of saving an extra 10 percent on some gadget they don't need but know they want because their friend has one. I thought Black Friday was supposed to be on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, not on Thanksgiving. Sears, Walmart and Target are just a few of the big box stores having Thanksgiving "doorbuster" sales. That term sounds kind of gross to me. Sears and Walmart stores will launch Black Friday sales at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving night. …
Monday, September 17, 2012
Learn to Patch with these helpful tips from your Grayslake Patch Local Editor.
I've been a community journalist for more than 11 years, but that was print--and this is definitely not. I'm a "Patcher" now and I'm learning, day by day, how to make our Grayslake Patch grow. But I can't do it alone. This literally takes a village. As a new hire, I traveled to Patch headquarters in New York City last week for a crash course in what it means to be a local editor of a Patch Web site. The biggest lesson I took away from our training was that although I have a solid print journalism foundation, Patch is a new concept for reporters like myself. As a new media company, Patch is changing the face of community journalism by writing for their readers, not just about them. Patch is not a newspaper in the traditional sense, and our …
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Beware the Taxman. You now have one week to submit your second property tax bill installment.
For those of us who can't, don't or just won't pay their annual property tax bills in one horrific lump sum when it arrives in the spring, the deadline for getting that dreaded second installment to the county collector looms large. I just paid, less than three months ago, and it was a lot. But they want more. They all want more---governments, schools, pensions. So many taxing bodies that want a piece of the pie. And while I fully recognize and understand why we need to pay property taxes, each time I pay them I can't stop thinking how I could have used that money for something tangible, like an African safari. If we didn't have to pay taxes (there is such a thing, but it's usually accompanied by prison time) we'd all just be using that …
Monday, August 27, 2012
Familiar face returns to Grayslake as the new Patch Local Editor.
Greetings Grayslake friends and neighbors! This is Angela Sykora, your new local editor. There's a great chance you already know me, so I feel like I'm coming home again. "I'm back, back in the Grayslake groove!" (Shout out to guitar god Ace Frehley's cover of "New York Groove") I was the reporter for the former Grayslake Review weekly newspaper for about 10 years. During my career with Pioneer Press I was fortunate to have Grayslake as one of my primary beats, along with Gurnee. I've always enjoyed covering all the happenings in Grayslake. Now I get to do it exclusively, so keep an eye out for me and say hello! To tell you a little bit about my background, I am a native east-coaster who attended Hershey High School in Pennsylvania and the…
Saturday, June 2, 2012
There were some reports on Twitter of UFO sightings in Vernon Hills May 26. Did you see anything strange?
There I was, less than 24 hours after launching Vernon Hills Patch, when I saw this after searching for "Vernon Hills Illinois" on Twitter: "UFO Sighting in Vernon Hills, Illinois, on May 26th 2012 — 7-10 Glowing Red Orbs Traveling Across Sky going East." At first I said, "What? That's ridiculous." And then I saw this, from a different person: "At about 10:50 I saw 7 UFOs flying over Vernon Hills, IL, Did anybody else?" That message was also from May 26. While the X-Files fanatic in me wants to be like Fox Mulder and say "I want to believe," the journalist in me says I must be skeptical. Now, sure, I've read lots of reports of UFOs being seen in the skies over Illinois. Some sort of aircraft? Most likely. From "out of this world"? Doubt …
kari whittington
5:09 am on Thursday, November 22, 2012
I will be venturing out this evening to get the deals that I specifically have been researching for who has the best deal. Saving $100.00 for that item is worth it to me. You know, times have changed, so many people do not have jobs and would do anything to get work. I don't think folks should complain about working Thanksgiving evening if they want to keep their job. Certainly if they do not … more ›