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Notes from your Barrington Patch Editor. I’ve always enjoyed Mother’s Day. My mom and I have been close my whole life so spending the day honoring her has been something I’ve always been glad to do. This year, Mother’s Day has taken on a new meaning for me. It’s my first Mother's Day as a mom myself. I would be lying if I said the past five-and-a-half months have been filled with nothing but joy. Don’t get me wrong, I love my baby with my entire being, but being her mother hasn’t been easy. I never truly understood just how difficult being a mother would be until Nov. 26, 2011. I’d say I was pretty prepared to have a baby by the …
Twelve weeks ago I met the love of my life. On November 26, 2011, after 12 hours of labor and a fairly traumatic delivery, I was handed my perfect baby girl. For nine months prior to her birth, I imagined what that moment would feel like. Would she look like my husband? Would she know I was her mom? I never knew a love so deep existed until I was introduced to my daughter. My pregnancy was eventful to say the least. We didn’t know what to expect when Hannah was born. During week 20 of my pregnancy, doctors discovered she had ventriculomegaly, which is an enlargement of the brain ventricles…
I’m sure we’ve all heard about the scandal involving former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky. It’s all over the news, as it should be. In case you haven’t read about it, Sandusky was arrested last weekend for sexual offenses involving eight young boys. The sexual abuse took place between 1994 and 2009. Several people either saw the abuse with their own eyes, or were told about what was going on. It sickens me that some of these people, including Penn State Athletic Director Timothy Curley, Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz, football coach Joe Paterno and …
It’s safe to say most of us remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news that our nation was under attack on Sept. 11, 2001. My day started out just like many others. I went to school that morning, and was just leaving my symphony orchestra class when I heard the news. We didn’t get much information at first, just frantic bits and pieces about what was going on. When I made it to my second class, the television was on, and everyone was glued to the monitor. All I remember seeing on the screen was smoke, debris and terrified, hysterical people on the streets of…
Today marks Memorial Day in our country. Yes, it's the unofficial start of the summer season, and a great day for big sales at most retail stores, but too many of us forget what this holiday is all about. Today is really about honoring those who have lost their lives battling for our freedom. Most of us know someone who has risked their lives for us serving in the U.S. Military, and unfortunately, most of us also know someone who isn't here anymore because of it. I'd like to use this column as a way for people to honor service men and women who gave up their lives fighting in the U.S. …
We have another election coming up here in Barrington on April 5. Registered voters will have a chance to select who will be the next Village of Barrington Trustees, Barrington Public Library Board Trustees and Board of Education Members for District 220. What topics do you think are the most important to discuss regarding the upcoming election? Are you interested in talking about how the next Board of Education members will help the financial situation our school district is facing? How about what the candidates for Village of Barrington Trustee will do for our town? Please let us know in …
If you've been a dedicated reader of Barrington Patch since our Sept. 24 birthday, you have probably noticed things are looking a little bit different around here lately. We've added content geared toward Moms on Wednesdays, and suggestions for weekend activities are now posted on Thursdays. Daily PatchCast videos are also available on every Patch site in the region, providing a look at the top stories for areas nearby. The daily PatchCast is something particularly close to my heart because I'm the producer and anchor of the segment. With my television production background, this is …
One of my favorite parts about my job as the Editor of Barrington Patch is interacting with readers. I love when community members call me with news tips, or email me with photos. A big part of that interaction is the Barrington Patch Facebook page. I update our Facebook page daily with information about stories I'm working on, or stories that are already on the site. Becoming a fan is a great way to stay updated about what's going on in Barrington. I also reach out to readers on our page by asking questions and starting conversations about different topics. Feel free to comment on …
It was hard for me to close the book on 2010; it might have been my best year on record. I got married, started a great job with Barrington Patch, and have a wonderful outlook on my future. In an effort to make 2011 as great as 2010, I decided to compile a list of New Year's Resolutions. In no particular order, here they are. 1. Eat Healthier. Most people would say I'm already a pretty healthy person. In addition to my career in journalism, I'm also a certified personal trainer, so I know a great deal about health and wellness. I eat enough fruits and vegetables, and limit the bad …
Merry Christmas to all of the Barrington Patch readers! Although I'm Jewish, my husband and most of my family is Christian. I guess you could say I'm one of the lucky ones who gets to celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. I'll be celebrating with loved ones today, and hope many of you are able to do the same. May your Christmas be filled with peace, joy and laughter.
Since Barrington Patch was born on Sept. 24, 2010, readership has grown immensely! I'm very grateful for all of my readers and would like to say thank you to everyone by treating you all to a cup of coffee and some conversation. Please join me on Tuesday, Dec. 21 from 10 a.m to 12 p.m. at Cook Street Coffee. There will be free coffee for all, and more information on how to better utilize Barrington Patch. Of course, I'll be there as well, so please introduce yourself to me! I love meeting my readers. I hope to see you all on Tuesday, Dec. 21 at Cook Street Coffee!
When I walk around town, I notice the spirit of Christmas is everywhere. Shops have Christmas displays lining their store fronts, Santa's House is set up on Cook Street, and the village Christmas Tree is perfectly trimmed. While I appreciate the festive spirit, I can't help but wonder, am I the only Jewish person in Barrington? Does anyone in the village recognize the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah? For those of you who don't know, Dec. 3 marks the third night the Jewish Festival of Lights. The word "Hanukkah" means "dedication", which reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-…
Veteran's Day has come and gone, but I think it's important to honor our troops all year long. For that reason, in today's 'Letter From the Editor', I'd like to talk about the veteran that is closest to my heart: My grandfather. My grandfather, Morton Fiedler, is a very brave man. When he was just a teenager, he put his life on the line and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. In 1944, he fought in World War II as a B-17 pilot based in England, and flew missions over Germany until the war's end. My grandfather is in his 80s now, but still speaks fondly of his time serving our country. He …
UPDATED Nov. 6: According to the Lake County Elections website, voter turnout has been updated to about 50%, not the original 21% as stated in the video. ... Hi everyone, this is your Barrington editor, Morgan Delack. Forgive the congestion in my voice today, I've been battling a cold all week! Today I want to talk about the hot topic all across the northwestern suburbs: the extremely close race for the 8th Congressional District seat. Currently, Melissa Bean, the democratic incumbent and Barrington resident, is trailing republican Joe Walsh by less than 400 votes. In my opinion this …
Hello to all of my Barrington Patch readers! Last week's video column was quite successful, so I'm going to keep it going for now. This week, I want to talk about Halloween. It's one of my favorite holidays, and I'm sure many of you share my feelings on that. I'm preparing a series of articles based around the holiday, and I need your help! Do you know of any Barrington ghost stories or spooky things that have happened around town? If so, please let me know! I'd love to investigate these things and write an article about them. I already have a few fun articles up my sleeve in honor of…
In this week's letter from the editor, I decided to switch things up and do a video blog-like post. I hope you all get to know my personality a little bit better from watching the video and enjoy the new format. This week, I want to discuss the importance of user contributions. If you are reading this or watching the video, that means I want to hear from you! I look forward to your feedback not only on this video, but on everything I put on this website. If you'd like to see something different on Barrington Patch, please let me know, and I will do my best to deliver. I look forward …
I'm very proud to work for a company that takes volunteering and giving back to the community seriously. Here at Patch, we all participate in an event called Give5. All Patch employees spend five working days each year volunteering in the communities Patch serves. Today I will be participating in Matt's Mile and 5k in Grayslake along with Regional Editor Tara Tesimu, Grayslake Editor Marcia Sagendorph and Crystal Lake Editor Michael Bivona. The charity race is held in memory of Matt Hupp. The 13-year-old was extremely athletic and loved to run. A pain in his leg turned out to be an …
I've only been on this adventure as the Barrington Patch Editor for a few months, but I've already learned so much about the community and the people who live here. My family has lived in the village for seven years, but until recently, there was so much of this town that I had yet to discover. There are hundreds of businesses and business owners that I've had the pleasure of meeting. I've visited welcoming churches, the untouched scenery at Baker's Lake and several incredible parks. What other village can claim to have a wheelchair accessible tree house? Although I've seen a lot of what …
Welcome to Barrington, Illinois! A community that has it all—beautiful homes, award-winning schools, a lively business district and historic buildings. Barrington is truly, as its motto says, "a great place to live, work and play." I'm Morgan Delack, your Barrington Patch editor. I've called the village home since 2003, and I look forward to being your prime source of Barrington news. I have a bachelor's degree in journalism from Penn State University and have an extensive background in television. Before coming to Patch, I was a producer for several television stations in Illinois, and …
