Dear Editor, I just wanted to let you know about some very positive progress as a result of the Patch coverage of Sunset Village. Patch readers contacted Village leaders about the issues going on at Sunset Village.
 As a result, the receiver has started a very thorough, rapid process of removing old, abandoned and dilapidated homes. They have started installing new equipment in place of the pump house once full of rodent feces and carcasses in an effort to blend away the radioactive material in our water. They have started installing streetlights and replacing defective hydrants. We now have …

Dear Editor, This September 11th, I have the honor of having been invited to appear in Glenview to facilitate a discussion about how best to bridge the gap that sometimes seem to be present between the military and Veteran community and the civilian community. With over a decade of war behind us, and daily combat operations continuing, it is undeniable that our nation, like many lives, has been forever changed since that September morning, 11 years ago. I am a service connected disabled Veteran, with service, on the ground, as a member of the US Air Force in both Southwest Asia and Somalia. …

Dear Editor, Now that the police report is finally available, and having familiarized myself with it, I would like to relate to your readers the following sentiment: The police report shows that the Wesley Child Center utterly failed to safeguard little Vicente’s life and is directly responsible for his death. Wesley had no responsible plan in place for ensuring that such a tragedy would not happen.  Related: Read Patch’s complete coverage of Vicente Cardenas' drowning Wesley should not have taken little children to such a large and crowded swimming pool in the first place – and at a minimum…

Dear Editor, Whenever you turn on a television or read a news article nowadays, all you hear is a litany of things that certain people and groups want. We the residents at Sunset Village are a bit different. We don’t want a lot of things; we don’t want pity, we don’t want a handout, we don’t want to gain an unfair advantage over anyone else at the expense of our integrity. We also don’t want to be uprooted from our long-standing ties to the Glenview community. We don’t want our children pushed out of the school system they enjoy so much. We don’t want to live in fear of fire, unhealthy water …

Dear Fellow Wesley Parents, Many of us have been sitting on the sidelines, grieving for the Cardenas family, frustrated with the silence, and wondering what we can do to help. As of July 26, officially, the Cardenas Family still knows absolutely NOTHING. I mean not a word from police, from Wesley center or from DCFS.   More: Read Patch's coverage of the tragic Roosevelt Pool drowning. Also, as many of you are aware, the investigation continues surrounding the events of June 15. This investigation is centered on the drowning and investigators are directing their attention to only those …

Dear Editor, This will be my final report from Sunset Village as we and many other residents are planning to discontinue paying our lot fee’s and mortgages and extending out the foreclosure and eviction processes through litigation for as long as possible so that we may save up enough to move. It seems like a bad thing to do, but it’s no worse than what these lenders like MB Financial, Lincoln Financial and Village Officials and Legislators have done or allowed to happen to the residents here for a very long time. It should give everyone in Glenview great pause to consider that despite …

To the Editor of Glenview Patch: I am Vicente Cardenas's uncle and write once again on behalf of the family of Vicente Cardenas. First, we would like to thank your readers for the outpouring of support, words of comfort and sympathy as we try to cope with this tragedy. We are very touched by the support of the community. We continue to be frustrated by the lack of information from Wesley School and from the authorities. We understand from news reports that Wesley School has indicated that its refusal to provide a detailed explanation of this tragedy is somehow related to the fact that the …

Here's my latest, and quite possibly my last report from Sunset Village:  A politician once said that when your neighbor losses his job, it’s a recession but when you lose your job, it’s a depression. I can assure you the same goes for losing your home. Don't miss a thing: Sign up for our free newsletter and like us on Facebook! I have been a resident at Sunset Village for nearly three years. I have watched and experienced some brutal management techniques, intimidation tactics and other unpleasant occurrences brought upon the residents here during the reign of slumlord Richard Klarchek. I …

Dear Editor, From time to time, I try to give a report on the progress or other issues at Sunset Village.    This letter comes at a time when quite a few more people like me are approaching the proverbial “end of the rope.”   There has been a lot of rancor and divisiveness on television lately. Invariably, poor people and working class people are mischaracterized as being in perpetual need of a handout or demanding an end to financial inequity, etc.   My experience has been that the residents of Sunset Village are living through some of the worst of not only financial inequality but of the …

Dear editor, I've lived in District 31 for 12 years and I support the referendum to raise our taxes. We moved here because of this district's unique qualities -- it not only offered an incredible education for our children, but it also offered a diverse community for them. My oldest child is now in high school and my youngest is in middle school. We are, in fact, almost "out of the district." So, why am I so concerned with ensuring that the referendum passes? It is not due to loss of my property value. Of course, I do not want my property value to plummet, which it will most certainly do if …

Dear Editor, I consider myself lucky, and my parents smart.  I grew up on the North Shore of Chicago and was a student in an outstanding school district, where I received a stellar education. Following college, graduate school, marriage, and moving around the country a bit, my husband and I moved back to the Northern suburbs of Chicago knowing that this area is the only place we wanted to raise our own family, giving our children the same opportunity to learn in a great school district like I did.  I attribute a great deal of my personal and professional success to my earliest educational …

Dear Editor, These past months since my last letter have seen some significant improvements but also some serious setbacks for many residents here at Sunset Village.  While we still suffer from chronic water outages, the impact is less because most of the remaining residents are aware that our water was never potable and keep plenty of bottled water on hand. The duration of the outages has been lessened because the court appointed receiver is making sure that contractors are being paid whereas the previous owner was reluctant to remedy the problems and when forced to make repairs, he simply …

Dear Glenview Patch Editor:At the last Willow Road Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting in lateSeptember, it seemed that Northfield stakeholders have had a noticeable"change-of-heart" regarding this project. The meeting focused on the Illinois Department of Transportation's proposedtoolbox of safety characteristics that the new and improved Willow Roadcould feature, such as pedestrian countdown signals or curbed medians.Throughout the discussion of each tool, there seemed to be a shift inNorthfield's long and loudly stated priority of safety, which we all want,towards an increasing concern …

With Glenbrook South's Titan Telethon just around the corner, I wanted to share several letters to the editor we've received in support of this worthwhile event. No one can speak better to the cause and committment to service than the students, parents and organizers who have devoted their time and energy. Here's to 50 years of Titan pride and supporting organizations in our community like Youth Services that give back everyday of the year. From Abby Keller, Troy Farsakian, and Katie Cowhey, Glenbrook South student participants Our names are Abby Keller, Troy Farsakian, and Katie Cowhey and …

Dear Editor, District 31 Superintendent Alexandra Nicholson has arrived at an agreement with Northfield Township Assessor Patricia Damisch and with Ali ElSaffar, President of the Cook County Township Assessors' Association and Oak Park Township Assessor, regarding the April 5 ballot language and the impact of the proposed tax increase on District 31 tax payers. District 31 is asking its voters for $2.236 million in additional revenue over tax revenue collected last year. For a typical house, a successful referendum will result in a tax increase of $59 PER $1,000 of taxes paid last year. …

These are difficult times and the problems we face in state government have no easy or pleasant solutions. I recognize that the action we took to raise revenue is difficult on families and businesses and that it is not popular, but it was necessary at this time in order to stave off even more dire financial consequences for all of us.  The choices were not good - they were "bad" and "worse". Illinois was on the brink of fiscal failure.  Our revenues were down 25% over the last two years due to the recession.  Our bond rating was going to be downgraded to junk status in a matter of weeks (if …