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October 8, 2024

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Greetings Skokie73.5! 

👮‍♂️ Meet the officers who patrol your neighborhood at Skokie Police Department quarterly beat meetings this month.

👨‍🚒 The Skokie Fire Department is one of several local agencies supporting search-and-rescue efforts following Hurricane Helene.

🩺 Navigating Medicare? Skokie Health and Human Services can help! Call 847-933-8208 to make an appointment with a Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) counselor. 

Learn about proposed modifications to Oakton Street, between Skokie and McCormick Boulevards, at Cook County’s open house public meeting this Thursday, October 10, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Oakton Community Center, 4701 Oakton St.

What to expect: At the meeting, you’ll be able to review planned improvements from the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH) and share your feedback directly with the project team.

You should know: This portion of Oakton Street, like many major thoroughfares in Skokie, is under the jurisdiction of Cook County, which owns and maintains the roadway. Other major thoroughfares are under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). View Skokie’s street jurisdiction map (PDF).

2023 Downtown Skokie Trick-or-Treat event. (Photo by Rich Cahan.)

There’s lots of spooky fun to be had in Skokie this October!

Downtown Trick-or-Treat: Prowl Oakton Street and Lincoln Avenue for Halloween treats, giveaways, activities and more during the Downtown Skokie Trick-or-Treat on Saturday, October 26, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Official Skokie trick-or-treat: Hours are Thursday, October 31, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

More events: Enjoy additional Skokie Halloween activities at the Skokie Farmers’ Market, Skokie Park District and Skokie Public Library this month.

The Skokie Art Spot pop-up gallery, hosted by the Village’s Fine Arts Commission, opens this Friday! The free exhibition, juried by Jay Ryan of The Bird Machine, showcases artwork from more than 20 Skokie artists.

Plan your visit: The gallery, located at 4854 Oakton St., will be open Fridays and Saturdays, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., through October 27. 

Three Skokie businesses are among the first six recipients of Cook County’s Businesses Reducing Impact on the Environment (BRITE) program grants, which support dry cleaners, auto body and auto repair shops, metal finishers, metal fabricators and food and beverage manufacturers in reducing environmental impact through pollution reduction.

Congratulations to: Sketchbook Brewing, Kenny the Kleeners and The Greener Cleaner, which received a total of more than $700,000 to support pollution-reducing initiatives in Skokie. “Having three of the grant winners coming from the Village of Skokie is a medal of honor for us,” said Mayor Van Dusen.

How the funds will help: At a news conference, Sketchbook Brewing owner Cesar Marron shared that the funds will help his company purchase an electric vehicle (EV) to deliver the brewery’s spent grains to local farms to feed livestock and support EV charging infrastructure for customers, among other projects.

Did you know: As part of its Environmental Sustainability Plan, the Village recently launched a Green Business Recognition Program, which is helping more than a dozen small Skokie businesses to improve operational efficiency, save money, and reduce environmental impact. 

October 6-12 is National Fire Prevention Week. This year’s campaign, “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” reminds everyone about the importance of having working smoke alarms at home.

Three smoke alarm reminders: 1) Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on each level of your home. 2) Test smoke alarms once a month by pushing the test button. 3) Replace all smoke alarms when they’re 10 years old or stop responding when tested.

Five more tips from Mitch: Skokie Fire Prevention Specialist Mitch Kushner shared five actions you can take to keep your household safe.

Battery safety: The Illinois Product Stewardship Council provides guidance for safely disposing of different types of batteries.

FEMA disaster assistance funding is available to individuals and households that incurred expenses related to severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding in Cook County on July 13-16, 2024. 

Was your home impacted? Learn more about what assistance may be available to you and how to apply.

Unless otherwise indicated, all meetings are held at Skokie Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street.