Dear Terra,

To bee, or not to bee?

That one's easy! We're official Super Sweet Bee Buddy Members! That means we're sponsoring a City Bee Savers beehive, on behalf of District 42. Now we need to pick a great name for our hive and its queen bee.

City Bee Savers is a member of the Illinois Queen Initiative (IQI), which is working to raise healthy honey bees from colonies that are well-suited to Illinois' rigorous climate.

Throughout the summer, the City Bee Savers safely retrieve honey bees from trees, chimneys, and buildings around Illinois and place them in hive boxes. Those bees are then bred to help produce bees that are Illinois-hardy.

If you have some creative ideas to name our hive and its queen, you can click here. (Puns are DEFINITELY encouraged.) We'll select the top five and then let you vote to pick the name. (Just BEE polite with your suggestions, please!)

We're collecting donations for the Lombard Fire Department's Toy Drive and Parade

The Lombard Fire Department is hosting its 23rd Annual Toy Drive from now through Dec. 13, and my office is helping collect new toys (unwrapped), sports equipment, formula, wipes, and diapers to donate to the drive.

The drive will end with a Toy Parade on Main Street, from St. Charles Road to Wilson Avenue, on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 10:30 a.m. Residents are invited to participate and help spread holiday cheer by donating new, unwrapped toys and baby supplies to help local families in need.

Donations will benefit Toy Express and Teen Parent Connection. To schedule a time to drop off donations or a porch pick-up, you can email reptch42@gmail.com or call 630-812-9292. You can also donate through our Amazon Wishlist here. For more information, you can click here.

Happy, happy Halloween!

Are you going trick-or-treating today? These are the recommended hours for villages in our district:

• Glen Ellyn: 3 to 7 p.m.
• Lombard: 3 to 7 p.m. 
• Lisle: 3 to 8 p.m.
• Wheaton: 3:30 to 7:30 p.m
• Downers Grove: No prescribed hours, but the Downers Grove Police Department recommends trick-or-treating during daylight hours.
• Naperville: No prescribed hours, but recommend daylight hours for young kids and ending by 8 p.m. for older kids.

To help everyone stay safe, I wanted to share this great video from the Wheaton Police Department. Take a look (It's adorable!), and have a fun, safe night!

Save some landfill space and smash those leftover pumpkins in Glen Ellyn SATURDAY

Don't trash your pumpkins—smash them instead!

You can stop by the Glen Ellyn Park District's Pumpkin Smash on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Village Green Park, 130 S. Lambert Road.

The nutrients from the smashed pumpkins will be added to the community garden soil, fostering sustainability and waste reduction.

Make sure your pumpkins are free of decorations and candles; painted pumpkins cannot be accepted. If possible, weigh your pumpkins before the event, so the Park District can keep track of the total pounds of pumpkin diverted from the landfill.

You're welcome to drop off your pumpkins and leave. If you want to participate in the smash, please bring your own baseball bat or shovel.

Go Green Glen Ellyn will be on hand to host a recycling event for small appliances, batteries, latex paint, and more. No registration is required for this free event. To learn more, you can click here.

There will be more pumpkin smashing opportunities in Wheaton SATURDAY

Wheaton's Halloween pumpkins can meet an appropriately grisly end on Saturday, Nov. 2, when the Environmental Improvement Commission host its "Pumpkin Smash” compost event.

You're invited to drop off your decoration-free pumpkins from 9 a.m. to noon in Commuter Parking Lot 9, at Liberty Drive & Carlton Avenue.

Here's a fun fact: SCARCE (the environmental education non-profit) and the cities of Wheaton and Elmhurst hosted Illinois' first pumpkin collections in 2014. Today, there are 95 Pumpkin Smash sites, and almost 500,000 pounds of pumpkins have been composted instead of going to landfills.

For more information, you can click here. Or watch this short video, courtesy of Scarce.

Handmade treasures on sale at COD Craft/Art Fair SATURDAY and SUNDAY

Oh gosh. It may be hard to believe, but it's time to start thinking about holiday gift-giving.

You can find handcrafted treasures for the people on your list at the Holiday Happening Craft and Art Fair, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, and Sunday, Nov. 3, at the College of DuPage PEC Arena, at College Road and Park Boulevard in Glen Ellyn.

The fair showcases talented artisans from across the Midwest, and includes gifts, jewelry, festive decor, clothing, bath and body products, and kids' items.

Admission is $7 on the day of the event; advance tickets are $5 through tomorrow (Friday). Youth under 16 will be admitted free with a paying adult. For more information and to buy tickets, you can click here.

Nominate a young Illinois leader for the John Lewis Leadership Award

Do you know a young person who is fighting for the human rights of people in our communities?

Please take a moment and nominate them for the National Association of Secretaries of State John Lewis Youth Leadership Award, created in 2021 to recognize young adults, aged 18 to 25, who have made exceptional contributions to their communities.

The award program, which is led by the Illinois Secretary of State's office, seeks to commend young advocates who are working to protect the right to vote, provide fair access to resources and opportunities, and eradicate discrimination and prejudice. Your nomination should highlight work that increases awareness of social problems while identifying and promoting solutions.

John Lewis, who represented Georgia's 5th Congressional District, served 17 terms in the House of Representatives. He was a recognized leader in the Civil Rights Movement while still in his teens, and his credo – “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble" – has inspired generations of young activists.

Nomination forms and guidelines for the award can be found at here. The deadline for completed submissions is 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11. You can call (312) 814-1148 or email jlyouthaward@ilsos.gov with any questions or for more information.

Don't delay! Get your tickets for the Morton Arboretum's amazing Illumination today!

If you haven't seen the Morton Arboretum's winter light show, Illumination, you're missing something special.

The event, which runs from Nov. 16 to Jan 4, features dazzling displays of lights and music that highlight the beauty of trees in winter.

This year's show includes a new light display, Celebration Circle, in The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden. It features four illuminated installations that move in sync with different instruments, to create a symphony of moving light. Special events also include IllumiBrew, Electric Illumination, and Illumination Sensory Evening. You can get tickets here.

Learn more about Lombard's new Public Safety Capital Project WEDNESDAY

The Village of Lombard is planning to update and expand its aging police and fire department headquarters. If you want to learn more about Public Safety Capital Project, you're invited to an open house on Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Village Hall, 255 E. Wilson Ave.

Police and fire staff will show a video, present displays on the planned project, answer questions from the public, and lead a brief tour of the police station. To learn more, you can click here.

Worried about paying for college? GPS will present a financial roadmap Nov. 7

A college education can confer lifetime benefits, but the rising cost can impose major financial stresses on students and their families.

The GPS Parent Series: Navigating Healthy Families will present "The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make" with author Ron Lieber at noon and 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, via Zoom.

Lieber, author of The Price You Pay for College, will offer strategies to guide meaningful family conversations on paying for college, plus questions that families might not know to ask, or might be afraid to discuss.

As you may know, GPS is a locally based educational consortium dedicated to presenting distinguished, relevant, high-profile authors, clinicians, and educators who share research-based knowledge and practical wisdom. The group's mission is to enhance the resilience and well-being of all students by helping them build relationships, develop coping strategies, and forge responsible decision-making skills.

You can find the Zoom links here. To be placed on a reminder list for GPS events or submit a question in advance, contact Gilda Ross, Glenbard District 87 student and community projects coordinator, at gilda_ross@glenbard.org or 630-942-7668.

Renew your license at the DIY DMV kiosk at the Lombard Jewel-Osco

You can do your grocery shopping and renew your driver's license in one spot through the new Fast-Lane DMV pilot program, which has placed 15 self-service kiosks around the state.

These Fast-Lane kiosks offer basic DMV services (vehicle registration renewals, plate decals and driver’s license renewals) inside grocery stores. You can try one out at Jewel-Osco, 1177 S. Main St. in Lombard.

You can learn more about the kiosks, the services they offer and what you'll need to bring by visiting here.

Upcoming Events

We have lots of events coming up, so please take a look and mark your calendars today!

Nov. 8: Bingo Night, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center, 800 St. Charles Road in Glen Ellyn

Nov. 9: Lombard Pumpkin Smash, from 9 a.m. to noon at Lombard Common, 433 E. St. Charles Road

Nov. 9: Lisle Pumpkin Composting Event, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Village Hall Parking Lot, 925 Burlington Ave.  

Nov. 9: Downers Grove Pumpkin Smash, from 9 a..m. to noon at Downers Grove North High School, 4436 Norfolk St.

Nov. 9: Wheaton Recycling Event, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Public Works Storage Yard, 820 W. Liberty Drive.

Nov. 11: Lombard Veterans Day Ceremony, at 11 a.m. at the Sunken Garden in Lombard Common Park, near the intersection of Grace and Maple streets

Nov. 11: Glen Ellyn Veterans Day Ceremony, at 10:30 am, with the program beginning at 11 am. at Lake Ellyn, 645 Lenox Road

Nov. 19: Glen Ellyn Blood and Food Drive, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center, 800 St. Charles Road

Nov. 22: Kids Night Out in Lisle, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Gentle Learning Preschool, 1925 Ohio St.

Nov. 27: Wing It Turkey Shootout Free Throw Challenge, from 10 a.m. to noon at Main Street Recreation Center, 501 Hill Ave.

Nov. 28: Glen Ellyn Park District's Turkey Burn, from 7 to 10 a.m. at Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center, 800 St. Charles Road

Nov. 28: Turkey Trot 4-Mile Run, at 8 a.m. at Lake Ellyn Park, 645 Lenox Road in Glen Ellyn

If you have any questions about pending legislation or other issues related to your state government, please don't hesitate to contact my office at 630-812-9292 or RepTCH42@gmail.com.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay strong,

Terra Costa Howard

State Representative 

42nd District

913 S. Main St.

Lombard, IL 60148

(630) 812-9292