La Grange LWV Helps Drive Creation of Housing Task Force

The La Grange LWV has a long-standing interest in promoting affordable housing options in La Grange, and has been actively pursuing the creation of a housing task force. Following discussion in several previous Village Board meetings, on May 3rd the Board unanimously approved the creation of a new La Grange Housing Citizens Task Force. LWV member Peg Moster spoke for the action. “We see the formation of a task force as the culmination of the work of this committee,” she told trustees. “Through the work of the League committee, we became aware of the housing strategies that are possible to increase housing affordability here in La Grange.” 

La Grange Village Board Celebrates 100 Years of the League!

The La Grange Village Board hosted a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the League of Women Voters of the La Grange Area.  30 League members were in attendance as a proclamation honoring the League was read, and League leaders addressed the Board in thanks for this honor. A celebration followed at Milk Money on La Grange Road.

View the history of the La Grange League in this video, prepared with resources from the La Grange Historical Society! And read the article in the Chicago Tribune here!

Artificial Turf - Is It Safe?

Our towns and schools are often faced with a decision whether to replace natural grass playing fields with artificial turf. While there are advantages, there are also concerns. The Green Team from PSEG Sustainability Institute at Montclair State University joined us remotely to discuss the results of their study that evaluated the environmental, social, and economic impacts of artificial turf versus natural grass for sports fields. Jenny Bechtold, Executive Director, Park District of La Grange discussed factors influencing the District's decision to install artificial turf. You can view a recording of the program here. 

Debra Shore Looks at Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region

Debra Short believes living in Chicago -- on the shore of the Great Lakes containing 20% of the world’s surface freshwater -- is a gift and a responsibility. “We need to demonstrate our love of the Lakes through caring stewardship and conservation,” she said during a talk hosted by the LWV LaGrange Area at the LaGrange Public Library on February 12. With a focus on conservation, clean air and water, and social justice, Debra Shore has been one of the Midwest’s leading environmental protection advocates for more than 30 years. She served as a commissioner on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) for 15 years, and most recently was the Regional Administrator of the US EPA’s Region 5 from 2021 to January 2025.

BEDS and Housing Insecurity in La Grange

The League of Women Voters® of the La Grange Area sponsored an informative program on the struggles of housing insecurity.  Erin Molek of BEDS discussed the history of BEDS, the impact of BEDS in the community, and how to get involved. Many individuals and families are teetering on the edge, just one hardship or crisis away from experiencing the uncertainty of housing loss. Together, as a community, we can make a difference. Join us in building a safety net and support system to assist those facing homelessness and housing insecurity. You can listen to a recording of this program here.

Carbon Capture and Storage - Is It Worth It?

The LWV of the La Grange Area hosted a program on Carbon capture and storage (CCS). CCS is a technology that captures carbon dioxide emitted by burning gas, oil, coal, or biomass before it enters the atmosphere and then transports it by pipeline to be stored underground. The recently enacted Inflation and Reduction Act includes incentives for the energy industry to implement CCS projects. Does the promise live up to the hype? The meeting began with a 20-minute video from the 2023 LWVIL Issues Briefing featuring June Sekera, Senior Research Fellow at Boston University, in which she presents extensive data questioning the efficiency of CCS, available here.

The Aging of the Prison Population in Illinois and the Need for Elder Parole

The La Grange LWV hosted a program on incarceration of older prisoners. This program described how the prison population in Illinois is aging as a result of longer sentences being imposed, the human and financial costs of continuing to imprison these people as they require medical care for the diseases of old age and end of life care, the lack of effective pathways for these people to be released when they no longer pose a threat to society, and pending legislation for an elder parole process that would provide a process for early release of those older people for whom there is no valid reason for continued imprisonment. The speaker was William Nissen, an attorney who represents persons in Illinois prisons who are seeking clemency from the Governor. You can download the slides here.

La Grange LWV Registers 1000+ New Student Voters!

The League of Women Voters® of the La Grange Area registered over 1,000 new student voters in 2020. The League worked with area schools to host voter registration events in celebration of National Voter Registration Day, a nationwide holiday celebrated on the fourth Tuesday of every September.  Over 75 volunteers, including League and community members, students, teachers and staff, held 5 events at Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Proviso Township High Schools in Hillside and Maywood, Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, and DePaul University in Lincoln Park.

Cook County LWV Releases Updated Report on Pre-Trial Systems

With LaGrange LWV member Jan Goldberg as co-chair, the Criminal Justice Interest Group of the Cook County LWV has released a comprehensive update of its 2015 report on Pre-trial Systems in Cook County. In the original report, the group made11 recommendations to help ensure that pretrial operations are fairly and equitably administered within the criminal justice system of Cook County. These recommendations were put forth in order to ensure that pretrial systems efficiently and effectively serve the accused and the citizenry of Cook County. The purpose of this updated report is to summarize the progress made on each of these recommendations and to assess what further steps our criminal justice interest group needs to be take in order to further each goal.  Download the complete report here.