Edward ER tech takes first in monthly photo contest
Teresa Wisnieski, an emergency room technician at Edward Hospital in Naperville, is the November winner in the Will County Forest Preserve District’s Preserve the Moment photo contest.
Her photo of a baby opossum was taken at the Lower Rock Run-I&M Canal access in Joliet, where Wisnieski likes to hike and view nature, a news release said.
The Joliet woman said she captured the image when she saw a large opossum foraging for food and spotted the baby waiting nearby.
“It made me smile because it’s such a cute little opossum,” she said in the release. “So I thought I would share it (to the contest) because it brought me some joy.”
An honorable mention for November went to Naperville resident Michael Masallis for his photo of oil beetles “snuggling” at Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Nature Preserve in Reed Township.
Wisnieski’s photo is one of eight that will be entered into the annual contest, which ends Dec. 31. In January, all of the monthly photos will vie for top honors via public voting on the district’s Facebook page.
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Naperville pastor named Joliet diocese’s vicar general
The Rev. Richard L. Smith, pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Naperville, has been appointed vicar general for the Diocese of Joliet by Bishop Ronald A. Hicks.
The part-time position has been expanded to a full time status so that Smith can assist the bishop in the governance, pastoral and administrative responsibilities of the diocese, a news release said.
Smith assumed the job Dec. 1, and will continue to reside and serve as pastor at Holy Spirit.
He succeeds Bishop Joseph Siegel, who was the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Joliet until his appointment as the head of the Diocese of Evansville, the release said.
Cowan wins new term as Will County Board speaker
Mimi Cowan, a Democrat from Naperville, has been reelected to a two-year term as speaker of the Will County Board.
“We have made great progress this past year, but we have major challenges facing our county as we simultaneously grapple with a worldwide pandemic, severe stress on our resources, and a struggling economy,” Cowan said in a news release.
“I am humbled to accept this position as Will County Board speaker and I am committed to working on behalf of all of the residents of our county while at the same time maintaining fiscally responsible county government operations.”
Also elected Dec. 7 were Meta Mueller, D-Aurora, majority leader; Mike Fricilone, R-Homer Glen, minority leader; Margaret Tyson, D-Bolingbrook, Democratic caucus whip; and Judy Ogalla, R-Monee, Republican caucus whip.
Dunne chosen for community college committee
College of DuPage Board of Trustee Maureen Dunne, a Naperville resident, has been named to the Association of Community College Trustees Public Policy and Advocacy Committee.
A COD graduate and Naperville resident, Dunne obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago, a master’s from the London School of Economics and a doctorate in cognitive sciences from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, a COD news release said.
She is also the co-founder and managing partner of the Autism Angels Group, the first social impact investment association focused on neurodiversity. Dunne currently serves on the governing board council of Advocate Health–Good Samaritan Hospital, as a board director for Access to Care and Aspiritech and as an executive board member of the Downers Grove Economic Development Corp., the release said
The association is a nonprofit educational organization of governing boards representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern more than 1,200 community, technical and junior colleges in the U.S. and beyond.