NCC ranked among best regional universities in Midwest
North Central College in Naperville has been named one of America’s best Midwestern colleges by U.S. News and World Report.
This is the 30th consecutive year the college has been listed, NCC officials said in a news release.
North Central is ranked as 19th out of 164 institutions in the Best Regional Universities Midwest category, improving five places over last year.
The school also moved up five places to 28 in the Best Value Schools category and moved up 13 places to be ranked 48 on the list of Top Performers on Social Mobility. It also came in no. 7 for Best Colleges for Veterans.
U.S. News evaluates nearly 1,500 national colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality. It publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year to provide prospective students with comparisons on the country’s colleges and universities.
Annual — and final — Naperville Christmas ornament on sale
The fifth annual Naperville Christmas ornament Michael Notardonato — the final one he plans to produce — is now on sale.
The 2024 design revisits city landmarks that have been featured on the four previous ornaments. The dated ornament on etched brass features several iconic buildings and locations inside a green-and-red wreath and hung by a red ribbon.
Among the places depicted are the Millennium Carillon, Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, the Dandelion Fountain, Naper Settlement’s Century Memorial Chapel and the covered bridge on the Riverwalk.
Notardonato, a Naperville native, made the first ornament in 2020 during the pandemic when he returned home from New York and realized the city didn’t have its own ornament.
The ornaments will ship the last week of October. The cost is $25 plus tax and shipping. There is a limited number of 2023 ornaments also available.
To order, go to www.thenapervilleornament.com.
Naperville Fine Art Center hosting Fiber Art Divas show
The Fiber Art Divas will present its “Elements of Innovation” art show through Oct. 12 at the Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery, 508 N. Center St.
More than 35 original pieces, including art quilts, wearable art, felted wool creations, beadwork, embroidery and weaving, are featured. Some items are for sale, a news release said.
A reception will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, at the gallery, which has regular hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
The free show is open to the public. For more information, go to www.napervilleartleague.com.
Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres will be meeting with the public Wednesday during an informal “Chat with the Chief” event. (Naperville Police Department)
Chat with the Chief event to be held Wednesday at Starbucks
Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres and his staff will speak with residents from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, at the Starbucks at 1532 Aurora Ave. as part of National Coffee with a Cop Day.
The meet-and-greet event is part of the department’s “Chat with the Chief” series in which Arres and other department members host informal get-togethers with residents in coffee shops around the city.
There will be no formal presentation or agenda. Residents can stop by at any time to ask questions and discuss topics like neighborhood issues and safety concerns, a news release said.
Starbucks will provide complimentary drip coffee. For more information, go to www.naperville.il.us/npd/chatwithchief.
College of DuPage to present free ‘Stop the Bleed’ course
The College of DuPage will offer a free first-aid course, “Stop the Bleed,” from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at the college’s Berg Instructional Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn.
The program will offer an overview of what to do in an emergency situation during which uncontrollable bleeding occurs. It is open to the public and presented by the college’s police department.
“Stop the Bleed” is a national awareness campaign to encourage bystanders to become trained to provide potentially life-saving care until emergency responders arrive, a news release from the college said.
For more information and to register, go to www.cod.edu/landing/police-dept-classes.html.
Celebration planned for newly renovated Winding Creek Park
The Naperville Park District will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, for the newly renovated Winding Creek Park at 144 W. Bailey Road.
Light refreshments, and attendees can explore the park’s new amenities, including an inclusive spinner, a zip line and an enclosed 14-foot slide, park district officials said in a news release.
The district also is in the process of adding a basketball court to to the park at the request of residents. Park officials said they have received letters of interest in the courts from local homeowners associations and a petition signed by 76 residents.
Other amenities at Winding Creek include baseball fields, fishing ponds, picnic shelters and trails.
In the event of inclement weather, the event will be moved to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9.
