Solar eclipse viewing party being held at Naperville’s Whalon Lake
Residents interested in watching the solar eclipse April 8 can attend a viewing party at Whalon Lake on Royce Road, just west of Route 53, in Naperville from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
It is one of three eclipse viewing events being held by the Forest Preserve District of Will County. The others will be at Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve in Crete Township and the Hickory Creek Preserve-LaPorte Road Access in Mokena.
The free, all-ages programs are timed to coincide with the solar eclipse that will pass through Illinois. The first 50 people at each of the events will receive free viewing glasses with which to safely view the eclipse, a district news release said.
Other activities will also include a campfire and marshmallow toasting, and participants are asked to bring their own chairs or blankets.
In addition, the forest district is holding programs on the eclipse from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 6-7, at the Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, 25055 W. Walnut Lane, Channahon.
Registration is not required to attend any of the events. For more information, go to www.reconnectwithnature.org.
Foster seeking art submissions for Congressional Art Competition
U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, is looking for artwork for the national annual Congressional Art Competition.
The competition is for high school students who live in the 11th Congressional District. Artists need to enter the competition for the district in which they live, not where they attend school by April 22.
Each art piece must be two-dimensional and cannot be larger than 26 inches high, 26 inches wide or 4 inches deep and cannot weigh more than 15 pounds, a news release said. Every entry must be unique and not violate any copyright laws.
Mediums can include paintings, drawings, collage, prints, computer generated art, photography or mixed media, the release said.
Students may submit up to two artworks, which should be dropped off at Foster’s Aurora office, 2000 W. Galena Blvd., Suite 303.
The winning artwork from each congressional district will hang in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for one year.
For more information, call 630-585-7672 or go to https://foster.house.gov/artcompetition.
College of DuPage to increase per-credit-hour tuition in the fall
The College of DuPage Board of Trustees has approved an $8 per-credit-hour tuition increase for the 2024-25 school year.
With the change, tuition and fees for in-district residents will be $152 per credit hour, starting with the fall semester, a news release from the college said.
Out-of-district students will pay $355 per credit hour and out-of-state students will pay $425 per credit hour.
Tuition levels were previously $144 per credit hour, which was $13 below the state average for community colleges, the release said.
According to college President Brian Caputo, the increase is necessary to ensure the institution’s sustainability amid rising operating costs.
