“America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You’ve got to want it bad ‘cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.”

When I taught Government at the high school level, all students were required by statute (105 ILCS, 5/27-3 and 5/27-4) to take and pass a test on the Bill of Rights, the United States Constitution and the Illinois Constitution, in order to qualify for graduation.  It was then and still is critical that all citizens, not just my students understand not only the structure of our government, they have a good foundation in understanding the rights guaranteed to them in the Bill of Rights. When my students studied the Bill of Rights, I tried to drive home for them not only the importance of knowing their rights, but being able to defend those rights when there is evidence of their rights being denied or abridged, especially our right of free speech.

In today’s world, we seem to have developed the notion that free speech is what individuals deem free speech. As Winston Churchill once said, “everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day goes by without it being extolled, but some people’s idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage.” We seem to be experiencing a society where its only free speech if I agree to what is being said, discounting the validity of thoughts expressed by others. To provide one such example, consider how speakers are turned away by universities if it is felt that their message might be too controversial or may offend a segment of their student population. While this is one such example, I can draw many more examples of this from events taking place in our country today.

As Michael Douglas in his role as President Andrew Shepherd states in his closing speech from the movie, The American President, “America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship, you’ve got to want it bad.” Maybe, if “we want it bad,” we each need to go back to our old high school government books, open them up to the Bill of Rights, and really study the meaning behind the words. Maybe then we will develop more tolerance for opinions that strongly differ from ours, and in the process, become a society that isn’t as polarized and divided.

TOMORROW, May 17

Time: 5:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Dunkin' @ 7532 Cass Avenue (N/W corner of Cass & Plainfield)

Stop by to visit Darien Police officers and support Special Olympics Illinois!

National Public Works Week is May 19–25 and we’re celebrating all things public works! Public Works is all around us and our city's infrastructure, facilities, and services could simply not be provided without the dedicated efforts of public works professionals

Please join us in recognizing the contributions made by the public works professionals in Darien who help to maintain and improve our community's health and safety. Thank you!

Any day now, we'll see the emergence of billions (or even trillions) of Brood XIX and Brood XIIII cicadas. It has been 221 years since these two broods of cicadas emerged together.

And, while cicadas don't bite or sting, this family reunion, as the Field Museum called it, is going to be quite loud. That "noise" is the male cicadas singing to attract the females. Female cicadas can pick out the unique song of their species, helping them to find a suitable mate.

Check out more great info on cicadas from the Field Museum here. And if you aren't a bug lover, just remember the cicadas will be gone again in four to six weeks.

Join us at the following Memorial Day Weekend Events to commemorate the Veterans we know and love and those who came before.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has notified Martam Construction that the road closure may not begin until May 28 and is expected to continue through August 30, 2024. The existing informational signs will be revised.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has recently awarded a contract to Martam Construction for the curve correction on the I-55 North Frontage Road at Cass Avenue within the City of Darien in DuPage County. Traffic control devices and informational signage will be in place during the project. The project will entail a Road Closure between Bailey Road and the Mount Caramel Church entrance on Frontage Road. Access for the Shell Gas Station, Alpine Banquets and Church traffic will not be impacted and will be able to enter and exit onto Frontage Road during construction. The Carriage Greens Country Club and Center Cass School patrons and residents will need to detour to Plainfield Road and Bailey Road south to Frontage Rd.

While the City of Darien looks forward to the safety improvements, we request of all to be mindful and patient of the speed limits within the detour area of the neighborhood roadways.

Road rehab work for the City of Darien is tentatively scheduled to begin on May 6 and continue through the beginning of June. Check out the updated schedule here.

If you have received a letter from Aqua Backflow/City of Darien, please contact Aqua Backflow. The City of Darien has hired Aqua Backflow to track any and all information regarding backflow testing. Aqua Backflow can be reached at (847)742-2296 or by email.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and 211 is here to help with all your mental health needs. You can call 211 or visit 211dupage.gov for information and referrals on all the mental health resources in the DuPage County.

Cake becomes art at Mamine Krofnice. Stop in to see the magical creations by Andrea the Cake Artist yourself at 737 Plainfield Road, Ste 9. You can order custom cakes too and have your dreams made into a delicious reality! Learn more here.

Bike month is all about getting out on your bicycles, but it is important to know how to ride safely on the roads as a cyclist and how to safely share the road with bicycles as a driver. Follow these tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration so you can share the road safely and confidently:

The agenda will be posted here.

Residents can now submit their property maintenance concerns on the City’s new online site, OpenGov. This streamlined site allows users a way to submit their property maintenance concerns, commonly referred to as property maintenance violations. In order to access the portal, please visit the City’s website. If you have any questions, please contact Jordan Yanke, City Planner, at (630) 353-8113.

In our continuing effort to keep Darien residents informed, the Darien Police Department is introducing Emergency Notifications via text. Please visit our Direct Connect Signup page and provide your cell phone number to receive text notifications in case of an emergency. These texts will be sent at any time (day and night) when an incident within the City may impact the community (e.g. police activity, accidents where there are road closures, etc.). There is no cost to sign up for this service. The Police Department will continue to use X/Twitter for non-urgent notifications.

Darien’s Direct Connect E-Newsletter (DC) is the City’s primary source of information for residents and businesses. Please tell your friends and neighbors about DC, forward this email to them, and ask them to sign up. Signing up is simple and can be done here.

Click on the links below for more information on these upcoming community events!

Lions Club Big Raffle 2024: link

DGC Sprouts Learning Garden Planting Day/Pizza Party - May 18: link

Greek American Pioneer Women of IL - May 18: link

Darien Garden Club - Celebrating the Cyclical Cicada! - May 22: link

Memorial Day - Clerendon Hills Cemetery Flag Placing - May 24: link

Memorial Day - VFW Commemoration at Clerendon Hills Cemetery - May 27: link

Memorial Day - VFW Commemoration at Darien Community Park - May 27: link

Memorial Day - Clerendon Hills Cemetery Flag Removal - May 27: link

Mayor Joe Marchese, (630) 200-2390

Bryon Vana, City Administrator,

City Hall (630) 852-5000

Police Department (630) 971-3999

Public Works Streets & Water (630) 353-8105

Community Development (630) 353-8115

Visit the City of Darien's website for information on City services.

Follow us on Facebook at @CityofDarien.

Follow us on X at @CityofDarien.

Follow the Darien Police Department on X at @DarienPolice.

Join your Darien neighbors on Nextdoor.