Editor's note: It's come to our attention that the quote we included in last week's article about the Franklin Middle School choir program didn't fully reflect the sentiments Assistant Principal Joe Kish expressed in a letter to parents. I got to see the students in action performing for residents at Belmont Village in Carol Stream on March 15. I was moved by their talent, generosity and character, and I was taken with gratitude and respect for the teachers and administrators who have provided the environment, guidance and support to allow these students to realize and appreciate such values…

Dear Grandma, Can I come over and watch that documentary about cats you keep telling me about?  Some of us just hate Valentine's Day—and will do anything to try and avoid it. But for those in relationships—committed or on the rocks—it's a day full of opportunities. If you have a girlfriend who says Valentine's Day not a big deal, this is a time—an opportunity—to remember the advice you read about, "What she says vs. what she means." "It's not a big deal," means: "I don't like teddy bears that say 'I love you', but I do like flowers, chocolates and extra attention." "Valentine's Day is the …

We're getting excited for the monthly "Girl's Night Out" movie showing at Studio Movie Grill in Wheaton this Wednesday, where Sleepless in Seattle is the $1 movie pick of the month. I, Patch Local Editor Charlotte Eriksen, will be there a little early to hang out by the bar and talk with anyone who has questions about Patch. I'll fire up the site and walk you through blogging, posting events, signing up for the newsletter and liking us on Facebook. If you already know about all of that, then we'll just hang out. Girl's Night Out starts at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12. I'll plan on being …

  Monday was a good way to start the week with some Wheaton hometown pride, with a little kudos on our schools and general greatness. It started with props from CNN Money, which reported Wheaton as No. 80 in its list of the best places to live in America. Then, Chicago magazine ranked Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South high schools in its list if the top 10 public high schools in DuPage County. Wheaton North was No. 6 and Wheaton Warrenville South was No. 8. And, according to the latest Princeton Review, the City of Wheaton and Wheaton College have excellent "town-gown" relations. …

Good morning, Patch readers, Patch's weekly news recap will now run on Sunday mornings. After careful consideration, I've decided we have quite a few roundup-type stories on Saturdays, so I am going to wait until the week is totally over to post our local recap. On that note, I know readers enjoy Wheaton's "This Week" feature, so if the Sunday morning recap is just not working out, I hope you'll let me know. Reader feedback is extremely important, and if you're not a fan of the Sunday recap after so many weeks of seeing them on Saturday, please email me at Charlotte@patch.com. Have a great …

Today is graduation day in Wheaton. Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South high school graduates of the Class of 2012 will toss up their hats, hug, cry, stir and laugh over memories of high school.  And if you're just glad that nonsense is finally over and thinking, 'now it's on to the good stuff'—you're not alone, either. There are so many of you grads, and unfortunately, I can only shout out to a couple hundred seniors that we've recognized in the past year for their impeccable brainpower, their athletic prowess or their impressive humanitarianism.  So, I hope a few proud parents, …

There's no way to narrow down the best movies about love—there are just too many. But in honor of Valentine's Day, here are a few I can't get enough of: The Graduate No, it's not a typical love story, but anyone who remembers being a recent college grad in love might have a soft spot for the confused and misguided Ben Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), despite his affair with the mother of the love of his life. The Graduate is not for the typical sap, and is an all-around classic that the anti-saps can appreciate. Pretty Woman Pretty Woman  is another love story that involves an unconvential path to …

I've seen a few convertibles with the top down in the past two weeks—the first two weeks of January in a western suburb of Chicago. I'm sure we all knew it was too good to be true.  Even though the temperature was in the 50s earlier today, the National Weather Service is reporting that it will all be over tonight. In contrast to earlier forecasts, a Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the Chicago area, including Cook, DuPage and Kane counties. The storm is on schedule to set in by Thursday morning and could continue through Friday morning. Weather.com is predicting temperatures will drop …

The following list includes links to my favorite stories of 2011. They are somewhat similar to our first list, of the "Reader's Choice" top stories of the year, but consider that reporting on a nail in a Snickers bar or a bank robbery is likely a one time thing. This year, I found that readers like knowing about how their community is developing. When you like a story, I want to find out more. Stories about new businesses, Hubble and other development in Wheaton were best-received. Here are the stories I liked writing most this year: January New Business: Wok 'n Fire to Open Next Month (Jan. …

The following were the most-read stories of 2011: December Cubs Outfielder Moves to Wheaton (Dec. 1) Wheaton Bank Robbed (Dec. 5) November Wheaton Parent Finds Nail in Child's Halloween Candy (Nov. 14) Demarco Whitley Sentenced to 16 Years Behind Bars for Rape (Nov. 1) Wheaton College Mourns Sudden Death of Student, other Plane Crash Victims (Nov. 28) October FBI Searching for Man After Bank Robbery in Wheaton (Oct. 11) Occupy Naperville Protest Draws Larger Crowd than Organizers Expected (Oct. 22) Wheaton Student to Board: 'Accidental Racism' an Issue (Oct. 27)  September …

Today, some of us will sit around the dinner table and share what we're thankful for. It's kind of a cheesy pastime, and people tend to say they're grateful for all the same things—family, health, job, friends, love, but it's important. I wanted to write something for Thanksgiving—but understand that my gratitude for any of those things don't apply to you, the reader. Instead, I wanted to share a few things that we, as a community, can appreciate. In the year I've been here I've seen a community that cares about its history, children, community service and future. I understand the importance …

When Patch launched its blogging platform in may, it opened a door to an online community in Wheaton where residents could share their expertise, experiences, opinions and inside info.  Modeled after The Huffington Post, which merged with Patch's parent company, AOL, in February, these blogs are the beginning of a new chapter for Patch.com. Founder Arianna Huffington wrote for all Patch sites last month to introduce the platform and invite local voices to the site. The idea with The Huffington Post, she wrote, was to take conversations found at parties and around dinner tables "and put them …

One year ago today, I started my first real job at Patch. I had never been to Wheaton and knew nothing about it. So I googled it. I printed out more than 40 pages of info from the Wheaton, IL Wikipedia page to try and learn something about my future home and workplace. I also wasn't sure what this Wheaton Patch site was going to be. On June 28, 2010, it was completely blank, and only 67 Patch sites existed on the east and west coasts. Now, it's one of nearly 900 daily news websites in the nation, with 1702 articles in its queue (that's an average of six articles per day in the nine months it'…

When Patch launched its blogging platform last month, it opened a door to an online community in Wheaton where residents could share their expertise, experiences, opinions and inside info.  Modeled after The Huffington Post, which merged with Patch's parent company, AOL, in February, these blogs are the beginning of a new chapter for Patch.com. Founder Arianna Huffington wrote for all Patch sites last month to introduce the platform and invite local voices to the site. The idea with The Huffington Post, she wrote, was to take conversations found at parties and around dinner tables "and put …

Patch recently launched a new look for its local listings pages, changing the name from "Directory" to "Places" on the navigation bar. You'll notice an increase in featured listings on our Places page, and an easier way to rate and review listings you have visited. Check these out: Rate your neighborhood right from our Places page and quickly reshuffle listings by clicking "Get More" at the top or bottom of the page. To rate a listing, simply click the number of stars under the business name. Have something to say about a listing? Write a review by clicking "review" and going straight to the …

This weekend was a Patchy one for Wheaton and Glen Ellyn. We talked to hundreds of potential readers at the Taste of Glen Ellyn, tattooed their kids, gave them all free balloons and ran a few hula hoop contests (I'm so bad, our ad sales manager said I needed to stop because the display of clumsy ridiculousness could be bad for business).  Here's why I'm telling you this: We're going to be at the Taste of Wheaton in two weeks and we can't wait to see you all there. We'll have a tent on Saturday only, but we'll figure out a way to Patch it up on Thursday and Friday. 

My mom knows she's the best. We tell her we love her all the time. But she deserves to know why—all moms do. We learned to walk and talk and say please and thank you, but I'm still learning how to decide on a car insurance plan and what makes a good white wine.  Down the line, I'll need to know why my baby won't stop crying and what a mortgage is, and she'll be there.  Here are a few of the unique ways Linda Eriksen taught her four kids some of life's most important lessons: The value of nutrition... ...by only letting us have chocolate cake for breakfast on her birthday That she's great…

Beginning May 4, Wheaton Patch will be making room for local bloggers on the site.  We're looking for bloggers who can riff on various topics, share their personality and engage our readers in discussions.  Patch is more than a news site, it's an online conversation about your community. Are you passionate about Wheaton issues? Are you an expert craftsman or hobbyist who can share do-it-yourself tips? Do you have strong opinions about local government? Are you a huge high school sports fan? Are you a very involved parent? Can you educate us? In anything, like history, religion? Can you just …

Dear Readers, It's 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 1. We will be accepting letters to the editor that endorse candidates until 5 p.m. Friday, Apr. 1.  For information on how to submit these letters, please see our previous article here. Keep it classy. Keep it clean. And show your support!  Sincerely, Charlotte Eriksen, Local Editor

Have a favorite candidate in mind for upcoming elections? Tell your community why in a letter to the editor. We will accept and publish letters until Friday, Apr. 1. To send your letter to the editor, click on "Contrbibute/send us a news tip" on the lower righthand portion of the home page and filling out the required information fields. After Apr. 1, election coverage will preclude us from publishing more letters. It will also prevent last-minute criticisms that candidates might not have time to rebut. Here is a reminder of all of the candidates:  City Council Mayor: Michael Gresk John …