CALUMET CITY

College/career fair set for Friday at TF North

Thornton Fractional High School District 215 is hosting a districtwide college/career fair from 8 a.m. to noon Friday at Thornton Fractional North High School, 755 Pulaski Road.

There will be 100 college/career representatives and more than 700 students are expected. Matt Kalita, of Everest College in Merrillville, is the keynote speaker. Kalita is a professional magician and college recruiter who will incorporate magic into his speech. He is also an escape artist and has offered a $5,000 scholarship to anyone who can tie him up without him escaping.

For more information contact Angela Shama at ashama@tfd215.org or at (708) 585-1021.

LANSING

Leaf pickup starts Oct. 27 through Nov. 28 in village

The Lansing Public Works Department will begin leaf pickup Oct. 27 and will continue through Nov. 28.

Residents should not put leaves in cans, paper bags or plastic bags. Instead, leaves must be raked to the parkway as close to the curb as possible by the night before pickup.

Leaves should not be put into the street because it may cause street flooding.

Those who use cans or bags should dump their leaves by the parkway on the day of their scheduled pickup.

The leaf pickup program will continue until all leaves are picked up, so those who are missed one week will have their leaves picked up the next week.

Those with Monday garbage pickup will have Friday leaf pickup; those with Tuesday garbage pickup have Thursday leaf pickup; those with Wednesday garbage pickup have Tuesday leaf pickup; those with Thursday garbage pickup have Wednesday leaf pickup; and those with Friday garbage pickup have Monday leaf pickup.

For more information, call (708) 895-7190.

SOUTH SUBURBS

Group unveils its plans to assist homeowners

Neighborhoods Inc. has unveiled its upgraded 2008 Healthy Neighborhoods Home Improvement Initiative for Burnham, Calumet City, Lansing, Chicago's Hegewisch neighborhood, South Holland and Dolton homeowners.

Neighborhoods Inc. has partnered with First Savings Bank of Hegewisch to continue its initiative, which offers flexible term loans, project supervision and consultation.

Besides helping homeowners in securing financing, Neighborhoods Inc. staff offers professional advice and tips for economical and efficient design and flexible term financing of home improvements. Staff also can assist in finding a contractor of the homeowner's choice to make upgrades.

Since 1999, Neighborhoods Inc. has obtained more than $2 million in loans for residents and has helped improve more than 1,000 homes.

For more information, call (708) 862-3232.

SPRINGFIELD

Driver's ed students to get parent-teen guide

Parents of students enrolled in driver education soon will receive a new parent-teen driving handbook, according to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.

The guidebooks will be provided to driver education students when they receive their instruction permit.

The 32-page guidebook is designed as a tool to help parents observe and instruct their teen drivers during the instruction permit phase of licensing. Illinois law requires teens must log at least 50 hours of practice driving, including 10 hours at night, with their parents before obtaining a driver's license, according to a news release.

The new law was established to reduce the number of fatal teen crashes on Illinois roads.

Statistic indicate the new law is working. In Illinois in the first six months of 2007, 82 teens were killed in automobile crashes, according to the release. During the same time in 2008, 39 teens lost their lives, a 52 percent decline in teen deaths on Illinois roads, according to the release.

The Illinois Parent Teachers Association, Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois Drivers Education Association partnered with White's office to develop the guidebook. For more information about the new law or the parent-teen driving guide, call (800) 252-8980 or visit http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS

PSC department seeks clients for dental clinic

Prairie State College's Dental Hygiene Department is looking for community clients to participate in its annual periodontal clinic.

The clinic enhances the dental hygiene students' clinical learning experience. For a $35 fee, each client gets a full set of X-rays, impressions of the mouth, a consultation with the periodontist on staff, and a thorough cleaning by a student dental hygienist.

Services will be available from 1 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. every Monday, through Oct. 20. A maintenance appointment is required Nov. 17, Nov. 24 or Dec. 1.

Appointments are necessary; no walk-ins will be allowed. Those interested can call the clinic at (708) 709-3707 for a screening appointment.

The PSC Dental Hygiene Clinic is in the Health/Tech Center on the north side of Vollmer Road, across from the main campus, 202 S. Halsted St.