Happy New Year!

Dear Friends,

I hope this newsletter finds you happy and healthy as we head into the New Year.  However you choose to celebrate this weekend, may it be filled with joy and the promise of a fulfilling year ahead.  Please be aware that while recent national news stories have drawn attention to a AAA program providing free rides home to inebriated drivers on New Year’s Eve, this program is not available in Illinois. I strongly encourage anyone who plans to consume alcohol this weekend to plan ahead with a designated driver.  If you will be celebrating elsewhere in the US, please click here to visit the AAA website and see list of locations where free rides will be available on New Year’s Eve.

New Electronic Waste Regulations

As of January 1, 2012, most electronic waste will be banned in Illinois landfills. This matter of public safety will help to prevent toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic from entering our soil and groundwater. Instead, electronic products should be recycled or donated so that their materials can be reused, protecting the health and environment of our communities for years to come.

The new regulations apply to 17 different classes of electronic products: televisions, monitors, printers, computers (including tablet computers), electronic keyboards, fax machines, videocassette recorders, portable digital music players, DVD players, video game consoles, small scale servers, scanners, electronic mice, digital converter boxes, cable receivers, satellite receivers, and DVD recorders.

Residents who wish to dispose of these items may bring them to any one of nine year-round residential electronics collection drop off locations sponsored by the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) listed on the organization’s website at www.swalco.org. Some non-profit organizations, such as the Lake County United Way, also accept electronic donations, and many electronic retailers, such as Best Buy, have electronic collection programs.

Deerfield a “Hands Free” Community

Since November, Deerfield has become a “hands free” community, prohibiting the use of handheld cell phones and portable electronic devices while driving.  Drivers are still permitted to use wireless, voice-activated controls such as a Bluetooth headset if desired. Calls for emergency services are the only exception to this law.  As distracted driving becomes an increasingly serious problem, we must all do our part to keep the roads safe.

Job Seeker Seminar

Once again, I would like to draw your attention to the Job Seeker Seminar that I am hosting with the College of Lake County and the Job Center of Lake County. The event will take place on January 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the CLC Southlake Campus, located at 1120 S. Milwaukee Ave. in Vernon Hills.  Attendees will receive assistance on a wide variety of topics relevant to job seekers, including sessions on improving written communication, interviewing, using available resources, and starting and maintaining a small business.  A panel of employers will be present to answer questions from job seekers, and career service booths will be set up outside the workshop rooms.

Coffee Shop Stops

As I prepare for the next session of the Illinois General Assembly, I would like to hear any ideas you have for ways to create a more efficient and effective state budget or any other legislation you believe should be changed or introduced.  On Saturday, January 7, I will be meeting with residents at the Vernon Hills Starbucks located at 1240 E. US Highway 45 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.  If you cannot make it then, I am hosting a second Coffee Shop Stop on Saturday, January 21, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Buffalo Grove Starbucks located at 1665 Buffalo Grove Road.

If you cannot make it to either Coffee Shop Stop but would like to share your legislative ideas, or if I can be of assistance in another way, please reach out to my full time constituent service office located at 430 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite 8 in Lincolnshire, by phone at (847) 478-9909 or by e-mail at RepSente@gmail.com.  I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Carol Sente
State Representative