Best of the Blogs: This Week's Top Reads

We celebrate the diverse people who regularly blog on our local Patch sites. Because our bloggers share their unique opinions and expertise, we want to feature seven of the blogs that were widely read this past week in our 23 sites in Lake, McHenry and Cook counties.

Check out what they have to say. Just click on the links below.

Remembering Felicia Nekritz... 15 Years Overdue

The invention of the Internet and Facebook have shaped the way that we grieve for those that we have lost. But what about those who died before the days where we could share our thoughts and remembrances about them with the click of a button? This is what it was like when one of my best friends succumbed to breast cancer in 1998. Posted by Kati Byrne Spaniak, Northbrook Patch.

10,000 pounds of household hazardous waste collected

Illinois residents filled their vehicles with 10,000 pounds of household hazardous waste and brought the products to a special collection held recently in Richton Park, IL. Posted by Allison Fore, Palatine Patch.

Madigan evades reporter and Illinois budget mystery

ABC 7 Chicago investigative reporter Chuck Goudie caught up with House Speaker Michael Madigan last week, sort of. Madigan didn't share any thoughts on next week's special session in Springfield, but he did demonstrate some useful evasive driving techniques. Posted by Reboot Illinois, Palatine Patch.

Lake Bluff Brewery Fundraiser - Venus de Miles

The Lake Bluff Park District Health & Fitness Center has created a community bike team – Pedal Pushers – for women who want to ride in the Venus de Miles all women’s charity bike ride (21-61 miles) on July 28.  The ride benefits Greenhouse Scholars which provides support to high-performing, under resourced college students. Posted by Lake Bluff Park District, Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch.

Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning to Expand

A major goal of this expansion is to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of Judaism, and build a thriving Jewish community of life-long learners. The collaboration currently includes 12 Consortium Partners comprised of local synagogues and the Solomon Schechter Day School, and that number is expected to grow. Posted by Rolly Cohen, Deerfield Patch.

Former Skokie Patch Editor's Journey in Jordan

Amman is so alive. You can feel the bustle when walking through the downtown area. Shop at the vegetable bazaar on a Friday (which is like a Sunday in the Middle East) and you’ll see merchants yelling out various prices for their goods. Once one of them shouts, another one tries to one up him, and shouts even louder. And so on. Posted by George Slefo, Skokie Patch.

Local Rabbi Heads to India for an Up Close Look at Poverty, Human Rights

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow of Shir Hadash Synagogue in Wheeling will join a delegation of 18 other American rabbis next month when he visits India with the American Jewish World Service, a New York-based human rights group focused on eliminating poverty in developing nations. Posted by Shir Hadash, Buffalo Grove Patch.

1. Blog early and often. Talk about things for which you have a passion.
2. Share. Share the links to your Patch blog with your social networks. Post it on Facebook. Tweet about it. Email it to your friends.
3. Respond to those who comment. Make it a conversation. Keep that ball rolling.

For any help with blogging, contact Senior Community Editor Marcia Sagendorph at marcia.sagendorph@patch.com.