Marathon Bombing Sends Shockwaves Across Country

Across Patch's network of 900 sites, people felt the effect of the bombing at the Boston Marathon.

On mobile? You can see a scrollable, full-screen view of the map here. Monday's terror attack near the finish line of the Boston Marathon shocked the country and touched communities far from Massachusetts. The Boston Marathon is a national and international event, drawing participants and spectators from far away. When the bombs went off, they reverberated among families, friends and people who joined vigils honoring the victims. To illustrate the reach of this story, we've created this interactive map which displays every Patch site that wrote a story about local people touched by the attack. Each marker on the map is clickable and includes the name of the local person connected to the story and a link to their story. The 400+ markers on …

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The Patch Table is at the Hinsdale Chamber's Merchants Garage Sale!

Drop by the public works garage just east of downtown Hinsdale and get all sorts of Patch goodies!

The Patch table is going to be up and running throughout the morning and afternoon Saturday at the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce's Merchants Garage Sale, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Village of Hinsdale public works garage at 225 Symonds St. We're going to be giving out Patch goodies, including t-shirts, water bottles, and frisbees, in exchange for email newsletter signups and Facebook likes! Already signed up for the newsletter and getting our Facebook updates? Then drop by and say hi and I'm sure we can work something out for you.  Hope to see you at the sale!

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From the Editor's Notebook

Saying Goodbye to Burr Ridge

A word of thanks from outgoing editor Sabrina Wu.

When I took over the Burr Ridge Patch site a little more than a year ago, I didn't know what to expect. I was moving from the Hinsdale site, which grew by about 3,000 unique readers every month, to cover a tight-knit community of 10,559 residents. I hoped for the best, but never expected to fall in love with a community. As I leave now to manage the Darien and Woodridge sites and hopefully take them to the next level as well, I get kind of teary thinking of some of the people I've met and the stories that I've covered over the past year. It means a lot to me to see that the site and its Facebook page have more than tripled in new readers in the short time I was here. Thank you—for making Burr Ridge feel like a little piece of home. The …

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Sabrina Wu

7:16 pm on Wednesday, August 22, 2012

@EviePolsley: Thanks very much! I'll miss working with Loyola too! I'll probably still be in touch, since the Loyola Center in Darien moved to Burr Ridge, and there may be some overlap. :)   more ›

Let Patch Help Make Your Garage Sale a Success

We can help you get the word out to your neighbors, and it's free.

Garage sale season is shifting into high gear, and Patch is a great place to publicize your sale. It's easy and it's free. Here's how to do it: On the bottom right part of the page, under "Contribute," click on "Put an event on the calendar." (If you're not one already, you will be prompted to become a registered user on Patch.) Next, add your garage sale to our calendar of events. Fill out the information in the form. Give your sale a name, fill out the date and time, provide the address, give a short description of what you're selling and under "Categories" check off the "Garage Sales" box. Those are all the basics you need. But you can also upload photos of the cool things you're selling. If the sale goes for more than one day, click …

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From the Editor's Notebook

Burr Ridge Patch is Looking for Experts

We're starting a new column that will offer free information for readers who have questions on any topic—and we do mean any topic.

When I'm working on the story, I've got a group of experts I call for background information. They may not be quoted in the story, but as I start my research, I like to reach out to people with expertise in the areas I write about. Have you ever wanted to know whether you could sue somebody for something or whether you should see a chiropractor for that shoulder pain? Well, now you can ask that question on our site, and an expert from Burr Ridge or Willowbrook will answer. Of course, no advice on our site should replace a professional service, but sometimes you just want someone to weigh in on your situation before taking it to the next level. Our experts are like that cousin in the field you would call for his or her opinion. So bear in …

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UPDATED: Burr Ridge Business Making It Personal

Personalization Mall started as a business run out of a couple's home in Burr Ridge.

It all started with an idea—a preference actually—for a young mother, who liked to give personalized gifts. "I’ve always enjoyed giving personalized gifts to my own family and friends ... They were big hits at birthday parties, bridal showers," said Kathy Napleton, founder of Personalization Mall.  It was 1989, before Internet businesses became popular. "I would find this beautiful frame and source out somewhere else to have it personalized," said Napleton. "Pre-Internet, it was not an easy task, but worth it for me for the reward I received in the end." Her husband at the time, Co-founder Dan Randolph was in the catalog business. He saw how much time and effort she put into personalizing her gifts. "He said to me, there's got to be a …

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Last Chance to get 50% Off on Sushi at Dao!

The restaurant has a Groupon running now with only a day left to buy

Groupon has a 50 percent discount for sale for Dao Sushi and Thai in Burr Ridge's County Line Square. The price is $15, and customers can get $30 worth of sushi for that price. More than 570 have been purchased so far. Click here to view the deal. Know of any other deadlines we should be sharing? Email sabrina@patch.com to let us know.

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