PEORIA (25News Now) – The new CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Illinois wants to create all-female spaces, but she says more ladies are needed to make that possible.

Jennifer Sedbrook recently began her new role as CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Illinois.

Though she never was a Girl Scout, she’s always been a “champion” of girls.

The group serves around 1,000 girls in the Peoria area ages 5-17.

Sedbrook said the program is currently putting troops together to plan for a year full of activities.

“They’ll be doing a lot of outdoor camping, skill-building, field trips, and then you’ll see those cookies and us out in front of those grocery stores this spring,” she said.

Sedbrook added that they need more volunteer troop leaders such as college students, young professionals, retirees, and even former Girl Scouts to assist with special skills such as archery, clay-making, and even coding.

Troop leaders are not required to have scouting experience.

The Director of Program, Sara Tate was once a Girl Scout and encouraged those locally to get involved even if they don’t have a kid enrolled.

“One of the biggest things they can take away is that they can do it,” said Tate. “A lot of girls will come in nervous to try new experiences but once they do, they can’t stop. They realize soon enough they have the courage and confidence to do those things.”

Sedbrook said being a Girl Scout means feeling confident, and knowing you can do anything.

Enrollment is still open, and the scouts will have a Big Tap Campout event in Metamora on Sep. 28-29. To learn more about this event and membership, click here.

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There’s no doubt that Chicago is a pizza city. But the suburbs aren’t far behind.

According to a new ranking from Yelp, 16 of the “Top 100 Pizza Spots in the Midwest” were in Illinois. And though the state tied with Michigan for the most represented state on the list, only five of Illinois’ pizza places were in Chicago. The others spanned the suburbs, from Westmont, to Cicero, to Naperville.

In fact, the highest ranking Illinois pizza spot on the list has a location in Chicago but started in suburban Morton Grove: Pequod’s.

The list goes on to say that the legendary pies are often hailed as “prime examples of Chicago’ style pizza,” with a crust described by Pequod’s manager Jay Esper as “almost a mixture of deep-dish and Detroit-style.”

“It’s unique because of the soft, fluffy middle combined with the crunchy crust and caramelized cheese edge,” Esper said.

Chicago pizza joint Milly’s Pizza in the Pan, where “thick, fluffy Chicago pan-style pies sell out almost everyday,” landed at No. 5 on the ranking. But the top 10 was rounded out by another suburban spot: Westmont’s two-year-old Dough Daddy’s Pizza.

The full list of pizzerias that ranked from Illinois can be found below, with Chicago spots highlighted in bold:

3. Pequod’s Pizza — Chicago

5. Milly’s Pizza in the Pan — Chicago

9. Dough Daddy’s Pizza — Westmont

12. Zazas Pizzeria — Chicago

28. baked — Galesburg

30. Forno Rosso Pizzeria Napoletana — Chicago

32. Freddy’s Pizza — Cicero

33. Pomodoro E Mozzarella — St. Charles

40. Gianorio’s Pizza — Winfield

41. George’s Deep Dish — Chicago

54. DeSalvo’s Pizza — Evanston

58. Nature’s Best Cafe — Naperville

61. Sal’s Pizza Company — Algonquin

67. Pie Life Pizzeria — Glen Ellyn

70. Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria — Schaumburg

73. Elio Pizza on Fire – Addison

According to editors, the list was created after community managers evaluated businesses in Yelp’s “pizza” category with a large concentration of reviews. Spots were than ranked according to a number of factors, including total volume and ratings of reviews mentioning certain keywords and more. The full list from Yelp can be found here.

Heighten your safety awareness and hear from experts in school safety and crisis prevention at the 2024 Illinois School Safety Conference. The October 2 event will assist district and school administrators, police and fire departments, transportation directors, safety managers, and emergency managers enhance the safety and security of their K-12 campuses.

The information provided at the conference will be practical and easy to apply and there will be time for questions. Ample parking and Wi-fi will be available.

The 2024 Illinois School Safety Conference is FREE for school personnel, police, emergency preparedness personnel, and public safety officers. It will include a free continental breakfast and lunch and exceptional vendors onsite. Professional development paperwork will also be provided to attendees.

You must bring your school or agency ID to enter.

Conference Information:

School Safety Panel Speakers:

• Randy Braverman, School Safety and Threat Assessment Specialist, West 40
• Rich Wistocki, President, Be Sure Consulting
• Officer Kevin Regal, School Resource Officer, Niles Police Department
• Jeremy Duffy, Deputy Executive Director, Illinois Association of School Boards
• Cordelia Coppleson, Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Law Enforcement Training Project Coordinator
• Michael Kindhart, Safety Education Unit Manager, Illinois State Police
• Cathy Stashak, Section Chief Technical Services Division, Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal
• James Ford, Protective Security Advisor, U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
• Cassandra Carnright, FBI, Threat Assessment Coordinator
• Katie Harris Lord, U.S. Secret Service, Domestic Security Strategist
• David Saitta, NIMS/ICS Program Manager, Illinois Fire Service Institute
• Kimberly Lohse, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services, Addison District 4
• Danielle Stevens, Director of Safety and Security, Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95
• Bridget Heroff, President of the Illinois Association of School Nurses

Related Article: Campus Safety Conference at EDspaces Agenda Is Now LIVE!

Featured Speakers:

• Paul Timm, PSP, Director of Education Safety, Allegion, “Perspectives on Security.” This presentation will explore school safety efforts at three levels – Superintendent, Director of Security, and Director of Facilities.
• Missy Dodds, Former Teacher & Survivor, “Choosing to Survive: Lessons learned from Red Lake School Shooting.”
• Richard Santana Ed.M., “Homeboy goes to Harvard.”
• Ken Cook, Director of National School Safety and Advocacy, Allegion, “Door Failures and Lessons Learned from Robb Elementary, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and other School Shootings.” This presentation will help you avoid pitfalls by taking simple actionable steps towards improving school safety.
• Willie Spears Ed.M., Educator and Coach, “Safety Matters.” This presentation will focus on fostering safe and secure campus environments while reminding staff members of their value. Mr. Spears provides proven strategies on Student Behavioral Analysis/Prevention, Threat Assessment, Reducing Risk with Strategic Planning and Active Defender.
• Eric Arnold, Illinois School and Campus Safety Program Director, This presentation will explore the Illinois School mapping program and other Illinois School Safety initiatives.
• Jeremy Flood, Board President, ISROA and SRO for NCHS, “The SRO: A Vital Component of School Safety.” This presentation will explore how an SRO works effectively in a school setting.

Click HERE to register.