The Lippold Park Family Golf Center, a Crystal Lake Park District facility located at 1251 W. Route 176, 1 mile west of the entrance to Lippold Park in Crystal Lake, will open for the season April 27.

Hours of operation for April 27 through May 31 are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, and Wednesday through Sunday, and noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Hours for June through August are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Published closing times are weather permitting and subject to change.

Lippold Park Family Golf Center featuresa  driving range, two 18-hole miniature golf courses, a Senior Golf Special (sponsored by Dunkin Donuts), unlimited driving range and miniature golf memberships. Also available are party packages, and group and private lessons.

For  information, call Jack Sebesta at 815-459-0680, ext. 216, or call Lippold Park Family Golf Center at 815-477-5401.

The Crystal Lake Park District Administrative Office will be open on Saturdays, April 6-July 27, in order to better serve customers during the busy summer season.

Saturday office hours are 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Administrative Office located at 1 E. Crystal Lake Ave.

The following services are available at the Crystal Lake Park District Administrative Office:

•    Picnic Reservations

•    Field and Facility Rental

•    Hound Town at Lippold Park Key Card Purchase

•    Walk-In Fisherman Keys

•    Boat Gate Key Cards

•    2013 Resident and Non-Resident Season Beach Pass

•    Program Registration

•    Hunting and Fishing Licenses

•    Great America Tickets and season passes

For information, call 815-459-0680 or visit the Crystal Lake Park District online at www.crystallakeparks.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CrystalLakeParkDistrict.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake Police Department wishes to remind motorists of certain traffic laws that are meant to protect children traveling to and from school, and emergency personnel working within the roadways.

These laws sometimes may be misunderstood or unintentionally disobeyed, placing people in jeopardy of serious injury or death, or may result in enforcement action in the form of a traffic ticket to the driver, the police department said in a news release.

Wireless telephones: 625 ILCS 5/12-610.1

• Cannot be used by a driver under the age of 19, while driving on the roadway. (unless for an emergency call to police, fire rescue, health care provider, or other emergency services entity)

• Cannot be used by a driver of any age when traveling through a school zone. (with children present and so close to motorized traffic that a hazard exists)

• Cannot be used by a driver when traveling through a construction or maintenance zone.

• Cannot be used within 500 feet of an emergency scene (defined as a location where an emergency vehicle such as police, fire, ambulance, hazardous materials unit, public health, or emergency management agency is present and has activated oscillating, rotating or flashing lights)

The law exempts emergency responders and drivers using a wireless telephone in voice-operated (hands free) mode, or for the sole purpose of reporting an emergency situation to emergency personnel.

On approach of an emergency vehicle (Scott’s Law): 625 ILCS 5/11-907:

• Mandates that when approaching any police or other emergency vehicle stopped on or along the roadway, with emergency lighting activated, drivers must:

• Proceed with caution

• Change lanes if possible as not to pass in an adjacent lane

• Reduce your speed

• Mandates that when any police or emergency vehicle is in motion and or approaching, with emergency lights and/or audible signal activated, drivers must:

• Immediately yield and pull over to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, clearing any intersection

• Come to a stop, and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed.

CLPD wants to driver to familiarize themselves with these traffic safety laws, as well as drive alert to changing conditions, don’t drive distracted, and you’ll be on your way to doing your part in promoting traffic safety in our community.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake Police Department recently completed its participation in the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program conducted for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday called “Drive to Survive.”

Law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois participated in this statewide effort from March 14 through March 17 by encouraging motorists to refrain from drinking and driving and to buckle up during late-night hours. During this period, the Crystal Lake Police Department participated in three separate enforcement campaigns to increase safety on our community’s roadways.

During the campaign, the Crystal Lake Police Department stopped 68 motorists for traffic violations, and issued 73 traffic citations which included: 32 safety belt citations, 10 citations for improper lane usage, eight citations for operation uninsured motor vehicle, seven citations for unlawful use of an electronic communications device, six citations for equipment violations, five citations for speeding, two red light violation citations, two disregard stop sign citations, and one citation for an alcohol violation. 

In addition, one person was arrested for driving under the influence. 

The recent law enforcement crackdown was funded by federal traffic safety funds through IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety and is part of the statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled over” and “Click it or Ticket” campaigns.

CRYSTAL LAKE – A Crystal Lake robotics team is headed to a regional tournament tomorrow.

Members of the Octopi robicts teamm will head to the “Growing 4-H Robotics 2013 Unit 5 Stormbot Tournament,” at Bryan Middle School, 111 W. Butterfield Road in Elmhurst, on Saturday. 

Twenty-one teams made up of 4-H members from throughout Kane, Kendall, and DuPage counties will be competing. 

The local team will be demonstrating from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Award will be prestented at 4:30 p.m.

Each team must design their own competition mat and obstacles, as well as build and program their robot to fit the scenario that a natural disaster has passed through town, causing severe damage and debris. The robot must autonomously clear debris, avoid obstacles, and construct a protective barrier for the remaining building. Some of the awards given will be for robot performance, engineering, programming, creativity, and team work. 

This local tournament is a practice scrimmage leading up the Illinois 4-H State Robotics Competition held on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign on April 20. All teams are eligible to advance to the state competition.