Tracking Santa's Journey is Part of the Magic of Christmas

NORAD tracks Santa every year, and children can find out where Santa is as he travels the world delivering presents.

While Santa Claus makes his trip around the world, with Rudolph lighting the way, the men and women at NORAD will be tracking his travels and alerting children of his progress. Santa's magic is powerful and much more technologically advanced than that of NORAD, the North American Air Defense Command, said U.S. Army Major Mike Humphreys. Humphreys is stationed at Peterson Air Force Base, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The command is confident that Santa will be able to handle anything he encounters on his Christmas Eve trip. "We have satellites in space that pick up heat signatures, and those satellites pick up threats," Humphreys said. "Rudolph's nose comes in quite well on those satellite images. We also have 47 radar sites that are able to …

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District 308 Guidelines Set Limits on Texting, Social Media

District 308 has a number of guidelines in place that limit the electronic communications between teachers and students.

Students can enjoy their classes but they're not allowed to “like” their teachers. Or “follow” them. At least not on their personal Facebook and Twitter accounts. Oswego Community Unit School District 308 officials have a number of guidelines in place which staff is expected to adhere to that limits the electronic communications between teachers and students. For instance, District 308 employees who use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter for personal use are urged not to “friend” students who are enrolled in the district, or accepting students’ “friend” requests. District officials said as the popularity of those social media sites has increased, so has the need for the guidelines. “For students, all of this electronic …

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Father's Day in the Modern World

It's the message that matters, not the way it's delivered.

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We Asked

We Asked: Are You Tired of the Weiner Scandal?

We asked these Average Joes and Janes if they think the media coverage of Weinergate is too little, too much or just right.

Social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter can be powerful tools. Revolutionist across Northern Africa and the Middle East are using social media sites to fuel opposition to autocratic governments. But while such sites can create new governments, they can also do damage. Case in point: U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-New York). On June 1, conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart posted a lewd photo that he said he downloaded from Weiner’s Twitter account. At first Weiner denied sending the photo, but later admitted that he had lied as more photos became public. He has since taken a leave of absence from Congress and said he would seek professional help. Members of both political parties have called on Weiner to resign. Every news …

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About Town

The Village 'Likes' You -- Won't You Please Be Its 'Friend'?

In other words, Plainfield now has accounts on Facebook and Twitter that allow you to follow their posts and learn more about what's happening in town.

With friends like these, who needs town meetings?  Thanks to wonders of technology, you can now be “friends” with the village of Plainfield.  You can post on the Plainfield Police Department’s wall without getting busted for graffiti. The public works department will send Tweets to your phone telling you when snow plows and salt trucks are heading to you neighborhood.   Launched mid-December, the village’s three Facebook and Twitter accounts are slowly attracting followers. It’s a way of staying high-profile, officials say.   “We expanded our social media presence to reach out to residents,” said village spokesman Amy De Boni. “We felt that it was another way to communicate with residents in addition to the village newsletter, the village …

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From the Editor

Sign Up for Free Water Bottle, Tote -- It's Easy

In a shameless effort to lure new readers, Plainfield Patch is giving away free merchandise to anyone who signs up for newsletters or Twitter/Facebook links.

Can you be bribed? If you're thinking, "Well, maybe," I have a deal for you, and it's one I hope you can't refuse. Plainfield Patch is my baby. I spend countless hours nurturing it and feeding it and trying to get it to thrive. I don't want my baby to be a wallflower; it needs readers to grow. You've already found us, and believe me when I say you're my hero for seeking out local news and wanting to know more about your community. But many of your friends and neighbors don't know about Patch yet, and this is where the "bribe" comes in. I will give you a free Patch water bottle or a free Patch canvas bag if you do one of the following things listed below. And if you do more than one, you'll get both, and I'll even throw in some free pens. I…

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Karen Sorensen

12:29 pm on Wednesday, December 29, 2010

I am definitely still handing out "bribes." Send me an e-mail at karen@patch.com with your mailing address and I'll get them out to you asap. Don't forget to let me know what you signed up for. I'd also be glad to provide info on how you get your business listed.   more ›