Niles 12-26-19

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2019: A LOOK BACK

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2019 in Niles, Park Ridge and Morton Grove saw many changes, such as a an increase in age to buy tobacco, students lending a hand and the community honored.

Here is a breakdown of some of the events shaped our community this past year.

Park Ridge votes to increase minimum sales age for tobacco sales

The Park Ridge City Council voted 5-1 to increase the minimum sales age of tobacco from 18 to 21 years of age.

However, the aldermen decided not to increase the minimum age of possession, so residents ages 18-20 will still be able to buy tobacco products outside the city and smoke them in Park Ridge. The move came after the thengovernor Bruce Rauner vetoed a state-wide sales age increase and Illinois General Assembly failed to override it.

Ald. John Moran (1st) cast the only ‘no’ vote. He argued that, since all of the surrounding municipalities except Chicago still have the minimum sales age at 18, the change was largely symbolic. But while his colleagues agreed that there was only so much a city-level ordinance could do, it would still be able to reduce smoking among teens, which made it worthwhile.

The ordinance was originally suggested by the Park Ridge Community Health Committee at the end of 2017.

The committee has been working with American Heart Association, Respiratory Health Association and Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundation to raise the age in order to get tobacco products out of the hands of high schoolers. As previously reported by the Bugle, while cigarette smoking has been decreasing across the board, the number of high school students smoking electronic cigarettes — or “vaping” — has been increasing.

Maine Township prepared for worst during government shutdown

As the U.S. Government shutdown trudged on with no end in sight, the Maine Township government prepared for the worst.

The township government provides a number of

services in cities and villages that are part of it, and it is the only government service provider in the unincorporated sections of the township. While the township budget wasn’t directly impacted, it was concerned about residents that rely on food stamps. And the government employees applied for services as they missed one, and in some cases two, paychecks.

Maine Township includes all of Park Ridge, most of Des Plaines, half of Niles and portions of Morton Grove, Glenview, Rosemont and Mount Prospect. In those areas, it provides a number of social services, complimenting the services provided by individual municipalities. For example, residents of the Maine Township portion of Niles can take advantage of both Niles Family Services food pantry and the Maine Township food pantry. In the unincorporated areas, it also provides services that would normally fall to municipalities, such as branch pick-up and road maintenance.

The township’s General Services program are designed to help “financially distressed residents” and help them get on a better financial footing. In many cases, they help connect township residents apply for the programs that are already there. The services that are available to the

general public includes the aforementioned food pantry, the energy assistance program that helps low-income residents pay their utility bills and legal advice.

FEBRUARY

District 207 has been invited to present its comprehensive system in Washington D.C.

On the heels of being named one of the 25 Most Innovative School Districts in the country, the district received word recently it has been specially invited to present its comprehensive systems approach to improving student success at the Model Schools Conference in Washington D.C. in June.

According to the model schools website, the event is run by the International Center for Leadership in Education and typically attracts approximately 5,000 educators from across the country to hear from 25 “model schools and

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continued from page 2 innovative districts.”

“This is a reflection of our entire learning community,” Superintendent Ken Wallace says. “It is an all-in effort from our students, staff, parents and the Board of Education.

This high honor gives us the opportunity to share the intentional and measurable steps we are taking to ensure success for every student.

Among the topics District 207 will be able to share with other educators include: The instructional coaching model that is unique in the country. It is estimated that the district’s classes of 2018 were likely the first high school graduates in the country whose teachers for all four years each had instructional coaching and a personalized coaching plan for the sole purpose of improving learning conditions for students.

The experience of being Google’s first K-12 district partner. Google partnered with District 207 to move the system from a poor technology program to one that has been on the forefront of 1:1 cloud computing nationally.

Resident files complaint alleging fraud

by Niles Neighbors Party

In February, a Niles resident filed a complaint with the Cook County State’s Attorney alleging petition fraud by the Niles Neighbors Party, whose three candidates for village trustee are backed by Mayor Andrew Przybylo.

The Voice of Niles Party, which is running against them, has also filed an affidavit which claims that Przybylo signed his name as the circulator of a petition that was circulated by someone else.

Ralph Albanito’s complaint to the State’s Attorney is based on an affidavit filed by Chicago resident Daniel Mulkerin, whose signature as circulator appears on several petition sheets submitted by the Neighbors Party.

Mulkerin insists he did not circulate any petitions for the Neighbors Party or sign any circulator’s affidavit for them.

The complaint comes a month after Przybylo and trustee Joe LoVerde, who is supporting the Voice of Niles Party, agreed to step down from the Niles Electoral Board over a request to remove the Neighbors Party slate from the ballot. The three-member board also includes Village Clerk Marlene Victorine.

The objector in that case, also Albanito, withdrew his challenge two weeks later, leaving the Neighbors Party candidates — Melic R. Bookstein, Apostolos “Paul” Drakontaidis and Israel “Izzy” Pacheco — still on the ballot.

But Albanito’s complaint to the State’s Attorney poses a fresh challenge. It asks that the Neighbors Party slate not be printed on the official ballot. Among his objections are that the petition sheets contain names that are not registered voters at that address, that some signatures are forgeries and that some signatories are not residents of Niles.

Mayor Calls for Pioneer Park Name Change

Niles mayor Andrew Przybylo urged the Niles Park District to rename Pioneer Park “Jozwiak Park,” after Joseph Jozwiak, who played a pivotal role in founding the park district. As the mayor noted, Niles had a Jozwiak Park before. Built about a block south of the intersection of Touhy and Milwaukee avenues, it was the very first park in what would become the Niles Park District. But in 1997, the village and the park district arranged a land swap. The village used the park’s land to build a new public works facility, and the park district built a brand new park further

west, near the intersection of Touhy and Harlem avenues, because, at the time, the park district had a firm policy against naming parks after individuals, it was dubbed Pioneer Park.

Przybylo argued that, since then, the policy has relaxed enough to raise the issue again. But it is not currently clear whether the park district board would be willing to consider it. According to the Niles Historical Society, in 1937, the Village of Niles Board of Trustees appointed the Niles Playground and Recreation Board. The all-volunteer organizations worked to establish what would become Niles Park. In May 1950, it acquired land for the second park, what would become known as Grennan Heights Park.

Jozwiak was first appointed to the board in 1940.

While the Niles Historical Society reports that records are sketchy, it is clear that he served as the board chair for at least a significant portion of following 15 years. In 1951, the Niles village attorney advised that the Recreation Board could become an independent park district, which would allow it to levy taxes and issue bonds, generating funds for further expansion. The change was approved in 1954. Residents elected the newly established Niles Park District Board of Commissioners, but Jozwiak wasn’t one of them.

MARCH

Culver students volunteer to ‘Lift Up Those in Need’

Instead of visiting a museum or touring a local business, Culver students traveled to Schaumburg to volunteer at the nonprofit organization Feed My Starving Children.

While there, they packed nutritionally balanced meals for malnourished children in Kenya. The students learned about a little Kenyan girl named Princess who was so severely undernourished when she was born that her odds of surviving were slim. The 20 seventh-and eighth-graders who made the trip are all members of the Culver student council. The students were accompanied by student council sponsors Gina Rossi and Helen Lazaris, assistant principal Oscar Suarez and two parents. Altogether they packed 82 boxes containing more than 17,000 meals.

MAY

Niles Night of Roses Recognizes Achievement, Community Service

On the evening of April 26 as the Niles Chamber of Commerce and Industry held the annual Night of Roses.

Launched in 2002, the Night of Roses has been the NCCI’s biggest fundraiser, as well as a venue to hand outs annual awards and annual scholarships. And it has become Niles’ biggest social event, with guests representing a venerable who-is-who of village politics, business community and charitable organization.

The chamber offers two scholarships a year for high

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continued from page 2 school seniors who will be entering college this fall – seniors that either live in Niles or have parents who work for a Niles business. This year’s winners were Niles West High School senior Franklin Moy and Willowbrook High School senior Maxwell Polanek, whose father, Steven Polanek, works at Niles’ Bradford Exchange jewelry and collectibles retailer. The winners will get $1,000 a year, and they will have an option of asking for another $1,000 a year for the next four years.

The mostly happy celebration did have one solemn note. As former NCCI executive director Katie Schneider explained, Brenda Zielinski who served as the chamber’s secretary for 16 years before retiring in 2016, passed away a few weeks earlier. Schneider described Zielinski as a dedicated worker who helped get Night of Roses off the ground in the first place, and who played a vital role in making sure it went off without a hitch.

The Distinguished Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes individuals who made positive impact through volunteer work, went to Rosamin Bhanpuri, who handles community and alumni relations for Niles Township High School District 219’s community relations office, for her work in organizing the annual Coming Together in Niles Township international cultural events and her work with the township community in general.

She told the audience that her experience showed her how people with different cultures – many of them with history of animosity – can find common ground and come together for a common good. She emphasized that, while she was happy to do her part, she didn’t want to get too much credit.

This year’s Public Safety Excellence Award, which recognizes emergency services personal and public

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servants who have gone above and beyond to protect public safety, went to School Resource Officer Noe Hernandez for his work at East Maine District 63. He was praised for reaching out to Niles youth, listening to their concerns and being a role model.

Hernandez said that he was honored just to be part of the same award ceremony as other winners, and that he appreciated. And he said that he deeply appreciated the relationships he forged, in and outside schools.

This year’s Small Business of the Year award went to Howard Street Inn restaurant. Kenny Hoffman, who owned it for the past 17 years, was self-effacing as he said he appreciated the honor.

The Citizen of the Year award, which honors individuals who improve the community, went to Rainer and Roxanne Weinberg, retired entrepreneurs and Niles residents for the past 24 years, for organizing popular 4th of July and Halloween celebrations in their home.

Normally, the Corporate Citizen of the Year award goes to a member business that has shown a sense of social responsibility and done something to “raise the standards of living and working” in Niles. This year, NCCI took a slightly different tact and gave the award to Niles village manager Steven Vinezeano for his role in a collaborative project with Morton Grove that will see both village switch their water supply from Chicago to what is projected to be a cheaper alternative – Evanston.

Vinezeano handled much of the negotiations and took part in the day-to-day decision making. The chamber reasoned that, by helping Niles secure cheaper water, he did something that will help the village for generations to come.

Vinezeano praised the village government, as well as Niles staff, the engineers who designed the new infrastructure and the laborers who actually put it in place. He also thanked his wife, Jennifer, for her support and putting up with his long hours, and his family in general.

As always, the biggest award of the evening was

the Bob Wordel Living Legend Award, which honors individuals who have a history of service and leadership in the community and demonstrated laudable “spirit and character.” This year’s winner was Joe Bialko, who was honored for his volunteer service at Our Lady of Ransom Catholic parish, as well as his service on the Village of Niles’ Board of Ethics and Economic Development & Neighborhood Renewal committee, and his part-time work as Niles Police Department’s community service officer.

In his speech, Bialko thanked the village staff, the other winners, NCCI staff and the village in general. But he reserved the highest praise for Niles police officers.

Maine Township high schools among Illinois’ best All three Maine Township High School District 207 schools were recognized among the best in Illinois in the 2019 U.S. News and World Report rankings released on April 29. College readiness, math and reading proficiency/performance, performance of underserved students, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate participation and graduation rate were all factors for the rankings.

Maine South High School was ranked 36th in Illinois, Maine East High School was ranked 102nd and Maine West High School was ranked 105th.

All three schools are ranked in the top 16% of all U.S. high schools both nationally and within Illinois.

The rankings utilized data from sources outside the school district to rank more than 23,000 public high schools in all 50 states. According to the U.S. News and World Report release, “the highest-ranked schools are those whose students excelled on state tests and performed beyond expectations; participated in and passed a variety of college-level exams; and graduated in high proportions.”

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BASKETBALL SOCCER CROSS COUNTRY FOOTBALL SOCCER TENNIS BASEBALL SOFTBALL VOLLEYBALL TRACK & FIELD SWIMMING CHEERLEADING DANCE bowling year in review - parT 1 of ii

a look back

aT 2019

part 1: a look back at the local sports stories that shaped the area in 2019 from January to June WIN No. 300 Joliet Central never looked back after cruising to a 19-3 first quarter lead en route to a 52-26 win Friday night on the east side of Joliet. The win was the 300th in the career of coach Lawrence Thompson, Jr. His wins came at two schools — Lockport and Joliet Central Central started hot right out of the gate, jumping to an early 11-0 run, with Crete-Monee getting its first bucket at the 2:40 mark in the ball game.

With two key players out of the game for the Steelmen (9-5, 1-1), Thompson knew that the next man up mentality was key for a positive outcome.

Senior guard Demarta Hill-Holmes and junior guard Dakota Joachim were the two men out for the Steelmen on Friday night, but senior forward Keaton Gregory did not miss a beat, leading the Steelmen with a 26-point performance on 8-17 shooting, with seven 3-pointers.

With Crete-Monee inching themselves back into the game after a 9-9 second-quarter battle, the Warriors still had a 28-12 deficit heading into halftime.

Gregory and his offensive crew were just a little bit too much for the Warriors, jumping to a 43-17 advantage at the end of the third quarter, led by the high percentage 3-point shooting.

With the win, Central remains undefeated on its home floor.

Crete-Monee (2-12, 0-2) shot a combined 10-52 from the floor Friday night, while committing 16 turnovers.

While the Steelmen were potent

on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, one area of concern for coach Thompson was free throw shooting.

Central shot a combined 4-14 from the line.

ANGELS TAKE FIRST Joliet Catholic Academy entered 2019 with 31 state finals, but that wasn’t enough for the venerable JCA athletic program justice.

The Angel dance team added to that number when it brought home the IHSA Class 1A Competitive Dance state finals title.

It was the 32nd title for the school, but first for the dance program.

The big stage is not something that was particularly new for the JCA Dance team, as Coach Shelley Poropats’ squad came in fourth place at last year’s festivities, with an axe to grind in the 2018-19 season.

Poropat said with every year having the mindset to get better individually and collectively as a team, it wasn’t a straightforward path to the finals for her girls this year.

The Angels featured seven returning dancers from last year’s squad, and the 10-member team featured just two seniors, co-captains Abi Voss and Reese Hafner.

For Voss, she said she has always been well aware of the accolades and the high standards her school sets, so brining home a championship was even more incumbent upon her.

In order to reach its goals, JCA had to rebound after a subpar performance being behind Morris, who

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6 sports ‘ yir’ from page 5 posted a 93.22, while Clinton scored a 89.4 compared to JCA’S 89.3 The resilient Angels had no quit in them the following day on Saturday however, as they posted a 95.68 to usurp Morris’ 95.08.

Not only did JCA win the the state title, it recorded the best score in Class 1A tournament history, topping Highland’s 95.05 mark from a year ago.

COACH OF THE YEAR On the heels of the Oakton Community College baseball team being ranked No. 1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) preseason poll, head coach Bill Fratto was named 2019 Pitch and Hit Club of Chicago College Coach of the Year.

Fratto was honored at a ceremony held Sunday, Jan. 27, at the Tinley Park Convention Center.

Thursday, December 26, 2019 | buglenewspapers.com Fratto was among an esteemed group of baseball honorees, including former Chicago White Sox announcer Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, Bren Spillane, Pat Murphy, Dan Plesac, Daniel Palka and Natalie Niekro, among others.

The recognition is among several postseason coaching accolades Fratto received after guiding the Owls to a historic 2018 season that culminated with the team’s first national championship and a school-record 44 wins in his 13th season. Previous awards include the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Diamond Sports NJCAA Division III National Coach of the Year, Division III World Series Coach of the Year and Region IV Division III Coach of the Year.

In the Owls’ national championship season, Fratto’s squad finished second in the nation in runs scored (503), walks (289) and sacrifice flies (31) and third in hits (632), extra base

hits (187), at bats (1,887) and total bases (932). Also, Oakton tallied 425 RBI and 45 home runs while amassing a .335 team batting average.

The Owls’ 44-17 record in 2018 pushed Fratto’s career mark to 472256, a .648 winning percentage. Fratto, who attended Oakton, is a three-time Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year, earning that distinction in 2006, 2012 and 2015. During his coaching career at Oakton, his teams won the Skyway Conference championship four times, in 2006, 2012, 2015 and 2016. The Owls also made NJCAA Region IV Championship appearances in 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2015 in addition to winning regional, district and NJCAA Division III World Series championships in 2018.

With Fratto’s guidance, dozens of players have been named all-conference and all-region selection and advanced to compete at NCAA Division I, II and III institutions. In addition, several players have gone on to play professionally and have been drafted by numerous Major League Baseball teams including the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds.

SOUTH TAKES 2ND In 2019, the Plainfield South cheerleading team made history. The Cougars came through, not only for themselves but for their school.

South took home second place in the Co-Ed Division of the IHSA Competitive Cheerleading Finals that were held on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1 and 2 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

It was not only the first trophy for the Cougars in the sport, but it was also only the second one ever for the school, which opened its doors for the 2002-03 school year. The only other state trophy in school history was a state championship in boys bowling in the 2009-10 school year.

When the coed standings, which is the last of the four cheerleading divisions to perform, were read on Feb. 2, Belvidere North (96.63), which opened as a school in the fall of 2007, won its third straight co-ed division championship by more than three points. It was the fourth consecutive trophy for the Blue Thunder, who placed second in the same division in 2016. Plainfield South (93.43) was second, Grant (93.24) took third and South Elgin (91.77) rounded out the top four teams.

The members of the Cougars team were seniors Orlando DeYoung, Madilyn Hall, Kaitlin McCann, and Alyssa Plata. Juniors Fabian Arteaga, Cadey Chartrand, Lillian Goorsky, Jordan Lipowski, Aubry Mikel, Bree Slaby, Ashley Suddreth, and Bria Trenor. Sophomores Jairus Bowman, Tenley Brown, Ellie Grundon, Jaz-

min Jimenez, David Ochoa, Isabella Rios, Maggie Schoener, and Devin Stapleton. Freshman Emilee Trunnell rounded out the squad.

Assistant coaches were Emily Durham, Alyssa Padilla, and Keri Storako.

WRESTLERS EARN MEDALS A season ago when then freshman DJ Hamiti won his first state championship, he did so for Joliet Catholic Academy, who had not had a state wrestling champion since Pat Mudron in 1967.

• Matt Ramos and Baylor Fernandes led a quartet of Lockport medalists at the IHSA Class 3A wrestling meet.

At 120 pounds, Ramos defeated Noah Surtin of Edwardsville 8-4 for his first state championship, while Fernandes pinned Hunter Yohn of Quincy in a Class 3A 160-pound state final record 1 minute, 10 seconds.

Yohn got the first points of the match on takedown right off the whistle, but that did not sit well with Fernandes.

After Ramos had won earlier in the evening, Fernandes became the 11th state champion in Porter history, a goal he had always had.

To get to the final, Fernandes (35-4) pinned Brock Pfeifer of Lincoln-Way West in 1:48, defeated Barington’s Luke Rasmussen 11-4 and earned a 12-4 major decision over Brad Gross of Marmion Academy.

For Ramos, it was his third state medal becoming just the eighth threetime medalist in Lockport history after Anthony Molton reached that mark in the third-place match.

The fourth medal for Lockport went to Kaleb Thompson, who as a junior is wrestling for his high school team for the first time after transferring from Montini.

At 106 pounds, he won the thirdplace match by disqualification over Jameir Castleberry of Proviso East, however, Thompson was dominating the match up to the point of disqualification.

The 2019 tournament is the 12th time in school history that Lockport has placed multiple wrestlers on the medal stand and fifth time the Porters have had at least four medalists.

• The last wrestler to medal for Bolingbrook High School was thensophomore Dylan Burnoski, who placed sixth in 2016 at 106 pounds.

A year later, Burnoski advanced to the state meet again, but lost in the opening round and did not place.

Prior to his junior season, Burnoski transferred from Bolingbrook to Montini Catholic in Lombard and placed fourth as a junior at 126.

In Februaury, he made his fourth and final trip to the state to the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign and again came home with a fourth-

place medal at 132.

• Plainfield South advances three to state and all earn medals — ­ most in school history Jimmy Pierandozzi, Jake Kendall and Andrew Bejarano all placed at state, marking the first time in school history the Cougars have placed three wrestlers on the podium inside the State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois.

It is only the fourth time in District 202 history that three or more wrestlers from the same school placed in the same meet. Plainfield Central has the most with four in 2012.

Pierandozzi, a junior transfer from Lockport, earned his first state medal after advancing to state twice as a Porter.

This season he finished 35-9 on the season and placed sixth at 145 pounds after a 7-2 loss to Giovanni Cassioppi of Rockton Hononegah in the fifthplace match.

Pierandozzi opened the tournament with a 11-6 win over Joaquin Miranda of Huntley and a 4-1 loss to Fidel Mayora of Montini.

GYMANSTIC FINISHES Downers Grove South senior Abby Carlson and Downers Grove North senior Brooke Stocki ended their gymnastics careers a day apart but with similar satisfaction.

Carlson scored 9.45 to finish third on uneven bars at the individual event finals of the state meet at Palatine, becoming the second girl in program history to finish her career with medals on two different apparatus. She was second on floor last year.

Stocki finished 15th on uneven bars during Friday’s preliminaries, sticking her final routine for a 9.275. The top 10 finishers in prelims advanced to finals, where the top 5 win medals.

Carlson, who missed the state meet two seasons ago after surgery for a torn ACL, capped her career with two tremendous bars routines. She tallied 9.525 in Friday’s prelims, which was the third-highest score.

As she did Friday, Carlson swung like a whippet on the high bar before dismounting with a double pike, which she landed flawlessly.

Carlson finished seventh in Friday’s all-around competition with a 37.075 total, which included 9.35 on vault, 9.325 on beam and 8.875 on floor, where a fall marked her only blemish of her final meet.

That was Stocki’s approach as well.

After returning to help the Trojans win a regional championship and advance to sectionals as a team for the third straight year, Stocki contracted stomach flu just two days before the sectional meet, but managed to compete and qualify for state on bars.

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sports ‘ yir’ from page 6 In other results, Downers North sophomore Gabriella Stellato made her state meet debut and finished last of 38 competitors on balance beam with a 6.725.

Downers Grove South freshman Katrina Carlson, Abby’s sister, finished 14th on floor exercise with a 9.125, while senior teammate Andrea Davenport scored 9.0 to place 25th.

Katrina Carlson is the third member of her family to qualify at state and said competing with her sister this season helped her ease into high school gymnastics.

• Maine South senior Caleigh Pistorius became the first state champion in program history in 2018 when she won the balance beam title while finishing second in the all-around to Glenbard West’s Maddie Diab.

Pistorius didn’t win a state title in 2019 at Palatine, but she has never been happier.

That’s because Pistorius got to celebrate another historic accomplishment with her teammates. With Pistorius and junior Collette Roth leading the way, the Hawks finished third in the team standings to win their first state trophy.

Glenbard West won its second straight title with 149.025 points, while New Trier was second at 147.525 and Maine South third at 147.25.

Glenbrook South was .10 back in fourth.

When Maine South coach Tessa Robinson took over the program 16 years ago, the Hawks were an afterthought. The possibility of one day winning a trophy didn’t even cross her miind.

Indeed, Pistorius dislocated both elbows in a fall off uneven bars in a club meet last May. Except for changing her release move on that event, she somehow managed to regain all of her skills and contended for the allaround title.

Pistorius scored 38.075 to again finish second to Diab in the all-around.

She had the highest preliminary round score on floor (9.6) and tied Diab for the best score on vault (9.8) to advance to the event finals on both.

The Hawks had to battle several injuries this season and didn’t get their full lineup in place until late in the season. Then they won regional and sectional titles.

Senior Cristina DeFillippis, a fouryear starter who performed on vault and floor, reflected on that as she held the trophy.

Senior Olivia Johnson contributed on bars and beam, while freshman Annie Middendorf performed on vault, bars and beam and sophomore Susie Currey chipped in on beam and floor.

But the future team leaders will be

Thursday, December 26, 2019 | buglenewspapers.com Roth and junior Brittany Argaez, who are becoming stars in their own right.

Argaez, who broke her finger early in the season, did three events, tying for 18th on vault (9.375) and sharing 21st on floor (9.075).

Roth was 11th in the all-around (36.925), which included 9.225 on vault, 9.5 on bars, 9.3 on beam and 8.9 on floor. Like Pistorius, she made two event finals, finishing 7th on bars (9.35) and eighth on beam (8.85 despite a fall).

Most of the Hawks have been doing gymnastics as long as they can remember. For Pistorius and DeFlillippis, the ends of their careers brought out some sweet emotions.

Neither could Pistorius, who earned tow more medals Saturday when she tied for fourth on vault (9.55) and tied for fifth on floor (9.475).

“It was the best ending I could think of,” Pistorius said. “I didn’t really come into this weekend thinking that I was going to win anything.

But Maine South’s run might not be over. Pistorius will be impossible to replace, but Roth will be a worthy successor.

STATE SWIMMING Kevin Sullivan wasn’t victorious in his final high school meet, but he still is going out a winner.

The Downers Grove North senior’s place in school history was already secured before he attempted to defend his state diving championship Saturday at the state finals at New Trier.

While the Penn State recruit came up a hair short in that quest, his legacy will be based as much for what he did outside the pool as in it.

Sullivan, who last year became the first diving champion in school history, racked up the sixth-highest point total in the 88-year history of the state meet, but it wasn’t enough to repeat.

Homewood-Flossmoor junior Jack Williams, a club teammate of Sullivan’s, captured the title with 531.20 points Sullivan was second at 524.75 and Evanston senior Trevor Nelson a distant third with 501.10. If Sullivan was disappointed afterward, he didn’t show it.

• In the history of the Plainfield Coop boys swimming program, Netzel and Tran are the only two surnames that dot the list of individual state medal winners.

Ryan Netzel won eight individual medals before graduating last year, while his brother Alex won one.

Brandon Tran, who graduated in 2017, took home four medals.

The list just got longer.

Juniors Alex Dvorak and Marc Avery combined to win three medals Saturday at the state finals at New Trier and they teamed with seniors Ethan Fox and Ryan Crafton to capture

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Plainfield’s first medal in the 400-yard freestyle relay, which finished 11th in 3:09.05.

Avery joined Tran and Ryan Netzel as the only swimmers in program history to win two individual medals in the same year and he is the first to medal in the 50 or 100.

• Maine South swimmer Brendan Forrest made his state meet debut at New Trier and did well enough to advance to Saturday’s finals in the 200yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle.

He had the ninth-best prelims time in the 200 and sixth-fastest clocking in the 500. The top six swimmers in each event advance to the championship heat, while the next six qualify for the consolation heat. Everyone in those two heats are awarded medals.

NATIONAL STAGE Plainfield’s Luke Winder wins his fourth indoor national pole vault championship at North Central Drama had become the norm at the NCAA Division III National Championships for the North Central College men’s track and field team recently.

The Cardinals placed second by a single point in both the indoor and outdoor championships in 2018.

In no mood to do the same at this year’s indoor championship meet, the Cardinals surged ahead of the field with a series of clutch performances to win their sixth indoor national title and their 12th championship overall at the Reggie Lewis Center.

Winder is the first pole vaulter in collegiate history in any division to win four indoor national championships, and, owning a trio of outdoor titles as well, is also the only seven-time pole vault champion collegiate track and field has yet to know.

FOURTH PLACE Benet Academy was openly disappointed Saturday night after a 49-39 loss to Rockton Hononegah in the IHSA Class 4A third-place game at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University.

In the third-place game, Benet got out to a 12-0 run to open the game, but after cutting the lead to 14-3 with 7 minutes, 26 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Hononegah used a 14-0 run of its own that gave it a lead.

SHOOTING STARS On Saturday, March 16, Joliet Central forward Kendrick Williams announced on Twitter that he had committed to play college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

The next day, Sunday, May 17, he went out and earned MVP honors at the Voyager Media Boys Basketball All-Star Shootout at the University of St. Francis in Joliet. He scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the South squad rallied for an exciting

136-133 victory over the North team.

Williams is the second straight Joliet Central player to win MVP honors at the all-star event, which started in 2009. Ryan Saunders, who played at Kaskaskia College in downstate Centralia this season, won it last year.

• Anyone that walked in right after tip-off of Voyager Media Girls Basketball All-Star Shootout would have thought there was a lot of scoring in the opening moments since the scoreboard read 18-18.

But it was all by design.

The 18-18 score to start the game was in honor of Beth Dunlap.

The Downers Grove North junior was fatally struck by a car on Feb. 19.

She wore No. 18 as a setter on the Trojans volleyball team, helped them to a state runner-up finish last fall and was a member of the Voyager Media AllArea volleyball team.

Throughout the end of the basketball season, Dunlap had been honored, so Voyager Media Publications decided to open the scoring at 18-18 in her memory.

The 18-18 start meant a higher scoring total than usual as the North team, which included the Downers Grove North players, pulled away for a 91-81 victory at the Voyager Media Prep Shootout All-Star game on Sunday, March 17 at the University of St. Francis in Joliet.

Niles West’s Sam Galanopoulos scored a game-high 20 points to lead the North squad to victory, 15 coming in the second half.

Jennifer Krizka finished with seven points and five rebounds for the South team. But the multi-athlete at Joliet

Catholic Academy has made contributions not only in sports but off the field too. With that in mind, she was awarded the Jeremy Izzo Character Award, which is named after the former JCA boys basketball coach, who passed away in 2010.

SAM I AM In the second half of the 2019 Voyager Media Prep Shootout All-Star game, Niles West senior Sam Galanopoulos took the game over, scoring 15 of her game-high 20 points, leading her team to the win and grabbing the game’s Most Valuable Player honors.

Galanopoulos finished four points shy of the record for the game, but that was not why she put on the performance she did. She subbed out of the game with four minutes left to play, knowing she was close to the mark.

Galanopoulos didn’t need an individual record — she needed a win.

Admitting as much after the game, the Central Suburban League South Player of the Year was not going to lose the final game of her career in her high school uniform.

That was how Galanopoulos played every game of her career that saw her put her name all over the Wolves’ record books that are headlined by WNBA star Jewell Loyd.

While leading her team, Galanopoulos averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

For her achievements, she is the 2018-19 Voyager Media Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

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upcoming evenTs in your area Thursday, december 26, 2019 | buglenewspapers.com

DECEMBER 30 BOLINGBROOK happy noon year. From 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Fountaindale Public Library District.

Celebrate the New Year with stories, music and more including a countdown complete with party favors, noisemakers and more. All ages, preschoolers with an adult.

DECEMBER 30 PLAINFIELD dance inTo The noon year. From 11:30 a.m.

– 12:15 p.m. at the Plainfield Public Library District. Can’t stay awake until midnight? Count down to noon and celebrate the upcoming New Year with stories, music, and dancing. Please register each adult and each child attending.

Children must be accompanied by an adult caregiver.

DECEMBER 31 JOLIET noon year’s eve celebraTion. From 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Joliet Library Ottawa Street Branch. (Children of all ages with adult) Countdown to 2020 kid-style with some festive family fun. Music and party favors will be awaiting your arrival complete with a balloon drop and grape juice toast at noon. No registration.

DECEMBER 31 CREST HILL counTdown To noon year. From 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Crest Hill Library Branch. We are celebrating Noon Year with snacks and crafts, plus a special toast, complete with balloon drop. Dancing will follow. This program is intended for all ages. *Please only register the number of children participating. Registration is required due to limited space. If you are not able to attend, please inform us 24 hours in advance so we can offer your spot to someone else. No shows may be waitlisted for future programs.

DECEMBER 31 NAPERVILLE ring in The new year aT The museum’s bubble bash. From 9 a.m. – Noon at the DuPage Children’s Museum. Families will spend their morning creating lasting memories, exploring the Museum’s hands-on exhibits, taking part in special activities, enjoying live musical performances, and more.

DECEMBER 31 SKOKIE new year’s eve magic eXTravaganZa. From 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Skokie Public Library. We’re having our annual magic extravaganza to ring in the new year. Limited to 190 participants. For all ages.

column >> dave says

Dave Says: Who owes the debt when parents die?

you would only be held liable for any of their debt if you were a co-signer on the loans dear dave,

dear Tammi,

My parents are getting up there in years, and they aren’t really prepared for when they pass away. They can’t afford life insurance at this point, and they also have a lot of debt. When they die, who will be liable for their debt?

Any outstanding debt your parents have upon passing will likely go against their estate. If they have a positive net worth—meaning they owned more than they owed—there will be money left over after the debts are paid, and this could go toward an

Tammi

dave says by dave ramsey

@DaveRamsey daveramsey.com

inheritance. If they have a negative net worth, which means they owed more than they owned, everything could be sold off to cover as much of the debt as possible. Regardless, you would only be held liable for any of their debt if you were a co-signer on the loans.

I’d also suggest getting their permission to buy burial policies on them. If they won’t agree to this, you might have to save up money for their

final expenses yourself. In most areas, $10,000 to $15,000 is enough to cover basic burial costs for two people.

dave * Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 16 million listeners each week on 600 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey. com and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey.