20140109 regional news by Southwest Regional Publishing

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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Going away for winter? Tips to halt home burglary by Tim Hadac staff reporter As reported in The Regional News last week, a young couple used cameras linked to a cell phone app to thwart burglars breaking into their Palos Heights townhome, even though they were more than 4,000 miles away at the time, on vacation in Hawaii. The lesson was clear: 21st century technology can be used successfully to fight crime and protect property. But what about people who don’t have the time, talent or financial wherewithal to purchase and utilize such gadgetry? As many people know, returning from vacation to find a ransacked home can be a disturbing and even traumatic experience. “We were on vacation [when

the crime occurred], and I’ll tell you, I’ve never felt so violated or insecure. It’s a crazy feeling. You’ve got rage, but you know you can’t do anything,” said Palos Heights resident Raymond Strack at a City council meeting last year, as he voiced concern about police resources. Local law enforcement officials offered a wealth of advice to The Regional News this week, especially to senior citizen snowbirds headed off for prolonged, January and February vacations in warmweather destinations. “Don’t share your travel itinerary on social media. Avoid chatting about your vacation plans on social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter,” said Palos Park Police Chief Joe Miller. “You never know who is reading your posts or tweets. If you need to share

your itinerary for any reason, then give your travel plans to someone you trust.” Ask a neighbor to stop by daily to pick up your mail, Miller added. In addition, your house key is better off with your neighbor than under the welcome mat or a plastic rock. “Think about a house sitter,” Miller said. “A professional house sitter can help, and if you have pets, having a house sitter means you don’t have to put your dog or cat in a kennel, which can be traumatic for some animals.” Palos Heights Deputy Police Chief Dave Delaney reminded everyone to “stop all deliveries while away; or better yet, allow the deliveries to continue and have a trusted neighbor pick up your newspapers and packages.” Try to maintain the “lived in”

look of your house while you are away, Delaney added. Use timers on lights, as well as TV and radio at various locations throughout your home at varying times. “Turn the ringer down on your phones,” Delaney added. “A ringing phone that goes unanswered can alert a burglar to the absence of any occupants inside the home. Also, don’t announce your vacation on your voicemail.” Officials also suggested removing valuables and storing them in a safe deposit box at a bank or with a trusted friend or relative. Part of the “lived-in” look during winter should also include having someone shovel your snow and make tracks in your driveway. “Another thing to remember is that there is no substitute for a good, nosy neighbor,” added Paul Rutherford of Cook County

CrimeStoppers, a not-for-profit crime fighting organization that offers cash rewards for crime tips. “Get to know your neighbors, and make sure that when they see anything at all that’s suspicious, to call 911 promptly and let police investigate. Extra sets of eyes and ears are extremely important.” Also important, officials agree, is working with police via local vacation watch programs. Police departments in Palos Heights, Palos Park and Orland Park all offer the service at no charge. The Orland program is “fairly aggressive,” according to Orland Park Deputy Police Chief Thomas Kenealy, and involves residents sharing detailed information before they leave for vacation: flight information, itinerary, destination, length of stay, emergency

contact numbers, as well as information about trusted friends, relatives, neighbors and others back home. Additionally, village police stop by residences on home watch at least three times every 24 hours—getting out of the squad and conducting a perimeter check of the home, “even shaking doors and making sure that things are secure.” More than a dozen households in the village are currently on house watch, Kenealy added, and said he could not recall a case from recent years in which a house on police watch in Orland Park was burglarized. To obtain more information on house watch programs and receive more burglary prevention tips, contact your local police department.

Orland to move storage site away from Centennial by Tim Hadac staff reporter The Orland Park Village Board’s Public Works Committee on Monday unanimously approved a proposal to design and prepare a plan for a new bulk material transfer storage facility. If approved by the full board at the Jan. 20 meeting, the village will engage Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. of Rosemont, to move forward with the plan, at a cost not to exceed $10,600. “We’re not allowed to have a [village] dump,” said John Ingram, infrastructure maintenance director for the village. “Basically, we can’t stockpile, we can’t store any permanent spoil that’s generated—any concrete or asphalt that’s generated [by excavation work done by village crews].” According to a briefing document provided by the village, Orland Park “currently uses an area adjacent to Centennial Park for the temporary storage and transfer of material removed as part of varying programs, including right-of-way maintenance, leaf pick-up, street sweeping and utility repairs. The current site is located on the south side of 153rd Street between the Metra Station

and Palos Primary Care. “After years of use, permanent storage of material on the site reached its limit some time ago,” the statement added. “Material temporarily stockpiled at the site includes concrete, asphalt and spoil from various excavations. Dumpsters for organic spoil and street sweeping debris are also located there. “All material currently generated as part of village operations must be recycled or removed to a permanent dump facility [outside the village].” Officials noted that they plan to relocate the facility, in part to clear a path for future expansion of Centennial Park. The new facility will be located on a vacant parcel owned by the village at 16401 S. 108th Ave. “previously used by Beary Landscaping and was approved for development of an office complex, a project that did not advance,” village officials added. “Existing topography and proximity to adjacent office complexes necessitate sensitive reuse of the property. In order to utilize the site as a bulk material transfer storage facility, site planning, stormwater man(See Orland, Page 4)

Photo by Tim Hadac

From arctic raw to thaw Dozens of icicles decorate the Country Financial office at 12130 S. Harlem Ave., Palos Heights, in the Tuesday morning sun. Heavy snowfall, coupled with record low temperatures, saw icicles sprouting throughout the entire area. They may be short lived, however, as the National Weather Service is forecasting highs near 40 degrees this weekend.

Sub-zero ‘no reason’ to cancel Orland meeting Harsh weather among topics discussed by Tim Hadac staff reporter While record-breaking, sub-zero temperatures saw much of the area grind to a halt earlier this week, the wheels kept turning at Orland Park Village Hall, capped off by an 11-minute Village Board meeting Monday night. “It’s winter in Chicago. Cold weather is not unusual,” said Mayor Daniel McLaughlin, before the start of the meeting, as the temperature outside fell to-12 degrees with a brisk west wind that that made it feel like -36 degrees. “I just don’t think that shutting down [Village Hall] is called for, unless it’s a really critical emergency.” “There’s no reason not to have a meeting,” McLaughlin added. “Granted, we’ve postponed a couple of things (an awards presentation to the champion Orland Knights pee wee football team and a presentation on a survey of the village’s business community) and our meeting will be brief, but we do have business to conduct, so we will move forward.” No members of the public were in attendance, and business was conducted before just a handful of village staff and local news reporters. After rocketing through a consent agenda, several officials shared their thoughts about the village’s response to the extreme

cold and snow, particularly those out driving snow plows. Trustee Patricia Gira said she had received several compliments relating to the village’s use on Sunday night of the CodeRED® Emergency Notification System—a high-speed telephone communication service Orland Park uses to notify residents and businesses of an urgent situation that requires immediate attention. The 90-second message updated residents on village efforts to respond to the weather, offered advice on warming centers, notified everyone of a delay in garbage pick-up, and reminded motorists about snow-related parking restrictions. Orland Park residents and business owners who have not yet signed up to receive the alerts may do so online at orland-park.il.us McLaughlin used the discussion to express ongoing concern and even frustration with motorists who ignore winter parking regulations. “It’s amazing how many people, in the middle of a storm that everybody knew was going to be 6, 8, 10 inches [of snowfall], are parking their cars on the street, when they have a driveway they could have pulled it into,” McLaughlin said as he asked Trustee Dan Calandriello, chairman of the board’s Public Safety Committee, to meet with police and public works officials to see what could be done

to address the issue. “It is tremendously hazardous for the [snow plow] drivers [encountering illegally parked cars], and it leaves a mess when you have to go around it,” added the mayor, who himself has driven a snow plow, including in recent days. “I know we’re not going to make any friends writing [parking] tickets, but boy, somewhere we’ve got to start thinking about how to handle the tremendous amount of people that just don’t pay attention to the [snow-related parking regulations],” McLaughlin continued. Trustee Kathleen Fenton agreed with the mayor’s assessment. “I know in my subdivision, people are parking on both sides of the street—so I think sometimes our plows can’t even get down the street,” she noted. “I know they’re supposed to get a ticket for that, and I think they should.” “We do issue tickets in significant snow events, and we tow [illegally parked vehicles],” responded Village Manager Paul Grimes. “It’s in our ordinance, we do work with police, and word gets around when we do.” Grimes added that he will redouble his efforts with police to enforce the ordinance, which prohibits parking on village streets once two inches of snow have fallen. It also specifies that Photo by Tim Hadac parked vehicles must be kept off Empty chairs fill the public gallery at Monday night’s meeting of the Orland Park Village Board. Most of the streets for 10 hours after meetings of the full board are attended by at least several dozen residents. The next meeting is set for it has stopped snowing. 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, at Village Hall, 14700 S. Ravinia Ave.

The Regional News Thursday, January 9, 2014

View from Trinity by Dr. Steven Timmermans

Imaginary winter escapes with Trinity As winter already seems too long, too cold, and too snowy, I’d invite you to join me as I imagine what it would be like to be a Trinity student who has left campus for a twoweek January interim. Three of these interim courses would be a grand alternative to a Chicago winter! Dr. Thomas Roose, Trinity’s physics and science education professor, is teaching this course: Costa Rica: Learning to See and Appreciate Biodiversity in the Rainforest, the Volcanic Region and the Manuel Antonio Coastal Region. Those participating in this off-campus course have the opportunity to see and study some of the greatest biodiversity in the world. Highlights while exploring the rain forest and the Manuel Antonio coastal region and volcanic regions include toucans and suspension bridges, poison dart frogs and zip lines, white-water rafting and iguanas, sloths and an active volcano, a dry forest and a look at the Pacific Ocean. Professor Roose has indicated this predictive note: “Students should expect lots of hiking, neverbefore-seen encounters, a new appreciation of God’s diverse creation, and a good amount of laughter and community building.” The good news is that those of us only imagining what it might be like to be in Costa Rica are saved from the “lots of hiking”! Trinity’s professor of special education, Dr. Patti Powell, is leading, as she has done many years, a group of students at the Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Professor Powell’s specialty is sign language and deaf education, but participating students need not be fluent in sign language—they learn it “on the job.” This experience provides students immersion in both the deaf and Jamaican cultures as they provide service activities each morning and assist in classrooms each afternoon. Of course, they also are seeing a variety of Jamaican

sights including Dunns River Falls and the Straw Market in Ocho Rios. The beautiful thing about this class is that students serve a school while learning sign language! Thankfully, each year they produce a video of their experience—allowing me the opportunity to catch a glimpse of a memorable experience. Although not traveling to as warm a climate as Costa Rica and Jamaica (but a grand alternative to Chicago’s weather), those participating in The Bible in its World will enjoy Israel, where it is forecasted to be 55 degrees and sunny as you read these words. This course emphasizes the geographical, historical, and cultural context of the Bible. Most of the coursework is happening on-site as students spend time on day-long and overnight field trips exploring ancient sites and hiking over Israel’s rugged terrain. Extensive investigation of the Galilee region allows particular emphasis on the life of Christ in the historical and cultural milieu and geographical setting of his time while also highlighting Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s Old Testament story. While our only option at this point is to virtually experience the trip, this group is unique since it includes eight non-students, giving evidence to opportunities for others to hop on board these incredible January experiences. If these descriptions have whetted your appetite to virtually experience these fine alternatives to watching the snow fall, check Trinity’s home page www.trnty.edu (after Jan. 20) or Facebook page facebook. com/trinitychristiancollege for some occasional updates from our interim travelers. And if you wish to plan ahead to next January, maybe there will be room next year to actually join a group! Steve Timmermans, Ph.d., is the president of Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights.

Readers Write Heights Public Works job well done

dence that the tanning beds emit UVA and UVB rays that are rated as Class 1 carcinogens by the World Dear editor: Health Organization (WHO), which To the employees of Palos recommends avoiding tanning parHeights Public Works: lors and to protect oneself from Just a note of appreciation overexposure to the sun. and gratitude for all the hard Before seeing a small sign on work and long hours that the Southwest Highway parkway were logged in by the staff of I was unaware of the salon’s exPublic Works in order to keep istence. I entered the business to our streets clear and passable inquire as to any guidelines in so during this past week. Having far as the use of the tanning beds driven through Orland and as is concerned. I identified myself far north as Arlington Heights to a male employee asking him and all the towns in between if he was aware of the facts that throughout this past week, no according to the American Cancer other city’s streets came close Society the incidence of melanoma to how clear and safe ours increases by 75 percent in those were. below the age of 35 years that use Thank you! tanning beds and that melanoma Kathy Lovitt is now the second most common Palos Heights form of cancer for individuals aged 15-29 years. As a resident of Palos Park I was disheartened and disStep up to appointed that the village of Palos stop melanoma Park chose to permit a business Dear Editor: that poses health dangers. A tanning salon recently opened The Center for Disease Control on Southwest Highway in Palos (CDC) has reported that the InPark. It has a pretty cheery name door Tanning Association often given that there is substantial evi- ignores safety codes and regula-

tions. Tanning facilities often give inconsistent or incorrect information about the risks associated with indoor tanning. When I approached the employee of the Sunset Tanning Salon citing those serious risks, his response was unsettling as he dismissed them as exaggerated and certainly not reason for concern. In the state of Illinois, anyone under 18 years old is required to have parental permission to do indoor tanning. As previously mentioned the most at risk age, 15-29 years, is the group most likely to use indoor tanning. My interest in melanoma prevention is a consequence of having family members treated for the disease and the loss of a beloved daughter to melanoma. Step Up to Stop Melanoma and urge people to say “No” to indoor tanning , particularly for teens. Tan is not beautiful, rather it is a walking advertisement for melanoma and other skin cancers. To learn more about it visit the website www. March4Meg.com. Nancy Donovan Palos Park

Inside the First Amendment

Civility: Let’s try that free speech option in 2014 by Gene Policinski The First Amendment protects our freedom to say and write just about anything we want — but that doesn’t mean we ought to, particularly in public life. The difference rests between “can” and “should.” Our nation’s founders were no strangers to rude, callous and raucous debate in public life and to vicious commentary, even by today’s “anything goes” online standards. Sex scandals, infidelity, personal weaknesses and even religious differences were exposed, debated and mocked in public life and in the newspapers of the day with personal glee and political purpose. The self-governing system eventually created for the United States depends on vigorous public involvement and debate, but it also depends on a measure of what we call today “civility” to function. Not civility in the sense of polite nods and watered-down language — that’s not “free speech” in any sense — but rather a thinking response and respect for robust debate over ideas and policies. The Bill of Rights, led off by the First Amendment, rests on the creative tension of rights and responsibilities. It is civility in its historical meaning — involved, engaged citizenry — that powers those two great civic engines.

A First Amendment advocate should be the last to call for laws or other official limits on speech, such as campus speech codes or restrictions on campaign speech. But Congressional gridlock, growing public disaffection with politics and growing concern about online discussions perpetually locked into the lowest level of comments, require a non-governmental response. Journalists are a good starting point for self-initiated positive action. A recent gathering of about 40 practitioners, at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., gives hope in that direction. The group met in early December to talk about incivility in the media, in a multi-day session sponsored by the Newseum Institute, The Poynter Institute for Media Studies and the National Institute for Civil Discourse. A concluding task was to set out some core values for journalists and to face the serious issue of whether this group or any other might actually produce change. A good starting point for the organizers (Note: I was one of them) was to assemble a group that resembles the nation in 2014: Journalists from traditional media and new media, with great diversity in age groups, ethnicity, location and views. The values statement stressed truth, independence and transparency as well as focusing on the free press role

envisioned by Madison, Jefferson and others: Exposing wrongdoing, airing of multiple points of view, empowering people with information needed for self-governance, and providing the means for the nation to hear from “the disenfranchised and voices that are not being heard.” Worthy goals all, for a nation that is without doubt increasingly diverse and increasingly divided — and also a good refocusing for a free press battered by falling and fading revenue sources, diminished public respect and the loss of many of

its most-veteran participants. In the mid-1940s, journalists and academics joined in a post-WWII seminar popularly known as the Hutchins Commission to consider the role of journalism in a cynical, war-weary world. According to reports of the time, it was an era in which the public had little respect for the large media enterprises of the day, finding them increasingly uncivil, unconcerned with or unable to perform their “watchdog on government” role — and out of touch with news consumers. Sound familiar?

There is no minimizing the difficulty ahead in reshaping public debate that now focuses on the shrill, in which partisan confrontation often overwhelms nonpartisan compromise. Perhaps journalists are the group of that can first move the idea of “civility” from premise to practice — a New Year resolution with real promise. Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute and senior vice president of the Institute’s First Amendment Center. He can be reached at gpolicinski@newseum.org.

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If you could get on a plane and escape the winter chill right now, where would you go? (Asked Monday night at Orland Park Village Hall, as the temperature outside stood at -12 degrees with a brisk west wind that made it feel like -36 degrees.)

Photos by Joan Hadac

Dan Calandriello, Orland Park “Florida, because I haven’t seen Mickey [Mouse] lately. I was watching the parade [on television], thinking I’d like to go there.

Paul Grimes, Orland Park Jeanne Smith, Orland Park “Southern California to visit “South America. I love to climb Disneyland and the San Diego mountains.” Zoo. I like Southern California, because the weather is drier and not as humid as it is here. I started my career in Anaheim. Tonight I will dream of La Jolla.”

Patrick Smith, Orland Park “New Mexico. Philmont Boy Scout Camp is located there and I’ve been there. I like hiking a lot and there is a lot of backpacking.”

Carole Griffin Ruzich, Orland Park “I just got back from Maui. If I could take another vacation, I’d get right back on a plane to Maui. The weather was gorgeous. It was depressing coming back to this. I came back on New Year’s Eve.”

The Regional News Thursday, January 9, 2014

Hills man stabs wife and daughter: police By Bob Rakow Staff Reporter A Palos Hills man was charged with two counts of attempted murder Tuesday afternoon after allegedly stabbing his wife and daughter with a collector’s keepsake knife during a domestic disturbance, police said. Waldemar Dzbik, 50, stabbed his wife multiple times in the bathroom of their home in the 9700 block of Maple Crest Drive, police said. He stabbed his 19year-old daughter once in the chest when she tried to pull him off her mother, police said. Both women were taken to

Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where Dzbik’s wife underwent surgery, police said. Information on her condition was not available. The incident occurred at approximately 10 a.m. When police arrived, they located the victim and her daughter at a neighbor’s house. Dzbik, meanwhile, fled in his Volkswagen Jetta. Palos Hills Police Chief Paul Madigan found Dzbik sitting in his car at 12:30 p.m. in the parking lot of a McCook trucking company, police said. Dzbik drove away when he saw Madigan approach his car, but was later arrested by McCook police near 47th Street and Harlem

Waldemar Dzbik Avenue, according to reports. Police have responded in the past to domestic disturbances at the house, they said.

Dead Worth girl’s family lashes out at local police by Bob Rakow Staff Reporter

Brittany Wawrzyniak daughter could have fallen out the car. The chief’s response shocked her. “The chief basically told her she ought to go out in (her) car, climb in the back seat and jump out and see how it’s done,” Earl Lane said. “She was sick.” Tully has had no additional contact with the police since that meeting. Wawrzyniak met Eric Steven Johnson the night of Nov. 8 at the boat launch near 115th Street and Beloit Avenue in Worth. She got into the backseat of his car and handed him $200 in exchange for 30 pills of Clonazepam, prosecutors said. Wawrzyniak, a Worth resident and Shepard High School graduate, began counting the pills while still in the back seat as Johnson drove away. She opened the door of the moving car, was ejected and struck the pavement, prosecutors said. She was pronounced dead at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn less than one hour later. Johnson, of Peotone, was ordered held on $300,000 bond. He is charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance. Tully said her daughter had no intention of purchasing drugs. Rather, the drug buy was a ploy to arrange a fight between Wawrzyniak’s friend and another girl, she said. The family also does not believe

Photo by Kevin M. Coyne

Carry Chicago, 10349 Southwest Highway in Chicago Ridge, will begin teaching the state-mandated 16-hour concealed carry course on Jan. 10.

Chgo. Ridge gun shop offers concealed-carry permit course by Kevin M. Coyne Correspondent Before Ron Pohrebny was able to legally drive a car, the now 53year-old enjoyed shooting, then teaching others the responsibilities of owning a firearm. For the past 25-years, Pohrebny has worked as a firearms instructor. He is certified by the National Rifle Association and the Illinois State Police to teach concealed carry. Pohrebny is the new owner of the former Chicago Ridge Gun Shop and Range, which is now the site for his concealed carry company, Carry Chicago, 10349 Southwest Highway. Starting Jan. 10, Pohrebny will start preparing Illinois residents for the new concealed carry laws. “The course is a lot of basic information on firing, handling, unloading and using a firearm safely,” Pohrebny said. “It’s geared towards people’s ability and knowledge and most people getting concealed carry have been gun enthusiasts for a while.” Starting Sunday, the state of Illinois will begin taking applications for concealed carry. Despite immense pushback from anti-gun

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days through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Returning this year are extended peak hours. From May through August, hours will be Mondays Only two picnic permits per per- through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. son or organization are allowed to 6:30 p.m., and Saturdays from per year. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Permit prices vary based on the Requests for permits for groups size of the group and the amenities larger than 399 people will now brought into the groves. be available online as of Jan. 13, Picnic permits are available and may still also be purchased inonline at fpdcc.com/permits 24 person at the River Forest General hours a day and in person Mon- Headquarters location.

Michael Barrett is slated by Dems in 15th Subcircuit judge primary race

Michael Barrett served as an active member of the Circuit Court of Cook County Expanded Jurisdiction Committee. An active member of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, Barrett finds

himself involved in many community activities. A resident of Orland Park, Barrett was elected and currently serves as the Illinois Referee in Chief and Supervisor of Officials for the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois and USA Hockey. He is the past president of the Southwest (Cook County) Bar Association. Barrett has been married for more than 22 years to Bernadette Garrison Barrett and they have two children, Michael and Monika. Both Michael Barrett and his wife Bernadette have been lawyers for more than 22 years and both of their children are honor students and outstanding hockey players. Their son, Michael, attends Holy Cross College in Massachusetts and plays NCAA Division 1 Hockey and their daughter, Monika, is a star in her own right as a hockey player.

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Michael B. Barrett is announcing his candidacy for judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County as a Democrat, 15th Subcircuit, in the March 18 primary election. Candidate Barrett received the endorsement of the majority of Democratic township committeemen in the 15th Subcircuit. A graduate of Marist High School, Barrett received his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Iowa. He then earned his juris doctor degree from the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, where he was on the dean’s list and was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award. Upon becoming a lawyer, Barrett was appointed and served as an active member of the Cook County Committee on the Courts in the 21st Century. He was also appointed by former Cook County Chief Judge Donald O’Connell and

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in his facility. “I want to reopen the shooting range at the facility and open it up for my current and former students to practice drawing from a holster,” he said. “People should practice 100 times a day because if you ever do need to draw your gun you don’t want to be tugging at your holster.” Illinois residents who have been convicted of a felony, including domestic violence, or have a criminal record are subject to denial of a FOID card and concealed carry permit. State and local law enforcement must also approve the concealed carry permit, regardless of the individual’s reason for applying. Law enforcement officials may deny a request for concealed carry is the individual has certain psychological issues or a history tied gang-related crimes. “Are we that stupid in Chicago to not know that it’s the bad people with guns who are committing these violent crimes?” Pohrebny said. “Good people feel the need to arm themselves as long as there continues to be bad people illegally obtaining firearms.” For more information on Carry Chicago, visit www.carrychicago. org or call 708-357-6241.

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Forest Preserve District reports 10% picnic permit sales increase The Forest Preserves of Cook County sold 993 picnic permits on Jan. 2, “Permits Opening Day.” This represents a nearly 10 percent increase over the 905 permits booked on Opening Day last year. Due to inclement weather and the debut of a new online system, ActiveNet, a higher percentage of permits were purchased online this year, rather than in person. A picnic permit must be obtained by groups of 25 or more.

groups, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and Gov. Pat Quinn, Illinois is now the last state to lift the ban on concealed carry. For Chicago-area resident who plan on packing heat, a 16-hour training course is required. Training is broken into separate eighthour courses. The first part of the training program focuses solely on teaching students to safely shoot, transport and stores a firearm. The second part of training deals with gun laws, specifically Illinois gun laws. “The advantage of having my own storefront facility is the ability to work with the student’s schedule,” he said. “It’s a 16hour course and people work so it’s hard to do 8-hours a day or the entire 16-hours in one weekend.” The course will cost $275. In other states concealed carry courses can run as high as $300. During the Dec. 17 Chicago Ridge board meeting, Pohrebny’s license to open the storefront facility was approved. At this point, the shooting portion of the course is done at the Harvey Police shooting range. In the future, Pohrebny is hoping to repair and reopen the range

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Two months after Brittany Wawrzyniak’s death, the family of the 18-year-old girl have broken their silence and are strongly criticizing the Worth police department for failing to keep them apprised of the investigation. “We’ve got a dead 18-year-old girl with no information on how she died other than they state she was jumping out of a moving car on a drug buy. That’s ludicrous,” Wawrzyniak’s step-grandfather, Earl Lane, said Tuesday. Wawrzyniak’s mother, Rebecca Tully, is equally dismayed over the police department’s failure to inform the family of the investigation’s progress, but is too upset to publicly discuss the matter. Instead, she asked her mother, Rebecca Lane and Earl Lane to sit down with The Reporter to talk about the police department’s handling of the case. “It seems like a direct slam to the family,” Earl Lane said. Worth Police Chief Martin Knolmayer has told the family that his department is in the midst of an ongoing investigation. Repeated attempts by The Reporter to contact Knolmayer were unsuccessful. Tully has met only once with Knolmayer and the experience was not a pleasant one, Earl Lane said. “She wanted to know what was going on, what was happening, who they interviewed,” he said of the December meeting. “They weren’t returning her phone calls. She finally got to make an appointment,” Rebecca Lane added. “She figured if she went in person she might be able to get some answers.” Tully brought a close friend to the meeting, who was escorted out at the chief’s request when she began to ask questions about the witnesses police had interviewed, Earl Lane said. “The chief got very defensive,” he said. Tully asked the chief how her

Wawrzyniak jumped out of the car. They are pleading for anyone who witnessed what happened to come forward. “Somebody’s got to know something,” Rebecca Lane said. Lane and his wife believe Worth police are “stonewalling” because they are in over their heads regarding the investigation. The family provided police a compact disc containing text messages found on Wawrzyniak’s phone as well as inflammatory posts found on two Facebook pages created in her memory. Police have not responded to the family regarding the information, the couple said. Rebecca Lane spends time every night scouring the Facebook pages looking for new information or leads about her granddaughter’s death. Why, she asked, can’t Worth police do the same. Her husband, a former Hickory Hills alderman, said the police department’s lack of communication with the family is cruel. He added that he has simple questions for the police chief: “Where are you at with the investigation? What can you tell us, and why haven’t you communicated something with the family?” The police department’s future action on the case is crucial. A member of the state’s attorney’s office told the family that additional charges cannot be filed without more work done by Worth police, Lane said. “It has to start with the Worth police department,” Earl Lane said. In addition to their frustrations with the investigation, Wawrzyniak’s family continues to mourn her death. Her mother has not returned to work and goes through days when she can’t even talk about the incident. “It goes from day to day,” Rebecca Lane said. “It’s up and down. It’s hard for us to believe Brittany is gone. It’s heartbreaking. Brittany and I had a very close relationship. We had a very loving relationship.”

The Regional News Thursday, January 9, 2014

Families greet the New Year at noon at Heights Rec. Center After an early countdown to 2014, followed by a few hard tugs on the protective netting, colorful balloons cascade down on cheerful children at the Dec. 31 “Noon Year’s Eve” celebration hosted by the Palos Heights Parks and Recreation Department (photos clockwise from top left.) According to program supervisor Lauren Marino, the mid-day event was staged for the benefit of local tykes too young to stay up all the way to midnight. After the balloons fell to the gymnasium floor, gleeful pandemonium ensued, with boys and girls feverishly stepping on balloons and laughing, as popping sounds echoed off the walls. Attendance was nearly double the 50 children and parents that organizers had anticipated. Many of the little ones were at their first-ever New Year’s party, including Anthony Myslinski IV, of Evergreen Park, held by his father, Anthony III, who were in Palos Heights visiting relatives. Kiera Bruton, 6, of Palos Heights, draws a laugh from her mother, Kendall, as she has a little fun with balloons and static electricity.

Photos by Tim Hadac

Man charged after vehicle Tips to survive arctic cold strikes mailbox, police say Palos Heights police arrested Eric A. Price Jr., 19, of Palos Heights, and charged him with failure to reduce speed and failure to give information after striking property. A vehicle driven by Price allegedly struck a mailbox in the 12600 block of South Melvina Avenue at 8:17 a.m. Dec. 31. A neighbor of the victim told police that he followed tire tracks leading from the mailbox to Price’s vehicle, parked about a block north, according to police. Further, police said that a car part left at the scene matched a part missing from Price’s vehicle. Bond was set at $1,500, and he is due in court on Feb. 26. In other Palos Heights police news, Wayne C. Deutsch, 32, of Orland Park, was charged with obstructing a peace officer, as well as driving on a suspended license. Police curbed his vehicle in the 12700 block of South Harlem Avenue at 8:07 p.m. Dec. 28 after they noticed that it matched a description given by Palos Hills police for a man wanted for retail theft. Police said that proceeds from the theft were found in Deutsch’s vehicle, and that he allegedly gave false information to them, regarding his identity. Bond was set at $2,000, and Deutsch is due in court on Jan. 24. After processing, Deutsch was turned over to Palos Hills police regarding the alleged theft. Atia Abdallah, 20, of Hickory

PALOS HEIGHTS POLICE Hills, was charged with driving without a license, as well as failure to wear a seat belt. His vehicle was stopped by police in the 7100 block of West 135th Street at 7:32 a.m. Dec. 24, after they reportedly saw him not wearing a seat belt. Bond was set at $1,500, and his court date is Jan. 24. Police charged Salvador Padilla, 27, of Chicago, with DUI, improper lane usage, no proof of insurance, and texting while driving. His vehicle was curbed by police in the 11900 block of South Harlem Avenue at 1:36 a.m. Dec. 29. Bond was set at $3,000, and heis scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 26. Eric Galvan, 26, of Chicago, was charged with driving on a suspended license and failure to wear a seat belt. His vehicle was stopped by police in the 12200 block of South Harlem Avenue at 3:17 p.m. Dec. 27. Bond was set at $1,500, and he is set to appear in court on Feb. 26. Police charged Jason A. Blew, 39, of Worth, with driving on a suspended license and unlawful use of an electronic communication device. Police stopped his vehicle in the 12400 block of South Harlem Avenue at 9:40 a.m. last Friday after they reportedly saw him using a cell phone. Bond was set at $1,500, and he is scheduled

to appear in court on Feb. 16. Vincente G. Paiz, 29, of Chicago, was charged with driving on a suspended license and failure to wear a seat belt. He was stopped by police in the 12300 block of South Harlem Avenue at 11:03 a.m. last Friday. Bond was set at $1,500, and Paiz is set to appear in court on Jan. 24. Police charged Robert J. Barnes, 59, of Merrionette Park, with driving without a valid license and driving a vehicle with an expired registration. Police curbed his vehicle in the 11800 block of South Harlem Avenue at 1:19 p.m. last Friday. Bond was set at $1,500, and Barnes is due in court on Feb. 26. DeMonika D. Burton, 23, of Chicago, was charged with driving on a suspended license, no proof of insurance, and driving a vehicle with expired registration. She was stopped by police in the 6500 block of West 127th Street at 12:45 p.m. last Sunday. Bond was set at $2,000, and Burton is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 24. Police charged Allison M. Kramer, 33, of Hometown, with driving on a suspended license, no proof of insurance, and failure to wear a seat belt. Her vehicle was pulled over by police in the 13000 block of South Harlem Avenue at 2:47 p.m. Dec. 30. Bond was set at $2,000, and Kramer is set to appear in court on Feb. 26.

Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) Chief Operating Officer Dr. Terry Mason is advising residents to take precautions against the dangerously cold temperatures that hit this week. “The arctic-like temperatures we are experiencing can lead to serious health issues, such as frostbite and hypothermia unless residents take precautions,” Dr. Mason, warned last Friday. Stay prepared at home: • Do not use an oven as a heating device. Read directions before using space heaters and other portable heating units. • Make sure cracks in windows and doors are repaired. For a quick fix, use towels, rugs or newspapers. • Have bottled water, canned foods, flashlights and batteries on hand in case a winter storm keeps you indoors. • Residents who have no heat

should check with their local municipality or township about warming centers. Dress for the cold: • Wear a warm hat, and keep feet and hands warm and dry. • Cover as much of your face as possible while outside, breathe through a scarf to warm air before it enters your lungs. • Wear several layers of lightweight clothing, rather than one or two layers of heavy garments. The air between the garments acts as insulation to keep the body warmer. Keep your vehicle prepared: • Allow extra time when traveling and start your journey with a full tank of gas. • Monitor weather conditions carefully and adhere to travel advisories. • Keep a winter storm kit in your car. This should include blankets, food, flares, chains, gloves and first aid supplies.

Orland Suspect sought in child abduction attempt

(Continued from page 1)

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office on Monday afternoon made a public appeal to help identify and apprehend a man who attempted to abduct a 9-year-old girl in Palos Heights. The incident occurred on Dec. 18 in the area of 129th Place and Moody Avenue. The offender is described as a white man in his late teens. At the time of the attempted abduction, he was clean shaven and wearing a black jacket or sweatshirt. He allegedly tried to lure the girl into a van with a ladder rack on the roof.

A Sheriff’s Office spokesman told The Regional News that there is no sketch of the offender available, and that there are no additional details. “We’re appealing to the public now because Sheriff’s Police detectives are hoping to gather additional leads in this ongoing investigation,” the spokesman added. When asked about the condition of the girl, the spokesman said the child “is OK.” Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Police Investigations Section at 8654896.

Accused drunken driver charged with cannabis

Submitted photo

Orland keeps on top of the snow The Orland Park Public Works Department worked to make village streets clear and accessible, having reported a four-day total of 9.5 inches of snow in Orland Park as of 2 p.m. last Thursday. 2. Additional snow fell last weekend before dangerously low temperatures closed area schools and other public amenities. Village crews had an additional driver Thursday afternoon when Mayor Dan McLaughlin plowed some of the residential areas of the village. “The village’s crews are doing their best to keep up with all of the snow and I wanted to do what I could to help these guys who have been plowing for the last four days,” said McLaughlin, who is an experienced plow driver and lends a hand with plowing efforts every year. The village of Orland Park has been sharing weather and snow updates and reminders on its website at www.orlandpark.org, on the village’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/VillageofOrlandPark and via the village’s Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/VillageOrlandPk. Residents are encouraged to check on elderly and disabled neighbors. Parked vehicles must be kept off village streets and trash/recycling toters should be placed well behind the curbline. Do not push shoveled snow back into the street and help firefighters by digging out hydrants from the street. All motorists should be especially careful driving as snow and temperatures continue to fall over the next few days.

Stay healthy: • Seek medical attention immediately if you have these symptoms: 1. hypothermia: confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering 2. frostbite: gray, white or yellow skin discoloration, numbness, waxy feeling skin • Drink warm, caffeine-free, non-alcoholic beverages to stay warm and hydrated. • Check with your doctor or pharmacist about medications that could cause problems in cold weather. • The elderly and infants can be particularly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions; check often to make sure they are safe. For more information on staying prepared, visit www. cookcountypublichealth.org. — Cook County Dept. of Public Health

Palos Park police arrested Brendan John Horan, 18, of Hickory Hills, and charged him possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, DUI, and improper lane usage. Police stopped his vehicle near 123rd Street and La Grange Road at 1:03 a.m. Dec. 29 after they reportedly saw his car swerving. Police said that inside the vehicle they found a plastic bag containing cannabis, as well as two glass pipes with cannabis residue. Horan was released on bond, and his court date in Bridgeview is Feb. 24, according to police.

PALOS PARK POLICE In other Palos Park police news, Jacob C. Dampf, 22, of Palos Hills, was cited with possession of drug paraphernalia. His car was stopped by police at 125th and Windsor Drive at 1:12 a.m. Dec. 28 after police reportedly saw that it had no working tail lights. Police said that a search of the vehicle yielded a glass pipe, five plastic bottles and nine small plastic bags — all with cannabis residue.

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agement design, landscape design and special use approval will be required.” The current lowland facility near Centennial Park has been used by the village for decades. “I’ve been here 28 years, and it was there when I started,” Ingram observed. Once the village moves operations to the site on 108th Avenue, steps will be taken to make the 153rd Street site more visually attractive. “We’ll make it look nice, probably put a little bit of topsoil on it,” Ingram said, adding that he hopes that all work will be completed this year. Beyond that, he concluded, it will be “up to the [village] board to determine what the best use of that site will be.” In a related matter, the Public Works Committee accepted a proposal from Airy’s Inc.,of Tinley Park, to haul away concrete, asphalt and other spoils stored temporarily at the 153rd Street site and transport them to“an approved Clean Construction or Demolition Debris (CCDD) facility [outside the village],” at a cost capped at $10,000.

The Regional News Thursday, January 9, 2014

Submitted photos

Heights Kiwanis sets up food pantry dropoff at Rec. Center Members of the Kiwanis Club of Palos Heights show the food collection box for people in need they recently set up at the Palos Heights Recreation Center, 6601 W. 127th St. Shown are Karen Lorch (from left), Club President Don Mertic, John LeNoble, Larry Campbell, Pete Ruhl and Gene Bruce (left photo). The public can drop off non-perishable food items in the food collection box during regular hours of the Recreation Center. All food deposited in the box will be delivered to the Worth Food Pantry. The dropoff continues the longstanding relationship between the local Kiwanis and the food pantry. Karen Lorch, Kiwanis member, suggested that the club provide this service for the food pantry before she obtained permission from the Recreation Center to install the collection box. Kiwanian Jim Baillie built

the box and delivered it to the Rec. Center. Palos Heights Kwanis President Don Mertic presents a donation to Sue Greer, director of the Worth Food Pantry (photo at right). The presentation took place Nov. 16 when Greer gave a short program outlining the services that the Worth Food Pantry provides to residents in 39 area suburbs. President Mertic, who also serves as a volunteer at the Worth Food Pantry, noted this was the seventh year that the club has donated to the Worth Food Pantry. The Kiwanis Club meets at the Recreation Center at 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays. Those interested in supporting their efforts or prospective membership in the club are invited to join them for coffee and donuts.

Community Notes Palos Heights Senior Club membership opens

Meetings are held at Moraine Valley Church, 6300 W. 127th St., on second and fourth Wednesdays. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. Only in January and February and meetings start promptly at is membership open to join the 1 p.m. Palos Heights Senior Club. Transportation, if needed, is Residents must be 55 and older available thru the Palos Heights and cost is $20. Resident must Recreation Department. Call for also have a Palos Heights mailing pick up. Cost is $4 roundtrip. address. This includes unincor- The club enjoys trips, inporated Palos Heights. formational speakers and live

entertainment. Members meet their neighbors and make new friends. For more information, call President Edna Craig at 4487498.

League of Women Voters of the Palos Orland Area will feature a discussion of GMOs, genetically modified organisms. League members will learn about the potential consequences of GMOs this Saturday, Jan. 11, at the Palos Heights Public Library League of Voters — coffee at 9:30 a.m., meeting at will delve genetically 10. League meetings are always modified foods open to the public. The next regular meeting of the As part of a national LWV study,

Library Notes Morning storytime The Palos Park Public Library invites children to Good Morning storytime at 10:15 a.m. Tuesdays through Feb. 25. Children ages 2 to 5 enjoy stories, sing songs, create special crafts, and make new friends. Parents or caregivers must accompany child in the library during storytime. The library is at 12330 Forest Glen Blvd. Palos Park. Call to register, 448-1530.

Tots storytime The Palos Park Public Library offers Tiny Tots storytime at 10 a.m. Wednesdays through Feb. Children 2 to 3 enjoy stories, sing songs, create special crafts, and make new friends. Parents or caregivers must accompany child in the library during story time. The library is located at 12330 Forest Glen Blvd. Call to register, 448-1530.

Learning Circle Registration opened for See -NDo Learning Circle starting today at the Palos Park Public Library today through Feb. 27. Children ages 4-5 attend the Thursday evening sessions at 6:30 p.m. Children will learn basic educational concepts through games, activities, and stories in this new interactive program. Parents or caregivers must accompany children in the library during the session. The library is at 12330 Forest

Glen Blvd. Call to register, 448- and share what you know and learn 1530. new tips/tricks from others. Bring your device for practice and to share your favorite app. If there is interWinter reading est, this group will continue to meet program for prizes on a monthly basis. The Palos Park Public Library • On Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2 offers a winter reading program p.m., author Cyndee Schaffer for children ages toddler-kindergar- will discuss her mother’s World ten through Feb. 28 at the library, War II experiences as a member 12330 Forest Glen Blvd. of the Women’s Army Corps in a Parents read books to their chil- program titled, “The Journey of dren for chances to win prizes and Mollie’s War.” enjoy scavenger hunts and other • Learn about the library’s ebook activities. service Media on Demand and more Register at the circulation desk available to you with your Palos or call the library for more infor- Heights library card including free mation at 448-1530. music and magazine downloads, and its huge suite of databases on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 2 p.m. Heights library • Come to a FAFSA Seminar and upcoming programs learn about about the financial aid The following will take place at process with Gerald Knight, CPS, the Palos Heights Public Library, MBA, MSA, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 12501 S. 71st Ave. at 7 p.m. • Join the Lunch Bunch on • Meet doll collector Rose Jones, Monday, Jan. 13, at noon, to dis- and see her special collection of cuss “Pilgrim’s Wilderness” by dolls from the 1980s to the presTom Kizzia, available for pick up ent, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 2 at the library. Bring your lunch; p.m. Feel free to bring a doll to refreshments and dessert will be share with the group. provided. • Learn how to take photos • Bring your projects to the on your iPhone or iPad at iPhoNeedle Club and enjoy the com- neography with Amy Hughes on pany of others while working on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 2 p.m. Bring Tuesday, Jan. 14, from 10 a.m. your device with the latest iOS and to noon. New members always download the free app Snapseed welcome. prior to class. Program is open to • Thursdays at the Movies on teens and adults! Jan. 16 will show the film “Up.” Program registration is always There will be three showings: 10 appreciated. Register online at a.m.(with subtitles), 2 p.m. and palosheightslibrary.org, by phone 6:30 p.m. at 448-1473, or in person. All pro • Join our iPad/iPhone User grams are free and open to the Group today (Thursday), at 2 p.m., public unless otherwise noted.

Heights library featured database Find a job, business, person or create mailing lists and sales leads by using AtoZdatabases, the premier reference and marketing database. This simple, user-friendly, webbased product provides details on every business and every household within the U.S. and users have the ability to email, download and print results. Access is available in the library or online at www.palosheightslibrary.org/services/online-databases.html by clicking “Alphabetical List”. Scroll down and click on “AtoZdatabases” to begin. Use your Palos Heights library card number to login; the password is your last name.

Heights library youth activities • Caudill Book Talk & More — Children in grades 4-8 are invited to discuss “Ways to Live Forever” by Sally Nicholls today (Thursday), at 4 p.m., at the Palos Heights Public Library, 12501 S. 71st Ave. • Teen Gaming — Fridays, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. children in grades 6 and up can start off their weekend with some Wii and Xbox fun with friends. • LEGO Builders — Let your creativity soar while playing with LEGO blocks this Sunday, Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. This activity is for children ages 4 and up. • Tiny Tots Story Time — Children from birth to 23 months with an adult are invited to join the story time session on Mondays at 10 a.m. Registration is required. • Terrific Twos Story Time — Children ages 24 to 35 months with an adult are invited to join the story

local League members are educating themselves about this relatively new aspect of agriculture, in particular food production. Susan Busen is a well-known author, practitioner and speaker in the field of environmental awareness. She has worked with the Institute for Responsible Technology to raise awareness on the dangers of genetically modified foods.

Club Activities Toastmasters Club

The Center Toastmasters Club will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m., at 12700 Southwest Highway, Palos Park. Toastmasters International is an organization for people interested in improving and practicing their public speaking skills. Members take turns leading the meetings and giving speeches, gaining confidence from the encouragement of each other. time session on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. New members and guests Registration is required. are always welcome. For more • After School Club — Enjoy information, call Dave Sanders stories, activities, crafts and snacks or Lois Lauer at The Center at with your friends on Tuesday, Jan. 361-3650. 14, at 4 p.m. This month’s theme: Sloths. For children in grades 1-3. Art League Registration is required. watercolors demo • Tween Book Discussion — On Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. children The Town and Country Art in grades 3-5 will discuss “Char- League will hold its monthly meetlotte’s Web” by E. B. White. ing this Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m., • Preschool Story Time — Chil- at the Palos Heights Recreation dren ages 3-6 years old are invited Center, 6601 W. 127th St. to join the story time session on Tom Francescoine, a watercolWednesday, Jan. 15 at 10 a.m. and orist, will do a demonstration of 1 p.m. Registration is required. this medium. He has taught at the • Chess Club — Wednesday, Jan. Art in the Barn in Valparaiso, Ind., 15 at 7 p.m. children ages 6 and up and the LaGrange Art League. can play against each other and get This month’s competition for tips from members of Stagg High members will be animals in any School’s Chess Club. Registration medium. Library exhibits for is not required. January include Rose Ellich in Palos Park. Anna Grab exhibits at Acorn. The public is invited. A $5 donation is asked for guests. (3491274)

School Notes Marist H.S. entrance exam

Marist High School’s entrance exam for current 8th-grade students will take place this Saturday, Jan. 11. Students should arrive at 8 a.m. and enter through the gym doors, located on the east end of the school. There is a $25 test fee, however pre-registration is not needed. Students should bring two No. 2 pencils and are asked not to bring a calculator. The approximate dismissal time is 11:45 a.m. In order to be considered a candidate for 2014-15 admission at Marist, prospective students must test at Marist High School, 4200 W. 115th St., Chicago. (773881-5330)

Woodworking club The Hickory Hills Woodworking Club will meet today (Thursday), at 7p.m. at the Oakview Community Center, 4625 W. 111th St. in Oak Lawn. Guest speaker Art Santoyo will talk on first aid in the wood shop. Guests are welcome to attend.

Widowed group The Southwest Suburban WOW (widow or widowers’ group) will meet at Zion Lutheran Church, 17100 W. 70th Ave. in Tinley Park, this Friday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m. Join the fun for a short monthly meeting, entertainment and refreshments. All denominations welcome.

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McCord winter classes start McCord Gallery’s winter classes will begin the week of Jan. 13. McCord offers youth and adult classes, including portrait classes, watercolor, pastel, oil painting, drawing, mosaics, jewelry making, colored pencil and much more. Workshops for the winter include Silk Painting, Collage, and Perennial Garden, “Tangles” and Steaming Pastels as well as others. Or sign up for yoga or tai chi to keep relaxed and renewed. Find more information on classes, workshops, exhibits, upcoming events and register at the website, www.mccordgallery.org or call McCord at 671-0648.

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The Regional News Thursday, January 9, 2014

Photo Memories from

Crossword Puzzle “However Often”

Across 1. Crook’s other name 6. Therefore 10. Half a dance 13. Tropical fruit 14. Keaton of “Annie Hall” 15. Concert ticket information 16. Type of opportunity 19. These may clash 20. Last Greek letter 21. Iowa State University’s town 22. Place to sleep 23. Ted Turner network 24. One of the colors of the rainbow 26. Franklin of R&B 28. Skin feature 30. 1960s-70s war locale, for short 31. Hits that clear the bases 33. Public humiliation 35. Old yarn 38. Belgian treaty city 39. Loves to death 40. ___ Vegas, Nevada 41. “___ Well That Ends Well” 43. Horrified 47. Canada’s capital 49. Oinking beast 50. Doubting Thomas’s comment 51. Got 100 on, as a test 52. Unflavored 55. “Cup or ___?” (ice cream parlor question) 56. Commodores hit ballad 59. Sushi fish 60. Dog’s name, in cartoons 61. Less covered 62. In need of rain 63. Summit 64. Tennis star Agassi

Down 1. One-celled organism 2. German golfer Bernhard

1 2 5

4 2

14 17

31 35

REGIONAL Archives

3. Hard to decipher, as a message 4. Gets on in years 5. “___ Married an Axe Murderer” (Mike Myers film) 6. Kitchen floor piece 7. Former Defense Secretary Alexander 8. Lopsided, as an advantage 9. Spot 10. Thief or arsonist, for example 11. Fan’s favorite event 12. “Cool!” 14. “___ Yankees” 17. Lacking fame 18. Small dollop 23. Southern tribe 25. Golden years fund 27. Slender 28. Spurs to action 29. Norway’s capital 32. End-of-list abbr. 34. Chopped meal

35. Former British Prime Minister Margaret 36. Like some winds 37. Empties the tub 38. Was a bad winner 42. Mobile computer 44. On the train 45. Workshop tool 46. “___ here!” (“Poltergeist” catchphrase) 48. Ending for lemon or lime 49. Dock 53. Not taped 54. Visa rival, for short 55. Family 57. Historian’s time 58. Lawyer’s gp.

From Jan. 3, 2004

40 Years Ago Last Week Navajo Hills Homeowner Association board Chairman Harold Braverman (right) and board member Frank Passarelli present a wristwatch and the association’s 1973 outstanding citizen award plaque to Randy Sanfilip. In the background are some of the holiday decorations created and built by Randy, which are on display in front of his home on Navajo Drive.

(Answers on page 10)

3 1 7

THE

The object of the game is to fill all the blank squares with the correct numbers. Each row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Each column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Each 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9.

From Jan. 8, 2004

10 Years Ago This Week Orland Park’s new public library is taking shape on Ravinia Avenue at 149th Street, about a block south of Village Hall. Construction should be completed on schedule in time for the new library to open this fall. Cold weather is not halting construction work on the $22.5 million building project.

(Answers on page 10)

Notes north of the Cal-Sag by Jeff Vorva

Baseball Hall voters — we’re not all just a bunch of idiots — really This is the time of the year Cubs 10 straight years. More than that people think that I am a 1,000 games. But I have it. Photo by Bob Rakow dope along with 500 or 600 of So the other idiots and myself my colleagues. had the audacity not to vote any Last year at this time, we all one in. And we took a poundtook a beating. They thought we ing. had the IQs of members Honey The 2014 announcement was Bob Rakow makes his WHATIZIT? debut with an item that he sold Boo Boo’s family. They thought made yesterday, Wednesday, and for $7 online. we had the judgment abilities of it came after our deadline. But The clue is that it sounds like something you would need for an someone who had 27 beers for with people like Greg Maddux, old car. Be specific. The WHATIZIT? Board of Directors are coming lunch. They said mean, mean Frank Thomas and Tom Glavine, back from their vacations and they are as surly as ever. things about us. We were the low- I can safely say we didn’t pitch Last week’s clue was that this guy was no angel and the correct est forms of life in the world. We a shutout this year. answer is that it was the Paul Bunyan statue on the roof of Guardian were scum. And that was a kind There are probably a few people Auto Rebuilders in Evergreen Park. description. that wonder why their favorite Since this is WHATIZIT? and not WHEREIZIT?, we will be lenient What did we do that was so eligible players did not make it on the guesses. Some guessed that Mr. Bunyon was on a Log Cabin wrong? and still think we’re a bunch of Home Sales Center in Rocky Mount, N.C., on top of a hot dog stand We didn’t vote anyone into the goofballs. But let me at least exin Berwyn and in Minnesota. Baseball Hall of Fame. plain the process. A super-sized guess went to Evergreen Park’s Jan Merchantz for Yes, I am one of the lucky few You need 75 percent of the vote not only getting the what and the where correct, but also provided to have a Hall of Fame vote. I paid to get in. Three out of every four. the information that years ago old Paul had a wrench in his hands dearly to get it. I had to cover the Think about it. It’s hard enough to instead of an ax. Another larger-than-life guess came from Oak Lawn’s Steve Rosenbaum who added that it was once known as a Kallemeyn Auto Rebuilders business. Giant sized guesses (identifying both Paul and Guardian) were made by Worth’s Robert Solner, Theresa and George Rebersky and Russ Martin, Oak Lawn’s Robin Fullarton, who used to hail from Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn’s Jane Foley, Chicago’s Marge Klockowski, Evergreen Park’s Bernadette Pratl and Tom Barry and Palos Hills’ Goldie Xirafakis. Medium sized guesses (guesses of Paul by himself or Paul at a different location) were made by Worth’s E.J. Oakueke and Celeste Cameron, Chicago Ridge’s Dan and Kathy Higgins and BillIvers, Hickory Hills’ Betty Beegle and Cynthia Foulkes from parts unknown. Wrong guesses included the Tom Cruise character from “The Last Samurai,” and a Wise Man. For this week’s guesses, send them to thereporters@comcast. net with WHATIZIT? on the subSubmitted Photo ject line. Include your name and Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas were two Chicago favorites who home town by Monday night. were up for the Hall of Fame for the first time this year.

WHATIZIT?

get more than 75 percent of your pals to agree where to have lunch. And to vote for something as important at the Hall of Fame? Last year, there were 37 ex-players on the ballot. There were 569 writers who turned in a ballot. They are allowed to vote for up to 10. They could vote for 10. They could vote for three. Some vote for zero. Those are the people who get ripped on the hardest. Throw in the fact that the list includes players who were suspected of using steroids and some who were rumored to have used them and that throws the whole thing out of whack. We are talking about more than 500 people of different ages and different backgrounds trying to figure this thing out. My criteria is different than some geezer who claims we’re a bunch of sissies and, by God, back in the good old days, he would have punched a player in the nose or slammed him against a locker if that player didn’t grant an interview. My criteria is also different than someone who is voting for the first or second time who looks at me like I’m a geezer. And it’s not like we are in some big smoke-filled room arguing back and forth for who should get in or not. We’re scattered across the country sitting in our homes in December trying to figure it out. Finally — and most important — it’s a vote. A vote is personal. A vote is done with some research and with some gut feelings. It’s imperfect. This is the first year I actually voted for 10. I usually top out at

six, seven or eight. So, in alphabetical order, here are my choices: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Tom Glavine. Greg Maddux, Edgar Martinez, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas and Larry Walker. Yes, some of the heavy steroid suspects such as Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and others are off my list. The beauty is that if they get more than 5 percent of the votes, they can stay on the ballot for 15 years. So we can always change our minds on these guys if something comes to light in the next decade or so. People may think that the criteria is too tough to get in and maybe they are right. But can you think of another hall of fame that has this much interest and passion? You rarely hear about controversy, outrage or much interest in general about the football, basketball and hockey halls. So congratulations to those who made it. Those who didn’t? Life goes on, guys. That goes for the fans, too.

Baker’s dozen

How in the world could I have forgotten this? After last week’s column on my 12 favorite TV shows was published, Reporter reporter Bob Rakow named a few shows that were good and mentioned “The Paper Chase,” which was a show about a variety of students in law school who had the mean Charles Kingsfield (played brilliantly by John Houseman) as a contracts law professor. So my dozen favorite shows just became a baker’s dozen.

The Regional News Thursday, January 9, 2014

Healthy Answers for Life by Carolyn Johnson

Having a healthy, less toxic 2014 Dear Carolyn, My resolution for this year was to have a greener lifestyle. I want to be healthier, and reduce the amount of chemicals and artificial things in my life. Do you have any suggestions on things that would help me to make the change to a more natural way of living? Thanks, Jeanene Dear Jeanene, Switching to a greener lifestyle is an admirable goal for the New Year. We are bombarded with toxins every day with the products we use daily to clean our homes, the foods we eat, and the medications we use. According to the EPA, the levels of air pollution in our homes can be two to five times higher (and occasionally more than 100 times higher) than outdoor levels. Much of the toxic exposure in our homes is directly related to the chemicals in products designed to keep the house clean. The good news is that it’s quite easy to make a switch to natural, earth friendly household cleansers. There are many different very effective natural cleansers on the market. Two of my favorite brands are Earth Friendly Products and Seventh Generation. I’d say it’s especially important to switch to natural cleansers if there are children in the home, since exposure to chemicals at

young ages can be especially detrimental, and has been linked to an increase in asthma as well as other problems. Eating organic foods whenever possible can make a big difference in the amount of chemicals we put in our bodies. If you aren’t vegetarian (a decision which can make more of a positive impact environmentally than any other), I’d suggest looking for organic meat and dairy products to reduce chemical exposure. Fruits and vegetables are crucial for a healthy body, but buying organic produce which is free of pesticides goes a long way to a healthier lifestyle. The Environmental Working Group has compiled a list of produce with the most (and least) amount of pesticides. The foods found with the most pesticides were celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, nectarines, blueberries, bell peppers, spinach and cherries. If you’re unable to buy organic versions of those foods, it would be a good idea to get a veggie wash specifically designed to help remove chemicals from food. Interestingly, the EWG’s study also listed the foods that had the least amount of pesticides, which included onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mango, sweet peas and asparagus. Check out www.foodnews.org for a complete list.

Beauty products are another area to think of when aiming to reduce chemical exposure. Switching to a natural deodorant which doesn’t contain aluminum is the change I’d most recommend. Conventional antiperspirants contain aluminum, which block sweat glands under the arms. Concerns have been raised about our daily exposure to aluminum possibly raising the risk of breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. While there is not conclusive proof of these concerns, it’s certainly a good idea to not smear aluminum under our arms daily. Natural deodorants work by killing the bacteria that causes underarm odor, without aluminum. Winter can be a great time to make the switch to a natural deodorant since sweat is less of an issue during the colder months. If you’re a person who uses lip balm, switching to a natural nonpetroleum based product would be a good idea as well. Last but not least, I’d recommend doing a whole body cleanse. The product I’d most recommend is the Organic Total Body Cleanse by ReNew Life which is available our health food store. It’s a gentle and effective two week program which contains an assortment of herbs which can help detoxify the liver, colon, lungs, lymphatic system, kidneys, skin and blood. A

whole body cleanse is a fantastic thing to do a couple times a year to help reduce the toxins and chemicals in our bodies. I wish you luck on your journey to a healthier and greener lifestyle. A Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” which is especially true when it comes to matters of health. Make a commitment to make 2014 your healthiest year yet. To submit a question to be answered in a future column send an email to healthyanswersforlife@ gmail.com or mail to Healthy Answers for Life c/o Pass Health Foods at 7228 W. College Drive, Palos Heights, IL 60463 Carolyn Johnson is one of the knowledgeable associates at Pass Health Foods at 7228 W. College Drive. Feel free to stop by the store for more information or advice. www. passhealthfoods.com This column makes no claims to diagnose, treat, prevent, mitigate, or cure diseases with any advice or products. Any health related information in this article is for educational purposes only. The ultimate responsibility for your choices and their effect on your health are yours and before applying any therapy or use of herbs, supplements, etc., you should consult your health care provider.

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Bad Habits By Sneakers

Pick of the Litter By John R. Fleming, DVM Dear Dr. Fleming, My neighbor’s dog was diagnosed with a MRSA bacterial skin infection and I would like to know if you think its ok for me to still visit at her home. I don’t want to get sick. Hilda, Worth Dear Hilda, Several years ago when we started seeing more resistant cases of Staph skin infections in dogs we began routinely culturing the skin early on in the treatment. We began to see a number of methacillin-resistant cases of Staph. At first I was very concerned and had these clients call their physicians to see what they recommended. What I learned early on is that the people were giving the infection to the dogs, not the other way around. I don’t know for sure if this is accurate because the resistant Staph that we are seeing in dogs is not Staph aureus, but rather Staph pseudointermedius (MRSP). Internationally, MRSP diagnosis in dogs is increasingly common and has become a common cause of opportunistic skin infections in dogs. As with other methicillinresistant staphylococci, MRSP is inherently resistant to all Betalactam antimicrobials and is often resistant to multiple other antibiotics. MRSP is commonly highly drug resistant with few viable antibiotic options, thereby complicating treatment. Most dogs that harbor MRSP do so without any disease signs and probably never develop infection. However, healthy carriers are at risk for MRSP infection and are

Submitted photo

Connie Fleming out on frozen Nicolet Bay in Wisconsin New Year’s Day. The dogs loved the 20 below and the snow. They got a lot of walks in the park and on the bunny trail back in the woods by the pond. Dogs from left: Angelina, Barry, Whirl and Peyton. a potential source of infection for other days, or rarely, humans. MRSP can be transmitted between animals, particularly household mates. A dog that lives with an MRSP-infected dog is likely to become a carrier. Where anything can be done to minimize risk is unclear. By the time MRSP is diagnosed, the other dog will already have been exposed. Similarities exist between MRSP in dogs and methicillinresistant S. aureus (MRSA) in humans. Albeit uncommon and transient, cross-species transmission of both pathogens can occur.

S. pseudointermedius colonization, including colonization with MRSP, can typically be found in less than 5 percent of healthy humans (mainly pet owners and veterinarians). In addition to colonization, S. pseudointermedius can cause clinical infections in humans, but these are rare and often misidentified as S. intermedius. Considering the high prevalence of S. pseudointermedius in healthy dogs and large percentage of the population with regular dog contact, the rarity of human infections indicates that this bacterium is poorly able

to infect humans. Despite this rarity, basic measures to reduce human exposure are indicated to prevent potential infections, as MRSP is typically highly drug resistant. Strict isolation is neither practical nor typically necessary. The use of basic hygiene practices (i.e. good attention to hygiene after contact with the dog, limiting contact with the dog, avoiding contact with body sites where MRSP is common (infected skin, nose, mouth, perineum) is practical and may; reduce risk for dog-to-human transmission.

Health Beat Blood pressure checks: Orland Twp.

cholesterol). A 9- to 12-hour fast is required; however, participants should drink water prior to the Orland Township, 14807 S. Ra- lipid test. vinia Ave., will hold free blood The price of the test is $25 for pressure screenings from 9 a.m. to residents. Non-residents may also 11 a.m. on Fridays, Jan. 17, Feb. participate for $30. Free blood 7 and March 7. No appointment pressure and glucose testing for is necessary. (403-4222.) an additional $5 ($10 for nonresidents) are also available on this day. An appointment is necesPodiatry screenings sary and participants must bring Orland Township is host- proof of residency on the day of ing free podiatry screenings on testing. Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 9 a.m. To make an appointment, call to 11 a.m. 403-4222. A local podiatrist will be at Orland Township, 14807 S. Ravinia Body contouring Ave., conducting free examinaafter weight loss tions to all participating residents. Call Orland Township at 403-4222 Palos Community Hospital is to make an appointment. offering a free presentation by Orland Park board-certified Plastic Surgeon Jerry Chow, M.D., Total lipid on body contouring after major testing at Orland Twp. weight loss. Orland Township will hold total During the presentation, Dr. lipid profile testing on Jan. 16, Chow will discuss surgical methFeb. 20 and March 20, from 8:30 ods including the 360-degree body to 11 a.m., at 14807 S. Ravinia lift and show how women can Ave. transform their appearance. Residents may have total cho- This program will take place lesterol levels read, as well as from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, triglycerides, LDL (bad choles- Jan. 13, at Palos Health & Fitness terol) and HDL cholesterol (good Center, 15430 West Ave., Orland

Park. Registration required; call quality of his or her life. Research 226-2300. shows that people who participate in stop-smoking programs with a support system have greater sucPalos Community cess, compared to those who try Hospital class to quit on their own. helps smokers quit This program will meet from To help smokers quit, Palos 6:30 to 8 p.m., Thursdays, Jan. 16 Community Hospital is offering through Feb. 27. One additional the American Lung Association’s class will be held on Tuesday, Freedom from Smoking’s eight- Feb. 4. week program for adults who are The program will take place at ready to quit smoking. the Palos Primary Care Center, Quitting smoking is the single 15300 West Ave., Orland Park. most important step a smoker can The cost of the program is $99. take to improve the length and To register, call 226-2300.

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My name is Sneakers, and I’m a creature of habit — bad habits. After this holiday season of feasting on sumptuous leftovers — cheese balls with crackers, biscuit-wrapped hot dogs and creamy desserts, I regret to admit that my few extra ounces have turned into a couple of extra pounds. Sure, I can blame the holidays, but my struggle with food dates back to my earliest kittenhood. From the very first crunchy bite, I adored kitty treats. Maybe I overindulged a bit because my vet warned that I leaned on the high end of normal weight. Since I was always chasing my catmate, Penelope, I carried my few extra ounces well. Last fall, I hurt my paw when I jumped off my human’s refrigerator. Not being so active during my recovery, I gained a few ounces, and at my next checkup, my vet pronounced that I was officially overweight. So she recommended a “food plan” of skim milk, watery tuna and soggy greens formed into cat-food nuggets. That uninspired fare did little to satisfy my taste buds, and even less to satisfy my hunger. I would get so ravenous, that even the grimy mouse hiding behind the stove looked tempting. My mood became so foul that I would bite any human or animal that came within a tail’s length of me. So I rebelled against my food plan and turned to “hard” junk food — that deplorable stuff that my human eats. Every time I became stressed or upset, I ferretted out bready crumbs from the empty pizza box in the trash can or lapped up leftover alfredo sauce from plates in the kitchen sink. My human didn’t catch on until my next vet visit — which revealed that I packed on another 6 ounces! After reading an article that overweight humans tend to overfeed their pets, my human decided to go on a food plan himself, and that same yucky green stuff in those cat-food nuggets was all I could find in the house. This called for even more sneaky maneuvers.

Every time my human opened the front door, I darted outside. I delighted in watching his failed efforts to deter me. Once outside, I cruised the neighbors’ garbage cans, and feasted on left-over morsels of cheese cake and splats of tuna casserole. One day, after dodging the neighborhood bully cat who was chasing me, I wandered into a neighbor’s garage to rest. Panting heavily, I espied a jumbo bag of my very favorite kitty treats!! With a sudden burst of energy, I tore open the bag with my back claws. Not only did I devour all the food, I ate the bag as well. That’s when I knew I had a problem. By now, my human’s diet wagon had derailed, and I desperately craved chicken fingers, fried rice and tacos, disgusting substances I would never have touched in the past. Although there were many New Year’s resolutions I could have proclaimed, I decided on this New Year’s Day to get to the bottom of my food and weight problems. Evidently, my human was similarly minded as he spent New Year’s Day surfing the web for research studies on weight loss. One concept appeared repeatedly — carbohydrate addiction, or an abnormal metabolic response to sugar and refined carbohydrates leading to increased cravings and weight gain. Among many articles on the topic, Dr. Mehmet Oz outlined a simple four-week program for carbohydrate addiction on Oprah. com. In short, the way out of food cravings is to drastically reduce sugar intake, substitute brown grains for white grains and eat proportioned servings of protein, healthy carbs and unsaturated fats. It sounded much more realistic than eating low carb or giving up grains, so I decided to give it a try. Back to my New Year’s resolution. . .I am not foolish enough to promise that I will succeed at yet another ‘food plan’. But, I do promise to keep you all posted on my progress. . .in overcoming this bad habit.

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The Regional News Thursday, January 9, 2014

Death Notices Regina T. Adams

Regina “Jean” T. Adams, nee Stupay, 97, of Orland Park, died Jan. 3. Visitation was held at Colonial Chapel funeral home in Orland Park on Jan. 6. A funeral service was held at the funeral home on Jan. 6. Interment was private at St. Mary Cemetery in Evergreen Park. Mrs. Adams is survived by her son, James; her daughters, Mary Leson, Christine Surufka and Susan Vazquez; 11 grandchildren and nine grandchildren. Mrs. Adams was born in Chicago. She was a retired legal secretary.

Robert C. Bearlund Sr.

Robert C. Bearlund Sr., 84, of Orland Park, died Jan. 1. Visitation was held Jan. 5 at Colonial Chapel funeral home in Orland Park. A funeral service was held Submitted photos at All Saints Lutheran Church St. Alexander’s Class of 2014 celebrated the Christmas season at a party thrown in their honor before Christmas break. They wish ev- in Orland Park on Jan. 6. Intereryone a Happy and Blessed New Year as they look forward to Catholic Schools Week later this month. ment was held at Good Shepherd Cemetery. Mr. Bearlund is survived by his daughter, Wendy Sendag; his son, Robert Bearlund Jr.; by Beth Munro noon. be celebrated on Sunday, Jan. 26, preschool through 8th grade. five grandchildren and one greatSt. Alexander School All are welcome to come ex- at noon, and other events will For further information regard- grandchild. perience and explore everything take place throughout the week, ing the Open House, Catholic Mr. Bearlund was born in Chi To kick off Catholic Schools that St. Alexander School has to wrapping up on Jan. 31. Schools Week activities or to cago. He was a retired fire comWeek festivities, St. Alexander offer. School tours of the class- St. Alexander School is commit- register for the 2014-15 school mander in Calumet City, with School will host a Prospective rooms, science, computer and ted to the enrichment of God’s year, call 448-0408, or visit the more than 20 years of service. Family Open House on Satur- applied technology labs will be children and to providing a quality school’s website at stalexanderday, Jan. 25, from 9:30 a.m. to available. An all-school Mass will Catholic education for students in school.com. Edwin E. Holke Edwin E. Holke, 83, of Orland Park,

St. Alexander prepares for Catholic Schools Week

died Dec. 23 at home. Visitation was held at Schmaedeke Funeral Home in Worth on Dec. 27. A funeral service was held at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Palos Heights on Dec. 28. Burial was at Bethania Cemetery in Justice. Mr. Holke is survived by his wife, Betty; his son, David; his daughter, Diane Sweeney; his brother, Elwin Holke; and five grandchildren. Mr. Holke was born in Chicago. He was an Army veteran of the Korean War. He was a former partner with Art Kuh and coowner of United Provisions Inc. of Oak Lawn.

Cecil O. Swanson

Cecil O. Swanson, 88, of Orland Park, died Jan. 6. Visitation was to he held at Colonial Chapel Funeral Home in Orland Park on Jan. 9. from 3 to 9 p.m. A funeral service is to be held at the funeral home on Jan. 10, at noon. Interment is to be held at Chapel Hill Gardens South in Oak Lawn. Mr. Swanson is survived by his sons, Daryl and Duane; his daughter, Darcie Brazel; seven grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren. Mr. Swanson was born in Chicago. He was a Navy veteran of World War II. He was a retired mechanical engineer.

Neat Repeats stores make worthwhile places to volunteer Neat Repeats Resale stores are looking for volunteers to work in their stores with a boutique atmosphere. Share your compassion, your talent and time. Give five hours a week and make a difference in the lives of victims of domestic violence. Join the Neat Repeats team, develop new skills and help in your own community. Volunteer Recruitment Day is Monday, Jan. 20 at the stores in Orland Park, at 9028 W. 159th St., or in Worth, at 7026 W. 111th St.

Give mom and dad a new lease on life Holidays offer opportunity to consider senior living lifestyles “The holidays can be a good time to start contemplating if it’s time to talk to Mom or Dad about moving to a retirement community because adult children can take a closer look at how their parents may be doing,” says Frank Guajardo, executive director of Smith Crossing, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Orland Park. “Many people sense that their parent would benefit from living in a retirement community that offers added security, housekeeping, meals, supportive medical care and engaging activities,” he says, “but it’s not always easy to convince parents, siblings and others who may have a say in the matter.” Seconding this observation is Marti Jatis, executive director of Smith Village, another CCRC sponsored by Smith Senior Living and located in Chicago’s Southside Beverly neighborhood. “When families get together during the holidays, there are many opportunities to observe how parents are handling their lives, and to formulate a plan to talk about options such as moving to a more social way of living. It’s probably best to find a time to discuss this matter after the holidays, and only to gather information when spending more time together.” By relocating to retirement communities, many older adults benefit from no longer experiencing the isolation that comes with living alone. These people may need only minimal assistance

that includes housekeeping and prepared meals. Others, however, may require assisted living services, which can include: help with physical movement and assistance with bathing, dressing, and managing medications and chronic conditions like diabetes. Assisted living can also include memory support services. Guajardo and Jatis offer the following signs to gauge how an older adult may be faring. • Does your Mom or Dad need assistance running errands, grocery shopping and going to medical appointments? • Has your parent recently experienced one or more fender benders? • Are your parents no longer able to visit friends and participate in activities they normally enjoy? • If your parent is widowed, has she or he become isolated? • Is a parent bathing less often for fear of falling in the tub? Or having difficulty maintaining established grooming habits? • Can you see that your parents are no longer keeping their home in good repair? • Is cleaning their living space getting to be too much? Has the space become dusty and cluttered? • Is cooking becoming a challenge? Has your parent burned several items on the stove or in the oven while cooking? • Does your Mom or Dad seem to be losing weight? • Is your parent having dif-

ficulty keeping track of taking medications? Are they starting to confuse dosages? One of these factors alone may not indicate that it’s time to consider relocating, but if yes is the response to several of these points, it may be a good time to begin exploring options in order to find a good fit, Jatis says. “It’s often hard to talk about making such a decision. It’s better when a family doesn’t wait until someone falls and breaks a hip and then it becomes an emergency,” Guajardo adds. “That puts too much pressure on everyone to choose quickly, and that doesn’t always bring about the best choice or a good fit.” Several studies indicate that older adults who have plenty of opportunities to enjoy contact with people, fare much better and may live up to five years longer. This makes continuing care retirement communities a desirable option, according to Guajardo and Jatis. “I’ve seen people blossom and acquire a new appreciation for doing the things they love once they are relieved of the responsibilities of home maintenance, cooking and cleaning,” Jatis says. “Older adults who tend to be stronger at maintaining their independence realize that change is going to happen. Often, they take it upon themselves to begin investigating various options.” About Smith Senior Living Smith Senior Living, a not-forprofit organization serving older

Submitted photo

Frank Guajardo, executive director of Smith Crossing in Orland Park. adults, sponsors Smith Village in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood and Smith Crossing in Orland Park. Both CCRCs provide spacious independent living residences, and apartments for assisted living, as well as memory support and skilled nursing care. In addition, they offer short-term rehab programs for residents and others who have had surgery or a medical incident. For more information about how Smith Senior Living can help seniors enjoy their retirement, contact Smith Crossing at 326-2300 or SmithCrossing.org, and Smith Village at (773) 4747300 or SmithVillage.org. — Smith Senior Living

Engaged? Getting Married? Share The Happy News! The Regional News invites couples or their parents to submit for publication engagement or wedding announcements. There is no charge for this service offered to community residents. The announcements must be typed, double-spaced and sent with a photograph of the couple. JPEGs or high quality photographs are preferred. (Sorry, photographs cannot be returned)

E-mail announcements to: TheRegional@Comcast.net | Mail announcements to: The Regional News, 12243 S. Harlem Ave., Palos Heights, IL 60463

Crisis Center annual gala plans underway; raffle starts Plans are underway for the Crisis Center for South Suburbia’s Heart to Heart Dinner Dance, to be held on Saturday Feb. 22, at Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park. The annual fundraiser will include cocktails and dinner, silent and live auctions, live entertainment by The Jimmy O and Rhonda Lee Duo, and raffle drawing with seven cash prizes ranging from $500 to $5,000. Raffle tickets are now on sale, priced at just $50 each, and can be divided among several purchasers. Tickets may be purchased on the Crisis Center’s website at www. crisisctr.org/events. Once the order is complete, a raffle ticket will be mailed to the purchaser. A ticket order form (also available online) can be downloaded and mailed with payment to the Crisis Center, P.O. Box 39, Tinley Park, IL 60477. Only 500 tickets will be sold and raffle tickets make great holiday gifts. Ad book advertising space and sponsorship opportunities are also available. Several CCSS supporters have already signed up for sponsorships, including Advocate Christ Medical Center, Sheet Metal Werks (Diamond Sponsors) and Thornton Township, All Seasons Pools and Spas, Inc., Judge John T. and Janet Doody, and St. Nicholas Ladies Philoptochos Society, Oak Lawn (Bronze Sponsors). Event tickets will be available soon. Contact Christopher Beele at 429-7255, Ext. 118 for reservations, sponsorships, and additional information. The Crisis Center for South Sub-

urbia’s mission is to provide emergency shelter and other essential services for individuals and families victimized by domestic violence and address the societal issues that contribute to domestic violence. Visit www.crisisctr.org for more information on the Crisis Center for South Suburbia, ways to support its mission, and the services it provides.

House of Worship Living Word Lutheran Church Orland Park Learn God’s ways of handling money with Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. Nine-week course begins Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m., at the church, 16301 S. Wolf Road, Orland Park. (403-9176)

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St. Alexander fourth-graders are very enthusiastic about the new program they are learning on iMac computers in the computer lab. St. Alexander junior high students work hard in the science lab using Students also participated in Computer Science Education Week in microscopes to study a variety of slides and drawing illustrations December as they continue to expand their computer skills. of their findings.

Come in, enjoy a tour, meet other volunteers, and learn why Neat Repeats is a great place to volunteer. For information, call the store manager: Orland Park 364-7605 or Worth 708/361-6860. All sales at Neat Repeats Resale benefit the clients served by the Crisis Center for South Suburbia. The Crisis Center for South Suburbia is a non-profit community organization that provides emergency shelter and other services for individuals and families victimized by domestic violence.

The Regional News Thursday, January 9, 2014

Assumptions can be dangerous to investors Every day of our lives, we make assumptions. We assume that the people we encounter regularly will behave in the manner to which we are accustomed. We assume that if we take care of our cars, they will get us to where we want to go. In fact, we need to make assumptions to bring order to our world. But in some parts of our life — such as investing — assumptions can prove dangerous. Of course, not all investmentrelated assumptions are bad. But here are a few that, at the least, may prove to be counter-productive: • “Real estate will always increase in value.” Up until the 2008 financial crisis, which was caused, at least partially, by the “housing bubble,” most people would probably have said that real estate is always a good investment. But since then, we’re all more painfully aware that housing prices can rise and fall. That isn’t to say that real estate is always a bad investment — as a relatively small part of a diversified portfolio, it can be appropriate, depending on your goals and risk tolerance. But don’t expect endless gains, with no setbacks. • “Gold will always glitter.” During periods of market volatility, investors often flee to gold, thereby driving its price up. But gold prices will fluctuate, sometimes greatly, and there are risks in all types of gold ownership,

Jim Van Howe

whether you’re investing in actual bars of gold or gold “futures” or the stocks of gold-mining companies. • “I can avoid all risks by sticking with CDs.” It’s true that Certificates of Deposit (CDs) offer a degree of preservation of principal. But they’re not riskfree; their rates of return may be so low that they don’t even keep up with inflation, which means you could incur purchasing-power risk. Again, having CDs in your portfolio is not a bad thing, but you’ll only want to own those amounts that are suitable for your objectives. “The price of my investment has gone up — I must have made the right decision.” This assumption could also be made in reverse — that is, you might think that, since the price of your investment has dropped, you must have made the wrong choice. This type of thinking causes investors to hold on to some investments too long, in the hopes of recapturing early gains, or selling promising invest-

ments too soon, just to “cut their losses.” Don’t judge investments based on short-term performance; instead, look at fundamentals and long-term potential. • “If I need long-term care, Medicare will cover it.” You may never need any type of long-term care, but if you do, be prepared for some big expenses. The national average per year for a private room in a nursing home is nearly $84,000, according to a recent survey by Genworth, a financial security company. This cost, repeated over a period of years, could prove catastrophic to your financial security during your retirement. And, contrary to many people’s assumptions, Medicare may only pay a small percentage of long-term care costs. You can help yourself by consulting with a financial professional, who can provide you with strategies designed to help cope with long-term care costs. You can’t avoid all assumptions when you’re investing. But by staying away from questionable ones, you may avoid being tripped up on the road toward your financial goals. Jim Van Howe is a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments, in Palos Heights. His office is at 7001 W. 127th St. He can be reached at 361-3400. This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

Photo by Wehmeier Portraits

Orland Chamber installation ahead The Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce’s monthly breakfast meeting in October highlighted the use of social media to the importance of a marketing plan for small business. The next monthly meeting will be the installation of the 2014 board of directors on Thursday, Jan. 30, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Silver Lake Country Club. The ticket cost is $45 per person and includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer and soft drinks. For more information on attending the installation or on becoming a member of the Chamber, visit the website at www.orlandparkchamber.org, or call the office at 349-2972.

Inspired to begin new year in style Resolve to protect Embarking upon a fresh new year provides human beings with the blessed chance to reevaluate themselves and all aspects of their lives. We control our decisions and have the power to make significant turns along our paths, so if we deem changes necessary, we are capable of bringing them about. However trite we may consider the taking up of New Year’s resolutions, the principle is admittedly an important proliferation of the primordial struggle for self betterment. As 2014 gets off to a steady start, consider instead the notion of turning to a new page of your life involving a varied method or set thereof to carry out your existence. This concept is similar to a New Year’s resolution, but it is perhaps less daunting and more so invigorating an opportunity for this pivotal time. While this discussion can be applied to the grand existential scene of life, I now narrow the discussion to style and fashion! Hey heeey! It’s what I do! In the struggle to improve our lives, let us devote time to improving and fortifying ourselves as expressive, stylish people. When I seek life inspiration, I find it helpful to reflect on quotes of admirable, or at least notable, people. So let us now do so in search of style inspiration. In March of 2013, Glamour UK magazine put together a concentrated list online of brilliant fashion quotes perfect for this desired internal and external thought stirring and reflection. To begin, Diana Vreeland said, “The only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest comes

Caroline’s Fashion Chat by Caroline Foreman from it.” For the tabula rasa that is 2014, it is of utmost importance to feel internally worthy of the style you project. Respect yourself and fancy yourself an elegant person. Whether male, female, child or dog, all should strive to enhance and cherish their inner personality and develop and channel their unique personal tastes and preferences before trying to present a newly invigorated, glamorous self to the viewing public. The eccentric dame Vivienne Westwood said, “Buy less, choose well and do it yourself!” Self explanatory really, trust your instincts and do not be a glamour glutton. Relish the hunt for bargains! It is too easy to buy-buy-buy designer brands or other forms of splurgy purchases. It takes no skill or fashion acumen to buy according to label, logo or zombie-like imitation. The fact of the matter is treasure is hidden all over. Enjoy that thirst for one-of-a-kind things, and train your eye to find those items your closet can build upon. You may not have otherwise considered some things, but you can unexpectedly and thoroughly enjoy wearing these pieces, especially due to the pride you will forever have in their discovery.

Along these lines, designer Alexander Wang says, “Anyone can get dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress in their days off that is the most intriguing.” While putting on so-called “work uniforms” and “Sunday best” garb for specific events or locations can present you as the owner of a welldressed body, the truly stylish person — the one who enjoys dressing and showcasing their individual perspective of modern life — looks wonderful at all times. They do not communicate, “Please don’t recognize me since I just threw this horrid looking piece of cloth on to workout” or “I just had to walk my aging Pomeranian and get the mail so I look like a dirty bag full of spoiled muffins.” Do not even own horrible looking clothing! Why litter your closet with trash? So you finally acknowledge that you joined the world in embracing that dreadful trend with that item you used to wear but would not dream of doing again? Donate it! Build your closet into a treasure trove of pleasurable looks for a more pleasurable and streamlined day-to-day life. Accordingly, Lauren Hutton has said, “Fashion is what you’re offered four times a year by designers, and style is what you choose,” while Virginia Woolf elaborates in Orlando by saying, “Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than to merely keep us warm. They change our view of the world and the world’s view of us.” Let’s be proud of our closets and, concurrently, the person others associate therewith. Orson Welles very straightfor-

wardly says, “Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.” While we should not give a gosh darn as long as we are true to ourselves, we must admit the undeniable power of clothing. For instance, when we parrot runway looks, whether actual designer pieces or fast fashion knock offs, to some degree, we are showcasing a certain insecurity about our taste and/or level of creativity and effort. In regards to this, we can think of Gianni Versace’s statement, “Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live.” Today, embracing personal fashion and style is perhaps at the most democratic level in history. The late Alexander McQueen said, “It’s a new era in fashion — there are no rules. It’s all about the individual and personal style…” and Miuccia Prada says, “What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.” Therefore, reflect on the oft forgotten power of dressing everyday, take risks, communicate yourself well to others and make this your most personal and glamorous year yet. Every item you choose to wear or not wear is a decision. Hopefully you will feel not overwhelmed, but excited! If not, John Cage says not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis, so his advice is to begin anywhere! (All quotes are from Glamour Magazine: www. glamourmagazine.co.uk)

Poker

by Bryan Devonshire Trying to break a slump, I have moved way down in stakes. I took my seat at a $1-$2 game in Colorado with a maximum bet of $100 and bought in for $500. I had never seen any of the nine opponents I faced, but because the glances cast my way were sustained a few moments longer than necessary, I figured that several of them knew at least something about me. Most people recognize me from my deep run in the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event, where I finished 12th, good for lots more money than 13th and equal to 10th minus the heartache of bubbling the Final Table. Regardless of how recognizable you are or are not, it’s important to understand how your opponents perceive you on order for you to

play optimally in those first few hours of gaming. Generally, people who know that I’m a pro have trust issues with me. They know how hard it is to make a hand, and they know how capable I am of making moves at a pot, so they generally end up never folding to me. Knowing this, and knowing that the dude about to reraise me checked me out longer than usual when I sat down, I proceeded accordingly in this hand. I was dealt in on the cutoff. Four players limped in front of me - common for small-stakes games, and generally meaning weak hands. With two black jacks, I made it $15, and the button called. So did the small blind. And the big blind. And the first limper. C’mon guys, there’s no way y’all have hands this good.

Have property tax bills become a hardship to pay? PLOWS Council on Aging would like seniors, age 65 and older by June 1, to know about a state of Illinois program that allows qualified persons to defer up to $5,000 annually of the real estate taxes on their personal residence. Many seniors living on fixed incomes find that the Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral Program allows them the financial freedom to remain in their own home. Deferred taxes are repaid

with low interest at the time the property is sold or following the taxpayer’s death. Applications must be filed by March 1. PLOWS trained staff screens seniors for eligibility and assists with the application process at no cost. Call PLOWS Council on Aging at 361-0219 for more information. PLOWS is a non-profit agency assisting seniors living in Cook County in the townships of Palos, Lemont, Orland, and Worth.

The second limper folded, and then the third limper, a younger player, made it $57. Yeah, right. I was thrilled when he raised and gleefully made it $157 to go. Everybody folded to the double over-limp three-bettor, and he reluctantly slid out a stack of 20 red chips to call. The flop came 7h 7c 4s. The kid checked, I bet $100, and he went into the tank. Hooray! I figured that he was putting me on ace-king or air, and he was going to decide to call down with his pocket pair smaller than jacks. He called. The turn was the 2d. He checked, I bet $100, and he took even longer to call this time. In my mind, I was doing cartwheels through mountain meadows and chasing unicorns.

The river was the Ad. He checked. I bet $100 for value, because I was pretty certain he was holding a smaller pair, and the pot was now huge. He took a good minute to finally call. I victory-rolled my jacks, and my opponent slammed two queens on their backs. Shocked. I was wrong. That dude had no idea who I was. And that dude chose to double overlimp two queens, had no idea that I might have thought his hand was weak, and almost folded two queens on that flop. Many times people have reacted to me in a manner of not folding. Years of playing against people I have never seen before have taught me this. This was the second time ever that I was shocked out of my seat.

yourself from scams; be consumer savvy

As the new year begins, it is important that being consumersavvy is one of your goals for the year. The Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois (BBB) offers 10 New Year’s resolutions to help you avoid scams, prevent identity theft and save money in 2014. “The new year is a great time to have goals to protect yourself,” says Steve J. Bernas, president & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois. “By making small changes in your life, you may protect yourself from big issues.” The BBB recommends the following New Year’s resolutions to become a savvier consumer in 2014: 1. Get everything in writing. Get every verbal discussion in writing to limit miscommunication and misunderstandings between your expectations and what the business actually delivers. Always be sure to write down the name of the representative with whom you spoke. 2. Read the fine print-especially for “free” trial offers. “Free” trial offers often result in repeated charges to their credit or debit cards sometimes amounting to hundreds of dollars every month. Read the terms and conditions of any “free” trial offer before handing over credit or debit card numbers. 3. Look for the BBB Seal of Accreditation and always check out a business with the BBB prior to making a purchase. Over 8,000 businesses in the Chicago and Northern Illinois area bear the BBB Seal of Accreditation and maintain our standards; you can find the Seal on websites and at business locations. You can locate trustworthy businesses by visiting www.bbb.org to view free BBB Business Reviews for over 4 million businesses across Chicago and Northern Illinois. Also, you can use our FREE Request a Quote service. 4. Beware of “job” offers to make easy money. Unemployment in the nation remains high and scammers are targeting the large pool of job hunters. Beware of any job offer, workat-home scheme or business opportunity that promises big money for little work and no

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experience. Look up companies at www.bbb.org before you apply for any job. 5. Keep your computer safe. If you haven’t already, install anti-virus software onto your computer and don’t forget to regularly check for software and operating system updates and patches. Don’t open attachments or click on links in e-mails unless you can confirm the e-mail came from someone you trust. 6. Never wire money to someone you don’t know. Many scams require that the victim wire money to the scammers. Tracking money sent via MoneyGram or Western Union is extremely difficult. Even more troubling for victims is that it’s nearly impossible to get your money back. 7. Fight identity theft. Shred paper documents that include sensitive financial data and dispose of computers, cell phones and digital data safely. The BBB offers tips and checklists on what to shred and hosts free shred events at www.bbb.org. 8. Fight fake check fraud. Because of advances in printing technology, scammers have the ability to create real-looking but phony checks. Educate yourself on the common types of check fraud and be extremely wary of checks that come with claims that you’ve won a lottery, are eligible for a government grant or have landed a job as a secret shopper when you never applied. Be aware if it sounds too good to be true. 9. Warn and empower others. File a complaint with your BBB if you have a disagreement with a business or have been ripped off by a scammer. Your complaint will go on record and may help others in dealing with that company. Use the BBB to educate and empower yourself to make informed decisions. 10. Create a budget and stick to it. If you’re a cash-strapped consumer, setting a budget can help you stay afloat in 2014. The BBB has additional advice on how to create a budget to help you get out and stay out of debt at www.bbb.org. For more consumer tips you can trust from your BBB, visit www.bbb.org. —Better Business Bureau

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The Regional News Thursday, January 9, 2014

2013 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Focusing on what matters â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; My name is Amy Richards, president of Regional Publishing, and I would like to welcome you to my 10th annual report. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; I hope all of you have had a great 2013. Each year in January I take a look at what we accomplished in the previous year here at Regional Publishing. With regard to the finances this year, we were able to end the year pretty much where we started it. In challenging economic times, especially in our industry, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m comfortable with the fact we were able to break even. On a bright note, we finished the year stronger than we started it, and I am optimistic that we can achieve a modest profit in 2014. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; I am very glad that despite these challenging times, our readers have continued to value their subscriptions to The Regional News and The Reporter. I am truly thankful for the support the members of this community have shown The Regional News and The Reporter Newspaper. As we head into another year, we will continue to stay true to our mission â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to keep you, our reader, connected to the community through unbiased reporting of the news of our towns. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; To help us achieve this mission, this year we have seen significant changes in our editorial staff. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m thrilled with the quality of journalism and the experience in the field that each member has. The two newest members of the RPC team are Tim Hadac and Bob Rakow, who both started in August. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Tim Hadac, hired as a reporter for The Regional News, is a seasoned reporter and editor whose career in mass communications stretches back to 1984 with his award-winning coverage of efforts to save Chicagoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last farm. Most recently, he and his wife, Joan (also a longtime journalist), successfully launched an online news site serving the Midway Airport area in Chicago. They live in Chicagoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Garfield Ridge neighborhood and have two daughters, Johanna, 22, and Mary, 19. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Bob Rakow was hired as a re-

porter for The Reporter. Bob is a veteran journalist, having spent more than 25 years working for newspapers, trade publications and associations as a writer and editor. He has covered the towns in The Reporter and Regional coverage areas for other publications and is extremely familiar with the community leaders and issues that dominate the Southwest Suburbs. Bob lives in Oak Lawn with his wife and three children. Tim and Bob have both been doing an excellent job covering their respective towns, and we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be happier to have them on board. As many you of know, we also have a new editor for The Reporter. Jeff Vorva â&#x20AC;&#x201D; formerly a reporter for The Regional News, was promoted to the position of editor of The Reporter Newspaper in August. In more than 35 years in the business, Jeff has written or photographed everything from the NBA Finals and World Series with tens of thousands of screaming fans to local board meetings in which he was the lone member of the audience. He and his wife, Maggie, and children T.J. and Lauren live in Orland Park. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Jeff was able to help select his new reporter, and under his leadership The Reporter has made some very positive changes in the past few months. I hope many of you have a chance to read his weekly column in The Reporter on Page 3.

Top News Stories of 2013 â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; In Orland Park, village Trustee Brad Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Halloran resigned both his seats on the Village Board and Metra board of directors amid controversy over personnel decisions he made as Metraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chairman. Dan Calandriello was appointed to fill his trustee seat on the Village Board in September. Orland Park School District 135 also saw changes at the top when voters unseated three incumbents from the school board in the April election. A new superintendent,

Janet Stutz, began her tenure on July 1. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Palos Heights endured the closing in late December of the Dominickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grocery store in the Indian Trails shopping center. Its owner, Safeway, had announced in the fall the closing of all Chicago-area Dominickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stores by yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; On the verge of the celebration of the centennial of Palos Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incorporation as a village in 1914, residents saw the publication of a new book chronicling Palos Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history in 200 vintage photographs compiled by the public library and the village. Copies of the newly published â&#x20AC;&#x153;Images of Americaâ&#x20AC;? Palos Park edition published by Arcadia Publishing were signed by librarian Jeannine Kacmar, its lead author, at the villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tree-lighting festivities in December. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Worth residents were stunned in November when 18-year-old Brittany Wawrzyniak died after being ejected from the back seat of an alleged drug dealerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s car near the Worth boat launch. The Shepard High School graduate died one hour later at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. The circumstances of her death remain under investigation. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Oak Lawn Mayor Dave Heilmann lost his bid for a third term when he was defeated by political newcomer Sandra Bury, a community activist and business owner. Bury, the villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first female mayor, won following a tough campaign in which she also secured the village board majority. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Both Worth and Chicago Ridge got the ball rolling on their centennial celebrations, which occur in 2014. Plans for a joint parade to celebrate both communitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; milestone birthday remain under consideration. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Evergreen Park Mayor Jim Sexton rehabbed throughout 2013 after contracting West Nile virus the previous year. The veteran mayor was lauded for his comeback efforts at Christ Medical

Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 25th annual Rehabilitation Awards Ceremony. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Despite preliminary controversies, the Carson & Barnes Circus put on four shows in Palos Hills in August. The circus planned a special segment with a candlelight vigil and information about sexual assault victims under the title â&#x20AC;&#x153;Survivors Under the Stars.â&#x20AC;? The segment was cancelled after Palos Hills officials deemed it inappropriate for a family circus. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Palos Hills police officer Ryan Bajt was hailed as a hero for pounding on the doors of the Camelot Banquets in Hickory Hills to wake two sisters and get them out of the building as fire ravaged the facility. The sisters, Krys Drozek and Joanne Naughton, were in the building, which they own, at the time of the fire. The damage caused by the earlymorning blaze on May 12 rendered the building unusable.

Awards â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; The Regional News won three awards for editorial excellence in 2013. This brings the total amount of awards on The Regionalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wall of Fameâ&#x20AC;? to 692. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; The Regional News won one award from the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association. Former Regional News reporter Jeff Vorva won first place in the Best Sports Story, nondaily category for a feature titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miracles can happen.â&#x20AC;? The story was about former Sandburg High School athlete Lukas Verzbicasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s return to competitive running just a few months after he suffered life-threatening injuries after a bike accident in Colorado and doctors told him he might never walk again. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; The judges said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Writer Jeff Vorva captures the essence of an ultimate human interest story â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from elite high school runner to life-threatening accident to reincarnation. Pertinent quotes from others sources, research and details all enhance this.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Earlier in the year, that same story took second place in the B

Senior Notes Grandparents raising grandchildren support group

â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; For information and registration, contact Maria or Amanda C. at PLOWS, 361-0219. Do not contact Palos Township regarding this program.

â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Check-in on Feb. 20 is at 5:45 p.m. Auditions are open to seniors ages 55 and older and require participants to perform a song of â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; PLOWS Council on Aging will their choice (no more than two host a grandparents raising grandminutes in length) acapella in children support group beginning front of a panel of judges. Senior American Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 11 a.m., at â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Auditions are free. If chosen to Idol auditions the Palos Township office, 10802 S. be a contestant for the show in Roberts Road, Palos Hills. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Auditions for Orland Town- May, participants will be required â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Each of the 10 sessions will focus shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Senior American Idol have to pay the contestant fee of $30. on a specific topic, including finan- been moved from Thursday, Jan. Call Orland Township at 403cial and legal assistance, technology 23, to Thursday, Feb. 20. 4222 to register for auditions. skills, and self-care. Knowledgeable â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Auditions will be held in the â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Orland Township Senior and experienced guest speakers will Orland Township Activity Cen- American Idol benefits the be invited to provide additional in- ter, 14807 S. Ravinia Ave.,Orland Orland Township Scholarship formation and guidance. Park. Foundation. The event will be

held at Georgioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Banquets, 8800 W. 159th St., Orland Park, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6. Tickets for this event will be on sale starting Thursday, Feb. 6.

Division of the Illinois Press Association contest. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Regional and Reporter Sports editor Ken Karrson also brought home hardware in the IPA for second place in Division B headline writing. Former Reporter Editor Jason Maholy took third place in the same category. Maholy also won an honorable mention for Division B Spot News Photo for his image of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Random Hearts in the Snow.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Vorva was also a finalist for the Chicago Headline Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Peter Lisagor Award for a news feature on Palos Park shooting victim Brian Reedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to live after suffering horrific injuries that have left him paralyzed. *** â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; On a personal note 2013 was a great year for me and my family.

Sullivan just turned 1 year old in December and is running around the house keeping Derek and I busy. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wonderful to watch him learn and grow every day. My parents, Charles and Gerri Richards, still live in Palos Heights and enjoy several summer visits to their home in Iron River, Wis. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Q: Why have we been making this annual progress report every year for the past 48 years, since Regional Publishing is a private family-owned corporation? â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x201A; A: The success of our company, like few other businesses is dependent upon the support of the majority of the families in each of the communities we serve. You have placed your trust in us and we promise to bring you a comprehensive progress report each year.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;One Last Look Mini-Open Houseâ&#x20AC;?

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Thursday, January 9 The evening begins at 7:00 p.m. with a brief presentation in the Auditorium. An encore presentation will be held at 7:15 p.m.

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The Regional News - The Reporter

Ken Karrson, Sports Editor

outhwest

sports@regionalpublishing.com

Thursday, January 9, 2014 Section 2

Page 1

Diving into wild college career

Submitted Photos

Mike Barrett of Orland Park takes a tumble, left photo, and gets ready for a face off. Barrett is a freshman at Holy Cross and despite the team’s losing record, there has been plenty of excitement for him and his team.

Orland Park’s Barrett’s Holy Cross hockey team struggling but making some history By Jeff Vorva Orland Park’s Mike Barrett started his college hockey career on a team with a sub-par 4-13-2 record. But Barrett and Holy Cross haven’t been at a loss for excitement at the Worcester, Mass campus. The former Marist High School student and his teammates have enjoyed a wild ride so far this season. That included:

• A 5-4 victory over Boston College, which was ranked seventh in the nation at the time, on Nov. 29 in Boston. Barrett had two goals and an assist in that game. It was the first time Holy Cross ever beat BC and it’s the first time Boston College ever lost to an Atlantic Hockey team. “It was unbelievable,” Barrett told reporters after the game. “Everyone in hockey knows the talent and prestige of the BC hockey team so it makes the

win that much better. “I can’t give enough credit to Matt Vidal, Castan Sommer, and Joe McNamara for the goals. Joe set up the first one and my linemates (Vidal and Sommer) made the second one possible; all the credit goes to them.” • A 3-2 loss to Bentley. This wasn’t an average loss to an Atlantic Hokey opponent. This was a battle that took place Dec. 27 at Fenway Park in Boston as a part of the Citi Frozen Fenway event.

• A 4-1 loss to Yale. The Crusaders dropped the decision to 11th-ranked Yale Dec. 29 in front of a sold out crowd at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Conn. It was the first time the program faced a defending national champion. Although Barrett didn’t register an assist, his pass to teammate Catan Sommer helped set up the Crusaders’ lone goal of the night after a flurry near the Bulldogs’ net. Through the Crusaders’ first

17 games of the season, Barrett had four goals and four assists for eight points, which tied him for fourth on the team. After the Boston College victory, Barrett was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week. Barrett has some hockey blood in his family. His great uncle is Bob Pulford, a former Blackhawks executive who is a Hall of Fame NHL player. Last year, he completed a season for the Jersey Hitmen, which

won the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s Dineen Cup in March. Barrett finished the season with 11 goals and 24 assists in 42 contests.where he scored two goals in an 8-2 victory over the Islanders Hockey Club in the third game of a two-out-of-three series to win the Dineen Cup. His sister, Monicka, is a former figure skater who turned to hockey after watching Mike. She is a senior at Marist and a member of the Chicago Fury club team.

No pushovers EP feeling better after winning last 3 of 4 By Anthony Nasella Evergreen Park’s boys basketball team opened the season 0-5 but won three out of four games in the Immaculate Conception/ Westmont Tournament for a second-place finish. That gave the Mustangs a shot in the arm heading into Friday’s showdown against Oak Forest. “We’re not going to get pushed over, I’ll tell you that,’’ Mustangs coach Pat Flannigan said. “Against Oak Forest, we’re going to rise to occasion and play like we’re capable of. No matter our record, our opponent is going to be in for fight. They won’t be able to mark as a win against Evergreen Park, I’ll tell you that.” The title game in Elmhurst didn’t go well, however. Even though Evergreen Park was playing for the championship of the tournament against St. Edward on Dec. 30, Flannigan noticed that his team was playing with a lack of energy throughout the game. That lack of energy was especially evident in the fourth quarter when the Green Wave exploded for 24 points and pulled away for a 65-53 victory over the Mustangs. Jordan Brown and Isaac Matthews each scored 14 points to lead Evergreen Park, which dropped to 3-6 with the defeat. The team

also received 13 points and eight boards from Tony Weathersby. “We had our chances to win this game,” Flannigan said. “We were ahead with about 2:30 left. It was four-point lead at one point, and we had a silly turnover; they got a lay-up that cut it to two points, and then they started playing some confidence. “We thought we could put them away, but momentum shifted after the turnover and basket. We didn’t have a whole lot of energy that night for some reason.” Flannigan also said that the team’s inability to stick with the keys of the game early in the contest made life difficult — as St. Edward was able to establish an early 20-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. “We had three keys: The first was that we get the ball inside. We had an advantage there, and we jacked up a three on our first possession, and it kind of set a bad tone for the rest of the day. If one doesn’t stick to the keys, why should anyone else? “We got away from our game plan, and we were treading water for a while. We played OK in spurts but just not enough for a steady team like St. Edward. One of our guards had an off night, and nobody else stepped into Photo by Jeff Vorva that role. It makes you want to bang your head on the wall as a Evergreen Park players are starting to feel a little better about themselves after winning three out of four game in a holiday tournament. (Continued on page 3)

Stagg and Sandburg to reunite at United Center Jan. 18 By Jeff Vorva

Photo by Jeff Vorva

Sandburg’s Niko Cahue goes up for a rebound against Bremen in late December.

Michael Jordan, Derrick Rose, LeBron James and Kevin Durant are on a long list of people who have played there. Add the names Max Strus, Kevin White, Niko Cahue and Niko Kogionis to that list. While Strus and White from Stagg and the two Nikos from Sandburg are not household names across the country, they will join their teammates in getting a chance to say they have played on a historic basketball court that those NBA legends and others have played for when the two area District 230 rivals hook up at 2 p.m. Jan. 18 in a Southwest Suburban Conference Blue battle at the United Center. It’s a part of the Bulls’ Preps with Pros program, which offers local high schools and colleges the chance to play a regular season game on the Bulls floor at the United Center before a Bulls game.

As part of the preps program, each school’s bands and cheerleaders are also invited to participate. Stagg played at the UC in Dec. 2009, beating Andrew, 57-50. Niko Sheinfeld led the Chargers with 28 points and Darius Draper added 20. “The kids are really excited about it,’’ Stagg coach John Daniels said about this year’s battle. “It gives them a chance to play on a pro floor, and they get to compete against a rival school. It’s a good thing for us. It’s nice to be able to go back.” Stagg will be the favorite in this showdown as the Chargers finished the 2013 portion of their season with a 12-3 mark while Sandburg brings in a 4-8 mark. The last time these two teams hooked up was in March and Stagg made history with a 55-32 victory to win the Sandburg Class 4A Photo by Jeff Vorva Regional championship. It was the Chargers’ first regional title Stagg’s Max Strus leads his team into a showdown against Sandburg Jan. 18 at the United Center. since 1996.

Section 2 Thursday, January 9, 2014

The Regional News - The Reporter

Trinity

Four-point loss to Benedictine keeps Trolls losing streak going By Tim Cronin

Photo by Jeff Vorva

Players such as Oak Lawn’s Jannah Mahmoud of Oak Lawn High School have been a part of the South Side Shooters’ rich tradition over the past 10-plus years.

Shooters organization still going strong By Kevin M. Coyne Correspondent Time is flying by. The South Side Shooters organization is now in its 11th season. Palos Park native, Gary Ferguson co-founded the Shooters in 2003 to “start a program in tune with developing youth basketball players instead of creating all-star teams,” he said. Ferguson along with Karen Siska, Brian Ade and Bill Turner tailor the Shooters program around mastery goals and skill acquisition. Introducing competitive systems such as manto-man defense comes after the girls are able to shoot, dribble and pass. Developing basic basketball skills before jumping into team systems built a plethora of successful middle school and high

school basketball standouts and landed 19 alumni in college basketball. Shooters alumnus and director of basketball operations, Emily Heikes, of Palos Hills, is a 2001 graduate of Stagg High School where she held school records for rebounds, blocked shots, steals and free throws. After high school, Heikes earned a basketball scholarship to Purdue University where she played four years of NCAA Division I basketball. Upon graduating from Purdue in four years, Heikes went on to play professional basketball for five seasons in Spain. In addition to coaching, Heikes is a full-time Naperville police officer. “Emily is my main coach and she is such an asset the program,” Ferguson said. “She is able to motivate the girls and knows what it takes to play high school, college

and professional basketball.” For nearly 11 years Shooters alumni have gone on to coach high school basketball in Illinois. Former Shooters, Jaquie Storm, a Sandburg graduate now coaches at Romeoville High School; Lisa Nassin, of Evergreen Park went on to coach at Marist High School; and, Kelsey James, a Marist graduate is now coaching at Mount Assisi Academy. “My greatest satisfaction is to see the kids who through hard work and sheer determination went on to become starters at their junior high or high school,” Ferguson said. “It’s great to have young coaches come back to the program and bring with them a sense of commitment and work ethic needed to play at a high level of basketball.” For more information on the South Side Shooters visit www. shootersbball.com.

Stagg and Brother Rice bolt York with victories By Anthony Nasella After a loss to eventual tourney champ Lake Forest in Saturday’s contest at the 32-team Jack Tosh Tournament at York High School on Dec. 28, Stagg Coach John Daniels was interested to see how his team would respond to that loss two days later in a contest against Palatine. When the Chargers racked up a dominating 65-43 victory to conclude the tournament, it was obvious to Daniels that his team was more than up to the challenge of redeeming itself. Leading the way for Stagg (123) was a monster performance by Max Strus, who exploded for a game-high 35 points and was named to the All-Tournament team. “I thought we responded well to our loss on Saturday,” Daniels said. “If you look at our side of the bracket, six of the eight teams won on the crossover. Our side of the bracket dominated Monday, which was good. It was interesting to see the kids respond. They let us run and push the ball. “We had some high point totals. Max played really well. It was one of his better games. It was also a team effort because guys were hitting the boards, and we were pushing the ball. Max was scoring in transition. They were setting screens for him. We got a lot of good looks. It was a good win for us.”

Daniels also said that Stagg had an advantage due to the style of play that he employs. And against Palatine, a team which didn’t possess the same size as Lake Forest, the Chargers were able to run a full-court offense and not be hampered by a physically imposing team. “Our style of basketball is different from the teams up North,” he said. “They don’t push the ball like we do. Palatine wants to grind it out, and we got up by 28 at one point. Lake Forest really slowed us down; we had frustration with their size. “Palatine didn’t have the same physical ability to slow us down. I was very happy. It was good start to the second half of the season. We’re in a good place. We just have to get better. Our next games against Oak Lawn and Lockport will be good tests for us.”

a row and an off day,” Harrigan said. “It was kind of awkward to have to go back there. The emphasis for us was that we wanted to finish the tournament 2-2. I was trying to stress that there was a big difference between 1-3 and 2-2. “We came into practice on that off day, and we really focused on the game. We didn’t want to just show up and get it over with. We wanted to be the aggressor and play to win and with urgency. I’m proud of the way my kids played. It worked out. We’re trying to get back to .500 and go from there.”

Two losses. One that counts. Any way it’s calculated, it was not a great finish to 2013, nor a scintillating start to 2014 for Trinity Christian’s men’s basketball team. The loss that counts — Saturday’s 72-68 defeat at Benedictine in Springfield — could have been Trinity’s game to win. The 10 lead changes saw the Trolls ahead for most of the second half. Only with 5:14 to go, when Benedictine tied the game, did Trinity finally surrender control. It stayed that way, the Trolls chasing but not catching. As a result, the Trolls fell to 4-12, with a string of defeats going back to mid-December. The skein is three straight losses, four if the 89-71 defeat on New Year’s Eve at Lewis, an NCAA Division II squad, is factored in. The Trolls label the game as an exhibition, the Flyers as one that counted (and moved them to 8-0 this season). Even without that contest, Trinity stood 4-12 going into Wednesday’s CCAC showdown with neighborhood rival St. Xavier. Many of the team’s statistics argue for a much better record. The Trolls shoot as well as their opponents (44 percent), are about as good from the free throw line (68.4 percent to 69.5), and are almost as close in rebounding (37.1 per game to the opposition’s 38.8). The difference can be found in the quantity across the board. Trinity’s foes have taken 101 more shots than the Trolls, making 43 more, and have gone to the free throw line nearly 100 more times. The successes — plus 76 fewer turnovers than the Trolls — add up to a scoring differential of 9.6 points per game. Saturday’s loss can be attributed to Trinity fouls and Benedictine free throws. The Trolls were whistled 19 times to Benedictine’s 11, and Benedictine went to the line 14 more times, including a 15-6 advantage in visits in the

second half. Trinity was outscored only 11-5 at the free throw line, but still lost, even with a 13-5 advantage from beyond the threepoint line. Jared Jones’ 27 points and David Buffham’s 15 went for naught as a result, overwhelmed by the quartet of double-figure scorers for Benedictine, led by Thomas Dillard’s 24 points. Jones had brought the Trolls within a point on a free throw with less than a minute to play, but a flurry of free throws by Benedictine allowed the hosts to pull away again. The loss at Lewis that closed out the old year was as painful in a different way. The 18-point final margin is misleading when the first half is considered. The Trolls played the Flyers better than even, leading Lewis 45-44 at the break, this time because they outscored Lewis 15-10 from the free throw line. But a failure to defend the boards in the second half brought about Lewis’ 19-point post-intermission edge. The Trolls were out-rebounded 44-31 overall, with Lewis pulling down 11 boards on the offensive glass while making 64.3 percent of its second half shots. Logan Vos led Trinity with 15 points, but was shut out in the second half. Jones, firing exclusively from beyond the arc, scored 14 points. Joe Hehir added 10. Ryan Jackson’s 29-point splurge led the way for Lewis. Now comes the hard part for the Trolls. Beginning with the visit to the Cougars, every game is in the CCAC. Trinity entered the Shannon Center 0-5 in the league. *** Statistics: 4-12 overall, 0-5 CCAC, 2-3 home, 2-6 away, 0-3 neutral. Leaders: Jared Jones 15.6 ppg; Ezekiel Odonkor 7.9 rpg; Jones 43 assists; Cody Rhorer 13 steals; Odonkor 16 blocks. Schedule: Saturday, at Calumet-St. Joseph, 3 p.m.; Wednesday, vs. Holy Cross, 7:30 p.m.; Jan. 18, at St. Francis, 7 p.m.; Jan. 22, vs. Purdue-Calumet, 7:30 p.m.

Women’s basketball The Trolls got back to the court against St. Xavier on Wednesday, their first game since New Year’s Eve and a 104-65 loss to St. Francis (Ind.), the top-ranked team in the NAIA. The day before, in their first game of the Indiana Tech tournament in Fort Wayne, the Trolls handed Spring Arbor a 61-49 defeat, and thus they entered play in 2014 with a 5-11 record, three more victories than they racked up in the 2012-13 season. The loss to St. Francis (15-0) was no great surprise. The Cougars led 20-5 after five minutes, and it didn’t get much better for the Trolls. Trinity trailed by as many as 44 points, were forced into 34 turnovers, and were outrebounded 40-33. Caitlin Cody’s 18 points led Trinity’s scoring, with Kari LeGrand adding 16 points. Akyah Taylor’s 25 points paced St. Francis. Ideally, the Trolls can use that experience against their CCAC sisters, for, aside from the contest against Elmhurst on Jan. 16, it’s conference play the rest of the way. Trinity managed to control the game with Spring Arbor most of the way, outshooting and outrebounding the Cougars while dominating at the free throw line. Cody’s 9-of-14 shooting and 21 point, 16 rebound outburst led the way, aided by 12 points each from Brooke Bambrick (10 rebounds) and Holly Boetsma. Kylie Townsley’s 20 points led Spring Arbor (6-7). *** Statistics: 5-11 overall, 1-4 CCAC, 1-4 home, 3-5 away, 1-2 neutral. Leaders: Caitlin Cody 13.5 ppg; Cody 7.9 rpg; Allie Paluchniak 35 assists; Paluchniak 23 steals; Brooke Bambrick, Cody, 10 blocks each. Schedule: Saturday, at Calumet-St. Joseph, 1 p.m.; Wednesday, vs. Holy Cross, 5:30 p.m.; Jan. 16, vs. Elmhurst, 5:30 p.m.; Jan. 18, at St. Francis, 5 p.m.; Jan. 22, vs. Purdue-Calumet, 5:30 p.m.

SXU men

Karp golden as he closes in on team record after SXU whips Silver Lake By Anthony Nasella

The last time St. Xavier University played Silver Lake College of Wisconsin, the game was a nip-and-tuck affair in the first half that found the Cougars up just two points. Sunday’s affair against Silver Lake would wind up being a stark contrast from the previous meeting. Jumping out to an early 24-13 lead and never trailing in the game, No. 10- ranked St. Xavier rolled to a 113-64 win over Silver Lake in NAIA men’s basketball action on Bob Hallberg Court at the Shannon Center in Statistics Chicago. Senior guard Brad Karp had Brother Rice 14 9 14 6 – 43 the hot hand for the Cougars Minooka 7 12 3 6 – 28 (14-2 overall/4-1 CCAC), scoring a game-high 26 points on 10-for14 shooting from the field. With Brother Rice (43) his 26 points, Karp is now just 42 Jack Conlisk 3, Ray Rubio 12, Quinn Niego Brother Rice 43 points from breaking St. Xavier’s 19, Connor Finn 1, Dan Scanlon 4, Jack Minooka 28 all-time scoring record of 2,517 Mahay 0,Jack Gorman 0, Jimmy Galla Despite feeling awkward about points, which was set by Mike gher 4, Sal Perez 0, Joe Swiatek 0. the Dec. 30 final game of the York Walaszek in 1978. Rebounds: Niego 4, Finn 4. Assists: Holiday Tournament, finishing Finn 3. with a win against Minooka was a high priority for Crusaders Coach Stagg 20 17 16 12 – 65 Rick Harrigan 7 10 15 11 – 43 And Brother Rice was able to Palatine do just that, finishing the tournament at 2-2 and improving its Stagg (65) Openings for record to 5-7. Quinn Niego had Kevin White 8, Sebastian Kolpak 2, Max 19 points and Ray Rubio 12 to Strus 35, Nick Sims 12, Jeff Goral 8, Diamond in the Rough pace the Crusaders. Brett Stratinsky 0, Derek Jordan 0, Joe Diamond in the Rough fastpitch softball has player open “It was really important to win Zaremba 0. ings in its girls’ windmill pitchbecause we had three games in Rebounds: Strus 11. Assists: Sims 5. ing, beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. For more information, call Bill Lammel at 289-3438 or email ditrfp73@aol.com.

Freshman point guard Kyle Huppe also had a solid outing Sunday, knocking down four three-pointers en route to 15 points on the afternoon. Junior guard Jack Krieger and sophomore guard Darius Draper (eight rebounds) both provided sparks off the bench, chipping in 14 and 12 points, respectively. “We played well the whole game,” Cougars Coach Tom O’Malley said. “It was much different than our first meeting. Overall, I thought we played very well the whole game. Darius did a great job stepping in in for center Josh Mailer, who went down with a bad sprain early in the game. “We have five guys in double figures today; that’s a first for us all year. And you sometimes don’t realize how valuable a player Brad Karp is. Jack, again, was solid for us off the bench.” In addition, senior point guard Michael Simpson and sophomore forward Tony Core rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10

points apiece. The Cougars never trailed in the game after jumping out to the big lead in the game’s first eight minutes and then used a 24-10 run later in the frame to help build a 53-25 halftime advantage. “The first half was especially good, holding them to 25 points,” he said. “We shot 54 percent from the first half and 35 percent from three-point range in the first half. We wound up finishing 60 percent from the floor and 43 percent from the three-point line.” Those increases were due to St. Xavier continuing to pour it on in the second half, scoring 60 points after the break on 67 percent (24-for-36) shooting. It was a total team effort as 12 of the 13 Cougars to play Sunday scored at least two points toward the victory. “The thing that is the most pleasing is that our second group is playing almost as well as our first group,” O’Malley said. “I think our bench has gotten much stronger.”

Community sports news

Hickory Hills, Palos Hills baseball programs merge

After years of competing against each other as local rivals, Hickory Hills Youth Baseball and the Palos Hills Baseball Association have merged into one organization. The new entity will be known as “Hills Baseball Softball Association,” and provide baseball and softball at all levels for children aged 4-16. HBSA, which will conduct play on fields in both communities, will accept youngsters from throughout the southwest suburbs for recreational participation, as well as for its part-time and full-time travel teams. Registration dates are Jan. 11 and Feb. 8 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. each day. Both Saturday sessions will Photo by Jeff Vorva be held at Conrady Junior High Brother Rice’s Ray Rubio, shown in a game earlier this year, helped the Crusaders win their final School, Roberts Road and 97th game at the York Tournament. Street in Hickory Hills.

George Czarnik, of Hickory Hills, and Peter Donahue, of Palos Hills, will serve as HBSA president and vice president, respectively. For more information about the new organization or how to become involved with it, contact Czarnik at 599-6983.

of three camps, visit www.USBaseballAcademy.com or call 1866-622-4487.

Palos Park to host winter basketball league

Palos Park, in conjunction with the Palos Heights Recreation Department and Worth Park Two more baseball District, will host a winter basketball league for youngsters in camps announced Chicago Christian and Lewis grades 1-8 that will play games University in Romeoville will both each Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. host six-week baseball camps dur- beginning Jan. 18 and running through March 15. ing the winter. Lewis’ camp will begin Jan. 11 Each child will have one practice and be directed by Flyers coach and one game per week, with an Tim McDonough, while the one emphasis being placed on skills deat Chicago Christian starts Feb. velopment. Separate leagues will 1 under the guidance of Knights be formed for boys and girls, and coach and school athletic director play will be conducted in a total Eric Brauer. Both are being held of four different age groups. in conjunction with U.S. Baseball For more information, call 671Academy and are open to players 3760. in grades 1-12. Sessions will be offered in advanced hitting, pitching, catching, fielding and baserunning. Registration is now underway, and classes are limited to six players per coach. Previously, a similar camp was announced for Oak Lawn High School with a start date of Jan. 5. For more information on any

Bartosh will return to Sports Southwest next week.

The Regional News - The Reporter

Thursday, January 9, 2014 Section 2

Weather might be cold but Stagg swimmers are red-hot By Anthony Nasella After recently winning the Downers Grove Invite for the first time in five years, Stagg’s swimming team was riding a wave momentum into Saturday’s Lincoln-Way North Invitational. And just as they did at Downers Grove, the red-hot Chargers came away victorious at the eight-team invitational with 270 points, finishing ahead of runner-up Metea Valley (266). Andrew (236) was third, Sandburg (202) fourth and Lincoln-Way North fifth (184). Freshman Lucas Smiarowski was the brightest of many star performers on Saturday. He captured the 200-yard individual medley (1 minute, 59.77 seconds), the 500 freestyle (4:49.94) and swam on the first-place 200 medley relay (1:40.33) to lead a group effort for meet champion Stagg. Evan Johnson won the 50 free (:22.55), took second in the 100 free and swam on the winning medley relay with seniors Zack Amendola and Harlan Long. Amendola added second-place finishes in the 100 butterfly and backstroke, and Long was second in the breaststroke. “The kids swam real well; most of them had their season best times,” Chargers head Coach Jason Carr said. “This is always the point in our season where we always like to see where we’re at as far as progress. “I allowed them to swim in whatever we they were comfort-

able in. They were able to compete and succeed. Now, it’s a matter of keeping the momentum going and seeing how we do as the end of the season approaches.” Carr said he’s especially pleased with the talent and versatility that Smiarowski brings to the program — all as a mere freshman. “Lucas is one of the better freshmen that we’ve had in this program,” he said. “He can swim any event. He is one of those kids that we need someone to swim an event because it’s been swam too many times by one swimmer. We can turn to Lucas and he can swim whenever we can. “It’s great to think that we have three more years of him.” Carr also knows that the success of the team has had a lot to do with the steady performance and examples provided by Johnson and Amandola. “Those are guys who the incoming freshmen are learning a lot from,” Carr said. “They can look up them to see how they practice and work out and see their attitudes as role models.” And with two consecutive wins in two consecutive meet titles under its belt, Carr is hoping the team can build on that momentum as it approaches conference, sectional and state competition. “We have some momentum going our way,” He said. “Like we do every year, we’ll be shooting for a good showing at conference and sectional. Then we’ll see how many we can get down to state and

also how many we can qualify past the Friday prelims into Saturday’s finals as well. “We want to go out a high note. Most of these kids have been swimming since they were little. We’re hoping that it all comes together for their senior year.” Sandburg Eagles sophomore Kevin Stratton won the backstroke (:55.16) at the Lincoln-Way North Invitational. Teammates Dean Boures and Brett Reid were 1-2 in diving with scores of 390.10 and 338.90, respectively. Wrestling Sandburg Marist and Sandburg each went 4-2 at The Clash XII — the 32team, weekend tournament in Rochester, Minnesota on Saturday. The Eagles ended with a 36-24 loss to Nebraska’s Skutt Catholic to finish third in the fifth-place bracket. Adam Welgnet (145) registered two pins and Photo by Jeff Vorva a victory by decision on the day for Sandburg. Chicago Christian’s Trisha Belgrave, on floor, and a Lemont defender track down a loose ball Saturday. Boys Bowling Sandburg Joliet West totaled 6,249 pins to hold off Romeoville (6,091), the Eagles (6,058) and Lincoln-Way North (6,049) in the 15-team Tinley Park Invitational on Thursday at Centennial Lanes. Josh Harder (tied for sixth, 1,304) and Brandon Torres (eighth, 1,294) led Sandburg. By Anthony Nasella

Girls roundup

Stagg passes its first 2014 test with big win over L-Way West

CC coach sees improvement while Shepard takes third at Romeoville By Anthony Nasella Despite finishing the Romeoville Holiday Tournament with a 1-3 record, Chicago Christian Coach Kevin Pittman is convinced that his team is playing better now than it was at the beginning of the tournament. And that conviction was further strengthened despite the Knights dropping a 65-55 decision to Reavis in their final game on Dec. 30. Blaine Wright shined the most for Chicago Christian (5-8) against the Rams, finishing with 20 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals. Marcus Parker added 13 for the Knight, which were behind just five points at halftime and were in the hunt late, as close as point behind, in the fourth quarter. “I thought that was one of the better games that we played in the tournament,” Pittman said. “You throw out that Glenbard South debacle, and we played pretty solid. Though we came out the tournament only 1-3, I believe we’re a much better team that we were going into the tournament. “We talked quite a bit about our team using the Christmas tournament to turn the corner, and I really believe we turned a corner as a team. Our shot selection is getting better and our turnovers are becoming less frequent. We’re taking care of the ball a little better, which is what we want to see.” One visible statistic, however, that did stick out to Pittman was the stark contrast of foul shots taken by both teams. Chicago Christian shot 7 of 10 from the charity stripe, but Reavis converted a staggering 24 of 28 from the foul line. “I’m not one to blame officials; but when our opponent goes to the free throw line 28 times and we go there just ten, there’s a

problem,” Pittman said. “Let me be clear: The officials didn’t lose the game for us, but they definitely didn’t help.” For Wright, Pittman felt he turned a corner against Reavis in the realm of higher percentage shots — which he said will only make him a more versatile shooter. “Blaine did a much better job at taking better shots,” he said. “He shot 7 for 13 from two-point range. That’s the most two-point shots that he’s probably taken all year. He was living from behind the arc and taking too many difficult shots. It opened up the floor for everyone else.” In the end, the performance, specifically, against Reavis demonstrated the team’s potential – and where there still needs to be some improvement made. “The final score didn’t reflect how close the game was, but we could just never quite break through that barrier,” Pittman said. “There were stretches of the ballgame that we’ve played better than we have all year. We only had eight turnovers. We cut that by more than half of our average. “What we’re dealing with now is the avoiding of stringing two or three bad offensive possessions together — where we don’t get a point. Our impatience, sometimes, can still hinder our offensive capabilities. When we run our offense crisp and do things correctly, we can score against a lot of good defensive teams. We still tend to take bad shots, but it’s something that’s getting better.” Glenbard South 71 Shepard 50 With Kyle Longfield still out with a serious ankle sprain, the Astros found themselves with a double digit deficit early in the game and could never generate enough offense to overcome Glenbard South in the team’s final tournament game at Romeoville

on Dec. 30. Jacob Littleton had 14 points to boost Shepard (5-7) in the thirdplace game. Malcolm Lawson added ten points for the Astros, which closed out the first quarter with an 11-9 run after falling behind 11-0 to start the game. A 19-10 second quarter by Glenbard south made the Shepard deficit 18 points at halftime. “With Kyle still out, we had the concern going in against Glenbard South,” Shepard head Coach Tony Chiuccariello said. “Their point guard was very quick. They have two nice guards and wing player who could really shoot. They got out to a strong start; we got our shots, but just were hitting them early on. “Glenbard played really well, and I give a lot of credit to them. We just had a hard time guarding them. We tried a zone defense and went back to man. Their big guard got us in foul trouble. I thought we played a good third quarter, but we just had too many turnovers — and sloppy ones against the press.”

Statistics Shepard Glenbard South

11 10 18 11 – 50 20 19 18 14 – 71

Shepard (50) Darren Cohen 2, Kenny Gorski 0, Zack Haxel 6, Nick Heidinger 2, Malcolm Lawson 10, Jacob Littleton 14, Adebayo Ogungbemi 8, Malik Smith 2, Yakov Witherspoon 6. Rebounds: Cohen 5. Assists: Cohen 3. Reavis Chic. Christian

18 18 12 17 – 65 15 17 12 11 – 55

Chicago Christian (55) Bradford Fitzpatrick 7, Nathan Leo 2, Daylon Washington 4, Jay Spencer 6, Marcus Parker 13, Blaine Wright 20, Trevor Walterink 3. Rebounds: Fitzpatrick 8. Assists: Wright 3.

Mustangs (Continued from page 1) coach because there were no real physical errors just some mental mistakes and getting away from what our plan was.” St. Edward 63 Evergreen Park 53

Starting 2014 off with a win in the record book was a top priority to Stagg Coach Bill Turner, and Friday’s contest against LincolnWay West was the test. The Chargers started off strong and built an early lead; however their opponent battled back and cut the deficit to six and it would be from the free throw line where victory would be sealed. Stagg was a perfect 8 of 8 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter and 15 of 18 for the game, and it helped preserve a 48-35 victory. Hannah Henderson (11 points, four assists), Kate Adams (10 points), Casey McMahon (eight points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals) and Mia DiGiacomo (six points, 14 rebounds, four blocks) led Stagg (6-7). “Getting off to a good start to begin the New Year and in the game were important for us,” Turner said. “The girls did just that, bringing that stingy defense and jumping out to a 12-2 advantage after one quarter. When Lincoln-Way made a run, the girls kept their composure and took care of the ball.” In the first quarter, it was Henderson and Adams who were able to get to both the basket and free throw line early on. The team built a 23-14 halftime advantage. More pressure defense and a strong performance on the backboards in the third quarter continued to be the recipe for success for Stagg — as McMahon was impacting and affecting every facet of the game. “Casey did a great job for us directing the offense,” Turner said. “She has become our floor general and handled the ball very well, all season long. That is a role we needed her to fill this season, besides relying on her scoring. “And Mia has been very consistent and has provided the inside presence that we need.” With Stagg ahead 34-21 heading into the fourth quarter, Lincoln-Way West made a run, but stellar free throw shooting allowed the Chargers to hold off the Warriors. Field goals by Adams and DiGiacomo helped extend the lead down the stretch. Stagg also received contributions from senior Megan Hearne (four points, four rebounds) and sophomore Noor Elmosa (five points, four rebounds). Accord-

Photo by Jeff Vorva

Abby Bulthuis of Chicago Christian has her face whipped by her hair as she drives against Lemont on Saturday in Palos Heights. ing to Turner, the 35-18 edge of the glass was the best rebounding performance of the season. Stagg will hit the road with six of their next seven conference games away. “We play all blue division conference games the rest of the way,” he said. “Bolingbrook, Lockport, and Sandburg are up next on the schedule, so we’ll definitely continue to see what we’re made of.” Mother McAuley The Mighty Macs ended 2013 on a losing note, dropping a 57-46 decision to Evanston in the third place game of the Dundee-Crown Tournament on December 30. Elizabeth Nye had 13 points and five assists to spark the McAuley (12-4) Raven Willis (11 points) and Erin Drynan (8 points, 9 rebounds) were the other standouts for the Mighty Macs. However, McAuley began 2014 on a winning note, capturing a 59-

45 non-conference battle against Crete-Monee on Saturday. Standing tall for the team, against a team that possessed significant height was point guard Elizabeth Nye, who exploded for a game-high 34 points and eight assists. She went 6 of 6 from the charity stripe down the stretch, 15 of 18 in the fourth quarter and 21 of 24 for the game. Fellow guard Molly O’Malley added 13 points, while Raven Willis had 13 rebounds as McAuley improved to 13-4. McAuley led just 40-38 when O’Malley nailed a three-pointer. The six free throws by Nye extended the team’s advantage to 49-38. Chicago Christian Despite a team-high 13 point effort by Kaycee Pittman and leading most of the first half, the Knights were edged by Lemont 4440 on Saturday. Chicago Christian fell to 4-11 with the loss.

Statistics Evergreen Park St. Edward

14 13 15 11 – 53 20 8 11 24 – 63

Evergreen Park (53) Jacquet McClendon 5, Alex Cheatham 3, Issac Matthews 14, Tobi Oladaijo 4, Jordan Brown 142, Tony Weathersby 13. Rebounds: Weathersby 7. Assists: Oladaijo 4.

Photo by Jeff Vorva

Evergreen Park’s Jordan Brown, No. 12, and Alex Cheatham defend against St. Edward’s Nick Duffy in a game Dec. 30.

On the edge...and right on target! Straight talk from Bartosh in Sports Southwest

Photo by Jeff Vorva

Veteran Lemont coach Bill Bozue argues an offensive foul called against his player in a 44-40 win over Chicago Christian.

Section 2 Thursday, January 9, 2014 The Regional News - The Reporter

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For Sale

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. P l a i n t i f f , � v . � JOHN MCKEE A/K/A JOHN F. MCKEE, RUTH MCKEE A/K/A RUTH MARIE MCKEE, WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. S/B/M TO WELLS FARGO BANK SOUTHWEST, N.A. FKA WACHOVIA MORTGAGE FSB FKA WORLD SAVINGS BANK, F S B � D e f e n d a n t s � 12 CH 14680 11904 SOUTH 93RD AVENUE PALOS PARK, IL 6 0 4 6 4 � NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on August 7, 2013, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on February 3, 2014, at the The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 11904 SOUTH 93RD AVENUE, PALOS PARK, IL 60464 Property Index No. 23-27-102-002-0000. The real estate is improved with a one story single family home with a two car detached garage. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information: Visit our website at service.atty-pierce.com. between the hours of 3 and 5 pm. PIERCE & ASSOCIATES, Plaintiff's Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300, CHICAGO, IL 60602. Tel No. (312) 476-5500. Please refer to file number PA1206369. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. PIERCE & ASSOCIATES One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300 CHICAGO, IL 60602 (312) 476-5500 Attorney File No. PA1206369 Attorney Code. 91220 Case Number: 12 CH 14680 TJSC#: 33-24688 I580383

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY D I V I S I O N � PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO NATIONAL CITY BANK, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO NATIONAL CITY MORTGAGE CO. P l a i n t i f f , � v . � LORRAINE MCNEVIN A/K/A LORRAINE BRODERICK, FINTAN BRODERICK D e f e n d a n t s � 11 CH 037891 7848 W. 99TH STREET HICKORY HILLS, IL 60457 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on October 23, 2013, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 27, 2014, at the The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 7848 W. 99TH STREET, HICKORY HILLS, IL 60457 Property Index No. 23-12-105-025. The real estate is improved with a residence. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information, examine the court file or contact Plaintiff's attorney: CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C., 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL 60527, (630) 794-9876. Please refer to file number 14-11-34450. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-11-34450 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 11 CH 037891 TJSC#: 33-24092 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff's attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. I581182

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY D I V I S I O N � BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO BAC HOME LOANS SERVICING, LP FKA COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOANS SERVICING, L P � P l a i n t i f f , � v . � EDWARD F. ANDJULIS A/K/A EDWARD FRANCIS ANDJULIS, GAIL E. ANDJULIS A/K/A GAIL ELIZABETH ANDJULIS A/K/A GAIL WALSHON D e f e n d a n t s � 11 CH 013891 10213 HIBISCUS DRIVE ORLAND PARK, IL 60462 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on April 19, 2013, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 17, 2014, at the The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 10213 HIBISCUS DRIVE, ORLAND PARK, IL 60462 Property Index No. 27-09-310-013. The real estate is improved with a single family residence. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information, examine the court file or contact Plaintiff's attorney: CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C., 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL 60527, (630) 794-9876. Please refer to file number 14-11-11834. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-11-11834 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 11 CH 013891 TJSC#: 33-27083 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff's attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. I580417

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, I L L I N O I S � COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION BAYVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC, A DELAWARE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Plaintiff, v . � ELENI PASHOS AKA ELENI PASILOS Defendants 13 CH 16858 10331 S. Roberts Rd. Palos Heights, IL 60465 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 12, 2013, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 30, 2014, at the The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 10331 S. Roberts Rd., Palos Heights, IL 60465 Property Index No. 23-13-102-080-0000. The real estate is improved with a commercial building. The judgment amount was $504,696.71. Sale terms: The bid amount, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, shall be paid in certified funds immediately by the highest and best bidder at the conclusion of the sale. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information, contact Plaintiff's attorney: HEAVNER, SCOTT, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC, 111 East Main Street, DECATUR, IL 62523, (217) 422-1719. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee's attorney. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. HEAVNER, SCOTT, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC 111 East Main Street DECATUR, IL 62523 (217) 422-1719 Attorney Code. 40387 Case Number: 13 CH 16858 TJSC#: 33-27607 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff's attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. I581753

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION CITIMORTGAGE, INC. SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO ABN AMRO MORTGAGE GROUP, I N C . � P l a i n t i f f , � v . � JOSEPH F. VANDERWAL, PALOS COMMONS HOMEOWNERS' ASSOCIATION D e f e n d a n t s � 13 CH 002455 37 BROOK LANE PALOS PARK, IL 60464 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on October 24, 2013, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 27, 2014, at the The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 37 BROOK LANE, PALOS PARK, IL 60464 Property Index No. 23-26-201-032. The real estate is improved with a single family residence. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information, examine the court file or contact Plaintiff's attorney: CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C., 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL 60527, (630) 794-9876. Please refer to file number 14-13-01781. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-13-01781 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 13 CH 002455 TJSC#: 33-24171 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff's attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. I581257

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For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY D I V I S I O N � BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO BAC HOME LOANS SERVICING, LP FKA COUNTRYWIDE HOME LOANS SERVICING, L P � P l a i n t i f f , � v . � ANNA MAREK, PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO NATIONAL CITY BANK, LAS FUENTES HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION D e f e n d a n t s � 10 CH 039155 9101 DEL PRADO DRIVE PALOS HILLS, IL 60465 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on August 25, 2011, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 22, 2014, at the The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 9101 DEL PRADO DRIVE, PALOS HILLS, IL 60465 Property Index No. 23-10-200-058. The real estate is improved with a residence. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information, examine the court file or contact Plaintiff's attorney: CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C., 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL 60527, (630) 794-9876. Please refer to file number 14-10-21639. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-10-21639 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 10 CH 039155 TJSC#: 33-25752 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff's attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. I580444

For Sale

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, I L L I N O I S � COUNTY DEPARTMENT, CHANCERY DIVISION RBS CITIZENS, N.A., P l a i n t i f f � V . � IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, CAROLE A. MALIN A/K/A CAROLE MALIN A/K/A I L L I N O I S � CAROLE ANN MALIN; RBS CITIZENS, N.A., COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO CCO MORTGAGE NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC Plaintiff, CORP.; OAK HILLS COUNTRY CLUB VILLAGE v . � COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION; OAK HILLS ELIZABETH A. MERKLE A/K/A ELIZABETH ANNE CONDOMINIUM FIVE TOWNHOUSE VILLAS, MERKLE, WEST SUBURBAN BANK, THE VILLAGE D e f e n d a n t s � SQUARE OF ORLAND CONDOMINIUM 1 12 CH 14230 ASSOCIATION Defendants Property Address: 13495 TURTLE POND LANE 10 CH 21458 PALOS HEIGHTS, IL 60463 9304 WHERRY LANE UNIT 3 ORLAND PARK, IL NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 6 0 4 6 2 � C O N D O M I N I U M � NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY Fisher and Shapiro file # 11-057425 GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and (It is advised that interested parties consult with their Sale entered in the above cause on October 29, 2013, own attorneys before bidding at mortgage foreclosure an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at s a l e s . ) � 10:30 AM on January 31, 2014, at the The Judicial PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Judgment of Foreclosure entered on Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the November 5, 2013, Kallen Realty Services, Inc., as highest bidder, as set forth below, the following Selling Official will at 12:30 p.m. on February 6, 2014, at described real estate: 205 W. Randolph Street, Suite 1020, Chicago, Illinois, Commonly known as 9304 WHERRY LANE UNIT 3, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as ORLAND PARK, IL 60462 Property Index No. set forth below, the following described real property: 27-15-303-010-1003. The real estate is improved with a Commonly known as 13495 Turtle Pond Lane, Palos townhouse; one car attached garage. Sale terms: 25% Heights, IL 60463 down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of Permanent Index No.: 23-36-303-162-1081 the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No The mortgaged real estate is improved with a dwelling. third party checks will be accepted. The balance, The property will NOT be open for inspection. The including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is the assessments and the legal fees required by 765 calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the The judgment amount was $ 210,183.91. Sale terms for purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire non-parties: 10% of successful bid immediately at transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee conclusion of auction, balance by 12:30 p.m. the next shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the business day, both by cashier's checks; and no refunds. residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the The sale shall be subject to general real estate taxes, sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other special taxes, special assessments, special taxes lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights levied, and superior liens, if any. The property is offered in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the "as is," with no express or implied warranties and sale. The subject property is subject to general real without any representation as to the quality of title or estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes recourse to Plaintiff. Prospective bidders are levied against said real estate and is offered for sale admonished to review the court file to verify all without any representation as to quality or quantity of information and to view auction rules at title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in � AS IS� w w w . k a l l e n r s . c o m . � condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by For information: Sale Clerk, Fisher and Shapiro, the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the Attorney # 42168, 2121 Waukegan Road, Suite 301, purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will Bannockburn, Illinois 60015, (847) 291-1717, between entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. weekdays only. confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open I575057 for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the Publisher’s Notice purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal All Real Estate advertising in fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 this newspaper is subject to the ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a Fair Housing Act which makes it condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure illegal to advertise “any preference, sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments limitation or discrimination.” Familrequired by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS ial status includes children under 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR the age of 18 living with parents or (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER legal custodians, pregnant women ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN and people securing custody of chilACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF dren under 18. THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information: Visit our website at This newspaper will not knowservice.atty-pierce.com. between the hours of 3 and 5 ingly accept any advertising for real pm. PIERCE & ASSOCIATES, Plaintiff's Attorneys, estate which is in violation of the One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300, CHICAGO, IL 60602. Tel No. (312) 476-5500. Please refer to file law. Our readers are herby informed number PA1004448. THE JUDICIAL SALES that all dwellings advertised in this CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, newspaper are available on an equal Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also opportunity basis. To complain of visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. PIERCE & discrimination call HUD toll-free ASSOCIATES One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300 at 1 (800) 669-9777. The toll-free CHICAGO, IL 60602 (312) 476-5500 Attorney File No. telephone number for the hearing PA1004448 Attorney Code. 91220 Case Number: 10 impaired is: CH 21458 TJSC#: 33-23936 I579727 1 (800) 927-9275.

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For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK County, Illinois, County Department, Chancery Division. Marquette Bank, P l a i n t i f f , � v s . � Heartland Bank and Trust Company, Successor Trustee to Western Springs National Bank and Trust Company, not personally but as Trustee under Trust Agreement dated February 3, 2003 and known as Trust No. 3987, Lawrence J. Gesiakowski, Gail T. Gesiakowski, Non-Record Claimants and Unknown O w n e r s , � D e f e n d a n t s . � 12 CH 12873; Sheriff's No. 130982-001F. Pursuant to a Judgment made and entered by said Court in the above entitled cause, Thomas J. Dart, Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, will on February 10, 2014, at 1:00 P.M. in Room LL06 of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington Street, Chicago, IL, sell at public auction the following described premises and real estate mentioned in said Judgment:PIN: 23-27-409-021-0000.Address: 8912 W. 125th St., Palos Park, IL 60464.Improvements: Single family residence.Sale shall be under the following terms: Not less than 10% of successful and highest bid to be paid at the time of sale, and the balance to be paid in full within 24 hours after the sale, all paid to the Sheriff of Cook County by cashier's check or certified funds.Sale shall be subject to general taxes, special assessments, and any prior first mortgages.Premises will NOT be open for inspection. For information: Paul J. Richter/James L. Stephenson, Kelly, Olson, Michod, DeHaan & Richter, LLC, Plaintiff's Attorneys, 333 W. Wacker Dr., Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606, Tel. No. (312) 236-6700.This is an attempt to collect a debt pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.I579674

For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, I L L I N O I S � COUNTY DEPARTMENT, CHANCERY DIVISION MIDFIRST BANK, P l a i n t i f f � V . � JEREMY KINGERY; SCENIC TREE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, D e f e n d a n t s � 13 CH 14597 Property Address: 10152 SOUTH 84TH TERRACE UNIT 12-312 PALOS HILLS, IL 60465 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE C O N D O M I N I U M � Fisher and Shapiro file # 13-067532 (It is advised that interested parties consult with their own attorneys before bidding at mortgage foreclosure s a l e s . ) � PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered on November 12, 2013, Kallen Realty Services, Inc., as Selling Official will at 12:30 p.m. on February 14, 2014, at 205 W. Randolph Street, Suite 1020, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described real p r o p e r t y : � Commonly known as 10152 South 84th Terrace, Unit 12-312, Palos Hills, IL 60465 Permanent Index No.: 23-11-302-003-1332 The mortgaged real estate is improved with a dwelling. The property will NOT be open for inspection. The purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). The judgment amount was $109,743.87. Sale terms for non-parties: 10% of successful bid immediately at conclusion of auction, balance by 12:30 p.m. the next business day, both by cashier's checks; and no refunds. The sale shall be subject to general real estate taxes, special taxes, special assessments, special taxes levied, and superior liens, if any. The property is offered "as is," with no express or implied warranties and without any representation as to the quality of title or recourse to Plaintiff. Prospective bidders are admonished to review the court file to verify all information and to view auction rules at w w w . k a l l e n r s . c o m . � For information: Sale Clerk, Fisher and Shapiro, Attorney # 42168, 2121 Waukegan Road, Suite 301, Bannockburn, Illinois 60015, (847) 291-1717, between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. weekdays only. I577110

For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, I L L I N O I S � COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION MOREQUITY, INC. P l a i n t i f f , � v s . � ANDRZEJ KULIKOWSKI; RENETA KULIKOWSKI; P N C � BANK, N.A. S/I/I TO MIDAMERICA BANK, FSB; D e f e n d a n t s , � 13 CH 5764 NOTICE OF SALE PURSUANT TO JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE UNDER ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause on October 29, 2013, Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Friday, January 31, 2014, at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described property: P.I.N. 23-02-209-027-0000 Commonly known as 8115 WEST 90TH STREET, HICKORY HILLS, IL 60457 The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 25% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale which will entitle the purchaser to a Deed to the premises after confirmation of the sale. For information: Visit our website at http://service.atty-pierce.com. Between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. only. Pierce & Associates, Plaintiff's Attorneys, 1 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60602. Tel.No. (312) 476-5500. Refer to File Number 1300840. INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I579998

For Sale For Notice Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION OCWEN LOAN SERVICING, LLC Plaintiff, -v.SAULIUS DEMIKIS, RIVIERA REGAL I CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION A/K/A RIVIERA REGAL CONDOMINIUM PHASE I ASSOCIATION, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 11 CH 014539 11119 S. 84TH AVENUE UNIT #1A PALOS HILLS, IL 60465 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on October 29, 2013, Auction.com, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 1:00 PM on February 5, 2014, at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza, 350 West Mart Center Drive (in the Auction.com room), CHICAGO, IL, 60654, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 11119 S. 84TH AVENUE UNIT #1A, PALOS HILLS, IL 60465 Property Index No. 23-23-200-026-1055. The real estate is improved with a condo/townhouse. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information, examine the court file or contact Plaintiff’s attorney: CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C., 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL 60527, (630) 794-9876. Please refer to file number 14-11-11873. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www. tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. AUCTION.COM LLC For Additional Information regarding Auction.com, please visit www.Auction.com or call (800-280-2832) CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-11-11873 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 11 CH 014539 TJSC#: 33-24387 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. I582472

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Experienced cleaning lady wanted

disposed of in accordance to local laws. But prep work might be eas- for immediate start. Must be ily handled by homeowners and licensed driver with dependable garner substantial savings. vehicle. Good pay. • Shop around. In the current Call (708) 636-4030 market, homeowners looking to make improvements must recogThis newspaper strives to monitor the clasnize the market benefits them. sified ads its prints. However, when an ad is Shop around for a contractor and submitted from Wanted outside this area, it is often get some competitive offers. While impossible for us to check its credibility. it’s not always best to choose the Therefore, we suggest caution when ads with offers that seem too contractor who submits the lowest answering Small engines, snowblowers, be true. estimate, the nature of the current good to regular and riding For more information bicycles. regarding financmarket suggests all contractors lawnmowers, business opportunities and/or work-atshould submit competitive offers ing, home opportunities in this newspaper, we and be flexible. Flexibility might urgeReasonably pricedthe orBetter free.Busiour readers to contact come with a few conditions, such ness Bureau, 330 N. Wabash Ave. #2006, Call (815) 468-7819 as more time to complete the proj- Chicago, IL 60611, (312) 832-0500. ect, but those conditions might be worth it if it means saving money. �� • Make sacrifices in other areas. Safety and quality should always trump cost when it comes to home �� improvement projects. If there �� aren’t too many ways to save �� money on a given project, make �� sacrifices in other areas and factor �� those sacrifices into the budget �� for the project. Instead of a sum- �� mer vacation at a resort, visit a �� nearby hotspot that provides the �� same R&R but for a fraction of �� the cost of a more expensive re- �� sort. Such sacrifices don’t have �� to be permanent, but they can help weather the financial storm until the project is successfully �� completed.

Easy on the budget bathroom renovations Bathroom renovations are second to kitchen renovations on the list of the top remodeling projects to increase home value. The popularity of bathroom renovations and their ability to transform a space has left many homeowners wondering if there are any easy and affordable ways to change the look of their bathrooms. While “easy” is a relative term, there are ways homeowners willing to make certain concessions can keep the work and cost of a bathroom renovation to a minimum. Resurface When possible, covering up what you have in the bathroom is much less expensive and less labor-intensive than tearing out existing fixtures and floors and replacing them anew. Resurfacing can extend to refinishing bathtubs to installing shower liners. Those who have unsightly walls or wallpaper that they’re just not ready to remove may consider using wainscotting to cover a portion of the room or even tiling entire walls. It is important to note that resurfacing and covering up items in the bathroom should only be reserved for cosmetic fixes. If something needs to be replaced because it is damaged or mildewcovered, then covering it up is only hiding the problem and asking for more work in the long run. Scale back on materials One way to save money on a bathroom renovation project is to choose less expensive materials. For example, you may not need to install travertine or marble flooring in a space where less expensive flooring like vinyl is adequate. Advancements in vinyl flooring have enabled this affordable material to mimic the look of more expensive materials at a fraction of the cost.

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�� Help Wanted

When redoing tile on walls and shower enclosures, many domestically-produced tiles rival the looks of more expensive imported alternatives. You may be able to save more by buying tile in bulk and using the remainder in other applications around the house. Paint Do not underestimate the power of a fresh coat of paint on any room in the house, including the bathroom. Dark, small spaces can be made to look more expansive with lighter colors. Cavernous bathrooms that look empty may prove more inviting with darker hues. Pick a paint that is designed for bathroom application so that it will inhibit the growth of mold and mildew. Update hardware A new faucet or some new cabinet pulls can make the room look new and fresh without breaking the bank. Match finishes throughout the bathroom so everything will be cohesive. When shopping for a new shower head, choose a model that also conserves water. This way you will be making cosmetic and energy-saving renovations at the same time. DIY Handling labor yourself instead of hiring workers can reduce the cost of bathroom remodels considerably. It is possible to buy fully assembled bathroom vanities and install them yourself. Even installing a new toilet is relatively easy with the help of a friend. There are a number of ways to make bathroom renovations a bit easier and more affordable. Even nominal changes can give the space an entirely different look and feel, which can make the room more enjoyable and help improve a home’s resale value in the process.

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Cutting costs on your next home improvement project With the economy still on the mend, homeowners must monitor their spending carefully. Such frugality is necessary across the board, even when it comes to home improvement. While it’s important not to cut too many corners when it comes to home improvement projects, there are ways homeowners can save money without sacrificing safety and quality. • Scale things down. A full-scale kitchen remodel might be a dream project, but homeowners wary of committing too much money to a project might want to consider a smaller scale project. For example, instead of revamping the entire kitchen, address a single part of the kitchen, such as replacing vinyl flooring or refacing the cabinets. Such projects don’t require the financial commitment of a full-scale remodel but can give the kitchen a whole new look. • Chip in. Many home improvement projects are best left to the professionals. However, much of the cost of such projects goes toward labor, including preparation before the project and cleanup once it’s finished. When interviewing contractors, ask if there is any prep work you can do to reduce labor costs and if there’s a way to handle cleanup yourself. Cleanup might be somewhat tricky, as certain materials might need to be

Thursday, January 9, 2014 Section 2

Cleaning Services

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Your Guide to Arts and Events in the Southwest Suburbs and Beyond The Regional News - The Reporter

Section 2

Rock, gem and jewelry show Moksha Imports’ Holiday Rock, Gem and Jewelry show will be held this Saturday and Sunday, January 11 and 12, from noon to 4 p.m., at Tranzformation, 5528 W. Cal-Sag Road in Alsip. Ed and Sue from Moksha Imports (the original owners of Sanctuary Crystals) will be offering one of the finest selections of rocks, mineral specimens, crystals and jewelry in the Chicago area. (8970778; tranzformation.biz)

The Bridge Teen Center events • Yoga — 5 to 6 p.m. Jan. 9, 16, 23 and 30, The Bridge Teen Center, 15555 S. 71st Court, Orland Park, offers yoga to get toned and relax at the same time. This free event is for teens in 7th through 12th grade. For more information, call 532-0500 or visit www. thebridgeteencenter.org. • Parias Day — 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Jan. 10, music by Parias Day and samples from Babycakes Food Truck. This free event is for teens in 7th through 12th grade. For more information, call 532-0500 or visit www.thebridgeteencenter.org. • DJ Night with Sean Brady — 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Jan. 11, plus, free samples from CherryBerry. This event is exclusively for students in 9th-12th grade and is free with a student membership application or $5 with a school ID. • Discover Your Learning Style — 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Jan. 14, discover how you learn best. Come find out and discover how knowing this can make school easier. This free event is for teens in 7th through 12th grade. • Soul Café: Friendship and

Peer Pressure — 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Jan. 15, start the new year off right by talking about friendship and not caving into peer pressure. This free event is for teens in 7th through 12th grade. • Award-winning BBQ at Famous Dave’s — 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 16, an offsite culinary, at Famous Dave’s, where you’ll get a chance to see the smokehouse, learn about the different cuts of meat and how they are prepared, and prepare a signature dish for yourself. This free event is for teens in 7th through 12th grade. For more information, call 532-0500 or visit www.thebridgeteencenter.org.

Polar bear luncheon

age, or adults without children, to make clay Valentine-themed bowls with heart designs on Jan. 15 and to come back to glaze their creations on Jan. 22. The class fee is $16 per person and includes all supplies and two kiln firings. Advance reservations are required. Call The Center at 3613650.

Art classes The Center is offering new sixweek sessions of pottery, basketry, calligraphy, and weaving classes at the Log Cabin Center for the Arts, 12700 Southwest Highway in Palos Park. Beginning Monday, Jan. 13, Marge Boyd teaches the art of lettering in a calligraphy class at 1:00 p.m. On Wednesday, Jan. 15, Nettie Botts offers instruction in weaving at 9:30 a.m. Pottery with Karen Stasky and Basketry with Jane Dwyer begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16. Advance registration is required for all classes at the Log Cabin Center for the Arts. For more information, call The Center at 361-3650, or check the website: thecenterpalos.org.

Polar Bears will be featured at a luncheon at The Center, 12700 Southwest Highway, Palos Park, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at a noon luncheon. Brookfield Zoo bear-keeper Christy Mazrimas-Ott will show slides and talk about the life and behavior of these arctic creatures. She has been a guide in the arctic, educating tour groups about the polar bears and their plight in our ever warming arctic oceans. The luncheon begins at noon, cost $17 per person, and requires Spiritual advance reservations. For more discussion group information, call The Center at 361-3650. Evolutionary Christian spirituality will be explored in two new DVD discussion groups at Valentine pottery The Center, 12700 Southwest class for families Highway, Palos Park, beginning or adults Tuesday evening, Jan. 14, at 6:30 A pottery class for families p.m. and Thursday morning, Jan. and adults will be hosted at the 16, at 10 a.m. Log Cabin Center for the Arts Led by pastoral director Chris on Wednesdays, Jan 15 and 22, Hopkins, the groups will focus from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Log on the Cabin Art Center is located at film, “Painting the Stars: Sci12700 Southwest Highway in ence, Religion, and an Evolving Palos Park. Faith.” Instructor Heather Young in- Cost is $5/class and reservations vites families with children of any are requested. Call 361-3650.

Top Pop Albums

Top Country Albums

Top Pop Singles

1. Britney Jean, Britney Spears, RCA 2. Blame it All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences, Garth Brooks, Pearl Records

1. Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas, The Robertsons, Capitol Nashville (Universal) 2. Blame it All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences, Garth Brooks, Pearl Records 3. Days of Gold, Jake Owen, Sony Nashville/RCA 4. Danielle Bradbery, Danielle Bradbery, Big Machine Records 5. Crash My Party, Luke Bryan, Capitol Nashville 6. Golden, Lady Antebellum, Capitol Nashville (Universal) 7. Based on a True Story..., Blake Shelton, Warner Bros. 8. Here’s to the Good Times, Florida Georgia Line, Republic Nashville 9. Red, Taylor Swift, Big Machine Records 10. True Believers, Darius Rucker, 10 Spot

1. Let Her Go, Passenger, Nettwerk Records 2. The Monster, Eminem, Aftermath 3. Timber, Pitbull, featuring Kesha, Mr.305/Polo Grounds Music/RCA Records 4. Say Something, A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera, Epic 5. Hold On, We’re Going Home, Drake, featuring Majid Jordan 6. Royals, Lorde, Lava Music/ Republic Records 7. Counting Stars, OneRepublic, Interscope Records 8. Wake Me Up!, Avicii, Island 9. Wrecking Ball, Miley Cyrus, RCA 10. Demons, Imagine Dragons, Interscope Records

3. A Mary Christmas, Mary J. Blige, Verve 4. PTXmas, Pentatonix, Madison Gate Records, Inc. 5. Christmas, Michael Buble, Reprise 6. Midnight Memories, One Direction, Columbia 7. Wrapped in Red, Kelly Clarkson, RCA 8. Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas, The Robertsons, Capitol Nashville (Universal) 9. Marshall Mathers LP 2, Aftermath 10. Prism, Katy Perry, Capitol Records (Universal)

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Fifteenth annual “Chicago’s Best Wing Fest”

Broaden Your Horizons This week

Submitted photo

Log Cabin offers new pastel class An introductory workshop followed by a six-week session of Pastel Painting class begins at The Log Cabin Center for the Arts, 12700 Southwest Highway in Palos Park, on Monday, Jan. 13, at 9:30 a.m. Taught by artist Susan Flanagan, of Tinley Park, shown painting a pear, the workshop is an opportunity to explore using pastels, as Flanagan demonstrates and helps students to create their own simple still life paintings. Students may also choose to sign up for six-weeks of pastel class beginning Monday, Jan. 27, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Both beginners and experienced painters are welcome to join. Students will develop their own individual styles as they paint using either their own photographs or still life scenes provided by Flanagan. The class will focus on the principles of composition, shape, color, and value, as well as techniques for under painting and pastel applications. The one-day workshop costs $14 plus $5 for materials. The six-week class costs $84. A list of required supplies for the six-week class is available at The Center office. Advance registration is required for the workshop and for the class. Call 361-3650.

Chicago’s best chicken wings crowned while raising funds for Chicago Neighbors United It sells out every year, and there’s no other event like it — it’s Chicago’s Best WingFest. Back again for its fifteenth year on Sunday, Feb. 23, WingFest will return to the Bailey Auditorium, at 1340 West Washington in Chicago, from 1 p.m .to 5 p.m. WingFest is complete with tailgating, a nearly endless supply of Chicago’s best chicken wings, competitive wing eating, five categories of wing competition, and lots of fun. The first block of 400 tickets went quietly on sale on Wednesday, Dec. 11 and sold out within minutes. The second block of 400 tickets went on sale on Jan. 2 and the last and third block of 400 tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, Jan. 22. A pair of “VIP Best Seats in the House” will be given away via Do312. com, and other general admission and VIP tickets will be given away on WingFest’s Facebook and Twitter accounts leading up to the big day, Sunday, Feb. 23.

Tickets may be purchased directly at www.WingFest.net. Attendees must be 21 and over. Each year around 25 local wingslinging eateries enter WingFest. Participating establishments may enter their wings of choice into two of the following categories: Mild Wings, Hot Wings, BBQ Wings and Exotic Wings. The following were proclaimed winners in 2013, in a doubleblind judged competition: Best Mild Wing: Gators Wing Shack, Best Hot Wing: Mahoney’s Pub & Grille, Best BBQ Wing: Mahoney’s Pub & Grille, Best Exotic Wing: Tap House Grill and earning the most cumulative points for the coveted Best of the Fest: Tap House Grill. And it is all for a good cause! To date, WingFest has raised over $140,000 for various charities, and once again this year, Chicago Neighbors United [http://chicnu.org/], a community based organization which provides educational scholarships

to inner city youth, is happy to be the beneficiary of this top-ofthe-line good time. Returning again this year to host and celebrity judge WingFest is 93XRT’s very own, Lin Brehmer. With his wingman, ChickenMan, pumping the crowd, Lin will be providing the play by play for the “Lord of the Wings” eating contest, and one of the most talked about highlights. General admission tickets will be $30. This price includes all the wings one can eat, live music from Cadillac Dave and the Chicago Redhots, a raffle ticket, continuous sponsor giveaways and loads of surprises. There will also be VIP tickets available for $65 which will include all of the above plus a limited drink package, parking pass, goody bag, and access to the VIP area. For more information, enter the Lord of Wings Contest, or to see the every growing list of participating restaurants, please visit www.WingFest.net.

Omarr’s Weekly Astrological Forecast by Jeraldine Saunders ARIES (March 21-April 19): Find a constructive outlet for nervous energy in the week ahead. Conversations, advice and brainstorms might offer useful information or inspiration for future security, but you need a quiet place to think ideas through. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Others will take your words to heart in the week ahead. You’ll have instant charisma and people in general will trust you at first sight. Avoid uttering words of love or making promises unless you mean them. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): It’s a long way to spring, and you might not be a young man, but your fancies could turn to thoughts of love. You might even have a yen to fatten your piggy bank in the week ahead. Take it one step at a time. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Romantic moments mean a lot. In the first half of the week, your charm disarms so use every opportunity to get closer to someone. Or use your fabulously good judgment to ask for a raise based on your backlog

of experience. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You’re running at full throttle and can get a lot accomplished. In the first half of the week, while you’re mentally incisive and others are tolerant and forgiving, make important phone calls, offer apologies and put ideas into motion. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Partners and loved ones require some extra tender loving care in the week ahead, but you have the special touch needed to make them smile. Profitable secrets may be revealed, but wait for the best timing to use them. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Outside pressures may interfere with your plans for relaxation at home in the week ahead. Friends and boon companions may be busy getting things accomplished when you’d rather be playing. Don’t take luck for granted. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Clear the decks. Slowly but surely you’re heading toward making a big improvement in your life, although you may not be able to see it clearly right now. In the week ahead welcome the ending of long-term concerns.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You can figure out how to make your financial resolutions for the future come true in the week ahead. Talk over money making ideas with friends. A love interest will be in the mood for snuggling by the fireplace. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You could be challenged by an urge to go to extremes this week. You may be too focused on getting ahead and forget to say “please” and “thank you.” Be grateful when problems fall by the wayside. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Get to the bottom of anything that’s been puzzling you. You’ll be able to sense ways to make your money grow during the week to come. Your good taste is at the forefront so use it to make a key purchase. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The week ahead may offer you a chance to play the romantic lead. During the first half of the week, you may be feeling very loving, affectionate and ready for fun. Don’t be surprised if unexpected gifts come your way.

Wolfgang Puck’s Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck

Make eating more vegetables your resolution It doesn’t take any psychic powers to figure out what you did on New Year’s Day. In addition to eating and drinking something deliciously soothing to restore you after New your Year’s Eve celebrations, you probably saw or heard TV or radio reports or read news articles about New Year’s resolutions. And you thought something like, “Oh, no, not again! How am I going to keep my resolution this year to cook and eat more healthily?” I’ve made that resolution myself, year after year. In the past, I only had limited success, complicated by the fact that my job involves cooking and eating great food every day. Over the past few years, though, I’ve come up with a solution that works for me, and as a result, I’ve managed to maintain a healthy weight and feel more fit and active than I have in decades — all without giving up food that’s both enjoyable and satisfying. The approach involves making simple, smart changes in the kitchen, at the table, and in my exercise routine, and I go into the details in a new book I’ve got coming out two months from now, “Wolfgang Puck Makes It Healthy.” By making that one simple change, you increase the likelihood that you’ll shed pounds and feel better. Why? I could go on at length in response. But the shortest way to put it is that fresh vegetables fill you up with fewer calories, while also providing a wealth of essential nutrients. Not to mention, of course, that if you start with great produce and cook it simply, it tastes wonderful, providing the pleasure and satisfaction we all crave in the food we eat. Look for ways to add more vegetables to the main courses you make for yourself at home, decreasing — but not eliminating — the portion size of animal proteins. And, at least once a week, aim to make vegetables the star of your meal. My longtime favorite recipe for

pasta with fresh vegetables, which I share here, is a great example of how easy, and delicious, such a change can be. Feel free to substitute any fresh farmers’ market vegetables you prefer. PASTA WITH BROCCOLI, PEAS, MUSHROOMS, AND TOMATOES Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as an appetizer Salt 1/2 pound small broccoli florets 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 pound frozen baby peas 1/2 large red, yellow, or orange organic bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, deveined, and diced 1/4 pound organic button mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed, and sliced 1 cup canned diced tomatoes Freshly ground black pepper 3/4 pound dried fettuccine or other pasta ribbons 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl 3/4 full with ice cubes and water and set it on a counter near the stove. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 teaspoon of the salt and then the broccoli. Cook just until the broccoli’s color brightens, 30 seconds to 1 minute; then, with a slotted spoon or a wire skimmer, remove the broccoli and transfer to the ice water. Add the peas to

the boiling water and cook for 1 minute; then, drain in a colander and transfer the peas to the ice water with the broccoli. Leave the vegetables to chill for 1 to 2 minutes; then, drain well and transfer them to paper towels to soak up excess moisture, patting them dry. Set aside. Bring a pasta pot filled with water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a 12-inch frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil. As soon as the oil is hot enough to swirl freely in the pan, quickly add the bell pepper and mushrooms, and then the broccoli and peas. Toss or stir the vegetables briskly in the pan to heat them through thoroughly without browning, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and cook until the juices thicken slightly and the vegetables are tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and keep warm. Meanwhile, as soon as the water in the pasta pot has come to a full boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and then add the pasta. Cook until al dente, tender but still slightly chewy, following the manufacturer’s suggested cooking time. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the vegetable mixture in the pan, tossing well. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Serve immediately, garnishing with parsley. Pass Parmesan at the table for those guests who’d like to add a little to their portions.

moksha imporTs

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rock, Gem & Jewelry show! Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 11th & 12th Noon ~ 4pm Ed & Sue from Moksha Imports (original owners of Sanctuary Crystals) will be offering one of the finest selections of Rocks, Mineral specimens, Crystals and Jewelry in the Chicago Area.

Psychic FAiR WEEKEND ~ Readings $100 per minute

TranzformaTion

5528 W. Cal-Sag Road, Alsip H 708-897-0778 www.tranzformation.biz

Run 1/9/14

Mo Gem held Janu 4 p.m W. Ca Ed ports tuary of th mine