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THE REGIONAL NEWS Named best small weekly in Illinois five times by the Illinois Press Association

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Serving Palos, Orland and Worth townships and neighboring communities

77th Year, NO. 5 • 2 Sections

CHICAGO RIDGE ANIMAL WELFARE LEAGUE

Shelter director takes heat for alleged abuse

Palos-area animal lovers recall brushes with AWL

Protesters call for her removal and other reforms

By Anthony Caciopo Regional News Editor

By Dermot Connolly Staff Writer

Animal rights activists, rescuers and some current and former volunteers are calling for new management to be installed at the Animal Welfare League (AWL) in Chicago Ridge, with heightened urgency because of photos published online that show deplorable conditions allegedly inside AWL. The site, at 10305 Southwest Hwy., is currently led by Director Linda Estrada. It opened in 1992.

According to the organization’s website, AWL houses “the largest number of adoptable animals from a non-profit organization in the entire Midwest.” The facility accepts cats, dogs and other animals turned in as strays, or surrendered by owners, as well as sick and injured wildlife. One thousand animals can be housed there at a given time.

Assertions of bad management at AWL have been discussed for years on social media. But activists started holding protests outside the shelter last week, when an outbreak of illness among dogs in the shelter led to a temporary suspension of adoptions of dogs and cats.

What was initially thought to be kennel cough, a common oc-

Photo by Jessica Pacholski

A handful of at least two dozen protesters hold signs aloft along Southwest Highway Saturday expressing their anger at management of the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge.

currence in animal shelters, apparently turned into an outbreak of more-serious canine influenza.

The protesters blame Estrada for allowing the illnesses to spread.

The suspension of adoptions had originally been limited to dogs, but was expanded to include cats as well.

As of Tuesday, a Change.org petition calling for an investigation into the management of the facility was signed by 12,430 people.

Employees and volunteers standing outside on Saturday morning, during one of the protests, stopped everyone going in.

They said the shelter was only open for people bringing in pets with “medical emergencies” to be seen by veterinarians on staff.

“Today, our objective is to ex-

pose continuous years of animal neglect and waste, fraud and abuse of the administration,” said Chris Jastczemski of Palos Hills, one of the organizers of the protest Saturday.

She was among dozens of people carrying signs calling for the resignation of Estrada and her board of directors. Some signs also included photos of dogs that allegedly died at the shelter due to lack of care.

“We don’t want to close this shelter. There is a need for it in this area. But there is gross mismanagement,” said Julie Freeman, who works with Small Paws rescue in Carol Stream.

She was there with Terri Crotty of Wags to Wishes in Joliet.

Both women said they visit the

Patricia Bailey and her husband, Ron, were looking to fill holes in their hearts.

“We had a cat die in November 2015 and in December my husband went to the Animal Welfare League looking for a replacement cat to love,” she said.

“He said there were hardly any cats there and staff told him they’re all at PetSmart. He drove to two locations and each had about three cats,” she recalled.

“That same night we got a call

from a friend who asked us if we wanted to take in a cat. Two people my friend knew had just been over to the Animal Welfare League to leave the cat for adoption.”

But the people with the cat, two young women who had found it hanging around their grandmother’s porch, had second thoughts after being inside the shelter a short time to begin the intake process.

“They got a bad vide from the place and took the cat away and back out to the car,” Bailey said.

“They were sitting in the parking See ANIMAL LOVERS, Page 2

Animal Welfare League site to “pull” animals they believe would otherwise be euthanized because they are either sick or just waiting too long for adoption.

“If we talk, we’re blacklisted here,” said Sandi Rusek, who works with Pet Harbor, which lists stray dogs online.

She was among those who said the Animal Welfare League does not post found animals on its website, or others, so owners have little chance of reuniting with their pets.

Tracy Caccavella, a licensed wildlife rehabber from Oak Lawn, said she gets called to the shelter Photo by Anthony Caciopo to pick up orphaned or sick wild Patricia Bailey and her cat, Mr. Sedona, gaze out the window of her Palos animals such as rabbits or squirrels Park home. Bailey picked up the cat in the parking lot of the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge from people who found the animal and wanted

See PROTESTERS, Page 2 to turn it in for adoption but got a “bad vibe” from the place and departed.

Palos Heights cited for excellence in financial reporting High standards include ‘spirit of full disclosure’

By Anthony Caciopo Regional News Editor

For the ninth consecutive year, the City of Palos Heights has earned a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (CAFR) from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.

“The certificate is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant

accomplishment by a government and its management,” said the association in a news release.

For local residents, that benchmark means they have an independently recognized level of comprehensive reporting of the city’s financial well-being. It’s contained in the annual Palos Heights Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, published on the city’s website. “(The recognition) basically says that we’re performing the right things,” said Mayor Bob Straz, “and it’s all done in the spirit

of full disclosure. We’re not trying to hide anything. We’re proud of what we’ve done.

“We’ve run at a surplus every year, we’ve made the staff and everything more professional, and I think that’s what leads to us getting recognition,” he said.

“It’s in keeping with our policies on providing as much information of quality to the community that we can,” said City Administrator Dan Nisavic.

“CAFR provides for a management analysis and discussion,” he said, “and it also gives the auditor’s

perspectives in terminology that’s easy to understand, so you can read this audit and come away with a pretty good idea of the fiscal condition of the city.”

Janice Colvin, the city’s director of accounting, said “Too many times in financial statements you will get only numbers.”

The numbers are there—and plenty of them--but Colvin said “(There’s) more dialog about what is going on in the city, as far as projects that were completed, projects that we’re working on and future projects.

“There’s an introduction into our financial statements now, which was a huge part of that award,”

she said. “It’s more than just financial statements of the city. There’s also a lot of information that can show people the direction we’re heading.”

Colvin was responsible for the first CAFR in the long string of annual awards, which began in 2008.

“It was one of the first projects I was given when I started working here,” she said, “to make sure the city qualified for this award.”

Colvin continues to author the introduction of each year’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The 2016 report (the most-recently completed, with auditing for the 2017 report expected to

be completed by April or May of this year) spans 143 pages.

“It’s a funds-based report,” said Nisavic.

Among the funds detailed in the report are the General Fund, Capital Projects Fund, Waterworks and Sewerage Fund, Debt Services Fund and many others.

Other aspects of the 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report include statement of cash flows, operating expenses, police pensions, various balance sheets and more.

Nisavic said that the Government Finance Officers Association See FINANCIAL, Page 2

Dist. 230 awaits $13M in state funding; gets $5.5K library grant

By Dermot Connolly Staff Writer

School District 230 recently received a small state library grant, but the school board was told at its meeting last Thursday that it may be a few more months before the district sees any of the main state funding coming to it this year.

Dr. Kim Dryier, assistant superintendent for instruction, notified the board that the district received a library grant of $5,569.50. She explained that the amount is based on the count of 7,426 students who attended the three district schools in 2017, making the per-pupil rate 75 cents.

But it’s a far greater amount of money the district is waiting for.

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Superintendent Dr. James Gay pointed out that the district has yet to receive any of the money the state owes for this year, although an education funding bill was passed in September. He said the hold-up was caused by Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto on Jan. 8.

The superintendent did not mention any numbers at the meet-

ing, but according to the 2018 budget, the district is expecting a total of $13,232,678 in state funds this year. This includes $7,975,947 in educational funds, $4,606,731 for transportation and $650,000 for operations.

“From what I have heard, the Democrats may not have enough votes to overturn the veto,” said Gay, adding that time is a factor

because the Legislature also will not be in session for long stretches this spring, due to the March 20 primary election.

According to published reports, Rauner wants the section of the funding bill pertaining to a scholarship program for private schools rewritten. The program allows individuals and corporations to make donations to pri-

vate schools, in exchange for a 75 percent tax credit. However, the current wording only allows private schools “recognized” by the state board of education to participate, which Rauner wants to change to “registered” with the board. That would allow about 36 more schools to participate,

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2 Thursday, February 1, 2018

The Regional News

POLICE BLOTTER: PALOS PARK Suspended license Athanasios T. Verandos, 28, of Palos Hills, was charged with driving with a suspended license following a traffic stop at 6:45 p.m.

Jan. 22, at LaGrange Road and Creek Road. Police said he was also cited for driving with only one taillight. He was also given local adjudication tickets for possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia when a small amount of cannabis and a glass pipe were found in his pockets, according to the police report. Police said he is due at a hearing on Feb. 7 in the Kaptur

Administrative Center on the local charges, and March 21 in the Bridgeview Courthouse for the driving charges.

Expired registration Christopher R. Golden, 21, of Orland Hills, was charged with driving with expired registration following a traffic stop at 11:54 p.m. Jan. 21, in the 13200 block of South Wolf Road. Police said he was also issued a local adjudication for possession of cannabis, after a bag containing 3.1 grams of the drug was found in the glove

compartment.

Improper lighting Jacob H. Caballero, 20, of Lemont, was cited for driving with improper lighting following a traffic stop at 1:11 a.m. Jan. 23, in the 11800 block of South Archer Avenue. Police said he was driving with one headlight. He was given two more local adjudication tickets for possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia after a small amount of marijuana, a marijuana grinder and two marijuana pipes were found in the car, said police.

POLICE BLOTTER: ORLAND PARK Obstructing justice Kalen D. Tartt, 24, of Homewood, was charged with obstructing justice following a traffic stop at 5:10 p.m. Dec. 30, in the 15800 block of South Harlem Avenue.

Police said he had been acting suspiciously in the tool aisle of a nearby Home Depot store, and he was charged with possession of stolen property because three power tools were found in the car.

The obstruction charge resulted from his refusal to get out of his car, said police. He was also cited for driving without one headlight, and driving a car with expired registration. He was due in court today, Feb. 1.

Retail theft James L. Richardson, 55, of Lockport, was charged with retail theft at Sears in Orland Square Mall at 12:17 p.m. Jan. 6. Police said he took a $300 electric mixer from the store. He is due in court on Feb. 14.

Country Club Hills residents

Darryl Williams Jr. and Christian S. Williams, both 18, were charged with retail theft at JCPenney in Orland Square Mall at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 1. Police said they were stopped as they left the store with a bag stuffed with assorted clothing items worth $444 in total. They are both due in court on Feb. 14.

Gavin M. Brown, 26, of Chicago, was charged with retail theft at 10:02 a.m. Dec. 15, at Carson’s in Orland Square Mall. Police said he knocked a security guard to the ground as he fled the store with assorted items worth $771 in total. He was also charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, because he was carrying 1.5 grams of crack cocaine and one unidentified pill without a prescription, said police. Brown was also cited for unlawful possession of a theft detection shielding device, and resisting arrest. He was held for a bond hearing.

Andia A. Harris, 27, of Chicago, was charged with retail theft at Charlotte Russe in Orland Square Mall at 7:23 p.m. Dec. 21. Police

said she took several pieces of jewelry from that store, and was also charged with possession of stolen property because several items taken from other stores in the mall were also found in her car. She was also wanted on outstanding warrants from Cook County and DuPage County related to retail theft, and a third from Lake County, Ind. She was held for a bond hearing.

Forgery Chiqueonia T. Lee, 20, of Chicago, was charged with forgery on Jan. 2 after police said she was caught using a counterfeit $100 bill at a Sbarro’s restaurant in Orland Square Mall on Dec. 26. The charge was delayed until a Secret Service agent could come to the police station and confirm that the bill she passed was fake.

Police said she admitted having four counterfeit $100 bills, and using them at three other stores to buy small items and get real money as change. She was held for a bond hearing.

POLICE BLOTTER: PALOS HEIGHTS Suspended license Obaid K. Moflehi, 27, of Oak Lawn, was charged with driving with a suspended license at 11:57 p.m. Jan. 25, at Route 83 and Harlem Avenue. Police said he was also cited for having no rear registration plate. He is due in court on Feb. 13.

Unlicensed driving Talal K. Azar, 24, of Worth, was charged with driving without a valid license at 4:10 a.m. Jan. 26, in the 12700 block of South Harlem Avenue. Police said he was also cited for speeding. He is due in court on Feb. 13.

Gaudencia Richter, 42, of Blue Island, was charged with driving without a valid license at 4:31 a.m. Saturday, at Route 83 and Ridgeland Avenue. Police said he is due in court on March 15.

DUI Michael J. Booth, 53, of Palos Heights, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a minor traffic crash at 4:56 p.m. Friday, in the 12800 block of South Harlem Avenue.

Police said he left the scene and failed field sobriety tests when he was found at his home. He was also cited for leaving the scene of an accident. He is due in court

on Feb. 28.

Aggravated speeding Hussein Yasin, 48, of Orland Park, was charged with aggravated speeding following a traffic stop at 3:28 a.m. Saturday, in the 12300 block of South Harlem Avenue.

Police said he was driving 68 mph in a 35-mph zone. He is due in court on Feb. 28.

Theft from car Police are investigating the reported theft of an unspecified amount of cash taken from a car parked in the 7200 block of West College Drive at 8:35 p.m. Sunday.

Photo by Carla Erdey

AP Psychology students from Sandburg High School provided a bit of levity by conducting a psychology experiment on board secretary Susan Dalton at the District 230 meeting on Jan. 25. Participants (from left) were students Courtney Framke, Maria Krause, board secretary Susan Dalton, Miranda Arredonodo, psychology teacher Desi Vuillaume and Jillian Esposito. Teacher Joe Geiger was present but not in the photo.

Dist. 230

Continued from Page 1 according to the governor.

In the meantime, public schools are still waiting for funds.

Gay said that while District 230 only depends on state funding for a portion of its budget, other districts are more cash-strapped.

“The whole point of the education bill was to provide more funding for those districts. It is a shame they haven’t gotten any money yet.”

Most of the state funding District 230 receives goes toward transportation and special education costs, called “categorials,” which are paid in installments throughout the year.

“We are caught up on what the state owed us from last year. But we haven’t gotten anything from this year yet,” said the superintendent. “They are now saying that maybe by March or April this year, money will be given out. It is hard to budget, when the school year ends on June 30.”

Regarding the School District

Library Grant, it will provide supplementary support for Dist. 230’s media program, which is aimed at enhancing student learning.

“As usual, it will go right into our library media programs, and just assisting with technology and so forth,” at Stagg, Sandburg and Andrew high schools, said Dryier.

Typically, the library grant money is used for acquisition of library materials to support reading for academics and enjoyment, as well as library subscriptions to electronic resources or library-based technology to support student research.

A bit of levity was injected into the meeting when a group of AP Psychology students from Sandburg, with their teachers, Joe Geiger and Desi Vuilliame, gave a demonstration of the types of experiments done at the Psychology Fair held for students and parents at the school in November.

As she introduced the group, retiring Sandburg Principal Deb Baker said, “I will miss a lot when I leave. But what I will miss the most is the ready access to incredible teaching and learning.

“The passion and the excellence that we have in teaching and learning is amazing,” said Baker, who will be turning her post over to Jennifer Tyrrell, currently associate principal of instruction at Stagg. She was there too, and received a warm welcome at the meeting, the first since she was named to her new job in January.

Board secretary Susan Dalton gamely offered to participate in the experiment, in which she was asked to alphabetize the days of the week in 20 seconds, and then name a color and a tool.

The students said that while Dalton chose yellow and screwdriver, the majority of people tested chose red and hammer, with screwdriver coming second.

“We learned that our brains have different categories for remembering things, and those are the most common colors and tools, so they come to our mind first,” said Jillian Esposito.

“We are lucky that even with the delays in state funding, we can still offer everything we do, including things like the Psych Fair,” said Gay afterward.

Photo by Jessica Pacholski

Caroline Huerta, co-administrator of AWL STRAY/FOUND, protests in front of the Animal Welfare League. Her organization is an online, not-for-profit site, with no affiliation to the Chicago Ridge AWL, which helps owners who have lost dogs and cats find them if the animals turn up at a local shelter. According to Huerta and several other protesters, AWL has lied about returning the pets to the owners.

Protesters

Continued from Page 1 that are found and turned in.

But she maintains that the staff led by Estrada does not take precautions against spreading infections when moving in and out of isolation rooms.

“They are not wearing shoe covers or masks in the isolation rooms. Why are they not taking these standard precautions,” Caccavella wondered. She also claimed that animals sometimes get too much medication, causing minor problems to worsen.

Asked to respond to Caccavella’s complaints, Peggy Price, an employee watching the protest on Saturday, said staff may have been moving between isolation rooms.

She denied the assertions of protesters that Estrada is a “bully,” who would fire employees or volunteers who speak out against her.

“We’re all here because we care for the animals. I wouldn’t be here if I was treated like that,” said Price.

Animal lovers Continued from Page 1

lot, not knowing what to do.”

They placed a call to Bailey’s friend and after a picture was sent via smartphones, Bailey went to the AWL parking lot to meet them.

The cat was thought to be female because that’s what a staffer inside the shelter supposedly told the young women before they got the bad feeling and left.

But Bailey, a retired teacher, was in for a surprise after she brought the cat home. Its gender was not what she had thought.

“I found out it was male,” she said. “I had the name all set (before the gender revelation) that my next cat was going to be called Sedona, but now sometimes we call him Mr. Sedona.”

Mr. Sedona lives happily in the Bailey home with another cat, Violet, but in light of recent news that alleged abuse and/or neglect may have been taking place at the Animal Welfare League, she thinks back.

“It’s interesting that it was over two years ago that my husband thought something might be up over there because there were so few cats,” she said.

When Carol Alesia of Palos Park visited AWL a couple of times, there may have been a problem of too many cats—at least for the available space.

Financial

Continued from Page 1 receives the information upon which to issue its achievement of excellence certificate from the city’s auditors, Mulcahy, Pauritsch, Salvador & Co., Ltd. “The auditors do a great job with completing final versions,” he said.

Colvin, the director of accounting, prepares all the information for the auditors. Of the many other hands that contribute to various aspects of the city’s financial reporting, Mayor Straz also cited Treasurer James Daemicke and Frank Oswald, who retired from the treasurer’s position in 2016.

“We do our best to meet all the standards and beyond,” said Nisavic. “When you look at Channel 4, what they do, televising our (City Council) meetings live— those are the things we believe are working in that direction of transparency.

“It’s a level of behavior and standards that we keep on rolling but we’re always looking at ‘are we meeting those standards?’. For the most part, we believe we are,” he said.

Several protesters suggested that Chicago Ridge village officials should look into the situation.

“This is a needed facility, but we need transparency. Everyone on the board needs to go. These protests are a long time coming,” said Shannon Gaglione of Naperville, a former volunteer.

“The village needs to get involved. This is a holocaust of animals,” said Terry Maderak of Chicago’s West Elsdon neighborhood, claiming that too many animals are dying from illness or being euthanized.

Chicago Ridge Mayor Chuck Tokar, after touring the facility on Monday, said the village does not have personnel qualified for inspections.

“That is for the Illinois Department of Agriculture. And I saw the latest reports from IDA inspections that gave the facility good marks,” said the mayor.

Photos of dogs lying in their own excrement or blood have been circulating online, some taken in 2015. The pictures, all allegedly taken at AWL, also show heavy

concentrations of rodent droppings.

While Tokar and others who have toured the facility have said they found it in good condition, the activists said there are back rooms that visitors aren’t allowed in.

Tokar said euthanasia isn’t as common as the activists say, and is used mainly on dogs that have been found to be aggressive and unsuitable for adoption.

“They say it is cheaper to feed and house the animals than euthanize them, which costs about $300,” said the mayor.

“It looks to me like there are tons of volunteers, more than employees. I don’t think (Estrada) is a bad person. She has a good heart and they are doing the best they can. We are trying to bring the two sides together to resolve this,” said Tokar.

The Regional News spoke briefly with Estrada at the shelter via telephone Monday. She asked if she could call back the following day, but as of press time Wednesday morning, she had not returned the call.

“I felt sorry for them,” she said.

“The size of the cat room was so small. All of the cats were in their cages. I don’t know if they were ever taken out.

“I think the cat room could be larger for the purpose of the cats being able to roam around,” said Alesia, who donated cat food to the AWL three years ago. “You could hardly move around in there.

I pray that they’ll all get good homes.”

Alesia has a cat, from a shelter in Hinsdale.

“I don’t believe in going to breeders,” she said. “I believe in rescuing animals that are in shelters.”

The Palos Park resident is an animal lover of another level, raising public awareness of the far-reaching problem of using poison to eliminate rodents.

The poison eventually goes up the food chain when other creatures eat the poisoned animals.

Her heart was broken when owls that had lived for more than 20 years in her back yard died, caused by ingesting mice that had been poisoned.

She recalled finding one of the owls dead in her spruce tree, pitched forward with its talons still grasping the branch on which it died.

“Anything for the animals,” Alesia said.

Sharon Vojtek of Palos Heights said she has gone into the Animal

Welfare League many times.

“I have immediately walked out,” she said. “It smells to high heaven. They never seem to be organized, ever.

“At one point, I had thought about volunteering there,” Vojtek said. “The follow-up was poor. It was just not a place I wanted to be associated with.”

Vojtek adopted a dog through the AWL 17 years ago and when she was looking to adopt another dog about four years ago, she tried the shelter again.

“Nothing ever changes in that place,” she said. “Anybody that says they’re going to look for a pup, I tell them not to go there.”

Vojtek eventually connected with Paws Chicago for occasional volunteer duties, working at the organization’s adoption center at 1997 N. Clybourn Ave. in Chicago.

“It’s what a shelter should be,” she said. “You’re taking care of very important pets—dogs, cats or otherwise. We all have a responsibility to those animals because they bring a lot into people’s lives, whether it is someone in the hospital, in hospice, a child, a single adult or a family.

“They give back so much to you,” said Vojtek about pet.

“When I come home I know my little dog is there. I ruffle her fur and my anxiety level goes down.

“They ask for so little and give everyone so much,” she said.

“The mayor, the City Council and the entire staff work toward that effort,” said Nisavic. “It’s something that we’re all aware of and we try to do our best.”

Read the 2016 Palos Heights

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, as well as reports from many other years, at www. palosheights.org/open-government. Once on that page, scroll down to “Audits.”

The Regional News

Thursday, February 1, 2018

DNA leads to arrest in 2015 Orland robbery case

Photo by Anthony Caciopo

Heights police survey scene of vehicle crash

Deputy Chief William Czajkowski (right) and Detective John Parnitzke of the Palos Heights Police Department examine a vehicle that crashed Sunday night at 7620 W.135th St. The driver was identified as Joseph A. Nelligan, 60, of Orland Park. Police said his vehicle left the road while travelling westbound, entered a drainage ditch, struck the base of a driveway, completed a vault maneuver and landed upright in the front yard. The incident was reported at 7:09 p.m. Nelligan was charged with improper lane usage and DUI. He was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition was listed as critical as of press time, according to a hospital spokesperson. There were no other occupants of the vehicle.

Palos 118 Early Learning addition open The Palos 118 Early Learning addition at Palos West Elementary School is open to early learners after months of construction. The new addition is the result of a historic bond referendum, the first to be passed in 50 years in October 2016 with the support of the Palos community.

Palos 118 Superintendent Dr. Anthony Scarsella said the completion of the Early Learning addition is one of the highlights of his tenure as superintendent.

“For the first time, our youngest most vulnerable students have the opportunity to thrive in learning environments designed specifically to meet their needs. The vision of our school district is All Students Reaching Their Full Potential. This addition is a bold step forward in turning that vision into reality,” said Scarsella.

The new addition features two early childhood classrooms, two pre-kindergarten classrooms and four kindergarten classrooms, which are all self-contained. The addition also boasts a common open area for gross motor skills, a speech room, offices, and a storage area.

The young students affection-

ately call their gross motor play area their “new gym.” The Palos community is welcome to visit the addition and see all of the amenities for themselves at the official open house set to take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 15 at Palos West Elementary School, 12700 104th Ave. Palos Park.

The endeavor began two years ago in an effort to evaluate the needs of Palos 118’s early learners. A working group of teachers, other staff and an early childhood educator from Lewis University studied the quality of the pre-k/ early childhood learning environment in the district and found them deficient. Enrollment for young, at risk students has grown over the last 12 years from 14 early childhood and 20 pre-k students in 2005 to 25 early childhood and 56 pre-k students in 2016.

High quality early learning programs are needed to make good use of time for instructional interaction. Teachers also indicated valuable instructional time was lost because their classroom spaces were not designed to meet the needs of 3-5 year-olds. A great deal of teaching time was wasted taking young students to the bathrooms

and long walks down the halls.

“The School Board is proud to announce the project was completed on time and on budget,” said School Board President MariJo Calacci. “The addition not only provides an excellent learning environment for our earliest learners but also improves the safety and efficiency of our driveways and parking lots.”

With the support of the community, District 118 was able to pass the referendum to make the early learning facility a reality. Probably most appealing to taxpayers was the referendum did not increase or decrease property taxes. The $6.5 million in new building bonds replaced old bonds that were paid off in December 2016.

Scarsella expressed his gratitude to the Palos 118 community for providing the funding necessary to complete this project and the parents, teachers, administrators and staff for their hard work.

“I also want to thank our school board for its continued focus on providing our students a world class education. This is a proud achievement for our entire school community,” said Scarsella.

District 230 spells out residency rules All High School District 230 students need to show proof of residency within the district boundaries on an annual basis, similar to when students first enrolled at the high school, according to a recent statement from district officials.

The procedure was put into place to protect the financial interest of taxpayers in District 230 by ensuring that the students who receive an education in local schools are legally entitled to do so.

Incoming freshmen will prove residency as part of the registration process this month. This proof of residency will satisfy the requirement for all students in their family.

A series of dates and times will be held throughout second semester for parents/guardians to provide the necessary documentation for all other students. Those dates are: Tuesday, March 6, noon to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, April 11, 8 a.m. to

noon, and 4 to 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 5, 8 a.m. to noon.

Families must provide one document from Category I and three documents from Category II that show proper address.

Category I includes: • Most recent property tax bill and proof of payment, e.g. canceled check or form 1098 (homeowners).

• Mortgage papers (new homeowners).

• Signed and dated lease and proof of last month’s payment, e.g. canceled check or receipt (renters).

• Letter from manager and proof of last month’s payment, e.g. canceled check or receipt (trailer park residents).

• Housing letter (military personnel).

• Letter of residence from landlord in lieu of lease (7:60-E1).

• Letter of residence to be used

when the person seeking to enroll a student is living with a District resident (7:60-E2). ​ Category II includes: • Driver’s license/State ID card • Vehicle registration • Voter registration • Most recent cable television and/or credit card bill • Current public aid card • Current homeowners/renters insurance policy and premium payment receipt • Most recent gas, electric, and/ or water bill • Current library card with address listed • Receipt for moving van rental All of the documents must be presented at one time. Partial paperwork will not be accepted.

All documents must show proper address.

A DNA sample left at the scene of a purse-snatching at Orland Square Mall in 2015 led to the arrest of a Hazel Crest man last week in connection with the crime.

Orland Park police investigating the case said that they were notified this past December from the Illinois State Police forensic laboratory that an identification was made on a DNA sample. They were told the DNA profile was associated with David J. Gamble, 24, of Hazel Crest.

Orland Park detectives had

been trying unsuccessfully to locate Gamble since he was identified. But at 9:50 p.m. last Thursday, he was arrested and charged Gamble with robbery and vehicular invasion in the case after being stopped for a traffic violation in the 15800 block of South LaGrange Road. He was being held this week in Cook

3

County Jail on $100,000 bond.

Police said the case dates back to 7:17 p.m. Oct. 27, 2015, when a 35-year-old woman reported being robbed in the mall parking lot, near The Cheesecake Factory. She said she had just gotten into her car when the suspect reached in and grabbed her bag and wallet off the passenger seat. The wallet contained cash and credit cards., She said the offender, who fled on foot, did not display a weapon and she was not injured.

Megan Hurckes Scholarship Fund plans 19th birthday bowling party

By Bob Bong The annual birthday bowling party to benefit the Megan Hurckes Scholarship Fund will be held Saturday, Feb. 3, at Arena Lanes in Oak Lawn.

Megan was the 10-year-old daughter of Jerry Hurckes and Mary Ann Hurckes and the sister of Jenna, all from Oak Lawn. Megan was killed in an ATV accident on a family vacation in Wisconsin in September 2009. She was a fifth-grader at Kolb School in Oak Lawn.

Since Megan’s death, the scholarship committee and Hurckes family celebrate her birthday with a bowling fundraiser to raise money for the Megan Hurckes Scholarship Fund, which donates money to students going to college.

The Megan Hurckes Scholarship Fund has donated thousands of dollars in scholarships for local students who go on to college from Oak Lawn and surrounding communities.

“Bowling was one of her favorite activities, and because her birthday was in February, she always liked to have a bowling party for her friends. We have been holding this to celebrate her life. It keeps us busy and stops us from getting too depressed,” said Jerry Hurckes, former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd) and a former Oak Lawn village trustee.

Hurckes has been hired as the

Photo courtesy of Megan Hurckes Scholarship Fund

Megan Hurckes was a big White Sox fan. Her family will honor her memory with its annual Birthday Bowling Party at Arena Lanes on Saturday.

new executive director for the Village of Summit.

“We appreciate that so many people who were important to Megan’s life still come out for this, including her teachers, classmates, teammates and coaches,” said her father. “It means a lot to us.”

In addition to being a straight-A student, Megan was active in Westside Baseball, where she played on a championship softball team in 2009.

“Four scholarships are awarded each year, for either high school or college,” said Hurckes, explaining that scholarships are awarded to students from Kolb and St. Louis de Montfort School, as well as Simmons Middle School and Oak

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Lawn Community High School.

Students from each school can apply for the scholarships, he said.

This annual fundraiser started in 2010 and has grown into a funfilled night of family and friends getting together to celebrate a little girl’s birthday. Megan would be turning 19 years old on Monday, Feb. 5.

Arena Lanes bowling alley is at 103rd and Cicero in Oak Lawn.

Doors for the event will open at 6:30 p.m.

For information, call 708-5997302.

Dermot Connolly contributed to this report.

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4 Thursday, February 1, 2018

Kennedy not ready for prime time For a while now, the book on Chris Kennedy has been that he may not be cut out for a career in politics, despite his famous last name and pedigree as the son of Bobby Kennedy and nephew of John F. Kennedy.

That thinking goes all the way back to Kennedy’s disastrous performance after a breakfast speech to Illinois delegates during the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Kennedy had a serious freak-out experience in front of TV cameras as reporters jumped on an elevator with him to ask questions.

The Democratic gubernatorial candidate has had some weird, uncomfortable moments since then, but none so weird and uncomfortable as a recent media availability.

By now, most everyone bothering to read this knows what happened. Kennedy was asked whether Gov. Bruce Rauner is “almost becoming like a super PAC for you as he’s trying to undermine JB Pritzker,” with Rauner’s constant anti-Pritzker hits on property taxes, House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Kennedy responded by defending the Republican governor. “I think Bruce Rauner is trying to do what he thinks is best for the state of Illinois,” Kennedy said. “Now, we may disagree on what that is, but his willingness to speak truth to power, to take on the powers that have been strangling our economy for decades in this state, is something that I think he should be applauded for.”

I kinda get where Kennedy was trying to go there. There is a strong vein within the Democratic Party which despises the party’s powers-that-be. By attacking powerful and unpopular Democrats, Kennedy believes he can reach those sorts of folks and also immunize himself against attacks by Rauner during the fall election (I doubt it’ll work because Rauner will use his favorite “Blame Madigan!” issue no matter who the nominee is, but whatever).

Before he can take on Rauner in the fall, however, Kennedy has to win a Democratic primary this spring. I shouldn’t have to even say this, but Democrats don’t usually win Democratic primaries by going out of their way to heap compliments on an incumbent Republican who polls worse among Democratic primary voters than… well, just go ahead and complete that sentence yourself with the worst possible thing you can imagine.

There were plenty of other ways to say what Kennedy said without patting Bruce Rauner on the back. You’d think just about any half-competent candidate could come up with a few, if pressed as Kennedy was last week. That this was the way he chose to answer the question shows as much about Kennedy’s abilities as a candidate as his abject failure to raise significant campaign funds.

There was also a blowup last week when Kennedy pulled a no-class stunt during a candidates’ forum. He was asked to say something nice about the other candidates, but Kennedy said he just couldn’t say anything positive about his billionaire rival Pritzker.

Kennedy most definitely didn’t come off as a happy warrior during that forum. He seemed grumpy the whole time. But not many people actually watched it. That’s the biggest mistake too often made by people in this business. We all follow state politics closely, but we forget that few others do. Even so, I would venture a guess that if “normal” people do hear anything about the forum through their various networks, Kennedy’s insult will be high on that list.

What struck me the most, however, was something I haven’t seen reported elsewhere.

Kennedy said he wanted to put another billion dollars a year into higher education. The forum’s moderator, Carol Marin, asked him how he would pay for it.

“There’s two buildings in Chicago that are so under-assessed relative to their sales price, there’s a billion dollars of missing value from them alone,” Kennedy declared. “That should pay five percent a year in taxes. That’s $50 million a year.”

While I have no problem with booting Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios from office, I don’t think the man can be blamed for underfunded state universities. Kennedy is apparently so caught up in his property tax reform shtick that it has become his go-to answer on pretty much everything. Property taxes are local revenues. The state doesn’t get a cut.

Kennedy’s response was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard proposed by a supposedly legitimate candidate for governor — and that’s really saying something. With early voting about to begin, Kennedy still hasn’t demonstrated that he’s ready for prime time.

OPINION

The Regional News

RICH MILLER

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.

Owned and operated by Southwest Regional Publishing Co. Mark Hornung, Chief Operating Officer

The Business Side

Donna Brown, Sales Director Monica Cotter, Finance Director Debbie Perrewe, Classified Manager Mike Russell, Production Director Bonnie Hesik, Pre-press Manager

Cubs players should take a tip from SoxFest I was looking at White Sox souvenirs at SoxFest last weekend at Conrad Chicago, the former Conrad Hilton hotel, when I overheard the vendor talking to someone, maybe a customer or another vendor.

The guy was bemoaning the fact that it’s easier to sell baseball paraphernalia at the Cubs Convention rather than SoxFest because Cubs fans were “better educated,” were “yuppies,” and had more recreational money to spend.

Wow, I thought. Cubs fans have sure come a long way. But then I started to remember the reality of Cubs celebrations.

Two years ago, at the Cubs Convention after the team’s first World Series win in 108 years, all I remember was the stench of dried beer that wafted through the lobby at the Sheraton hotel, and wading through emptied, smashed beer cans on the lobby floor.

The Cubs Convention was more like the aftermath of the South Side St. Patrick’s Day Parade, filled with a lot of celebration, booze, strewn beer cans and booze bottles, and a lot of four-letter words.

SoxFest, on the other hand, seemed so much more civil. I saw a few people pull wagons of beer into the Hilton’s lobby, but not even coming close to the hundreds of Cubs fans streaming into the Sheraton trailed by cases of Budweiser.

Most of the Sox players were courteous to everyone, something I recall the Cubs players being before their 2016 World Series victory sent their egos into the stratosphere. Before the World Series

RAY HANANIA victory, the Cubs were the “Loveable Losers.” They were humble. Respectful.

And happy that anyone really cared about them or thought they had a chance to win anything big.

After the World Series, they turned into snobs. Anthony Rizzo, who before the World Series was such a great guy, wouldn’t even stop to give young fans autographs, like he did before winning.

Winning sure screws up a team.

The White Sox players were mostly nice people. There were only a few exceptions of rudeness and mumbles among fans about what jerks they really were, including Carlton Fisk and Bo Jackson.

These were players who seemed to wish they didn’t have to be with the “fans.”

They wouldn’t stop for anyone.

The rest of the Sox were great, like third baseman Nicky Delmonico who made his debut with the Sox last season. Delmonico was typical of most Sox players, stopping to give autographs to everyone.

Some said, “Well, he’s new.” But I thought, hey! This is a convention to celebrate not only the baseball team, but the

loyal fans who spent hundreds of dollars to attend and hundreds more at the fest.

If you are a baseball player for the Cubs at the Cubs Convention or for the Sox at SoxFest, if there is one time when you are SUPPOSED to give autographs, it’s at that festival gathering.

Sure, when you’re at dinner spending your millions contemplating the purchase of a third or fourth mansion with your trophy wife in a white mink coat, I can understand you not wanting to be bothered by fans, who definitely can be rude.

But if you attend the fests, you should be ready to act like someone who appreciates fan support.

OK. I’m not a big sports authority.

I listen to the writings and rantings of Jeff Vorva, sports editor of The Regional News, if I really want to understand sports of any kind. But come on, folks.

Seriously. You go to SoxFest and refuse to give autographs?

Politics is the sport I really love the most. And certainly, politics has more scandal, corruption, booze and empty beer cans than sports.

I just expected more from athletes than from politicians, I guess. Maybe I shouldn’t.

Ray Hanania is an award winning columnist, author and former Chicago City Hall reporter. Email him at rghanania@ gmail.com.

READERS WRITE Palos Park police to offer rides to over-served Super Bowl celebrants Make this a safe Super Bowl weekend for you and for everyone else on the road.

Don’t drink and drive.

If you are in Palos Park, and have had too much to drink, call us and our officers will ensure you get home safely, not to another drinking establishment or party.

You can contact Palos Park police at (708) 448-2191.

We encourage everyone who will be attending Super Bowl parties and drinking to “have a plan” by either staying the night where they will be celebrating or having a designated driver take them home.

Police are always on the alert Super Bowl weekend for a spike in unsafe and impaired drivers. The Super Bowl is one of the days, like New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July that officers know people will be out on the road taking chances.

But the responsibility is not only on

drivers. Business owners of bars and restaurants are being told to be on the lookout for drunken patrons and not to over-serve customers.

If someone is impaired and needs a ride, we would much rather have them call us than get behind the wheel and get into an accident.

Joe Miller Chief of Police Palos Park

High-mount flashing brake lights are nothing new I recently saw an SUV with a brake light near the roof that began flashing as the brakes were applied and then stayed on constantly after that.

My father, August J. Knez of Palos Park (since 1952), had a device patented in 1964. The patent was for “Rear-Alternating

Signal for Automotive Vehicles.”

His idea was that on expressways you would like to see up ahead if someone was applying his or her brakes for the first time. His device had two red signals in the rear window so you could see through the car in front of you if brakes were applied.

On the first application of the brakes the signals would alternate to catch your attention, but only for five seconds. After five seconds, both lamps would be lit constantly as normal brake lights.

We had three models installed in our cars. My father never came up with the hundred thousand dollars to get the patent into production. But you will notice that about the time the patent expired, brake lights began to appear in the rear windows of automobiles and now the flashing light has been implemented.

Paul A. Knez Palos Heights

The News Side

Anthony Caciopo, Editor Dermot Connolly, Reporter Jeff Vorva, Sports Editor Lauren Ziemann, Art Director Chuck Ingwersen, Designer

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This newspaper is dedicated to the memory of those who gave their lives to protect America’s freedom of the press, whenever and however it may be threatened.

Trump’s tax cuts will help spur U.S. economy

By Printus LeBlanc As President Donald Trump was prepared to speak in Davos to announce that America is open for business, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is predicting Armageddon because of the tax cuts. To be fair, she says that a lot.

The first company to announce it would pass on the corporate tax benefits to its employees was AT&T. Shortly after a deal was reached in the Senate, the corporate giant announced a $1,000 bonus for 200,000 employees and is increasing its capital expenditures by $1 billion.

For years the left has fought ferociously to get the federal government to institute a $15 minimum wage. Several cities around the nation have done so and seen an exodus of business from cities. The tax cuts signed by President Trump did more for the $15 minimum wage fight than anyone thought possible. Shortly after the signing

of the bill, Wells Fargo raised their base wage by $1.50 to $15 per hour. Discover Financial Services and Humana are two more large companies raising their minimum wages to $15 per hour.

Apple CEO Tim Cook may not like President Trump personally, but he loves his tax cuts. Last week the technology giant announced plans to build a second corporate campus in the U.S. and increase its U.S. workforce by 20,000 people over the next five years. Additionally, Apple was famous for housing billions in overseas profits offshore and refusing to repatriate the money because of high U.S. corporate taxes Thanks to the tax cuts, Apple announced it would repatriate billions from overseas, estimating the tax bill would be $38 billion for the repatriation. All told, Apple estimated its actions will generate $350 billion in economic activity for the U.S. Look at that, tax cuts generating more tax revenue

and more economic activity than initially thought.

The corporate tax cuts are going to have a massive impact on stock dividends. Many people may not think they are invested in the stock market, but if they have a 401(k), an IRA, or pension plan, they are invested in the stock market. Wall Street analysts are revising up their estimated dividend returns for several stocks. Lowes, Pepsi, and Proctor and Gamble are just a few of the stocks analysts expect to increase their dividend payout by as much as 60 cents per share.

Bonuses in the thousands. Pay raises to and above the progressive’s ideal wage of $15 per hour. Does this sound like crumbs?

All this is happening before anyone has seen the increase in pay in their paycheck, which begins this month.

Printus LeBlanc is a contributing editor for Americans for Limited Government.

BUSINESS

The Regional News

COMINGS & GOINGS

5

FINANCIAL FOCUS

Be financially prepared for natural disasters

Photo by Bob Bong

Toys R Us announced last week that it would close its store in Matteson and a Babies R Us store in Burbank, which may move into the Toys R Us store in Burbank (pictured above).

Toys R Us closing area stores New Jersey-based toy retailer Toys R Us announced last week that it planned to close 182 stores nationwide, including seven in the Chicago area.

The scheduled closings must be approved by a federal bankruptcy court, which is handling the retailer’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

Among the seven stores on the closing list include the Toys R Us store at 5001 Lincoln Highway in Matteson and the Babies R Us store at 7750 S. Cicero Ave. in Burbank, which may be folded into the Toys R Us store at 8148 S. Cicero Ave in Burbank that is not listed for closing.

Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores in Orland Park and North Riverside are not slated for closing.

Going out of business sales are expected to start in February and continue through April.

“The reinvention of our brands requires that we make tough decisions about our priorities and focus,” chairman and CEO David Brandon said in a letter posted on the company’s website.

The announcement was another blow for the Matteson retail base, which already is reeling from the closing of its Sam’s Club store, relocation of its Walmart store to Richton Park, the closing this weekend of its Target store, and the demolition of most of the once formidable Lincoln Mall shopping plaza.

Neat Repeats open in new digs Neat Repeats, the resale shop operated by the Crisis Center for South Suburbia, is now open in its new digs at 6602 W. 111th St. in Worth, just down the street from its previous location.

Proceeds from the shop and another in Orland Park are used to help fund operations for the Crisis Center, a non-profit community organization that provides emergency shelter and other essential services for individuals and families victimized by domestic violence. The Crisis Center also addresses the societal issues that contribute to domestic violence.

The new building almost doubled the shop’s size from 4,000 square feet to 7,200 square feet. The new location also has a larger parking lot.

The new store opened late last year after construction began last spring.

On vacation Mickey’s Gyros at 10701 S. Roberts Road in Palos Hills is closed for vacation. The restaurant will be closed until Feb. 11 and will reopen on Monday, Feb. 12.

Tutoring service opens in Orland Club Z In-Home Tutoring Services, a fast-growing

BOB BONG in-home tutoring company, has opened a branch in Orland Park.

Club Z provides individualized tutoring to students in the security of their homes. The company services an area as far away as Lockport, Lemont and Woodridge.

In addition to tutoring in all core subjects - reading, math, science, computers, language arts, etc., Club Z provides tutoring in study skills, SAT, ACT and other assessment test preparation, as well as specialized services for children with learning disabilities.

Club Z does not require long-term contracts and parents can end tutoring at any time.

For information, call 630-427-4754 or visit www. clubztutoring.com.

Craft beer store opens in Mokena Crafted Tap and Bottle Shop, which features craft beers for sale in bottles and cans as well as a tap room for tasting craft brews, held its grand opening in mid-January at 19200 S. LaGrange Road in Mokena.

Owners Denver Worker and Dan Rusnak opened the store late last year and held a ribbon-cutting on Jan. 18.

Hours are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, and closed on Monday.

Buddig Beef expands Homewood-based Carl Buddig and Co. announced that it will expand its operations in Illinois with the purchase of the former Butterball facility in downstate Montgomery.

The 28,000-square-foot plant closed in July 2017.

Buddig plans to expand its production of lunch meats and specialty meats at the facility.

Last year, the company purchased South Holland-based Rupari Food Services out of bankruptcy.

It operates a massive plant in South Holland.

This year, the family owned business will celebrate its 75th anniversary.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com

MVCC’s Job Resource Center seeks employers to give mock interviews The Job Resource Center at Moraine Valley Community College is seeking employers to participate in Mock Interview Day on Wednesday, Feb. 21, from 2 to 5 p.m.

The event will be in the Moraine Business and Conference Center (Building M), on campus, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills.

Interviewers should be affiliated

Thursday, February 1, 2018

with a business and have experience conducting professional interviews.

They will engage in a formal, 30-minute mock interview with students, alumni and community members. During the first 20 minutes, employers will ask a series of general interview questions provided by the college. The remaining 10 minutes will be used to

offer feedback and helpful tips to the interviewees so that they may prepare for the Moraine Valley Job Fair on Thursday, March 29.

Business professionals interested in volunteering their time as interviewers should call (708) 9745313 or email jrc@morainevalley. edu.

Skin care concerns?

Just this past year, we’ve seen natural disasters in Texas, California, Florida and Puerto Rico — and looking back even further, it’s not hard to spot other traumas in virtually every part of the country.

Whether it’s a tornado, hurricane, flood or wildfire, you may be at least potentially susceptible to a weather-related event that could threaten your physical — and financial — well-being. How can you protect yourself?

As far as your physical safety is concerned, you’re probably already aware of the steps you need to take to shield yourself and your family. And now that many alerts can be sent directly to your smartphone, you’ve got an even better chance to prepare for an approaching threat. But when it comes to safeguarding your financial situation, you’ll need to be ready well in advance — and the following moves can help: • Strengthen your home. Your home is probably your biggest asset, so you’ll want to do everything you can to keep it safe. In the face of a truly calamitous event, such as hundred-mile-per-hour winds or the advance of uncontrollable fire, there may not be much you can do, but in less dire circumstances, your actions can help. Your insurance professional can offer tips on protecting your residence.

• Maintain sufficient insurance. It’s a good idea to review your existing homeowners or renters insurance periodically to make sure you are sufficiently covered for all possible hazards. Keep in mind that homeowneers insurance does not typically cover flooding, so you may need to purchase flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program.

(Depending on where you live, this coverage may be required when you get your mortgage.) Also, in conjunction with maintaining your insurance, you should document your possessions, so you may want to make a video inventory as well as a written list containing descriptions and values.

Edward Jones

• Create an emergency fund. A natural disaster can lead to a wide array of unanticipated costs: appliance repair or replacement, hotel and restaurant bills, insurance deductibles — the list could go on and on. Consequently, you’ll help protect yourself and your family by building an emergency fund.

Some of this money should go into a liquid, low-risk account, but you may also want to keep a small amount of cash at home in a safe place, as ATMs and credit cards may not work during or following a disaster, when you must purchase needed supplies.

• Protect your documents. As you go through life, you’ll accumulate a lot of documents — mortgage papers, insurance policies, financial accounts, tax statements and so on. If disaster strikes, you may need these documents. You’ll want to store paper copies in a fireproof and waterproof box or safe at home, in a bank safety deposit box, or with a relative or close friend. Of course, we’re now living in a digital age, so you can store electronic copies of important documents in a password-protected format on a removable flash or external hard drive.

Better yet, you might want to use a secure cloudbased service.

With luck, you can avoid being victimized by a natural disaster. But, as the old saying goes: “Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.” From a financial perspective, that’s good advice.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

Senior exemption applications due Feb. 7 for property taxes Feb. 7 is the deadline to file a senior exemption for property taxes with the Cook County Assessor’s office.

On the first day after a robocall reminding seniors to apply for the exemption, the Assessor’s Office and suburban satellite offices were flooded this past Friday with a record number of 1,053 seniors seeking to apply for the exemption.

Assessor Joseph Berrios recently passed legislation that increased the senior exemption and reduced the annual household income required to qualify for the senior freeze. To quali-

Lipinski backs legislation to reinstate net neutrality “I have signed on as a cosponsor of legislation introduced by Cong.

Mike Doyle (Penn.) to overturn the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) recent action to eliminate net neutrality rules,” said Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd).

“We need a free and open internet where control of available content cannot be bought by the highest bidder. That is what the net neutrality rule was about before it was eliminated by Trump’s Federal Communications Commission. I urge the House to take up Rep. Doyle’s Congressional Review Act bill as soon as possible so that we can reinstate the rule.”

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fy, seniors should be a property owner in Cook County and 65 years of age. In early January, the Assessor’s office mailed renewal forms to previous recipients. By law, property owners must file for a senior exemption and freeze on a yearly basis.

“Helping senior citizens reduce costs is one of my top priorities as your Cook County assessor,” Berrios said. “I encourage every senior to take advantage of

the senior exemption before the deadline of Feb. 7. Our staff will assist you either in person or over the phone.”

More information and an application can be obtained by calling the Cook County Assessor’s office at (312) 443-7550 or by visiting www.cookcountyassessor. com. Seniors can also go to the downtown office at 118 N. Clark St., third floor, or any of the satellite offices.

Mortgage Rates Around the Area First Midwest Bank (as of January 29)

30-year fixed 15-year fixed 30-year fixed Jumbo

RATES APR POINTS 4.250 4.295 0 3.625 3.680 0 3.990 4.045 0

30-year fixed 15-year fixed 10-year fixed

RATES APR POINTS 4.375 4.396 0 3.990 4.027 0 3.990 4.044 0

30-year fixed 20-year fixed 15-year fixed

RATES APR POINTS 4.000 4.114 0 3.750 3.907 0 3.250 3.449 0

30-year fixed 20-year fixed 15-year fixed

RATES APR POINTS 4.125 4.2048 0 3.875 3.986 0 3.5 3.6425 0

United Trust Bank (as of January 29)

Prospect Savings Bank (as of January 30)

CNB Bank & Trust, N.A. (as of January 16)

All rates subject to change daily. Equal opportunity lenders.

6 Thursday, February 1, 2018

The Regional News

DEATH NOTICES Richard A. Huffman

Richard A. Huffman of Orland Park, 77, died Jan. 25.

Mr. Huffman was a retired foreman for International Harvester.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara J; sons, Rich, Steve, Ken and Mark; brothers, Harry, Ron, Joe and David; sister, Laura; five grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Services were Tuesday from Colonial Chapel in Orland Park to St. George Church in Tinley Park. Interment was private.

Michael S. Lampe

Michael S. Lampe, 68, a Palos Heights resident, died Jan. 27.

Mr. Lampe was a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard during the Vietnam War era. He is survived

by his wife, Donna; son, Bruce; stepmother, Ruth; brothers, Steven and Mark; sister, Christine; three grandchildren; one great-grandchild and many nieces and nephews.

Services were Tuesday at Kerry Funeral Home & Cremation Care Center in Palos Heights, followed by military honors and committal prayers at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.

HOUSES OF WORSHIP Examine marriage definition at church event An examination of marriage in light of the expansion of the definition to include same-sex couples is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8 at Our Lady of the Woods Church, 10731 W. 131st St., Orland Park.

Admission is free.

Featured speaker will be Damon Owens, a certified international speaker of the Theology of the Body Institute, as well as executive director of joytob, a Pennsylvania-based ministry that by its own description “joyfully acclaims the goodness, truth and beauty of human sexuality and its deepest meaning fulfilled

by men and women who freely choose motherhood and fatherhood through marriage or celibacy for the sake of heaven.”

The event is part of the annual Knowledge and Prayer series An extensive remodeling at Sheehy Funeral Home, 9000 W. 151st St. in Orland Park, provides even warmer and sponsored by the Respect Life more comfortable accommodations for families, loved ones and friends. ministries of six Catholic churches in the Palos-Orland area.

Training offered at Crisis Center The Crisis Center for South Suburbia (CCSS) is offering a year-round, revolving, 40-hour training course against domestic violence. The training will start from the beginning again on Saturday, Feb. 17 at the Crisis Center for South Suburbia, Tinley Park.

Sessions take place Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Tuesdays from 6 to 9 p.m., for a six-week period. Participants may complete sessions at their own pace. Participants must attend all sessions to earn the 40hour training certificate.

The cost for the program is $250. (Discount is available with six-month volunteer commitment).

Some topics within the course may be sensitive to survivors of domestic violence.

Individuals considering volunteering at the Crisis Center are encouraged to participate, as well

Submitted by Robert J. Sheehy & Sons or abuser and how to face issues Funeral Home

as professionals who work with victims of domestic violence.

After completion of the 40-Hour DV Training, participants will be allowed to do direct services and ‘client-based’ volunteering (working hotline or childcare) at the Crisis Center. Additionally, participants will be able to apply to complete 150 hours of direct client services in order to sit for the Illinois Certified Domestic Violence Professional examination.

Some of the topics covered during the training include: the various definitions of domestic violence, myths and realities of abuse, types of abuse, direct service issues, safety planning, abuser profiling, teen dating, the Cycle of Violence, and legal issues related to domestic violence.

Crisis Center’s highly skilled and licensed professionals will give participants an inside look into how to properly address a victim

within the workplace. This is a course open to any individual interested in becoming educated on domestic violence.

To enroll in the program; contact Deonne Senese, at (708) 4297255 ext. 143, or email dsenese@ crisisctr.org To obtain additional information about the program; contact Tonya Schassburger, Director of Residential and Transitional Services, at (708) 429-7255 ext. 115, or email tschassburger@crisisctr.org Enrollment is limited and participants are accepted on a first come, first served basis.

The Crisis Center for South Suburbia’s mission is to provide emergency shelter and other essential services for individuals and families victimized by domestic violence and to address the societal issues that contribute to domestic violence.

Show at Navy Pier on Thursday, March 15.

Participants will leave Worth Township headquarters, 11601 S. Pulaski, Alsip, at 9:30 a.m. and return by 3:30 p.m.

Cost of $45 includes transportation and admission. Lunch is on your own. A non-refundable payment is due by Feb. 22.

For details, call (708) 371-2900, ext. 28.

SENIOR NOTES Worth Twp. sets senior trip to Navy Pier Worth Township will sponsor a bus trip for senior citizens, to the Chicago Flower & Garden

PICK OF THE LITTER

Ibuprofen can be deadly to pets JOHN FLEMING DVM • Prairie StateVet.com

Dear Readers, A physician who was in the clinic yesterday asked about the dog Sadie that had the kidney issue after eating Ibuprofen tablets. He asked when we start to see toxicity.

We start to see gastrointestinal (GI) signs in dogs after the ingestion of more than 25 mg per kilo of body weight (vomiting, GI ulceration, perforation) and kidney signs after ingestion of greater than 175 mg/kg (renal papillary necrosis and vasoconstrictive acute renal failure). Sadie ate about 190 mg/kg.

Keep your personal meds out of reach of your pets. Five days ago, Ibuprofen got another one.

One of our client’s cats jumped up on a shelf and swatted or knocked down a closed bottle of Ibuprofen.

The old golden retriever of the family chewed the bottle open and ate an unknown quantity. Dr. T. in our clinic is currently treating that dog for acute kidney injury (AKI). I wonder if that cat hates the dog.

Dear Dr. Fleming, I have an 18-year old cat who gets constipated. In fact, she gets way past constipation all the way to obstipation. Periodically I have to take her in to my vet who sedates her and manually extracts the rock-hard feces from her colon with long forceps.

The fiber and lactulose and special diet help but my neighbor Arnie, who is on the Internet a lot, told me I can do enemas on Slege at home and save money.

He suggested going to Osco and getting a Fleet enema and warming it up then give it to her. Do you think this is a good idea?

Jackie, Orland Hills

Dear Jackie, Please, no! Medical management helps a lot of old, constipated cats but sometimes it is necessary to sedate one who is mega-obstructed and manually remove the feces. No one ever likes to sedate an 18- or 20-year-old cat for the procedure but we do it when necessary and seldom have problems.

What I do in many of these cases instead of anesthesia and manual extraction is to hospitalize the cat at a reduced fee and put them in a cage and give them enemas (warm water) for a day or two. Many times the rocks absorb enough water to allow the cat to pass them on its own. This is a low-tech treatment so we don’t charge our regular clients much and it’s a lot cleaner and easier than doing it yourself at home.

We never have Fleet enemas in our clinic. We stick to warm water. If you do what your neighbor recommends and use a Fleet enema on your cat, you may very well end up with a dead cat. Who would you blame? Arnie or the Internet? When it comes to feline rectums, cat owners should leave them alone.

Certain types of enemas, particularly the Fleet enemas or saline enemas, are deadly to cats and small dogs. Even one Fleet enema (or anything containing phosphate, sodium phosphate or saline) can be deadly. These particular enemas increase the osmolality in the colon, which draws more free water into the colon to equilibrate the ionic load. This makes the stool softer but can result in severe toxicity, including hyperphosphatemia, hypocalcemia, hypernatremia, cardiac arrhythmias and metabolic acidosis requiring intensive care to correct the electrolyte disturbances.

Last week Connie and I were going through our basement putting away the Christmas stuff and trying to find some things to toss.

In a bookcase by the furnace I found our old appointments books, one for each year going back to

Robert J. Sheehy and Sons Funeral Home: over 100 years of experience in third generation

1989. It was a trip looking through them. Periodically at the office one of our young staff will comment on what a (too) busy day we had and when I look at the appointments it’s easy to see what they mean and breathe a collective sigh of relief that we got through the day.

As I was at home last week looking through the old appointment books I could see that we were just as busy in the wayback-when. I brought a couple of the old books in to the clinic yesterday to show the staff. They could see where Dr. Tassone was doing reception work while she was at Stagg High School and where Katie was scheduled off for a haircut appointment on a particular date in 2001.

The real reason, however, that I took the old books in to show everyone was that I wanted them to see I have been running my ragged butt off since they were still learning how to talk properly.

My hope was that if they saw that I haven’t slowed down in the past 36 years, they would have some compassion on me (violin please) and understand why I am half-crazed and mutter to myself half the time!

I don’t think they were as impressed as I thought they should be. Katie pointed to a Monday, back in the ‘90s, and started reading the names of the clients who came in that day. She exclaimed, “Look at these names, almost everyone on this day still comes here today. We could schedule them all today and just change the date and it would be the same!”

Well, it would be a little different; we’re all a lot older now.

That observation of hers did make me stop and think, however, how lucky we have been to have had such amazing and loyal clients for so many years. It’s been a good ride and a true blessing.

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established, through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. Proverbs 24:2

The Sheehy family has been providing a “Century of Service” caring for families in their time of need. Bob and Jim (only decedents that own and operate a funeral home) continue the tradition that was started in a storefront at 76th and Halsted by their Grandfather, Roger Sheehy. Little did the founder know it would be the first of six funeral homes owned and operated by his sons Roger, Jack, Bob, and grandsons Bob and Jim. Currently there are five licensed Funeral Directors at Robert J. Sheehy & Sons Funeral Home. Along with Bob and Jim are Bill Kiley, John Sullivan and Mike LaRocque. Collectively, they have 86 years of experience in the industry.

We instruct our Funeral Directors to understand when a family suffers a loss it may be the most difficult time to endure in their lifetime. Our job is to make sure each family has the opportunity to grieve properly and not have to worry about the details they have entrusted us to carry out.

We stress the importance of being a good listener; each family will have different emotions when it comes time for the arrangement.

A good Funeral Director has to recognize this and adjust accordingly. Some families want to take their time and discuss every detail, others are more direct and want to move along, and our job is to be prepared to answer each question and deliver on all requests. We want our Directors to treat each family as if it was their own, to go out of their way to make this difficult time easier to manage.

There are many factors that come into play when a family decides which funeral home they will select: reputation, service, location, cost, and facilities to name a few. Families are concerned with costs, which is why we provide many options. One-day viewing, morning-only visitation, off-site visitation, and cremations with memorial services are just a few options to consider. It is not important to us what type of funeral a family chooses; what is imperative is value received. Families often acknowledge their appreciation with unsolicited letters and cards, and most contain the same comments; care, compassion and attention to detail.

In every industry, change is a constant, and the funeral industry is no different. Technology has empowered people with knowledge that wasn’t readily available years ago. For the consumer, the internet is a valuable tool but not all the information and options are provided. The funeral director has a responsibility to decipher the information so each family will select the items that fit their needs. Costs for funeral homes continue to go up just as in any other industry. It is our responsibility to control costs, provide affordable options, and continue to maintain the quality of service.

As owners, our goal is to provide a comfortable setting, much like a home. Over the past eight months, we have done a complete redecorating including new furnishings, painting, carpeting and amenities in order to provide a contemporary setting in which families can be comfortable and proud. Updating the décor and the technology in our locations along with the quality of service are just two examples which provide added value.

Electronic Kiosks for registering visitors is a new feature which is very popular. After the visitation, the family is provided a register book with typed names and addresses. Also, thank-you envelopes are self-addressed which

make this process easier for the family when sending out acknowledgements. At no cost to the family we produce a DVD comprised of pictures highlighting the deceased’s most treasured moments.

This DVD becomes a keepsake for the family to be viewed at any time in the future. A flat-screen TV is prominently displayed when visitors enter the funeral home. A photo of the deceased is easily seen along with the information for chapel location and service

information.

On average, less than 13% of businesses make it to the third generation. We know how fortunate we are to be able to continue this proud tradition. We are committed to honor the memory of our Father, Grandfather, and Uncles by continuing to serve each family with class, compassion, and care which has been a trademark of the “Sheehy” name for 105 years.

The Regional News

Thursday, February 1, 2018

7

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Supplied photo

Lipinski (back row, left) and State Sen. Michael Hastings (D-19th) (back row, right) pose for a photo with the high school students nominated.

Two local students honored for West Point nominations

Two local students are among 18 young men and women recently nominated by U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd) to the U.S. Service Academies.

Palos Heights resident Justin Hobart and Orland Park resident Mary Foley were nominated to attend the U.S. Military Academy (West Point). Hobart attends Stagg High School, and Foley is a student at Sandburg High School.

All nominees were honored by Lipinski for their achievement at a recent ceremony at Johnson-Phelps VFW Post 5220 in Oak Lawn.

“One of the duties of this office that I cherish the most is the honor to nominate young men and women for our country’s prestigious service academies,” Lipinski told the nominees. “Every year, applications come into my office from

the district’s best and brightest students who have demonstrated the ability to lead and have the heart and courage to serve our nation. Thank you for your willingness to serve others. With you as our future leaders, I know our nation will be in good hands.”

The admissions department for each of the service academies makes the final decision on acceptance.

ACROSS 1. Plural of be 4. Dress 10. Nothing 11. Relating to apes 12. They protect and serve 14. Swindle 15. Show’s partner 16. Lift 18. Raise up 22. Do something to an excessive degree 23. Occupies 24. Power-driven aircraft 26. Indicates position 27. Matchstick games 28. This and __ 30. No longer here 31. Health insurance 34. Spore-producing receptacle on fern frond 36. Monetary unit 37. Sweet potatoes 39. Tropical Asian plant 40. Guilty or not guilty 41. Carbon dioxide 42. Able to arouse intense feeling 48. Earl’s jurisdiction 50. Omitted 51. Heartbeat 52. Albania capital 53. Fashion accessory 54. Interaction value analysis 55. Symbol of exclusive ownership 56. More promising 58. __ student, learns healing 59. Nonresident doctor 60. Midway between east and southeast DOWN 1. Enrages 2. Capital of Saudi Arabia

SXU earns national honor

Saint Xavier University (SXU) is ranked fourth in Illinois among colleges and universities that are considered the best investments for underserved students, according to a new study, “Cornerstones of Student Success: Institutions Yielding High Return on Investment for Underserved Students,” recently released by the Illinois Education Research Council (IERC).

“Our analysis of Illinois fouryear postsecondary institutions highlights those institutions which fostered degree completion and job success with less debt for un-

derrepresented minority students, first-generation students and low income students,” stated report authors Janet Holt and Daniel Duffy.

Illinois four-year colleges and universities that primarily grant bachelor’s degrees were included in the study. In total, 55 four-year colleges and universities were included in the analyses (11 public, 38 private nonprofit and six private for-profit).

“These findings reinforce Saint Xavier’s continued dedication to student engagement, learning and success,” said President Laurie M. Joyner, Ph.D. “Our mission is to

3. Uses in an unfair way 4. Cesium 5. Written works 6. Breakfast item 7. Found in showers 8. A way of fractioning 9. Unit of measurement 12. Sailboat 13. Indian goddess 17. For each 19. Farewell 20. Ethnic group of Sierra Leone 21. German industrial city 25. Measures intensity of light 29. Small, faint constellation 31. Promotes enthusiastically

32. Malaysian inhabitant 33. Ancient units of measurement 35. An unspecified period 38. Frame house with up to three stories 41. Lassie is one 43. Martinis have them 44. Rant 45. Famed journalist Tarbell 46. Opening 47. Round Dutch cheese 49. Archaic form of do 56. Once more 57. Registered nurse (Answers on page 8)

SUDOKU

educate and prepare a diverse student population to successfully serve and lead in their careers and communities.”

Recognizing SXU’s excellence in education, U.S. News and World Report has ranked SXU consistently among the Best Colleges in the Midwest and the School of Nursing recently earned the number 1 ranking for “Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs.” SXU has been ranked in the top three online graduate Nursing programs for five consecutive years.

Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.

The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

(Answers on page 8)

STEM program awards grant to Lewis Univ.

U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd) recently announced that the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program has awarded a grant of more than $961,000 to Lewis University in Romeoville.

The funds will support the university’s Biology Transitions program, which provides support to low-income students with demonstrated financial need and academic promise to succeed in STEM disciplines at the school.

The project will fund 28 scholarships over five years for transfer students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences. The program will expose

students to a learning model that emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving, while providing support to transfer students as they transition to a four-year institution from community college.

“This grant will be a great help as Lewis advances its commitment to training students for careers in STEM fields,” Lipinski said. “As a former teacher and one of only a dozen engineers in Congress, I believe strongly that improving STEM education for everyone is among the most important steps we can take to ensure that America remains the most technologically innovative country in the world, and that our young people receive an education that will allow them

to succeed both today and in the future.”

Lewis University’s Biology Transitions program will increase the number of underrepresented, economically disadvantaged students who complete four-year degrees and enter the STEM workforce directly or after completing a graduate program, helping to advance scientific knowledge and provide needed, qualified STEM professionals.

In addition to scholarships, the program will incorporate intensive mentoring, academic support, and undergraduate research opportunities to ensure that at least 80 percent of Biology Transitions participants will graduate. Pro-

fessional guidance in the internship, graduate, and professional school application processes will advance students toward STEM professions and increase the number of graduating scholars who continue in a STEM field through employment or graduate school.

In the House of Representatives, Lipinski serves on the Science, Space, and Technology committee. He is the most senior Democrat on the Subcommittee on Research and Technology, and is co-chair of the Congressional STEM Education Caucus. When he was chairman of the Research Subcommittee, he wrote the bill reauthorizing the National Science Foundation.

SCHOOL NOTES Moraine Valley to host empowerment event Moraine Valley Community College students and employees, high school students and community members are invited to participate in the Empowerment Through Diversity and Inclusion event from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Feb. 9 in the Moraine Business and Conference Center on campus, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills.

This is the seventh annual Community Dialogue on Promoting Diversity held at the college. Moraine Valley has previously hosted various diversity events, including

the Latino Outreach Conference and the Black Minds Empowered dinner, among others. The venture is an attempt to collaborate and foster conversation among each of those targeted groups and others who have an interest in diversity.

The event will feature a keynote speaker. Workshops will be offered that focus on building bridges, overcoming obstacles, crossing cultures and more, said organizers of the program.

Educators can earn four professional development hours. Social workers/professional counselors can earn four CEUs. There will be no charge to at-

tend. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

To register, visit morainevalley. edu/diversity or email mvccdiversity@morainevalley.edu For more information, call Adrienne Stewart at (708) 974-5478.

Trinity nursing program highly ranked Trinity Christian College has been recognized by the Annual RegisteredNursing.org RN Program as the second highest ranked RN program in Illinois.

The top 30 nursing schools in Illinois were ranked by analyzing

STUDENT NEWS Five earn Univ. of Dayton honors Five local students made the University of Dayton’s fall dean’s list for achieving a minimum 3.5 GPA for the semester.

Earning the honor were Orland Park residents Julie Baffoe, Jenna Perdue and Erin Rowe, as well as Palos Heights residents Patrick Meehan and Ryann O’Mara.

Orland students hailed at Miami of Ohio Orland Park residents Clara Gannon and Michelle Dyrda have been named to the president’s list for the fall semester at Miami University in Oxford,

Ohio. President’s list students are ranked in the top three percent of undergraduate students within each division.

Orland Park residents Erin Cronin, Catie Callaghan, Matthew Diehl, Max Lehnhardt and Samantha Youngwirth were named to the dean’s list—meaning they are in the top 20 percent of undergraduate students within each division.

Millikin honors for Palos Park students Palos Park residents Richard Olexa and Melanie Wilson have been named to the fall dean’s list at Millikin University, Decatur.

Olexa is a senior Management major in the Tabor School of Business, and Wilson is a sophomore majoring in Theatre in the College of Fine Arts.

Palos Heights students earn Trinity honor Palos Heights residents Rachel Janke and Michael Melody have earned spots on the fall dean’s list at Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights.

The dean’s list is Trinity Christian College’s highest academic honor. Traditional undergraduate students who attend Trinity fulltime and earned a 3.5 grade point average earned the honor.

current and historical NCLEXRN “pass” rates, meaning the percentage of graduates who pass the exam, out of the 75 RN programs in the state. Programs reviewed include schools that offer an Associate in Nursing (ADN/ ASN), BSN, or Direct-Entry MSN Degree.

Photo by Joe Boyle

WHATIZIT? The clue for this week’s Whatizit photo (above) is: School on hill.

Send your responses with your name and hometown by noon Monday to thereporter@comcast.net.

We had one person who answered last week’s photo quiz correctly.

Congratulations goes to Ron Wagenhofer, an Orland Park resident, who knew it was the Twin Towers Chapel at 9955 W. 144th St. in Orland Park.

The Twin Towers Sanctuary was designed and built in 1898 by William A. Bennett in the Queen Anne Sanctuary style. The Twin Rowers sanctuary, a former United Methodist Church, takes its name from the two unusually bell-shaped octagonal towers. It is now a chapel and meeting facility. It became an Orland Park landmark and has been listed in the National Register of Historical Places since 1989.

8 Thursday, February 1, 2018

The Regional News

LIBRARY NOTES Palos Heights Library to explore Chicago’s candy company history Several activities for the week ahead have been announced at the Palos Heights Public Library, 12501 S. 71st Ave. For more information or to register for a program, call (708) 448-1473.

• YouTube Basics will be explained at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5. Participants will learn the fundamentals of navigating, sharing and staying safe on YouTube, a video-sharing site. Basic computer skills are needed for this class.

• Chicago Candy Companies will be explored at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6. Chicago has been “the candy capital of world” since the 1800s. Patrons will learn about some of the most well-known candy companies that have been a part of Chicago’s history including Tootsie Rolls, Brachs, Fannie May and Frango Mints.

• Nature by the Book will be discussed at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7. Lake Katherine personnel and the Palos Heights Library will team up to bring a nature-based panel book discussion to be held at the library. The book to be discussed is “The Nature Fix: Why Nature Make Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative” by Florence Williams.

• Microsoft Word: Formatting Documents can be learned at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8. Patrons will be shown how to format and

align text, apply bullets or numbers, and adjust spacing within Word documents in this class.

Mouse and keyboard skills are required.

• Stepping into Illinois History will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8.

Patrons can celebrate the Illinois Bicentennial by sampling a few of the fascinating historical sites, see how early Illinois residents lived and visit the homes of Presidents Lincoln and Grant with travel specialist Nancy McCully.

• Several clubs meet each Tuesday at the library, including the Needle Club (for knitting and crocheting) from 10 a.m. to noon, Scrabble Club from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Conference Room and the Mahjong Club from 1 to 4 p.m.

Participants are asked to register in advance because space is limited.

ger plays and flannel board fun.

The six early literacy skills are touched on: print motivation, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, print awareness, vocabulary and narrative skills. A one-time registration covers the six-week session.

Tiny Tots, for infants 6 weeks to 23 months, is held Mondays at 10 or 11 a.m.

Terrific Twos, for children 2435 months, is held Tuesdays at 10 or 11 a.m.

Pre-School Story Time, for kids 3-5 years of age, is held Thursdays, 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.

More information and registration can be obtained by calling the library at (708) 448-1473 or visiting www.palosheightslibrary.org.

The Palos Heights Public Library is located at 12501 S. 71st Ave.

Enjoy Palos Hts. Library’s youth programs

Hear experimental musical instruments at Orland Park Library

The children’s winter reading program runs until Feb. 17. Parents can sign up to inspire and encourage their little ones to read.

Chicago Wolves reading logs are available to help set goals and start reading. Anyone who completes the log will be entered in a drawing for Chicago Wolves hockey gear.

The story time program continues until Feb. 22, featuring a fun, interactive experience for children with stories, songs, fin-

Several events are coming up at the Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S. Ravinia Ave. For more information or to register for a program, call (708) 428-5100.

• Cabaret - Experimental Musical Instruments will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8. Artist and musician Joe Rauen will spend the afternoon demonstrating and performing music for his experimental musical instruments. Some of these are shovels, suitcases and

household plumbing turned into strange and beautiful musical instruments. Others are guitars and banjos taken apart and recombined in other worldly shapes.

• Buenas Noches is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9. Children ages 4 years and older with a parent or adult caregiver can drop in and learn basic Spanish through stories and songs. This class features interactive story time.

• Volun-Teens: American Girl Tea Party is set for 1:45 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 10. Teens in sixth through 12th grades are invited to come and help out the librarians during the American Girl Doll Tea Party for little kids. Volunteers will receive an hour and a half of service time for this program. Registration is required with teen’s Orland Park Public Library card.

• Video game volunteers are needed at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12. Teens in ninth through 12th grades are invited to come help out in the library’s kids’ video game club every Monday. Teens will be helping out with the setup, running and tournaments for the club. The volunteers will also receive an hour of service time for each session they help out at.

Registration is required with teen’s Orland Park Public Library card.

• Once Upon a Time Family Story Time will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13. Children of all ages can drop in for stories, music and finger-plays to build pre-reading skills.

Supplied photo

Palos women gather for unity luncheon; hear local author

Author Carol Taylor (center) of Palos Park is joined by Nancy Mitchell (left), president of the Palos Heights Woman’s Club and Lucy Crocilla, president of the Palos Park Woman’s Club, at the Palos Women Unity Luncheon held Saturday at Hackney’s Restaurant. Taylor’s books, “The Long Way Home” is the true story of her grandmother, Katya, who was sold to gypsies by Katya’s father. “Finding strength to overcome years of loneliness and hardship, Katya makes a brave escape from the gypsies and the oppression of war that has affected her native Austria. Leaving friends and family behind, she finds sanctuary in a new land to begin life again,” according to the luncheon program. The event drew 56 attendees.

CLUB ACTIVITIES Genealogists to explore European immigration

and Frankfort and east to Indiana.

Tinley Moraine Genealogists will meet on Thursday, Feb. 8 in the Tinley Park Public Library, 7851 W. Timber Drive.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. After the business meeting at 6:45 p.m., Steve Szabados will present a program, “European Immigration to America from 1800 to 1939: Who, Where, Why and How.” Szabados is a lecturer and author who has made presentations to genealogy groups and libraries. He is the genealogy columnist editor for the Polish American Journal, a member of the Polish Genealogical Society of America, Northwest Suburban Society, Illinois Genealogy Society and a genealogy volunteer at his local library.

He has been researching his ancestors since 2000 and has traced ancestors back to the 1600s in New England and the 1730s in Poland, Germany, Bohemia, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Tinley Moraine Genealogists’ members live in more than 20 different communities, ranging north to Brookfield and La Grange, west to Naperville, south to Mokena

LWV to host congressional candidates’ forum

Answers

Sudoku

Puzzle on Page 7

The League of Women Voters of the La Grange Area will sponsor a forum for the candidates running for the primary election for the Third Congressional District.

The event is set for 7 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018 at Moraine Valley Community College, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills, in Building M. The event is open to the public and free of charge. For more information, send an email to league@ lagrangearealwv.org.

Candidates will make brief presentations on their backgrounds, qualifications and interest in running for office. This will be followed by questions from the audience and the League of Women Voters submitted to the LWV moderator.

Additionally, questions submitted by citizens in advance of the forum will be asked of the candidates. To submit a question, send an email to LWV2018District3@ gmail.com.

Puzzle on Page 7

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SPORTS The Regional News • The Reporter

Ken Karrson, Sports Editor • sports@regionalpublishing.com Jeff Vorva, Sports Editor • sports@regionalpublishing.com

Thursday, 2018 Thursday,February March 5,1,2015

Southwest Section Southwest • Section•2, Page 1 2, Page 1

IHSA history is within her grasp Richards freshman Palumbo has been swimming in success since she was a kid, and now come the wrestling regionals

By Jeff Vorva Sports Editor

The swim cap.

The pin.

Those are the two things that Mia Palumbo remembers about her first wrestling match.

That was 10 years ago. She was four.

“I’m not sure where it was at,’’ she said. “My mom (Jeannette) put me in a swim cap. I ended up winning my first match and pinned a kid in the first period.’’

Soon, the swim cap was gone.

“My dad (Rob) bought me an actual wrestling cap.’’ she said.

But the pins — and the wins — stayed around for 10 years.

Palumbo had a strong club career in grade school wrestling mostly boys for the Oak Lawnbased Mean Green Machine team and against girls, she earned a title at the USA Preseason Nationals at the 105-pound weight class in October.

Submitted photo Now she is in high school. Ten years ago, Mia Palumbo wresShe is taking on boys — some tled in her first match wearing a of whom are three or four years swimming cap. older than her. pion. That’s our mindset going And, she is still winning.

Palumbo won 21 of her first 24 into every practice.’’

Illinois high school wrestling matches during the regular season and won the South Suburban Red historian Rob Sherrill said he can 106-pound championship on Jan. only recall two female regional 20. The freshman beat Reavis’s champions and one state qualifier.

Jack McDonald, one of the three He said Glenbard North’s Caitlyn opponents who had beaten her Chase won a regional title in 2005 at 103 in Class AA, took second earlier. in the sectional and qualified for High expectations state but was pinned in her only The Illinois High School Asso- match at that level.

Sherrill added that Alli Ragan ciation regionals open on Saturday and her coach, Nick Grabarek, is of Carbondale claimed a regional not shy about setting high goals title at 130 in 2010 but went 1-2 for his freshman as the Bulldogs in sectional action and did not head to Lemont for a Class 2A advance to state.

He also runs the rankings for the regional.

“She has the potential to do Illinois Coaches and Officials Asvery well — not only in the re- sociation and although he doesn’t gional and sectional, but during have Palumbo ranked in the top state,” he said. “We fully expect 10 in the state at 106 in Class her take first in regionals and first 2A, she is one of six honorable in sectionals and be a state cham- mentions on the list. As a team,

Richards is ranked ninth.

The odds are stacked against her for a state title, but she could be the first freshman female to win a regional.

“Winning regionals is a goal — I have to just keep wrestling hard every match,” she said. “It’s going to fun and I will be going up against some of my friends.

We’ll still be friends off the mat, but on the mat, you have to keep wrestling hard.’’

High-octane style Wrestling hard is her style, according to her coach.

“Her offense is high octane,” he said. “It’s fun to watch. She loves to open up the offense and just go. It’s a style of constant movement. She just goes. Some people might see it as a risk but with how talented she is, it works.

“She doesn’t care who is in front of her. She just competes.

Some people might worry about who they are wrestling but she just has so much confidence and that helps her excel.’’

Years ago, there was huge controversy and outcry when females wrestled males. Some schools would sooner forfeit than have their male athletes wrestle a female.

Now that there are more than 14,500 females wrestling in high school, according to Statis.com, there is more of an acceptance of girls competing on the mat against boys. But it’s not 100 percent.

“There have been a lot of conflicts where people were not OK with me wrestling guys,” Palumbo said. “But some people don’t care and treat me like everyone else.

Since I’ve been in the sport so long, I’m used to all of the talk about how girls don’t wrestle. But I just keep going.’’

Photo by Jeff Vorva

Mia Palumbo won a conference championship on Jan. 20 and her coach at Richards thinks she can be a state champion contender.

Girls don’t wrestle

The first person who told Mia that ‘girls don’t wrestle’ was her mother. Mia was taken to tourna-

ments to watch her older brother, Rocco, compete and she liked the sport at an early age. Mia said Jeannette told her that ‘girls don’t wrestle,’ but when they saw a girl

at a tournament tearing up the competition, Jeannette changed her mind.

That girl that they saw wrestle was Haley Augello of Lockport

who grew up and competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Over the years, Palumbo (who See PALUMBO, Page 3

Rewards for jobs well done Marist’s Vidovic named National Coach of Year; Strus heading to DePaul

By Jeff Vorva Sports Editor

There were quite a few honors and accolades thrown Marist players’ way after they won the Illinois High School Association Class 4A State Championship in girls volleyball in November and were named national champions

by FloVolleyball.

Now the coaches are receiving some notice.

Head coach Jordan Vidovic was named volleyballmag.com’s National High School Coach of the Year while his assistant, Maggie Strus, is heading a few miles north to be DePaul University’s women’s assistant coach.

Vidovic, who also coaches the RedHawks’ boys team, had already captured a unique daily double as he was named East Suburban Catholic Conference Coach of the year for the boys in the spring and the girls in the fall of 2017.

Now his reputation has spread to

Make your reservations today!

Photos by Jeff Vorva

Marist’s Jordan Vidovic (left) is the No. 1 girls high school coach in the country, according to volleyballmag.com. Maggie Strus (right), shown as an assistant coach at Marist in the fall, is expected to be announced as an assistant coach at DePaul.

the national level.

The former Brother Rice star, who played at Lewis University and was a 2007 USA Beach Volleyball Player of the Year, is usually pretty calm on the bench. It’s likely that his quiet, confident demeanor helped during boiling points of a 41-1 season, including those agonizing moments for the RedHawks

when they were down 8-4 in the third and deciding game in the state title match against Minooka. They rallied and dominated the rest of the way for a 22-15 victory.

“We didn’t waver too high or too low,’’ the coach said minutes after receiving his championship medal.

Off and running

Chicago Fire players get in a run during the start of training camp on Jan. 23 at the Toyota Park Dome in Bridgeview. The Fire made the playoffs last year but made some big trades in January.

For more stories and photos, see pages 2 and 4.

See COACHES, Page 2

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2

Section 2 Thursday, February 1, 2018

The Regional News - The Reporter

Fishing on safe ice

Fire will be feisty, but will it be good again?

C

can, not making popular dehicago Fire midfieldcisions or fast decisions. So, er Dax McCarty got we will continue our plan and a kick out of getting continue our pursuit of players kicked in the first practice at who we have had on queue training camp. for a while.

McCarty and rookie Mo “When we bring in a player, Adams were chasing down a it will be done with the same ball at the Toyota Park Dome thoughtfulness that we’ve in Bridgeview last week. done with every acquisition “He was going for the ball we’ve had here.’’

— I’ll give him that,” McNo matter what happens, Carty said. “He kind of got Making the this is going to be a team with me from behind and I fell Extra Point a lot of new parts in some over. It was a questionable key positions. The team will play. I would say 75 percent of the refs would probably call a foul. have to mesh sometime. It would be Maybe 20 percent would let it go be- preferable to be sooner than later, but all the parts are not here, so there will cause they don’t like me.’’

But McCarty liked taking the tumble. have to be some learning on the fly.

“Listen, this game “I enjoyed it — I has two sides,” thirdenjoyed it quite a year coach Veljko bit,’’ he said. “I like Paunovic said. “The young players and I first side is that we like rookies that have want everything yesattitude and personterday. So we want ality and aren’t afraid everything to be of veteran guys. I done. But the other really enjoyed that. side is that you know He apologized to me it takes time. There after that and I said is a process to get to ‘hey, don’t worry where you want to be. about it — it’s comI think the process we petition, man. It’s are going through is fantastic.’ ’’ going well and it is Welcome to the going like we would 2018 Chicago Fire.

Photo by Jeff Vorva like it to.

The players are coach Veljko Paunovic will work “In the third year, going to be feisty. Fire with some new players in key posiBut are they going tions in his third season at the helm. we want to get better and get more consisto be good? It might tent in our style and winning games. be awhile before we find that out.

After two straight years of being the Last year, we showed what we are caworst team in Major League Soccer, pable of and this year we need more the Fire took a huge step up and quali- consistency on and off the field.’’

Last year was a breakthrough year fied for the playoffs in 2017. Instead of tinkering with the roster, however, with a 16-11-7 mark after coming off Fire General Manager Nelson Rodriguez an 8-20-6 record in 2015 and 7-17-10 made some bold and risky moves a in 2016, Paunovic’s first season. But few weeks ago and got rid of scoring after losing a humiliating 4-0 decision threat David Accam and goalie Matt at Toyota Park in the knockout round Lampson, picking up Orlando defender to the New York Red Bulls, it left a Rafael Ramos as well as high draft bitter taste in some people’s mouths.

“We had a good season,” McCarty picks Jon Bakero and Adams.

Rodriguez is hoping to use some of said. “But I harped on this at the end the money from the trades to land an of last year: It was an incomplete international star. Juan Fernando Quin- season. I would say it was an imtero was reportedly on the Fire’s radar, provement from years past. But we but he was signed to River Plate in didn’t win any silverware and we didn’t win any trophies. We didn’t Argentina.

“I can only promise that we will pur- even win a playoff game. So you sue players and people that we think will can’t look at that season last year and help continue to build our championship say that it was a bona fide success. program,’’ Rodriguez said. “We believe There are still ways to improve and in making the best decisions that we get better.’’

D

iane Goerg of Palos Park and proprietor of Diane’s Place, a fine eatery and ice cream parlor located at 12306 S. Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights, decided to go ice fishing while there was still safe ice.

She participated in the Griffith Chapter, Izaak Walton League of America OUTDOORS fishing derby held on a lake in Griffith, Indiana. Ice fishing is a very friendly WITH social event and the locals assisted JIM KIRBY Diane by drilling several holes through the ice with power augers. Diane then set up several tip-ups and jigged, as in the photo using wax worms and grubs.

Crappies and bluegills were caught by the lucky fishermen. Diane jokingly said: “I always get my limit of ice, when I go ice fishing.”

JEFF VORVA

Palos Park’s Diane Goerg, who has proven to be a great hunter over the years, also enjoys fishing.

Fire star Bastian Schweinsteiger can jump for joy when his current team plays his old club in Germany in August.

CHICAGO FIRE NOTES

Fire will head to Basti territory in August

By Jeff Vorva Sports Editor

The Chicago Fire will head to the land that helped second-year Fire player Bastian Schweinsteiger turn into an international superstar for a match.

The Fire takes on reigning German Bundesliga champion FC Bayern Munich on Aug. 28 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. The match will serve as a tribute to Schweinsteiger.

“I’m really looking forward to walking back out at the Allianz Arena and hopefully meeting lots of fans who’ve been there since the start of my career,” said Schweinsteiger. “I’m especially looking forward to seeing the fans on the south terrace, as we’ve always had a great relationship.”

Soccer exhibitions are known as friendlies. This is really going to be friendly as Schweinsteiger will play one half for each team.

“It is a great honor to have

been invited to participate in a match with a legendary club such as Bayern Munich and in honoring one of the game’s great champions and sportsmen,” Fire General Manager Nelson Rodríguez said. “Bastian is deserving of this recognition and we are grateful to both him and Bayern for including Chicago Fire SC.”

More friendlies

The Fire left Bridgeview on Sunday to head to Tampa for the Florida portion of its training camp.

The team will play in a handful of preseason friendlies starting at 4 p.m. Central time Saturday against the University of South Florida and Feb. 8 against the Philadelphia Union.

Chicago plays Montreal (Feb. 14) and Nashville (Feb. 21) at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and close the preseason with a match against Orlando City in Orlando on Feb. 24.

AREA SPORTS REPORT

Zach attacks the pins for 17-place finish at state

By Jeff Vorva Sports Editor

Evergreen Park junior Zach McCormick was the area’s highest placer in the Illinois High School Association boys bowling state tournament on Friday and Saturday.

McCormick finished 17th with a 12-game total of 2,548 at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon. He missed making the all-state team by five slots. He was in 12th place after Friday’s action.

Matthew McCarthy, the first bowler in Chicago Christian High School history to quality for the boys McCormick state tourney, finished 30th with 2,476, moving up eight spots after Friday’s two rounds.

Richards sophomore Matt LaBonte saved his best for last as he rolled a 230 and 227 in his fifth and sixth games on Friday, but he did not make the cut for the finals and finished 75th with a 1,157.

Rockton Hononegah won the state title with a 12,611 and the team also had the individual champ as senior Nick Sommer’s 773 series in the final three games lifted him to a two-pin win over Bolingbrook’s Alex Acosta, 2,715-2,713.

Five area cheerleading teams head to state meet

The area will have five teams competing at

the competitive cheerleading meet, which will be held Friday and Saturday at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

In the large-team division, Sandburg (which won state titles in 2006, 2009 and 2012 and finished third last year) won the Andrew Sectional, scoring an 87.09 to finish ahead of runnerup Marist, which scored an 84.11.

The top large-team score came out of the Bartonville Limestone Sectional as Joliet West scored a 93.47.

Three coed teams from the area will also be heading to Bloomington as Shepard finished third in the sectional with an 82.04, Stagg took fourth with a 76.40 and Evergreen Park was fifth with a 76.27.

For Shepard, it’s the 19th time in 22 years the Astros advanced.

Stagg finished seventh in the coed last year and was looking for a high finish this year, but some members left the squad when coach Bridget Guzior was suspended and fired by District 230 for profane language in an e-mail.

The remaining team members, coached by Allison Culver, were able to return to state for the fifth time in six years.

Dado wins ESCC title

Marist wrestler Jacob Dado was the lone member of his team to win an East Suburban Catholic Conference title on Saturday as he claimed the 138-pound division.

The RedHawks finished fourth with 96 points.

Marian Central Catholic won with 186.

Ready for soccer?

The Windy City Ram Classic will not get rolling until March 13, but officials already set the brackets for the first round.

Stagg will face Bloom at Reavis. Marist will face Immaculate Conception Catholic Prep at Marist. Oak Lawn faces Providence at Glenbard East. Shepard faces Fenwick at Homewood Flossmoor.

Shooters tryouts

The Southside Shooters boys basketball organization will be holding tryouts for the spring season March 5 at the Moraine Valley Community College G Building, 9000 College Parkway, Palos Hills.

Fifth and sixth graders will try out from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. while seventh and eighth graders will try out from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The season will feature approximately 22 games with shootouts and league play.

For more information, contact Bill Finn at 708-508-0170 or at finn@morainevalley.edu.

Hills Baseball Softball registration

The Hills Baseball Softball Association will have a registration Feb. 14 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Hickory Hills Community Center, 7800 W. 89th Place in Hickory Hills.

For more information, contact Johnny Rivas at 708-296-1974.

FOCUS ON AREA COLLEGES

St. Xavier student-athletes earn plenty of medals

By Jeff Vorva Sports Editor

St. Xavier University officials recognized more than 150 student-athletes for their accomplishments in the classroom during a ceremony on Jan. 25.

Numerous students from the Southwest Regional Publishing area earned awards.

Area gold medal winner for students with a cumulative GPA between 3.75 and 4.00 were Sierra Downey, Stickney/cross country and track/ Sociology; Dana Hamdan, Orland Park/soccer/ Nursing; Tasneem Jaber, Oak Lawn/cross country and track/Psychology, Quinn Niego Chicago/basketball/Business Administration and Accounting; Jill Siemiawski, Evergreen Park/cross country and track/English; Jaelon Wilson, Chicago Ridge/ basketball/Secondary Education and Math; and Alexandra Wozniak, Oak Lawn/bowling/art.

Silver medals (3.50 to 3.74) were awarded to Fuad Abuzerr, Worth/soccer/Finance and Mar-

Submitted photo

Photo by Jeff Vorva

keting; Jim Barista, Palos Heights, basketball/ Finance; Jenna Haase, Evergreen Park/softball/ Biology and Pre-Health; Bridget Krasowski, Oak Lawn/volleyball/Education; Caroline Kuzel, Orland Park/softball/Business and Marketing; Mark Martin, Evergreen Park/baseball/Natural Science; Madeline Meisl, Evergreen Park/softball/Education; Stephen Szajek and Worth, men’s volleyball/Biology.

Bronze medals (3.25 to 3.49) were awarded to Brian Baldwin, Oak Lawn/cross country and track/Accounting; Diana Lang, Orland Park/ soccer and golf/Finance; Abdul Mahdi, Chicago/football/Business; Alec Martinez, Orland Park/golf/Finance; Thomas Matonis, Hickory Hills/volleyball/nursing; Destiny Miller, Worth/ bowling/Criminal Justice; Sean Murray, Hickory Hills/bowling/undecided; and Samuel Rodriguez, Cicero/volleyball/Business.

Hall of famers: Mary (Farrell) DeFrank, class of 2001 (women’s cross country and track), Pat Geary, 2010 (football), Angie (Holmes) Morris,

2006 (women’s soccer), Anthony Kropp, 2010 (football), Mike Maher, 2010 (football), Tom Malloy, 1977 (baseball), and Kathy (Principato) Young, 1990 (softball) will be inducted into the SXU Hall of Fame.

The student-athletes will be inducted at a dinner and ceremony at the Butler Reception Room at the school on Feb. 17.

Trinity Christian College

Women’s track: Freshman April Van Ryn, who graduated from Chicago Christian, became the team’s first NAIA national qualifier with a time of 17 minutes, 35.37 seconds in the 5,000-meter event Saturday at the St. Ambrose Invitational. It’s the top time in the nation among NAIA runners.

Moraine Valley

Women’s soccer: Stagg’s Anna Kois signed to play soccer at Moraine, which has been to the National Junior College Athletic Association nationals three straight years.

Huge harvest

Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 147,535 deer during all 2017-18 archery and firearm seasons which concluded Jan. 14. The total preliminary deer harvest for all seasons compares with a total harvest for all seasons of 144,303 deer in 2016-17. During the 2017-18 deer seasons, hunters took 44 percent does and 56 percent males.

Lake Michigan fishing just starting

The south end of Lake Michigan is shallow and warms up faster than the rest of the lake. This brings the salmon and trout to our shores. Depending on the wind, some fishermen are getting out on the lake when the boat ramps aren’t frozen over and reporting good catches of fish with cohos being the best bite.

I will soon be joining John Mineiko of Homer Glen shortly for one of our spring coho fishing trips aboard his heated boat. But I am not looking forward to a trip like a few years back where we were dodging sheets of ice.

Speaking of ice…

Let’s be careful out here — the spring thaw has set in and safe ice is now a rarity for ice fishermen. Four inches of ice is the minimum for safe walking and that depends on the type of ice as not all ice is created equal.

Did you know that you can ice skate on Crawdad Slough off 95th St. on Flavin Road and Hidden Pond on La Grange Rd. when the conditions are just right? Grab your shovel and ice skates head to the ponds.

Snow shoes are available when snow is four inches or greater. Equipment is limited and is loaned out on a first come, first served basis with no charge. A drivers license is required and you can pick them up at the Little Red School House Nature Center, 9800 Willow Springs Road, Willow Springs. For information, call 708-839-6897.

Sea lamprey at historic low

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission reported that populations of the invasive sea lamprey remains at near-historic lows in Lake Michigan, though the destructive, parasitic pest has increased in abundance in Lakes Superior and Erie.

The sea lamprey is one of the worst human-caused ecological disasters ever inflicted upon the Great Lakes.

Sea lampreys invaded through shipping canals and, by 1939, were present throughout the system. They attach to Great Lakes fish with a tooth-filled suction cup mouth and file a hole through the fish’s scales and skin with a razorsharp tongue. The average seas lamprey will kill up to 40 pounds of fish during its parasitic stage.

Think about it

“You wonder if a fish goes home at night and brags about the size of the bait he stole.” — Bob Hope, circa 1962.

Jim Kirby’s column runs every first and third Thursdays of the month. E-mail him at Kirbyoutdoors@sbc.net.

Coaches

Continued from Page 1 “There were points in the match when we didn’t play our best. We were able to stay even keel and grind it out. We’ve been in those situations before and our senior leadership carried us through.’’

Strus has not been officially announced at DePaul but insiders say an announcement is expected shortly that she will on the Blue Demons’ new staff. Nadia Edwards was let go by the school in December after eight seasons and was replaced by Marie Zidek, an Orland Park native who attended Marian Catholic and Northern Illinois University.

Strus has a family history with DePaul. Her mother, Debbie, had a hall-of-fame volleyball career at the school and her younger brother, Max, is DePaul’s leading scorer on the men’s basketball team.

She said she enjoyed her time at Marist.

“Winning a state championship and national championship was extremely rewarding but I don’t think it would have ever happened if it wasn’t for every single girl on our roster and without anyone that supported the program,’’ Strus said. “Each player in their own talents are extremely remarkable young women so I couldn’t be happier to share that experience with them. We put a ton of work in last year and to see it all pay off is indescribable.”

The Hickory Hills native helped Stagg win four SouthWest Suburban Red championships and played four seasons at UIC, where she left with a school-best 1,677 digs. She is also one of two coaches in the family as her brother, Marty, is the boys basketball coach at Stagg.

Volleyballmag also named setter Molly Murrihy first-team All-America last week. Mother McAuley’s Charley Niego was an honorable mention.

The Regional News - The Reporter

Thursday, February 1, 2018 Section 2

3

AREA HOOPS AT A GLANCE BOYS

W-L

STREAK

Brother Rice Chicago Christian Evergreen Park Marist Oak Lawn Richards Sandburg Shepard St. Laurence Stagg

14-8 11-9 8-12 19-2 15-6 8-12 14-6 11-6 16-6 7-12

W2 L1 L2 W1 W5 W1 W1 W3 W4 W2

NEXT

John Mahoney, the Stagg shooter who popped in 27 points against Lockport last week, and his teammates host Sandburg at 6 p.m. Friday. Sandburg won the first meeting 66-64 in December in Orland Park, coming back from a 10-point deficit.

hosts St. Rita, Fri. hosts Guerin Prep, Fri.; hosts Bremen, Sat. hosts Shepard, Fri. hosts Notre Dame, Fri.; at St. Ignatius, Sat.; hosts Agricultural Science, Tues. hosts CICS Longwood, Fri. at Argo, Fri. at Stagg, Fri.; at Bolingbrook, Tues. at Evergreen Park, Fri.; hosts Kennedy, Tues. at Leo, Fri. hosts Sandburg, Fri.; hosts Homewood-Flossmoor, Tues.

* Records through Sunday, Jan. 28; compiled by Randy Whalen

GIRLS Chicago Christian Evergreen Park Marist Mother McAuley Oak Lawn Richards Sandburg Shepard St. Laurence Stagg

W-L 8-15 20-3 19-4 19-6 14-8 17-4 9-14 6-15 12-12 14-7

STREAK L3 W1 W5 W3 W4 W2 L2 L3 W1 L1

NEXT hosts Guerin Prep, Fri.; hosts Bremen, Sat.; vs. Carver Military Acad., in Class 2A Corliss Regional, Wed.

at Shepard, Thurs.; hosts Richards, Tues. hosts Fenwick, Thurs.; hosts Benet Academy, Wed. hosts St. Ignatius, Thurs.; hosts Loyola, Sat.; at Neuqua Valley, Tues. at Eisenhower, Tues. hosts Argo, Thurs.; hosts Romeoville, Sat.; hosts Shepard, Tues. hosts Lockport, Thurs.; hosts Homewood-Flossmoor, Tues. hosts Evergreen Park, Thurs.; at Richards, Tues. hosts St. Francis De Sales, Thurs.; hosts Lane Tech., Tues. at Lincoln-Way East, Thurs.; hosts Joliet Central, Sat.; at Lockport, Tues.

Photo by Jeff Vorva

* Records through Sunday, Jan. 28; compiled by Randy Whalen

FOCUS ON BOYS BASKETBALL

FOCUS ON GIRLS BASKETBALL

Stagg sweeps Sandburg for first time since 2013-14

Spartans are big wheels in the first Scaduto Series

By Jeff Vorva Sports Editor

By Jeff Vorva Sports Editor

Photo by Jeff Vorva

Oak Lawn sophomore Trey Ward, shown in a recent game against Richards, and his teammates won the first Scaduto Series game over Evergreen Park on Friday.

Oak Lawn earned the right to keep the wheel trophy for the first year of the Scaduto Series with Evergreen Park.

Submitted photo

Crowded at the top

Oak Lawn, Shepard and Richards are at the top of the SSC Red with 6-3 records heading into this week’s action.

It appears that Reavis (3-5), Evergreen Park (3-6), Eisenhower (1-7) and Argo (0-9) will try to play the role of spoiler for the top three.

That could happen. Just look at what happened Friday.

Argo had a late lead on Shepard before the Astros pulled off a 50-46 victory. Eisenhower gave Richards fits in the Bulldogs’ 75-71 triumph.

So nothing in the league can be taken for granted.

Oak Lawn takes a break from league play on Friday as it hosts CICS Longwood in a non-conference game. The Spartans (156) are three victories away from the program’s most victories since winning 21 in 1979-80.

Shepard visits Evergreen Park on Friday night while Richards visits Argo.

Milestone for Morgan

Marist’s Morgan Taylor went over the 1,000-point mark for his career in Marist’s 62-31 East Suburban Catholic Conference victory on Friday night.

Tough night for Knights

Chicago Christian’s hopes of winning a Metro Suburban Red title took a hit with a 50-49 setback in Palos Heights on Friday night. The Knights had also lost

Palumbo

Continued from Page 1 also has Olympic aspirations) continued to get stronger and better but the true test was going to be how she would fare against high school boys and thus far, she has been successful.

“We knew coming in how talented she was,” Grabarek said.

“She has really developed during the season. She placed in every single tournament that we had.

She’s very serious. We try to get her to smile a little more and open up and have fun. But that’s a good thing. She’s very intense.’’

Bulldogs hope to break dry spell

The Bulldogs, who won conference titles on all three levels this season, have high hopes that this season is the start of some-

a nailbiter to Timothy, 60-57 Dec. 1 in Elmhurst.

Heading into this week’s action, Timothy was 7-0 in the league, Ridgewood and St. Edward were 5-2 and Chicago Christian 5-3.

CCL parties

Friday will be a big night for basketball in the Chicago Catholic League as well as for some gettogethers.

Leo hosts St. Laurence at 7 p.m. and there will be a Leo alumni party at the Red Palm Restaurant, 3020 W. 95th St. in Evergreen Park.

Free bus service will be provided from the Red Palm at 5:30 p.m. And there will be free parking available across the street from the restaurant in the bank parking lot. The bus will return after the game. Admission at the door for the game is $5.

A gathering will be planned after the game at the Red Palm Restaurant. Free pizza and a cash bar will be available. More information can be obtained by calling Gene Earner, an Evergreen Park resident and member of the Leo Class of 1950, at 708-636-8827.

Also, De La Salle’s boys basketball team will take on DePaul Prep at Wintrust Arena at 200 E. Cermak Rd. The sophomore game tips off at 5:30 pm with the varsity contest beginning at 7 pm.

There also will be a pregame thing big.

Richards’ wrestling team was the first Regional/Reporter team to win a state title in any sport when it won the Class AA crown in 1975. The Bulldogs also won a title in 1977, finished second in the state in 1976 and third in 1978.

Since winning a district title in 1979, the Bulldogs have not won any postseason team hardware, according to IHSA records.

The Bulldogs have a solid core of wrestlers who hope to break that 36-year drought Saturday in Lemont.

Adam Alkilani (113), Basil Muhammad (120), Rocco Palumbo (145) and Marquis Hall (285) took second in the conference while Marty Cosgrove (220) claimed third and Jason McIntyre (132) placed fourth.

Brother Rice and Evergreen Park are other area teams in the eight-team regional.

gathering for De La Salle fans beginning at 5:30 at Pizano’s Pizza at 2106 S. Indiana. Tickets are available for purchase at De La Salle and also can be purchased at the Wintrust Arena box office.

For more information, please contact De La Salle’s event manager, Carl Willingham at 312-8427355 ext. 146 or willinghamc@ dls.org.

Photos by Jeff Vorva

Strong defense was the name of the game when Stagg and Sandburg played on Jan. 22 as Stagg’s Jaime Ryan (right) is defended closely by Sandburg’s Destiny Antoine.

BLUE RIVALRY A look at how Stagg and Sandburg have done against each other since Stagg joined the SouthWest Suburban Conference Blue.

2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

Stagg Sandburg Stagg Stagg Stagg

46-28 55-44 60-56 (2OT) 51-42 43-41

ropoulos had 17 for the Eagles.

Class 2A seeds released

The Illinois High School Association released the sectional seedings for Class 1A and 2A and Chicago Christian was seeded sixth out of 10 teams in the Sub-Sectional B division of its own sectional.

The Knights open postsea-

Stagg Sandburg Sandburg Sandburg Stagg

42-40 64-44 51-29 43-35 45-38

son play on Wednesday as they face third-seeded Carver Military Academy at 7:30 p.m. in the Corliss Regional. The winner likely plays second-seeded Bowen for the title on Feb. 9.

The other nine area teams will find out their postseason fate today (Thursday) when the IHSA is scheduled to release the Class 3A and 4A seedings.

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Len Scaduto coached boys basketball at Oak Lawn Community High School for 28 years and racked up 411 wins.

His son, Bruce, has been a boys and girls basketball coach at Evergreen Park for 25 years.

The two boys teams got together and announced that their annual South Suburban Conference Red game would be called the Scaduto Series and the trophy would comprise a steering wheel.

Len Scaduto ran a driving school in the area for many years.

Oak Lawn, which is experiencing one of its best seasons in decades, ended up taking the wheel for the first matchup with a 66-47 victory on Friday night in Oak Lawn. Sophomore Sami Osmani led the Spartans with 20 points while Brian Adams had 13 and Adem Osmani added 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

For the first time since the 2013-14 season, Stagg swept Sandburg during the regular season.

The two District 230 rivals started playing each other twice in a season in 2013-14, when Stagg moved from the SouthWest Suburban Conference Red division to the Blue. Stagg pulled off 46-28 and 42-40 victories that season.

Sandburg swept the Chargers the next season and the following two seasons were split decisions.

But this season, Stagg pulled off a 43-41 decision on Dec. 7 in Orland Park and added a 45-38 victory on Jan. 22 in Palos Hills.

Both teams struggled on offense the first three quarters in the January battle and tied 29-29 going into the final period. Stagg was able to pull it off with free throws down the stretch.

“It’s always a tough battle,” Chargers coach Bill Turner said.

“They play hard and they go after everything and we struggle.

Normally, we split and they are always tight games.’’

It would have been a higher scoring game but both sides struggled from the line. Stagg was 20 of 34 from the line and Sandburg was 8 of 15.

Nicole Vacha had a wild 7-of14 performance from the line and was able to zero in during the final eight minutes.

“When you are on, you make them but I wasn’t making my free throws early but in the second half, it was a matter of remembering my form ,’’ she said. “I was going too fast and I had to make sure I took a deep breath.’’

Jaime Ryan had 11 points for the Chargers and Natalie Stav-

H

73rd Pl. 74th St. 74th Pl.

75th St.

4

Section 2 Thursday, February 1, 2018

The Regional News - The Reporter

Dome sweet dome: Fire opens preseason camp in Bridgeview

The Fire hosted its first preseason training camp at the Toyota Park Dome in late January after two years in Chicago.

A group of Fire players work on a drill during training camp in Bridgeview.

Nemanja Nikolic, who led the Chicago Fire and Major League Soccer with 24 goals in 2017, sets up a ball to kick into a net before a training camp practice.

Before practice, soccer balls were lined up for Fire players to kick around.

Veteran MLS player Dax McCarty, who is in his second year with the Fire, goes through stretching drills during training camp.

Chicago Fire coach Veljko Paunovic guided his team to the playoffs in his second year in 2017 and wants to take the team up a level this season.

Fire player Luis Solignac shows a large wingspan during a drill at training camp.

Photos by Jeff Vorva

The Regional News - The Reporter

The Reporter Newspapers Call 448-6161 Deadline 5 p.m. Monday Hours M-F 9 to 5

Thursday,February 1, 2018 Section 2

Get Fast Action

Very Low Cost

Property Listings

Houses For Sale

Houses For Sale

Houses For Sale

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Plaintiff, -v.MICHAEL K. MISHLER, AS EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE OF WAYNE D. CONNOLLY, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF WAYNE D. CONNOLLY, THE EARL CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, MICHAEL K. MISHLER, MARK T. LINDEMANN, ANTHONY J. LINDEMANN, THOMAS J. LINDEMANN, RALPH K. LINDEMANN, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 17 CH 008673 9748 MILL DRIVE EAST # 1E 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 19, 2017, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 2, 2018, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 9748 MILL DRIVE EAST # 1E, PALOS PARK, IL 60464 Property Index No. 23-33-209-031-1021.

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 in certified funds/ or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. 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. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

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 14-17-09030.

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 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-17-09030 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 17 CH 008673 TJSC#: 37-9733 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.

I3072246

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION MOREQUITY, INC Plaintiff, -v.ANDRZEJ KULIKOWSKI, RENETA KULIKOWSKI, PNC BANK, N.A. S/I/I TO MIDAMERICA BANK, FSB Defendants 13 CH 5764 8115 WEST 90TH 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 May 26, 2015, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on February 23, 2018, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 8115 WEST 90TH STREET, HICKORY HILLS, IL 60457 Property Index No. 23-02-209-027-0000.

The real estate is improved with a two story, single family home with an attached 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 in certified funds/ or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. 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. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information: Visit our website at service. atty-pierce.com. between the hours of 3 and 5pm.

McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC, Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60602. Tel No. (312) 416-5500. Please refer to file number 11143.

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.

McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 416-5500 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 11143 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 13 CH 5764 TJSC#: 38-706 I3075111

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION Plaintiff, -v.RAME JOUDEH, NOWAL JUDEH, FOUNTAIN HILLS OF ORLAND PARK HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION Defendants 15 CH 06040 18038 BUCKINGHAM DRIVE ORLAND PARK, IL 60467 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on September 26, 2017, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on February 20, 2018, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 18038 BUCKINGHAM DRIVE, ORLAND PARK, IL 60467 Property Index No. 27-32-308-010-0000.

The real estate is improved with a tan brick, single family home, with an attached two car 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 in certified funds/ or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. 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. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information: Visit our website at service. atty-pierce.com. between the hours of 3 and 5pm.

McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC, Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60602. Tel No. (312) 416-5500. Please refer to file number 13698.

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.

McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 416-5500 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 13698 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 15 CH 06040 TJSC#: 37-11274 I3073476

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Plaintiff, -v.MATTHEW J. HAJER, SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, ILLINOIS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Defendants 2017 CH 8792 9238 S. 49TH CT Oak Lawn, IL 60453 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 4, 2017, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 6, 2018, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 9238 S. 49TH CT, Oak Lawn, IL 60453 Property Index No. 24-04-428-021-0000.

The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

The judgment amount was $94,990.66.

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 in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. 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. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, contact Plaintiff s attorney: MARINOSCI LAW GROUP, P.C., 134 N LaSalle St., STE 1900, Chicago, IL 60602, (312) 940-8580 Please refer to file number 17-07814.

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.

MARINOSCI LAW GROUP, P.C. 134 N LaSalle St., STE 1900 Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 940-8580 E-Mail: mlgil@mlg-defaultlaw.com Attorney File No. 17-07814 Attorney Code. 59049 Case Number: 2017 CH 8792 TJSC#: 38-185 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.

Houses For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR FREMONT HOME LOAN TRUST 2005-D, MORTGAGE-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-D; Plaintiff, vs.

MARJORIE D. ADAMS; WAYNE A. ADAMS; CITIBANK, N.A.; DIRECTOR OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS; ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE; FIA CARD SERVICES, N.A.; VILLAGE OF ARLINGTON HEIGHTS; MARJORIE D. ADAMS AS TRUSTEE OF THE VICTORIA LAND TRUST; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF MARJORIE D. ADAMS, IF ANY; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF WAYNE A. ADAMS, IF ANY; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 15 CH 12854 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, February 26, 2018 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 23-27-402-007-0000.

Commonly known as 12401 South 91st Avenue, Palos Park, IL 60464.

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: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection For information call the Sales Clerk at Plaintiff’s Attorney, The Wirbicki Law Group, 33 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603. (312) 360-9455 WA15-0500.

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I3073939

The Regional News Call 448-4000 Deadline 5 p.m. Monday Hours M-F 9 to 5

Real Estate

Houses For Sale

Houses For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.; Plaintiff, vs.

JOAN RUNDLE; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; ORLAN BROOK CONDOMINIUM OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION; UNKNOWN SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE (S), UNDER THE TERMS AND PROVISIONS OF A CERTAIN TRUST AGREEMENT DATED APRIL 28, 2014 AND DESIGNATED AS THE RUNDLE LAND TRUST; Defendants, 17 CH 7342 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, March 5, 2018 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 27-14-302-018-1097 and 27-14-302-0181198.

Commonly known as 15713 Orlan Brook Drive, Unit Number 97, Orland Park, IL 60462.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a condominium residence. The purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by subdivisions (g) (1) and (g)(4) of Section 9 of the Condominium Property Act Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 2205611. 17-017501 F2 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I3074641

Printed on recycled paper— Please recycle your Newspaper

HAVE A HOUSE FOR SALE? PLACE YOUR AD TODAY! CALL 448-4000 OR 448-6161

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Houses For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON; Plaintiff, vs.

MARK J. HOLDA, ET AL; Defendants, REPUBLIC BANK OF CHICAGO; Counter-Plaintiff, vs.

MARK J. HOLDA AKA MARK HOLDA AKA MARK J. HOLDA; LYDIA MICHELLE HOLDA FKA LYDIA ROJAS AKA LYDIA MICHELLE HOLDA; HOLDA ENTERPRISES, INC.; FIRST MIDWEST BANK, SUCCESSOR

BY MERGER TO PALOS BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE UNDER TRUST AGREEMENT DATED DECEMBER 13, 2000 AND KNOWN AS TRUST NUMBER 1-5000; LOMA VISTA NURSERY; CHRYSLER FINANCIAL SERVICES AMERICAS LLC DBA CHRYSLER FINANCIAL FKA DAIMLERCHRYSLER FINANCIAL SERVICES AMERICA, LLC; STATE OF ILLINOIS; CAPITAL ONE BANK, (USA), N.A., CITY OF PALOS HEIGHTS; THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY; UNKNOWN BENEFICIARIES OF TRUST AGREEMENT DATED DECEMBER 13, 2000 AND KNOWN AS TRUST NUMBER 1-5000; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; Counter-Defendants 12 CH 8082 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Friday, March 9, 2018, 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 mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 24-31-107-010-0000.

Commonly known as 6833 West 127st Street, Palos Heights, IL 60463.

The mortgaged real estate is 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. THE SALE SHALL BE SUBJECT TO GENERAL TAXES, SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS AND TO A PRIOR RECORDED FIRST MORTGAGE. Sale terms: Bidders must present, at the time of sale, a cashier’s or certified check for 10% of the successful bid amount. The balance of the successful bid shall be paid within 24 hours, by similar funds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Mr. Brandon R. Freud at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Ruff, Freud, Breems and Nelson, Ltd., 200 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60601.

(312) 263-3890.

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I3075066

Houses For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC DBA MR. COOPER; Plaintiff, vs.

KERRY VINKLER; JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.; MATTHEW VINKLER; Defendants, 17 CH 12477 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, March 5, 2018 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 23-02-313-012-0000.

Commonly known as 9260 South 86th Avenue, 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: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 2205611. 17-030301 F2 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I3074640

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All Real Estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination.” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free at 1 (800) 669-9777. The toll-free telephone number for the hearing impaired is: 1 (800) 927-9275.

For Rent Crestwood 2 bedroom 1 bath New laminate floors Carpeted bedrooms Patio/balcony $900 & security No pets 708-417-5983 For Rent Condo Palos Park 2nd Floor 2 Bedroom 2 Bath Fireplace Formal Dining Eat In Kitchen 1 Car Attached Garage $1600 per month Remax 10 in the Park Tom Maloney 708-903-9865 For Sale

5 ACRES RT. 45 IN PEOTONE 600 ft. frontage x 400 ft. deep 40 ft. x 60 ft. pole barn CALL 815-450-0004 Houses For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON FKA THE BANK OF NEW YORK AS TRUSTEE FOR THE CERTIFICATEHOLDERS OF CWMBS, INC., CHL MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH TRUST 2005-22, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH TRUST 2005-22, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-22 Plaintiff, vs.

JANE BLANKSHAIN; THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, OFFICE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS; CEDAR CROSSING III Defendants, 16 CH 2969 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, March 6, 2018 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 27-02-201-079-0000.

Commonly known as 13701 Trafalgar Court, Orland Park, IL 60462.

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: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 2205611. 17-030504 F2 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I3074643

Houses For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC; Plaintiff, vs.

FRANCESCO ROSELLI, AS PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ESTATE OF MARCO ROSELLI, DECEASED; Defendants, 17 CH 5914 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 23-14-209-007-0000.

Commonly known as 10523 South 80th Court, Palos Hills, IL 60465.

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: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 2205611. 17-013436 F2 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I3073153

6

Section 2 Thursday, February 1, 2018

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Your Guide to Arts and Events in the Southwest Suburbs and Beyond

OUT & ABOUT

The Regional News • The Reporter

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Southwest • Section 2, Page 7

Try making baked hot wings for the big game Sporting events provide great opportunities to gather with friends and family and enjoy some time together while watching a favorite sport or big game.

Such gatherings are not complete without food, and some foods are widely considered staples of gameday get-togethers. Chicken wings are among the most popular gameday foods. While many chicken wing afficionados might insist on frying wings, this beloved dish can be baked. In fact, Chef Kevin Gillespie, author of “Fire Supplied photo In My Belly” (Andrews McMeel), Liam McCarthy (Troy Bolton) and Hannah Jaglinski (Gabriella Montez) sing “What I’ve Been Looking For” at South’s felt like he could create a baked production of High School Musical. chicken wing dish that even the most ardent wing connoisseur could not resist. The result is the following recipe for “Baked Hot Wings,” which home cooks can whip up in time for this year’s big game.

Palos South Middle School students’ musical a success Palos South Middle School students recently entertained soldout crowds with songs including “We’re All in This Together,” and “Get’cha Head in the Game,” last Friday and Saturday night at Stagg High School with their performance of Disney’s “High School Musical Jr.” Headlining the cast of more than 70 students were Hannah Jaglinski (Gabriella Montez), Liam McCarthy (Troy Bolton), Kaitlyn Kenney (Sharpay Evans), and Zach Richards (Ryan Evans).

Palos South language arts teacher Stephanie Hill directed a student cast and crew of more

than 110, with school psychologist Katie Djikas as assistant director.

Musical direction was provided by Bill Hansen, and art direction by Randy Buvala. Both are teachers at Palos South.

In the contemporary musical comedy, a popular high school basketball star (Troy) and a shy, academically gifted newcomer (Gabriella) discover they share a secret love for singing. They sign up to audition for the lead roles in the school musical, and it threatens East High’s social hierarchy and sends their classmates into an uproar.

High School Musical Jr illus-

trates “that it is okay to not fit neatly into one label, and to be unique individuals,” said Director Hill. “It can be hard to have great confidence in yourself at this age of confusion, but it’s nice to know that ‘we’re all in this together.’“ Production began in September with auditions, and by January the cast and crew were working three and four days a week bringing the musical to life. All proceeds from the musical benefit Palos South’s Drama Club, as well as 1. Preheat the oven to 500 F. purchasing rights to next year’s 2. Pat the wings very dry with a production. paper towel. Heat a large (14-inch) cast iron skillet or two smaller cast iron skillets over high heat until smoking hot. Add just enough of

Historian tells the story of Capone and Ness at Orland Park museum The Village of Orland Park History Museum, 14415 Beacon Ave. presents “Capone versus Ness: The REAL Story of the Untouchables” from 1 to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 10.

Joseph Geringer, author, actor and historian, offers a 60-minute presentation about the government’s fight against Capone’s gunmen and their stranglehold on Chicago.

Geringer’s Untouchables presentation takes the audience back to Chicago during the rat-a-tat days of the early 1930s.

Hear the clatter of the Model A Ford, the rumble of streetcars, brassy jazz and the staccato of Thompson guns, say organizers of the event. Learn little-known facts about “Scarface Al” and the intrepid Department of Justice agent, Eliot Ness, who helped to bring him down.

Geringer, who has researched the subject for 30 years, has ap-

peared on the History Channel and authored many magazine articles, Internet books and a play about Prohibition Chicago. He has spoken throughout the Chicago area about different eras of history.

In his presentation, Geringer will explain how Capone’s empire stretched deep into the western and southern suburbs.

“My dad grew up in Bridgeport and lived next door to a real-life gangster who he described as ‘the nicest guy on the block.’ The kids loved him but he was rubbed out one day mowing his lawn,” Geringer said.

Pre-registration is required at the Orland Park Recreation Department, 14600 S. Ravinia Ave. The cost is $9 for village residents/ employees and $14 for non-residents. Free parking is available behind the building.

For more information, call the Recreation Department at (708) 403-7275.

Born in St. Sabina Parish on Chicago’s south side, Geringer grew up in St. Bernadette Parish in Evergreen Park and graduated from Leo High School and St. Xavier University.

“I grew up with an Irish mother who drummed in my head the value and color of history,” Geringer said. “When other kids were watching Huckleberry Hound or Yogi Bear, I was learning about the Roaring ‘20s or the Civil War from my mom.”

Geringer wrote a full-length play that was published by Samuel French and performed by semiprofessional playhouses in Chicago called “Near to Me: An Irish Gangster’s Love Story.”

“It’s a memory play really, based partly on my family that lived in St. Sabina’s in the ‘20s and partly on real events that neighbors remembered,” Geringer explained.

to miscommunication. Better to keep things honest.

quickly recharge your levels of motivation, Capricorn. Helping others is a surefire way to realize personal satisfaction.

AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, you have an opportunity to further your education by doing some traveling. Don’t let responsibilities at home clip your wings this time around.

PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, a busy work week is on the horizon, but you are set to make the most of every situation. Your confidence can make a difference.

HOROSCOPES ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, you give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and that’s commendable. Such a positive outlook will serve you and your relationships well.

TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, you may do a bunch of sitting around and waiting at work in the days ahead. Stay patient and rest up, as you’ll need energy reserves when things pick up again.

GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, you may need to work on communicating with some coworkers. Mixed messages can lead to delays, so convene a meeting to clear the air.

CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, in attempt to stay calm, you may be suppressing feelings that really should come to the surface. This may only lead to a blowout later on. Transparency is key.

LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, it may be tempting to put on an overly cheery attitude, even if things are bugging you. Masking your true feelings may lead

VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, your ego is strong enough to withstand some criticism this week. Use the feedback to develop an even better version of yourself, which will only benefit you in the long run.

LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 A current situation has you feeling a bit pessimistic, Libra. But that outlook can be adjusted by looking into the future. Let upcoming plans restore your sunshine.

SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, this is a good week to discuss an important issue with that special someone. It’s fine to have differing opinions, just be sure to respect each other’s point of view.

SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/ Dec 21 Sagittarius, your energy levels may start off very high at the beginning of the week, but they may quickly fizzle out. Roll up your sleeves and try to trudge through.

CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 Feeling needed this week can

BAKED HOT WINGS Makes 2 full servings • 24 chicken wings, a mix of drums and flats, about 2 pounds • 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil • 1/3 cup sriracha chile sauce • 1/4 cup malt vinegar • 1/4 cup soy sauce • 2 tablespoons sugar • 2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced • 1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

FEBRUARY 4 Lawrence Taylor, Athlete (59) FEBRUARY 5 Jeremy Sumpter, Actor (29) FEBRUARY 6 Charlie Heaton, Actor (24) FEBRUARY 7 Garth Brooks, Singer (56) FEBRUARY 8 Seth Green, Actor (44) FEBRUARY 9 Tom Hiddleston, Actor (37) FEBRUARY 10 Elizabeth Banks, Actress (44)

the oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Using tongs, set the wings in the pan in a single layer with the meatiest side down. This will help render the fat. Cook the wings for 2 minutes, then transfer the skillet to the oven for 5 minutes.

Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and, using tongs, flip the wings over. Continue baking until the wings are cooked through and the juices run clear, another 10 minutes. 3. Combine the sriracha, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and gar-

lic in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cut the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the sauce into a large bowl and toss in 1 tablespoon of the scallions.

4. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and, using tongs, transfer the wings to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Transfer to a platter and garnish with the remaining 3 tablespoons scallions.

Your Guide to Arts and Events in the Southwest Suburbs and Beyond

OUT & ABOUT

The Regional News • The Reporter

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Southwest • Section 2, Page 8

The Center presents Julie Andrews performer

An ice rescue demonstration wowed the audience at last year’s event.

Supplied photo

Lake Katherine’s Winterfest returning this weekend Families will have the opportunity to get up close to a bird of prey, meet the critters of Lake Katherine and hop on a hayride at this year’s Winterfest being held between noon and 4 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3 at Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens, 7402 Lake Katherine Drive, Palos Heights.

Tickets cost $5 per person with children two and under being admitted for free. Early ticket deals can also be found on Groupon. com.

Revelers are urged to brave the winter weather and get outside for a fun day of live animals, educational demonstrations, children’s crafts, face painting, and snowshoeing.

During the day, a naturalist from Pilcher Park Nature Center will introduce a raptor and staff from Lake Katherine will present turtles, snakes, and six and eightlegged critters.

The Palos Heights Fire Protection District will perform an ice

rescue demonstration in the lake.

“Winter is long and cold in Chicagoland but getting outside in nature is great for the wellbeing of all ages,” said Gareth Blakesley, Lake Katherine’s operations manager. “We host Winterfest to spread the message that our park is open all year round. It is a great opportunity to enjoy some fresh air and fun activities with your family.”

The schedule of events includes: • Dance Like a Penguin in the Anniversary Garden at noon; • Pilcher Park Nature Center on the Nature Center Stage at 12:30 p.m.; • Ice Rescue Demonstration at the Lakeside at 1 p.m.; • Winter Seedlings on the Nature Center Stage at 1 p.m.; • Pilcher Park Nature Center on the Nature Center Stage at 1:30 p.m.; • Critters of Lake Katherine on the Nature Center Stage at 2 p.m.; • Dance Like a Penguin in the Anniversary Garden at 2 p.m.;

• Pilcher Park Nature Center on the Nature Center Stage at 2:30 p.m.; • Hula Hoopla in the Anniversary Garden at 2:30 p.m.; • Mini Beasts on the Nature Center Stage at 3 p.m.; • Fire Starting at 3:30 p.m.; and • Book Reading on the Nature Center Stage at 3:30 p.m.

Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens is an 85acre non-profit park that includes woodlands, prairie, wetlands, gardens and a 10-acre lake. An estimated 100,000 people come to the park each year to hike, jog, walk their dogs or to simply enjoy the beauty of the gardens and the abundant opportunities to see wildlife.

For more information, call (708) 361-1873.

The Center, 12700 Southwest Highway, Palos Park, has announced a slate of activities for the days ahead.

For more information or to register for a program, call (708) 361-3650.

• A Loving Labyrinth Journey will be traveled beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday Feb. 4. February is a month of cold and snow, but it is also the month of Valentine’s Day, a celebration of the warmth of love. All are welcome at The Center’s labyrinth to become aware of the obstacles sometimes placed in the path of receiving love and to foster the intention that all can offer love. Registration is necessary as the event is weather-dependent.

• Communion Sunday will be held at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday Feb. 4. On the first Sunday of each month (except December) Communion is offered at both Wayside Chapel services.

Volunteers are needed setting up Communion as well as helping to distribute it. Those who are able and interested, please contact Chris Hopkins at The Center. All are welcome. The Wayside Chapel serves a non-alcoholic cup and gluten-free bread.

• The Luncheon will feature Jenny Riddle performing Julie Andrews from noon to 2 p.m.

Tuesday Feb. 6. Everyone remembers Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins and Maria Von Trapp, but don’t know who was she before that. The voice that Julie Andrews thought of as a “gimmick” at age 10 became one of the most recognizable voices in the world.

Riddle will dramatize the life of Julie Andrews, before she was Mary or Maria. Riddle will be telling Andrews’ story and singing her songs in her presentation of Julie Andrews’ memoir, “Home:

Making paper snowflakes at The Center.

The Early Years.” Luncheons cost $22 and advance reservations are necessary.

• 3-D Paper Snowflakes will be created from noon to 2 p.m.

Tuesday Feb. 6. Art teacher Robin Neumann will show participants how to make a variety of simple strokes that can be combined to make beautiful mandalas on beach pebbles. All supplies are provided.

The workshop fee is $22 plus a $3 materials fee.

• Handmade Paper Valentines will be produced from 6:30 to 8:30 Wednesday Feb. 7. Art in-

BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS Explore pets and art McCord Gallery class

A “Paws and Paint Workshop” is set for McCord Gallery and Cultural Center, 9602 W. Creek Road, Palos Park.

Artists of all skill levels are welcome to explore the techniques designed to show a pet’s personality in a work of art.

A supplies list will be given at registration. The workshop will be held on Thursday, Feb. 8 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Registration is $75 for members of McCord and $80 for nonmembers. Call the office at (708) 671-0648 for reservations.

Art classes starting at McCord

“Drawing, Painting and Paper Maché Projects” with artist Liz Wall are coming up at McCord Gallery and Cultural Center. 9602 W. Creek Road, Palos Park.

There are two enrollment periods. The first batch of classes is on Wednesdays, February 7-28, (four weeks), 4:30 to 6 p.m.

The second group of classes is on Wednesdays, March 7-28, (four weeks), 4:30 to 6 p.m. Students will learn to work with paper maché to create their own work.

Every week there will be a new painting project to spark imaginations.

Traditional drawing and painting techniques will be taught, as well as color mixing. All supplies are included. The classes are $60/65 (member/non-member) per period. Call (708) 671-0648 for reservations.

Lemont artists exhibit works

The Lemont Artists Guild Members’ 25th Anniversary Show is running through Feb. 25 at Lemont Center for the Arts, 1243 State Street, Unit 101, Lemont.

A reception will be held Sunday, Feb. 11, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The Lemont Center for the Arts hours are noon to 4 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.

The exhibit includes paintings, photography, fiber and jewelry.

Many items are for sale. The Lemont Artists Guild is a place for people to share and learn about many art forms. The Guild meets on the third Wednesday of the month at the Homer Township Public Library, 14320 W. 151st St., Homer Glen.

For more information, call Liz Popp Connelly at (815) 341-1145.

Bridge Teen Center offers free events for teens

The Bridge Teen Center, 15555 S. 71st Ct., Orland Park, will hold events for teens in seventh through 12th grade.

For more information, call (708) 532-0500.

• Superbowl Fan Fest and Food Battle Game Day Nachos will be featured from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2. In celebration of the Super Bowl, students will compete on a turf paper football field, compete in a game day nacho food battle and create custom ceramic coasters. Live music will be heard from pop rock band As We Are. Which Wich Superior Sandwiches will provide free sandwiches.

• Around the World: Cheese with Whole Foods will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6. Students will sample a wide range of cheeses from around the world with Whole Foods and learn the process of making cheese.

• Students will delve into Sewing 101 from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7. Students will learn the basics of sewing like attaching a button and hand-stitching a hem.

• Students who participate in Project Serve: Thrift Store will volunteer at The Bridge Thrift Store from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8 sorting, cleaning and shelving donated items. Community service hours will be given.

• Songwriting will be explored from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8. Students will learn the basic fundamentals of song writing with brainstorming, writing exercises, and practice.

5701 W 101ST STREET, OAK LAWN, IL 60453

Supplied photo

structor Marilyn VandenBout will help students learn the basics of papermaking and create handmade valentines. The workshop fee is $17 plus a $5 materials fee.

Family Art: Valentine’s Day Card-Making Workshop will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday Feb. 9. Art teacher Karen Signore will help family members of all ages choose from a variety of natural, recycled and creative art materials to make Valentine’s Day cards and decorations. The workshop fee is $10 per person.