Reporter (2 sections) 4 23 15

All baseball talk in EP

After a controversial offseason, the Evergreen Park Athletic Association held its opening ceremonies and for one day, all was right in the world See Jeff Vorva’s story and photos, page 4

R E P O R T E R REPORTER

THE THE THE 3 SECTIONS 44 PAGES

Serving Chicago Ridge, Evergreen Park, Hickory Hills, Oak Lawn, Palos Hills and Worth Serving Chicago Ridge, Evergreen Park, Hickory Hills, Oak Lawn, Palos Hills and Worth

Volume LVI No. 6

USPS 118-690

75¢ 75¢ $1.00 USPS 118-690

Thursday, April 23, 2015

‘Gift from God’ Local leaders pay tribute to Cardinal Francis George

teacher. He was very personal.”

The Rev. Lawrence Malcom, pastor of St. Gerald Parish in Oak Lawn told a congregation at the 5 p.m. Mass Saturday that he had fond memories of the cardinal.

USPS 118-690

By Joe Boyle “Like most of us, I have been Southwest Regional Publishing thinking of Cardinal George toUSPS 118-690 day,” said Malcom. “What some Oak Lawn’s Ed McElroy, a people don’t realize is that he past national commander of contracted polio at the age of 13.

Catholic War Veterans, U.S.A., He lived to 78. That means every had a simple 18-word tribute day of his life he was in pain.” to the late Cardinal Francis Malcom reminded parishioGeorge, but it spoke volumes. ners that George had to wear a “It was a gift from God when brace on his leg to help him walk. the Pope sent Cardinal Fran- “I used to watch him walk cis George Serving to the Archdiocese up andEvergreen down the Park, steps Hickory of Chicago Ridge, Hills, Oak Lawn, Palos Hills and Worth Thursday, March 1, 2007 of Chicago,” McElroy wrote in church,” said Malcom, adda statement.Serving Chicago Ridge, ing thatEvergreen George did not want Park, Hickory Hills, Oak Lawn, Palos Hills and Worth Thursday, March 1, 2007 He was one of many who had any preferential treatment. nice thoughts and kind words for George was raised on Chicago’s George, who served as the head Northwest Side and attended St. of the Chicago Archdiocese for 17 Pascal School, where he said he years and died last Friday morn- first began thinking about bePhoto by Jeff Vorva ing at his archdiocesan residence. coming a priest when received The gates are locked at the Happy Bark Park and EP officials hope to open them up again next The Funeral Mass, with at- his First Holy Communion. tendance by ticket only, will be After being diagnosed with week but it will depend on the status of the dangers posed by the canine flu. at Holy Name Cathedral at noon polio, George entered Quigtoday, Thursday, with a burial ley Preparatory Seminary as to follow at All Saints Cemetery a freshman and was told that in Des Plaines. he could not stay and most Br. Hank Hammer, FMS, likely would not be ordained. who is the new president at His family entered him in Marist High School, recalled a boarding school in Belleville when George visited the cam- run by the Missionary Oblates pus on Aug. 29, 2013 to mark of Mary Immaculate order. the school’s 50th anniversary. He was installed as bishop Hammer, who has been at of Yakima, Wash., in 1990. He Marist in some capacity for was promoted six years later to over 30 years, said the cardi- become the head of the Portnal celebrated Mass to mark the land Archdiocese in Oregon. anniversary on a hot and humid Ten months later, Pope day. Br. Patrick McNamara was John Paul 11 selected him

By Claudia Parker wants everyone to feel safe bringing their dog into the school president at that time. to become the new archand Tim Hadac the park when it reopens. “There’s a large enough “It was after the Mass and bishop of Chicago after CarReporter News space where the dogs can move around comfortthe cardinal was with Brother dinal Joseph Bernardin died. ably,” said Aparo. “There are sections for small, Pat, who was driving him in a The Rev. Michael Furlan, You won’t hear any happy barks at Evergreen medium and large dogs but they aren’t isolated to golf cart,” said Hammer. “All he pastor of St. Germaine ParPark’s Happy Bark Park because for now it remains those areas. Big dogs can move into the small dog (George) wanted to do was to be ish, Oak Lawn, since 2002, closed. space and vice versa.” driven over to talk to the kids.

The park, which had been locked up for most of Aparo cautions owners not to bring their dog I guess once a teacher, always a April, is one of several services or businesses that into the park if they aren’t social, to avoid doggy (Continued on page 5) have been affected by a national outbreak of canine quarreling. “We encourage owners not to bring flu that is hitting close to home. Earlier in the their pet’s toys in. Other dogs will see them and week, the flu reportedly killed a dog in McHenry want to play with them too. Dogs are like kids, County so dog owners in the Chicago area are not they’ll fight over things.” out of the woods, yet.

Bo knows safety Evergreen Park was one of the first to shut down its dog park, a facility that was opened July 31 at In Oak Lawn Bailey’s Crossing Dog Park is still 91st Street and California Avenue. open for business but last Thursday afternoon, just “LaPar Animal Hospital’s veterinarian, Dr. Matt one customer, Bo, a Cocker Spaniel/Bichon mix, Bauer, advised us to close the dog park as a pre- was romping around. caution,” Mayor Jim Sexton said after Monday’s His owner, Oak Lawn’s Joanne Niemiec, said that board meeting. “According to our knowledge, none if another dog came to the park, she would remove of our local pets have been affected by the dog flu.” Bo from the facility because of the flu epidemic.

Village Clerk Cathy Aparo said an e-mail from She also discouraged her pooch from drinking out Bauer suggested keeping the park closed for another of a bowl that other dogs have used at the park. week until the dog flu passes.

Bauer said that he recommends the same preBauer said Tuesday that if he sees minimized cautions. cases of the flu for 10-14 days, he will recommend Meanwhile, the flu’s ripple effects are causing the park be reopened. damage as it sweeps through the area.

“The surge is dwindling,” Bauer said.

“This is normally my busiest season, and I usually In a move that officials hope will keep stray groom at least 40 dogs a week with a waiting list animals away from the park, the village will tighten of about two weeks,” said Pam Barnett, owner of entrance security when the park opens again.

Pack Leader Academy, an all-breed dog grooming Those who register for the park will receive a and training business in Palos Heights. “But last fob card, which works similar to a hotel swipe card. week? Just 13 dogs. Person after person called and Photo by Jeff Vorva When waved in front of the reader, it will provide cancelled appointments.” entry. Aparo said that each fob card ID number Dog owners are cancelling or at least postponing Cardinal Francis George, left, took a spin in a golf cart with is registered to the owner and their pet. The pet such visits based on the advice of veterinarians. then-Marist President Patrick McNamara to meet with students license is $5 and the fob card is $20, Aparo said. at the school during the school’s 50th anniversary celebration Aparo is a doting dog owner herself. She said she (Continued on page 11) in August, 2013.

THE THE 2 SECTIONS 22 PAGES A packed house

was at the Chicago Ridge meeting Volume XLVII No. 50 on Tuesday and the hot topic was health insurance

Volume XLVII No. 50

Dermot Connolly sorts it all out on page 3

Vorva writes about former can’t miss baseball prospect Todd Van Poppel (page 3), Hanania praises a Blago — not the one in jail (page 6) and Parker will be working with kids with cancer to get them ready for a 5K race (page 12)

Don C. White shares FDR’s trials and tribulations on Page 6 INDEX Police News........................2 Our Neighborhood.............4 Sudoku.............................4 Commentary.....................6 Death Notices..................7 Crossword.........................7 School............................8&9 Calendar........................10 Consumer.........................11

R EPORT ER

Dogged by the canine flu

This SXU pitcher did WHAT?

By Jeff Vorva Reporter Editor

a perfect game against TIU, she struck out all 15 batters she faced in the five-inning, 9-0 victory.

At 3 p.m. on April 14, St. XaviShe threw just 57 pitches and er pitcher Nicole Nonnemacher 50 were for strikes. Trinity made walked onto the mound at her contact just five times -- all foul school and began throwing warmup balls. pitches before a battle against TrinNonnemacher, a native of ity International University.

Bloomington, is just the second An hour and 13 minutes later, pitcher in NAIA history to throw she made history. a perfect game and strike out all The junior pitcher, who was 15 batters in a five-inning game. named NAIA Pitcher of the Year Emily Guess of Central Baptist as a sophomore, not only threw Arkansas fanned 15 in a 27-0

victory over Hillside Free Will formance during a 5-0 victory.

Baptist (Okla.) on April 18, 2011.

For the full story, see sports.

Guess also fanned 15 in a fiveNicole Nonnemacher poses inning game against Crowley’s near a sign with St. Xavier Ridge (Ark.) in a 13-0 win four University’s top softball team days later. accomplishments. On April 14, It was Nonnemacher’s secshe had one of the greatest ond career perfect game for the individual accomplishments Cougars. Mathematics, however, in NAIA history however on prevented her from breaking her Saturday she broke her record own school record for strikeouts with 19 strikeouts in a seven as she fanned 18 neighboring inning game against Robert Trinity Christian College batters Morris University.

On March 17 in a one-hit per-

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The Reporter Thursday, April 23, 2015

POLICE & COMMUNITY NEWS

Marco is a no-show at final meeting as D218 president

By Dermot Connolly Staff Reporter School Board 218 President Marco Corsi, who lost his reelection bid after 15 years on the board, bypassed the chance to make a farewell speech by not showing up for the last meeting he would be in charge of Monday.

Corsi lost his 5th Subdistrict race to Carol A. Katz, a special education teacher in Chicago Ridge School District 127.5.

She was in the audience, along with the newly elected Robert M. Stokes, who was elected to the 6th Subdistrict seat that was left open when Dr. Don Pratl decided not to run for re-election.

Katz, a Worth resident whose son is a freshman at Shepard High School, has served on the Worth District 127 school board for the past nine years.

Her term expires this month.

Vice President Thomas Kosowski chaired the meeting in Corsi’s absence, and not-

board for the past two years.”

“I’m going to miss you,” said member Johnny Holmes, who ran unopposed for his Subdistrict 1 seat. “I just began to get used to your (quirky ways).

I think you brought something really unique to the board, and it has been a really good two years.”

Kosowski also expressed his thanks. “Your best quality is your friendship. I wish you good luck,” he said.

Secretary Karen Burmeister agreed that it has been a “good two years” with Pratl on the board.

“And for the record, although Marco isn’t here, I would also like to thank him for his many years of service on this board,” she added.

In regular business, after some discussion the board agreed to discontinue the $20 student activity fee. As district officials explained, students who paid the fee were given

Corsi ing that this would be his last meeting, Pratl expressed his appreciation for his colleagues.

“I’d like to thank all of you for accommodating my sometimes quirky style,” said Pratl. The Richards High School alumnus said that being named a “distinguished alumnus” some years ago was an honor, “It didn’t mean as much to me as serving on this

(Continued on page 3)

‘King Crack’ can’t rap his way out of arrest

By Dermot Connolly Staff Reporter King Crack made an appearance in Oak Lawn and the alleged rapper couldn’t rap – or talk -- his way out felony drug charges.

Two men face felony drug charges after Oak Lawn police reported seeing them conduct a hand-to-hand transaction in the parking lot of Walgreens, 4740 W. 95th St., at 9:26 p.m.

THE

April 6.

Richard F. Rodriguez, 67, of the 5900 block of West David Court, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance after police said he admitted buying an unspecified amount of crack cocaine from Ezille Tyus, 30, of the 6400 block of South Artesian Avenue, Chicago.

Police said the men were in separate cars when the transaction took place and both were

arrested after driving away from the scene.

Tyus, who told police he was a rap artist using the ficticious name “King Crack,” also was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver, and delivery of a controlled substance.

His passenger and the driver of Rodriguez’s car were released without charge.

Rodriguez and Tyus were

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Musa I. Adwan, 25, of the 16900 block of South 88th Court, Orland Hills, was charged with possession of marijuana after being stopped for a traffic offense at 8:53 p.m. April 16 in the 10300 block of South Harlem Avenue.

Police said he was also wanted on an outstanding Will County warrant for a drug offense.

Cesar Montelongo, 40, of the 5100 block of West Otto Place, was charged with driving on a revoked license, no insurance and no rear registration light when he was stopped at 11:27 p.m. April 9 in the 9100 block of South 51st Avenue. He is due in court on May 14.

Nasr Owaynat, 32, of the 8300 block of West 95th Street, Palos Hills, was charged with driving on a suspended license and no insurance when he was stopped for a traffic violation on April 18 at 95th Street and Ridgeland Avenue. His passenger, Jehad Owaynat, 36, of the 7900 block of West 103rd Street, Palos Hills, was cited for not wearing a seatbelt, and an outstanding Cook County warrant for a traffic offense.

Jill McClorey, 55, of the 3100 block of West Marshall Avenue, Chicago Ridge, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and following too closely after being involved in a traffic altercation when she was stopped at 12:40 p.m. April 17 in the 10300 block of South Austin Avenue. Police said she registered .267 blood-alcohol count on a breath test.

Evergreen Park Alice R. Coy, 52, of Chicago, faces one count of felony retail theft for allegedly taking a $33 bottle of Ciroc vodka from Walmart, 2500 W. 95th St., at 4 p.m. April 10. Police said the charge was upgraded to a felony because she has several convictions for the same crime.

Adam J. Stevenson, 28, of Evergreen Park, was charged with felony burglary to a motor vehicle for allegedly taking miscellaneous items, including sunglasses and headphones, from a car in the 9500 block of South Spaulding Avenue at 4:30 a.m. April 12. Police responding to a call of burglary in progress said he appeared intoxicated when he was found nearby. He was charged with a felony due to his record of convictions, police said.

Notice is Hereby Given that on 5-23-15, a sale will be held at Car Craft Body Shop, 1012 Industry Ln., New Lenox, IL 60451, to sell the following articles to enforce a lien existing under the laws of the State of Illinois unless such articles are redeemed within thirty days of the publication of this notice.

Mark Tomazic 2011 Dodge VIN# 2B3CJ4DG4BH596660 Zecola L. Price, 32, of Chicago, Lien Amount: $2,840.00 was charged with retail theft at Walmart, 2500 W. 95th St., at 10:05 a.m. April 12. Police said she took LEGAL NOTICE 17 clothing items worth $115.25.

Notice is Hereby Given that on Byron C. Day, 19, of Chicago, 5-23-15, a sale will be held at Dixie Warehouse & Storage, Inc., 25621 S. was charged with retail theft at Dixie Hwy, Unit 14, Crete, IL 60417, 3:40 p.m. April 12, at Walmart. to sell the following articles to en- Police said he took a phone case force a lien existing under the laws worth $27.88. of the State of Illinois unless such Melvin Jimerson, 49, of Chicago, articles are redeemed within thirty was charged with retail theft at days of the publication of this notice.

Michaels 9140 S. Western Ave., at Gerald R. Johannes 4 p.m. April 16. He allegedly took 1951 Plymouth assorted merchandise worth $47.92 VIN# 13144210 Lien Amount: $7,200.00 Tyler James Cardinal, 21, of Oak Lawn, was charged with retail theft at Mariano’s, 2691 W. 95th St., at 6:30 p.m. April 13. He took groceries worth $88.01, police said.

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Two tires and rims were reported stolen off a 2015 Buick Verano in the Haggerty Buick dealership lot, 9301 S. Cicero Ave., at 1:18 p.m. April 12.

A dealership employee said he found the car propped up on two jacks, with both driver’s side tires and rims missing. The lug nuts are left behind Anthony M. Daniels, 38, of the 1100 block of East 101st Street, Chicago, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding and failure to signal when he was pulled over at 1:59 a.m. April 13 in the 5600 block of West 95th Street. Police said he registered .088 blood-alcohol count on a breath test, just over the legal limit. He is due in court on May 15.

Rodney Spears, 44, of the 3500 block of West 99th Street, Evergreen Park, was charged with criminal damage and disorderly conduct after allegedly threatening employees during a dispute over a malfunctioning phone in the Telecell store, 10300 S. Cicero Ave., at 11:23 a.m. April 13.

Employees said Spears left after arguing with a manager by phone when employees said he couldn’t get a refund, threw the store phone to the ground and broke it. Police called him to the station and arrested him.

He is due in court on May 21.

Anthony S. Melander, 33, of the 11700 block of South Kolin Avenue, Alsip, was charged with two counts of battery and disorderly conduct following an altercation with employees at EZ Car Wash, 5606 W. 95th St., at 3:15 p.m. April 13. Employees said they were hit with flying gravel as he sped away, spinning the tires following an argument about how they were washing his car. Police called him into the station, where he was arrested. Melander is due in court on June 5.

Karen L. Comiskey, 37, of the 12200 block of South Spencer Avenue, Alsip, was charged with driving on a suspended license and failure to signal a turn when she was stopped at 9:06 a.m.

April 14 in the 4600 block of West 95th Street.

She is due in court on May 8.

impersonating a police officer, aggravated assault, reckless conduct, disorderly conduct and illegal consumption of alcohol after police were called to a disturbance at Zante’s, 10307 S. Roberts Road, at 10:30 p.m.

March 15. Officers said Dorner tried to hide from them behind a car, and identified himself as a DuPage County officer to them and bar employees. According to employees, Dorner had been told to leave the bar when he placed a gun on a table in the bar. It was later found to be a replica .45 caliber BB gun, that police recovered under the car where he was hiding. It was also determined that he had used someone else’s ID to be served alcohol.

Police investigating an April 11 burglary in the 11100 block of Northwest Road arrested a male juvenile on April 14, charging him with two counts of residential burglary on April 14. In addition to the April 11 case, he was also charged in connection with an earlier burglary in the same area. Police said he admitted to both.

Two people reported being victims of identity theft on April 15, when they tried to file tax returns. Both victims said they were informed by the IRS that someone else had already filed under their names. The IRS is working with both people to sort out the situation.

Police investigated a noise complaint at 3 a.m. March 19 in the 10700 block of Christa Court charged Robert Miller, 23, of Orland Park, and Eric Horabik, 25, of Palos Park, with obstruction. Police said Miller interfered with them as they interviewed Horabik, who refused to provide his indentification. Horabik was also charged with possession of drug equipment for having a cannabis pipe, police said.

Worth Dale R. Kinzie, 55, of the 6400 block of West 84th Street, Burbank, was charged with retail theft for allegedly stealing two steaks from Fairplay Food, 6620 W. 111th St., at 8:52 p.m. April 17. He was seen getting into a van outside the store, and was taken into custody when the van was pulled over in the 10700 block of Ridgeland Avenue. The driver was not charged.

Alyssa A. Spies, 19, of the 5700 block of West 88th Street, Oak Lawn, was charged with driving without a valid license following a stop at 10:38 p.m.

April 15 in the 6600 block of West 111th Street.

Kyle Dorner, 20, of Hickory Hills, was charged with felony

Area police departments Chicago Ridge 425-7831 Evergreen Park 422-2142 Hickory Hills 598-4900 Oak Lawn 499-7722 Palos Hills 598-2272 Worth 448-3979

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Notice is Hereby Given that on 5-23-15, a sale will be held at McKenna Automotive Services, 7401 St. Louis Ave., Skokie, IL 60076, to sell the following articles to enforce a lien existing under the laws of the State of Illinois unless such articles are redeemed within thirty days of the publication of this notice.

James Amatore & Chicago Snow Plowing % Jim Amatore 1999 Ford VIN#1FTNF21L9XEA95616 Lien Amount: $5,526.27

Notice is Hereby Given that on 5-23-15, a sale will be held at Loyola Service, 2055 Johns Dr., Glenview, IL 60025, to sell the following articles to enforce a lien existing under the laws of the State of Illinois unless such articles are redeemed within thirty days of the publication of this notice.

Andrew William Hyde & Kierra Holley 2003 Chevrolet VIN# 1GCHK23183F103584 Lien Amount: $11,806.39

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Premier CDL Training Services 1996 International VIN#2HSFMALR0TC045751 Lien Amount: $3,600.00

Palos Hills

Thursday, April 23, 2015 The Reporter

3

Van Poppel stuck around despite not living up to hype Parents of youth league baseball players, what if I proposed this scenario to you?

If I told you that your kid would pitch in 11 seasons in the major leagues and make millions, you would likely tell me “Great!” and maybe turn a cartwheel or two.

If I told you, he might not be a superstar and might bounce around the league a little, including a couple of years with the Cubs, you might not want to turn that cartwheel, but you would have to admit it’s a pretty sweet scenario.

It’s all a matter of perspective.

For a dude named Todd Van Poppel, it wasn’t all that special.

A few weeks ago, my daughter was playing volleyball at this massive national qualifying tournament at McCormack Place and there were thousands of players, coaches and parents milling about. While I was chatting with another parent, a long distance away in this sea of humanity, there was former

IMPRESSIONS

room but I was able to have a few decent conversations with him. By that time, he was beaten over the head over and over by By fans and media about what a Jeff Vorva failure he was.

See, when he was in high school, he was supposed to be the next great thing.

He was going to be another Nolan Ryan.

He was a “can’t-miss” prosmajor league pitcher Todd Van pect.

Poppel purchasing some tournaIn happier times, he was 11-3 ment shirts. with a 0.97 ERA and 170 strikeI wanted to chase him down outs as a senior in Arlington, and say hello to him, but he Texas. The world was his oyster. was too far away.

The Atlanta Braves were so He played with the Cubs when geeked about him, they were I covered the team in 2000 and all set to draft him in the first 2001 and he may or may not round. But legend has it that have remembered me. Arguably, Van Poppel told the Braves no those were the two best seasons and they looked in another of his career as the setup man direction. They picked up an and racked up ERAs of 3.75 and infielder named Larry Wayne 2.52 in his pair of years on the Jones, Jr. North Side.

His nickname is “Chipper.’’

By the time he reached the Chipper went on to have a Cubs he was 29. He wasn’t the pretty good career. friendliest guy in the locker Van Poppel?

Photo by Dermot Connolly

CR trustees’ insurance brings out a healthysized crowd to complain Seats in the audience were hard to find at Tuesday’s Chicago Ridge Village Board meeting with many angry residents ready to voice opinions about the taxpayer-funded health insurance benefits offered to the part-time trustees even after they leave the board.

The perk, which the board approved 15 years ago when most current members weren’t there, was the focus of a WGN (Channel 9) investigative report this month.

Residents such as Bill Lammel, said the report unfairly targeted Trustee Daniel Badon, a board member since 1997 who was running for re-election, and Don Pratl, a former trustee.

“I find it appalling in this village that this was brought out in this way,” said Lammel.

Some residents asked board members why taxpayers are being asked to pay for health insurance for part-time trustees, when they are struggling to pay for health insurance for themselves and their families.

One woman pointed out that residents no longer get $100 property tax rebates, or even free tickets to Ridge Fest, but have to pay for trustees’ insurance.

“This must be looked at, and changed,” said Mary Callan. “If there is some problem with changing it legally, why can’t we ask the trustees to give it up voluntarily?”

Callan said the trustees, past and present, should be more like the paid-on-call firefighters honored earlier in the meeting for their volunteer work refurbishing the Lombard Avenue fire station, saving the village more than $100,000.

“I’ve been in the insurance plan since 2000. But it wouldn’t bother me in the least to give it up. I have other options, including veterans insurance,” said Badon.

“It was never an issue before. It was just made a campaign issue (by outsiders).’’

Mayor Charles Tokar, who was village clerk when then the original legislation was passed, said insurance only cost $25 or $50 per month, but prices have skyrocketed since then.

One of the last people to speak while the floor was opened to the public was the newly elected Bill McFarland, who pledged that he would be not accepting the insurance when he takes his seat. He also said he will be resigning as a paid on-call firefighter, in order to avoid any conflicts of interest.

“I will not be doing both jobs,” he said. “My goal is to only vote for things that will benefit the residents.” McFarland, along with top vote-getter Frances M. Coglianese and returning Trustee John “Jack” Lind, will be sworn in at the next meeting. Lind and Trustee Michael Davies, who is stepping down from the board, were not at the meeting.

Trustee Amanda Cardin pointed that not all trustees, including herself, take the insurance benefit.

While the insurance issue was discussed in the public comment portion of the meeting, Trustee Sally Durkin asked Tokar why it hadn’t been placed on the agenda to be voted on, as she had asked.

“My proposal will be to rescind the insurance in its entirety,” said Durkin, acknowledging that legal counsel will have to be consulted to see if that is possible. If it is not legally possible to take the benefit away from people who already have it, Durkin said she will ask that former trustees pay their entire premium.

Tokar said that it was not on the agenda because it had not been seconded at the previous meeting, an explanation that many people in the audience, and Durkin and Badon questioned.

In any case, the mayor said it would definitely be on the agenda for the May 5 meeting.

“We will deal with what we can do, for past, present and future trustees,” said Tokar. “We have to fix this and we will. It is a priority.”

Palos Hills residents will use Southwest Central Dispatch again for overnight parking

By Michael Gilbert Correspondent Palos Hills is turning to a familiar source to solve its overnight parking issues.

Mayor Gerald Bennett said at the city council meeting last Thursday that Southwest Central Dispatch has agreed to once again field calls from those Palos Hills residents who plan on parking their vehicle overnight on a city street.

Southwest Central Dispatch had been taking those calls from residents for the better part of the last five years, but this past December they notified Palos Hills Police Chief Paul Madigan that the task had become too cumbersome and they would no longer be able to provide the service.

But Bennett and Madigan recently revisited the idea with Southwest Central Dispatch and the agency said it would take the job without any cost to the city.

“We showed them the call log sheet [of those who requested

Marco

(Continued from page 2)

a pass that provided free admission to basketball and football games, and half-price admission for some dances.

Superintendent John Byrne said that across the three-school district, only about $3,000 was collected from the fees anyway.

“It’s a struggle to get students to come to events,” said Gary Rauch, the principal of Eisenhower High School. He told the board that by waiving admission fees, his school has witnessed growth in attendance numbers.

The board also discussed introducing a $50 technology fee, but that issue was tabled until the next meeting to gather more information and to allow further discussion. Byrne said that during the next school year, the plan is to begin providing students with personal tablets, although exactly which kind has not been determined yet. He said the fee was meant to cover insurance and repair of the devices, but board members had questions about the necessity of the fee, and whether it would be refundable if loaned devices were returned in good condition.

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Poppel – he didn’t flame out at a young age and go home. He took all of the demotions to the minor leagues and from being a big-name starter to a near anonymous reliever and still put the work in and did what it took to spend more than a decade in the majors.

That’s not a glorious accomplishment, but it’s a pretty difficult one.

At 6-foot-5, he can hold his head high, literally and figuratively.

He was in Chicago to watch his daughter, Halee, play for the 16 Mizuno Ray team out of Texas, which finished 14th in Look, I don’t remember the 16-yeard-old open division.

Van Poppel telling the world His daughter is getting a lot of he was going to be the next positive press and will likely get great thing. He wasn’t brag- a lot more before she graduates ging that he would be a Hall from high school in 2017. of Fame pitcher. He was just a If she gets a little too much great high school pitcher whose love from the media and her career was seemingly mapped head starts filling with thoughts out by others. And it didn’t work about her greatness, her old out like they thought it would. man should be able to give some Here’s what I like about Van good perspective on that topic.

Parking issue solved

Resident Mary Callan has her say at Tuesday’s Chicago Ridge Village Board meeting while outgoing Trustee Daniel Baden listens.

By Dermot Connolly Staff Reporter

He signed with Oakland, made his debut at age 19 and became one of the top 10 “Can’t miss prospects that missed” according to one website. A Facebook wiseguy who writes “Ricos Funny Quotes” said “My retirement plan is just a shoebox filled with Todd Van Poppel rookie cards.’’

When Van Poppel signed with the A’s in 1990, the team selected four pitchers with their first 36 picks and people started calling them the “Four Aces.”

Despite people thinking he was a bust, Van Poppel was the ace of the Four Aces. The others were Don Peters, Dave Zancanaro and Kirk Dressendorfer. Dressendorfer lasted a month in the majors and the other two never made it.

It’s so dangerous to play the Potential Game. So many athletes in all sports have been the victims of too much hype before they even perform at the highest level. When they don’t live up to that hype, people resent them.

overnight parking] and there really wasn’t many people so they said they could help us,” Bennett said.

Previously, residents were asked to call the Palos Hills Police Department to request permission to park overnight. When the police department was closed residents were then allowed to call 911 and a Southwest Central Dispatch operator would answer the call and then relay the information to police officers.

Once Southwest Central Dispatch stopped taking the calls in December, residents had to contact the police department during its normal business hours of 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday or risk receiving an $80 ticket.

Residents are now asked to call 708-598-2151 whenever they are seeking permission for overnight parking. The police department or 911 should not be called regarding overnight parking requests, Bennett said.

Overnight parking is not allowed

in Palos Hills between 2-6 a.m. any day of the week. The city does allow residents to park overnight for three consecutive days up to three times of year. Bennett said the city will be keeping track of how often a resident calls.

“This is only supposed to be for emergency situations,” he said.

“We will monitor those who take advantage of it.”

Overnight parking has been a hotly debated topic of late with one alderman at the previous meeting even proposing a moratorium on tickets while a solution is reached.

Other ideas from residents and city officials have ranged from setting up an answering machine for citizens to call to allowing homeowners to print out a one-time use parking pass from their computer.

After nearly four months of discussion, Bennett believes the best solution has been found.

“We looked at whether we could use a non-emergency phone [answering service], but with different officers on the street and shift changes it would be too hard to keep track,” Bennett said. “I think we’ve come up with the best idea.”

Alderman A.J. Pasek (3rd Ward) agreed this was the best option.

Photo by Michael Gilbert

Palos Hills Mayor Gerald Bennett discusses the new agreement with Southwest Central Dispatch to field calls from residents requesting permission to park their vehicles overnight on city street.

“This is easier than having the answering machine,” Pasek said.

“It’s very similar to what we had [before Southwest Central Dispatch stopped taking calls], but we’ll just have to reeducate people on what number to call.”

To do that, Bennett said the new number will be posted on the city’s website and included in the upcoming water bill and newsletter.

4

The Reporter Thursday, April 23, 2015

Our Neighborhood

Opening Day was all about baseball for controversial EPAA

By Jeff Vorva Reporter Editor Baseball was the big talk on Saturday, which was Opening Day for the Evergreen Park Athletic Association.

The opening ceremonies at Norris Field in the morning were like opening ceremonies in most organizations throughout the country.

Hundreds of players in their brand new clean uniforms marched in from right field as proud parents beamed, took photos and shot video.

There were speeches and a touching ceremonial first pitch thrown by Mary Ellen Knight, whose son, Tony, died last year at age 29. Tony was a fixture in town and a huge sports fan who did volunteer work for the EPAA. It looked like a great American moment, complete with a sun-kissed sky and temperatures nearly touching the 70s. Then it was baseball, baseball and more baseball.

In some circles, however, EPAA officials are known as the bad guys after bringing light to possible residential cheating by Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West Little League team last fall.

JRW won the United States championship last summer and was the feel-good story of the year.

While the EPAA and its spokesman/vice president Chris Janes, were brushed aside by Little League officials, other organizations from Chicago came forward to complain about JRW misdeeds and illegally changing residency maps.

Little League bosses paid closer attention to those allegations stripped the team of its title earlier this year.

But EPAA is still taking the blame for downfall of Jackie Robinson West. Janes still gets heavily criticized and recently the new JRW spokesman Glenn Harston II, told Huffington Post Live that the village of Evergreen Park is perceived as “anti-African-American.’’

“All of this unfolded from a … whistleblower that comes from a town that is perceived as being anti-African American, and there’s a lot of racial tension coming from that town,” Harston said.

To make matters worse, Janes was arrested in March by the EP police for a variety of charges including disorderly conduct, assault and public intoxication. While he immediately apologized and took ownership of the incident, it gave more fuel for his critics.

It was quite an offseason for the organization and there will likely continue to be some fallout.

But on Saturday, all of that was forgotten and baseball was the hot topic.

Janes continues to coach in the organization and said Friday that a prior commitment kept him from attending the Opening Day ceremonies but he had planned on coaching later in the day.

He likely speaks for most EPAA members when he said: “It’s all about baseball now – let’s turn the page.’’

Although the EPAA had plenty of controversial baggage this offseason, Opening Day ceremonies had a positive vibe and some players received free bags for the new season.

Tommy Flamm and Brodie Bartels, who both turned 7 this week, celebrate Opening Day for the Evergreen Park Athletic Association baseball season with a hug at Norris Field on Saturday.

Photos by Jeff Vorva

EPAA official Jim Walsh speaks to the crowd before the 2015 season got rolling on Saturday.

SUDOKU

Mary Ellen Knight, whose son Tony was a friend of the EPAA and died at age 29 last year, throws out the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday.

White Sox t-ball player Cameron Smith’s hat covers his face as he marches to the infield at the EPAA’s Opening Day celebration.

RETRO

By Mark Andrews

The object of the game is to fill all the blank squares with the correct numbers. Each row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Each column of 9 numbers must include all digits1 through 9 in any order. Each 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9.

Compiled by Jeff Vorva

News and events from our archives.

Tough elections for mayors 50 years ago

From the April 22, 1965 issue The story: Three village presidents and one mayor were voted out of office in Chicago Ridge, Worth, Palos Hills and Crestwood.

The quote: “You poor, lost misguided fools. You actually thought the Hawk management was really behind you,” – Reporter columnist Gary Fuller on the Blackhawks on a decision to put their Stanley Cup Playoff road games on closed circuit TV instead of free TV. Fun fact: There was an Easter egg hunt at the Monticello Convalescent Center in Oak Lawn in which kids and patients were able to search for the eggs.

Your money and your wife 25 years ago

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History of the World

From the April 26, 1993 issue The story: An Oak Lawn man was arrested after he tried to rob a man at knifepoint in the Jewel parking lot. The man pulled out a six-inch fishing knife and allegedly said “I want your bride and your money.’’

The quote: “I feel this is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion,” –Moraine Valley Board Chairman John C. Griffin on the school not raising tuition for the next year.

Fun fact: Shepard’s softball team beat Argo 13-2, 19-8 and 17-13 in three games during a two-day stretch.

Sad times for Oak Lawn baseball program 10 years ago

From the April 21, 2005 issue The story: Bill Kalant, a sophomore pitcher at Oak Lawn Community High School, was in critical condition after he was struck in the head with a line drive hit off the bat of a Driscoll player. Kalant walked off the field under his own power but after he sat in the dugout, he showed symptoms of a serious injury and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. That came shortly after Oak Lawn freshman Dominic Duran died of a heart condition after he collapsed during a baseball practice.

The quote: “In all my years, I never had to deal with anything like this,” – Oak Lawn baseball coach Skip Sullivan on the two horrific events.

Fun fact: St. Xavier University baseball coach Mike Dooley won his 500th career game with a 7-1 win over Trinity International.

April 23: ON THIS DATE in 1968, 300 students at Columbia University in New York barricaded the office of a college dean, charging the school with supporting the Vietnam War and violating the civil rights of nearby Harlem residents.

April 24: ON THIS DATE in 1898, Spain declared war on the United States after rejecting America’s ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba. In 1980, the United States launched an abortive attempt to free American hostages in Iran, a mission in which eight U.S. servicemen died.

April 25: ON THIS DATE in 1859, ground was broken for construction of the Suez Canal.

April 26: ON THIS DATE in 1986, the world’s worst nuclear accident occurred at the Chernobyl power plant in the Ukraine.

April 27: ON THIS DATE in 1861, West Virginia seceded from Virginia to become a Union state after Virginia had seceded from United States to join the Confederacy. In 1937, the nation’s first Social Security checks were distributed.

April 28: ON THIS DATE in 1789, sailors on the British ship HMS Bounty mutinied in the Pacific, setting the captain and several other officers adrift. In 1914, Willis Carrier patented his air conditioner.

April 29: ON THIS DATE in 1429, Joan of Arc led French troops to victory over the English. In 1975, the last U.S. forces pulled out of South Vietnam.

Answer to last week’s question: This week in 1956, Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” went to No. 1 on the pop music charts, his first record to do so.

This week’s question: In 1952, the first commercial for a toy aired on television. It pitched what product?

(Mark Andrews can be reached via e-mail at mlandrews@embarqmail.com.)

Practicing what he preaches

Thursday, April 23, 2015 The Reporter

5

After advocating amino acid therapy for others, Palos Hills doctor is using it himself

By Dermot Connolly Staff Reporter Illness in his family led Dr. Robert Wright, a Palos Hills chiropractor for 25 years and certified clinical nutritionist, to begin using amino acid therapy in his practice six years ago.

Now he is using the therapy on himself. “My sister got Parkinson’s disease about eight years ago, and my mission was to come up with a way of managing it naturally,� said Wright, a Palos Park resident whose office is at 10059 S. Roberts Road.  His wife, Joyce, is his office manager. He said that the amino acid therapy he uses is based on 16 years of research performed

by NeuroResearch Clinic in Duluth, Minn.

Wright said that amino acids, often described as the building blocks of protein, are a natural way to boost the production of neurotransmitters in the brain, such as dopamine and serotonin. A lack of dopamine causes Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement.

Typically, physicians would treat Parkinson’s patients by prescribing drugs such as l-DOPA, a chemical precursor to dopamine, which their bodies are not producing naturally. Similarly, drugs prescribed for the treatment of depression, anxiety and attention deficit disorder are designed to increase serotonin levels in the body.

But Wright said the amino acids increase the dopamine and serotonin naturally, without the side effects caused by drugs.

He practices what he preaches.

Wright himself was diagnosed recently with Parkinson’s disease, and said taking amino acids to manage his symptoms has worked well for him.

Wright “I’ve never taken drugs for it,� he said.

A graduate of the National School of Health Sciences, Wright said he follows protocols developed over time by the NeuroResearch Clinic and does not alter any medicine his clients have been prescribed. “I wouldn’t want to do that. We find the right dosage to succeed and once the basic functions better, they may decide to work with their doctors (regarding prescriptions). “Advising them to stop taking their prescriptions immediately would be like pulling the rug from under someone, without having something there to replace it. They would just feel worse.�

He currently has six patients with Parkinson’s disease on amino acid therapy, as well as about 20 of all ages taking amino acids

for depression, anxiety or attention deficit disorder. He said he has found amino acids work better for ADD than attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  “(Amino acid therapy) really helps with focus, and also sleep, and leads to the production of melatonin. We haven’t really marketed it yet. It has all been by word of mouth. Amino acid therapy isn’t for everyone. Probably about 80 percent of patients respond well.’’ The chiropractor said amino acid therapy could cost from $100 to $250 a month, depending on the dosage. �You reach maximum effect after five days,� he said, so patients don’t have to wait weeks or months to see if the dosage is working.

Wright determines the dosage to start out with by using urine tests to see what levels are in the body. But he is starting to use muscle testing more often, using acupuncture points. “Not everyone with depression needs amino acids,� he said. “Some people only need them temporarily. There is no addiction to it,� the chiropractor added.

He said that essentially, the amino acids are making up for what patients are not getting in their diets, or their bodies are not using efficiently. “Certainly, we want to improve everyone’s health,� he said. “They can get some amino acids through their diet, but when there is a nutritional deficiency, they often need another source.�

Wright said he knows of no other chiropractors in the area working with amino acid therapy, and there may only be a few in the state. “I haven’t met any in Illinois using it,� he said. “Some (medical doctors) may be using it, the ones who take a holistic approach.�

Sexton tries to shed light on vacant building

By Claudia Parker Correspondent Let there be light?

It’s not welcome in some circles in Evergreen Park.

Neighbors of the former Walgreen’s located at 3541 W. 95th street stopped by Monday’s village board meeting to raise concerns about the prospective plans for the building.

When Walgreen’s was open, it posed an inconvenience to some residents. “We don’t want to see a restaurant in that building.� said one resident at the meeting. “I don’t want to deal with headlights shining through my house like I did with Walgreen’s drivethru.�

Mayor James Sexton said the building was acquired by the village at a great bargain. “As of right now, we don’t have plans for the building,� said Sexton.

Another male resident stood

up and said: “I’ve spoken to several residents in the area.

None of us want a restaurant in there because of the rodents they bring.’’ Sexton responded, “I won’t commit to what will or won’t go into that space. However, let me assure you, when the time comes, we will consider the interests of the entire community.�

The mayor hoped to ease concerns when he added, “We’ve brought in several businesses and we’ve only heard positive responses for our community. We haven’t had any reports of pests from Pete’s Produce or Tavern on The Green. Again, we intend to keep everyone in mind.�

Trees make great neighbors‌  Area students in kindergarten through eighth grade participated in an Arbor Day creativity contest. The theme was Trees

Make Great Neighbors. The categories included writing a song or essay, making a poster or creating a video. And the top three place winners were displayed during the board meeting.

Public Works Deputy Director and village certified arborist Gavin Yeaman said the environmental benefits of planting trees are endless. “Not to mention they’re aesthetically very pleasing,� he added.

Pleased was also the look on the parent’s faces as their children posed with Yeaman and Sexton.

Essay winners were: 1st place, Savannah Lesauskis, Southwest (Grade 6) 2nd place, Grace Murphy, Northwest (5) 3rd place, Heidi Burke, Northwest (6).

Song winners were : 1st place Mateo Vela, Northwest (4).

Video winners were: 1st place, Noah Flores, Northwest (4) 2nd place, Tess Lee, Southwest (1) 3rd place, Siobhan

Power, Northwest (5).

Poster winners were: 1st place, Alyssa Rossi, Northwest (4), 2nd place, Alexander Peralta, Northeast (6) 3rd place, Peyton Schwarz, Northwest (2).

The tree planting ceremony – the village’s fifth -- will take place Friday. ‌but stalled trains don’t Sexton has been critical of CSX’s railroad trains halting and stalling traffic in his village in past meetings, but he called the company out again Monday night for a recent incident that happened on one of EP’s main roads. “Our fire department was blocked by a train for 13 minutes trying to get to a pregnant woman who had been in a car accident.â€? said Sexton. “I don’t want to see my prediction come true but if CXS doesn’t fix their issues, someone is going to get hurt!â€?

Winners of the Arbor Day contest pose with Public Works Deputy Director Gavin Yeaman and Mayor James Sexton Monday night.

Submitted photo

Oak Lawn’s Ed McElroy posed with Cardinal Francis George a few years ago. George’s funeral is today, Thursday.

Cardinal

(Continued from page 1)

has known George since he was installed as the eighth archbishop of Chicago.   “He was less formal and seemed to enjoy being with people,� said Furlan. “I knew Cardinal Bernardin but he was shy and harder to get to know.�   Furlan said that George had a “great sense of humor, a self-deprecating way about him. He knew sometimes he would say things that would get him in trouble.�    The St. Germaine pastor gave one example of his humor. The cardinal visited St. Germaine in 2012. Furlan asked George if he wanted to live at St. Germaine after his retirement. Furlan said older priests have lived at the parish, like the Rev. William Goedert, who had recently died.

George looked at Furlan and said, “oh, you mean for dying priests.� Furlan said that he and the cardinal had a good laugh over that.   “He was aware of his own weaknesses,� added Furlan. “He wasn’t afraid of conflicts or disagreements. But he would listen.

He might not change his mind but he would always listen.�   George became a leading figure in negotiations with the Vatican over a zero-tolerance policy of sexual abuse by priests in 2002.    The cardinal had his detractors, pointing to his opposition to gay marriage and the belief he did not do enough to prevent further instances of sexual abuse.

Despite those criticisms, local leaders spoke highly of George.

“I am saddened to learn of the death of Francis Cardinal George,� said Cong. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd). “Not just Chicago Catholics but the world has lost a man who was a great leader in the Catholic Church and a man who cared deeply about everyone no matter their faith.    “On a personal level, the more that I had the opportunity to get to know Cardinal George the more I admired him,� added Lipinski. “He was an intellectual powerhouse who had a special ability to communicate great truths in a simple manner. Every time I heard him speak I learned something that enriched my mind and my faith.�    George died at 10:45 a.m. last Friday after years of battling cancer.

George originally handed in his letter of resignation in 2012 to then Pope Pope Benedict XVI. Canon Law states that diocesan bishops have to submit their resignation to the pope when they reach the age 75. The pope can choose not to accept the resignation.     But after another bout with cancer, George had requested Pope Francis find a replacement.

George had said that he wanted to meet his successor during his lifetime. The pope appointed Bishop Blase Cupich, who had led the Spokane, Wash., diocese the past four years, to become George’s successor in September.     “A man of peace, tenacity and courage has been called home to the Lord,� Cupich said at a press conference last Friday. “Let us heed his example and be a little more brave, a little more steadfast and a lot more loving.�

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The Reporter Thursday, April 23, 2015

COMMENTARY THE

REPORTER

An Independent Newspaper Jeff Vorva Editor

Amy Richards Publisher

Published Weekly Founded March, 16, 1960

Guest View

Why strengthening the FOIA is so important

By Caroline H. Little President and CEO Newspaper Association of America

President Obama has routinely promised greater transparency within the federal government. Now, Congress is making strides towards achieving this critical goal.

The House of Representatives and Senate are currently considering nearly identical bills to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which provides the general public, including journalists, with access to federal government records.

This legislation has received broad support across media organizations, including the Sunshine in Government Initiative, a coalition of which the Newspaper Association of America is a member. And here’s why: Openness instead of secrecy would be the “default” key within the government The legislation would require agencies to release documents under a “presumption of openness,” reaffirming the principle that information should never be kept confidential to protect government interests at the expense of the public. Agencies would need to prove specific harm that could result from disclosures before withholding documents. While this policy has been in place since 2009, the legislation would ensure future administrations honor this objective for openness.

The process of obtaining FOIA records would be much more efficient Citizens and journalists would receive requested information in a more timely fashion and would be updated on the status of their request or reason for denial. Federal agencies would be allowed to withhold information on policy deliberations for only 25 years – currently, there is no limit.

More records would be available The legislation would require agencies to post frequently requested information online.

This will give citizens and journalists more timely access to key information and a deeper understanding of what the government is doing – or not doing.

Why is this important?

The Freedom of Information Act remains a powerful, though currently inefficient, tool to obtain public information. Last year, several key stories were brought to light as a result of reporters’ FOIA record requests.

The Associated Press was able to show that people accused of Nazi war crimes had continued receiving Social Security payments after leaving our country. In another instance, a reporter reviewing military ballistics tests found that the Marine Corps had issued armored vests that failed to protect against bullets – and 5,277 vests were quickly recalled, perhaps saving lives.

Likewise, records obtained through FOIA revealed that some firefighter safety equipment failed to work properly when exposed to heat or moisture, rendering it ineffective in crisis situations.

Without these records and journalists’ diligent research, none of this would have been brought to public attention. Our armed forces and firefighters may have been directly harmed as a result.

The Freedom of Information Act was enacted in 1966.

It remains critical for creating and preserving an open and accountable government. However, it must be updated to keep up with changing technology and a persistent mindset within federal agencies that information belongs to the government not the general public.

Congress came very close to passing FOIA reform legislation last year before the end of the 113th Congress. Now, members in both the Senate and House are working in a bi-partisan fashion to move these bills forward in the new Congress.

The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved its FOIA reform bill, S. 337, which is sponsored by Senators John Cornyn, Patrick Leahy, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley.

The House bill (H.R. 653), which is sponsored by Representatives Darrell Issa and Elijah Cummings, was reported out of committee last week.

We applaud the bills’ sponsors and the congressional leadership for turning their attention to this good government legislation. We hope that this momentum bodes well for bipartisan, bicameral action early in the new Congress.

Letters to the Editor Proud to serve Palos Hills again

Dear Editor: Although I have been an alderman for many years I approach each day as though it was my first experience. Once again, I truly appreciate the vote of confidence and am humbled and honored to remain as an alderman of the 2nd ward for our great city for another four year term.

Our residents, employees and the City of Palos Hills are very important to me.

Thank you, Pauline A. Stratton Alderman 2nd ward City of Palos Hills

If signs could vote Donovan would have won

Dear Editor: If you live in Palos Heights you may have noticed all the signs for John Thomas Donovan running for the High School District 230 school board.

I understand that he works in Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s office. It kind of makes me wonder if Madigan paid for all the signs. If signs could vote, he would have won by a landslide. I understand he only got about 16 percent of the vote. Let’s be glad that John Thomas Madigan … oops I am sorry, I mean Donovan … did not get into our school board.

Peter Kamp Palos Heights

The Grapevine By Ray Hanania

At least one Blago didn’t show arrogance, cockiness and stupidity

Robert Blagojevich is the brother of Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois Governor whose loud-mouth and arrogant style pretty much guaranteed his conviction and one of the most outrageously long and unjustified prison sentences ever handed down in an Illinois political case.

But the real tragedy is how the U.S. Government, backed by the bullying of a cabal of politicians and news media who hated the governor, persecuted his brother Robert hoping to beat him up so badly he would testify against the Governor.

Robert Blagojevich, a former decorated military veteran who lives in Nashville, was targeted by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald with no real evidence and dragged before one of the most unfair, but media-loved Illinois judges, James Zagel.

It was sneaky. Robert Blagojevich details it all in his riveting new book that just came out called “Fundraiser A: My Fight for Freedom and Justice.”

You need to buy it and read it.

It’s that good.

Bill Cellini was being prosecuted before Zagel, who has been criticized as being pro-prosecution. Fitzgerald had the Blagojevich brothers added to the Cellini case, not because they were related. Cellini petitioned to be removed and that’s how the Blagojevich’s ended up before Zagel, one

of the most politically driven and biased judges on the bench.

I listened to Robert Blagojevich as he detailed the government corruption he faced during a dinner hosted in honor of the 149th Founders Day Anniversary of the Theta Chi Fraternity. Both Blagojevich brothers were Theta Chis. I was there too.

I was shocked.

The Blagojevich prosecution is one of the great injustices in Illinois politics, driven not by facts but by persecution, emotion and political rivalry.

But while Rod Blagojevich conducted one of the most idiotic and ineffective publicity campaigns I have ever seen in 40 years of journalism and media consulting, Robert took the advice of his capable Palos Heights attorney, Michael Ettinger.

Ettinger told him not to speak to the Justice Department.

Keep your mouth shut.

I am amazed how suspects in criminal reality shows so willingly bury themselves with arrogance, cockiness and stupidity.

When you tell something to the Justice Department but later change or correct it, you can be charged with perjury.

Fitzgerald had to go after Rod and Robert Blagojevich twice because in the first trial the jury deadlocked on Robert (9 to 3) and found Rod guilty of only one

charge of “making false statements,” or perjury.

Fitzgerald tried another trick to convince Robert to separate himself from the Governor in a retrial, so the governor’s impending conviction would weigh heavily on the second trial of Robert. But Ettinger and Robert Blagojevich refused, insisting that the two be tried together, again.

Eventually, Robert Blagojevich’s refusal to take a deal or be tried separately forced Fitzgerald to back down and drop all charges against Robert. But not before the U.S. Attorney destroyed his life.

The trial cost Robert Blagojevich more than $1 million, and two years of anguish.

It was brutal.

He never got an apology from Fitzgerald that he deserves, or compensation from the government or Judge Zagel for the injustice they perpetrated.

The book is the only way Robert Blagojevich can really get justice. You can help him get justice by buying the book and learning about where the real corruption is in Illinois.

Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and media consultant. He can be reached at rghanania@gmail.com.

Despite a bout with polio, Roosevelt was able to walk the walk as president Editor’s note: Last week, Palos Hills historian Don C. White looked at Abraham Lincoln, whose death occurred 150 years ago this month.

This week, he looks at Franklin D. Roosevelt, who died 70 years ago this month.

Let’s turn now to our 32nd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He came from a much different back ground than Abraham Lincoln our 16th president.

Roosevelt graduated from Harvard,then studied law at Columbia University. He did not finish his studies at Columbia, but did pass the bar and worked for a while at a law firm in New York City.

He became interested in politics and ran for the state senate in upstate New York and won.

In 1912, FDR won re-election to the state senate, but did not serve out his term.

He was asked to serve as assistant secretary of the Navy in the Wilson administration and accepted.

Then in 1920 the Democratic Party tapped him to run as a vice presidential candidate with James Cox. They lost to Republican Warren Harding. FDR then took a job in the private sector as vice president of Fidelity and Deposit Company. During the summer of 1921 while on a family vacation at Campobello Island, Roosevelt came down with poliomyelitis – polio -- which in the 1920’s was a terrifying and rampant disease.

Roosevelt never fully recovered the full use of his legs and spent much of the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

He never gave up hope and through years of painful reha-

H istory

on s s e L with

Don C. White

bilitation he did regain some of his lost mobility. He learned to walk by using his hips to swing his atrophied legs forward. For the remaining 24 years of his life he would need the assistance of canes, leg braces, wheelchairs, his family and aides.

Throughout the rest of his life he never lost his zest for life or his confidence. He was back in politics by 1922 aiding fellow Democrat Alfred Smith, first with his campaign for governor of New York, then in his bid for president in 1924 and 1928. With Smith’s encouragement, Roosevelt ran for governor of New York and was elected in 1928 and again in 1930.

When the great crash occurred in 1929, President Herbert Hoover was unable to alleviate the crisis, which left the field wide open for the Democrats to regain the White House. And who did they choose but the rising star of their party, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

He was elected in 1932 and re-elected in 1936, 1940 and 1944. After rescuing the country from the Great Depression Roosevelt tried to keep the nation out of WWII. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7,

1941 nothing or no one could keep us out of the war.

Fast forward to the spring of 1945, as Russia, England and the United States had almost brought Germany to its knees. After his secret meeting with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin at Yalta, President Roosevelt along with his daughter, Anna, prepared to return home on February 11, 1945.

Roosevelt was concerned that his concessions to Stalin would bring about Eastern Europe’s subjugation to communist control. This along with the serious illness of his advisor Harry Hopkins and the death of military aid Pa Watson who died of a stroke two days into the voyage drove Roosevelt into a further physical decline.

After the president’s return from Yalta, on March 1st he addressed a joint session of congress, where members were shocked to see how much he had deteriorated.

He asked their pardon as he sat during his speech. The meetings with Stalin and Churchill certainly had taken a toll on his health.

The president decided to take a short vacation to Warm Springs, Georgia. His wife, Eleanor did not make the trip with him. On April 12, 1945 while sitting for his portrait to be painted he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died.

Roosevelt traveled back to Washington by train for his funeral, then on to his boyhood home in Hyde Park, New York. Somewhat like Lincoln, Roosevelt’s trip home was a 1,000-mile odyssey that traveled through nine states.

After the funeral in Washington, the funeral train, which was 18 cars long, carried not only Roosevelt and some of his family, but also the new president, Harry Truman, and his family; the cabinet, all nine justices of the Supreme Court and most of the other top ranking government officials. Another train carried a B-list of dignitaries, diplomats, and Congressmen, as well as truckloads of flowers.

Remember, there was still a war going on. What a security nightmare it must have been for the Secret Service during this time. But all ended well and everyone returned safely to Washington, D.C. Following are a few more comparisons and contrasts of these two wartime presidents.

Some will still argue that both of these presidents took us to war without just cause.

I am not one of those – as I think they were both men of destiny. They were in the right place at the right timeto bring our nation through terrible times. Neither of them was there to see the end of the strugglethat brought about their deaths.

Were either of them 100 percent perfect? No! Could they have taken a different course prior to Fort Sumter and Pearl Harbor being attacked? Yes, I believe they could have attempted to negotiate with the enemy in an attempt to reach a peaceful settlement.

But now all these years later – we can’t rewrite history.

Both men are ranked in the top tier of presidents.

But I think Lincoln was the better man.

Thursday, April 23, 2015 The Reporter

7

Paurazas marks 60 years in priesthood Rev. Peter Paurazas will be marking 60 years in the priesthood at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, at St. Patricia Church in Hickory Hills.

Ordained in May,1955 at Mundelein by Samuel Cardinal Stritch, Paurazas has served as an Associate Pastor at St. Joseph (South Chicago) and at lmmaculate Conception (Brighton Park) before becoming Pastor of St. Adrian in Marquette Park and St. Rene Goupil in Clearing. ln addition he has taught at St.Francis DeSales High School from 1960-66 and at Maria High School from 1966-92.

Paurazas (who has one sister, Cecilia) is the son of lgnatius

Rev. Peter Paurazas and Anna Paurazas and currently serves as a retired priest in residence at St.Patricia in Hickory Hills. After the Mass, light refreshments will be served in the Parish Center.

Submitted photos

Richards High School Associate Principal Michael Jacobson, bottom photo, is also the head of an active youth group – TRAIN -- at Incarnation Church.

Man with many titles riding a fast TRAIN

By Kelly White Correspondent There are 24 hours in a day and one South Side man is using as many of them as he can for the good of the community.

Michael Jacobson is a man with three titles -- a father, a pastor and an associate principal.

He has taken on the role of the Youth Pastor at Incarnation Church, 5705 West 127th Street in Palos Heights for the church’s teen group, TRAIN (Teens Reaching out Addressing Incarnation Needs) in November and is also working as the Associate Principal at Harold L. Richards High School, a role he also began this past autumn at the start of the school year.

“It is very difficult managing all three responsibilities because all of these things take a commitment of both time and energy,” he said, “My wife is super supportive of all of my commitments so that really helps.”

Jacobson and his wife, Erin, live in Crestwood with their three daughters: Veronica, 16; Gwen, 13; and Fiona, 9. He has been a volunteer in the religious education program for the past ten years, working in a lay-person service program at Incarnation, reciting readings during mass; however, a career in the church never crossed Jacobson’s mind until he was offered a position.

“I never thought about working in the church until our pastor, Fr. Arek [Falana], called me in and asked me if I would like to become youth minister,” he said, “After I thought about it for a few days, I accepted.”

Jacobson said his love for the church grew even more as he organizes social, service and religious activities for the teens each month.

The Youth Ministry Group has made lunches for people serviced

by Lincoln Park Community Shelter, made care packages for homeless people in the city, made food

for the Ronald McDonald House that services Loyola and helped families within the parish. They also ran a pray-a-thon, performed a passion play and helped with the Triduum services.

“I just really like working with the kids in the parish,” Jacobson said, “They are great. These young people are really on fire with the concept of service.”

It’s not all hard work though, as the group has held laser tag, volleyball and softball team outings, along with a mission trip planned for this summer from July 19 through July 25.

The group will drive to Harlan, Kentucky for a faith-based experience centered on rehabbing houses in the area for local residents in need. As gratitude for the group’s service and dedication, the Knights of Columbus is donating $150 toward the trip.

“The best thing about our program is how the kids are constantly looking for ways to get

Church Corner OAK LAWN All Are Invited to Eat Spaghetti at First United Methodist Church The United Methodist Men at First United Methodist Church of Oak Lawn, 100th Street and Central Avenue, are having a

spaghetti dinner on Saturday.

Dinner is being served between 5 and 7 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door. Adult tickets are $7, children younger than 12 are $3.50 per child, and children younger than 6 eat free. For more information, call 423-1170.

Submitted photo

Previous Big Ride events have raised money for Park Lawn.

Park Lawn ready for another Big Bike ride

their peers involved,” Jacobson said, “The idea is to always have a place where kids can come to be involved in something that is social and positive. We don’t want any kid to feel like they are isolated and have no peer group. All are always welcome.”

Focus on Seniors WORTH TOWNSHIP Worth Township Seniors to See Billy Elliot the Musical at Drury Lane Registration is due by Monday, May 4 for the next Worth Township senior bus trip, a theatre and luncheon package

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

to see Billy Elliot the Musical at Drury Lane.

The bus leaves Worth Township at 10 a.m. and arrives at Drury Lane at approximately 11 a.m. Participants are due back at Worth Township at approximately 5 p.m. The cost is $78 per person, and includes a show ticket, lunch and bus.

Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., and includes salad, rolls, choice of chicken breast marsala or roast beef, one beverage and chef’s selection of potato, vegetable and dessert. The show begins at 1:30 p.m.

For more information, or for reservations, call 371-2900, Ext 15.

Double Nickel

The Double Nickel Plus Chorus meets at the Community Center, 3450 W. 97th St. in Evergreen Park, every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in Room 111. Newcomers are welcome. For more information, call 422-8776.

55 and Up

Palos Hills residents 55 years and older meet from noon to 2 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at the Palos Hills Community Center, 8455 W. 103rd St. Tickets for events must be purchased one week in advance. Entertainment includes musicians, singers, luncheons, movies, plays and bingo.

Park Lawn’s 18th Annual Big Bikes Big Hearts Charity Motorcycle Ride, Big Scoot’ Boogie is on May 17. Proceeds from the event will support Park Lawn’s mission to provide services that promote independence, choice and access to community living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Registration is at 8:30 a.m. At The Office Sports Bar and Grill, 4901 Cal Sag Road, Crestwood with first bikes out at 10:00 a.m. and last bikes out by 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast will be served from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Cost is $5 per person.

Registration fee is $25 per rider and $5 per passenger and it includes raffles, door prizes, free bike show, run pins to the first 700 bikers, entrance to the post run party featuring live music and food.

Walk-ins and non-run participants are invited to attend the post run party at Sullivan’s, 4460 W. 147th Street, Midlothian starting at 1:30 p.m. with a $15 entry

fee donated to Park Lawn. Live music by Rock Star Rodeo and Superfly Redneck. In the event of inclement weather, the post run party will not be cancelled.

Tickets are available at $5 each and a book of five tickets is $20.

This is a great opportunity to win some cash and help those at Park Lawn. Drawing will be May 17 at the post run party at Sullivan’s. Winner need not be present to win.

To register for the ride or to purchase raffle tickets visit: www.parklawn.com/events or call the Development Office at: 708-425-6867.

Sponsors of Big Bikes Big Hearts include at the Office Sports Bar and Grill, Sullivan’s Irish Pub & Eatery, Hupy and Abraham, The Loop 97.9, South Suburban A.B.A.T.E., Toys for Tots, Skooters Roadhouse, Stampede Saloon and IL Motorcycle Freedom Run. For more information visit: www. parklawn.com.

—Park Lawn

Death Notices EDITH CAROLLO Edith Carollo (nee Johnson), 95, of Palos Hills, died April 15 at Lexington Health Care Center in Chicago Ridge.

Services were April 18 from Palos-Gaidas Funeral Home to Sacred Heart Church. Entombment was at St. Mary Mausoleum.

Mrs. Carollo, a native of Cicero, was a homemaker. Survivors include her sons, Joseph, Philip (Gail), John (Helen), Jim (Tracy) and Tommie Carollo; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; brother, George Johnson; and many nieces and nephews.

DOROTHY H. MEIER

Dorothy H. Meier (nee Radtke), 95, a Chicago Ridge resident, died April 15 at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Services were April 20 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Interment was at Chapel Hill Gardens South. Colonial Chapel handled the arrangements.

Mrs. Meier was a homemaker. Survivors include her sons, William (Patricia), Robert (Carol) and Gary (Anita) Meier; six grandchildren; eight greatgrandchildren; and sister, Loretta Gilchrist.

Pinochle

Across 1 Caesar’s love 5 Signal to an on-call doctor 9 Omits 14 Chowhound’s request 15 Sharif who played Zhivago 16 World Court site, with “The” 17 Shepard in space 18 Plate ump’s purview 20 Brand for heartburn 22 Providence-to-Boston dir.

23 Scraps for Rover 24 Unit of work 25 Soda for dieters 28 French season 30 Thin pancake 31 Violinist’s gift 34 Move very slowly 36 Suffers from 37 In recent times 39 Mechanic, at times 41 “That works!”

42 4-Down collector 43 Boy king 44 Made a hue turn?

45 Suffix for records 46 Oater group bent on justice 48 Nile biter 49 Blush wine, for short 51 Short market lines?

54 Piedmont wine region 57 Erie Canal mule 58 __ Pipeline, Oahu surfing attraction 60 “She’s Not There” rock group 63 “Ripostes” poet Pound 64 Overnight refuge 65 Theater part 66 Choir part 67 Blow some dough 68 __ collar 69 Stonewall’s soldiers Down 1 Shock 2 Large grinder 3 Citrus shavings 4 Payment to 42-Across 5 “Thick and Rich” chocolate syrup 6 Rescue pro 7 Ones on the payroll 8 Freddie __ Jr. of “ScoobyDoo” films 9 Ship reference 10 Musical buzzer 11 Composer Stravinsky 12 Fourth-down play 13 Dates (Answers on page 11)

19 21 26 27 29 31

Property border warning The Red Sox’ Jon Lester, e.g.

1980s Chrysler product Altered mtge.

Social cupfuls This crossword, literally for some, phonetically for all 32 “Please don’t yell __” 33 Oboe, e.g.

34 Eye rudely 35 They’re found in lodes 36 Reason for a medal 38 Classic Fords 40 Last year’s frosh 41 1956 Mideast dispute area 43 J. Alfred Prufrock creator 47 Straw-strewn shelter 48 Santa __ winds 49 Shrivel 50 “A Doll’s House” playwright 52 Medicare section 53 Informal byes 54 Dollar dispensers, for short 55 Hit a Target?

56 Head of Paris?

59 Close by 61 Getting on in years 62 Big one on the set, perhaps

The Worth Senior Pinochle club is seeking new members.

Membership is free. Visit the group at the Worth Park District Terrace Centre, 11500 Beloit Ave., every Monday and Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Games begin at noon.

Call 448-1181 for information.

Funeral Funeral Directory

Meals on Wheels

The Evergreen Park Office of Citizens’ Services offers a Meals on Wheels program for village residents 60 years and older who are unable to prepare their own meals. Meals are delivered Monday through Friday. For more information, call 422-8776.

“THE “THE NEXT NEXT GENERATION GENERATION TO TO CARE CARE FOR FOR YOU” YOU”

LEGAL NOTICE Notice is Hereby Given that on 6-715, a sale will be held at Done-Rite Recovery, 3056 E. 170th St.,Lansing, IL 60438, to sell the following articles to enforce a lien existing under the laws of the State of Illinois unless such articles are redeemed within thirty days of the publication of this notice.

Charles L. Mamon, Jr., & Joe’s Auto Sales 2006 Buick VIN#1G4HD57276U139597 Lien Amount: $10,525.00

Owned and Owned and Operated Operated by by the Mintle Mintle Family the Family

10701 S. Harlem Ave. Worth, IL 708.448.6000 708.448.6000 “Your Neighborhood Neighborhood Funeral Funeral Home” Home” “Your

Palos-Gaidas FUNERAL HOME

FUNERAL HOME

708-974-4410 FUNERAL HOME

708-974-4410 FUNERAL David Gaidas,HOME Jr. Director David Gaidas, Jr. Director

11028 Southwest Highway 11028 Highway PalosSouthwest Hills, IL 60465

Palos Hills, IL 60465

8

The Reporter Thursday, April 23, 2015

SCHOOLS Bulletin Board

Submitted photo

OLCHS students Nick Minnella, Bernie Muransky, Eric Sciaky, Jake Janicke, Jacob Blazina, Edvardas Simonelis, Nick Paluck, and Jon Flores advanced to the final round of the MACSMVCC Technology Challenge.

OL has two top tech stars When the dust settled after the final round of competition the the second Morine Area Career System and Moraine Valley Community College Technology Challenge, Oak Lawn Community High School had two first place winners.

Jake Janicke won first place in the A+ IT Essentials event and Edvardas Simonelis won first place in the Electronics event.

The competition allowed students to compete against each other in the areas of computer repair, computer aided design, electronics, Photoshop, automotive technology, and Microsoft computer applications. The competition included students from the 10 high schools within

Fine arts week

the MVCC region, including Andrew, Argo, Eisenhower, Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn, Reavis, Richards, Sandburg, Shepard, and Stagg.

Three of Oak Lawn Community High School’s dual credit courses with MVCC entered the competition. Students from Dan Kenny’s Architectural Engineering CAD and John Faro’s A+ Computer Repair and Electronics classes had the opportunity to participate in the qualifying round held at the high school. Students Nick Minnella, Bernie Muransky, Eric Sciaky, Janicke, Jacob Blazina, Simonelis, Nick Paluck, and Jon Flores advanced to the final round at MVCC. —Oak Lawn Community High School

Submitted photo

Chicago Christian High School hosts Fine Arts Week the week through Friday. Samples of students’ artwork including sketches, paintings, and pottery were displayed throughout the school and volunteer judges judged the various categories to determine winners in each category. Pictured in the photo is art teacher Mary Medema.

MARIST Marist Students in Irish dancing Team Claiming First Place in Dance Championships An eight-person team ,containing seven Marist High School students, recently finished in first place in The Irish Dancing Commission’s World Championships in Montreal.

The girls study with the LavinCassidy School of Irish Dancing, and competed in the senior ladies category. The team members are seniors Erin and Bridget Rickert , Keely Dolan of Hickory Hills, juniors Katie Ross, Bailey Donnelly of Oak Lawn, Martina Lee , and freshman Grace O’Brien. The eighth member of their team is Kali McEntee Graziano, a student at Oak Lawn High School. Ross said the team was practicing up to 10 hours per week leading up to the world competition.

Additionally, Marist alum Michael Putman, class of 2010, of Oak Lawn, took third place in the world in the category for men ages 19 to 21. Putman dances with Dennehy School of Irish Dance.

OAK LAWN COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL OLCHS Baseball and Softball Programs Set To Bring Community Together When the Oak Lawn Community High School baseball and softball programs were thinking of ways to raise funds for their respective programs, many thoughts ran across the board. However, the two teams kept coming back to one idea – uniting staff, parents and alumni. The result is the Spartan Baseball and Softball Spring Bash.

The two teams will host a 21 years and older live music event tomorrow, Friday, from 7 p.m. to midnight at 115 Bourbon Street, 3350 W. 115th St., Merrionette Park. Tickets are $35, and the night includes food, open bar, and live music being performed by Friday Night Music Club, which features Oak Lawn English teacher Billy Denton as the lead singer.

There will also be 50-50 raffles available.

For more information, contact head baseball coach Bill Gerny at wgerny@olchs.org, or head softball coach Brian Frangella at bfrangella@olchs.org.

ST. XAVIER UNIVERSITY Saint Xavier University Announces 2015 Commencement Ceremony Speakers Saint Xavier University will host several guest speakers at the 2015 Commencement Ceremony in May. The Commencement ceremonies will be held in the Shannon Center at the University’s Chicago campus, located at 3700 W. 103rd Street.

President and Chief Executive Officer Ana Dutra of Executives’ Club of Chicago, will deliver the Commencement address on Friday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. to graduates of SXU’s Graham School of Management. Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James Reynolds, Jr., of Loop Capital, is an honorary degree recipient who will also deliver the Commencement address on Saturday, May 9 at 10 a.m. to graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Jason Canner, physician and head of pediatric hematology/oncology at Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital, will receive an honorary degree and deliver the Commencement address on Saturday, May 9 at 3 p.m. to graduates of the School of Education and School of Nursing.

Dutra has over 28 years of experience as a global executive, consultant, and business leader in

Submitted photo

Baseball hits home run in SW Christian fine arts show Southwest Chicago Christian School in Oak Lawn held its annual Fine Arts Night on April 16. Student artwork was displayed in the school gymnasium for students. Each year, a Best in Show award is given to the best piece of artwork as judged by a panel of judges. Pictured is this year’s winner was Zachary Sedakis of Chicago Ridge for his colored pencil drawing entitled “A Baseball.”

Moraine Valley presents a good Egg Every expectant parent’s deepest fears are addressed in the dark comedy “A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” being presented by the Academic Theater Department at Moraine Valley Community College April 24 to May 3. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday performance is at 3 p.m.

The play will be in the John and Angeline Oremus Theater, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, on campus, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $12 for the general public and $10 for seniors and students.

Bri, a schoolteacher, and his wife, Sheila, have a 10-year-old spastic child named Josephine, who has been entirely dependent upon her parents since birth. Bri sees a hopeless future and hides behind irony and sarcasm to cope, while Sheila believes the child is her penance for a promiscuous past and hopefully looks for even the slightest hint at

Josephine’s recovery. In the end, Bri and Sheila must decide how to confront the future: as a family, as a couple or on their own.

This production of “A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” is being directed

by Dr. Craig Rosen, professor of Theater and coordinator of the Academic Theater program at Moraine Valley.

The cast list for this production is: Joseph Williams, of Justice (Bri) Emily Nelson, of Alsip (Sheila) Rose Stovicek, of Berwyn (Pam) Konrad Galica, of Burbank (Freddie) Shawna Schofield, of Morrison (Grace) Trinity Apted, of Alsip (Joe) Tickets to “A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” and other upcoming performances can be purchased at morainevalley.edu/fpac, by calling 708-974-5500, or at the Box Office located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

—Moraine Valley Community College

From left, Emily Nelson, Trinity Apted and Joseph Williams star in Moraine Valley Community College’s Academic Theater production of “A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” Friday to May 3.

Submitted photo

(Continued on page 9)

The Kid’s Doctor

By Sue Hubbard, M.D. Generic medication may not be best for all ADHD patients If your child takes medications for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), you may be noticing that your insurance company is now denying coverage for these prescriptions, or is wanting to use a generic version of the medication your child is taking. It seems this is becoming more and more prevalent and I’m getting calls from patients asking what they should do.

Medications for ADHD have never been inexpensive, and for some families, especially those without insurance coverage, they’re cost prohibitive. For a child who’s been diagnosed with ADHD, it is known that a combination of medication and behavior modification provides the best outcome.

When I begin a child on medication for ADHD, I typically start with a brand-name drug rather than a generic. I explain to parents that although I’m a believer in generic

drugs, and use them frequently, I want to make sure that any side effects of the drug (positive or negative) are indeed due to the medication and not influenced by a difference in a generic drug.

Once a patient has been on medication and is doing well, if there is a generic available, I will often prescribe it in order to be more cost effective.

Over the years, patients have commented to me that they don’t feel as if the generic version of their given ADHD medication is working well. While these are anecdotal reports, they have not been uncommon. In some cases, patients have opted to pay for the more expensive brand-name medication.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently released an interesting article stating just that: Studies have recently found that generic versions of the drug Concerta (by two different manufacturers) “may not provide the same therapeutic benefits for some patients” as does

the branded medication.

While Concerta has a “drug releasing system” that provides 10-12 hours of extended effectiveness, it seems that the generic drugs may release more slowly, and the diminished release rate may not provide the same effect for the patient.

So, if your child is on these medications and you’ve tried a generic version and were concerned about its effectiveness, now is the time to discuss the matter with you doctor.

This may not be the case for all patients, but it’s certainly worth knowing there’s now some data on this subject.

(Dr. Sue Hubbard is an awardwinning pediatrician, medical editor and media host. “The Kid’s Doctor” TV feature can be seen on more than 90 stations across the U.S. Submit questions at http://www.kidsdr.com.

The Kid’s Doctor e-book, “Tattoos to Texting: Parenting Today’s Teen,” is now available from Amazon and other e-book vendors.)

Thursday, April 23, 2015 The Reporter

SCHOOLS

‘A playground of opportunities’

Marist gets artsy in April Marist High School will host a number of events celebrating the arts this spring. These events will showcase talented students who have put in hours of work to prepare.

Marist’s band will hold its annual spring concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Marist band alumni are invited to a reception during intermission of this concert.

These events will be held in the main gym. The band will perform a variety of pieces from different eras and musical styles. Tickets are $3 and will be sold at the door. Next Thursday, Marist will celebrate the arts in April with three events in one night.

First, the senior art show will run from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Murphy Art Center. Admission is free.

Marist seniors will show off their work in a variety of mediums. Visitors will see drawings, paintings, pottery, sculpture, digital design, photography, and more. A sneak peak of the work is available at

New student trustee heads up a list of changes to MVCC board

By Kelly White Correspondent

Submitted photo

Fresh off performances in New York City, Marist’s band will perform two spring concerts on Saturday and Sunday. Marist’s string ensemble and chorus will perform on April 30 and May 1. mhsartshow.com.

The string ensemble will hold its concert at 6:30 p.m. in the chapel.

The chorus concert will follow at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel. Both groups will perform a selection of springtime favorites. Marist’s chorus will perform a second concert Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m..

For more information on any

of these events, please visit www. marist.net or call 773-881-5300.

Marist High School, 4200 West 115th Street in Chicago, is a Roman Catholic, coed high school, making Jesus Christ known and loved in the Marist Brothers’ tradition, while preparing students for higher education and life. —Marist High School

District 230 honors notable alumni   Ten alumni from Sandburg, Stagg and Andrew High Schools were honored at the District 230 Foundation’s eighth Annual Legacy Dinner on Friday night. They join the 77 Legacy Hall members who have previously been inducted.   Andrew High School alumna​ and WGN Radio News Anchor​ Andrea Darlas and Sandburg High School alumni and local attorney Dave O’Connor, both Legacy Hall Class of 2009 members, hosted the event for more than 190 attendees at Silver Lake Country Club.   The District 230 Foundation Legacy Hall was established to recognize the contributions alumni have made to their professions and communities.

Nominations are accepted from the community and inductees are selected by the District 230 Foundation Board. ​A nomination form for the Class of 2016 can be found on the Legacy Hall tab at www. d230foundation.org​.   The District 230 Foundation Legacy Hall Class of 2015 includes: Lt. Col. Kristen Bakotic Sandburg 1996 Government and Military                                                                                                 Bakotic is currently assigned to the White House as the Executive Secretary and Special Advisor to the Vice President for Defense and Intelligence. On this team, she advises the Vice President on defense and intelligence matters including veterans and wounded warrior programs.                                            Dr. Sandra Biedron   Sandburg 1990 Science and Technology    Biedron is an asssociate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Colorado State University where her specialty is beam physics and particle accelerators. She is a nationally and internationally

9

highly-acclaimed physicist and technical consultant.                                                                                Jane Caliendo (posthumous)                                                                                       Sandburg 1986 Education and Humanities    Caliendo was a highly regarded physical education teacher and coach at Sandburg High School where she led by example and taught her students to be good people and good competitors. Her standard of high expectations is evidenced in the records of both the swim and water polo teams she coached over 20 years.              Christine Collins Sandburg 1989 Community and Volunteerism                                                                                        Collins is the youth minister of Our Lady of the Woods Parish where she has created an inviting, inclusive, engaging, relevant and supportive environment.                Sara Howe Stagg 1994 Philanthropy and Nonprofit                                                                                             Howe is chief executive officer of the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association where she is responsible for state and federal policy and legislative analysis and advocacy efforts on behalf of the more than 50 community-based substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery support service providers that comprise IADDA’s membership.                Jane Monzures Andrew  1989 Arts and Entertainment                                                                                                   Monzures is a major market television and radio personality who regularly contributes to Chicago stations. She also has her own clothing and jewelry line. In addition, she in the founder of a non-profit called Live. Love. Life. which generates awareness and support for a variety of issues that affect Chicago area families in need and brain disease research in memory of her mother.                                                                              Â

Michael Perri             Sandburg 1991 Arts and Entertainment    Perri is a dramatic writer who currently is writing for the NBC drama “State of Affairs� starring Katherine Heigl. He attributes his success to the same resolve and optimistic attitude he displayed as a child in foster care until he was adopted at the age of 10. His characters often reflect his own upbeat and positive attitude, persevering to overcome obstacles no matter the odds.                Ken Rutkowski          Andrew 1984 Business and Commerce   Rutkowski is a radio host, co-founder, co-owner and president at Business Rockstars, a Los Angeles radio show that features discussions with CEOs and entrepreneurs about financing, marketing and networking. The show has 2 million daily listeners.                Parisa Tabriz             Sandburg 2001 Science and Technology   Tabriz is Chrome Security Engineering Manager for Google where she works with a team of 25 engineers to address hacker problems in a multitude of countries. At age 31, she has been deemed the “Security Princess� and has been featured in Elle and WIRED magazines and was named to Fortune’s “30 under 30� list of tech pioneers in 2012.                Michael VanZeyl       Andrew 1987 Arts and Entertainment   VanZeyl is an accomplished professional artist as well as an instructor at the North Shore Art League and the Pallet & Chisel.

He has received numerous accolades including institutional and government portrait commissions and the Oil Painters of America 2014 Dorothy Driehaus Mellin Fellowship for Midwestern Artists.          —District 230

The Moraine Valley Community College board said goodbye to two board members last Wednesday night.

Orland Park’s Tom Cunningham and Patrick Kennedy atteneded their final board meeting as trustees. Orland Hills’ Kim Hastings and Evergreen Park’s Michael Murphy won six-year seats on the board and will be sworn in at the May 13 meeting.

Also Student Trustee, Eamon Almiladi finished his one-year term and will be replaced by 19-year-old, Karim Awwad, who moved from Jordan to the United States in 2014. “Coming to Moraine Valley has been a series of challenges and opportunities for the two years I have spent here so far,� Awwad said, “This is just the beginning of my journey. Moraine has changed my perspective of community colleges in general. It is a playground of opportunities.�

Cunningham finished third in the April 7 election for two seats that were claimed by Hastings and Murphy. “Working on the board was a way I could give back and serve the taxpayers and the community,� Cunningham said upon the completion of his two-year term, “At Moraine Valley, we are always striving to be the best.�

Kennedy, who did not run after spending 12 years on the board, admits leaving is bittersweet. “This is truly a wonderful college and a wonderful group of people to work with. In fact one of my closest friends in life, Joseph Murphy, sits here with me on the board,� he said.

Vice Chair Murphy nominated Kennedy for a trustee position in 2003 and said his decision was one well made. “Twelve years ago, I did approach this gentleman because I have the utmost respect for him with his

Photo by Kelly White

Student Trustee Karim Awwad is swornn in at last Wendesday’s MVCC board meeting by board secretary Susan Murphy. intelligence, his patience and his way of communicating,� Murphy said, “I was very happy 12 years ago when he accepted the position.�

Since taking on a trustee role in 2003, Kennedy also served secretary of the board from 2007-2011 and as vice chair from 2011-2015.

Kennedy was known for always working and providing really good strong advice to the board, according to the Board Chair, Sandra Wagner.

On the student trustee front, Almiladi provided advice to the board from a students’ perspective. “He has done absolutely outstanding work here and we all really appreciate everything he has done,� Wagner said.

Wagner was not the only board member who will miss Almiladi after his one-year term as student trustee. “Eamon is the third student trustee that I have had the opportunity to work with during my time on the board,� MVCC President Sylvia Jenkins said, “He has always done an outstanding job voicing the opinions of the students when necessary during meetings. We really appreciate the dedication he has provided.�

Almiladi thanked board members

for the opportunity. “This has been an extraordinary opportunity and it has been very humbling as well,� he said, “We have great students here at Moraine and everyone has been wonderful to work with.�

Almiladi will be heading to the University of Illinois to pursue a degree in business finance. He will be replaced by Awwad. After being named a finalist following a board review, Awwad won a student election and was sworn into office on Wednesday night by secretary, Susan Murphy.

Awwad was born in Jordan and raised in the Middle East prior to moving to the United States in 2014.

The youngest of three children and a former student council member at Mashrek International School in Jordan, the new student trustee said he has a passion for politics.

Awwad is a member of Model Illinois Government and the Fast-Walk Group, a healthy living organization based on keeping fit and active that he took part in at the age of 12. “Trustee comes from the word trust,� Awwad said, “And since students are putting their trust in me, as promised, I will offer my commitment, dedication and loyalty to the needs of my fellow students.�

Bulletin Board (Continued from page 8) technology, manufacturing, and professional services. She began her career as an attorney in Brazil, then moved to Chicago and started working at IBM. She is the founder and CEO of Mandala Global Advisors, as well as the former CEO and chief executive officer of Leadership and Talent Consulting at Korn/Ferry International. She has two decades of experience helping boards, CEOs, and senior management identify and align around transformational and growth strategies. Dutra received a master’s of business administration from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, as well as a master’s degree in economics from Pontificia Universidade Catolica in Rio de Janeiro and a juris doctor in international law from Univeridade do Estado do Rio de

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Someone to cheer for Marist High School Athletic Director Bob Lim, left, announced that Amber Weber will be the head cheerleading coach. Weber comes to Marist after coaching at high schools and junior high schools in Illinois and Washington, and most recently, Plainfield East High School. Marist’s recent success including a sectional championship, a fifth place state finish, and several competition wins within the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The program also won a state title in the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association before it was an IHSA sport.

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The Reporter

Thursday, April 23, 2015

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Library Notes

EVERGREEN PARK The Evergreen Park Public Library is located at 9400 S. Troy Ave. For more information, or to register for a program, call 422-8522, or visit evergreenparklibrary.org.

18. Register is available online.

May 12: The anti-hero film, Joe, will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Green Hills Public Library.

An antihero is an individual who proves himself, or herself, despite not having courage, or Today: Seniors are prime other heroic qualities. These targets for financial exploi- films display what it truly means tation both by persons they to be a not-so-typical hero in know and trust and by strang- the face of adversity. ers. The Preventing Financial Exploitation class at 10 a.m.

May 13: Arabic story time for at the Evergreen Park Public children 3 to 5 will take place Library is designed to pro- at 5 p.m. at the Green Hills vide seniors with information Public Library. The group will and tips to help prevent com- share stories, songs, and flanmon frauds, scams, and other nel-boards in Arabic and Engtypes of financial exploitation. lish. Registration is required Registration is requested at ev- and limited to 18. Registration ergreenparklibrary.org. is available online.

April 29: Chef Eric TeverMay 13: Green Team Time baugh of Iona’s on the Blu will with Miss Emily, for children appear at the Evergreen Park ages 6 to 8, will take place at Public Library at 6:30 pm to 6:30 p.m. at the Green Hills demonstrate some of his best Public Library. Participants will southern soul food favorites. enjoy nature themed stories and Registration requested at ever- activities. greenparklibrary.org.

May 14: South Side Seniors April 30: The Evergreen will be viewing the movie, UnPark Public Library presents broken, at 10 a.m. at the Green its Adult Spelling Bee. Doors Hills Public Library. Coffee and open at 6:30 p.m. and the event tea will be provided. begins at 7 p.m. Patrons can

choose to participate, or simMay 14: Dave DiNaso is ply come to watch the contest. bringing his Traveling World Registration is available at ev- of Reptiles back to the Green ergreenparklibrary.org, where Hills Public Library at 6 p.m. participants will find contest He will provide an up-close, rules. The first place wins a tro- live experience about reptiles phy and bragging rights. Entry and amphibians from around fee includes light refreshments. the world. Registration is reRegistration is requested at ev- quired and limited to 90. Paergreenparklibrary.org. trons should register all attending. Registration is availGREEN HILLS/PALOS able online.

HILLS

The Green Hills Public LiMay 15: The Green Hills Pubbrary District is located at 8611 lic Library Teen/Tween Movie W. 103rd St., Palos Hills. For Night presents Night at the more information, or to register Museum: Secret of the Tomb, for a program, call 598-8446, or at 6 p.m. Participants, ages 10 visit greenhillslibrary.org. to 17, can snack on pizza and

pop while the watch the movie.

May 2: Paper shredding will One lucky person will win a be available in the south park- copy of the movie. Registration ing lot of the Green Hills Public is required and limited to 30.

Library on Interlochen Drive Registration is available online. from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Any one can have important docuMay 18: Drop-In story time at ments shredded safely and se- the Green Hills Public Library curely. Participants are welcome will begin at 6:30 p.m. to wait, but it is not required.

Patrons of all ages can come to the library for songs, stories, May 6: The Green Hills Pub- and fun. lic Library Lego Club for chil dren in kindergarten through May 19: Computer basics is fifth grade will meet from 2:30 a hands-on class being held at to 3:30 p.m. or from 4:30 to 5:30 the Green Hills Public Library p.m. The library supplies the at 9 a.m. Topics that will be Legos, participants supply the covered include basic functions imagination and building skills. such as minimizing/maximizing

windows, deleting items, and May 7: The Prairie God- basic Internet searching. Basic mothers will discuss container keyboard and mouse skills are gardens at 7 p.m. at the Green required. Registration required Hills Public Library. Container and available online. and window box gardens are a

wonderful way to bring beauty May 19: The Green Hills Puband even a little whimsy to a lic Library teen/tween cookie condominium balcony, patio, or wars will start at 6 p.m. Parentry way. The Prairie God- ticipants are invited to show off mothers reveal the secrets be- their cookie-decorating skills, hind earth friendly, low cost, and while competing against others uncommon plants and planters to create great tasting, perfectly that are sure to be showstop- presented, and creative cookpers. Registration is required ies. Prizes and bragging rights and available online. will be awarded to the win ners. This contest is for those May 9: A Farmers Market ages 10 to 17. Registration is Tote Design class will be held required and limited to 30. Regat 11 a.m. at the Green Hills istration is available online.

Public Library. Patrons and their families are invited to May 20: The Green Hills decorate a canvas tote bag. The Public Library Pokémon Club library will use real fruits and comes to order at 6 p.m. Paveggies and stamp their shapes trons of all ages are invited to in paint. Participants are asked come to the Library to meet and to dress accordingly because battle other Pokémon fans. They this class could get messy. All should bring their Nintendo ages are welcome. Registration DS, games, trading cards, books, is required and limited to 30 and anything else Pokémon that families. Registration is avail- they would like to share and able online. discuss.

May 11: The Green Hills PubMay 21: Civil War expert Don lic Library presents Polish story White will tell patrons tales of time for children ages 3 to 5 at civil war heroes Abraham Lin11 a.m. The group will share sto- coln and General Ulysses S. ries, songs, and flannel-boards Grant at 7 p.m. Civil War-era in Polish and English. Registra- candy will be supplied to all tion is required and limited to history hunters. This is a fam-

ily program for those ages 10 and older.

May 22: The Green Hills Family Movie Time presents the movie, Annie, at 4:30 p.m.

Movie-goers can enjoy popcorn and juice while they watch the movie. All ages are welcome.

May 23: Science Saturdays at the Green Hills Public Library is for children. Participants can come to the library to do a science experiment based on a favorite story book. Some experiments get messy, so participants are asked to dress accordingly. Children 3 to 6, with a caregiver, will meet at 11 a.m. and youngsters ages 7 to 10 will meet at 12:30 p.m. Registration is required and limited to 25 for each group. Registration is available online.

May 27 and May 28: Patrons can paint their very own boot planter at the Green Hills Public Library at 6 p.m. on both dates. This program is for those 5 and older. Registration is required and limited to 34. Due to high demand we are offering this program on two dates. Patrons are limited to registering for only one session. Registration is available online.

May 27: Patrons can join in on the monthly book discussion, Unshelved in May, at 7 p.m. at the Green Hills Public Library.

The group will be meeting at Harvest Room, 7164 W. 127th St., Palos Heights, to discuss “A Tale for the Time Being,” by Ruth Ozeki. Copies of the book will be available at the circulation desk one month prior to the meeting for GHPLD cardholders.

OAK LAWN The Oak Lawn Public Library is located at 9427 S. Raymond Ave. For additional information, call 708-422-4990, or visit olpl. org.

May 2: Patrons can celebrate pop culture and Free Comic Book Day with OLPL Fan Fest: Year One, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Oak Lawn Public Library.

Free comic books will be available for every child, teen and adult, courtesy of Chimera’s Comics in Oak Lawn (while supplies last). OLPL Fan Fest is an all-day event, held in partnership with Chimera’s Comics, and features fun for all ages, with a variety of activities.

Free Comic Book Day is celebrated nationally each year on the first Saturday in May. Started in 2002, the first event coincided with the theatrical release of “Spider-Man.” The superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name then resulted in two sequels. This year, the call to battle is “Avengers Assemble.”

Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” which is hitting theaters the day before Fan Fest.

At Fan Fest, participants can wander through the Exhibit Hall on the library’s lower level where local artists, creators, comic retailers, vendors and social groups will showcase their latest custom wares, toys and apparel such as steam punk jewelry, embroidery, My Little Ponies and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Exhibitors include: Comic Wreck, David Curbis, Nerdtastic, Phantom’s Plushies, King Bone Press, Maneki Neko Con, Twisted Jewelry, Custom Embroidery, Steve Palenica Studios, Inc., dorkabout art, Chicago Extra Life Guild, 501st Midwest Garrison and Rebel Legion Nar Shaddaa Base. In addition, fans can take a break with some vintage superhero movie clips and trailers, or play some board games.

Participants can also attend panels on pop culture, anime, Doctor Who and comics. The lineup includes: 11 a.m. to noon: “From Luke Skywalker to Harry Potter: A Nostalgic Journey Through Pop Culture” with Kevin Korst, local history coordinator.

12:15 to 1:15 p.m.: “Exploring Anime and Manga: The Art of Animation of Japanese Comic Books” with Claire Faulkner and Lucy Welsh 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: “The Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey Guide to Doctor Who” with Gordon Dymowski.

2:45 to 3:45pm: “Getting Into Comic Collecting,” with Anthony Molinaro.

Children can stop by the Youth Services Department for stormtrooper storytime, crafts, treasure hunts and more. The Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn will provide face painting.

Those who have never seen a Wookie belly dance, should be prepared to watch Raks Geek at 4 p.m. This cast of professional belly dancers and trained fire (Continued on page 12)

Doing good deeds for our vets

Submitted photo

Cook County Recorder of Deeds Karen A. Yarbrough and County Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy have partnered together to bring Cook County’s new money saving Military and Veterans Discount Program to the Southwest Suburbs by adding the Bridgeview Courthouse as an intake location for local veterans.

The Cook County Military and Veterans Discount Program is a public/private partnership to create a network of businesses across Cook County that offer standing discounts to veterans year-round.

Upon verification of service, veterans, active-duty personnel, as well as Guard and Reserve members, are given a discount card and a merchant directory. Nearly 200 businesses have signed on to offer valuable discounts in a wide variety of categories, including restaurants, museums and legal services.

In addition to signing up for the discount card at the Recorder’s Downtown Office, located at 118 N. Clark Street in Chicago, veterans in the Southwest Suburbs can visit either the Bridgeview Courthouse (Room 238), or the Markham Courthouse (Room 238C), between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm. Those who sign up at a Courthouse will receive their card in the mail. More information about the program, including a list of participating merchants and an easy online registration form for interested merchants, can be found at CookRecorder.com/MilitaryDiscount. Those with questions can call the Recorder’s Veterans Service Office at 312-603-5788.

Community Briefs CHICAGO SXU Hosts First-Ever March Of Dimes for Babies 5K Walk On May 3 Saint Xavier University will host its first-ever March for Babies 5K Walk on Sunday, May 3 from 8:30 a.m. to noon on the university’s Chicago campus, 3700 West 103rd Street. This family oriented walk, serves as a signature fundraiser for the March of Dimes Foundation, whose mission aligns with SXU’s.

Helping to coordinate this event, Marge Cashman, outreach community manager for SXU, and Connie Taylor, south suburban MOD representative. Taylor, a Markham resident, first became aware of the foundation when her daughter, MySen, was born 28 weeks early at South Suburban Hospital. Her daughter spent a month and a half at the University of Illinois at Chicago undergoing multiple blood transfusions and other tests that wouldn’t have been made available if it were not for the foundation.

Taylor says MySen, now eight years-old, is actively involved in Girl Scouts, cheerleading and soccer. Her family is very thankful and happy to support the foundation and their efforts to improve the health of children everywhere.

Nationally, more than seven million people in over 692 communities participate and across Illinois, there are nearly 20,000 walks held each year. SXU will co-sponsor this event alongside: Kohl’s, Christ Advocate Hospital, South Suburban Hospital, Engalls Hospital and more.

The annual March for Babies Walk support programs that help mothers have healthy, fullterm pregnancies. The walks also fund research, which finds answers to problems that threaten babies. SXU anticipates 1,000 people will participate in their 2015 March for Babies 5K Walk.

Anyone interested in volunteering or participating in SXU’s March for Babies 5K Walk should call Cashman at 802-6210, or email her at cashman@sxu.edu.

CRESTWOOD Hamfesters Radio Club to Meet and Discuss ‘SS Badger’ Outing Pete, K9OWQ, will discuss the coal-fired Lake Michigan ferry “SS Badger and the annual Hamfesters Radio Club Lake-crossing outing at the next Hamfesters monthly meeting, beginning at 7 p.m., Friday, May 1, at the Crestwood Community Center, 14025 S. Kostner Ave. Refreshments will be served.

Serving the Chicago area for 80 years, Hamfesters Radio Club also conducts VE testing for those wishing to get their ham licenses, and for radio amateurs wishing to upgrade to higher classes of licenses. These take place on the second Saturday of each month at 9 a.m., at Oak Forest Village Hall, 15440 S. Central Ave. HICKORY HILLS Hickory Hills Park District Splash Pad Closed for the Summer The Kasey Meadow Park renovation project has been suspended by an announcement received by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the governor.

The Splash Pad was demolished prior to the announcement so the Splash Pad will not be open this summer. Renovation will continue once we hear that the suspension has been lifted. The renovation project includes a new splash pad, two playgrounds, a walking trail around the park, an outdoor fitness station, native plantings and ball field seating areas.

For more information and further updates, visit the park district web site at hhparkdistrict.org.

OAK LAWN Oak Lawn Park District Film Group to Discuss ‘Damn Yankees’ CineVerse, the Oak Lawn Park District’s

free weekly film discussion group open to anyone age 17 and older, will show and then discuss the 1958 classic musical “Damn Yankees” Wednesday, April 29, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Oak View Community Center, 4625 W. 110th St., Oak Lawn. Patrons should check building signage for the room number. For more information, call 529-9028, or visit cineversegroup. blogspot.com.

Oak Lawn Camera Club Features Competitions During Monthly Meetings in May The Oak Lawn Camera Club will hold its regular bimonthly meetings on Friday, May 1 and Friday, May 8 at the Oak View Center, 4625 W. 110th St., Oak Lawn Meetings begin promptly at 7 p.m.

First Friday of the Month is always a competition night. The theme for the May competition is “Technique – Light Painting.” The second Friday of the month of May is a “Salon – Best of the Year” competition. Interested individuals can attend their first meeting as a guest at no charge, and join OLCC as a member. There is a nominal membership fee per season.

During the fall through spring season, the Oak Lawn Camera Club holds its meetings first and second Fridays of each month starting at 6:45 P.M. For more information about the camera club, call Betty at 534-1912 between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Johnson-Phelps VFW Ladies Auxiliary to Host its Annual Penny Social Those who like garage sales and flea markets, are invited to the Johnson-Phelps VFW Ladies Auxiliary’s annual Penny Social being held from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Post home, 9514 S. 52nd Ave. Oak Lawn.

Participants can search for hidden treasure at the nickel-dime and quarter tables. They can also bid on toys, tools, electronics, household Items and more, and check out the raffle table.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Admission is free. For more information, or to donate items, call 423-5220, e-mail vfwbanquets@att.net, or Oaklawnvfw.com.

PALOS HILLS Moraine Valley to host community recycling event Everyone is invited to bring household electronic waste, pharmaceuticals and textiles they would otherwise throw out to the community recycling collection Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Building T parking lot on Moraine Valley Community College’s Palos Hills campus.

Drop off unwanted (broken or not) telephones, radios, cameras, computers, TVs, batteries, space heaters, and other things that use or hold energy and small appliances with a plug. Large appliances such as washing machines or refrigerators are not accepted.

Textiles include shoes, clothes, gloves or hats, linens, blankets, belts, purses, and towels. Pharmaceuticals consist of unwanted medicines (pills or liquid) and controlled substances, but no needles.

SouthSTAR Services is helping collect the e-waste. This group employs people with special needs to reclaim and recycle the precious metals.

For more information, contact Stephenie Presseller, sustainability manager, at 9745412, or email pressellers@morainevalley.edu.

Palos Hills Friendship Festival and Carnival Seeking Arts and Craft Vendors The City of Palos Hills Friendship Festival Carnival being held Thursday, July 9 through Sunday, July 12 at 107th Street and 88th Ave., is looking for arts and craft vendors. Tent and lighting will be provided. For more information contact the Palos Hills Community Resource and Recreation Department, 8455 W. 103rd St., Palos Hills, at 430-4500.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

The Reporter

CONSUMER

11

Can you free yourself from some investment taxes?

April 24 has been designated Tax Freedom Day for 2015. Tax Freedom Day, calculated by the Tax Foundation, is the day when the nation as a whole has earned enough money to pay off its total tax bill for the year.

So it may be a good time to review your own situation to determine if you can “free” yourself from some investment-related taxes in the future.

Of course, Tax Freedom Day is something of a fiction, in practical terms, because most people pay their taxes throughout the year via payroll deductions. Also, you may not mind paying your share of taxes because your tax dollars are used in a variety of ways — such as law enforcement, food safety, road maintenance, public education and so on — that, taken together, have a big impact on the quality of life in this country. Nonetheless, you may well want to look for ways to reduce those taxes associated with your investments, leaving you more money available to meet your important goals, such as a comfortable retirement.

Fortunately, it isn’t really that dif-

ficult to be a tax-conscious investor, as some of the best retirement-savings vehicles have built-in tax advantages.

For starters, depending on your income level, your contributions to a traditional IRA may be tax-deductible, so the more you put in (up to the maximum of $5,500, or $6,500 if you’re 50 or older), the lower your annual taxable income. Plus, your earnings grow on a tax-deferred basis.

If you meet certain income guidelines, you may be eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA. The contribution limits for a Roth IRA are the same as those for a traditional IRA, but the tax treatment of your earnings is different.

In fact, your Roth IRA earnings can grow tax free, provided you don’t take withdrawals before 59½ and you’ve had your account at least five years. (Roth IRA contributions are not tax-deductible, however.)

Even if you have an IRA, you can probably also participate in your employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k), a 403(b) or a 457(b). You typically contribute “pretax” dollars to these types of retirement plans, so your contributions will lower your annual taxable income. Plus, you’ll benefit from taxdeferred earnings. And employersponsored plans have much higher contribution limits than an IRA; in 2015, you can put in up to $18,000 to a 401(k) or similar plan, or $24,000 if you are 50 or older.

Beyond contributing as much as you can afford to tax-advantaged retirement plans, how else can you take greater control of your investment-related taxes? One move is to avoid frequent buying and selling of investments held outside your IRA and 401(k). If you sell investments that you’ve held for less than one

year, your profit will be taxed as ordinary income, with a rate as high as 39.6%. But if you hold investments at least one year before selling them, you’ll just pay the long-term capital gains rate, which is 15% for most taxpayers (20% for high earners). So, from a tax standpoint, it pays to be a “buy-and-hold” investor.

Taking full advantage of your IRA and 401(k) and holding your investments for the long term aren’t the only tax-smart moves you can make — but they can give you a good start on making investing less of a “taxing” experience.

Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors cannot provide tax or legal advice. You should consult your attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation Scott Johnson, CFP, is a financial advisor with Edward Jones, 8146 W. 111th St., Palos Hills, 974-1965. Edward Jones does not provide legal advice. This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones financial advisor.

Dog flu

(Continued from page 1) “Due to the high risk of canine influenza virus spreading from dog to dog, pet owners should not allow their dogs to either socialize with other dogs or participate in any group dog training activities,” the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) said in a recent statement. “Pet owners are advised to not board their dogs at kennels and to avoid doggie day care, dog parks, and grooming facilities at this time.”

Symptoms include persistent, hacking cough, lethargic behavior, a poor appetite, nasal discharge, trouble breathing, or a fever. Testing for canine influenza is available, and best results are obtained from samples taken very early in the onset of the illness.

Fido looks healthy but…

Part of the dilemma, however, is that dogs that appear healthy can carry the virus and spread it to other dogs—and even cats—days Photo by Jeff Vorva and even weeks before they show Bo, an Oak Lawn dog, has some fun at the Bailey’s Crossing Dog Park last week. flu symptoms.

“You see, it’s everywhere,” Barnett said. “It’s not just of their dogs, better than they but it’s still very early, and to America.

Since January, literally thoua dog park or a dog day care take care of themselves, even— yes, I’m worried,” said an Oror a grooming establishment. and a few of them wanted a land Park groomer who wished sands of dogs in the Midwest— A dog could become infected guarantee that their dog would to remain anonymous because especially Illinois, Wisconsin, just walking outside to go to not get sick by coming here, but she was concerned that adverse Indiana and Ohio—have taken how could I guarantee that? publicity could cause panic ill. There is a flu vaccine for the bathroom.

“Everybody loves dogs, ev- Granted, I’ve handled dogs pro- and make the collapse of her dogs, but it offers limited proerybody pets dogs, people are fessionally for 34 years and I three-year-old business “a self- tection since it is not matched to the strain newly circulating getting dogs, picking up dogs run a very clean shop. I don’t fulfilling prophecy.”

While influenza in dogs is in the Midwest. on the street and bringing them accept dogs I don’t know, and I While many more cases are home,” she added. “People can’t take every precaution—hey, my nothing new, the current outhelp themselves, but that adds own dogs are here—but no one break is caused by a strain anticipated, the silver lining in can absolutely guarantee any- previously unseen in the U.S. the cloud is that the mortality to the problem.”

About three weeks ago, Bar- thing in a situation like this.” It is common in Korea and rate appears low, and just a other parts of Asia, and some handful of dogs have died this nett said she was not seeing ‘Yes, I’m worried’ believe it was accidentally im- far. “But if one of those dogs is any flu-related effects on her with business “because the fluTony cas-DunstOther owners of dog-related ported into the U.S. in January, yours, well, you get the idea,” es seemed to be clustered well businesses have expressed simi- when a group of dogs that were Barnett added. lar concerns. being bred in South Korea as north of here.”

“We haven’t had a huge livestock for human consump—Reporter editor Jeff Vorva She said most of her customers “take unbelievable good care amount of cancellations yet, tion were rescued and brought contributed to this report

Talkin Poker

Talkin Poker

By Tony Dunst

To bluff and die in L.A. raised to 1,925. The big blind The main event of the L.A. folded, and I called in position.

Poker Classic is one of the most The flop came Jc 9c 5h, and anticipated tournaments of the the small blind bet out for 2,200. year on the World Poker Tour. I called with the ace-high flush It’s the tour’s last remaining draw, and the turn brought the $10,000 freeze-out event — with theTonyJh. My opponent checked.

Dunst Bellagio has made its $10,000 I had a decision to make. I event a re-entry tournament — could check behind and make and first place always exceeds sure I realized my equity by $1 million. I won a satellite to getting to the river. Or, I could get into the event this year and bet on the turn, and if he called, arrived in Los Angeles a few follow through with a bet on days early to work at the WPT most rivers. office and attend the American I felt that going for a third with Tony Dunst Poker Awards. barrel would be necessary to I felt good at the start of get him to fold if he had an Day One. The event is one of overpair. However, with the the toughest on the tour, and quantity of draws that were on the number of pros at my table the board, it was worth quesreflected that. But there were tioning whether I should run some casual players, too, and a bluff at all. It’s a situation a satellite winner who wasn’t where all my hands that were used to playing high-stakes better than overpairs would bet tournaments. for value, but there were also Little happened through the numerous missed draws that early levels; it wasn’t until level my opponent could put me on. five that we lost our first player After the small blind checked, of the day. I hadn’t done much I made a bet of 5,700. He either. I won a nice pot to get thought for a little while beahead early, then spent the fore calling, and the river was next three hours bleeding back. the 7s, missing the flush draws When I played my first major but completing a straight if he hand of the day, I had 25,000 held 10-8. remaining from my starting My opponent checked, and stack of 30,000.

I announced all in for my last My opponent was a young 16,000 or so. My opponent player whom I saw regularly called instantly by dropping only seven or eight years ago. a stack of 5,000 chips in the I wasn’t sure how much he middle, then tabled jacks a played following Black Friday, second later. when the federal government “All right, guys, I guess that’s shut down online poker in the it for me,” I said, and walked United States, but I knew that away without revealing my he had a good poker mind and cards. had been a tight player in those (Tony Dunst is a poker proyears. fessional who hosts the “Raw With Ac 10c, I opened to 750 Deal” segment on World Poker two seats from the button, and Tour telecasts. Catch him every in the small blind my opponent Sunday night on FSN.)

Talkin Poker

Talkin Poker

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Photo by Bob Bong

TigerDirect is holding a closing sale at its four Chicago-area stores including the location at Orland Park Place in Orland Park.

TigerDirect to claws, er close Florida-based electronics retailer TigerDirect has announced it will close its Orland Park store in the Orland Park Place plaza as part of a massive restructuring.

The retailer said it would be closing its four Chicago-area stores including Orland, Hoffman Estates, Naperville and Vernon Hills as well as a distribution center next to the Naperville store. The stores are expected to close by May 9, according to layoff notices the company has filed with the state.

The Orland store is a former CompUSA store.

Gordon Brothers Group has been retained to manage the store closing process, which includes inventory sales and real estate. DJM Real Estate, a division of Gordon Brothers Group, has been retained to dispose of 27 TigerDirect stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Each store has about 40 employees.

The company said it would retain three locations and its online operation would not be affected by the restructuring.

“We appreciate the continued support of our valued customers over the years and hope they take advantage of the significant discounts during these store sales events. We also encourage our customers to continue to shop tigerdirect.com for future savings and an outstanding assortment of products,” Adam Shaffer, president of TigerDirect Business, said in a release.

ATI Physical Therapy opens in Burbank ATI Physical Therapy has announced the opening of its 120th clinic at 7708 S. Cicero Ave. in Burbank.

It is the third of six new ATI locations scheduled to open in Illinois through mid-2015. Other locations will be in Zion, Huntley and Lincolnshire.

“At ATI, it is our mission to get patients back to an active and pain-free lifestyle by not only treating the injury, but also the individual,” Chad Osborne, Regional Director for ATI Physical Therapy, said in a release. “We create an atmosphere that is centered on the needs of our patients—one that is supportive, energetic and fun.

If you’re experiencing any aches or pains, give our Burbank clinic a call, schedule a complimentary screening and experience the ATI difference.”

Comings & Goings By Bob Bong

Bolingbrook-based ATI clinics offer residents hands-on physical therapy, sports medicine and workers’ compensation services.

Brandon Postel, PT, DPT, will be welcoming patients at the new location. He moved over from ATI’s Midway location.

ATI is the largest physical therapy practice under one brand in the nation and operates more than 390 clinics in 12 states.

For information or to make an appointment, call 708-741-5974 or visit www.ATIpt.com.

Wintrust to acquire Suburban Bank & Trust Rosemont-based Wintrust Financial Corp. announced last week that it was acquiring Elmhurstbased Suburban Illinois Bancorp, which is the parent of Suburban Bank & Trust Co., for about $12.5 million in cash.

Suburban Bank & Trust operates 10 banks including locations in Chicago’s Beverly community, Lemont, Markham, New Lenox and Oak Lawn.

Suburban Bank & Trust was formed in 1976 and has assets of about $470 million. Wintrust is a financial holding company with locations across the Chicago area.

It has assets of about $20 billion.

Edward J. Wehmer, president and CEO of Wintrust, said in a release, “Upon completion of the transaction, several of Wintrust’s community banks will have branches that share market areas with existing Suburban branches.

We are in the process of evaluating those overlaps, and expect to combine approximately six branches during the second half of 2015.”

The transaction is subject to approval by banking regulators and Suburban’s shareholders, and certain closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close late in the second quarter or early in the third quarter of 2015.

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

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at www.southlandbusinessnews.com and www.southlandsavvy.blogspot.com

Area Property Tran fer

All rates subject to change daily. Equal opportunity lenders.

Area Property Tran$fer$ Area property transfers will return next week.

SUDOKU Solution

Crossword Answers

Moving is the best medicine. Keeping active and losing weight are just two of the ways that you can fight osteoarthritis pain. In fact, for every pound you lose, that’s four pounds less pressure on each knee. For information on managing pain, go to fightarthritispain.org.

Moving is the best medicine. Keeping active and losing weight are just two of the ways that you can fight osteoarthritis pain. In fact, for every pound you lose, that’s four pounds less pressure on each knee. For information on managing pain, go to fightarthritispain.org.

12

The Reporter Thursday, April 23, 2015

The

Back Page

These are true POST-er children for bravery I believe our lives cations aren’t typiare most useful cal; he’s more of an when used to serve exception. However others. My heart’s post care is critical, intention is to seek it can prevent loss opportunities where of life and increase my strengths are a survivor’s quality welcome and utiof life.” lized.

Billy persevered Advocate Chiland is now 24 years dren’s Hospitalold. On May 2, he Oak Lawn fed that will graduate from hungry desire, by Western Michigan inviting me and 28

By Claudia Parker University with a other avid runners, degree in secondto mentor 29 canary education with cer survivors from their Pediatric an emphasis in biology.

Oncology Survivorship Transition Bring on the Kleenex -- those (POST) clinic. who know Billy’s backstory probThe goal is to mentor children ably won’t have a dry eye come who have battled pediatric cancer graduation day. and to participate in the Eighth It could be boo-hoo in KalamaAnnual Running for Hope 5K run/ zoo. But that’s a good thing. walk on June 7. Each Tuesday Rivard partnered with ACH evening, training sessions will Manager of Child Life Services include: warm-up, walk and/or Lisa Boland, in starting the POST run, cool down, stretching, and a Challenge back in 2008, one year “running homework” assignment. after Boland and three other coLinda Rivard is an ACH Regis- founders began the Running for tered Nurse for Pediatric Hema- Hope 5K Race/Walk. tology and Oncology. She’s the “I was running with a friend POST clinic coordinator. one day and we were reflecting “Our adolescents and young on everything families affected by adults who’ve been through che- cancer go through. We wanted to motherapy and radiation can have find a way to help so we decided to late effects,’’ Rivard said. “The organize a race to see if we could POST Clinic began in 2004 to raise any money to support them,” help detect and minimize possible said Boland. “Our first race was negative effects that arise from in 2007 and we raised 50,000.” treatment.”

Talk about an enriching converRivard has professional and sation turned fruitful. And, each personal experience with pedi- year it’s gotten better. “Collecatric cancer. Her son, Billy, was tively, we’ve raised upwards of diagnosed with Leukemia at age $600,000.” said Boland, “I’m very five. After receiving treatment, humbled by the response we conhe went into remission but re- tinue to get year after year.” lapsed at age eight, warranting Boland said the funds are doa full bone marrow transplant nated to the Ronald McDonald by age nine.

House and Advocate Children’s “Billy had total body radiation,” Hospital, which this year, will Rivard said. “The treatment saved allocate its funds to the greatest his life, but it was hard on his body. area of need, the Cardiac Nuero He’s had a kidney transplant, mul- Development Clinic. tiple skin cancers and his thyroid The POST Challenge is a removed. He also has a suppressed great way for survivors to be immune system. Billy’s compli- reintroduced back into physi-

I, Claudia

Photo by Jeff Vorva

WHATIZIT?

OK fans, we had a couple of toughies the last two weeks and you might say last week’s was exhausting.

It was of a vehicle exhaust extraction device the shutterbug found in a Chicago Ridge fire house. But they can also be found at emissions testing facilities as well.

Evergreen Park’s Richard Rahn was the first to clear the air as he not only correctly guessed it was an exhaust removal system, he knew the company that made it – Plymovent.

Worth’s Celeste Cameron and Theresa and George Rebersky were also venting in a positive way with the right answer.

There was one incorrect guess of an air circulator used to ventilate large rooms.

There was also this cynical/comical guess: “After much discussion, we have concluded that this is an air cleaning apparatus used after elections to clear all the polluted air that has been spouted by the politicians. Unfortunately, it is not very effective.”

This week should be easier. The clue is that this was found lying around at an athletic facility.

Send those guesses by Monday night to thereporter@comcast. net with Whatizit in the subject line. Don’t forget your name and hometown.

Library Notes (Continued from page 10) spinners share original takes on their favorite subjects. The performance has been described as part art, part comedy.

Those who wear costumes can participate in the library’s all ages Cosplay Showcase.

Judging occurs at 4:30 p.m.

Prizes will be available and one winner will receive a weekend badge for Anime Central – Chicago and the Midwest’s largest anime, manga and Japanese popular culture convention.

A photo booth, which will be complete with props and different backgrounds, will be available. There will be card-

board cutouts, so individuals can strike a pose with their favorite characters like Thor, Captain America, Legolas (The Hobbit), Princess Leia, Rose (Doctor Who), Chewbacca and more. Guests will be able to view their photos online on the library’s Flickr page.

Teens are invited to submit printed medium artwork on the subjects of art, pop culture and comics through Thursday, April 30 for a Teen Art Exhibit to be on display in the lobby.

Following the Fan Fest, afterhours trivia will be held at the Homestead Barr, 9306 S. Central Avenue in Oak Lawn, at 7 p.m.

Submitted photo

Orland Park’s Billy Rivard who was diagnosed with Leukemia at age five, poses with his mother Linda. cal activity.

“Eating right and physical activity is critical to a survivor’s overall recovery.” Rivard said. “The POST Challenge is funded from grant money supplied by Cure-It and Survivor Vision. We’re able to supply POST Challenge participants with their running shoes, socks, a training t-shirt and pre and post-race snacks. The race entry fee is also covered.”

Talk about sweetening the pot!

Those are some pretty generous incentives, but, perhaps not as valuable as the comradery.

“Our first POST Challenge had 10 participants. It’s grown each year,” Rivard said. “And, we have a high rate of return; some of our survivors have taken this challenge since it started.’’

Each survivor participating also brings one buddy, so including their mentor, there’s about 90 people training together.

“It’s a safe place to come together and receive social and emotional support” said Boland.

Best of The Wine Guy

The cure for what ails you The prevention, treatment and curing of ailments is possible with wine.

This nectar made from the fermented juice of grapes can be used for myriad illnesses both physical and mental. From high cholesterol to obesity to mineral deficiencies to cancer to anxiety, wine can help remedy all of them.

Caution! Moderation must be practiced; two to four glasses of wine a day is satisfactory for most people and will not cause health problems.

Wine, as it contains alcohol, is a mild depressant and intoxicant.

But that doesn’t mean it is bad for you. Its depressant properties can help relieve muscular tension and relax you after a long day of work, running errands or taking care of the kids. There is nothing wrong with having a glass or two

at dinner, and perhaps another afterward to wind down as you prepare to sleep.

This ties into its other effects as a sedative that can help blot out the aggressions, excitement and anxieties of the day. It can help one fall asleep and stay asleep, and is less toxic than any of the prescription sleep aids relentlessly advertised and so readily gobbled up these days.

Sixty-eight million prescriptions were written for such pills last year, and the antagonizing effects of withdrawal are inevitable.

Replace the pill-popping with wine-sipping and help yourself in many ways while eliminating the ill health effects of drugs.

And what prescription sleep aid is also good for the skin?

One of the most valuable things about wine is its versatility. Skin

diseases appear in many forms including rashes, blisters, dry patches and oozing sores. Light wines are recommended for skin conditions because of their high sulfur and manganese content.

In some instances a wine compress can be placed directly on the affected area to help it heal.

Soak a rag in equal amounts of wine and water and apply two to three times a day until the swelling subsides.

These are just a few of the ways wine can help you live a happier, healthier life. Couple your consumption of this miracle beverage with a diet high in lifegiving fruits and vegetables and you will quickly feel the positive effects it can have on your life. You will be more energetic, less anxious and have a stronger immune system. You have been

Come race day, Boland said she expects about 2,500 participants which usually include over 80 teams who are running/walking in honor or memory of someone.

It’s a full-fledged family affair that also includes a Kids Dash.

For information on registration or volunteerism visit http://runningforhope.net If you think Billy’s got a great survival story, there’s more where that came from. Several POST Clinic Challengers have agreed to share their stories with you and they will appear in this column in the coming weeks.

You won’t want to miss what they have to say.

I will be posting these stories on my social media as well.

Visit www.ClaudiaParker.net and click the Facebook and/or Twitter links.

Claudia Parker is an Evergreen Park mother, author, runner whose columns appear the second and fourth Thursdays for the Reporter.

The Wine Guy with Anthony Scarano given the keys, now use them to drive wisely.

Anthony Scarano is not a doctor. He is an Evergreen Park resident, winemaker and certified naturopath. Suggestions in this space are solely the opinions of Mr. Scarano based on years of independent study and personal experience, and may not be beneficial to health. Wine should be consumed in moderation, as overindulgence may be harmful to health.

America’s Beauty Show 2015 showcases radiant hair styles Amid the many changes corresponding with springtime, a great many people get new hairstyles and cuts.

Chicago’s annual America’s Beauty Show (ABS) took place on March 21 - 23 at McCormick Place. Hundreds of vendors and thousands of visitors came to feature, admire, learn, purchase and experience the latest items, looks

FASHION CHAT By Caroline Foreman

and shows. This gigantic hair and beauty trade show brought together the top international hair teams from beloved brands like

Redken, Paul Mitchell, American Crew, CHI, Sebastian and TIGI. I was fortunate enough to be booked to model for the Farouk, CHI and Biosilk team. Dutch stylists Patrick Kalle and Maurice Den Exter mastered the looks for the shows each day on the main stage representing Farouk.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing my hair transform along with that of my model friends. We each received luminous colors, effortless volume in styling and soft, shiny texture. To achieve my look, Patrick lightened my hair twice and then the most brilliantly eye-popping orange-red color was formulated from a series of treatments, each somehow wonderfully citrus-scented, to my pleasant surprise.

During the daily shows, Patrick and Maurice would highlight and demonstrate their techniques while models presented their amazing work. The wardrobe was equally bold, including

neoprene dresses with flouncy, petal-like structure in bright lime green, red and blue.

On Saturday night, the 2015 Stylists’ Choice Awards was held in the Arie Crown Theater.

With more than 3,000 attendees and VIP guests, according to Behindthechair.com, this event is commonly equated to the Grammy Awards for hair stylists and beauty professionals. Brands and individuals are nominated for awards like “Best Men’s Line,” “Favorite Color Care Line,” and “Favorite Education Team of the Year.”

I was honored to have been selected as their featured model at the show, and I savored my turn on the humongous stage for the opening catwalk segment. My wardrobe for this was a sleek, textured black turtleneck column dress with a black leather fringed vest and draped neck piece. Farouk Systems Inc. CHI once again won “Fa-

vorite Tool Company.” For the festivities, Patrick crafted my hair into a swirling peacock-like updo, highlighting the specially added blue and gray color on side in front. The stark shaping on the sides was thereby a bit softened, and the overall look took on a futuristic perception of 20s glamour.

You can explore the variety of event photos online. Each company presented models with imaginative and beautiful work both for the spring and summer season and for novel overall style. Get new ideas for your own experimentation.

Photo courtesy Leticia Onate

Hair and wardrobe was prepared in the dressing room backstage before the 2015 Stylists’ Choice Awards.

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Caroline Foreman models bold red-orange hair for a fun new Patrick Kalle, Dutch stylist for Farouk, demonstrated his expertise spring color (photo courtesy of Kent Squires). at America’s Beauty Show 2015.

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The Regional News • The Reporter

SPORTS She’s pitcher perfect Southwest • Section 2, Page 1

Thursday,March April 23, 2015 Thursday, 5, 2015

Ken Karrson, Sports Editor • sports@regionalpublishing.com

SXU’s Nonnemacher strikes out every batter in win

By Ken Karrson Sports Editor

Nobody’s perfect? Trinity International University softball players would likely differ on that sentiment.

And for good reason — when the Trojans tangled with St. Xavier University last Tuesday in Game 1 of a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader, they were stopped dead in their tracks by Nicole Nonnemacher.

The Cougars junior turned the pitching circle into a circle of hell for TIU. Not only did Nonnemacher fire a perfect game, but she struck out all 15 batters she faced in what became a five-inning 9-0 SXU victory. The 2014 NAIA Pitcher of the Year, who already is a threetime CCAC Player of the Week honoree in 2015, threw 50 of her 57 offerings for strikes and allowed foul-ball contact to be made just five times.

“It was quite remarkable to witness,” Cougars coach Myra Minuskin said of Nonnemacher’s feat, which took only 1 hour and 13 minutes to complete. “I have never seen this accomplished before.”

That’s understandable, seeing as how only one other NAIA pitcher, Central Baptist Arkansas’ Emily Guess, has managed to do the same thing. Guess struck out all 15 batters in a 27-0 perfect-game triumph over Hillside Free Will Baptist (Okla.) and, amazingly, repeated

the exploit four days later in a 13-0 win over Crowley’s Ridge (Ark.).

Nonnemacher’s perfect game was the second of her collegiate career, but her strikeout total did not match her single-game high.

Sheer mathematics prevented that as Nonnemacher’s top mark is 19, which she produced in a Saturday defeat of Robert Morris University.

Nonnemacher also fanned 18 Trinity Christian College hitters while tossing a one-hitter on March 17.

When asked about her historic effort versus TIU, Nonnemacher remained low-key.

“Throughout the game I was just working on hitting my spots and getting one batter at a time,” she said. “My pitches were working well on Tuesday and everything just fell into place. The strikeouts are nice, but a win is the most important achievement.

“Each game I just focus on doing my best and [am] focusing on each pitch. We stress controlling the controllable and letting the rest fall into place. When I work ahead and cut down on my walks, I have a lot more success, so I have tried to do that as the season progresses.”

Nonnemacher obviously didn’t require much in the way of hitting support to prosper, but she got plenty of help anyway. SXU (34-4-2, 15-0-1) scored in each of its four at-bats as Savannah Photo by Jeff Vorva Kinsella (two-run double) and St. Xavier University junior pitcher Nicole Nonnemacher struck out all 15 batters she faced in a five-inning win over Trinity International on April 14. The photo represents one softball for every strikeout she recorded in order from left to right. Note: A ‘K’ represents a strikeout swinging and a

See PERRFECT, Page 6 backward K represents a batter who was called out on strikes.

RedHawks zeroing in String of shutouts keeps Marist rolling

By Ken Karrson Sports Editor

Photo by Jeff Vorva

Evergreen Park’s Megan Pfister earned game MVP honors for leading the East All-Stars to an 80-50 win over the West last Wednesday at Moraine Valley College.

East beats West in girls’ all-star game

By Jeff Vorva Reporter Editor

The high school basketball season has been over for several weeks, but that doesn’t mean every player has suddenly grown idle.

Several local athletes suited up once more last Wednesday at Moraine Valley College, where they occupied spots on all-star teams. The girls’ East squad defeated the West 80-50 behind an MVP performance from Evergreen Park’s Megan Pfister, who hit five 3-point baskets en route to a 17-point effort.

Joining Pfister on the East roster were Mustangs teammates LaShandra Johnson and Nicole Larkin.

West players from the area were included Stagg’s

Alex Abed and Mia DiGiacomo, Mother McAuley’s Erin Drynan, Shepard’s Myrissha Mitchell, Jamie Bledsoe and Jenny Payne and Oak Lawn’s Brianna Markusic, this paper’s Player of the Year for the 20-14-15 season.

In the boys’ game, the South All-Stars beat the North 113-101. Orr’s Darryl Curray was the MVP as he scored 18 points and Crete-Monee’s Michael Nelson earned the Hustle Award.

Former Richards standout Dedrick Shannon, now a senior at Rich South, was a member of the South team. Local players taking part in the contest were Evergreen Park’s Jordan Brown and Isaac Mathews, Brother Rice’s Joe Ruzevich, Sandburg’s Niko Kogionis and Tommy Demogerontas and Oak Lawn’s Dean Khater.

Marist reached zero hour last week and Kevin Sefcik couldn’t have been happier about it.

Sandburg did the same but to much less acclaim from its coaching staff.

When late May arrives it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think of the RedHawks and Eagles being among the last area baseball teams still standing. After all, both programs have storied histories on their side, not to mention some pretty fair talent once again this year.

But for the moment they’re going in opposite directions. While Marist extended a winning streak that had begun with a five-game sweep through a tournament in South Carolina, Sandburg suddenly hit a brick wall.

Winners of nine of their first 10 contests this spring, the Eagles seemed to be flying high. Before last week’s action got underway, however, Sandburg assistant coach Chuck Peters had put up a warning flag.

“We’re going to find out what we’re made of,” Peters said prior to the Eagles tackling a docket that included a pair of SouthWest Suburban Conference Blue games against Homewood-Flossmoor plus nonconference matchups with the RedHawks and Lincoln-Way North.

He simply did not want anyone declaring Sandburg a finished product just yet, but Peters’ words proved prescient as the team indeed

struggled. Not only did the Eagles endure a rare winless week, but they failed to score in three of their four outings.

And while that was happening, Marist found itself at the other end of the spectrum as it was particularly stingy in regard to surrendering runs. Not only was Sandburg a shutout victim on Friday, but so was Notre Dame twice in East Suburban Catholic Conference play on Saturday and Montini last Tuesday.

The RedHawks gave up five runs to Oak Lawn on Wednesday but still prevailed by two. The lone blemish was applied by Mt. Carmel on Sunday, but pitching remained a strong suit for Marist as the Caravan squeezed out a 1-0 win in a Steve Bajenski tournament game in Mount Greenwood.

“Our defense was very good [last week] and our pitching staff was great,” said Sefcik, the former major-leaguer who’s in his first year at the RedHawks’ helm. “The kids throw strikes.”

The ability of someone like Rich Kairis, a three-year varsity player, to produce on the hill isn’t a big shock. But Marist’s mound corps extends well beyond the senior.

“Jack Snyder has kind of come out of nowhere,” Sefcik said of the junior who went the distance in Game 1 versus the Dons after working five innings against Montini. “He’s throwing 84 to 86 [miles per hour], which is a good high school fastball.”

Pat Meehan collected a win and save last week, Ben Chaffee and Brandon Hanik joined forces to silence Sandburg and Brian Wood

stepped forward at the end of a busy week to handcuff the Caravan for most of Sunday.

“It’s a different guy [coming through] every day,” Sefcik said.

“I think you need to have that. In our conference, I think you need four [reliable] pitchers because of the Saturday doubleheaders. This was my first experience with that.”

The RedHawks’ pitching excellence came at an opportune moment, seeing as how the robust offense that Marist (12-2, 2-0) had put on display during Easter break was missing in action.

“Hitting’s the hard part to stay consistent with,” Sefcik said. “We took a step backward offensively after facing better pitching.”

Maybe so, but five times the RedHawks had enough to get the job done. Snyder and John Carmody provided RBI against the Eagles to fuel a 2-0 triumph while Carmody (RBI), Jake Powers (RBI) and Wood (two hits, one run) were the mainstays versus Montini, which fell to a 3-0 defeat.

In truth, nobody except Mt. Carmel really slowed Carmody, who already has 19 RBI this season.

Two more were delivered in the opener against Notre Dame as well as opposite Oak Lawn.

Kairis (two hits, two runs), Meehan (RBI) and Grant Kenny (RBI) were other key figures in the initial 4-0 victory over the Dons. Kairis also had two hits in the nightcap, which Marist won 1-0 when Eric Hansen drew a bases-loaded walk.

Marist 2 Sandburg 0 Chaffee and Hanik outdueled See REDHAWKS, Page 2

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2 Section 2

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Learning the art of sell-ebrity From Feb. 17, 2005

Just so you know, there’s still time.

It’s not yet too late to enter Saint Louis University’s contest to find the next Bill Veeck. Those of you out there who feel you possess the kind of outside-the-box thinking necessary to become the new-millennium version of the famed owner of the White Sox and Cleveland Indians should act right away.

The university’s John Cook School of Business, in an effort to unearth the promotional gurus of tomorrow, will offer its first-ever Bill Veeck Sponsorship Award for the most innovative and fan-focused sponsorship relationships in the sports industry. According to a PR e-mail I recently received, winners will be chosen on the basis of creativity, activation and effectiveness of reaching specified goals.

Entries will be accepted in seven categories, including singleevent promotions for professional and collegiate teams.

Veeck made himself a tough act to follow, as he continually influenced Major League Baseball with gimmicks that ranged from the silly to the sensible. Among the former were a midget batter and clown playing third base, which occurred before the Cubs presented their own parade of clowns at the hot corner for the years that bridged the careers of Ron Santo and Aramis Ramirez.

Veeck was also the first owner to put players’ names on the back of uniforms and the one who introduced the practice of shooting off fireworks following homers by the home team.

Of course, before we officially canonize Veeck — who also scores creative points for the ashtray that was built into his artificial leg — let’s remember he also gave the world Mike Veeck, who later gave Chicagoans the infamous Disco Demolition Night.

Oh well, I guess everybody’s entitled to one mistake, even one of gargantuan proportions.

Not to take anything away from the older Veeck, but performing as a marketing genius these days is far more difficult than it once was. Let’s face it, there’s not much those of us over 30 — heck, those of us over 10 — haven’t experienced in the way of promotional tools in either a sports or non-sports setting.

Back in Veeck’s era, giveaways were pretty much limited to hats and baseballs. Later, things like trading cards, bats and seat cushions were thrown into the mix. All were nice enough keepsakes — and worth a fair amount of money if still around — but today’s fan expects much more.

Now, themes are big. While not a promotion in the typical here’s-a-free-gift-for-you sense of the word, creations such as Retro Night or Get-A-Discounted-Ticket-If-Your-First-Name-IsThe-Same-As-The-Manager’s Day are constantly popping up as fan inducements, particularly among minor-league franchises.

So what would be considered fresh in an anything-goes climate such as this? Don’t look to me for great ideas — if I had them, I’d be sharing them with Saint Louis University in the hope of becoming a marketing maven of the highest-paid order.

But the mere fact that the Cook School is soliciting the general public and wanting the fruits of people’s brainstorming is a bit troubling. As if we didn’t know so already, this act merely confirms the notion that nothing can be a stand-alone event anymore.

Not all that long ago, the Super Bowl was only a game.

A big game, to be sure, but not the end-all, be-all of human sporting existence that it’s become. The contest itself hasn’t deviated that much from the Green Bay-Kansas City template in 1967, but the ancillary aspects have changed dramatically and grown exponentially.

Now, there are pregame, postgame and halftime shows with which to concern oneself. And let’s not forget the $2.4 millionper-30 seconds ads, which elicit more next-day analysis than the Super Bowl itself once did. If you believe all the marketing and promotions people, a shortcoming in any of those areas severely detracts from the main event, regardless of how exciting the game might be.

And if the Super Bowl requires all that additional fluff in order to be categorized as a must-see undertaking, there’s no way a regular-season baseball game can be attractive solely on its own competitive merit. Thus, what the Cook School is doing is simply meeting a basic human need head-on — the need to have every single thing overhyped so we’ll know how important it is in the grand scheme of life.

That press release from the Cook School summed it up best when it printed the school’s stated mission: “...to provide a practical and career-driven education in the discipline of marketing to undergraduate and graduate students that will enhance their prospects for meaningful employment and substantive contributions to society at large.”

Discipline and marketing — could two terms be more mutually exclusive? Overkill is more than just a song by the longforgotten ’80s group Men At Work.

Those men aren’t working anymore. Too bad we can’t say the same for all the shills and hucksters.

BARTOSH

RedHawks

Continued from page 1 the Eagles’ tandem of Trevor Faille and Kenny Michalowski but not by much.

Had Jimmy Roche’s hard-hit grounder gotten through the Marist infield in the third, Sandburg would have gone in front; instead the play resulted in the third out that stranded two runners.

“We pitched OK, but we just couldn’t get anything going offensively,” Eagles assistant coach George Fear said.

“They’ve been really good games [against the RedHawks] the past few years.

They’re a tough team.

“They have three really talented guys and they surrounded them with guys who are solid. They’re [all] really aggressive at the plate and had good at-bats.”

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Let us know you want afterschool programs in your area.

Call 1-800-USA-LEARN.

Maris Oak Lawn

The Regional News - The Reporter

On the road to recovery Spartans are prosperous in busy week

By Ken Karrson Sports Editor

Seven games into the 2015 season some might have thought Oak Lawn was on the road to ruin.

That road has since become one of recovery.

Ignored by doubters was the fact that a string of early losses had been administered by some of the Chicagoland area's finest baseball programs. The Spartans weren’t winning, but the same could be said for many opponents of teams like St. Rita, Lyons Township and Lincoln-Way North.

While it looked as if Oak Lawn had hit rock bottom, in reality those defeats may very well have been the Spartans’ ticket to the top of the South Suburban Conference Red. Much of the schedule remains to be played, of course, but Oak Lawn has already made its presence known. With three more league victories — including one over cross-town rival Richards — bagged last week, the Spartans entered the current week with a 5-1 mark in SSC action, leaving them just a half-game behind Red Division leader Shepard.

“You’re questioning your worth two weeks ago, but going 1-6 to start might have been the best thing that could have happened to us,” Oak Lawn coach Bill Gerny said. “[Our guys have] seen the worst of it already. We’re doing better and finally playing as a team.”

The Spartans’ fortunes have improved to the point where Gerny came away disappointed with a split against the defending SSC Red champion Bulldogs. After dropping a 7-5 verdict in eight innings to Oak Lawn on Monday, Richards turned the tables one day later as it collected an 8-5 triumph.

“I really felt we should have beaten them twice,” Gerny said.

“We kind of snuck out of there with one Monday, then we gave it right back. I hope that game doesn’t [eventually] mean more than just one loss.

“You’re looking at all the [Red] teams that are usually in the mix [of contenders] doing well — that just puts more pressure on [everybody]. Whoever manages to sweep someone else is going to establish themselves as the front-runner. I hope it’s us.”

The Spartans (8-9, 5-1) positioned themselves nicely for that tag by overcoming an early deficit last Monday and then, after stranding baserunners in the fifth, sixth and seventh stanzas, notching the deciding tallies on Liam Blake’s double. The two-bagger followed Joe Dodaro’s hit and Patrick Slattery’s bunt single.

“Our guys are definitely in a comfort zone at the plate right now,” said Gerny, whose club finished with 11 hits. “I think that early schedule is paying off.

Teams that we struggled to beat last year, or that we lost to, we’re going toe-to-toe with them.”

Boo Quillin and Ivan Georgelos each drove in an earlier run with a single, Bobby Beard registered an RBI on a groundout and Justin Swatek brought home two team7 5

The RedHawks raced out to a 5-0 lead on Wednesday, but the Spartans refused to fold. They got four of those runs back in their half of the third and then pulled even with Marist in the sixth.

“We had them on the ropes and couldn’t put them away,” Oak Lawn coach Bill Gerny said.

The RedHawks capitalized on a Spartans error in the seventh to pin a loss on Yunis Halim, but Gerny felt his hurler did a credible job.

“You look at five runs [given up] in the first two innings, but he really settled down and took charge after that,” Gerny said. “When you look at who we were playing, I’ll take that [performance]. He took a very positive step forward.”

Joe Dodaro (two), Patrick Slattery, John Roberts and Ivan Georgelos all provided RBI on base hits for Oak Lawn. Kairis (two hits with a double, two RBI and one run), Zach Sefcik (two hits, one RBI) and Tyler Haizel (double, three runs) teamed with Carmody to spearhead Marist’s attack.

Marist 4-1 Notre Dame 0-0 After limiting Montini to two hits over five innings on Tuesday, Snyder returned to the mound to toss a complete game at the Dons in Saturday’s opener. Meehan, who earned a save Monday, was the Game 2 victor opposite Notre Dame.

While Coach Sefcik said his squad “got lucky” against the Dons and admit-

Photos by Jeff Vorva

Richards’ Angelo Smith racked up 11 more strikeouts last Tuesday, a performance that helped the Bulldogs beat neighboring Oak Lawn 8-5 in a South Suburban Conference Red matchup. Smith has fanned 33 batters in his last three starts.

mates with a suicide squeeze in the fourth as Richards was slow to react to the play.

“There was a lack of baseball IQ on that all the way around,” Bulldogs coach Brian Wujcik said.

Richards caught a break when it retired Ryne Melnik on a play at the plate to end Oak Lawn’s fourth-inning at-bat, and when Noel Castro’s sacrifice fly tied the score for the Bulldogs momentum had seemingly begun to shift. But a double play abruptly halted Richards’ plate appearance and it left runners aboard in both the sixth and seventh frames, including one at third base.

“We did OK [overall], but [it would help] if we could shore a few things up, [like] the misplayed bunt, passed balls and wild pitches,” Wujcik said. “Every time we make an error, it seems like it’s two runs or better [for the opposition].”

Nick Fritz (single), Ryan Renken (sacrifice fly) and Angelo Smith (single) accounted for the Bulldogs’ other RBI. Oak Lawn’s Matt Witkowski went the distance on the hill to best Nick Mejia. *** Richards gained its revenge on Tuesday, although it again was unable to hold an early 4-2 lead.

This time, though, it did some late-game damage as Castro (twoRBI double), Smith (RBI single), Chris Zeschke (double) and Noah Petrusevski (sacrifice fly) helped generate a total of four runs between the fifth and seventh innings.

Smith was also the pitcher of record as he threw a complete game with 11 strikeouts. He now has 33 in his last three starts. His latest batch of strikeouts overrode the six walks and seven hits he surrendered.

“His control wasn’t the best, but he was effectively wild,” Gerny said of Smith. “He kept our hitters guessing and had us off-balance a

ted the RedHawks “can swing the bats better,” he also pointed out that despite the low-scoring nature of last week’s encounters Marist still boasted a team batting average of .290, 80 points higher than its 2014 effort.

“One of our goals is to walk as many times as we strike out,” Sefcik said.

“We’re not quite there, but we’re still putting [plenty of] balls in play. We’re just not getting a lot of hits.”

Mt. Carmel 1 Marist 0 Caravan ace Nelson Munoz stymied the RedHawks on Sunday, but Wood was his equal through five stanzas. Mt. Carmel got the last say in the top of the seventh when an RBI single followed a balk called on Marist.

Zach Sefcik and Meehan (two hits) both doubled, but Coach Sefcik counted only four balls that were hit hard by his batters.

“You’re not going to win many games doing that,” he said. “[But] I think [elite pitching] is something we need to see.”

Sefcik praised Wood’s work, particularly since the latter was pressed into service primarily because the RedHawks were running short on arms. Slamming the door on as potent a club as Mt. Carmel made Wood’s exhibition especially satisfying.

“They’re a great team — there’s probably nine or 10 Division I players on their roster,” Sefcik said. “On other days they’re going to hit, but [Wood] got a lot of popups.”

Richards’ Chris Zeschke camps under a popup and prepares to haul it in during last Tuesday’s SSC Red game against Oak Lawn.

little bit. [But] I thought we put up a good fight until the end.”

Castro (single) and Smith (bases-loaded walk) also had RBI during Richards’ four-run second stanza, as did Fritz (single) and Ryan Willett (swinging bunt).

Dodaro and Quillin both poked two-run singles for the Spartans while John Roberts’ single gave them another marker in the seventh as it came on the heels of a free pass and Slattery’s double.

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Wednesday had given Marist the go-ahead runs in what became a 7-5 win for the RedHawks. He was making a relief appearance at the time, so Gerny wanted to quickly give his third-year varsity player a chance to redeem himself.

And that’s exactly what Quillin did on Thursday as he fanned eight, walked one and scattered four hits in a shutout of the Titans in an SSC crossover. Gerny called it “the most dominating pitching performance we’ve had all year.”

“Coaching a game like that is

A Quillin throwing error on

See BASEBALL, Page 3

Oak Lawn Tinley Park

Lincoln-Way North 3 Sandburg 0 The Phoenix began the Eagles’ tough week by riding Northern Illinois University-bound Jake Mutter’s five-hit, nine-strikeout pitching performance to success last Monday. Griffin Kazmierczak and Andy Gaytan evenly split four of Sandburg’s hits between them.

“Again we couldn’t string anything together,” Fear said. “We had a couple at-bats with guys in scoring position, but we couldn’t get the big hit. They’re tough.”

Marco Babic threw well for the Eagles in a losing cause. He lasted five-plus innings and, according to Fear, had 20 first-pitch strikes.

H-F 6-5 Sandburg 0-4 The Vikings extended the Eagles’ scoreless streak over seven more stanzas last Wednesday as they tallied four times in the top of the first to take control of the contest.

“It took us out of our game [of] bunting and moving runners along,” Fear said, referring to Homewood-Flossmoor’s rapid getaway. “We swung the bats all right. We had a lot of competitive atbats, but we’re really not built [to come back] that way.

“We’re not really disappointed except for that first inning.”

One bright spot was the relief work of Jake Tablerion, who entered for Eric Nelson in the first inning and pitched the

remainder of the game. He was supported by an error-free defense.

Thursday’s rematch was more difficult for Fear and Sandburg (9-5, 0-2) to accept. The Eagles were ahead 4-1 after scoring three times in the fifth, but the Vikings immediately answered with a four-spot that allowed them to complete a sweep.

“We felt pretty good about ourselves up 4-1,” Fear said. “That was a tough loss.”

Ben Kociper (two-run single) and Roche (RBI single) had given Sandburg its advantage with their fifth-inning hits.

Roche was also responsible for the initial tally when he singled in Gaytan, who had doubled in the first.

Fear said that despite the recent struggles, nobody in the program is worried.

“It looks bad getting shut out three out of four ballgames, but we’ve run into some tough outs,” he said. “I don’t think anybody’s panicking. Our general energy and attitude has been good and we didn’t give things away.

“We caught some breaks early in the year, but we’ve actually played all right [lately too]. This is just kind of where we’re at.”

One thing Fear wouldn’t mind seeing the Eagles improve on is their ability to retire batters in the lower portion of opponents’ orders.

“The last three years it feels like every time we walked the [No.] 9 hitter, we’ve given up runs,” he said. “You can’t put that guy on base [because] nothing good ever comes from that. He’s got to earn his way on.”

The Regional News - The Reporter

Thursday, April 23, 2015 Section 2

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SOFTBALL ROUNDUP

Mighty Macs stay busy and successful

By Anthony Nasella With the volume of games Mother McAuley has played the past couple weeks, coach Colleen Kilduff admits the Mighty Macs have almost forgotten what an official practice is.

But given the fact it won six of seven games last week, McAuley seems to have been getting along quite fine without them.

A 15-3 win over Morton on Monday opened the Macs' busy week and they followed up with an equally impressive 11-1 triumph over Fenwick on Tuesday before dropping a 2-1 decision to Oak Forest on Wednesday. McAuley got right back on track on Thursday, however, with a 2-1 victory over Trinity that kicked off its Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red season.

The Macs wrapped things up with a 4-1 decision over Lincoln-Way North on Friday and a 12-0, 3-2 doubleheader sweep of Resurrection on Saturday.

McAuley is now 12-3.

“We all joked to each other that we don’t even know what a practice is anymore,” Kilduff said. “We haven’t practiced in two weeks and played a game every day this [past] week. We played five games in Florida last week and we [also] had a game the first day we came back.

“We had games every day — and not due to extra days off. We’ve had our issues of getting that one run and then not getting over the hump; [in] each of our losses [that] has been the case.

Bu our pitching has been extremely solid in keeping our opponents from scoring runs.

"It was a good stretch of games.”

Molly Murphy (2-for-4, four RBI) and Amy Balich (3-for-3, two RBI) starred on offense versus Morton while Holly Murosek went the distance in the circle. She finished with seven strikeouts and no walks.

Dara Sanders was even better against Fenwick as she fired a one-hitter and mowed down 13 batters on third strikes. Maryssa Vela (2-for-5 with a two-run homer, three RBI) was the Macs' offensive catalyst.

Murosek was a hard-luck loser against Oak Forest despite tossing a three-hitter and not getting charged with an earned run. McAuley's batting leader that day was Kelly O’Donnell, who had two hits and drove in the team's lone run.

Sanders (five strikeouts), Emily Rux (two hits) and Katie Jennings (two hits, one run) were the Macs' ringleaders in their victory over Trinity.

Sanders collected her third win of the week at Lincoln-Way North's expense, thanks in part to good performances at the plate by Balich (3for-4, two RBI) and Vela (two hits, including a homer, three runs). Balich provided long balls in both Saturday contests and Morgan Fleming went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the opener.

Sanders chalked up a pair of triumphs, doing so as the Game 1 starter and a Game 2 reliever.

In her start Sanders registered 10 strikeouts and allowed two hits.

“The best thing I saw was that it was an entire team contribution all week long,” Kilduff said.

“We didn’t have the same lineup two games in a row. We have a lot of depth and talent, and they demonstrated that [last] week.”

Kilduff said her athletes definitely benefited from the Florida trip.

“The games in Florida were a good bonding experience,” she said. “It was good for the team to play a large amount of games in a short amount of time in warm weather; that’s rare for our area. [And] the time [spent] eating together, staying in hotels and riding on the airplanes served for good team bonding.

“In addition, the girls were at Disney every day before playing a game. I think the Florida games really served us well this past week.”

On tap for the Macs this week is a conferenceheavy schedule with games against St. Ignatius, Loyola Academy and Minooka. On Tuesday McAuley will host an Alopecia Areata awareness game against Queen of Peace.

The game will be a personal one for Murosek, who was diagnosed with the condition in the fall and has experienced 100 percent hair loss.

“This has not been the easiest thing for Holly to deal with,” Kilduff said. “She started the first week of practice with a wig but then switched to a bandana and hat; the rest of the team has followed suit to be uniform with her. We’re hoping this game helps with the awareness."

And Murosek is not the only Macs player who has faced physical battles. Sanders received a cochlear implant in her ears at 27 months of age to combat the profound deafness she experienced at 22 months.

“Both of my pitchers have had some very unique situations in their life,” Kilduff said. “The great thing is the kids have each other’s backs, and these challenges have definitely deepened our team unity.

I’m hoping we can keep things rolling with our conference games this week.”

SHEPARD

Only a 7-5 loss to Oak Forest spoiled last week for the Astros, who went 4-1. Three of the win counted in the South Suburban Conference standings as Argo (10-0), Hillcrest (21-4) and Richards (6-4) were all subdued.

Also toppled was Hinsdale Central, 7-5, in a Saturday nonconference affair.

Jalyn Stepney played well for Shepard in its setback as she homered and reached base three times. Jenna Husienga also went deep while Breanna Graffeo picked up two RBI with a single and another on a sacrifice fly.

Gabby Graffeo was tagged with the pitching loss.

Skylor Hilger swung the hot bat in last Wednesday's romp past Hillcrest as she homered twice.

The Astros piled up 13 runs over the first three innings as six batters combined for 19 hits, 17 RBI and 16 runs on the day.

Also getting into the act were Jessica Coyle (4for-4, two RBI), Erin Buric (two-run triple, RBI single), Taylor Horn (3-for-4, three RBI) and Bre-

anna Graffeo (5-for-5, four RBI).

Buric was the winning pitcher as she struck out 11 and scattered five hits over five innings. *** The Astros outlasted Richards on Thursday after five lead changes, moving in front to stay in the fifth inning. Heather O'Kelly singled in the go-ahead run and Husienga added an insurance tally with her hit.

Hilger had two hits, including another homer, and two RBI for Shepard. Gabby Graffeo got the pitching win but not without some anxious moments.

The Bulldogs, in fact, jumped out to a 3-0 lead as Sara Kiziak and Savanah Julian (RBI) hit safely and the Astros committed a couple of errors. But round-trippers by Hilger (two-run) and Stepney quickly pulled Shepard even. The two players have combined to hit 14 homers so far this spring.

The Astros and Hinsdale Central exchanged the lead six times on Saturday, but Shepard ended up on top thanks to Nicole Almazan's two-RBI double. Hilger had three RBIs on two hits for the Astros (14-2).

Graffeo brought the heat against Hinsdale Central as she held it hitless over 3 2/3 innings.

OAK LAWN

The Spartans' only success last week came against TF North, which was blanked 11-0 last Wednesday. Oak Lawn dropped games to Lemont (6-3), Evergreen Park (7-0) and Eisenhower (4-3).

Natalia Rafacz (two RBI), Ashley Labuda (2for-3, two RBI), Hannah Featherstone (two RBI), and Marissa Loya (2-for-2, three runs) all starred on offense for the Spartans versus the Meteors.

Loya collected the pitching win by striking out 10 batters in five innings.

Loya drove in two runs against Lemont while Danielle Allen provided the other RBI. Loya fanned six and gave up only one earned run in a complete-game effort.

Hayden Landingham and Mia Loya each had RBI against Eisenhower and the latter whiffed eight as the winning pitcher.

MARIST

The RedHawks won four out of five games last week with the successes coming against Joliet Catholic (8-3, 16-0) and Fenwick (7-1, 21-4). Lincoln-Way East administered the defeat on Tuesday, 6-3 on Tuesday.

In Monday’s win over the Angels, Brooke Wilson (3-for-4, one run) and Jill Kenny (2-for4) registered two RBI apiece for Marist (10-4-2, 4-0 East Suburban Catholic Conference). Zariya Gonzalez (2-for-2, solo homer, three RBI, three runs) paced the RedHawks in their second victory over JCA.

STAGG

Goose eggs were a big part of the Chargers' week as they shut out Thornwood 12-0 and Joliet Central 10-0 last Monday and Wednesday, respectively, before falling to a 7-0 loss against Joliet West on Friday.

Pitcher Amanda Bell rang up 11 strikeouts versus the Thunderbirds and was backed by clutch hitting from Heather Watson (homer, three RBI), Brianna Serritella (2-for-2, two RBI, two runs) and Abbey Regan (2-for-3, two runs, one RBI).

Watson, Regan, Lexi Minet and Mia Moustakas all had two hits for Stagg (6-6) versus Joliet Central and Minet gained the win in the circle after fanning six.

SANDBURG

Also active last week were the Eagles, who earned a split over six games. Wins came over Homewood-Flossmoor (4-3), Bolingbrook (12-0) and New Trier (8-5) while the Trevians (5-4), Lincoln-Way North (11-4) and Marian Catholic (7-1) all got the better of Sandburg.

Mikaela Arredondo's sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the eighth lifted the Eagles (11-7, 2-0 SouthWest Suburban Conference Blue) past H-F while Paige Chladek (double, triple, three RBI) spearheaded the rout of Bolingbrook.

CHICAGO CHRISTIAN

The Knights broke even as well last week after beating Timothy Christian and Argo but losing to Riverside-Brookfield ad Ridgewood.

Bre Vollan led Chicago Christian (4-5-1, 2-0 Metro Suburban Conference East) to its triumph over Timothy Christian by striking out 12 as a pitcher and going 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs at the plate.

EVERGREEN PARK

Caroline Andrade (3-for-3 with a double and two RBI) carried the Mustangs (8-8, 5-4 SSC Red) to their 7-0 win over Oak Lawn. That Tuesday victory was one of two on the week for Evergreen, which also defeated Rich East 16-1 on Thursday.

In between the Mustangs lost to Reavis 14-10.

RICHARDS

Emily Wetzel's grand slam propelled the Bulldogs to a 12-1 SSC Red rout of Eisenhower last Tuesday. Kiziak and Julian had RBI singles on Thursday to help Richards (5-5, 4-2) get past TF South 4-2.

Lyons Township shut out the Bulldogs 3-0 on Friday.

QUEEN OF PEACE

The Pride (7-6) went 3-1 last week with wins being registered over Reavis (4-3 on Wednesday), St. Francis de Sales (24-1 on Thursday) and Morton (8-1 on Saturday). Morton won the back end of a doubleheader 5-4.

Abby Bennett (2-for-3, one RBI, one run) and Dana Bunting (RBI single) keyed Queen of Peace's neighborhood decision over the Rams.

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Oak Lawn pitcher Chad Cwik fires one toward the plate last Tuesday versus Richards.

Baseball

Continued from page 2 easy when your pitcher is not making your defense work very hard,” he said. “[Quillin’s] been the kind of player who is dependable. He puts so much effort into it and I know how much he cares.”

Quillin also knocked in Oak Lawn’s second run with a secondinning single. Other RBI men were Roberts in the first, Melnik in the fourth and Slattery in the sixth. The latter’s came on a two-base hit.

Oak Lawn 10 Hillcrest 0 Oak Lawn Rich Central

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Neither the Hawks nor Olympians provided much in the way of resistance on Saturday. Ryan Quinn, in fact, held Hillcrest hitless while whiffing six in the SSC crossover.

Rodrigo Zavala did give up five hits to Rich Central, but he also slipped third strikes past seven batters. The Spartans amassed 21 hits over the two games.

Dodaro had a pair in each and four RBI on the day while Blake and Slattery both supplied two hits and two RBI versus the Olympians. Also driving in two runs apiece in the second contest were Georgelos and Melnik. Swatek had a two-run double against the Hawks.

“People that follow our team

[probably] don’t realize how good we’re doing in conference because of the tough nonconference schedule we had,” Gerny said. “It makes you feel better about the rest of the season, but if we don’t take care of [future] business the games will be meaningless.”

Lemont 10 Richards 3 While the Spartans made progress within the SSC Red, the Bulldogs backslid a bit as they lost to the Indians in a Thursday crossover. A six-run third inning gave Lemont the boost it needed to pull away from Richards.

“We had done the same thing the week before against Lincoln-Way Central," Wujcik said, referring to falling behind by a sizable margin.

“It was still early. We have to be able to forget it and still attack teams.”

That didn’t happen, however.

Save for singles by Mejia and TJ Spyrnal that chased in runs, the Bulldogs’ bats were relatively quiet. Certainly they didn’t match the Indians’ Nick Wisz, who homered twice and totaled five RBI. Afterward Wujcik spoke with his athletes and asked them if they still relished competing.

“I said, ‘Some of you don’t seem like you’re enjoying playing,’” Wujcik said. “We don’t celebrate good plays; everybody looks relieved [when they’re made]. Everybody’s career is finite. It’s going to end sometime, but sometimes the younger guys don’t get it.”

Richards (6-7, 3-3) isn’t over-

Photo by Jeff Vorva

stocked with vocal upperclassmen to help bring less-experienced players out of their shells, but one individual who has been stepping forward in that regard is Willett.

An all-area performer in football last fall, Willett did not play baseball as a junior because of injury and Wujcik wondered how much he’d be able to provide.

Now the coach knows.

“What a great addition,” Wujcik said of Willett. “I don’t know where we’d be without him. He’s always encouraging guys in the dugout. He’s the one keeping everybody up.”

Richards 2 Andrew 1 And Willett did more than that on Saturday. His diving catch at the warning track saved two runs and was part of a team defensive display Wujcik felt was the ‘Dogs’ best since their season-opener versus Rich Central.

Richards also turned a couple double plays to thwart the Thunderbolts, who stranded runners in each of the first four innings.

They tallied their lone run in their initial at-bat.

Renken drew praise from his coach for hanging tough on the mound. The junior struck out four. “[Andrew] threatened all day, but Renken just kept pounding the [strike] zone,” Wujcik said. “Every outing that he has had has been a quality outing.”

Mejia finally gave his teammate a lead to protect in the fourth by going deep for a two-run homer.

The hit was one of only four Richards mustered.

Gaining through the pain Injuries haven’t slowed Astros’ progress

By Ken Karrson Sports Editor

Injuries haven’t hurt Shepard.

Make no mistake — Astros boss Frank DiFoggio would love to have Kevin Carmody and Brett Smith back in the lineup, but the likelihood of that happening before the end of the season is slim. Smith underwent surgery this past Tuesday for a meniscus tear after aggravating an injury during an at-bat that had first occurred off the field.

“High school baseball season is so short [that] if you have a knee [injury] or break a bone, you’re pretty much done,” DiFoggio said.

“I’m taking the Ozzie Guillen approach — we’re not going to talk about the guys who aren’t here.

I’m not going to make any grand plans for when X gets back or Y gets back.

“We have to take care of business and just be the best team on the field that day. Don’t worry about who you have or who you don’t have – we’ve done a pretty good job of doing that.”

Recent results substantiate DiFoggio’s claim. Shepard picked up three more wins last week, two of them in South Suburban Conference crossover affairs, and is in the midst of its best start to a baseball season since DiFoggio’s arrival in 1998.

One of the victories was expected as the Astros ran roughshod over beleaguered Hillcrest, but Shepard also proved it can handle a pressure situation as it slipped past TF South 1-0 on Thursday. That was followed by a 9-3 triumph over RiversideBrookfield on Friday that stopped a five-game Bulldogs win streak.

“We’re persevering with all the crazy things happening to us,” DiFoggio said. “We’re trying to reinvent ourselves on the fly.”

The pair of SSC conquests kept the Astros’ record perfect in league play and placed them alone atop the Red Division. While impressive, DiFoggio is paying no attention to the ledger or divisional standings.

“I want to stay focused on dayto-day challenges,” he said.

That’s something Shepard (113, 5-0) definitely didn’t have to

face when it went up against the Hawks, who were crushed 24-0 last Monday. The Astros never scored fewer than four runs in any of their plate appearances and twice erupted for seven.

Over 20 RBI were accrued as seven players garnered two or more.

Rob Marinec and Kyle Longfield both blasted bases-loaded triples while Travis Pruim unloaded a three-run double.

That made life pretty simple for Jack Carberry, who won for the second time this spring by pitching three innings and striking out five.

His workload was light enough that he returned to the mound on Friday.

Shepard 1 TF South 0 Before tangling with R-B, however, the Astros first had to subdue the Rebels on Thursday, a task made more difficult by a TF South defense that continually thwarted Shepard batters.

“Their center fielder made three outstanding catches — he robbed [Eric] Horbach twice,” DiFoggio said. “They made some great plays and they fought us. And both teams pitched really well — no walks or wild pitches.

“TF South always plays us tough and they did it again.”

Horbach may have had base hits taken away from him, but he countered that by being a nightmare for Rebels batters. In winning for the second time in three decisions, the senior allowed just two hits and racked up seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

“That’s one thing about seniors: You want them to stay composed,” DiFoggio said. “We’re really battling every day.”

Ricky Mundo drove in the game’s only run with his secondinning single, which followed Adam Gregory’s hit and a sacrifice bunt.

One reason the Astros moved in front then was because of a headsup play by Pruim in the top of the stanza.

When a Shepard outfielder lost a ball in the sun, Pruim hustled from the infield to retrieve it and

prevent a TF South runner from going past third base. In the seventh the Rebels failed to capitalize on an Astros misplay that let a ball roll to the fence.

DiFoggio thought the batter should have had a triple or perhaps an inside-the-park homer, but he got no further than second.

And that’s where he remained as Gregory whiffed the two batters he faced in relief to lock up the win for Horbach.

“We kind of went a long period of time since we had a pressure game,” DiFoggio said. “I like the persistence of this group.”

Shepard 9 R-B 3 Despite having to cope with a strike zone that was “a teacup” according to DiFoggio, Carberry was effective on the hill Friday as he set down seven Bulldogs on third strikes, walked just three and scattered five hits during a five-inning stint. Mundo finished off R-B. RBI from Horbach (sacrifice fly), Gregory (single) and Bobby Peterka (single) staked the Astros to a 3-0 edge in the opening inning, but the Bulldogs got two of those markers back with a pair of two-out hits in the bottom of the first.

R-B, though, never did catch up.

Longfield’s bases-clearing double, Gregory’s fielder’s choice, Peterka’s sacrifice fly and a balk gave Shepard its remaining runs and put the contest beyond the Bulldogs’ reach.

“We hit well, but we really played great,” DiFoggio said. “It was definitely a quality win.

“I don’t know if [being shorthanded] is making us play better, but my boys love to compete and they enjoy being out there. There’s a bond that hasn’t been there for a while and these guys really want to leave a mark [on the program] — all of that is kind of coming together.”

And if Carmody and Smith manage to return earlier than expected?

“It’s always nice to play with house money,” DiFoggio said. “But it doesn’t happen often.”

Two encounters with Evergreen Park kicked off the current week for the Astros, who are slated for six games in all.

4 Section 2

Thursday, April 23, 2015

The Regional News - The Reporter

Taking a brief detour Fenwick pitcher temporarily slows Crusaders

By Ken Karrson Sports Editor

To paraphrase a famous 1960s song, Brother Rice ain’t seen nothing like the mighty Quinn — at least not for a while.

By and large, the Crusaders’ offense has tortured opposing pitchers this spring. In three games last week, for instance, Rice amassed 42 runs on 40 hits. Eight of those balls left the yard as the Crusaders disregarded conventional 2015 wisdom on how best to win high school games.

But what BB-core bats couldn’t negatively affect, Quinn Snarkis did.

The St. Joseph College-bound pitcher was in almost complete control of last Thursday’s Chicago Catholic League crossover contest between his Fenwick Friars and Rice, holding the Crusaders without a hit through five innings.

Mike Schalasky finally broke up the no-hit bid and Ryan King’s single expunged Snarkis’ shutout, but that was all the action Rice could generate. Its own hurler, Ryan Kutt, was also solid but had a 5-1 defeat pinned on him despite surrendering just six hits and fanning five over 6 2/3 frames.

“Sometimes that’s going to happen in the game of baseball,” Crusaders coach John McCarthy said, referring to his team’s shortage of offense. “Fenwick threw a really good pitcher at us and he did a great job of keeping us off-balance by mixing up his pitches and locations.”

McCarthy said that while his guys were “obviously disappointed” with the outcome, he thought it was a good experience for them.

“In the playoffs we’re going to face that kind of pitching,” McCarthy said. “I think we learned a lot about how to battle and adjust our approach at the plate. [Against a good pitcher] you need to feed the opportunity when we get guys on base and keep on attacking.”

Rice (14-4, 3-1) certainly had little trouble doing that in its other outings.

Particularly satisfying to McCarthy was the manner in which the Crusaders came out on Saturday versus De La Salle. Showing no signs of being mentally hamstrung

by what had occurred two days before, Rice blitzed the Meteors with a pair of four-spots right from the get-go, an assault that De La Salle was able to answer only with a solo tally in the second.

That 8-1 deficit grew and the Meteors eventually got saddled with a 14-6 setback as Schalasky and Michael Massey both unloaded grand slams to highlight the Crusaders’ 16-hit barrage. Kutt swatted a three-run homer to cap Rice’s initial scoring outbreak.

“We bounced back really, really well,” McCarthy said. “We had great at-bats from the top to the bottom [of the order] and I was very pleased with our approach to this game.

“And it’s been a very pleasant surprise in terms of guys in our order being able to drive the ball.

I’m very impressed with our aggressive swings and being able to hit for power.”

Although McCarthy preaches “the whole team aspect” and many have contributed, there’s little doubt as to who has been the trigger man for the high-octane offense.

“Mike [Schalasky] is arguably having the best season of anyone in the state — I think he’s got over 30 RBIs already,” McCarthy said.

“Mike’s been absolutely fantastic with his hitting, his pitching and being a leader for the younger guys.

He’s an incredible role model.”

Schalasky pocketed his fourth pitching win without a defeat as he threw the first four innings against De La Salle and struck out four. In addition to him, Massey and Kutt (5-for-5), Rice received batting assistance from Max Hughes (double), Andrew Dyke (RBI single) and Jack Guzek (RBI single). Danny Paluch supplied a third-inning marker with a steal of home.

Brother Rice 15 St. Joseph 0 Fourteen runs on 12 hits represented the Crusaders’ second-inning rally versus the Chargers last Monday and led to a mercy-rule win for the former in five frames.

Ten consecutive men reached base before St. Joseph was able to record the game’s first out. Before that hap-

pened Rice had plated nine of its runs as Dyke’s two-run homer and two-RBI hits from Hughes (double) and Schalasky led the way. Dyke later smacked a two-run double while Hughes singled home a run.

Paluch (bases-loaded hit-by-pitch, groundout) and Jake Ridgway (two singles) also chipped in with a pair of RBI. While being able to bury the Chargers was not a stunning development, McCarthey nevertheless liked the batting prowess his squad exhibited, particularly since it wasn’t a one-guy or one-time thing.

“Obviously it gives us an immense amount of confidence when at any moment we can get an offensive explosion,” he said. “It puts pressure on a pitcher and [hopefully develops] a killer instinct. But it’s a collective thing — big innings come from having good at-bats any way you can.

Than means you have to also do the little things like stealing bases and moving runners.”

Pitchers Tom Przekwas and Joe Preusser combined on a one-hitter and evenly split six strikeouts between them.

Brother Rice Bishop McNamara

13 4

It was more of the same for the Crusaders last Tuesday as they routed the Fightin’ Irish behind a pair of Massey round-trippers plus one each from Schalasky and Dyke. That trio and Hughes (two hits, including a double) knocked in 10 of Rice’s runs.

Massey and Hughes both finished with three hits and King had two, including a two-RBI single. The Crusaders collected eight of their runs in the fourth to create a 12-2 advantage for themselves.

Guzek fanned seven over four innings and gave up two hits to log the win.

After two more Catholic League crossovers and a Tuesday confrontation with neighborhood rival Marist, Rice opens Catholic Blue play on Saturday against Mt. Carmel.

“Top to bottom, there are no games [in the Blue] that aren’t going to be challenges,” McCarthy said. “We’ll find out how much we have to motivate ourselves to come out and win.

It’s very competitive, but it’s what you want as a coach and a player every day — you want to earn your wins.”

Another split decision Knights, Illiana draw even in Metro clashes

By Ken Karrson Sports Editor

Reuniting this year in the Metro Suburban Conference and sharing a league affiliation for the first time since 2009 represented an obvious change for Chicago Christian and longtime rival Illiana Christian.

What stayed just the same, however, is the way in which they interact on the diamond.

Specifically, the two schools have never been separated by much. Knights coach Eric Brauer said seven of the eight meetings between his club and the Vikings that have taken place since his arrival in Palos Heights have been decided by two runs or less.

And that pattern continued last week as Chicago Christian edged Illiana 4-3 on Monday and then dropped a 3-1 verdict Tuesday in Lansing. With a conference crossover loss to Glenbard South on Thursday factored in, the Knights have fallen into second place in the MSC East, one-half game behind another familiar foe, Timothy Christian.

Brauer once again insisted that a league title is not the big thing on Chicago Christian’s agenda.

He stated without hesitation that he’d “trade a couple conference championships for a sectional championship,” thereby offering a reminder that the postseason is what matters most to the Knights.

As to the latest split with Illiana, Brauer wasn’t at all surprised.

“A split is probably what you’d expect with our [comparable] talent levels,” he said. “It’d be a disservice to say either one of our teams is [decidedly] better than the other.”

It’d also be a mistake, in Brauer’s opinion, to think the teams’ shared residence has increased the rivalry’s passion.

“I think the game has always carried the same weight,” he said.

“It’s the same thing in basketball — the game didn’t get any less intense because they weren’t in the same conference. The game was not changed by being back in the same conference – it’s just another round of good baseball.”

That point would be difficult to argue, seeing as how both Chicago Christian (16-3, 5-3) and Illiana played well overall in each contest.

What was rather startling about the Knights’ triumph was that it occurred despite the fact they did “a very un-Chicago Christian-like

thing.”

“We left 13 runners on base,” Brauer said. “That’s the most I’ve ever seen us do.”

Luckily for the Knights, the four guys that did cross the plate were enough to make a positive difference. After spotting the Vikings the game’s initial marker, Chicago Christian scored twice in the bottom of the second as Adam Schoenle (single) and Tyler Edgar (bases-loaded walk) provided the RBI. Edgar coaxed another free pass with the sacks jammed in the fifth and the Knights tacked on one more run in the sixth with a successful double steal. Pat McCarthy tallied for Chicago Christian, and that run enabled it to withstand Illiana’s seventh-inning push that featured three hits — two of them doubles — and the tying run getting aboard.

Dan Vos chalked up his sixth straight pitching victory by striking out 11 in six stanzas and allowing just two hits. The same Viking claimed both, one of which was a homer. Illiana did its late noisemaking against Edgar. *** It was a matter of role reversal on Tuesday as the Knights struck first and then fell by the wayside.

Zach Frieling’s single, one of only four Chicago Christian hits, gave the locals their lone run in the fourth.

The Knights put two runners on base in each of their last three plate appearances but could not break through. They placed men on second and third with one out in the seventh before the budding rally fizzled out.

Illiana had gone ahead in its half of the fifth with a two-run homer. It added a third tally when a walk, stolen base and two wild pitches were combined.

Trevor Wolterink got tagged with the pitching setback for Chicago Christian. He yielded only five hits over 4 2/3 innings.

Glenbard South Chicago Christian

9 5

When assessing last Thursday’s contest against the Raiders, Brauer made it clear Glenbard South was a deserving winner. However, he also labeled the Knights’ performance as “easily the worst game we’ve played this season.”

“Even if we play well, we probably don’t beat them — they were

the better team,” Brauer said.

“But we were really sloppy. From start to finish it was just a rough day for us.”

Case in point: Christian’s defense. Normally a pillar of stability, that facet of the Knights’ operation was lacking here.

Four errors were part of the problem, as were a few passed balls and wild pitches. The Raiders took whatever was given them and made the most of it, as evidenced by the 9-0 lead they built by the fifth inning.

“We just weren’t playing with any pride or any passion for five innings,” Brauer said. “In the course of 35 games, I guess it’s going to happen to every team.

It all kind of compounded on one day.”

To its credit Christian went down swinging — figuratively and literally. The latter resulted in five hits — four of which drove in runs — and a sacrifice fly in the sixth that made the final score more respectable. Garnering RBI for the Knights were Wolterink, Vos, Jack DeVries, Josh Hill and Ron Clark.

“When you’re down that many runs, you can’t do anything stupid,” Brauer said. “We did a lot of station-to-station stuff.

We hadn’t hit the ball very well Monday and Tuesday, so it felt worse than a one-game deal [before the rally].”

Chicago Christian 7 Beecher 3 Perhaps revived by that late comeback bid two days before, the Knights approached Saturday’s matchup with the Bobcats in a better frame of mind. And while it managed only six hits, Christian didn’t squander them.

The Knights used four sacrifice flies, two apiece by Wolterink and Schoenle, to do much of their scoring. A couple sacrifice bunts also aided the cause along with some daring baserunning that resulted in two Beecher overthrows during Christian's threerun fourth inning.

“That’s who we are,” Brauer said. “We were much more opportunistic. I think Saturday was a turning point in [us] getting back to the way we’re capable of playing.”

Hill finished 3-for-3 with a double for the Knights, Frieling drove in a run with his single and Vos logged his seventh win on the hill.

Photo by Jeff Vorva

All-area all-star at work

Oak Lawn’s Brianna Markusic, named this paper’s area Player of the Year in girls’ basketball for the 2014-15 season, participated in last Wednesday’s all-star game at Moraine Valley College.

Youthful exuberance

Sophomore pitchers give Vikings lift

By Ken Karrson Sports Editor

Before last Friday nobody except those closest to St. Laurence’s baseball program had heard of Angel Sandoval.

After that he became a name Montini players won’t soon forget.

One of three sophomore pitchers brought up to the varsity by coach Pete Lotus in anticipation of a hectic week, Sandoval handled his initial assignment like a wily veteran. The Vikings staked the young hurler to a lead right away and Sandoval did the rest, stopping the Broncos on three hits over six innings while striking out six.

Montini never did expunge the shutout on its side of the scoring column and wound up absorbing an 11-0 loss in a Steve Bajenski tournament contest. That St. Laurence whitewash came on the heels of one against De La Salle (6-0) and preceded a 7-3 win over DePaul Prep on Saturday that featured another newcomer, Joe Vascik, also making an impressive debut.

Vascik worked four frames on a yield of five hits and one walk and spiced his performance with five strikeouts. The strong ending to the week put the Vikings back on the right track after they dropped a 10-9 verdict to Fenwick on Wednesday and looked shaky in a wild 15-10 conquest of St. Ignatius two days earlier in the first of four Chicago Catholic League crossover contests.

“I didn’t know how they’d handle it,” Lotus said of his youthful hurlers, “but I was very, very happy with the way those guys threw. After a 15-10 game [and Wednesday’s loss], we had to figure out something fast.”

St. Laurence (12-3, 3-1) has been without one of its projected leaders on the mound, John Riordan, since the senior suffered an early injury. While fellow senior Frank Greco has done his part to compensate for Riordan’s absence, the Vikings needed reinforcements to establish some pitching depth.

Lotus thought Sandoval was aided by St. Laurence’s quick start offensively, but he also credited the youngster for getting “stronger as the game went on. I think he’s going to be a good one.” Among the Vikings’ batting headliners were Anthony Rios (3-for-4, two RBI), Greco (two hits, including a double, one RBI), Jack Cavanaugh (home run) and Tommy Farrell (two-run single).

Also chipping in with RBI hits were Sean Burnette, Jimmy Burnette and Nick Verta.

Some of those same guys impacted the DePaul Prep contest as well. Verta went 3-for-4 with a double and RBI, Rios finished with two hits and four RBI, and both Sean Burnette (double) and Jimmy Burnette stroked RBI hits. Rios’ bases-clearing two-bagger highlighted a four-run St. Laurence sixth that broke open what

had been a 3-2 game.

“We’re in the exact same spot as we were in last year at this time,” Lotus said. “We knew it was going to be a tough week, but we played like we did learn from it. That benefits us going forward.”

St. Laurence 6 De La Salle 0 While everything looked rosy by the end, such was not the case early in the week. In fact, Lotus admitted he was a bit concerned coming off Wednesday’s matchup with Fenwick, which saw the Vikings squander 4-0, 7-4 and 9-8 leads.

“There was a lot of anxiety about that [outcome],” Lotus said. “I’m glad we played Thursday and played really well. It was important.”

Greco supplied the shutdown pitching that day as he held De La Salle to two hits and fanned three in a route-going performance. Lotus called it “the response we were looking for from one of our seniors.”

Cavanaugh (two hits, including a double, two RBI) was the offensive ringleader, but Farrell, Dan Cummings, Rich Lamb and Jake Tholl also delivered runscoring hits.

“There’s a lot to be said for [having] experience — we still do have guys who have been around and should know what to do [in difficult circumstances],” Lotus said. “I wanted to see some guys step up and respond.

That was missing a little bit in those [earlier] games.”

Fenwick 10 St. Laurence 9 One day before springing a surprise on Brother Rice, the Friars did the same to the Vikings as they continually bucked the odds last Wednesday. Fenwick prevailed despite giving up 17 hits to St. Laurence.

“It was a crazy game and a frustrating loss,” Lotus said. “We made a few huge baserunning mistakes.”

He noted two pickoffs the Friars made while the Vikings were in bunt situations, including in the eighth inning. St. Laurence did tally once then to go ahead for a third time, but Lotus felt his club could have inflicted more extensive damage and left Fenwick reeling.

“We’ve made the same mistakes at other times, but in my 10 years I’ve never seen so much of it in one game,” he said.

Wasted by the Vikings was huge day at the plate

by Greco, who slugged a homer and two triples and drove in three runs. Cavanaugh matched that RBI total while providing St. Laurence with a double and triple and Rios also had a couple of hits, one of which batted in a run.

Farrell (RBI triple) and Verta (RBI double) were other notables in the defeat, which was given to Cavanaugh on the hill in relief of Anthony Robles.

See VIKINGS, Page 5

SPORTS WRAP

Eagles building momentum in water polo

By Anthony Nasella With three weeks left before sectional play begins, Sandburg's boys’ water polo team is sporting a respectable 12-5 record and just finished third at its own invitational last weekend.

But Eagles coach Jim Caliendo is convinced that his team hasn’t even begun to play at its best.

“I feel we’ve not peaked at all yet,” Caliendo said. “There are teams in our sectional that have done well and showed how well they can play. I don’t think we’ve shown how good of a team we can be at all because we’re still learning to jell as a group.

“But my guys are playing as hard as they can and that’s what I really love about these kids. They give me 110 percent effort every game. That excites me because as long as my kids stay positive and work hard at getting better, our best days are ahead of us.”

Sandburg began last week with an 11-6 win over Lincoln-Way Central on Tuesday but had its share of issues in Thursday’s 11-9 loss to rival Andrew.

The Eagles opened the Sandburg Invitational with a 5-5 tie against Lincoln-Way North on Friday and dropped a 7-6 decision to Conant to start Saturday’s action. However, they rebounded with a win over Riverside-Brookfield before defeating St. Charles North 9-6 in the

third-place match.

“We had a bit of tough week,” Caliendo said. “We had an 8-1 halftime lead against Lincoln-Way Central and we kind of flattened out in the second half. That flat second half seemed to follow us to our next game against Andrew; we didn’t play a good game at all against Andrew.

“It kept carrying over, even into the start of the invite. We started to pull ourselves out of the funk in the win over Riverside-Brookfield. We were in a little slump this [past] week, which every team goes through, [but] hopefully this is our only one and we can move forward from this.”

Caliendo said his team's Achilles' heel through the first 17 matches has been on the offensive side of the pool.

“We play outstanding defense, but we’re trying to learn the way to score," he said. "That’s been a challenge for us. That has usually not been a problem with my teams in the past, but scoring goals has been something we have struggled with.

“We’re only giving up six goals a game, so we’re doing a tremendous job defensively against[both] nonranked and ranked teams.”

That six-goal average is due largely to sophomore keeper Nick Jackson, who has demonstrated the poise of an upperclassman.

“Having a sophomore as a goal-

keeper might have been a weakness, but he’s been all over it from Day 1 and is doing a great job,” Caliendo said. “He’s saving shots on goals at a 70 percent clip. He really hasn’t had a bad game — maybe a bad moment or two in a game, but that’s it.

“I really think he’s the real deal.

Being only a sophomore, I think he’ll be one of the best goalies in the state by the time he’s a senior.”

As the Eagles look to improve on their offensive production, it will center on the team’s hole man, senior Mitch Zieler.

“The whole offense revolves around Mitch,” Caliendo said.

“He’s taken the heat and a lot of pressure, and we’re trying to find ways to alleviate pressure around him. He’s doing everything he can.

He’s a great leader and working as hard as he can.”

Even though the sectional is still a few weeks away, Caliendo said he’ll know Sandburg's seeding this week. Regardless of what it is, he knows every match will be hotly contested.

“I still think we’re a [No.] 1 or 2 seed in our sectional, but four or five teams can win it,” Caliendo said. “Whatever your seed, you’re going to have a tough Friday night and Saturday night game. It’s a fun sectional because everybody is pretty even.”

See SPORTS WRAP, Page 7

The Regional News - The Reporter

Thursday, April 23, 2015 Section 2

To err(or) is human Defensive slipups dog Chargers all week

By Ken Karrson Sports Editor

Chances are Matt O’Neill has already grown weary of this glove affair.

While much has rightfully been made of Stagg’s improved offense this season, O’Neill was counting on that being supported by a reliable defense. Together those two components would buy the veteran leader a little extra time to ferret out the best arms on a staff that is without a true headliner.

The Chargers’ above-.500 record to date would seem to indicate that’s how things have unfolded thus far, but that certainly didn’t hold true last week.

Stagg did go 3-2, but O’Neill said it “got lucky” in a couple of instances.

What very nearly undermined the Chargers to a much greater degree was suddenly porous fielding. They were guilty of 15 errors in five contests, including five against Joliet Central and four versus Andrew.

Somewhat miraculously, the Chargers overcame their mistakes in the latter contest to pin a 7-6 defeat on their District 230 sister school. Stagg split a pair of SouthWest Suburban Conference Blue games against the Steelmen, the win coming when the Chargers committed just one miscue and scratched out five hits.

A 5-4 loss to Thornwood was also part of the mix. Stagg’s only chance to shift into cruise control was on Saturday when it blasted Argo 11-1.

“Two of those wins we could have lost for sure,” O’Neill said. “I don’t know how much better we got this [past] week. All in all, I don’t think we played really well.

“The mistakes we’re making are not [because of] guys being too aggressive.

[Infielders are] sitting back on balls and not charging them and outfielders are not being confident in their catching, but we have to live with some of the mistakes because we need guys in the lineup.”

O’Neill was referring to his players’ collective work on the offensive side, which made up for the Chargers’ errorprone tendencies against Andrew. One of the miscues kept the Thunderbolts’ first inning alive last Tuesday and wound up being costly as two doubles followed.

Those hits handed Andrew three runs.

The T’bolts remained in front through six innings, but their 6-3 advantage got erased in the seventh. Although Andrew was not guilty of any official errors, it did give Stagg’s game-tying rally a boost with two hit batsmen and a dropped third strike.

The Chargers didn’t reject those gifts.

The strikeout actually provided a run while Mike Bibbiano’s double and Mike Crosby’s groundout did the same.

Having dodged defeat, Stagg (9-6, 1-1) decided to steal a victory away from the T’bolts by tallying once in the eighth. Two singles and Austin Greer’s sacrifice fly were bunched together to produce the winning run.

Joe Van Nieuwenhuyse, whose theft of home had gotten the Chargers on the board in their half of the first, went 3-for-4 to pace Stagg’s 10-hit attack.

Bibbiano had a second RBI double and Greer knocked in another run with a single.

Crosby triumphed in a relief role, going three innings and striking out five.

He allowed four hits and walked one.

Stagg 2-8 Joliet Central 1-11 The Chargers’ Nick Gerzon and Steelman Jeremy Kolberg engaged in a pitchers’ duel on Wednesday, one which leaned Stagg’s way after Greer’s single in the seventh. That brought home Max Downs, who had belted a two-out double and then gone to third base on a passed ball.

Gerzon, who singled in Downs after the latter had poked a second-inning two-bagger, scattered eight Joliet Central hits while fanning four and walking no one. Sixty of the 82 pitches he threw went for strikes. Kolberg tossed 102 pitches before he left the mound and limited the Chargers to four hits.

While Stagg didn’t tear the cover off the ball, O’Neill gladly would have settled for a repeat performance in the rematch against the Steelmen instead of what he actually witnessed.

“Friday’s game was a killer,” O’Neill said. “We missed two fly balls and didn’t do some other things we needed to.”

One of those things was slow Joliet

Central’s production. The Steelmen knocked out 17 hits, seven of which were grouped with a couple of walks to plate enough runs to turn a 6-4 deficit into an 11-6 lead.

The Chargers totaled 11 hits themselves, but those were offset by five errors. Downs (3-for-3, two runs, one RBI) and Brett Stratinsky (two hits, two RBI) were Stagg’s leaders on offense.

Thornwood 5 Stagg 4 All of three of the Chargers’ miscues last Monday were part of the Thunderbirds’ three-run second stanza and the mistakes came back to haunt Stagg.

Not right away, though. The Chargers put up deuces in both the third and fourth innings, using RBI from Bibbiano, Mitchell Spencer and Greer on a bunt to grab a 4-2 advantage that lasted into the sixth.

In the bottom of that frame, Thornwood parlayed three singles and two stolen bases into the tying and winning runs. Niko Moore and DaShon Moore supplied the RBI hits.

Greer, the last of three hurlers, took the loss. The T’birds’ Xavier Wright gave up eight hits but registered 16 outs either via strikeout or groundout.

Stagg 11 Argo 1 Josh Nowak’s steal of home ushered in a robust beginning for the Chargers on Saturday, one that was moved along further by Stratinsky’s two-run double, Greer’s RBI triple and Spencer’s RBI single. Three-run uprisings in the third and fourth stanzas applied the finishing touches on a rout.

“The Lincoln-Way West game [the week before] was probably the closest that we’ve come to playing a complete game, but we’re hanging in there,” O’Neill said.

That being said, the road only gets rockier. Two SWSC encounters with Joliet West were part of this week’s schedule.

“The competition level is way up over the next couple of weeks, so we have to play better,” O’Neill said. “We were hitting 50 points less last year, but I still think we can do better. And we’ve got to get more consistent with our defense.”

SXU SPORTS SUMMARY

Kowalczyk’s record-setting performance buoys track team Brian Corcoran establishing track records at St. Xavier University has become a somewhat common occurrence over the past few years.

Anthony Kowalczyk proved, though, that Corcoran is not the only Cougar capable of doing so.

Kowalczyk, a freshman from Steinmetz, set school marks in a pair of field events at Benedictine University’s Eagle Invitational in Lisle. His 33.38-meter heave in the hammer throw produced one of the standards while his 38.25-meter effort in the discus accounted for the other.

Not to be outdone, Corcorcan got into the record-setting act too by clocking an SXU-best time of 3 minutes, 56.95 seconds in the 1,500-meter run, which eclipsed his own lowest time in the event. Janis Pastars also dropped the school record in his first-ever running of the 3,000-steeplechase as he completed the race in 9:46.62.

Several others also ran well for the Cougars, including freshman Kyonn Keith, who was third in the 100-dash (personal-best 11.01) and fourth in the 200 (personal-best 22.40). Those respective times were .04 and .07 seconds off school records.

Tyler Hoeg and Ben Tracy both clocked personal standards in the 100 as well, the former doing so in 11.50 and Tracy in 11.56. Tracy also ran his fastest 200 time (23.64). Tracy, Hoeg and Keith then teamed up with freshman Ian Hollendonner to place fourth in the 400-relay, their 43.51-second effort winding up just .03 seconds short of an SXU record.

Shepard grad Abel Hernandez gave the Cougars a seventh place in the 1,500 with his 15:27.20 showing and Alex Ray ran a personal-best 16:31.09 in that same event. Ray’s time was 41 seconds faster than his previous top performance. Rexford Wiafe took 11th in the 800 with a personal-best 1:56.34.

“It was a great day for St. Xavier University men’s track and field,” first-year coach Kyle Rago said. “The guys competed really hard, and across the board we took a step forward. I think of the 17 guys we had compete, there were 16 personal bests set.”

WOMEN’S TRACK

Sophomore Rachel Koronkiewicz set personal bests in both the 200- and 400-dashes to highlight the Cougars’ appearance at Benedictine’s Eagle Invitational.

Koronkiewicz completed the 200 in 28.33 seconds and logged a time of 1:04.72 in the 400. SXU also got strong performances from Nicole Watkins, Ann Kolker, Ali Proffitt and Courtney Correa.

Watkins and Kolker were within .01 seconds of each other in the 1,500, with Watkins’ 5:07.36 clocking representing her personal best. Both women were competing for the first time outdoors this season. Proffitt finished seventh in the 5,000 (19:01.86) and Correa also had a strong showing in

complete the scoring.

BASEBALL

that race with her 19:57.28.

MEN’S GOLF

Sophomore Robert Lively shot a two-day score of 150 (73-77) to tie for fifth place individually and helped the Cougars occupy that same position in the team standings at last weekend’s Pilot Invitational hosted

by Bethel College.

SXU (628; 306-322) was in the middle of a nine-team field. Holy Cross College was the champion after firing a cumulative 599 (303-296) for 36 holes. A total of 56 golfers took part in the tournament at the Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, Ind. Also winding up in the top 20 for the Cougars was freshman Michael Perez, whose 156 (76-80) put him in a tie for 18th. Sophomore Kyle Yaeger (159; 7485) tied for 28th and junior Zack Trent (163; 83-80) completed SXU’s scoring by tying for 41st.

Rounding out the Cougars’ list of participants was freshman Joshua Napoli, who carded a 180 (94-86).

“The men’s team showed some highlights this [past] weekend but struggled to put together 36 holes,” SXU coach Mike Mandakas said. “Robert had a good tournament for another top-five finish in a competitive field.”

The Cougars will compete in Huntington University’s two-day Forester Invitational this weekend. Play begins Friday at Rock Hollow Golf Club in Peru, Ind. *** Trent’s 154 (78-76) was the Cougars’ top effort at the NAIA Classic hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University last Monday and Tuesday at Brickyard Crossing in Indianapolis.

Trent’s performance was good for a 33rdplace tie. Perez (157; 81-76) tied for 40th, Lively (159; 75-84) tied for 51st and Yaeger (170; 91-79) wound up 87th. SXU finished with a team score of 640 (325-315).

WOMEN’S GOLF

Back-to-back rounds of 74 by sophomore Taylor Thompson made her the individual runner-up at Bethel’s Pilot Invitational.

Forty-five golfers took part in the tourney.

Behind Thompson’s 148 total, the Cougars were fifth (668; 335-333) in the team standings. The University of St. Francis was the winner with an overall score of 638 (310-328).

Freshman Hannah Cruz was SXU’s second-best finisher with her 163 (8182), which gave her a tie for 12th place.

Sophomore Katie Reno (175; 86-89) and freshman Hunter Schultz (182; 93-89) tied for 23rd and 31st, respectively, to

5

Holding an 11-2 lead in the first game and an early 3-0 advantage in the nightcap, the Cougars were unable to maintain either edge as they dropped both games of a Friday nonconference doubleheader against St. Ambrose University at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa.

SXU gave up 11 runs over the final three innings of the opener to fall to a 13-11 defeat and then lost the second game 6-3 after scoring three times in the top of the first. Junior Jim Augle finished with four hits, three runs and an RBI on the day to pace the Cougars.

SXU used RBI hits from Bryan Villanova, Alec Barnhart and Bryan Polak as building blocks for its Game 1 lead, but errors hurt the Cougars down the stretch as they committed eight miscues over the final three innings that led to nine unearned runs for the Fighting Bees. St. Ambrose ended the game in the bottom of the seventh with a three-run homer by Brinn Bell to complete its big rally.

Dan Wetzel suffered the loss in relief of Tyler Hebel, who pitched the first four innings and scattered six hits. Wetzel gave up three hits and walked one during his stint.

The Cougars jumped out to their 3-0 lead in Game 2 on RBI from Tom Hayes (single), Polak (sacrifice fly) and Casey Papp (double). However, the bats went cold over the final six innings as SXU managed just two hits the rest of the way.

The Bees tied the game in the bottom of the third inning with another three-run homer. A two-run single in the fifth and RBI hit in the sixth gave them the win.

Jeremy Dryier (2-3) took the pitching loss.

The Cougars hosted Olivet Nazarene University in a CCAC doubleheader this past Wednesday at Richard R. Farrell Field. *** Barnhart finished with three hits and three of the team’s four RBI on the day, but that wasn’t enough to spare the Cougars from suffering a pair of setbacks last Tuesday. Host Holy Cross College swept the CCAC doubleheader, 19-1 and 8-3, at Four Winds Field in South Bend, Ind. SXU (9-25, 7-16) fell behind 5-0 in the first inning of the opener and never recovered. Holy Cross wound up with 26 hits on the day and benefited from eight Cougars errors, which handed the home team 12 unearned runs.

Barnhart had half of SXU’s Game 1 hits, one of which was an RBI double in the fifth. Hayes’ homer got the second contest off to a good start for the Cougars, and they were also able to fight their way into a 3-2 lead on Barnhart’s two-RBI double in the fifth that was in response to some Holy Cross noisemaking in the third.

But the latter retaliated with deuces in each of its next three plate appearances to take command. Matt McKenzie absorbed the loss after Wetzel got tagged with the Game 1 defeat.

Photo by Jeff Vorva

Watching it go

Sandburg’s Niko Kogionis, the Eagles’ all-time 3-point leader, follows the flight of the ball after letting fly with one of his specialties during last Wednesday’s boys’ all-star basketball game at Moraine Valley College.

Nine are enough

Small number of hits doesn’t deter Mustangs

By Ken Karrson Sports Editor

Nine hits in one game would rate as a pretty good day for a lot of teams.

That same number spread over two contests? Nothing to write home about for sure but also not likely to be enough to do any good.

But Evergreen Park found nine to be fine last week. They were unquestionably enough to get the job done twice versus Argo, which fell to 10-1 and 4-3 defeats on Monday and Tuesday.

The pair of wins improved the Mustangs’ record to 7-2 and bumped them up to 3-1 in the South Suburban Conference Red. Two dates with front-running Shepard earlier this week gave Evergreen a chance to position itself as a full-blown divisional contender.

“It’s a great opportunity to really get after it,” Mustangs coach Mark Smyth said prior to the opening game against the Astros. “With Twitter, Facebook and all that stuff, kids would like to get their recognition — as far as getting noticed, here’s their chance. We’ll either be flying over the radar or falling off of it.”

To beat Shepard, which is off to its best start in coach Frank DiFoggio’s 18 seasons at the school, Smyth would prefer to see a bit more pop in his lineup than what it managed versus Argo. While that’s the goal, it was made more difficult by JR Wazio’s injury.

Wazio, whose three hits and four RBI were a big part of Monday’s success against the Argonauts, is out indefinitely with an injury. Smyth wasn’t sure what the specific malady was but said it was around the hip or lower-back areas.

“He was really coming along and swinging it real well,” Smyth said.

Sean Miller and three-time all-area selection Mark Martin have also earned praise from Smyth, but the veteran leader said he’d still “like to see our bats come around a little bit faster than they have been.”

The main reason the shortage of hits didn’t bite Evergreen last week was because Argo was error-prone. Four miscues in each game enabled the Mustangs to do extensive damage with little firepower.

Two of the Monday bobbles occurred in the opening stanza and led to a threerun rally for Evergreen. One of the errors directly resulted in scoring while Wazio’s single and Miller’s groundout also provided RBI. The other two mistakes were key parts of the Mustangs’ three-run sixth, which also featured Ronnie O’Toole’s triple and Brennan Quick’s RBI fielder’s choice.

Vikings

Continued from page 4 St. Laurence St. Ignatius

15 10

Seventeen hits were also laid upon the Wolfpack last Monday, and the Vikings needed that kind of output to ward off feisty St. Ignatius.

“We’ve been swinging the bats extremely well, but the pitching and defense have been sporadic,” Lotus said. “We gave them some life by giving them some runs in the third.”

In truth, the Wolfpack pretty much earned what they got during a five-run rally, but the how wasn’t as important as the what — as in what it meant to St. Laurence to be subjected to that sort of onslaught.

One thing it meant was that the Vikings’ own 11-run explosion in the first wasn’t as much of a death blow as they obviously had hoped. Rios had RBI in two separate at-bats during the uprising, Cavanaugh and Farrell both chased in a pair of teammates with their hits and a total of six players had

Mike Rizzo had two of Evergreen’s hits, including an RBI double in the fourth.

Brian Pall did his part for the Mustangs as he pitched six innings and struck out 11 while surrendering four hits. *** In the event Smyth’s guys thought the rematch would be another cakewalk, the Argonauts showed otherwise. Evergreen needed a second standout pitching performance, this time by Connor McKeever, to stave off Argo in Summit.

McKeever limited the Argonauts to five hits over six innings and whiffed three.

Martin mopped up by striking out the side in the seventh while giving up one more hit.

Smyth, for one, wasn’t at all shocked Argo put up a much better fight on its home field.

“It’s varsity competition and these guys are grinding away [and] trying to win,” he said. “Games are [often] going to be close. If you look at the games we’ve won, many were close even if the score didn’t necessarily indicate that.

“I don’t think you can [overlook] anybody. McKeever did a great job keeping us in this game.”

The Mustangs plated all of their runs in the first two stanzas. Miller stroked a two-RBI double in their initial at-bat after Argo committed an error and Evergreen drew a walk. One inning later Martin (double) and Harold McClarin (fielder’s choice) drove in runs.

“We had seniors stepping up,” Smyth said. “[But] we haven’t put a complete game together yet.” *** There was no complete game of any kind on Thursday as the Mustangs and Bremen were locked in a 5-all tie after 10 innings. The game was halted not because of approaching darkness but by the setting sun.

“It really gave the third baseman, shortstop and left fielder fits,” Smyth said. “When the game was called, that’s actually when visibility was best. There wasn’t much daylight left, but we could have probably played one more inning.”

Smyth said a baserunning gaffe undermined a “golden opportunity” for Evergreen in the ninth inning. However, he liked how his club climbed out of a 5-1 hole the Braves had dug for it in the top of the fifth.

McClarin (two hits), Martin (triple) and Dan Kunes (double) swung the biggest bats. Miller, Rizzo, Dan Smith and Brendan Walsh each provided an RBI. No date for continuation of the game had been settled on at the start of the current week. at least one RBI. But even though St. Ignatius made inroads, it never drew closer than four runs. It was 13-9 after four innings, but solo markers by St. Laurence in the fifth and sixth sealed the deal in the hosts’ favor. Greco (double), Cavanaugh (triple), Anthony Chimera (single) and Rios (sacrifice fly) accounted for RBI after the opening stanza.

And while neither winning pitcher Jimmy Burnette nor two relievers ever really kept the Wolfpack completely under control, Lotus hinted the pitching struggles might have been at least partially connected to jet lag.

“It was a big week in California and we were only back one day [before playing again],” he said. “It was just tough on us, but it would have been more alarming if there’d been a lot of walks [issued to St. Ignatius]. They put good swings on and it was pretty much them hitting [in their scoring innings].”

After two more Catholic League crossovers this week, the Vikings begin Blue Division play on Saturday against defending Class 4A champion Providence Catholic.

6 Section 2

Thursday, April 23, 2015

The Regional News - The Reporter

MORAINE ATHLETICS WRAP

Tennis team rounding into form

By Maura Vizza The early hiccups will soon be forgotten.

While Moraine Valley College hasn’t yet become the kind of dominant men’s tennis program in 2015 that it has been in recent years, progress is being made.

That much was evident by the Cyclones’ winning of three Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference matches.

The College of DuPage kept it from being a 4-0 run by administering a 5-4 defeat last Wednesday, but Moraine bounced back to nip Oakton College by that same margin the next day. In two encounters prior to those, however, the Cyclones flexed some muscle.

Dominating serves and crisp overhand shots helped Moraine roll over the College of lake County 8-1.

Singles players Kevin Karczynski (6-0, 6-1), Gregario Illner (6-3, 6-0), Mike Broderick (6-2, 6-4) and Alec Mikes (6-0, 6-1) all triumphed with little or only moderate resistance being offered.

Karczynski and Broderick also team up for a 6-1, 6-1 doubles victory while Mikes paired with Bryan Jimenez to give the Cyclones a 6-2, 6-3 win.

CLC forfeits at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles gave Moraine its final two points.

McHenry College fared no better against the Cyclones, winning only two matches while falling short 7-2 as a team. Again Karczynski led the way with a 6-0, 6-1 of his first-single foe.

Broderick had to fight back from a first-set loss but did to claim a 5-7, 6-1, 10-7 victory. He got up 6-0 in the super tiebreaker to seize control of the match. Illner and Mikes also won again in singles play.

Karczynski-Broderick logged the lone on-court doubles win (6-1, 6-2). Moraine picked up forfeit victories at No.3 doubles and with Jimenez in a would-be singles clash.

VOLLEYBALL

Cyclones coach Mark Johnston is rebuilding the Moraine squad

after signing four players. Kortney Chase, Sydney Schergen, Kaitlyn Myles and Carly Nowaczyk are expected to play in the fall.

Chase was the first recruit to commit to the Cyclones. She hails from Johnston’s alma mater, Eisenhower, where she has been a three-sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and softball. In 2014 Chase was the Cardinals’ team MVP and an All-South Suburban Conference Red selection.

Chase also plays club volleyball for Chicago Elite.

“Not only is she a hard-working kid with a great attitude, but she’s also an excellent student graduating in the top 10 percent of her class,” Johnston said. “She’ll be valuable to us, seeing that she has played multiple positions, mainly outside hitter and libero/defensive specialist.”

Schergen, the second signee, played libero for Queen of Peace.

She played three varsity seasons for the Pride and club volleyball for Club Kace.

“We noticed Sydney the first time we went out recruiting this year,” Johnston said. “She played a great tournament at Chicago Christian and kept her team close in a lot of games. Her ball-handling skills are exactly what we’re looking for from our back-row players.”

Myles, a middle hitter, was Schergen’s teammate at Peace. She earned All-Girls catholic Athletic Conference recognition and plays club ball for the Chicago Juniors.

“Kam will give us that offensive spark that we need from the middle,” Johnston said. “She is a very quick and athletic player in the front row, and that’s going to help us out a lot.”

Rounding out the group of newcomers is Nowaczyk, an honorstudent from St. Ignatius with a strong volleyball background. She has played club ball for Illinois Performance, UNO and Sports Performance.

“Carly has the complete package for an outside hitter,” Johnston said. “She has solid ball control in the back row and hits great shots in the front row.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Cyclones coach David Howard signed his first player for the 2015-16 season, Luke Hook, a three-year varsity performer at Andrew. As a senior, Hook provided the Thunderbolts with pergame averages of 18 points and 10 rebounds.

“Luke is an extremely hardworking player,” Howard said.

“We are looking forward to having his tenacious and positive attitude Carly Trinley prepares to take a cut during an at-bat in a recent Moraine become infectious to the entire team.”

Valley College softball game.

Perfect

Continued from page 1 Amanda Hainlen (two-run single) led the way.

Also garnering RBI for the No. 5-ranked Cougars were Kasey Kanaga (single), Rebekah Ferguson (sacrifice fly) and Jessica Arebalo (bases-loaded walk).

“We go out every game expecting to win and we [use] whatever means possible to get the victory,” Nonnemacher said. “Tuesday was no different — that victory just came a little differently. I knew my defense was behind me and I trusted them to make the plays [if necessary].”

“I can say now that Nicole is the best pitcher we have had in the program,” Minuskin said.

“Nicole is a fierce competitor and never satisfied.

“She wants to get better every day and she has a great rapport with Erin Mollohan, our pitching coach. She has put in an amazing amount of time and effort to become a pitcher and not just a hard thrower.”

In addition to Mollohan, Nonnemacher credits one other person for aiding her development as a pitcher: her older sibling Megan. The sisters, who attended Normal Community High School in Bloomington, were SXU teammates in 2013 and ’14 and Nicole calls Megan “her biggest supporter.”

“Megan was a great pitcher to follow,” Nicole said. “We both had different strengths and we both learned a lot from one another. I always looked up to her throughout travel ball and high school because she was extremely successful and I wanted to do the same.

“When we played together at SXU, we definitely made each other better. Megan was able to strike more people out than she ever had before and I was getting more consistent

with my pitches. She was always an accurate pitcher and liked to really work the corners [so] she helped me to focus on getting ahead in the count and improve on my accuracy.

“We both pushed each other to be the best we could be because we wanted to beat each other out — she didn't want her little sister to play over her and I wanted to pass up my big sister. We didn’t realize it at the time, but neither one of us could have taken the other person’s spot because we each brought something different to the game.”

Minuskin agrees the sisters’ relationship “brought out the best in both of them.” While she termed Megan Nonnemacher “a phenomenal pitcher in our program” and credits her with showing Nicole “how to lead the team from the [circle],” Minuskin said the latter will “rewrite the SXU record books.”

“The one remaining objective is a national championship, Minuskin said.” *** The Cougars also shut out TIU in the game that followed Nonnemacher’s masterpiece.

Sandburg grad Caroline Kuzel earned her first collegiate decision in SXU’s 6-0 triumph.

Kuzel went the distance in Game 2 on a yield of two hits while whiffing five and walking only one. Denise Anderson (two-run double), Franchesca Graffeo (RBI single), Holly Hilden (single, groundout, two RBI) and Shannon Lauret (RBI infield single) were the Cougars’ offensive notables. *** Nonnemacher (16-3) didn’t get a whitewash in her 19-strikeout performance versus Robert Morris, but the lone run off her was unearned. She surrendered just three hits and issued no walks in an 8-1 win.

Supporting her with produc-

tive sticks in the opener of a CCAC twinbill were Lauret (three hits, sacrifice fly, four RBI), Arebalo (homer, RBI groundout), Ferguson (RBI single) and Megan James (RBI single).

SXU completed the sweep by downing the Eagles 7-0 in the nightcap behind Arebalo (two hits, sacrifice fly, three RBI), Lauret (two hits, two RBI), Kinsella (RBI hit) and Sarah Saunders (RBI hit). Sophomore pitcher Callie Brown improved to 16-1 while recording her sixth shutout of the season. She gave up two hits and struck out five.

Following the doubleheader, SXU’s nine senior players were recognized for their contributions. The group included Lauret, James, Hilden, Hainlen, Sarah Saunders, Samantha Saunders, Katie Sears, Alex Bahner and Erin Houlihan. *** Also part of last week’s schedule was a twinbill against NCAA Division II Lewis University on Wednesday.

Behind Kinsella’s 3-for-6 day, the Cougars managed a split. They dropped the opener 3-1 but rebounded to take Game 2 by a score of 6-5. Brown scattered nine hits in bagging the pitching victory.

Kuzel claimed SXU’s lone RBI in the first contest. That was enough for Nonnemacher through six innings, but the Flyers rallied in the seventh.

Four of Lewis’ six hits came in its final plate appearance.

Nonnemacher finished with 11 strikeouts.

Ferguson’s two-RBI double was the key blow in a five-run third inning that tilted Game 2 in the Cougars’ direction. Kinsella’s RBI single in the fifth enabled SXU to withstand Lewis’ comeback bid in the seventh.

BASEBALL

The Cyclones lost an ISCC doubleheader to the College of Lake County on April 11, but it still was the tale of two games.

Moraine got blanked 8-0 in Game 1 as it was held to four hits, but it recovered quickly — and in a big way — as it piled up 10 runs in the nightcap. Those still weren’t enough, though, to keep the Lancers from bagging a one-run triumph.

Greg Wymer (3-for-3, two runs), Dylan Woodworth (two hits, four RBI), Ryan Trokey (four RBI), Christian Araiza (two hits), Bobby Neylon (two hits) and Ryan Kull (two RBI) spearheaded the Cyclones’ offensive barrage in Game.

Neylon and Kull accounted for all of Moraine’s hits in the opener with each notching a pair.

Last Tuesday’s twinbill versus Prairie State College went a little better as the Cyclones managed a split. Moraine captured the first game 9-2 as Woodworth (3-for-4, two RBI), Araiza (2-for-4, two RBI) and Mike Rankin (2-for-4, two RBI) led the charge.

Game 2 went into extra innings before the Cyclones fell short by one, 6-5. Sheamus Brennan had two hits for Moraine while Kull and Danny Kipp each produced one hit and two RBI. Illinois Valley doled out two losses on Thursday, 5-4 and 9-8. *** A couple notable earlier outings for the Cyclones came against Morton and Triton colleges.

What made Moraine’s performance opposite Morton memorable was the day-long offense it displayed in a doubleheader.

The Cyclones piled up 27 runs in winning 13-0 and 14-2.

Playing starring roles in Game 1 were Araiza (three hits, two RBI, two runs), Joe O’Hara (three hits, including a double, three RBI), Wymer (two hits with a homer, two RBI and one run) and Jorge Hernandez (two hits, three RBI, two runs). Benefiting from an 18-hit backing was pitcher Ricky Rogers, who threw a complete game.

Mike Owens’ grand slam highlighted a mercy-rule win in the second contest. Wymer (two doubles), Trokey, Rankin, O’Hara, Brennan and Zach Moravec were other contributors as Matt Schmeski earned the pitching triumph. *** Triton got a split with Moraine, but the Cyclones’ 6-0 loss Game 2 loss resulted in part from coach Mike Kane’s liberal use of subs.

The opener featured the locals rallying from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Triton 9-8.

Woodworth (double, three RBI, one run), Wymer (double, RBI) and Neylon all had two hits. Other

Submitted photos

Hannah Thielmann gave Moraine Valley College’s softball squad a few recent quality starts inside the pitching circle.

RBI men included O’Hara (two), Rankin (two) and Trokey. James Lulek had a hit and scored twice.

“I’m really happy with how we played,” Kane said. “We’re improving. I told the guys we were outhitting other teams that we lost to, but they were not timely clutch hits.

“But you need to build confidence to perform under pressure and get those clutch hits. Now we’re getting there.”

SOFTBALL

Whenever the Cyclones head into the East/West Tournament, they know they’ll be facing some tough competition. And it was no different this year as they went 2-2.

Moraine faced Madison College in the tourney opener and fell behind early. It never fully recovered from a 6-0 deficit and suffered an 11-6 defeat. Molly Pohrebny (2-for-4), Carly Trinley (triple) and Hannah Theilmann (one hit) delivered the RBI. Game 2 pitted the Cyclones against defending National Junior College Athletic Association Division III national champion Rock Valley. The latter used a seven-run fourth inning to down Moraine 9-0.

The Cyclones turned the tide in their meeting with the College of DuPage as they knocked off the Chaparrals 6-2 behind Nicole Roney (double, three runs), Megan Beckow, Theilmann and Katlin Krzos. Moraine then drilled Joliet Junior College 13-2 as Roney (two hits, including a double, two runs), Beckow (double, two runs), Theilmann (two runs), Trinley (double, triple, two runs), Pohrebny (three runs), Brittany Dimas (one run) and winning pitcher Mercedes Leon (double, one run) all had a hand in the offense. *** From there Moraine tangled with Prairie State in an ISCC

doubleheader and earned a split, winning the opener 11-0 before losing Game 2 9-0.

The Cyclones all of their Game 1 runs in the fourth inning. Alyssa DeChene (two doubles, three RBI, one run), Pohrebny (two hits, double, two RBI), Trinley (two hits, two RBI), Theilmann (two hits, double, RBI) and Leon (double, run) were the key figures at the plate.

Moraine’s production dropped off to three hits — from Beckow, Theilmann and DeChene — in the second contest. Prairie State had 10 while striking out five times against Theilmann. *** A split with nationally ranked Waubonsee College highlighted the Cyclones’ early season exploits. Moraine totaled 19 runs in the doubleheader as it won 11-9 and lost 11-8.

Hitting heroines included Roney (five hits on the day, including three doubles and a triple, four runs and one RBI), Theilmann two hits with a double, five RBI and one run in Game 1), Emily Powers two hits, two runs, one RBI in Game 1), Dana Cummings (two hits, one run in Game 1), Beckow (three hits, including a double and triple, three RBI and three runs in Game 2) and Pohrebny (two hits, double, two RBI in Game 2).

Theilmann struck out five in capturing the opener.

Moraine crushed the College of DuPage 19-4 and 13-2 in a twinbill as Pohrebny went 6-for-7 on the day with a double, triple, six runs and four RBI to serve as headliner. DeChene went 3-for-3 with a double, three RBI and two runs while Theilmann chipped in three hits, two runs and one RBI. Beckow wound up with three hits, four RBI and five runs over the two contests and Trinly had two hits, three RBI and two runs in the nightcap.

TRINITY SPORTS REPORT

Trolls women take third at Concordia meet

By Amy Strong Outdoors or indoors, it doesn't seem to matter.

Trinity Christian College's women spent a good portion of the indoor track season setting personal and school records and qualifying for spots in the NAIA's national meet. Things haven't changed much since action moved outside as quality performances continue to be the Trolls' norm.

At last weekend's Cougar Invitational hosted

by Concordia University in River Forest, Trinity's female athletes amassed 91 points and finished third in a 16-team field. The Trolls men were solid too as they were fifth among 16 squads after garnering 51 points.

Trinity's women picked up points in a variety of events, including in the 1,000-meter run where Courtney Kalous gave the Trolls a victory in 3 minutes, .14 seconds. She was also part of Trinity's winning 1,600-relay unit that clocked a 4:09.41. Joining Kalous on that foursome were Ashley Jourdan, Emily Dykstra and Celina Wanta.

The team of Anna Spotts, Leah Van Tol, Andrea Sanchez and Kasey Zaremba gave the Trolls another first in the 3,200-relay.

Jourdan and Dykstra both recorded second places as individuals, the former doing so in the 800 (2:18.93) and Dykstra being runner-up in the 100high hurdles (15.75). Dykstra also took fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 34 feet, 5 1/2 inches.

Other fourth-place finishers Anna Bos in the 1,000 (3:15.29) and Liz Roth in the 100-hurdles (17.24).

Marcus Devers produced the men's only triumph as he stopped the timer at 49.99 in the 400-dash.

Michael Potter was third in the 1,000 (2:37.13) and Alex Clark was fourth across the line in the 3,000 (8:51.11).

Additional points came in two relays. The quartet of Devers, Jason VanDeraa, Andy Boss and Matt Hall were fourth in the 1,600-relay with a time of 3:31.40 and the Trolls occupied that same position in the 3,200-relay, which was run by Cody Velthuizen, Chris Kuyvenhoven, Josh Whitten and David Buffham.

Trinity competes again on Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

GOLF

The Trolls took part in two tournaments last

week, Tuesday's appearance in the University of St. Francis' spring invitational being the most rewarding.

There, Trinity placed third in a 12team field.

On Saturday Trinity wound up sixth among nine participants at Bethel College's Pilot Invitational.

Brian Deckinga was the Trolls' highest individual finisher at Inwood Golf Course on Tuesday as he tied for fourth among 53 golfers by shooting an even-par 72 for 18 holes.

That was one stroke better than Evan Eissens managed while tying for the No. 6 position.

With those two serving as its catalysts, Trinity finished just one stroke out of second place in the team standings. A second group of Trolls comprised the "B" team and secured seventh place overall.

Two other Trinity golfers landed in the top 10 as both Logan Vos and Alek Svabek carded 75s, the latter doing so as a "B" team member. *** The Trolls' sixth-place showing at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, Ind., last weekend represented a drop in fortunes as they were fourth in the standings after Friday's first round and just six shots behind the front-runner. Trinity fired a cumulative 629 over the two days, one stroke higher than fifth-place St. Xavier University.

Cody Tiesman finished with a 152 (73-79) and was eighth in a 56-golfer field. Deckinga was tied for third after Day 1 but slipped to 18th as he wound up with an overall score of 156 (73-83).

He tied Svabek (75-81) for that spot.

The Trolls take part in a two-day tournament hosted by Huntington University this weekend.

BASEBALL

The Trolls lost some ground in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings after going 1-4 in league games last week, part of a 2-5 exhibition overall. They entered the current week third in the South Division.

Judson University got Trinity (23-21, 13-11) off to a rough start as it handed down 18-4 and 18-7 setbacks. The Trolls didn't break through in Game 1 until the fifth inning, by which time they were buried in a 14-0 hole. Kyle Belluomini's homer gave Trinity its first run and Max Zemaitis' twoRBI single finished off its scoring two stanzas later.

The Trolls were within 7-4 of the Eagles three See TRINITY, Page 7

The Regional News - The Reporter

Thursday, April 23, 2015 Section 2

Trinity

Community Sports News

Continued from page 6

MARIST ATHLETES DECLARE COLLEGE INTENTIONS

Fifteen Marist seniors participated in a signing ceremony last Wednesday to announce their college commitments.

Wrestlers represented one-third of that group as Alex Benoit (Naval Academy), Nick Gasbarro (Illinois), David Kasper (Eastern Michigan), Nick Lukanich (McKendree) and Jake Poole (Augustana) all made their choices official.

Benoit is a three-time state placer and a Junior National All-American, Gasbarro qualified for state the past three years and finished fifth at 145 pounds in 2015 and Kasper is a three-time state qualifier and two-time placer.

Lukanich has been tabbed as a Junior National All-American three times and qualified twice for the state meet while Poole was a runner-up in both the East Suburban Catholic Conference and regional meets as a senior.

Also making their decisions were football players Jawill Aldridge (Illinois State), Jake Ford (South Dakota State) and Pat O’Connor (St. Norbert). Although he won’t wrestle in college, Ford was a state champion for Marist in 2015 at 285.

Basketball players Bridget Bilek (Lake Forest), Daniela Boricich (Elmhurst) and Katie Houbolt (Ave Maria), track and cross country runner Mike Conrad (St. Joseph), hockey player Daniella Dellorto (Utica), softball player Hayley Franks (Lindenwood) and volleyball player Sarah Lowery (St. Anselm) were Marist’s other commitments.

“Today was a great day for these families and Marist athletics,” athletic director Bob Lim said. “This is a reflection of the dedication and hard work these kids have demonstrated, the commitment of their coaches and the constant support of their parents.”

Submitted photo

Fifteen Marist student-athletes made their college intentions known during a signing ceremony held at the school last Wednesday.

(Blackhawk Junior College), Jake Tholl (Prairie State), Frank Greco (St. Francis), Zach Erdman (Blackhawk), Nick Verta (Prairie State), Anthony Chimera (St. Xavier) and Mike Finger (Wisconsin-Oshkosh). Also signing letters

of intent were lacrosse players John Gould (Grand Valley State) and Tom Lyons (Illinois Wesleyan) and runner Nick Romero (Loras College), who is on the Vikings track team and ran cross country in the fall.

innings into the second contest but could get no closer. Zack Jones' two-run double was one of Trinity's key hits. *** Trinity went 1-2 in a weekend series against Purdue University Calumet, losing both Saturday games. Those 6-0 and 3-1 defeats were preceded by a 9-5 Trolls win on Friday.

That victory featured Trinity unleashing a 14-hit attack. Marty Mennenga (three hits, three RBI) paced the Trolls' offense while Bob Wilmsen threw a complete game in earning the pitching decision.

Joe McCaw's homer was all Trinity had to show on the scoreboard for Saturday's doubleheader.

A twinbill split with Ashford (Iowa) University completed the Trolls' week. Trinity won 6-3 and lost 8-0. Dylan Hatch's pair of doubles fueled the Game 1 offense.

SOFTBALL

After suffering seven defeats in eight games last week, the Trolls (9-27, 4-14) locked themselves out of postseason play.

Thus the current week will be Trinity's last one of the 2015 season.

Purdue Calumet shut the Trolls out twice, 7-0 and 9-0, as Trinity managed just nine hits for the day. The Trolls left the bags loaded in the seventh inning of Game 1 but didn't threaten at

ST. LAURENCE STUDENT-ATHLETES MAKE COLLEGE SELECTIONS

Eleven members of St. Laurence athletic teams recently made their college decisions.

Included among the group are baseball players John Riordan (St. Francis), Sean Burnette

Sports Wrap Continued from page 4 In the meantime the Eagles will continue to try to build on their success and peak at the right time of the season.

“We have a good record right now, but we’re going to try to put together the best run we can put together,” Caliendo said. “We have 12 games before sectionals and we know what we have to work on in these last weeks. We know we need to get better.

“We believe in our own hearts we can get through the sectional because we’ve beaten everybody in our sectional up to this point except Andrew. We have a tough schedule down the stretch, [but] it’s all by design. Playing the tough teams will make us tougher and tournament-ready.” ***

GIRLS' WATER POLO

Sandburg won twice last week as it beat Lincoln-Way Central 14-7 on Tuesday and crushed Andrew 17-1 on Thursday.

Stagg split a pair of matches, losing 13-6 to Lincoln-Way North on Thursday and beating Argo 12-2 on Friday.

GIRLS' SOCCER

Sandburg blanked Thornwood co-op 5-0 last Monday before battling Lemont to a 1-1 draw on Saturday. Emily Smolenski fired a shot from 40 yards out and buried it inside the far post with 4 minutes, Argo 010 020 0 -- 3 Evergreen Park 2B: Martin, Miller. RBI: Miller 2, Martin, McClarin. WP: McKeever (1-0).

Baseball

SCOREBOARD

BROTHER RICE 15, ST. JOSEPH 0 St. Joseph 000 00 -- 0 Brother Rice 0(14)0 1x -- 15 Brother Rice 2B: Dyke, Hughes, King, Shea. HR: Dyke. RBI: Dyke 4, Hughes 3, Paluch 2, Ridgway 2, Schalasky 2, Massey, Preusser. WP: Przekwas (2-0).

BRO. RICE 13, BISHOP MCNAMARA 4 Brother Rice 220 801 0 -- 13 Bishop McNamara 020 020 0 -- 4 Brother Rice 2B: Hughes. HR: Massey 2, Dyke, Schalasky. RBI: Hughes 3, Massey 3, Schalasky 3, King 2, Dyke, Kutt. WP: Guzek (1-0).

FENWICK 5, BROTHER RICE 1 Fenwick 000 012 2 -- 5 Brother Rice 000 001 0 -- 1 Brother Rice RBI: King. LP: Kutt (2-3).

BROTHER RICE 14, DE LA SALLE 6 Brother Rice 441 104 0 -- 14 De La Salle 010 320 0 -- 6 Brother Rice 2B: Hughes. HR: Kutt, Massey, Schalasky. RBI: Massey 4, Schalasky 4, Kutt 3, Dyke, Guzek. WP: Schalasky (4-0).

CHI. CHRIST. 4, ILLIANA CHRISTIAN 3 Illiana Christian 100 000 2 -- 3 Chicago Christian 020 011 x -- 4 Chicago Christian 2B: Edgar. RBI: Edgar 2, Schoenle.

WP: Vos (6-0).

OAK LAWN 7, RICHARDS 5 Oak Lawn 002 300 02 -- 7 Richards 022 100 00 -- 5 Oak Lawn 2B: Blake. RBI: Blake 2, Swatek 2, Beard, Georgelos, Quillin. WP: Witkowski (3-2).

Richards 2B: Fritz. RBI: Castro, Fritz, Renken, Smith.

LP: Mejia (2-2).

RICHARDS 8, OAK LAWN 5 Richards 040 012 1 -- 8 Oak Lawn 202 000 1 -- 5 Richards 2B: Castro, Thomas, Zeschke. RBI: Castro 3, Smith 2, Fritz, Petrusevski, Willett. WP: Smith (2-1).

Oak Lawn 2B: Slattery. RBI: Dodaro 2, Quillin 2, Roberts. LP: Cwik (1-2).

LEMONT 10, RICHARDS 3 Lemont 006 103 3 -- 10 Richards 200 001 0 -- 3 Richards 2B: Zeschke. RBI: Mejia 2, Spyrnal. LP: Zeschke (0-1).

RICHARDS 2, ANDREW 1 Andrew 100 000 0 -- 1 Richards 000 200 x -- 2 Richards HR: Mejia. RBI: Mejia 2. WP: Renken (1-2).

MARIST 2, SANDBURG 0 Sandburg 000 000 0 -- 0 Marist 100 100 x -- 2 Sandburg LP: Faille (0-1).

Marist RBI: Carmody, Snyder. WP: Chaffee (1-0).

MARIST 7, OAK LAWN 5 Marist 230 000 2 -- 7 Oak Lawn 004 001 0 -- 5 Marist 2B: Haizel, Kairis. RBI: Carmody 2, Kairis 2, Meehan, Sefcik. WP: Kairis.

Oak Lawn RBI: Dodaro 2, Georgelos, Roberts, Slattery. LP: Halim (0-2).

OAK LAWN 4, TINLEY PARK 0 Oak Lawn 110 100 1 -- 4 Tinley Park 000 000 0 -- 0 Oak Lawn 2B: Slattery. RBI: Melnik, Quillin, Roberts, Slattery. WP: Quillin (1-0).

GLENBARD SO. 9, CHICAGO CHRIST. 5 Chicago Christian 000 005 0 -- 5 Glenbard South 203 130 x -- 9 Chicago Christian RBI: Clark, DeVries, Hill, Vos, Wolterink. LP: Schoenle (3-1).

OAK LAWN 10, HILLCREST 0 Hillcrest 000 00 -- 0 Oak Lawn 127 0x -- 10 Oak Lawn 2B: Dodaro, Swatek. RBI: Dodaro 2, Quillin 2, Swatek 2, Mohammad. WP: Quinn (1-0).

CHICAGO CHRISTIAN 7, BEECHER 3 Beecher 101 010 0 -- 3 Chicago Christian 102 301 x -- 7 Chicago Christian 2B: Hill. RBI: Schoenle 2, Wolterink 2, Frieling. WP: Vos (7-0).

OAK LAWN 8, RICH CENTRAL 1 Rich Central 000 001 0 -- 1 Oak Lawn 304 100 x -- 8 Oak Lawn 2B: Slattery 2. RBI: Blake 2, Dodaro 2, Georgelos 2, Melnik 2. WP: Zavala (1-1).

EVERGREEN PARK 10, ARGO 1 Argo 100 000 0 -- 1 Evergreen Park 300 223 x -- 10 Evergreen Park 2B: Wazio 2, Rizzo. 3B: O’Toole. RBI: Wazio 4, Miller, Quick, Rizzo. WP: Pall (2-1).

LINCOLN-WAY NORTH 3, SANDBURG 0 Lincoln-Way North 100 011 0 -- 3 Sandburg 000 000 0 -- 0 Sandburg LP: Babic (2-1).

EVERGREEN PARK 4, ARGO 3 Evergreen Park 220 000 0 -- 4

H-F 6, SANDBURG 0 H-F 400 011 0 -- 6 Sandburg 000 000 0 -- 0

BADMINTON

Success eluded Shepard three

Sandburg LP: Nelson (1-1).

H-F 5, SANDBURG 4 Sandburg 100 030 0 -- 4 H-F 010 040 x -- 5 Sandburg 2B: Gaytan. RBI: Kociper 2, Roche 2. LP: Roche (0-2).

SHEPARD 24, HILLCREST 0 Hillcrest 000 00 -- 0 Shepard 476 7x -- 24 Shepard 2B: Pruim. 3B: Longfield, Marinec. RBI: Longfield 3, Marinec 3, Pruim 3, Carberry 2, Doolan 2, Gregory 2, Peterka 2, Bray, Gorski, Haxel, Mundo.

WP: Carberry (2-0).

SHEPARD 1, TF SOUTH 0 TF South 000 000 0 -- 0 Shepard 010 000 x -- 1 Shepard RBI: Mundo. WP: Horbach (2-1).

SHEPARD 9, R-B 3 Shepard 301 032 0 -- 9 R-B 200 000 1 -- 3 Shepard 2B: Longfield, Peterka. RBI: Longfield 3, Gregory 2, Peterka 2, Horbach. WP: Carberry (3-0).

THORNWOOD 5, STAGG 4 Stagg 002 200 0 -- 4 Thornwood 030 002 x -- 5 Stagg 2B: Downs. RBI: Bibbiano, Greer, Spencer.

LP: Greer.

STAGG 7, ANDREW 6 Andrew 300 012 00 -- 6 Stagg 100 020 31 -- 7 Stagg 2B: Bibbiano 2, Van Nieuwenhuyse. RBI: Bibbiano 2, Crosby, Greer, Kopca. WP: Crosby.

STAGG 2, JOLIET CENTRAL 1 Joliet Central 001 000 0 -- 1 Stagg 010 000 1 0 -- 2 Stagg 2B: Downs 2. RBI: Gerzon, Greer. WP: Gerzon (2-1).

JOLIET CENTRAL 11, STAGG 8 Stagg 400 201 1 -- 8 Joliet Central 103 070 x -- 11 Stagg 2B: Stratinsky 2, Bibbiano, Downs, Van Nieuwenhuyse. RBI: Stratinsky 2, Bibbiano, Crosby, Downs, Miranda, Van Nieuwenhuyse. LP: Worst (0-1).

STAGG 11, ARGO 0 Argo 000 00 -- 0 Stagg 503 3x -- 11 Stagg 2B: Downs, Crosby, Stratinsky. 3B: Greer.

RBI: Greer 2, Nowak 2, Stratinsky 2, Crosby, Downs, Spencer. WP: C. Martinez.

ST. LAURENCE 15, ST. IGNATIUS 10 St. Ignatius 105 300 1 -- 10 St. Laurence (11)02 011 x -- 15 St. Laurence 2B: Cavanaugh, Greco. 3B: Cavanaugh, Greco. RBI: Rios 4, Cavanaugh 3, Chimera 2, Farrell 2, Greco 2, Aderman, Verta. WP: J. Burnette (3-0).

FENWICK 10, ST. LAURENCE 9 St. Laurence 112 031 01 -- 9 Fenwick 000 440 02 -- 10 St. Laurence 2B: Cavanaugh, Verta. 3B: Greco 2,

time last week. TF South and Reavis whitewashed the Astros 15-0 in SSC crossover matches on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, while Lincoln-Way North doled out a 13-2 loss on Monday.

BOYS' TENNIS

Shepard breezed past TF South 5-0 last Monday but finished last at Saturday's St. Charles North Quadrangular with 11 points. The Astros wound up behind the host school, Hersey and Lincoln-Way North.

Lemont rolled over Chicago Christian 7-0 last Monday, Stagg defeated Marian Catholic 4-1 on Friday and Sandburg was sixth at Saturday's Glenbard West Invitational after totaling five points.

BOYS' VOLLEYBALL

Stagg scored a 25-20, 25-27 SWSC Blue win over HomewoodFlossmoor on Thursday.

Cavanaugh, Farrell. HR: Greco. RBI: Cavanaugh 3, Greco 3, Farrell, Rios, Verta. LP: Cavanaugh (0-1).

ST. LAURENCE 6, DE LA SALLE 0 De La Salle 000 000 0 -- 0 St. Laurence 010 203 x -- 6 St. Laurence 2B: Cavanaugh, Verta. RBI: Cavanaugh 2, Cummings, Farrell, Lamb, Tholl. WP: Greco (3-1).

ST. LAURENCE 11, MONTINI 0 St. Laurence 241 020 2 -- 11 Montini 000 000 0 -- 0 St. Laurence 2B: Farrell, Greco. HR: Cavanaugh.

RBI: Farrell 2, Rios 2, J. Burnette, S. Burnette, Cavanaugh, Greco, Verta. WP: Sandoval (1-0).

ST. LAURENCE 7, DEPAUL PREP 3 St. Laurence 011 014 0 -- 7 DePaul Prep 011 001 0 -- 3 St. Laurence 2B: S. Burnette, Rios, Verta. RBI: Rios 4, J. Burnette, S. Burnette, Verta. WP: Erdman (2-0).

BOYS’ WATER POLO BROTHE RICE 12, ST. IGNATIUS 11 Brother Rice: Matt Bachler 6 goals.

BROTHER RICE 15, STAGG 14 Brother Rice: Matt Bachler 6 goals, Brennan Russell 4 goals.

BOYS’ TENNIS Crusader Classic CHICAGO LATIN 31, WHEATON-ST. FRANCIS 23, FRANCIS PARKER 22, CHICAGO UNIVERSITY LAB 20, EVANSTON 16, LOYOLA ACADEMY 15, BROTHER RICE 9, MARIST 8.

1st Singles Championship: Nic Meister (CL) d. Sam Fleming (CUL) 6-3, 6-4.

Third place: Sam Lucas (FP) d. Ethan Dean (WSF) 6-1, 6-2.

2 Singles Championship: Noah Cook (CL) d. Ajay Chopra (CUL) 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Third place: Blake Eichengerger (WSF) d. Charlie Schwartz (CL) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). nd

1st Doubles Championship: Nick Kovach-Chris Chacko (WSF) d.

Matt Wuyan-Connor Latin 6-1, 6-2.

Third place: Andy Paden-Tom Sullivan (LA) d. Austin Klopfer-Conrad Gordon (E) 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-1.

2nd Doubles Championship: Knox Montgomery-Prinav Nanden (CL) d. Andrew Sacks-Jason Lansing (FP) 6-2, 6-3.

Third place: Duncan Merchan-Ryan Foreman (E) d.

Joe Mandala-Ryan Cunnea (BR) 6-2, 6-4.

Stark's double supplied Trinity's only run versus the Eagles while Emily Phillips and Cannizzo had the RBI versus Ashford.

Singles by Tori Grzincic, Kelly Sweeney and Oeverman set up the scoring in the latter game.

Property Listings

For Sale

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 CITIMORTGAGE, INC. Plaintiff, -v.RALPH W. KERN JR. A/K/A RALPH KERN, DEBORAH S. KERN Defendants 12 CH 031068 9231 PARK PLACE ORLAND HILLS, IL 60487 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on April 5, 2013, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 15, 2015, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 9231 PARK PLACE, ORLAND HILLS, IL 60487 Property Index No. 27-22-310-017. The real estate is improved with a single family residence. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property.

Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 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 14-12-20476.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-12-20476 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 12 CH 031068 TJSC#: 35-5737 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.

I653123

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO LASALLE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR WASHINGTON MUTUAL ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES WMABS SERIES 2006-HE4 TRUST Plaintiff, -v.ROBERTO CUEVAS, MARIA CUEVAS A/K/A MARIS CUEVAS, MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., COURTYARD TOWNHOMES OF PALOS HILLS TOWN HOME OWNERS ASSN. NFP INC., CITY OF CHICAGO Defendants 13 CH 023573 7954 W. 108TH STREET UNIT G PALOS HILLS, IL 60465 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 18, 2015, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 20, 2015, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 7954 W. 108TH STREET UNIT G, PALOS HILLS, IL 60465 Property Index No. 23-13-300-069, Property Index No. (23-13-300-012 underlying). The real estate is improved with a condo/townhouse.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 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 14-13-24942. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-13-24942 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 13 CH 023573 TJSC#: 35-3468 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.

I650855

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ILLIANA CHRIST. 3, CHI. CHRIST. 1 Chicago Christian 000 100 0 -- 1 Illiana Christian 000 030 x -- 3 Chicago Christian RBI: Frieling. LP: Wolterink (2-1).

10 seconds left to forge the tie.

Aubrey Quick's marker in overtime snapped a scoreless tie and gave Shepard a 1-0 win over Eisenhower in a South Suburban Conference Red match on Thursday. Kelly Evancich assisted on the goal and netminder Heather Banis notched her fifth shutout of the season.

The Astros (7-4, 4-1) weren't so fortunate against Lemont as they dropped a 5-0 decision last Tuesday. *** Jazmin Castanon's pair of goals powered Stagg to a 4-0 triumph over Marian Catholic last Tuesday. The Chargers (9-2) lost 1-0 to Bolingbrook in a SouthWest Suburban Conference Blue encounter on Thursday.

Timothy Christian topped Chicago Christian 5-2 last Wednesday.

all in the nightcap.

Hits by Adrianna Puente and Danielle Stark, plus sacrifice flies from Anna Phillips and Tori Stevenson helped Trinity roar back from a 5-0 deficit to tie Roosevelt University in the opener of CCAC doubleheader.

That seventh-inning comeback went for naught, though, as the Lakers recovered enough to push across the deciding run in the bottom of the frame.

Having staved off the Trolls, Roosevelt then went on a Game 2 rampage to emerge with an 11-1 victory. *** The four-game University of St. Francis Spring Invitational provided Trinity with only one moment of relief. That came when the Trolls whipped the host school 8-1 in their final encounter.

Trinity accumulated 10 hits, six of which were evenly divvied up between Anna Phillips, Emily Phillips and Natalie Cannizzo. Danielle Oeverman and Christina Pacholik both drove in two runs. Puente logged the pitching win with a completegame effort.

The win halted a 13-game Trolls slide that had gotten extended by St. Ambrose (7-5), Judson (9-1) and Ashford (15-2) in the USF tournament.

Real Estate

Submitted photo

St. Laurence had 11 of its student-athletes announce their college destinations last week.

Stagg split a pair of matches last week as it defeated Lincoln-Way North 14-8 on Monday but lost a 15-14 overtime decision to Brother Rice on Thursday.

Shepard's co-op squad scored a 7-2 victory over Bradley-Bourbonnais last Wednesday.

7

8 Section 2

Thursday, April 23 2015

The Regional News - The Reporter

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The Regional News - The Reporter

The Reporter Newspapers

Thursday, April 23, 2015

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448-6175 Deadline 5 p.m. Monday Hours M-F 9 to 5 Sat. 9 to Noon

For Sale

For Sale

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET SECURITIES CORPORATION, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-GEL2 Plaintiff, -v.IRENA CACHRO Defendants 12 CH 000114 8950 W. 103RD STREET PALOS HILLS, IL 60465 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 24, 2015, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 26, 2015, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 8950 W. 103RD STREET, PALOS HILLS, IL 60465 Property Index No. 2310-409-001. The real estate is improved with a single family residence. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted.

The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property.

Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 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 14-13-29012. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-13-29012 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 12 CH 000114 TJSC#: 35-3644 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.

I651961

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

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC Plaintiff, -v.ANDRZEJ MAKA, MATGORZATA MAKA, WOODLAND ESTATES CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC. Defendants 10 CH 046908 8652 S. 85TH COURT 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 February 19, 2015, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 21, 2015, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:Commonly known as 8652 S. 85TH COURT, HICKORY HILLS, IL 60457 Property Index No. 18-35-307-053-1002. The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property.

Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 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 14-14-12676.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-14-12676 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 10 CH 046908 TJSC#: 35-3503 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.

I652061

For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, I L L I N O I S COUNTY DEPARTMENT, CHANCERY DIVISION JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL A S S O C I A T I O N , P l a i n t i f f V .

JAMES J. RICOBENE A/K/A JAMES RICOBENE; DEBRA A. RICOBENE A/K/A DEBRA RICOBENE; PNC BANK, N.A. S/I/I TO NATIONAL CITY BANK; STATE OF ILLINOIS; MUIRFIELD HOMEOWNER'S ASSOCIATION; SELECT MEDICAL CORPORATION; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, D e f e n d a n t s 11 CH 15561 Property Address: 16821 MUIRFIELD DRIVE ORLAND PARK, IL 60467 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE Shapiro Kreisman & Assoc. file # 11-050635 (It is advised that interested parties consult with their own attorneys before bidding at mortgage foreclosure s a l e s . ) PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered on July 11, 2012, Kallen Realty Services, Inc., as Selling Official will at 12:30 p.m. on May 21, 2015, at 205 W. Randolph Street, Suite 1020, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described real property: Commonly known as 16821 Muirfield Drive, Orland Park, IL 60467 Permanent Index No.: 27-29-204-015 The mortgaged real estate is improved with a dwelling.

The property will NOT be open for inspection.

The judgment amount was $ 822,809.82. Sale terms for non-parties: 10% of successful bid immediately at conclusion of auction, balance by 12:30 p.m. the next business day, both by cashier's checks; and no refunds.

The sale shall be subject to general real estate taxes, special taxes, special assessments, special taxes levied, and superior liens, if any. The property is offered "as is," with no express or implied warranties and without any representation as to the quality of title or recourse to Plaintiff.

Prospective bidders are admonished to review the court file to verify all information and to view auction rules at w w w . k a l l e n r s . c o m .

For information: Sale Clerk, Shapiro Kreisman & Associates, LLC, Attorney # 42168, 2121 Waukegan Road, Suite 301, Bannockburn, Illinois 60015, (847) 291-1717, between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. weekdays o n l y .

I652893

Call

448-4002 Deadline 5 p.m. Monday Hours M-F 9 to 5 Sat. 9 to Noon

Property Listings

For Sale

EVERBANK Plaintiff, -v.MARIO M. RODRIGUEZ AKA MARIO RODRIGUEZ, NETTIE RODRIGUEZ AKA NETTIE RODIQUEZ Defendants 13 CH 00587 8714 S. Rockwell Ave. Evergreen Park, IL 60805 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 24, 2015, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 27, 2015, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 8714 S. Rockwell Ave., Evergreen Park, IL 60805 Property Index No. 24-01-203-047-0000.

The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

The judgment amount was $287,652.06.

Sale terms: 25% of the bid amount, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, shall be paid in certified funds immediately by the highest and best bidder at the conclusion of the sale. The certified check must be made payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in AS IS condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 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: HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC, 111 East Main Street, DECATUR, IL 62523, (217) 422-1719 If the sale is not confirmed for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the purchase price paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee s attorney.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC 111 East Main Street DECATUR, IL 62523 (217) 422-1719 Attorney Code. 40387 Case Number: 13 CH 00587 TJSC#: 35-4130 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.

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 herby 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 Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT, CHANCERY DIVISION MIDFIRST BANK, Plaintiff V. UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/OR LEGATEES OF CHRISTNE A. FIGURA A/K/A CHRISTINE FIGURA, DECEASED; FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION; JULIE E. FOX, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ESTATE OF CHRISTNE A. FIGURA A/K/A CHRISTINE FIGURA, DECEASED; JEFFERY S. FIGURA; ANN MARIE FIGURA; ALBERT P. FIGURA; DAN S. FIGURA; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS; UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS, Defendants Case No. 14 CH 4685 Calendar No. 60 Property Address: 5932 107TH PLACE CHICAGO RIDGE, IL 60415 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE Shapiro Kreisman & Assoc. file # 14-071599 (It is advised that interested parties consult with their own attorneys before bidding at mortgage foreclosure sales.)

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered on January 8, 2015, Kallen Realty Services, Inc., as Selling Official will at 12:30 p.m. on May 19, 2015, at 205 W. Randolph Street, Suite 1020, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described real property: Commonly known as 5932 107th Place, Chicago Ridge, IL 60415 Permanent Index No.: 24-17-420-026-0000 The mortgaged real estate is improved with a dwelling. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

The judgment amount was $98,615.61. Sale terms for non-parties: 10% of successful bid immediately at conclusion of auction, balance by 12:30 p.m. the next business day, both by cashier’s checks; and no refunds. The sale shall be subject to general real estate taxes, special taxes, special assessments, special taxes levied, and superior liens, if any. The property is offered “as is,†with no express or implied warranties and without any representation as to the quality of title or recourse to Plaintiff.

Prospective bidders are admonished to review the court file to verify all information and to view auction rules at www.kallenrs.com.

For information: Sale Clerk, Shapiro Kreisman & Associates, LLC, Attorney # 42168, 2121 Waukegan Road, Suite 301, Bannockburn, Illinois 60015, (847) 291-1717, between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. weekdays only.

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The Regional News

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“10 in the Park” RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION CITIMORTGAGE, INC. Plaintiff, -v.RAMON B. BELICANO JR., ANNA L. DAVID, BANK OF AMERICA AS SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO LASALLE BANK MIDWEST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, COLETTE HIGHLANDS HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION Defendants 12 CH 002563 15611 SCOTSGLEN ROAD ORLAND PARK, IL 60462 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on October 29, 2014, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 8, 2015, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 15611 SCOTSGLEN ROAD, ORLAND PARK, IL 60462 Property Index No. 27-17-406-011-0000. The real estate is improved with a single family residence. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 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 14-14-10788.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-14-10788 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 12 CH 002563 TJSC#: 35-5070 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.

I651643

For Sale IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, Illinois, County Department, Chancery Division.

FirstSecure Bank and Trust Co., f/k/a Family Bank and Trust Company, f/k/a First State Bank and Trust Company of Palos Hills, P l a i n t i f f , v s .

FirstSecure Bank and Trust Co., t/u/t #4-450, Wealth E. One, Inc., an Illinois corporation, Woodcrest Owners Association, an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, Village of Crestwood, Best-Vend Corp., an Illinois corporation, Unknown Owners and Non-Record C l a i m a n t s , D e f e n d a n t s .

14 CH 4657; Sheriff's No. 140880-001F. Pursuant to a Judgment made and entered by said Court in the above entitled cause, Thomas J. Dart, Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, will on May 6, 2015, at 1:00 P.M. in Room LL06 of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington Street, Chicago, IL, sell at public auction the following described premises and real estate mentioned in said Judgment: PIN: 28-04-401-054-0000. Address: 14001 Leonard Drive, Crestwood, IL 60465.Improvements: Multi-Unit apartment building.Sale shall be under the following terms: 25% down in certified funds or cashier's check, balance due in 24 hours by same.Sale shall be subject to general taxes, special assessments, and any prior first mortgages. Premises will NOT be open for inspection. For information: Jonathan Koyn (45386), Plaintiff's Attorney, 1034 Sterling Ave., #8, Flossmoor, IL 60422, Tel. No. (708) 960-0487.This is an attempt to collect a debt pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.I651552

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IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. Plaintiff, -v.BILAL RAFATI A/K/A BELAL A. RAFATI, SHAREEN RAFATI A/K/A SHIREEN M. RAFATI, WELLS FARGO BANK, NA S/B/M TO WELLS FARGO BANK SOUTHWEST, NA F/K/A WACHOVIA MORTGAGE FSB, F/K/A WORLD SAVINGS BANK, FSB, UNKNOWN SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE OF THE GLADYS STAM TRUST DATED 5/13/1999, CAPITAL ONE BANK (USA), N.A., SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO CAPITAL ONE BANK, GMAC, LLC, CITIBANK N.A. S/I/I TO CITIBANK (SOUTH DAKOTA), N.A., UNKNOWN BENEFICIARIES OF THE GLADYS STAM TRUST DATED 5/13/1999, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 12 CH 7014 7503 HALESIA COURT ORLAND PARK, IL 60462 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on May 2, 2013, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 7, 2015, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 7503 HALESIA COURT, ORLAND PARK, IL 60462 Property Index No. 27-13-203-0020000. The real estate is improved with a one story, single family home with a two car 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, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/ or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours.

No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 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 5 pm. PIERCE & ASSOCIATES, Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300, CHICAGO, IL 60602. Tel No. (312) 476-5500.

Please refer to file number PA1129183. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. PIERCE & ASSOCIATES One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300 CHICAGO, IL 60602 (312) 476-5500 Attorney File No. PA1129183 Attorney Code. 91220 Case Number: 12 CH 7014 TJSC#: 35-5362 I652272

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY D I V I S I O N PENNYMAC HOLDINGS, LLC P l a i n t i f f , v .

ANTHONY J MEYERS, KRISTIN K MEYERS, CITIMORTGAGE, INC., MCCORD PLACE TOWNHOME ASSOCIATION, INC. D e f e n d a n t s 14 CH 15635 6 MCCORD TRACE 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 February 23, 2015, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 27, 2015, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 6 MCCORD TRACE, PALOS PARK, IL 60464 Property Index No. 23-33-200-037-0000. The real estate is improved with a single family home with an attached 2 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, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale.

The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 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 5 pm. PIERCE & ASSOCIATES, Plaintiff's Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300, CHICAGO, IL 60602. Tel No. (312) 476-5500. Please refer to file number PA1404913. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. PIERCE & ASSOCIATES One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300 CHICAGO, IL 60602 (312) 476-5500 Attorney File No. PA1404913 Attorney Code. 91220 Case Number: 14 CH 15635 TJSC#: 35-3131 I653159

ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® Memorial and Honor P.O. Box 1000 Dept. 174 Memphis, TN 38148-0174 800-276-8340 www.stjude.org/tribute

10

Section 2

The Reporter Newspapers Call Debbie

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IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Plaintiff, -v.EDVARDAS SLUSNYS, JURGITA SLUSNYS, CITIZENS BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Defendants 14 CH 015842 9020 W. 92ND 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 February 18, 2015, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 20, 2015, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 9020 W. 92ND STREET, HICKORY HILLS, IL 60457 Property Index No. 23-03-410-025. The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property.

Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 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 14-14-18353.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-14-18353 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 14 CH 015842 TJSC#: 35-3472 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.

I650851

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. Plaintiff, -v.JAKUB J. KAMINSKI, SCENIC TREE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION Defendants 14 CH 019086 10205 S. 86TH TERRACE UNIT #211 PALOS HILLS, IL 60465 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on March 20, 2015, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 22, 2015, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 10205 S. 86TH TERRACE UNIT #211, PALOS HILLS, IL 60465 Property Index No. 23-11-302-003-1055.

The real estate is improved with a residence. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property.

Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 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 14-14-09617.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300 Attorney File No. 14-14-09617 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 14 CH 019086 TJSC#: 35-5000 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.

I651629

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION INTERBANK MORTGAGE COMPANY Plaintiff, -v.TADEUSZ SZWAJNOS, IZABELA SZWAJNOS, CITIBANK, N.A. S/I/I TO CITIBANK (SOUTH DAKOTA), N.A. Defendants 12 CH 17271 8824 WEST 92ND PLACE HICKORY HILLS, IL 60457 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on October 27, 2014, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 22, 2015, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive - 24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 8824 WEST 92ND PLACE, HICKORY HILLS, IL 60457 Property Index No. 23-03-412-091-0000. The real estate is improved with a single family home with an attached 2 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, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g) (4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 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 5 pm. PIERCE & ASSOCIATES, Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300, CHICAGO, IL 60602. Tel No. (312) 476-5500. Please refer to file number PA1209222.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. PIERCE & ASSOCIATES One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300 CHICAGO, IL 60602 (312) 476-5500 Attorney File No. PA1209222 Attorney Code. 91220 Case Number: 12 CH 17271 TJSC#: 35-4055 I652833

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

The LATCH system makes it easier to be sure your child’s car seat is installed correctly every time. Just clip it to the lower anchors, attach the top tether, and pull the straps tight. To find out more, visit safercar.gov.

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 herby 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.

The Regional News • The Reporter

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Section 2

Out & About

11

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

PINTO’S POPCORN PICKS

This true story might be better in book form

Submitted photo

Glenn Martin piano luncheon Pianist Glenn Martin of Palos Park will perform at a luncheon at The Center, 12700 Southwest Highway, Palos Park, on Tuesday, April 28, from noon to 2 p.m. Martin’s program will include works by Robert Schumann whom Martin considers the “ultimate Romantic.” Martin has been studying piano since boyhood and has generously shared his passion and talent for classical music for many years by performing an annual concert for The Center.

The luncheon begins at noon, costs $18 and requires advance reservations. For reservations and more, call The Center at 361-3650.

BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS This week Tinley school bands showcase concert “Take Flight” – a free concert by Tinley Park school bands will be given this Sunday, from 3 to 4:30 pm., at Tinley Park High School’s gym, 6111 W. 175th St. in Tinley Park.

The Tinley Park Community Band, directed by Barbara Abarro, presents and performs at this concert. Participating bands are the Tinley Park High School Honors Jazz Band, directed by Vince Aiello; Andrew High School Band, directed by Mark Iwinski; Central Middle School band directed by Jason Freeland and Kirby District 140 band directed by Ray Forlenza.

Selections include a flight-themed concert. All bands will combine to perform God Bless America.

For more, visit the website tinleyband.org, email tinleyband@gmail.com or call 620-7701.

Dark comedy at Moraine Valley Every expectant parent’s deepest fears are addressed in the dark comedy “A Day in the Death of Joe Egg” being presented by the Academic Theater Department at Moraine Valley Community College April 24 to May 3.

Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday performance is at 3 p.m.

The play will be in the John and Angeline Oremus Theater, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, on campus, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills.

Tickets are $12 for the general public and $10 for seniors and students.

Bri, a schoolteacher, and his wife, Sheila, have a 10-year-old spastic child named Josephine, who has been entirely dependent upon her parents since birth. Bri sees a hopeless future and hides behind irony and sarcasm to cope, while Sheila believes the child is her penance for a promiscuous past and hopefully looks for even the slightest hint at Josephine’s recovery. In the end, Bri and Sheila must decide how to confront the future: as a family, as a couple or on their own.

Tickets can be purchased at morainevalley.edu/ fpac, by calling 974-5500, or at the Box Office located on the south end of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.

The Bridge Teen Center programs • Game Night & Guitar Hero Tournament – 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. this Friday, The Bridge Teen Center, 15555 S. 71st Court, Orland Park, will host a game night and Guitar Hero tournament with free food from Rocco Vino’s.

• Reptiles – 4 to 5 p.m. April 28, students will learn about the habitats of reptiles and get a chance to hold some.

• DIY: Nail String Art – 4:30 to 6 p.m. April 28, an art program to teach students how to create

nail string art with wood, string and nails.

• Culinary: Spring Favorites – 4:30 to 6 p.m.

April 28, a culinary program with Sur La Table to show students how to make a few popular spring pasta dishes.

• Land a Summer Job – 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. April 29, program with Andrew High School to show students the necessities when trying to land a summer job.

• What’s It Like to Be: An FBI Agent – 4 to 5 p.m. April 30, shows students what a typical day is like in the life of an FBI Agent.

• Culinary: Farm to Table – 4 to 5:30 p.m. April 30, program with Harvest Room to show students how to cook delicious, healthy, and organic farm to table cooking.

These free events are for teens in 7th through 12th grade. For more information call 532-0500.

Womantalk Discussion The Center, 12700 Southwest Highway, Palos Park, will host its monthly Womantalk coffee hour and discussion on Tuesday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Led by MaryAnn Grzych, ladies are invited to join the discussion of “Simple Abundance” by Sarah Ban Breathnach or other inspirational readings that participants wish to bring. There is no cost, but advance reservations are required. Call The Center at 361-3650.

Upcoming Center Cinema “Pat and Mike” will be shown on Friday, May 1, 6:30 p.m., as part of the monthly Center Cinema series at The Center, 12700 Southwest Highway, Palos Park.

Kathryn Hepburn performs as a squeaky-clean champion athlete, with Spencer Tracy as a sports promoter with a bit of a “colorful” history. A discussion follows the movie. Free popcorn is served.

No fee is charged but pre-registration is necessary.

Call The Center at 361-3650.

Spring tea Ladies are donning their hats and gloves for the 10th annual Spring Tea on Sunday, May 3, from 2 to 4 p.m., at The Center, 12700 Southwest Highway, Palos Park.

The tea includes a generous table of tea sandwiches, sweets, and tea, plus music, wildflowers, and an inspiring speech about gratitude and wonder by motivational speaker Eileen Kerlin Walsh.

Weather permitting, seating is planned both indoors and outside amidst the wildflowers.

Tickets must be reserved in advance and cost $30 per person.

For reservations and more information, call The Center at 361-3650 or visit www.thecenterplaos.org.

The movie “True Story” is, as you would guess, based upon a true story.

It’s the story of real-life journalist Michael Finkel and his ordeal with a death-row inmate.

If you were told James Franco and Jonah Hill were in a movie together, you would probably think you’d be going to see a comedy. Well, if that’s what you’re expecting you might want to look somewhere else, because here we have a serious drama.

In a creepy bit of foreshadowing, the movie opens with a teddy bear being dropped into a suitcase with a lifeless little girl. It’s a very cold open that sets the tone for a dark and twisted movie. If you miss it, the movie could get a little confusing.

Very quickly after that, the film takes us to Africa, where we meet Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) for the first time. There he is working on a cover story for the New York Times. The short of it is — he doesn’t use journalistic integrity and lies in his story to satisfy his editor, so he gets sent packing.

When we first meet the psychotic Christian Longo (James Franco), he’s in a Mexican church pretending to be Michael Finkel. Soon after he gets arrested for the killing of his family, and the rest is history.

Eventually the two meet and a strange bond forms between them. Finkel is going to Teach Longo how to write, and in return Longo is going to exclusively tell him the story of what happened.

If only everything was so simple for Finkel.

They both use each other to get through their own trials. Finkel, for some strange reason, sees himself in Longo and starts to actually believe his story. The first thing they tell you in journalism is to be objective and not to take sides which Finkel

TONY PINTO doesn’t do. This becomes a story about a disgraced writer who becomes ashamed of who he has become.

It’s a wonderfully acted film that falters in the storytelling department. Even when the story is just awful Franco and Hill (full disclosure: this writer dislikes them both) keep this film afloat.

Franco could have taken his character into full on evil psycho mode but he shows restraint and we should applaud him because this is one of his best performances. It also stars Felicity Jones who played Stephen Hawking wife in “Theory of Everything”.

It was directed by first-time feature filmmaker Rupert Goold who is apparently is an acclaimed British stage director. His stage directing skills do not translate to film as one would hope. It moves at what some would consider a breakneck pace.

It’s basically a mess.

This is one film that has the subject matter to make it good, but it never takes that direction. The real Michael Finkel did write a book about his ordeal and the movie is based upon that book, also called “True Story.” Maybe we may all be better off reading the book in this case and skipping the so-so film.

—Tony Pinto’s grade: C

OMARR’S WEEKLY ASTROLOGICAL FORECAST

By Jeraldine Saunders ARIES (March 21-April 19): The more you shake the tree, the more fruit will fall. You can be highly productive in the week ahead. Your ability to make money through hard work is enhanced, but your drive and ambition to spend money are powered up, too.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You may be gripped by a pioneering spirit. Count on loved ones to keep the home fires burning while you bring home the bacon. Cooperate to the fullest in any new projects launched this week.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): With sociable Venus in your sign it’s easy to be cheerful and carefree.

Don’t let unpredictable people upset your plans. A friend or coworker might undermine your efforts, or group dynamics may put you in an awkward situation this week.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Seek the best and highest in everything you do. Ignore emotions and use a cool, rational approach when dealing with financial affairs. Let your instincts be your guide and you can improve your financial situation in the week to come.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Take pride in your accomplishments. The things most worth having are the things you worked hard to get. In the upcoming week, examine areas where you’ve already been diligent and admit that you deserve some rewards.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Behave like a cheerleader and shake your pompoms. You might find that people are somewhat fickle about small things in the week ahead. However, you can cheer them on and support valiant efforts to tackle the big things.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Be thrifty and economical, but don’t be a miser. Someone may be happy to go “Dutch treat,” or will generously pick up the tab in the week ahead. Yet you should remember to even the score and repay one kindness with another.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): If you comply with the rules of social behavior in public, you can do whatever you want in private. People are more likely to approve of your actions if you explain them in advance. Share your thoughts to get ahead this week.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Make the

grade by putting your whole heart into it. You may be passionate about money-making activities as the week unfolds. Use drive and ambition, as well as good judgment, to turn those red money columns black.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the week ahead, you can ferret out secrets. Solutions to business or financial problems can be found by diligently researching facts and figures. Schedule some time to enjoy the fruits of your labors, too.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Get started on the ground floor. Listen carefully to the gripes on the grapevine, as someone’s astute observations may help you solve a financial problem. Those in your inner circle are in a tolerant and charitable mood this week.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): There’s an abundance of good will in the workplace this week, so use it to your advantage. Sow the seeds of cooperation by working your hardest to smooth out ruffled feathers. Avoid making major changes in your career.

THE APOLLO CHORUS OF CHICAGO presents

Children’s Farm will host Pottery Party benefit night

Supplied photo

Little pigs such as these will be made at The Center’s Pottery Party at the Children’s Farm on April 29. These pigs were made by Dave Sanders and Kay Ardizzone at the Children’s Farm at last year’s Barn to be Wild fundraiser, when Ardizzone lived in the pigpen all weekend.

A Pottery Party will be hosted on Wednesday, April 29, from 6:30 to 8 pm., at the Children’s Farm, 12700 Southwest Highway in Palos Park.

Pottery instructor Heather Young invites adults or families with children of any age to a night of creative pottery, in order to raise funds for The Center’s Barn to be Wild Campaign.

Young invites folks to come and make little pigs and other tiny farm animal sculptures out of clay.

The items will be kiln-fired and ready for pickup at The Center’s Little Art Show of miniature art on May 31.

Guests at the Pottery Party will go on a short farm tour to see the animals and finish the evening with roasting marshmallows around a campfire.

Advance reservations for the Pottery Party are required. The fee is $15 per person, all of which is donated to the Barn to be Wild (BTBW) fund.

BTBW is a fundraising campaign in which Center staff members and friends of The Center literally spend the weekend in the pigpen, on May 9 and 10.

Call The Center at 361-3650.

Friday, May 1, 2015, at 7:30 pm Fourth Presbyterian Church 126 East Chestnut Street at Michigan Avenue, Chicago

Sunday, May 3, 2015, at 3:00 pm Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church 149 West Brush Hill Road, Elmhurst

Stephen Alltop Music Director and Conductor

David Bachmann Associate Conductor and Accompanist

— The Center

Order Tickets Today!

312-427-5620 • www.apollochorus.org General Admission: $25 in advance, $30 at door, $10 student tickets. Group discounts available

12 Section 2

Thursday, April 23, 2015

The Regional News • The Reporter

Out & About

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

VIDEOVIEW BY JAY BOBBIN (NOTICE: Ratings for each film begin with a ‘star’ rating — one star meaning ‘poor,’ four meaning ‘excellent’ — followed by the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and then by a family-viewing guide, the key for which appears below.)

STARTING THIS WEEK: “TAKEN 3”: Given the success of the action franchise, it’s probably no surprise that Liam Neeson — whose career has been reshaped by it — gets yet another dose of trouble as CIA veteran Bryan Mills in this round. Here, the espionage expert is framed for a murder that hits close to home. While being chased by a determined police inspector (Forest Whitaker), he tries to clear himself and also protect his daughter (Maggie Grace) again. Famke Janssen also reprises her role from the previous two films.

DVD extras: three “making-of” documentaries; deleted scene; photo gallery. *** (PG-13: AS, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray, which includes an unrated cut of the film) “CAKE”: Also a producer of this grim tale infused with dark humor, Jennifer Aniston earned wide praise and several awards for her raw, imagebusting performance a member of a pain-support group wracked by the suicide of one of its members (Anna Kendrick). Haunted by the late woman’s spirit, she makes a connection with the widower (Sam Worthington). The Daniel Barnz-directed film clearly is Aniston’s show, but its notable supporting cast also includes Mamie Gummer, Chris Messina (“The Mindy Project”), Adriana Barraza, Britt Robertson and spouses Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy. DVD extra: three “making-of” documentaries. *** (R: AS, P) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand) “FORTITUDE”: Televised in the U.S. recently

by Pivot, this British-made, Arctic-based series is set in the title town where a murder stokes

TOP POP SINGLES the tension already generated by unusually warm temperatures and a consequent ice melt. Stanley Tucci plays an investigator who arrives at the site to work with a not entirely welcoming sheriff (Richard Dormer) in probing the homicide.

Michael Gambon, Christopher Eccleston (“The Leftovers”), Sienna Guillory, Chipo Chung (“A.D. The Bible Continues”) and Luke Treadaway also are in the cast. *** (Not rated: AS, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray) “LITTLE ACCIDENTS”: The accident that forms the background of writer-director Sara Colangelo’s drama actually isn’t so little, since it’s a coal-mining disaster that has left its town reeling in the aftermath. Elizabeth Banks, Josh Lucas and Boyd Holbrook (“Gone Girl”) play residents prompted to unite in moving on with their lives when a local teen vanishes. Chloe Sevigny (“Big Love”) also stars in the movie, which made the film-festival rounds and earned a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination for Colangelo’s script. *** (Not rated: AS, P) (Also on On Demand) “EVERLY”: With a nod toward such characters as Uma Thurman’s in “Kill Bill” and Scarlett Johansson’s in “Lucy,” Salma Hayek plays a fierce female in director Joe Lynch’s action-crammed melodrama. In the title role, Hayek gets bountifully physical as a Yakuza kingpin’s former flame ... and current target, since he fears she might use what she knows about him against him. In trying to keep herself alive, she worries her assailants also might target her family, so she’s determined to get they before they get her. Jennifer Blanc (“Dark Angel”) also is featured. DVD extras: audio commentaries by Lynch and other crew members; music video. *** (R: AS, N, P, GV) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand) “HIT BY LIGHTNING”: Released theatrically the day after “Two and a Half Men” began its

final season, this comedy indicates that making movies remains part of the menu for two-time Emmy winner Jon Cryer. He plays a lovelorn fastfood-restaurant manager whose online connection with a woman (Stephanie Szostak, “Satisfaction”) is unlikely but promising. Inevitably, it proves too good to be true, since she’s married to a man who may have killed his previous wife ... and might be targeting her now. Will Sasso co-stars in the picture, which already has been making the premium-cable rounds. ** (Not rated: AS, P, V) COMING SOON: “THE BOY NEXT DOOR” (April 28): A martially troubled teacher (Jennifer Lopez) comes to regret her brief interlude with a young neighbor (Ryan Guzman). (R: AS, N, P, V) “THE GAMBLER” (April 28): Mark Wahlberg plays a professor whose secret gambling habit ends up endangering those closest to him.

(R: AS, N, P) “INHERENT VICE” (April 28): Directorscreenwriter Paul Thomas Anderson’s noir-themed, late-1960s patchwork boasts an ensemble cast including earlier “Walk the Line” co-stars Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. (R: AS, N, P, V) “PADDINGTON” (April 28): The beloved title bear goes to London and finds a family ... and also an enemy, a determined taxidermist (Nicole Kidman). (PG: AS) “THE WEDDING RINGER” (April 28): A groom (Josh Gad) who’s in desperate need of a best man hires one (Kevin Hart) from a firm that furnishes them. (R: AS, N, P) “SELMA” (May 5): In director Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-winning drama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (played by David Oyelowo) leads the legendary 1965 march advocating voting equality.

(PG-13: AS, P, V) FAMILY-VIEWING GUIDE KEY: AS, adult situations; N, nudity; P, profanity; V, violence; GV, particularly graphic violence.

1. Uptown Funk!, Mark Ronson, featuring Bruno Mars, Elektra 2. Sugar, Maroon 5, Interscope Records 3. Love Me Like You Do, Ellie Goulding, Interscope Records 4. Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey), The Weeknd, Motown/Universal 5. Thinking Out Loud, Ed Sheeran, Atlantic

TOP POP ALBUMS 1. The Album About Nothing, Wale, Atlantic Urban 2. Furious 7, Soundtrack, Atlantic 3. Ludaversal, Ludacris, Def Jam 4. To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar, Interscope Records 5. 1989, Taylor Swift, Big Machine Records

TOP COUNTRY ALBUMS 1. Southern Style, Darius Rucker, Universal Nashville 2. Spring Break ... Checkin’ Out, Luke Bryan, Universal Nashville 3. Montevallo, Sam Hunt, MCA 4. NOW That’s What I Call ACM Awards: 50 Years, Various Artists, UMe 5. Old Boots, New Dirt, Jason Aldean, Broken Bow 6. 2015 Academy of Country Music Awards ZinePak, Various artists, ZinePak LLC/Walmart 7. Anything Goes, Florida Georgia Line, Big Machine Records 8. The Outsiders, Eric Church, Universal Nashville 9. Pain Killer, Little Big Town, Capitol Nashville (Universal) 10. Greatest Hits: Decade#1, Carrie Underwood, Sony Music Nashville

Warning signs a tire is about to go flat

Supplied photo

Driving ability may decline as drivers age. But certain steps can keep seniors on the road longer.

Aging and driving Getting behind the wheel and enjoying the freedom to travel is a luxury few are anxious to abandon.

But there comes a time in nearly every person’s life when he or she must take inventory of his or her driving and assess if that next joy ride is a safe and smart decision.

Driving may help older adults remain independent and mobile, but the chance for a motor vehicle accident increases as one ages. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says fatal crash rates per mile traveled increase starting at age 75 and increase notably after age 80. This is largely due to increased susceptibility to injury and medical complications among older drivers rather than an increased tendency to get into crashes. Road accidents tend to increase around a person’s 65th birthday.

Authorities in Canada require physicians to warn patients if the doctors have any concerns about their patients’ ability to drive.

Doctors also must report these concerns. There are no such requirements in the United States, where individual drivers and families must use their own judgement to decide if it is still safe for a particular person to be on the road.

Minor fender benders, traffic citations, trouble remembering directions or frequently visited stores, may be early indications that a driver is no longer at his or her best behind the wheel.

Some experts say that families should institute driving directives, much in the way a person would spell out medical desires or end-oflife plans. This way, when the time comes to assess driving ability,

the conversation already has been started. There is no set age when a person’s keys should be taken away, as aging does not guarantee drivers’ abilities will decline. In fact, there are many things people can do to prolong their time on the road.

Get routine vision and hearing checks. These examinations will help to determine your fitness to be on the road and shed light on any issues that need to be addressed.

Those who wear contact lenses or glasses may need to update their prescriptions.

Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep can affect the body in many ways, including reducing reaction time.

Falling asleep while driving can compromise the safety of drivers, their passengers and fellow motorists.

Know your medications. Certain medications can make you drowsy, so read the labels so you know not to drive while taking them. Speak with your doctor to see if there are any substitutes that won’t affect your performance behind the wheel.

Recognize your limitations.

You may not like driving at night or in inclement weather. Stick to driving when you feel most comfortable.

Enroll in a refresher course.

Sign up for a defensive driving course to review your driving skills.

Not only may it make you safer on the road, but it also may help reduce your insurance rates. Getting older doesn’t mean you have to quit driving right away. Recognize the signs of a decline in driving ability and figure out how long it is safe to remain behind the wheel.

Few drivers will be fortunate enough to go their entire driving lives without encountering at least one flat tire. Flat tires range from the inconvenient flats, which may interrupt a road trip or make drivers late for work or an appointment, to more dangerous blowouts, which can compromise the safety of drivers, their passengers and anyone else on the road when the tire gives out. But as inconvenient or dangerous as flats or blowouts can be, they also can be prevented more often than not.

Tires often produce warning signs that a flat or blowout is about to emerge, so drivers who want to avoid such unfortunate developments can inspect their tires for the following signs.

Varying wear: Tires should exhibit the same type of wear. The wear on front tires and back tires may differ, but one front tire should have the same amount of wear as the other and the same goes for the back tires.

Uneven tread on tires indicates that the tire with more wear could be about to go out.

Worn tread: Even drivers who know little about cars can typically recognize when tire tread has worn down to the point where the tire is a safety risk. But drivers who are unsure can employ the quarter test. Insert a quarter into the tread of the tire, with George Washington’s head upright. If you can see the hairline of the United States’ first president,

COME TO

then you need to replace the tire. Perform this test on each of your vehicle’s four tires.

Low pressure: Drivers who do not routinely check their tire pressure are more likely to endure a flat or blowout than those who regularly make sure their tires are at the manufacturer-recommended pressure, which can be found in a vehicle owner’s manual or by calling the tire manufacturer or visiting their website. An underinflated tire is under stress that can cause the tire to blowout. In addition, poorly inflated tires force engines to work harder, which negatively affects a car’s fuel efficiency.

Vibration: A car that vibrates excessively may do so because tires are damaged. Poor suspension is another cause of excessive vibration. Whatever is behind a car that is vibrating, drivers should immediately take the car to their mechanic for an inspection.

Physical damage to the tire: Sometimes tires exhibit physical damage like bulges or cuts, and such signs could mean a flat tire or blowout is just around the corner. Tires that exhibit such physical damage need to be replaced immediately. Flat tires and blowouts can prove both scary and inconvenient. Drivers who want to avoid such problems should routinely inspect their tires for indicators that a flat or blowout is likely to occur.

Supplied photo

Routinely checking tire pressure and inflating underinflated tires is one way drivers can reduce their risk of flat tires and blowouts.

Kallemeyn

via MasterCard® Reward Card after submission* when you buy any set of four new MICHELIN® passenger or light truck tires, including the new MICHELIN® Premier® A/S tire.

OFFER VALID 4/13/15 – 5/10/15. * See redemption form for complete offer details. Offer expires 05/10/2015. Void where prohibited. Reward Card issued by U.S. Bank National Association pursuant to license from MasterCard International Incorporated.

Copyright © 2015 Michelin North America, Inc. All rights reserved. The Michelin Man is a registered (708) 597-8040 | 12145 Ridgeland trademark owned

by Michelin NorthS. America, Inc. Ave., Palos Heights | www.kalltire.com

Kallemeyn Automotive Center Inc.

* See redemption form for complete offer details. Offer expires 05/10/2015. Void where prohibited. Reward Card issued by U.S. Bank National Association pursuant to license from MasterCard International Incorporated. Copyright © 2015 Michelin North America, Inc. All rights reserved. The Michelin Man is a registered trademark owned by Michelin North America, Inc.