Peggy Zabicki
Meeting those new year’s challenges
By Peggy Zabicki
Your correspondent in West Lawn
3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327
Hi neighbors! I hope everyone is enjoying January. This is a good time to stay inside and organize your home. Start with a room or a closet or even a drawer. I decided to start with the cabinet that I keep plastic storage items in. I had polished off the last of the Christmas cookies and started to put the clean container away.
I opened the cabinet, and a Tupperware lid flew out and hit me in the head. This knocked some sense into me. I decided to do some serious organizing. I ended up with four containers and sixteen lids. Some of the lids can be recycled, but most cannot. Now I must find a space for useless Tupperware lids. New year, new challenges.
Last week I talked about the tradition of starting a new year’s exercise program. These days it’s hard to find fitness places that are open to all people.
I asked the good people at Midway Baseball Softball Association for advice on what type of indoor exercise would be good for keeping in shape, not only for kids in baseball leagues, but for everyone. They said, “The best is to do strength training that would involve a variety of movements that exercise large muscle groups. Some may include standing, grasping, pushing, etc. These exercises are often performed rhythmically with minimal equipment as body weight exercises. They are intended to increase strength, fitness and flexibility.”
I was also told that movements such as bending, jumping, using stretchy resistance bands and jump roping are good as well. Pick what works for you. Perhaps parents can exercise with their kids.
Midway Baseball Softball Association will be announcing their registration date for the spring season in the next few weeks. Their baseball games are held at Madigan Park, 4701 W. Marquette Road. Visit their Facebook page for more information.
Envision Community Services is once again offering their Snow Angels shoveling services for seniors and disabled. Call them at (773) 899-2897 or visit their Facebook page for more information.
Thank you to 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn for his recent efforts in trying to persuade Mayor Lightfoot to find solutions to get CPS students permanently back in the classroom. He wrote a letter to her and offered to help in any way he can. It truly is all about the children.
Twenty-third Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares reminds us to call her office at (773) 582-4444 for problems with potholes, water leaks, garbage carts, rodents, lights out in alleys and streets, and abandoned cars. Thank you, Alderman Tabares!
Do you still have a live Christmas tree? You may bring it to Wentworth Park, 5701 S. Narragansett, or Marquette Park, 6700 S. Kedzie, for recycling until Jan. 22.
CAPS Beats 813 and 833 meetings are starting up. For the time being, the meetings will be held online. The next meeting is scheduled 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25. Call the Chicago Lawn (8th) District police at (312) 747-8724 for registration information. There are no meetings scheduled for beat 823 at this time.
Here’s some follow up news for the Bank of America branch located at 61st and Pulaski. After many calls and emails, I have had no luck in getting information as to how long they will be closed. I received several calls from readers last week, wanting to know when they will be open.
Neighbors Ken and Lorry Spiwak called me and let me know that they visited the Bank of America branch at Archer and Narragansett recently. They asked a bank employee about the 61st Street branch and were told that this branch is permanently closed. This is sad news for their customers who live nearby and have depended on being able to do in-person banking. Thank you to Ken and Lorry for letting me know. I appreciate your sharing this news and really enjoyed talking with you.
Parishioners at St. Mary Star of the Sea wish a very happy birthday to Father Jesus and want to thank him for all he does for their church. May our Lord bless Father Jesus with health and happiness today and for the coming year.
As we all begin 2022, may all our efforts in self improvement, diet, exercise, reaching out to friends and family, and serving our community be done in joy.
“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” –Nelson Mandela
Local News
Boys Volleyball | Chicago Christian finishes April strong, takes second at Ridgewood Invitational
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent A busy and largely successful final seven days of April saw Chicago Christian briefly climb back to the .500 mark after a tough first month of the season. The Knights (11-12, 4-4 Chicagoland Christian Conference) have won seven of their past 10 matches, all of which were played over…
Work moving forward at Marquette Park
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . In the March 29 edition of the Greater Southwest News-Herald, I wrote a story about a town hall meeting at Marquette Park, we learned of some of the upcoming plans the Park District has for…
Sophia Smith’s brace sinks Red Stars
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Home has not been that sweet lately for the Chicago Red Stars. The team lost its second straight game at SeatGeek Stadium with a 2-0 setback to Portland in front of an announced crowd of 4,443 on April 27. Portland star Sophia Smith scored in the 10th and 26th…
Nazareth Academy celebrates ‘special talent’ J.J. McCarthy in NFL Draft
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Dennis Moran has no doubts that J.J. McCarthy – the former Nazareth Academy quarterback who is now with the Minnesota Vikings – will succeed in the National Football League. Moran was among about 60 or so Nazareth Academy fans, friends and coaches who gathered Thursday night at The Stadium Club…
Brother Rice names Al Perez next soccer coach
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A few new coaches are dotting the area high school athletic scene. One of the more notable hires was Brother Rice bringing Al Perez aboard as the soccer coach. Perez led Chicago Public League power Washington to a Class 2A state championship in 2013, a fourth-place finish in 2015…
First Secure Bank to host American Eagle gold coin sale
Spread the loveFrom staff reports First Secure Bank & Trust of Palos Hills announced its annual May sale of 1-ounce and ¼-ounce American Eagle Gold Coins, produced by the U.S. Mint, will take place from 10 a.m.to noon on Saturdays, May 4, May 11, May 18 and May 25. The sale will take place at…
Donate teddy bears to our local police
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . Have you ever seen the 1955 movie The Night of the Hunter? The children in this movie show such bravery and acceptance in what life has thrown at them. They have to deal with unimaginable events and sadness. …
Boy Scouts collecting tattered flags for disposal
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Goodbye April, hello May. Our American Flag, the symbol of our country, should always be treated with respect. But after bearing Chicago’s brutal winters and hot blazing summers along with being in the…
Boys Volleyball | Richards weathering struggles after run of success
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a tough weekend at the Smack Attack tournament, Richards got back into the win column with a two-set victory over Eisenhower in a South Suburban Red match. The Bulldogs made quick work of the Cardinals, winning 25-16, 25-15 on April 23 in Oak Lawn to snap a five-match…
Neighbors
Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions
By JERRY NOWICKI HANNAH MEISEL & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House moved quickly Wednesday to push through a change to state election laws that partially limits ballot access and adds three nonbinding referendums to the 2024 general election ballot. It’s a move that caused minority party…
After 3 years, state poised to enforce law aiming to end lending discrimination
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In 1977, then-President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law that sought to wipe away the last vestiges of racial discrimination and redlining in America’s home mortgage industry. The idea was simple. By requiring lenders – primarily banks – to make…
Capitol News Illinois partners with ‘Illinois Lawmakers’ program to bring it back to air
Capitol News Illinois announced today it will produce the long-running “Illinois Lawmakers” program this spring, in partnership with longtime host and producer Jak Tichenor. “This new partnership is absolutely critical to providing Illinois residents with reliable, independent, in-depth, up to date coverage from the Illinois Capitol after many newspapers and broadcasters shuttered their Statehouse bureaus over…
Election officials to weigh whether Darren Bailey and GOP operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated
By ANDREW ADAMS & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A year and a half after Republican Darren Bailey lost his campaign to challenge Gov. JB Pritzker, state election officials are weighing whether he illegally colluded with conservative radio show host and political operative Dan Proft in the 2022 campaign. The State Board…
Immigrant advocates tout new report showing benefits of state-funded health plans
By PETER HANCOCK and JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status. Those programs offer health coverage for low-income individuals who would otherwise qualify for…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Capitol Briefs: State unveils report on racial disparities among homeless populations
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Tackling homelessness requires addressing racial injustice, according to a new report commissioned by the state’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. The report found that Black people are eight times more likely to experience homelessness than white people. Remedying this disparity, according to the report, would require “long-term…
Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?
by Meredith Newman, Illinois Answers Project April 16, 2024 This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. The electricity in Mary Buchanan’s home in West Garfield Park was not working – again. The outage lasted four days, starting just after a crew dug up her front lawn to install a check valve in…
Bears pitch $3.2B stadium plan, but Pritzker still ‘skeptical’ despite team’s $2B pledge
By DILPREET RAJU & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Chicago Bears laid out a $3.2 billion plan for a new domed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront on Wednesday afternoon, painting pictures of future Super Bowls and other major public events while pinning their hopes on yet-to-be-had conversations with the governor and lawmakers. The Bears…
Regulators weigh future of gas industry in Illinois, while clamping down on Chicago utility
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Natural gas is fueling a fight between consumer advocates, a powerful utility company and the state. Amid competing advertising campaigns, accusations of mismanagement and state decarbonization efforts, the Illinois Commerce Commission is starting a process that will shape how the state regulates the increasingly controversial industry. …