Karen Sala

Karen Sala

Primrose here, spring on its way

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By Karen Sala

Your correspondent in Gage Park

(773) 471-1429 • karen.sala@hotmail.com

January, on average, is the coldest month of the year. I sure hope it doesn’t get any colder than it has been, although I would rather have cold than snow.

I bought a yellow Primrose the other day. You know what I always say: when the Primrose are out in Jewel, spring is on the way! You have to think positive.

My Christmas decorations are down. I sure could have used Timmy to help, but I had to do it myself. I’ll probably find something still hanging about May or June.

KarenSala2021

Karen Sala

January is National Soup Month. I’m making French Onion soup today. I was watching Dean Richards on WGN-TV, make it on his cooking segment. Now I have a taste for it. I’m probably not doing exactly what he did but it’s starting to look pretty good and smell good too. It should be a nice warmer upper on this terribly cold day!

I bought myself three new bread pans at Jewel the other day. The gremlins in my house better keep their hand off of them.

The 2022 Obama Foundation Scholars have been announced, and one of them is Samantha Alexandra Martinez, co-founder of the Gage Park Latinx Council, who is working to empower young people of color from the Southwest Side to imagine new possibilities and make positive changes in their communities. Congratulations, Samantha!

I don’t have any pets anymore–not even a goldfish. I always had dogs, birds, a cat, fish, frogs, turtles, etc. I don’t understand having an animal, be it a dog or a cat and not letting it in the house. I’ll admit I spoiled all my babies.

If you are cold, your pet is cold. I know some dogs are made for winter more than others, but that doesn’t mean they want to be out all day and night. It doesn’t mean they want to sit in the snow and ice. If you cannot be responsible, don’t own a pet.

When taking your dog for a walk, pay attention to the pads on their feet. Many people use salt on their sidewalks that is not pet friendly. Don’t let them lick the salt off their paws. Booties help, but I have never had a dog that would leave them on.

Brush them to stimulate blood flow and keep their skin and coat in good condition. Antifreeze is deadly to animals, so wipe up any spills and keep it out of your pets reach. If I had one, wouldn’t let my dog out by itself anymore. I would stay out and keep my eyes on it. There seems to be too many lost pets.

There is a challenge on Facebook asking that on what would have been Betty White’s 100th birthday, Jan. 17, everyone make a $5 donation to an animal shelter. This seems like a good challenge.

Mark Stubitsch, it was nice to see you the other day.

Local News

Carthage College’s men’s volleyball team is hoping for back-to-back Division III national championships. Photo by Carthage College.

College Report: Area alums gunning for back-to-back national titles with Carthage men’s volleyball

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer This Marist/Chicago Christian/Lyons connection could lead Carthage College to another national title. Marist setter Gene McNulty, Chicago Christian middle hitter Zach Bulthuis and Lyons outside hitter Matt Slivinski helped lead the defending national champs to the Final Four of the NCAA Division III men’s volleyball tournament with a…

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Baseball: Mt. Carmel’s Curtin tosses no-no in dominant DH sweep of Richards

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Spread the loveBy Steve Millar  Correspondent Shane Curtin’s Mount Carmel teammates made it a short outing for him on the mound. The senior pitcher made it a dominant one. Curtin, a Creighton recruit, threw a five-inning no-hitter as the host Caravan rolled to a 10-0 win over Richards in the opening game of a doubleheader…

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A century plus 2

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Spread the love   West Lawn resident Grace Williams walked a path of rose petals as she celebrated her 102nd birthday earlier this month at Senior Suites at Midway Village, 6800 S. Keating.   Born in 1920 in Huntsville, Ala., she still reads the Bible daily and is active with Landmark Baptist Church.   She…

Mayor Lori Lightfoot

Thousands of summer jobs coming for youths

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Spread the loveLightfoot unveils One Summer Chicago 2022  From staff reports Mayor Lightfoot and several City departments and agencies this week announced a variety of summer youth programming, including the 2022 One Summer Chicago (OSC) application. OSC 2022 will run from July 5 to Aug. 12 and marks the return of in-person job and life-skills…

U.S. Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García (D-4th)

Chuy says yes to marijuana act

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Spread the loveCalls war on drugs ‘racist and anti-immigrant’  From staff reports U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th) recently touted his vote for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. “Since the first anti-marijuana laws and throughout the war on drugs, marijuana policy has been constructed according to racist and anti-immigrant biases,” García said. “Even…

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County to vaccinate dogs, cats

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Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control has announced its 2022 Partners in Prevention clinic locations. ARC is partnering with local animal organizations to offer low-cost or free one-year rabies vaccines and microchips. Clinics are available to Cook County dogs and cats. Owners must bring proof of residency (driver’s license or…

Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart

Dart applauds action on ‘ghost guns’

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Spread the loveFrom staff reports Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart recently applauded the Illinois General Assembly for passing legislation to combat the proliferation of un-serialized “ghost guns” that are impossible to trace and make it harder to solve violent crimes. “Untraceable ghost guns pose a significant threat to our efforts to combat violence.” Dart…

Peggy Zabicki

A bright community with a dark problem

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Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place •  (773) 504-9327 West Lawn is a great neighborhood. Now that everything is finally open once again, we can find a little something for everyone. There’s dining, shopping, convenient transportation, places to take your kids, places of worship and a great local library.…

Kathy Headley

Preserve the park, preserve the planet

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Spread the loveBy Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 Last week we talked a bit about Earth Day plans in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor. Today let’s add another. This time it’s an opportunity to beautify the centerpiece of our neighborhoods: Marquette Park. For more…

Mary Stanek

Polish Easter traditions are cherished

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Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place •  (773) 284-7394 “If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street, if you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat. Cause I’m the taxman, yeah, I’m the taxman.” – the Beatles. Yes, the taxman is knocking on…

Neighbors

Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignation

Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignation

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Halfway through the 2024 election cycle and just a few weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy on Wednesday announced his resignation as head of the state Republican Party. Tracy, who’d held the job since February 2021, explained his resignation in…

As Illinois session ends, lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate wetland protections fails

As Illinois session ends, lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate wetland protections fails

by JENNIFER BAMBERG Investigate Midwest jennifer.bamberg@investigatemidwest.org In 2006, 19-year-old Jessica Whinston inherited 20 acres of land that her grandparents once farmed in Quincy, Illinois. The land had sat dormant since the 1980s and was overgrown, but Whinston and her husband Bradley worked to turn it into a productive farm. The couple were eventually able to…

Elections board dismisses illegal campaign coordination complaint, declines to clarify law

Elections board dismisses illegal campaign coordination complaint, declines to clarify law

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – State elections officials on Tuesday indicated they were unlikely to step in to clarify what constitutes illegal campaign coordination after voting to dismiss a complaint alleging such coordination in the 2022 campaign for governor. At their monthly meeting in Chicago, Illinois State Board of Elections members…

Illinois’ ban on ‘bump stocks’ remains in place despite U.S. Supreme Court decision

Illinois’ ban on ‘bump stocks’ remains in place despite U.S. Supreme Court decision

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois law banning the sale and use of “bump stocks” and other devices that increase the firing power of semiautomatic weapons remains in place, at least for now, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision Friday striking down a federal ban on such items. “Illinois law…

Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan

Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan

By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For the last two decades, each time a governor has moved to close a large state-run facility like a prison or mental health center, a legislative oversight panel has voted on the plan. That changed on Friday – at least for now –…

‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan

‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com LINCOLN – On the eve of a scheduled vote to advise Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on plans to close and rebuild a pair of dilapidated state prisons, hundreds filed into a junior high school gymnasium Thursday evening clad in matching green T-shirts. Printed on the shirts was a…

Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?

Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?

By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children.  The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although…

Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict

Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Members of a would-be union representing staffers in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office filed suit against their boss on Friday, asking a Cook County judge to force recognition of the union. The Illinois Legislative Staff Association, which formed in the fall of 2022, claims Welch’s…

Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign

Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A hearing officer is recommending the Illinois State Board of Elections dismiss a complaint that alleged conservative radio host and political operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated with former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey during his 2022 campaign for governor. Proft, a one-time gubernatorial candidate himself, is behind an…

Communities, commission push Pritzker admin for more prison plan details

Communities, commission push Pritzker admin for more prison plan details

By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Jimmy Soto spent more than 42 years wrongfully imprisoned in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. In 2020, he was moved to the “F-House” at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, a condemned unit, not because he was being punished, but because it was where the facility was housing individuals…