Karen Sala
So long, and see you around
By Karen Sala
Your correspondent in Gage Park
(773) 471-1429 • karen.sala@hotmail.com
Baby, it’s cold outside. It’s almost the end of January. I am so ready. I can’t wait for spring to get here. The only good thing about winter is when it’s over. However, I do like cooking and baking in the winter.
The ice in my alley has finally melted, and it’s back to cement–just in time to snow again. This ice was weird. It wasn’t lumpy and didn’t have ruts and ridges. It was like someone turned the hose on to make a skating rink. I’m glad it’s gone.
I’m really proud of myself because I have not done any online shopping this year. I go to work and come home. I don’t even know the last time I was in a store. Let’s see how long I can keep it up.
Karen Sala
The next holiday we can look forward to is Valentine’s Day on Monday, Feb. 14. I have been told that Easter merchandise is already on the shelves in some stores. I know time stands still for no man, but why do we have to go and rush everything?
I have decided this will be my last column in the Greater Southwest News-Herald. I have enjoyed keeping you posted on what was happening in the neighborhood. I hope you liked reading my column as much as I liked writing it.
I’m not exactly sure how long, but I have been writing it for many years. It was fun, but I don’t enjoy it like I used to. That means it’s time for a change. We need some new blood, someone else to take over. I met a lot of nice people, some of you in person and some through letters, cards and phone calls. I’ll never forget you.
Hopefully this pandemic is on its way out and we can get back to a normal life. Until then, please get vaccinated, wear your mask and try to stay healthy. I’ll see you around the neighborhood!
(Editor’s note: Thank you, Karen Sala, for your years of service to this newspaper, as well as the entire Gage Park community.)
Local News
Rush accuses DOJ official of lying
Spread the loveSays never spoke with Laquan McDonald’s mother By Tim Hadac U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-1st) essentially accused the Biden Administration of lying this month, in the wake an announcement that the U.S. Department of Justice would not prosecute the police officer convicted of murdering Laquan McDonald. The congressman was reacting to U.S.…
May is bursting with things to do
Spread the loveBy Laura Ortega Your correspondent in Greater Ashburn 4214 W. 82nd Place • (773) 627-6679 First, I want to wish a most special birthday to my son, Ivan, who will be an official teenager on May 2. I will have three teens under one roof. Oy vey! Second, I want to congratulate my…
Lions Club offers eyeglass vouchers
Spread the loveWill be at Archer Heights Library By Tim Hadac People of limited means who need eyeglasses but have trouble affording them are encouraged to be at the Archer Heights Branch Library, 5055 S. Archer, from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 4–where a Lions Club International volunteer will be handing out vouchers worth…
Stars and Stripes 5K run returns
Spread the loveWill honor fallen CPD commander By Tim Hadac Hundreds of men, women and children will run, jog, walk or roll through the streets of western Garfield Ridge in about nine weeks, in part to honor the ultimate sacrifice made by a Chicago Police commander. The Stars and Stripes 5K Run will be held Saturday,…
Lesson learned about importance of shredding
Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 Happy Arbor Day! We celebrate on the 29th of April and hopefully plant trees. I mentioned previously that there will be a paper shred event on June 4 at Byrne Elementary School in Garfield Ridge,…
Put on your walking shoes and start moving
Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 Spring has sprung here in West Lawn. There are so many activities going on. I hope everyone has a chance to enjoy the good things our neighborhood has to offer. The West Lawn walking group continues to meet at West…
Golfers swing into spring at the park
Spread the loveBy Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 On nice mornings as I drive by the fieldhouse parking lot, start to see cars filling the lot and cars begin to park along Mann Drive. I know why. The Marquette Park Golf Course has opened…
Farmers Insurance® names Sandra Cavoto to Presidents Council
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Farmers Insurance® agent Sandra Cavoto has been named to the national insurer’s Presidents Council, the Los Angeles-based organization recently announced. Cavoto maintains an office in Clearing, at 6118 W. 63rd St., as well as in Burr Ridge and downtown Chicago. Membership in Presidents Council is the organization’s most elite honor…
Kaegi cheers passage of bill to help seniors, vets, people with disabilities
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi recently praise the passage of SB1975, a bill in the Illinois General Assembly that creates automatic renewal options for the people with disabilities and veterans with disabilities exemptions and expands income verification options for the low-income senior citizen exemption. The bill, which passed both the…
Police Reports
Spread the loveCrime reports courtesy of swchicagopost.com. Police report information is provided by law enforcement agencies. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken, and people charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Man shot in Brighton Park A 50-year-old man was…
Neighbors
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…
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…
Another Choate Mental Health Center employee indicted for abuse of resident
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Another caregiver at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna is facing charges for abusing a patient. A grand jury indicted Joseph A. Clark, 24, of Grand Chain, on a felony charge of aggravated battery and a misdemeanor charge of battery. Clark pinned a Choate resident to…
State highway shootings decline as critics sue over ‘dragnet surveillance’
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois State Police say an automated license plate reader program has helped the agency identify witnesses or suspects in 82 percent of highway shooting cases this year, including all eight that resulted in a death. But as the state looks to further expand its network of more than…
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…
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…
Pritzker signs bill creating new Department of Early Childhood
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday creating a new cabinet-level state agency dedicated to early childhood education and development. The new Department of Early Childhood, which will become operational in July 2026, will take over programs currently housed across three state agencies, including funding for preschool…
Speaker Welch rebuffs lawsuit from would-be staff union as ‘forum shopping’
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is urging a Cook County judge to dismiss a lawsuit members of his staff filed against him last month seeking to force recognition of their union. In a new filing Monday, attorneys for Welch argued the Illinois Legislative Staff Association has no…
Advocates say SCOTUS ruling paves way for law ensuring abusers have guns confiscated
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com After the U.S. Supreme Court last week upheld a federal law that bars those under domestic violence-related restraining orders from owning guns, victim advocates say Illinois lawmakers should pass a measure to ensure firearms are actually confiscated in those situations. The legislation has been stalled for more than…
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…
