Peggy Zabicki

Peggy Zabicki

Library has an offer you can’t refuse

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By Peggy Zabicki

Your correspondent in West Lawn

3633 W. 60th Place •  (773) 504-9327

Here’s some good news for movie lovers. Monday night movies are back at West Lawn Branch Library, 4020 W. 63rd St. On March 14, The Godfather will be shown at 4:45 p.m. Call ahead at (312) 747-7381 to reserve your spot.

It’s not too late to register your sons and daughters for the 2022 baseball and softball season at Midway Baseball Association. There are seven baseball divisions and six softball divisions for kids ages 5-18.  Games are played at Madigan Park, 4701 W. Marquette Road, and are open to all neighborhood kids. Visit their website at midway-baseball.com for more details.

PeggyZabicki

Peggy Zabicki

The ASTRRONGU Southwest Youth Council is now having after school activities every school day, Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. There will be arts and crafts, games, life skill classes and volunteer opportunities. All activities will take place at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, 6500 S. Pulaski. Send them an email for more information at astrrongu@gmail.com.

St. Nicholas of Tolentine School recently had their stairwells painted, thanks to the Big Shoulders Fund. This organization was inspired by Cardinal Bernardin and founded by a group of business and civic leaders in 1986. Their mission is to provide support to Catholic schools. Thank you to Joshua Hale and volunteers from Big Shoulders for doing such a nice job in painting the stairwells.

St. Nicholas of Tolentine will be having their annual scholarship dinner-dance (called Spring Fling) on Saturday, March 12. All are invited to join the celebration of the 2021-2022 Spirit of St. Nick Award, which will be held at European Chalet, 5445 S. Harlem. There will be dinner, drinks, dancing and raffle prizes. Tickets are $70 per person. Call (773) 735-0772 for more information.

At the February meeting of CAPS Beats 813 and 833, police reported that the number one crime in West Lawn is motor vehicle theft. In one month (Jan. 25 to Feb. 21 there were 15 car thefts reported). The number two crime is battery. In one month, sesven cases were reported. There were 19 arrests. Reported crimes are up 3% from last year. Thank you to our police for all they do to serve and protect.

Here’s some happy news. I recently received two wedding announcements in the mail. One is from my nephew, Joe, and his fiancé, Jamie. The second is from my nephew, Joel, and his fiancé, Alayne. Both weddings are scheduled for the upcoming fall season. Such good news! Congratulations to both couples.

Here’s a joke from my friend, Jo. Two little boys were at a wedding when one leaned over to the other and asked, “How many wives can a man have?”

His friend answered, “Sixteen: four better, four worse, four richer, four poorer.”

Thanks, Jo, and thank you to all for reading my column.

Local News

Kathy Headley

Construction season has arrived

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Spread the loveBy Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 Well, it’s official. The portable toilet has arrived on our corner, which told me the work by the gas company contractors was set to begin. No sooner had the pot landed, I began to hear the…

The Academy for Global Citizenship has ambition plans for a publicly-funded charter school in the Hearst area. --Supplied image

Pritzker green-lights Madigan improvement projects for SW Side

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Spread the loveWere briefly frozen after indictment  By Tim Hadac Three public works projects affecting the Southwest Side appear to be back on track now that Governor JB Pritzker has given the green light to their state funding. Funding had been jeopardized briefly by a request from 10 state representatives (none from the Southwest Side),…

GSWNH_FrankMcDermott_040122

Celebrating a century plus one

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Spread the love West Lawn resident Frank McDermott (right) crosses himself as he receives a blessing from Deacon Angelo Cordoba Jr. during Mass last Sunday at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, t celebrate his 101st birthday. Given the age difference between the two men, Cordoba joked that perhaps he should be the one receiving…

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush

Rush acts to extend civil rights ‘cold case’ term

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Spread the loveFrom staff reports A bill that would extend the term of the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board by three years was recently introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-1st). Established by the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act, which Rush introduced the House companion for and…

St. Xavier University's men's volleyball team will be heading to the national tournament for the third time in four years. Photo courtesy of St. Xavier University Athletics

Area college report: Ooms brothers lower the boom, propel Saint Xavier to national tourney

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer Good things happen when the Ooms brothers go boom. In this case, it means another trip to the NAIA National Tournament The siblings from Minooka High School combined for 18 kills on Saturday to lead the Saint Xavier men’s volleyball team to a 25-23, 25-18, 27-25 victory over…

Chicago Red Stars defender and Team USA mainstay Tierna Davidson, shown in a game in 2021, suffered and injury and will be out for the 2022 campaign. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Pro Soccer Report: Red Stars lose star defender Davidson for season

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer The Chicago Red Stars biggest loss of the exhibition season didn’t come during a game. It came during training. Defender Tierna Davidson will miss the season after tearing an ACL while practicing for the team’s second Challenge Cup game. Davidson is also a U.S. Women’s National Team member…

Lyons boys volleyball players have a spirited celebration after beating Lockport to win the 12-team Argo Invitational on Saturday. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Area Sports Roundup: Lions grow together while winning Argo Invitational

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer A few last-minute changes in the schedule forced Lyons to head into the Argo Invitational with just two matches under its belt this season. While some of the other teams in the tournament had played more matches, the Lions adapted and won the 12-team tournament with a 5-0…

The three business leaders (from left) Geno Randazzo of All Exterior Contractors, Mike Riordan of Mike Riordan State Farm Agency and Al Cacciottolo of First Rate Realty (shown here in
a joint effort to serve military veterans) say their current drive is focused on helping Clearing
and Garfield Ridge senior citizens live more safely and independently. --Supplied photo

Biz leaders launch effort to serve seniors

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Spread the loveFocus is on safety By Tim Hadac Several leading businesses serving the Southwest Side have forged a partnership to serve the community’s elderly residents. All Exterior Contractors, Mike Riordan State Farm Agency and First Rate Realty—all members of the Garfield Ridge Chamber of Commerce—are teaming up to offer safety inspections of seniors’ homes, all at no charge.…

GSWNH_BettysIceCream_040122

Serving more than ice cream

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Spread the loveBetty’s is a labor of love By Kelly White Boys and girls thrilled to see the seasonal reopening of Betty’s Ice Cream, 5840 S. Kedzie, are most likely unaware that behind their favorite ice cream cone, sundae or other frozen treat is more than a half century of love. It was February 1967…

Laura Ortega

Easter is a joyful season

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Spread the loveBy Laura Ortega Your correspondent in Greater Ashburn 4214 W. 82nd Place •  (773) 627-6679 Ladies and gentlemen, Easter is around the corner. What is Easter? Easter is a holiday that celebrates the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. After his crucifixion, death, and burial, three days later, he arose from the grave.…

Neighbors

State highway shootings decline as critics sue over ‘dragnet surveillance’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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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…