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Kathy Headley
Getting kids off their computers
By Kathy Headley
Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor
6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778
In case you were wondering, the gas company project over here on Francisco is moving along. I must say the contractors seem to be wasting no time and have been as respectful as possible. But alas, it is a messy project and I’m sure I speak for everyone here when I say we cannot wait for this to be finished.
Richard Deanda has been a soccer coach at Davis Square Park for the past nine years. He is starting a soccer club for kids ages 4 to 8 at Marquette Park.
“The idea is to get kids off the tablets,” said Gaby Torres, who is helping the coach promote the group. The games will be played on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to approximately 8 p.m. at 71st and St. Louis. To get your kids in on the fun, call Gaby at (773) 543-0099.
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Kathy Headley
The Southwest Regional Senior Center, 6117 S. Kedzie, is celebrating Older Americans Month by bringing back fitness programs, reopening the pool room, hosting games and movies and more. Super Bingo is coming on Thursday, May 26 at 10:30 a.m. The deadline to reserve your spot is this Monday, May 23. A $5 pre-payment will reserve your spot. All funds collected will go toward prizes.
How about some Tai Chi for better balance and flexibility? Orientation for Tai Chi Fitness Class will also be on Thursday, May 26, at 2:30 p.m. After that, classes will be held on Thursdays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. For more information on either of the above events call the center at (312) 747-0440.
Registration is now open for a free training program hosted by the Greater Southwest Development on learning how to grow your business on social media. Lessons will cover content creation, paid ads and more. Classes will be held on Tuesday May 31 and June 7, 14 and 21, from 8 to 10 a.m. To register, call (773) 735-6729.
Many of you may remember Sister Marilyn Kuzmickus, SSC, who just passed away at the age of 83. A 1955 graduate of Maria High School, Sister spent her first 11 years as an SSC teaching in the elementary grades at St. George School (Bridgeport), Immaculate Conception School (Brighton Park), and Sts. Peter and Paul School (West Pullman).
Among her many duties and accomplishments here, Sister served as Assistant General Superior of the order for two terms, was elected General Superior for ten years, was co-editor with Sister Agnesine Dering of the book, “The Founding of the Sisters of St. Casimir” and was Diocesan Postulator for the cause of Mother Maria’s sainthood. The Rite of Christian burial for Sister Marilyn was held last week and can be viewed through the Lack and Sons Funeral Home livestream at asimplestreaming,com/smkuzmickus.
When we left 1992 last week, we learned one of our local residents had just appeared as one of six contestants on the Illinois Lottery’s $100,000 Fortune Hunt. The television show, which aired on Saturdays at 6:30 p.m., was broadcast on WGN-TV (Channel 9). His name was Vito Lazauskas, and I am imagining his customers were gathering at his place of business to watch the proprietor on television when the show aired.
Jim K. knew we were talking about Vito’s Amber Lounge. Jim tells us Vito was the father of three, one boy and two girls. Vito first opened the doors to his business in 1978. The exact address was 2835 W. 71st St.
Now let’s go have something to eat. From Vito’s we’ll have to drive up to Kedzie, turn left down Kedzie, head south to 77th Street then turn left again into the parking lot at 7701. Many of us remember this restaurant as Aylward’s, a local favorite for sure. But in 1992 it was not called Aylward’s any longer. Anyone remember the name?
Local News
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Charge 2 in Ford City carjacking
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac A 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy have been charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking in connection with a crime that occurred in a Ford City parking lot at about 8:45 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 27. Travell Barnes, 19, of the 6800 block of South Hermitage, and the boy allegedly took a…
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Police reports
Spread the loveMan shot to death in Chicago Lawn A 23-year-old man was shot in the back of the head and killed in a crime that occurred in the 6400 block of South St. Louis at about 1 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 30. Officers responding to a “person down” call discovered the victim lying on the…
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Building a bridge at Daley College
Spread the love‘After 22’ program to help adults with disabilities By Tim Hadac For Chicagoans with developmental disabilities, their 22nd birthday can feel like falling off a cliff. That’s when they become ineligible for the special education transition services they’ve received all their lives. That ineligibility can last for up to seven years, until they…
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Society failed Melissa, Chuy says
Spread the loveCalls for more gov’t funds to fight violence From staff reports Hours after police announced the arrest of two suspects in the slaying of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega, U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th) issued the following statement. “Since the tragic death of Melissa Ortega, we have seen the resilience and strength of Little…
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Charge Brighton Pk. man with child’s murder
Spread the loveDrove getaway vehicle, police say By Tim Hadac A 27-year-old Brighton Park man and a 16-year-old boy have been charged with murder in the Jan. 22 slaying of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega in the Little Village neighborhood. Xavier Guzman, 27, of the 4600 block of South Fairfield, and the teen are in custody. Bond…
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Think before you answer a Facebook quiz, BBB says
Spread the loveBy Better Business Bureau staff Social media is used as a fun distraction for some people, and taking a Facebook quiz may seem like a harmless way to pass the time. But are you giving away more information than you think? How the scam works A fun quiz pops up on your Facebook…
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Thank you, Karen Sala
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac GSWNH Columnist At-Large As we all know, longtime Gage Park correspondent Karen Sala has decided to conclude her time with this column. Like every Greater Southwest News-Herald correspondent, Karen made the neighborhoods she served a better place. Thank you, Karen! That said, the search now begins for a new Gage…
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Crime prevention starts with each of us
Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 Hi neighbors! Before I say another thing, I want to wish my fellow columnist Karen Sala well. As you know, she wrote her final column last week. I love Karen’s style of writing. It’s conversational and natural. I always felt like she…
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Plenty to celebrate in February
Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 “February is the month when days start to get long and gloomy nights to shrink.” –Anonymous. Thank goodness there are only 28 days this year. We are getting closer to March. But it’s silly to…
Neighbors
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 –…
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‘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…
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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…
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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…
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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…