Joan Hadac
Plenty of news in Greater Ashburn
By Joan Hadac
Greater Southwest News-Herald correspondent-at-large
(708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com
This week, I’m filling in for Laura Ortega, the Greater Southwest News-Herald’s correspondent for Greater Ashburn (the Wrightwood, Ashburn, Parkview and Scottsdale neighborhoods). So let’s get right to it.
- A friendly game of 16-inch softball (Scottsdale Neighborhood Watch versus Chicago Police) is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4 at Rainey Park, 4350 W. 79th St. Should be quite a bit of fun, assuming the weather cooperates. Stop by and cheer on the players! Thanks to RE/MAX Mi Casa and Nisreen Salman-Hernandez for sponsoring the game.
- The next flea market at St. Bede Parish is set for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 4 at the west end of the church parking lot at 83rd and Kostner. If you are selling, you must bring your own table and chairs.
- If you want to sign up your children for Religious Education at St. Bede Church for the 2022-23 school year, registration begins Monday, June 6. For details, call (773) 884-2000.
- Recently baptized at St. Bede are Mason Brown, Madelyn Rose Brown, Yareth Álvarez, Felipe Sánchez, Joziah García, Julián Benjamín Figueroa, Juan Vargas, Bruno De Anda, Lucas López and Nuvia Álvarez. Congratulations!
- The Scottsdale Neighborhood Watch’s next general meeting is set for 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 16. It will be held via Zoom. Go to tinyurl.com/SNWJune2022Meeting to join.
- Eighteenth Ward Ald. Derrick G. Curtis will present his annual pet health fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 25 at his ward office, 8359 S. Pulaski. Staff from Chicago Animal Care and Control will provide such services as vaccinations and micro-chipping. Dogs must be leashed, and cats must be in secure carriers. Services are available to 18th Ward residents, who must present an ID. For details, call the ward office at (773) 284-5057.
- Congratulations to the winning student government candidates for 2022-23 at St. Rita High School. Sophomore class officers are Thomas Healy, Francisco Juarez, Marty McMullin, Aidan O’Brien and Tommy Perry. Junior class officers are Owen Cooney, Sean Larkin, Richie Lippert, Liam Nolan, Dom Polselli and Raymone Saffold. Senior class officers are Charlie Armbruster, Collin Gerger and Joey Larkin.
Senior Student Government Secretary is Noah Robinson. Senior Student Government Vice President is Owen Manning, and Senior Student Government President is Joey Kuska. Many all of you serve with wisdom and humility.
- Save the date! The Scottsdale Neighborhood Watch is having a fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 15 at Angie’s Sports Bar & Pizzeria, 8352 S. Pulaski. Headlining the event will be Ed Hill & The Unusuals, an outstanding classic-rock cover band. Free admission. Angie’s owner Robbie Corso is generously donating a portion of all food/beverage sales to the SNW. Plus, I hear there will be a friendly dance contest, so sharpen your moves and get ready to groove!
- Well, that’s all for this week. Time for dinner, and rest assured I’ll keep it local. I never understand why some folks reflexively rush off to the suburbs to eat when we have good choices right here in the neighborhood. So tonight, it’s carryout from Caribbean Jerk Palace, 3792 W. 79th St. I think I’ll order the jerk tilapia with a side order or rice and peas. My husband is going with the beef short ribs and a side of candied yams, and my younger daughter chooses the jerk tacos with a side of fried plantains. All three of us will have the peach cobbler for dessert. Check out Caribbean Jerk Palace online.
Local News
Property tax bills due soon, Pappas says
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas recently mailed nearly 1.8 million Tax Year 2021 First Installment property tax bills. Payments are due March 1, 2022. The First Installment is 55% of the previous year’s total tax. Exemptions that can reduce a property owner’s taxes are applied to the Second Installment bill.…
Scout Sunday at St. Mary Star of the Sea
Spread the love Members of Boy Scout Troop 1441, sponsored by the St. Mary Star of the Sea Holy Name Society, as well as their families, attended Mass last weekend at St. Mary’s on what is traditionally Scout Sunday in churches across America. It also signals the start of a month of celebration in recognition…
Rush wants fair shake for independent auto repair shops
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A proposed law designed to preserve consumer access to high quality, affordable vehicle repair was introduced recently by U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-1st). The Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act (HR 6570) would ensure that vehicle owners and independent repair shops have equal access to…
Brother Rice’s 11-game win streak ends with loss to Leo
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer In seemingly a blink of an eye, Brother Rice picked up as many losses as it had all season. The Crusaders headed into last weekend’s action with a 21-2 record and was 10-0 in the Chicago Catholic League Blue. But Friday night, they suffered a 56-50 setback to…
Area Sports Roundup: Six area girls bowling teams headed to sectionals
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer Six area girls bowling teams are headed to sectionals. Reavis and Stagg won IHSA regional titles last Saturday, and four other teams have advanced to this weekend’s action. Reavis won its own regional at Palos Lanes in Palos Hills with a 5,378 in six games, well ahead of…
Marist cheerleaders takes 2nd in state
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer After Marist’s cheerleaders watched a video of their state finals performance on Feb. 5, there were some long faces and tears as the girls filed out of the video room and into the cooling-off room. After a long meeting, there were more long faces. “I’ve had better days,”…
Charge West Lawn man in 47th St. slaying
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac An 18-year West Lawn man has been charged with murder in connection with the June 11 slaying of a 20-year-old woman in the 4700 block of South Rockwell. Dilan E. Ugalde, of the 3600 block of West 62nd Place, was apprehended by members of the Chicago Police Department and the Great Lakes Regional…
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…
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…
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…
Neighbors
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. …
Komatsu mining truck named 2024 ‘coolest thing made in Illinois’
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A mining truck manufactured by Komatsu was crowned the winner of the 2024 “Makers Madness” contest, earning the title of “the coolest thing made in Illinois” at the Governor’s Mansion Wednesday. The truck was one of more than 200 entries in the 5th annual contest hosted…
Giannoulias calls for disclosure of lobbyist contracts
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For decades, lobbyists in the Illinois Statehouse have been required to report how much they spend wining, dining and entertaining lawmakers. Currently, though, there is no law requiring lobbyists to disclose how much they are paid by corporations, industry groups or other special interest organizations. That…
Illinois Senate advances changes to state’s biometric privacy law after business groups split
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – It’s been more than a year since the Illinois Supreme Court “respectfully suggest(ed)” state lawmakers clarify a law that’s led to several multi-million-dollar settlements with tech companies over the collection of Illinoisans’ biometric data. On Thursday, a bipartisan majority in the Illinois Senate did just that,…
Illinoisans can now get documents notarized online
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinoisans who need a notary public can now access those services online through a new “E-Notary” portal launched by the secretary of state’s office. This process is one of the latest initiatives of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ ongoing effort to modernize the office and its services. Notaries…