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.
Joan Hadac
- 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
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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
Nursing home industry unlikely to see much help from Springfield in tough budget year
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com It’s been four years since some of the worst scenes of COVID-19 played out in locked-down nursing homes during the early months of the pandemic. But while most of the world has moved on, the nursing home industry is still reeling from COVID, which exacerbated pre-existing challenges in…
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he…
House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com After Illinois received another failing grade from a national advocacy group, state House Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at further protecting victims and prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking. Shared Hope International, an advocacy organization that works to prevent sex trafficking, said in its 2023 Illinois report card that…
Hundreds of bills pass, including changes to state’s biometric data privacy law
By HANNAH MEISEL COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABEDDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers passed more than 200 bills this week ahead of their scheduled May 24 adjournment. Many of the measures will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker, including a bill that changes how damages accrue under Illinois’ first-in-the-nation biometric data privacy law.…
Pritzker pledges to expand access to mental health care in Illinois
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In the middle of Mental Health Awareness Month, Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton hosted a panel in Springfield this week at which he pledged to expand the state’s behavioral health services. With several dozen services providers from around the state in attendance, Pritzker…
With 1 week left in session, Pritzker admin says all revenue options remain on the table
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com While the governor’s office instructed its agency directors to prepare for $800 million in potential budget cuts last week, all facets of his plan to raise $1.1 billion in revenue to avoid those cuts remain under consideration. Read more: ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to…
Illinois launches summer food assistance program
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state is launching a new program to provide food assistance during the summer for families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. Gov. JB Pritzker joined other state officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday to announce that Illinois will…
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he…
House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House gave final passage Thursday to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education. By the time it’s fully operational in 2026, the new…
As vacated Centralia funeral home prepares for new tenant, owner makes a startling find
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com In the basement of a Centralia funeral home in a dark hallway off the embalming room, tucked inside a nook behind two steel plates and a door, a visitor found three disembodied, neatly wrapped human legs, two of them marked with names and dated to the 1960s. The…