Mary Stanek

Mary Stanek

Restaurant wall comes alive with art

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By Mary Stanek

Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon

3808 W. 57th Place •  (773) 284-7394

Soar up high with the beauty and grace of a butterfly–Unknown author.

My favorite watering hole in years past, Andy’s, at 57th Place and Pulaski, has been a restaurant now for a few years. I recently noticed what they did with the outer wall on 57th Place. It is beautiful. An array of butterflies is flying out of the wall into the sky. It is a pleasure to look at.

The butterflies appear to be monarch butterflies, which are known for their migratory patterns. From the northern United States they travel many miles to their wintering spots in Mexico and Southern California.

MaryStanek

Mary Stanek

The Sts. Bruno & Richard School Breakfast with Santa will be held on the 18th from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free, but there will be items for purchase such as breakfast, photos and raffle tickets. This event will be held at the Kenneth campus gym, 5025 S. Kenneth.

The Staneks have been a part of the St. Bruno community for many, many years. Thus, remembering Deacon Sal Villa, who has ministered for half of a century at St. Bruno, a celebratory Mass of Thanksgiving will be held on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 4:30 p.m. at St. Bruno Church in his honor.

All parishioners are encouraged to attend this Mass. Afterward please join Deacon Sal in the school campus hall. For more information, please call the parish office at (773) 585-1221.

The next general membership meeting of the Archer Heights Civic Association is Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the St. Richard Parish Hall. It is predicted to be crowded. Rocc Bolden from U-Haul Company of South Chicago will present some design concepts for the future U-Haul storage facility near the Cicero Avenue Corridor. The drawing of the prizes for the annual fundraiser will also take place. Finally, this will be the first meeting were cake and coffee will be served, thanks to the lifting of the pandemic restrictions.

AHCA President Thomas S. Baliga made a very good point in a note in the group’s December newsletter. In a nutshell, he pointed out that at this time of year, we no longer see neighbors interacting with each other and children playing on our blocks. What we see are dark, deserted strips of concrete. So, doesn’t it make sense to leave the porch light or living room light on to help light up our blocks? It will also help the workers coming home from their jobs in the dark feel more secure.

Even walking my Oliver gets a bit creepy now after 5 p.m. What was the parade of dogs around the school starting at 6 p.m. or so, now starts by 4 p.m.

Happy Birthday wishes go to Sister Mary Beth Bromer on the 12th.

Local News

Mitzi Blanco and Julio Roa (center), of Copa Mariachi, with Emilio Herrera of JAG Sportswear are bringing an international soccer tournament to Bridgeview this summer. (Photo by Steve Metsch)

International soccer tournament coming to Bridgeview

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Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Thirty-two soccer teams from North, Central and South America will be at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview this summer, vying for their share of a $100,000 prize. Copa Mariachi Chicago will be played at the stadium June 4 and 5. The winning team will get $80,000, and the second-place team pockets…

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Grappling girls get their day at inaugural state finals

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Spread the loveBy Jason Maholy Sports Editor The last weekend of February 2022 was an historic one for Illinois high school athletics, as female grapplers from across the Prairie State converged on Bloomington for the inaugural IHSA girls wrestling state finals. The state finals were held Feb. 25 and 26 at Grossinger Motors Arena in…

Marist’s James Murphy and his teammates made three comeback attempts but could not top Homewood-Flossmoor in a regional final on Friday. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Boys Basketball: R-B, Lyons and De La Salle among seven area regional champs

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer St. Rita, Mt. Carmel, De La Salle, Curie, Lyons, Riverside-Brookfield and Nazareth survived the boys basketball regional wars last week and advanced to this week’s sectional action. Marist and St. Laurence were both a shot away from possibly joining them. Marist, the 10th seed in the Class 4A…

Nolan Harrison of Riverside-Brookfield sets state record in diving. Photo courtesy of Riverside-Brookfield High School

Area Roundup: R-B’s Harrison Nolan dives into record books

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Team USA diver Harrison Nolan capped off his high school career in a huge way. The Riverside-Brookfield senior smashed the record books en route to winning the IHSA state diving championship. The boys state swimming and diving finals were held Feb. 25 and 26 at the FMC Natatorium…

Chicago Police Department

Police Reports

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Spread the loveShot in the head and killed on Hermitage A 28-year-old man was shot in the head and killed as he sat in a vehicle in the 5300 block of South Hermitage at 6:05 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20. Police said the victim was approached by three unknown men who surrounded the vehicle and demanded…

Masks remain the order of the day at public and parochial schools across the city, although many appear to be ignoring public health advice on social distancing. As photos generated by the schools themselves show, it is not unusual for masked students to cluster—causing consternation among some but used by others to claim mask mandates are little more than “public health theater” that is more about appearances than preventing the spread of disease. --Supplied photo

Masks for the moment

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Spread the loveSchools still requiring face coverings By Peter Hancock Capitol News Illinois and Tim Hadac With all the machinations in Springfield over mask mandates for schools, parents in the city this week wondered if and when their children may remove their masks at school. “This is crazy,” said Brighton Park resident Ana Sanchez-Nowak. “Kids…

18th Ward Ald. Derrick G. Curtis

‘Will be great for everyone’

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Spread the lovePete’s coming to 87/Kedzie, Curtis says  By Tim Hadac Pete’s Fresh Market, which had been planned for the vacant Luther South High School site at the northeast corner of 87th and Kedzie, will instead move into the vacant Ultra Foods site on the northwest corner of the intersection. “This will be great for…

GSWNH_MahAndJB_022522

Tigers on Archer Avenue

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Spread the love State Rep. Theresa Mah (center) shares a joyful moment with Governor JB Pritzker at last week’s new year’s parade near Archer Avenue. This month begins the Chinese lunar new year, the Year of the Tiger, which will last into early January 2023. Mah’s district includes McKinley Park, which has a large and…

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle

Apply for violence prevention funds, Preckwinkle says

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Spread the loveFrom staff reports Community organizations engaged in violence prevention are invited to attend a series of virtual information sessions for the upcoming Gun Violence Prevention & Reduction Grant opportunity. The information sessions will help local organizations understand the application process for nearly $50 million in funding that will be awarded in the city and suburban…

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi

Kaegi hosts webinars on affordable housing

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Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Cook County Assessor’s Office has announced dates for its upcoming informational webinars about a new affordable housing property tax incentive. Created by state statute, the Affordable Housing Special Assessment Program provides property tax relief to incentivize the creation, rehabilitation and maintenance of affordable housing units in Cook County. While…

Neighbors

State officials offer last goodbye to former Thompson Center as renovations begin

State officials offer last goodbye to former Thompson Center as renovations begin

By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State officials kicked off the private renovation of the building which once served as the state government’s Chicago headquarters.  The James R. Thompson Center, as it was known under state ownership, was sold in 2022 to a development firm that is renovating the building for its…

Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen

Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen

By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com As state lawmakers hold hearings targeting the role of pharmacy benefit managers – an influential arm in how the health insurance industry prices prescription drugs – multiple state agencies are considering how to better regulate the industry. Often referred to as pharmaceutical “middlemen,” PBMs act as third-party intermediaries…

Thousands of youths at risk of losing access to after-school programs

Thousands of youths at risk of losing access to after-school programs

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for community-based after-school programs say as many as 40,000 youths statewide could lose access to tutoring services, recreation and other extracurricular activities this summer unless Illinois lawmakers approve an infusion of funds to keep them going. “The time is now for legislators to act to…

Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers

Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Rampant sexual abuse occurred unchecked for decades at Illinois’ juvenile detention centers, a new lawsuit filed on behalf of 95 former detainees alleges, citing hundreds of incidents over more than two decades. The plaintiffs were boys between 12 and 17 years old when the alleged abuse occurred and…

House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo

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…

Remembering Lee Milner

Remembering Lee Milner

NEWS TEAM Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com On Wednesday, April 17, the Springfield, Illinois Capitol and journalism communities lost a devoted friend and advocate when Lee Milner passed away. As Dean Olsen wrote in his piece in the Illinois Times earlier this month, “Readers of Illinois Times often have seen Milner’s work as a freelance photojournalist. But…

Former state trooper who caused fatal crash halts effort to get driving privileges restored

Former state trooper who caused fatal crash halts effort to get driving privileges restored

By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com The former Illinois State Trooper who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter of two sisters in 2007 has abandoned his efforts to have a hearing into the restoration of his driving privileges – for now.  Matt Mitchell, 45, requested at least two delays in the hearing after he failed…

Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?

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…

Lawmakers pitch sweeping changes to energy industry and Chicagoland transit system

Lawmakers pitch sweeping changes to energy industry and Chicagoland transit system

By ANDREW ADAMS  Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com A group of lawmakers and influential environmental advocates are calling for broad changes to the state’s energy industry and a massive increase in state oversight of Chicagoland’s transit system – which faces a projected $730 million budget shortfall.  Advocates for the policy platform, which is broken up into…

Democrats flex muscle to kick off final month of session as revenues remain on track

Democrats flex muscle to kick off final month of session as revenues remain on track

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With about three weeks to go before the Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn its spring legislative session, supermajority Democrats showed their strength this week as fiscal forecasters noted state revenues remain on track. April is typically a make-or-break month for state coffers, as income…