Mary Stanek

Mary Stanek

It only gets brighter from here

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By Mary Stanek

Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon

3808 W. 57th Place •  (773) 284-7394

Happy 2023 to us all! Time to bring out the pickled herring to eat at midnight, symbolizing a prosperous New Year.

We made it to the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year within the Northern Hemisphere, with only about 9 hours, 7 minutes of daylight. Things will only start getting brighter now.

MaryStanek

Mary Stanek

If you would like to learn how to help our community, please attend the Lions Club meeting at the Archer Heights Branch Library, 5055 S. Archer, on Saturday, Jan. 21 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Lions Clubs members have an opportunity to advance worthy causes while serving with friends and becoming leaders in the community.

Mark your calendars for the Midway Chamber of Commerce Valentine’s Comedy Jam. This will be held at Magoos Bar, 6550 S. Menard, Bedford Park, on Feb. 10 starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. There will be a cash bar, raffles and split the pot.

I would like to thank the daughters of Paul and Linda Young, Regina, Jolene and Nicole for inviting us to their parents’ home for one final goodbye before it sold. We shared such good memories of their parents and the neighborhood, and we laughed. The Young family was a staple within our community.

The block sure has changed neighbors through the years, as do blocks everywhere. That is why the saying is true, “The only thing constant in life is change.” We just briefly said hi to the new neighbors with this cold weather. But we hope to make friends.

Here is a shout out to the grocery store Save-a-Lot on 63rd street, The store partnered with St. Mary Star of the Sea and St. Turibius food pantry to help feed those in need at this Christmas season.

Happy Birthday on Jan. 3 to Faras from Peck School. He always stops to say hello to us when he is out and about. On the 4th we have John Rak and Michelle Jeropke having birthdays. John – we are overdue on sharing a beer. And finally on the 6th, Ana Lowe celebrates her birthday. May you all enjoy your day.

Local News

Peggy Zabicki

Paczki Day ahead, not behind

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Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place •  (773) 504-9327 If you read my column online last week, you might remember my reference to Paczki Day. I thought it took place on Feb. 9. I was shopping at a Jewel outside our neighborhood around that date, and I asked…

U.S. Rep. Marie Newman

Campaign 2020: 11 elected officials endorse Newman in primary 

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Spread the loveBy Bob Bong   Marie Newman’s bid to win the Democratic nomination in the new 6th Congressional District picked up steam Tuesday when 11 elected officials in Cook and DuPage counties announced they were endorsing her in the June primary over fellow incumbent Sean Casten. “Congresswoman Marie Newman has been a very strong and effective…

Among those at the Valentine Small Business Vender Pop-Up at the Monarca Event Room, 3300 W. 63rd St., were Brian and Alma Cabrales from Velia Bath Bombs, St. Nick’s Girl Scouts Lia Garcia and Layla Burns, Scout Mom Jennifer Burns, and Adriana Cardona from D Colores Accessories. --Greater Southwest News-Herald photo by Kathy Headley

Things were poppin’ at Valentine’s event

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Spread the loveBy Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 Last Saturday I stopped in at the Valentine Small Business Pop-Up at Monarca, on the northwest corner of 63rd and Spaulding. I really enjoy these events. I always walk out spending more than I planned, this…

Joan Hadac

The next correspondent could be you

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Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac GSWNH Columnist At-Large This week, it’s my privilege and pleasure to write the Greater Southwest News-Herald’s column for Greater Ashburn (the Wrightwood, Ashburn, Parkview and Scottsdale neighborhoods). Greater Ashburn has not had a correspondent in this newspaper since Carolina Franco stepped away from writing this column back in late 2019. Anyway,…

Kathy Headley

Bridget Ferriter, you will be missed

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Spread the loveBy Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 Last week I had the sad experience of attending the funeral of a good friend, Bridget Ferriter. We were neighbors for more than 30 years. We did things long-time neighbors do, like pop over for coffee…

Mary Stanek

To receive City services, you must ask

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Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place •  (773) 284-7394 The CHI311 website is the way to go, or a simple 311 phone call can help keep our neighborhoods clean and safe! To quote from an article written by Mike Kovac in the Archer Heights…

Peggy Zabicki

Winter Olympics bring back fun memories

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Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place •  (773) 504-9327 Have you been watching the Winter Olympics? My favorite sport is figure skating. It is beautiful and athletic. The athletes are so inspiring. I love to watch all the sports. I remember my family gathering around the TV, watching the Olympics in the early…

GSWNH_KeithThornton_021122

Mayor ‘out of control,’ hero says

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Spread the lovePolice ranks ‘thousands’ short, dispatcher tells Scottsdale  By Tim Hadac It’s not every day that a City worker has the courage to attend a public meeting and call a mayor “out of control.” But Keith A. Thornton Jr. did exactly that earlier this week on the Southwest Side. A 911 dispatcher hailed as…

GSWNH_FrontPageBottom_021122

Rockie is the new kid on the block

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Spread the love While some folks see heavy snowfall and curse the skies, children across the Southwest Side seemed thrilled with last week’s winter windfall. Schools cancelled classes, and kids like 9-year-old Rosie Arroyo showed her creativity by working with her father, Raul, to build a snowman in front of their home near 49th and…

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi

Kaegi, legislators, advocates unveil affordable housing initiative

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Spread the loveFrom staff reports Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi was joined by state legislators and affordable housing advocates earlier this week to launch the Affordable Housing Special Assessment Program, a new form of property tax relief recently signed into law. Kaegi worked with legislative partners who passed the law last spring, including State Sens.…

Neighbors

Stateville may close as early as September under Pritzker’s prison plan

Stateville may close as early as September under Pritzker’s prison plan

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Stateville Correctional Center could close as early as September under a plan laid out by Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on Friday. Top officials with the Illinois Department of Corrections testified in front of a key panel of state lawmakers. The 12 members on the General Assembly’s…

Labor-backed bill banning 'captive audience' meetings awaits House action

Labor-backed bill banning ‘captive audience’ meetings awaits House action

By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With two weeks left before the General Assembly’s spring session is set to adjourn, negotiations continue on a labor union-backed initiative that would allow Illinoisans to skip religious and political work meetings without reprimand.  Dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” Senate Bill 3649 advanced out…

House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs

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…

ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to call for cuts

ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to call for cuts

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com When Gov. JB Pritzker proposed his budget for the upcoming fiscal year in February, he sought authority from lawmakers to raise more than $1 billion in revenue through various changes to the state tax code.  Among other things, he sought to raise $526 million through extending an expiring…

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…