Mary Stanek
Time for pierogi, golabki and Żywiec
.
By Mary Stanek
Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon
3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394
Polish Constitution Day is celebrated this week on May 3. It is a national holiday celebrating the declaration of Poland’s constitution in 1791. It was “de-listed” but reestablished after the fall of communism.
So Happy Constitution Day to my Polish readers, and to all! Time to visit our Polish delis for pierogi, golabki, sausage and to wash all that down with a Żywiec.
I’ve been invited to the coronation of King Charles III on May 6. Yes, my friend from Evergreen Park has invited me to her public library for high tea and finger sandwiches in celebration while we will be wearing our fascinators. If you want to see coronation on live TV, be prepared to wake up by 5 a.m.
If you live in West Elsdon and want to help your community on May 6, you can make a difference. Volunteers in CPD Beat 822 are having a clean-up event starting at 55th and Lawndale. It’s a chance to meet neighbors, build a stronger community and even burn some calories.
Please bring a garbage bag, gloves and or a trash grabber. If you are on Facebook you can search Beat 822 for more information on the event.
If you care to help our friends to the west and are hungry for a good breakfast, Cub Scout Pack 3475 is having a pancake breakfast on from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 7 at St. Daniel the Prophet School, 54th and Natoma. Breakfast will be served in St. Daniel’s school basement and include pancakes, sausage, eggs, coffee, juice, milk and dessert. Admission is $8, Children age 5 and under eat for free.
This Saturday is the Fiesta Night event at the Sts. Bruno and Richard School’s campus at4839 S. Harding. Tickets on the day of the event are $30. It starts at 6 p.m. Please visit givecentral.org/otp/36987 for tickets.
Mark your calendars for May 19 if you are close to Hubbard High School. There will be a Hubbard-palooza starting at 4 p.m. It is a free art and music festival. There will be food trucks with refreshments for sale, raffles, vendors and family fun, to name a few things.
Happy Birthday wishes go to Katarzyna Kojtek, Fabiola Mejia-Montalto and Cynthia Aranda during this week. Congratulations also go out to those who have recently made the Catholic celebration of Confirmation from Sts. Bruno and Richard and the St. Turibius religious education programs.
Local News
Property values soar 31% in Lake Township
Spread the loveCook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi has announced the initial reassessments for residential and commercial properties in Lake Township, marking an important update for property owners. On August 29, Kaegi revealed a 31% increase in the total assessed value, driven by the changing real estate market over the past three years. With reassessments happening…
Sisters of St. Casimir join forces with Immaculate Heart of Mary
Spread the loveAs they have every year, the Sisters of St. Casimir prepared to celebrate the anniversary of their founding at the end of August. But this would be much different than in past years when Summerfests adorned the sprawling grounds of the Motherhouse on Marquette Road. Just as those fests were important to the…
Football | Libertyville downs Richards for second year in row
Spread the loveLibertyville 48, Richards 15 Libertyville beat Richards in Week 2 for the second straight season, this time 48-15, to drop the Bulldogs to 1-1. Jaiden Henry scored on a 20-yard reception and Myles Mitchell tallied on a 2-yard TD run for Richards. The Bulldogs travel to Eisnehower this week for both teams’ South…
Football | Nazareth’s Logan Malachuk completes nine passes — six of them for TDs — in romp
Spread the loveNazareth 42, Kenwood 15 Nazareth senior quarterback Logan Malachuk threw for 275 yards and six touchdown passes as the Roadrunners (2-0) trounced Kenwood, 42-15, in a non-conference matchup in LaGrange Park. Malachuk, who has been under center the past two seasons as nazareth won back-to-back state championships, did that damage despite completing only…
Football | Flutman and Boersma connect for four scores as Chicago Christian tops Elmwood Park
Spread the loveCaden Boersma returned a punt for a touchdown and caught four scoring passes from Christian Flutman as Chicago Christian defeated Elmwood Park, 49-16, on Sept. 6 in Palos Heights. Kenny Jager had a rushing TD for the Knights (2-0), who were up 49-0 at halftime. Chicago Christian plays at Wheaton Academy this week.
Football | Jake Ritter shines and Marist is great late in win over Brother Rice
Spread the loveIt’s a new era at Marist under first-year head coach Mike Fitzgerald and his staff. But the more things change, the more they stay the same; at least when it comes to the recent history of the program’s annual neighborhood matchup with Brother Rice. RedHawks running back John McAuliffe’s second touchdown of the…
Northern Illinois likely wrecks Notre Dame’s season
Spread the loveThe Northern Illinois football team pulled off the biggest win in school history and the biggest stunner of the 2024 college football season thus far with a 16-14 win over 5th-ranked Notre Dame on Sept. 7 in South Bend. Three former area players are on the Huskies’ roster. Former Shepard star Roy Williams,…
National Football Players Father’s Association honors Hall of Famer Steve McMichael
Spread the loveThe Chicago Bears honored former defensive tackle and newly inducted Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve McMichael during the team’s home opener on Sept. 8 at Soldier Field. Three days earlier, McMichael he was honored by the National Football Players Fathers Association. The new vice president of that group is Orland Park Fire…
Girls Volleyball | St. Laurence strong on and off the court
Spread the loveThe St. Laurence girls volleyball players are competitive on and off the court. On the court, the Vikings made it to Class 3A Supersectional play the past two seasons before ending those campaigns with losses to Joliet Catholic in 2022 and St. Ignatius in 2023. They are off to a big start this…
Neighbors
In bribery trial, AT&T lobbyists detail contentious meeting with Madigan ally
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – On an afternoon in late April 2017, recently retired state Rep. Eddie Acevedo was called to a meeting in the state Capitol in Springfield. The 20-year veteran lawmaker had joined his sons’ lobbying firm and was looking for work. Meeting with a trio of lobbyists for…
A year after end of cash bail, early research shows impact less than many hoped or feared
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – One year after Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate the use of cash bail, the impact on the state’s criminal justice system appears to have been far less dramatic than people on either side of the debate had predicted. That, at least,…
ADM carbon sequestration project violated Safe Drinking Water Act, per EPA
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com DECATUR – Agribusiness giant ADM violated federal regulations, a federal permit and the Safe Drinking Water Act earlier this year when a monitoring well at their carbon sequestration site in Decatur leaked liquified carbon dioxide into “unauthorized zones,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In an August…
On witness stand, former AT&T lobbyist describes how Madigan ally got $22,500 contract
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – The day before Thanksgiving in 2016, then-AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza read some news that frustrated him. It seemed that energy giant Exelon, the parent company of Chicago-based electric utility Commonwealth Edison, was going to get a big assist from Springfield that would prevent it…
Coroner’s affidavit shows as many as 800 human remains could have been misidentified
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com As many as 800 families across the country who patronized a Carlinville funeral home may never know if the remains on their mantles belong to their loved ones, according to an affidavit signed by Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon. The affidavit was filed in a lawsuit pending against…
Calculated bribe or ‘kiss up’ to Madigan? Corruption trial kicks off for former AT&T boss
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – As the federal corruption trial of former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza formally kicked off on Wednesday, prosecutors and defense attorneys painted two very different pictures of a political hire the telecom giant made in 2017. La Schiazza is accused of bribing former Illinois House…
Supreme Court hears cases pertaining to detention under the SAFE-T Act
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a pair of cases that test the authority of local courts to hold criminal suspects behind bars while they await trial. The cases come almost one year to the day after the court allowed a new law abolishing…
Supreme Court hears cases pertaining to detention under the SAFE-T Act
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a pair of cases that test the authority of local courts to hold criminal suspects behind bars while they await trial. The cases come almost one year to the day after the court allowed a new law abolishing…
Jury selection begins in trial of former AT&T Illinois boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Jury selection is set to begin Tuesday in the trial of former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza, who federal prosecutors allege bribed once-powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation in Springfield. It’s the last in a series of related trials that…
East St. Louis forum to tackle persistent childhood poverty
By MOLLY PARKER Capitol News Illinois mparker@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois has the potential to eradicate childhood poverty, but it will require a concentrated, sustained effort in partnership with families and disadvantaged communities, says Tasha Green Cruzat, president of Children’s Advocates for Change, a Chicago-based nonprofit focused on childhood wellbeing. This hope drives the focus of the policy…