Peggy Zabicki
Pols want smaller police district
.
By Peggy Zabicki
Your correspondent in West Lawn
3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327
.
Crime is one of our top concerns, according to feedback I get from readers of this newspaper, in addition to opinions expressed at neighborhood meetings.
Thirteenth Ward Ald. Marty Quinn and State Rep. Angelica “Angie” Guerrero-Cuellar (D-22nd) are attempting to address those concerns by launching a community-wide petition drive to send to the CPD Superintendent to create a new and smaller Chicago Lawn (8th) District. The district is one of the largest in the city.
The proposed boundaries would extend from I-55 on the north to 87th Street on the south; and going east to west from Central Park to Harlem. This new map would reduce the residents in the district from 250,000 to 150,000, which proponents say would improve public safety by making it easier and more efficient for police to serve and protect us.
Peggy Zabicki
If this issue is important to you, now is the time to visit the 13th Ward Office, 6500 S. Pulaski, and sign their petition. If you have any questions, call them at (773) 581-8000.
A celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month will take place at West Lawn Park, 4233 W. 65th St., on Friday, Oct. 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. There is no admission charge, and all are invited. There will be arts and crafts for the kids, live entertainment and displays from several countries. If you have questions, call (773) 284-2803.
The West Lawn Branch Library, 4020 W. 63rd St., will be hosting a Teen Video Game Zone on Thursday, Oct. 19 from 4 to 6 p.m. Everyone age 13-19 is invited to hang out and play video games on Nintendo Switch game consoles. lf you have any questions, call Beatriz at (312) 747-7381.
In last week’s column I asked what you would like to see at the old Kmart site at 7050 S. Pulaski. I got a lot of calls about that, and I appreciate every call. The majority of the callers would like to see a grocery store there. I would like to see something really big like the Shop and Save store on Archer near Central. They have a little restaurant and bakery, a huge deli and produce department, in addition to a big meat department and international grocery items.
Another suggestion for the space is a convention center because of its size at 96,000 square feet and close proximity to Midway International Airport and the Midway hotel complex. Other suggestions are a concert and entertainment venue, a Costco, a Sam’s Club, indoor batting cages, a Kidzone indoor play place and an IKEA store. Thank you for your great suggestions.
Recently, Queen of the Universe School hosted a 50-year reunion party. Donations from the class of 1973 totaled $1,350 and will be used for the purchase of two new basketball hoops for the school. Congratulations and best wishes to all. Go Cobras!
The Calvary Lutheran Church Senior Club would like to extend happy birthday wishes to Juanita V., Ruth W., Lorretta W., JoAlice R., Xueyan Z. and Lorrie L. May the dear Lord bless each one of you with happiness and good health on your birthdays and the coming year.
Columbus Day takes place on Oct. 9. This is a good day to display our flag on your front porch. I am grateful for Christopher Columbus’ bravery, knowledge and leadership as he followed the orders of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, to find a faster route to India—but instead discovered our great land.
Happy Columbus Day to all!
Local News
Pro soccer report: Red Stars clinch playoff spot; Fire names new coach
If the Red Stars had their choice, they would rather have beaten Gotham on Sept. 12 to secure a spot in the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs. Instead, the Red Stars suffered a 2-0 loss to the defending NWSL champions at SeatGeek Stadium, and 24 hours later clinched a spot in the playoffs when Washington…
Saquan Commings’ pick-six highlights Curie shutout of Mather
Slowly but surely, Curie is learning how to win again. The Condors were one of the Public League’s top football programs earlier this century, advancing to the IHSA playoffs 11 times from 2005-19 and winning 41 games between 2014-17. But before first-year coach Jarve Lewis-Bey arrived this fall, Curie had only four victories in the…
Universal hires Mustafa Sulaiman as boys basketball coach
Mustafa Sulaiman wasn’t looking for another job, but one came looking for him. Sulaiman is a familiar figure in Chicago-area prep basketball circles as the creator of the Xposure Runs podcast and the Chitown Showcase for uncommitted players trying to raise their recruiting profile. Now he’s also the head coach at Universal. Sulaiman was hired…
AJ Powell does it all for Evergreen Park in win vs. Reavis
Anything you can do, chances are AJ Powell can do better. The 5-foot-9, 150-pound senior demonstrated that in a 21-13 Week 7 win against Reavis in South Suburban Red action. Playing running back and cornerback, Powell rushed 11 times for 83 yards. On defense, he had 9.5 tackles and two interceptions. Powell also blocked an…
Jack’s back: Elliott leads Mount Carmel past Joliet Catholic
Welcome back, Jack. Senior quarterback Jack Elliott missed Mount Carmel’s loss to Brother Rice in Week 6 with an injury. But he was back in the Caravan lineup for Week 7 against Joliet Catholic in Chicago. How much of an impact did Elliott have in Mount Carmel’s 35-21 triumph over the Hilltoppers? A significant one.…
Argo loses to Eisenhower on touchdown in closing seconds
A 19-14 South Suburban Red road loss to Eisenhower in Week 7 gave Argo coach Phillip Rossberg a bad case of déjà vu. Two weeks earlier, the Argonauts traveled to Tinley Park for a South Suburban crossover and lost to the Titans by the same score in a similar fashion. In both games, a big…
Local aldermen rip mayor over ShotSpotter cancellation
After the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance giving Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling the authority to extend ShotSpotter technology, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s February 2024 promise to turn off the monitors set up a battle with a majority of aldermen. Three Southwest Side aldermen spoke to the Greater Southwest News-Herald about why ShotSpotter technology should…
Sandburg’s touchdown pass in final minute sinks Lincoln-Way Central
Sandburg coach Troy McAllister faced a decision in a Week 6 Southwest Suburban crossover game at Lincoln-Way Central. In reality, it wasn’t much of a choice: Let your best athletes make a play. And they did. In the Eagles’ 28-27 victory over Lincoln-Way Central, Charlie Snoreck caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Shelton with…
Myles and Myles to go: Mitchell, Richards race past Shepard
Have a senior season, Myles Mitchell. The versatile running back delivered another dominant performance in Week 6 as Richards shut out Shepard 21-0 in a South Suburban Red game in Palos Heights. Mitchell ran 25 times for 233 yards, including touchdowns of 91 and 9 yards. The North Dakota State recruit also had two catches…
Football notebook: New Solorio coach eyes turnaround
After eight years away from football, Jonathan Jauregui was ready to get back in the game. Already working at Solorio, he joined the Sun Warriors’ coaching staff as defensive coordinator last year. This season, he’s the head coach and Solorio is off to a 4-2 start after getting past host Back of the Yards 18-13…
Neighbors
Jury deadlocks, mistrial declared in case of ex-AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A federal judge on Thursday declared a mistrial after a jury deadlocked in their deliberations over whether former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza bribed longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan via a no-work contract for the speaker’s political ally. After nearly 15 hours of deliberation…
High court: Smell of burnt cannabis is not cause for warrantless vehicle search
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Law enforcement officers in Illinois cannot rely on the smell of burnt cannabis alone to justify searching a vehicle without a warrant, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. The decision was unanimous, though Justice Lisa Holder White did not take part in it. Writing for the court,…
State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A federal judge invoked images from the 1917 race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Thursday at the end of a trial in a case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines. Judge Steven McGlynn, who has…
Gun expert says assault weapons ban ‘describes the most popular firearms I’m involved with’
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A firearms expert testified Wednesday that the weapons restricted under Illinois’ assault weapons ban include many of the most common firearms that American consumers use for self-defense. Steven Randall Watt, a combat veteran and retired law enforcement officer who now owns a private firearms…
Case of former AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan heads to jury
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – On Valentine’s Day in 2017, then-AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza got some good news: After years of trying to push for legislation in Springfield that would save the company hundreds of millions of dollars annually, powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan had agreed to a…
State Supreme Court hears arguments in Jussie Smollett’s effort to overturn conviction
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in actor Jussie Smollett’s appeal to overturn his conviction on disorderly conduct charges for falsifying a hate crime. Smollett, who was an actor on the TV show “Empire,” was improperly charged with the same crime twice, his legal team…
Testimony continues in 2nd Amendment challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – An engineer who spent decades designing weapons for one of the world’s leading gun manufacturers testified Tuesday that the assault-style weapons now banned in Illinois are intended only for civilian use and cannot be easily converted into military-grade firearms. James Ronkainen, a former engineer…
Contractor’s unsecured databases exposed sensitive voter data in over a dozen Illinois counties
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Around 4.6 million records associated with Illinoisans in over a dozen counties – including voting records, registrations and death certificates – were temporarily available on the open internet, according to a security researcher who identified the vulnerability in July. The documents were available through an unsecured cloud storage…
Prosecutors rest case against former AT&T Illinois boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – After years of pushing in Springfield, AT&T Illinois’ executive team was thrilled when the Illinois General Assembly in 2017 passed legislation that would get the company out from under expensive obligations to maintain its aging copper landline wires in Illinois. “Game over. We win,” AT&T Illinois…
Trial begins in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – The owner of a gun store testified Monday that Illinois’ ban on the sale of assault-style weapons and large capacity magazines has had a significant impact on his business and prevented his customers from buying items they would normally use for self-defense, hunting, target…
