Karen Sala
Primrose here, spring on its way
By Karen Sala
Your correspondent in Gage Park
(773) 471-1429 • karen.sala@hotmail.com
January, on average, is the coldest month of the year. I sure hope it doesn’t get any colder than it has been, although I would rather have cold than snow.
I bought a yellow Primrose the other day. You know what I always say: when the Primrose are out in Jewel, spring is on the way! You have to think positive.
My Christmas decorations are down. I sure could have used Timmy to help, but I had to do it myself. I’ll probably find something still hanging about May or June.
January is National Soup Month. I’m making French Onion soup today. I was watching Dean Richards on WGN-TV, make it on his cooking segment. Now I have a taste for it. I’m probably not doing exactly what he did but it’s starting to look pretty good and smell good too. It should be a nice warmer upper on this terribly cold day!
I bought myself three new bread pans at Jewel the other day. The gremlins in my house better keep their hand off of them.
The 2022 Obama Foundation Scholars have been announced, and one of them is Samantha Alexandra Martinez, co-founder of the Gage Park Latinx Council, who is working to empower young people of color from the Southwest Side to imagine new possibilities and make positive changes in their communities. Congratulations, Samantha!
I don’t have any pets anymore–not even a goldfish. I always had dogs, birds, a cat, fish, frogs, turtles, etc. I don’t understand having an animal, be it a dog or a cat and not letting it in the house. I’ll admit I spoiled all my babies.
If you are cold, your pet is cold. I know some dogs are made for winter more than others, but that doesn’t mean they want to be out all day and night. It doesn’t mean they want to sit in the snow and ice. If you cannot be responsible, don’t own a pet.
When taking your dog for a walk, pay attention to the pads on their feet. Many people use salt on their sidewalks that is not pet friendly. Don’t let them lick the salt off their paws. Booties help, but I have never had a dog that would leave them on.
Brush them to stimulate blood flow and keep their skin and coat in good condition. Antifreeze is deadly to animals, so wipe up any spills and keep it out of your pets reach. If I had one, wouldn’t let my dog out by itself anymore. I would stay out and keep my eyes on it. There seems to be too many lost pets.
There is a challenge on Facebook asking that on what would have been Betty White’s 100th birthday, Jan. 17, everyone make a $5 donation to an animal shelter. This seems like a good challenge.
Mark Stubitsch, it was nice to see you the other day.
Local News
Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC to play at Wrigley Field
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Chicago Red Stars forward Ally Schlegel loves Wrigley Field. “I adored Wrigley the second I went to my first Cubs game,” Schlegel said. “I fell in love with it thinking it was the perfect sporting experience with how they built it up down there.” She will go from a…
Trinity Christian College names new hoops coaches
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Trinity Christian officials were busy on April 11 ushering in new eras for its basketball programs. Trolls Athletic Director Wendy Reid announced that Jordan Mast is taking over the men’s basketball program, while Jasmine Porter has been named women’s hoops coach. Mast comes to the school in Palos Heights…
Reavis baseball coach and Hall of Famer Don Erickson to retire after season
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A deal is a deal. Longtime Reavis baseball coach Don Erickson has said he would retire after his son, Sam, graduates from high school, so he can watch Sam play in college. Erickson doesn’t get to many of his son’s high school games because Sam plays at Downers Grove…
Stickney Public Health confirms measles case in Bedford Park
Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Stickney Public Health District has confirmed that a person with measles related to the ongoing situation in the City of Chicago was at the Walmart Supercenter at 7050 S. Cicero Ave. in Bedford Park on Friday, March 22, roughly between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. Anybody who…
Moraine Valley Speech and Debate Team headed to nationals to defend title
Spread the loveWhen the Moraine Valley Community College Speech and Debate Team heads to the Phi Rho Pi National Tournament in Reno, Nevada, for nine days this month, they’ll have a target on their back as incoming consecutive champions. But they’re ready. “Last year’s team was amazing. Everyone was on their A game. This year…
Sip ‘n Paint set for Balzekas Museum
Spread the love. By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . The LOS Youth Organization will be hosting a special art event called Sip ‘n Paint for adults over 21. This event will take place on Saturday, April 13 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian…
Mural coming close to the Orange Line
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . April showers bring May flowers. They will be patient. But it sure has been a rainy start to the month of April. For those of you who take a shortcut walk to the…
Cardinal Cupich celebrates Mass on ‘a special day’ at St. Cletus
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch After waiting patiently in line, Indian Head Park resident Tim Kyzivat enjoyed a rare chance to visit with Cardinal Blase J. Cupich. Kyzivat, 77, was among several hundred people who attended the 11 a.m. Mass said by the Archbishop of Chicago at St. Cletus Roman Catholic Church in La Grange…
Boys Volleyball | Sandburg runs win streak to three with wins over Hinsdale South, DG North
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a sub-.500 start to the season, Sandburg returned from spring break with two victories, defeating Hinsdale South in three sets on April 3 and needing two sets to take down Downers Grove North the following day. The Eagles (6-4) ran their win streak to three games by topping…
Neighbors
Capitol Briefs: Expansion of postpartum coverage, ban on kangaroos among hundreds of measures to pass House
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois kangaroo owners are one step closer to being forced to surrender their marsupials this week after the House passed a bill criminalizing their possession. That was one of more than 300 bills to pass the House ahead of a Friday procedural deadline.…
Pritzker says state ‘obviously’ needs to change 2010 law that shrunk pension benefits
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com With a month-and-a-half left in the General Assembly’s spring session, Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration is readying its proposal to address Illinois’ chronically underfunded pension system. But the governor this week also acknowledged in the strongest terms yet that any plans to finally get the state on track toward…
Pritzker’s health insurance reforms targeting ‘utilization management’ clear House
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated a partial legislative victory Thursday night when the House passed his initiative to end some practices health insurance companies use to control the amount and cost of health care services individual patients receive. The “Healthcare Protection Act,” House Bill 5395, cleared the…
Lawmakers, cannabis industry calls for ban on ‘delta-8’ and other psychoactive hemp products
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ largest cannabis business association is pushing to ban the sale of delta-8 THC, an increasingly popular psychoactive substance that’s popped up in corner stores across the country in recent years. New legislation filed in Springfield this week revives an ongoing debate over delta-8 and other…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Capitol Briefs: Bill creating new early childhood agency among 244 to advance
By ALEX ABBEDUTO HANNAH MEISEL & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to create a new state agency to oversee Illinois’ various early childhood programs moved forward on Friday after the state Senate’s unanimous approval. It was one of 244 bills that cleared the Senate this week. Early childhood…
INVESTIGATE MIDWEST: Farmers have clamored for the Right to Repair for years. It’s getting little traction in John Deere’s home state
By Jennifer Bamberg, Investigate Midwest Originally published April 10, 2024 During the 2023 harvest season, one of Jake Lieb’s tractors quit working. A week later, his combine stopped working, too. Both were new — and he was locked out from making any repairs himself because of software restrictions embedded in the machines. Instead, a technician…
Capitol Briefs: Pritzker appoints first-ever Prisoner Review Board director; Chicago advances migrant funding
By JERRY NOWICKI & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Weeks after two high-profile resignations at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday appointed the first-ever executive director to help lead the beleaguered agency. To fill the newly created position, the governor tapped Jim Montgomery, who most recently served as director of…
Advocates renew push to tighten firearm laws aimed at protecting domestic violence victims
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for stricter gun laws rallied at the state Capitol Tuesday for a measure aimed at protecting domestic violence victims and two other criminal justice reforms. The bills are backed by organizations such as Moms Demand Action and One Aim Illinois among others. “These policies support…
Education leaders seek added state funding to help districts accommodate influx of migrants
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The recent surge of international migrants arriving in Illinois has brought with it a host of new challenges for state and local officials. Those range from filling their most basic needs like emergency food, clothing and shelter, to more complex issues like lining them up with…