Joan Hadac

Joan Hadac

Your chance to thank a police officer

Spread the love

By Joan Hadac

Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge

(708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com

You may recall Clearing native Robert Swiderski’s inspiring, two-day, 80-mile run across the city in June 2021—running to all Chicago Police Department district stations to help prevent suicide among law enforcement officers.

CRRNH RobertSwiderski 063021

Robert Swiderski begins his 2021 run. –File photo

This year, the avid runner plans to start once again from his parents’ home near 64th and Narragansett—but this time walk to all 22 CPD district stations to deliver a single cent to each of the roughly 22,000 CPD officers.

The thought-provoking event is kind of along the lines of “a penny for your thoughts”—to encourage police on the front lines to open up more about the stress they face.

“Conversations matter,” Swiderski said. “Letting officers know they’re not alone also matters.”

In addition to starting off laden with about 120 pounds in pennies, Swiderski plans to deliver a thank-you letter, note or card to every officer.

If you want to be a part of this effort, please write a “Dear Officer” letter, note or card and mail it to Robert Swiderski, P.O. Box 3672, Barrington, IL 60011. But please do it soon. Robert plans to start the walk on Tuesday, Sept. 20. Thank you, Robert!

  • Cardinal Blase Cupich is scheduled to celebrate Mass at the 75th anniversary event of St. Daniel the Prophet Parish. Mass starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 at the church, 54th and Nashville. A reception will follow in Brennan Hall, according to the St. Dan’s bulletin.
  • Thank you to all who read what I wrote last week and then made a GoFundMe donation to help Chris (Sarelli) Thompson, a good woman from the neighborhood, fighting cancer—not to mention a mountain of medical bills. When I first wrote about Chris, the GoFundMe effort had kind of stalled at about $3,700—far short of its $10,000 goal. A week later, the total stands at $6,045. I’m certain most of that came from you. If you have not yet donated but want to, please visit https://gofund.me/cc814aa3 and give generously.
  • If you’re looking for some great bargains, head over to the west parking lot of Kennedy High School, near 57th and Narragansett, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 and attend Sell-a-Bration, the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch’s twice-yearly community rummage sale. Free admission, plus food and beverages will be available for purchase.
  • Ed Tylka and crew at Ridge Funeral Home, 6620 W. Archer, will host their annual cookout for first responders from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 in Ridge’s parking lot. This is a nice gesture from one of Garfield Ridge’s oldest and most respected businesses. It’s a good example for other businesses to follow.
  • Pastor Julio Pena is reminding us that Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, 5550 S. Merrimac, has an “open door” policy for its congregants, as well as everyone in the community, on a weekly basis beginning Monday, Sept. 26.

The church will be open as a safe haven from 8 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

joanhadac

Joan Hadac

“The idea is to provide a safe place for people to come in and share their resources (talents), mental health relief, find support (unity), encouragement, laughter, learning new things, growth, a spiritual connection, not a religion connection,” Pastor Julio recently said. “This is for adults, elderly, families, men, women, youth all people who desire to find a safe place to gather without judgment.”

  • All are cordially invited to join the Ladies Guild at St. Faustina Kowalska Parish for the season opener of its monthly bunco sessions on Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the St. Pope John Paul II Parish Center, 5201 S. McVicker. Sign-in begins at 6:45 p.m. and the dice roll at 7. Cost to play is $10 with cash prizes awarded at the end of the evening. You can also take a chance on a split-the-pot raffle. Soda, water and coffee, along with light snacks, are available. For more information, contact Andi at (773) 610-5686.
  • Wedding banns have been posted at St. Daniel the Prophet Church for Jeff Blankiewicz and Amanda Milazzo, as well as Eric Olsen and Stacey Seweryn. May God bless your coming nuptials.
  • I’m looking for a friendly person in Clearing or Garfield Ridge willing to write this column on an occasional basis—maybe once a month or even just every now and then. I think it would be a good thing for other voices to be heard through this column. I know there are moms out there (or other folks) who could do it. Pay is near-zero. This is the type of thing you’d do for the fun of it—just as I do. If you’re interested, contact me via email.

Finally, it dawned on me this week that Christine Lee Hanson would have turned 23 this year.

CRRNH HansonFamilyJoanCol 090722

Christine Lee Hanson, age 2, with her mother, Sue, and father, Peter.

Christine was 2 years old when she rode with her mom and dad, Sue and Peter, on United Airlines Flight 175 out of Boston–scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on September 11, 2001.

She became the youngest victim of the terrorist attacks that day when the passenger jet she and her parents were on slammed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center at more than 500 mph.

So on Sept. 11, 2022, please pause to remember Christine’s name, as well as the names of all other victims—and the heroes who died trying to save them. Visit 911memorial.org to learn more.

See you next week.

Local News

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

St. Rita tops Homewood-Flossmoor, vying for first sectional title

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Steve Millar  Correspondent St. Rita’s Morez Johnson knows how deflating it is for an opponent when it plays strong defense and forces the Mustangs into a missed shot, only for Johnson to grab the rebound and score. “Those second-chance points hurt the other team a lot,” Johnson said after St. Rita defeated…

Images like this (from a 2016 classroom at St. Symphorosa School) may become common this spring, as mask mandates are relaxed at Catholic schools. --Supplied photo

Catholic school kids unmasked

Spread the love

Spread the loveParent reactions mixed By Tim Hadac Reports of local Catholic school children rejoicing over the lifting of mask mandates were widespread this week, while their parents reacted with a mix of opinions. “I’ve seen kids jubilant over this—some so much so that they appeared to be crying tears of joy,” said Garfield Ridge…

Joan Hadac

How about giving small businesses a break?

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com Today I begin this column with an opinion. All through the pandemic, our elected officials have made moves to provide economic relief to people hit hard by the harsh realities of life since March 2020. Employers were given “payroll protection”…

CRRNH+100thDaySchool_030222

Students in triple figures

Spread the love

Spread the love Boys and girls across Clearing and Garfield Ridge recently celebrated the 100th day of the 2021-22 school year, including Maria DiSanto and Isabella Rodriguez, kindergarteners at St. Daniel the Prophet School. Parents interested in enrolling their sons and daughters at the school for the 2022-23 academic year are encouraged to call (773)…

U.S. Rep. Marie Newman

Newman notes fund infusion for Metra

Spread the love

Spread the loveFrom staff reports U.S. Rep. Marie Newman (D-3rd) recently announced that she has helped secure a $513.6 million award of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra). The new funds are intended to help transit agencies around the country maintain service and keep workers on the…

CRRNH_MicheleBorba_022322

Naz invites all to webinar on parenting

Spread the love

Spread the loveFrom staff reports Nazareth Academy invites the community to attend a Zoom webinar featuring nationally noted speaker Dr. Michele Borba at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 8. How to Help the Pandemic Generation Thrive Now and Later is designed to will show parents and teachers how to instill “teachable character traits to produce resilient…

51888538187_9e9466531a_o

Hoop dreams end for St. Laurence girls

Spread the love

Spread the love The dreams of basketball playoff glory ended for St. Laurence High School girls late last month, as the Black and Gold were upset at home by a scrappy De La Salle team. The fifth-seeded Meteors started out cold and trailed 14-2 to the third-seeded Vikings after the first quarter, and were behind…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Clear-Ridge Reporter and NewsHound March 2, 2022

Spread the love

Spread the love

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

Spread the love

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…

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

Spread the love

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…

Neighbors

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A panel of federal appellate judges on Thursday seemed skeptical of legal arguments made on behalf of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who claims Illinois’ law allowing counting of mail-in ballots for two weeks after an election is in violation of federal law. Bost’s late 2022…

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

By BETH HUNDSDORFER  Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Cyrenthia Threat spent Wednesday morning at a hiring event in Fairview Heights waiting for word on whether she was hired by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.  Threat wants to move to Illinois from Georgia where she works as a social worker. She has 20 years…

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor. Smollett made what turned out to be…

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

By PETER HANCOCK  Capitol News Illinois  phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com  SPRINGFIELD – Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the state to ease the strain have made an impact.  That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools,…

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Two bills that would regulate battery disposal and storage are awaiting action from the full Illinois Senate after unanimous committee approval.   Senate Bill 3481, sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency…

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The longtime chair and a relatively new member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board have resigned, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced Monday. The governor’s office announced the pair’s resignations within hours of each other nearly two weeks after Crosetti Brand was released from Stateville Correctional Center. Brand is…

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

By ALEX ABBEDUTO   Capitol News Illinois  abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com  The night before Rebecca Hooks started at the Illinois State Police Academy in 2002, she spoke on the phone with her father and her brother – both of whom worked in law enforcement.  Her father encouraged her, telling her she was strong and could get through the…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…