Joan Hadac

Joan Hadac

Plenty to enjoy in Gage Park

Spread the love

By Joan Hadac

GSWNH correspondent at large

Greetings, Gage Parkers! While the search continues for a permanent writer of this column, I’m pleased to report on Gage Park, the neighborhood where I lived for the first 26 years of my life.

There’s always something happening in this big, exciting part of Chicago, so here goes.

  • There are still a few openings left in Kiddie College at Gage Park, 2411 W. 55th St. This recreation-based preschool-like activity (for boys and girls ages 3-5) is held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to Dec. 9. It provides an opportunity for children to play and learn with their peers. The creative atmosphere fosters the learning process through free play and other activities such as circle time, crafts, games, story-time, music, fitness and other elements. Children must be potty-trained and comfortable being without a parent. Tuition is $10. For details, call the park at (312) 747-6147.

    joanhadac 1

    Joan Hadac

  • Congratulations and thanks to everyone at St. Gall School who took part in the 31st Street Beach cleanup last Sunday. Teaching our community’s children to be good stewards of the environment is important. Glad to see the good folks at St. Gall (especially Ms. Veronica Romero) understand that and act upon it. This activity was part of the Alliance for the Great Lakes Adopt-a-Beach initiative.
  • The annual blessing of pets will take place after the 8:30 a.m. bilingual Mass at St. Gall Church, 55th and Kedzie on Tuesday, Oct. 4 (the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi); and later that day, after the 6 p.m. Mass in Spanish at St. Simon Chapel, 52nd and California. All pets are welcome, but must be safely collared and leashed (and muzzled and caged, if necessary).
  • The schedule of weekly activities for junior high and high school youths continues from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays at St. Clare of Montefalco Chapel, 55th and Washtenaw. Gym night (basketball and volleyball) is Sept. 30. Spiritual night is Oct. 7, and pizza night is scheduled for Oct. 14.
  • Just north of us, the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council is looking for a part time elementary/middle school art teacher to join their team.

Those who are interested would be working from 3 to 5:30 p.m. each Monday and Wednesday. Applicants must be able to pass a background check, provide proof of a COVID-19 vaccination, pass a TB test and lastly must have experience working or volunteering with students. The pay rate is $25 per hour.

Resumes should be sent to Stephanie Garcia at sgarcia@bpncchicago.org. For more information, call (773) 466-4516.

  • The Book of Life, a 2014 film, will be shown from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Gage Park Branch Library, 2807 W. 55th St.

This animated adventure follows a young man, Manolo, on a journey across three enchanting realms where he faces his greatest fears. He also learns to follow his heart and embrace his future.

This 20th Century Fox movie is 1 hour, 35 minutes long and is rated PG. For more information, call (312) 744-8400.

  • Wedding banns have been posted at St. Rita/St. Clare for Zachary Sala and Nathalie Ortiz. May God bless your coming nuptials.
  • Well, that’s it for this week. Reporting the news in Gage Park has given me an appetite, so I think I’ll swing by Pizza Castle, 3256 W. 55th St., a Gage Park favorite for 49 years. I’m guessing my husband will order either the King Arthur pizza or the Meat Eater pizza. My younger and daughter and I are looking at the baked mostaccioli and the chicken parmigiana sandwich. Visit the Castle at eatatpizzacastle.com. When you order, see if they still have any free Chicago Bears refrigerator magnets!

As I said at the top of today’s column, the search continues for a new Gage Park correspondent. The paper is looking for a person
active in the community, is naturally curious and enjoys writing and passing along news—nothing big
or earth-shattering, but rather the smaller stuff.

You know, the kind of news that won’t make the front page, but which is just as important, in its own way, as the big stuff: birthdays, anniversaries, birth announcements, engagements and weddings—plus news tidbits from our local schools, libraries, parks, churches, Scout troops, Little Leagues, senior citizen clubs, veterans’ posts, small businesses and such.

If you want to give it a try, send an email to editor@ swnewsherald.com, and the editor will respond and discuss things further.

Local News

Shepard senior Jake Klein goes up for the kill against two Lincoln-Way East players during a match on March 22. Photo by Jason Maholy

Boys Volleyball | Shepard finishes 4th in Bronze at Marist Invite

Spread the love

Spread the loveShepard served as one of three host sites for the 20th Marist RedHawks Invitational, and kicked off play in Palos Heights by facing Lincoln-Way East on March 22. The Griffins defeated the Astros, 25-10, 25-15. Marian Catholic beat Shepard, 25-23, 25-9, in the Astros’ second match of the day. The Astros fell to…

Mary Stanek

Will the month of March leave like a lion?

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place •  (773) 517-7796 . The days are getting longer and slightly warmer. But my prediction of a few weeks ago–March is certainly not leaving like a lamb–may prove to be correct. A sure sign of spring in…

Peggy Zabicki

Robin sighting a sign of new beginnings

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place •  (773) 504-9327 . I saw a robin the other day. This was the first sighting of the season for me. I remember my mom saying that the first robin of spring is a promise of new beginnings. May it be so. Is…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Thome sweet Thome: Nazareth baseball defeats Hall of Famer Jim Thome’s alma mater

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Nazareth baseball team took a road trip to the middle of Illinois and improved its record to 7-0 on March 23 by beating Limestone, 6-0. Limestone is the alma mater of former White Sox player and Baseball Hall of Fame member Jim Thome, who is an assistant coach…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Chicago Catholic League greats headed to Hall of Fame

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A handful of area stars will be inducted into the Chicago Catholic League Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The list features Kevin Bracken (St. Laurence, wrestling), Kevin Carberry (St. Rita, football), Matt Macievic (De La Salle, cross county and track), Mike McGrew (Mount Carmel, football), Dan Nicholson (Brother Rice,…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Fire II tops Chicago City, advances to to second round of Hunt Open Cup

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire II picked up a late invitation to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and beat Chicago City, 6-0, on March 20 in front of an announced crowd of 810 at SeatGeek Stadium. Defender Giovanni Granda and midfielder Vitaliy Hlyut each made their professional debut and scored…

Julia Bianchi heads back on defense shortly after delivering a first-half goal for the Chicago Red Stars on March 23 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Red Stars top Seattle, open season with two wins for first time in franchise history

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year’s last-place finish notwithstanding, the Chicago Red Stars have had a pretty rich history of success. The franchise has seven NWSL playoff appearances and has finished runner-up twice (2019, 2021), and prior to 2022 had finished no lower than fourth in the league ‘s regular season standings for…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

College Football | Marian (Indiana) and St. Francis highlight Saint Xavier 2024 home slate

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Saint Xavier has released its 2024 football schedule, which has the Cougars opening the season in Michigan. SXU will travel to the Detroit suburb of Southfield to play Lawrence Tech on Sept. 7 in a Mid-States Football Association crossover. The Cougars’ home opener kicks off at noon on Sept.…

Morton's Nariah Clay was named to the NCJAA Division II all-tournament team as the Panthers finished fifth in the nation. Photo courtesy of Morton College Department of Athletics

Morton College women’s hoops takes fifth in nation

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent For the second year in a row, the Morton College women’s basketball team finished fifth in the country. The Panthers closed out the 2023-24 campaign in Joplin, Missouri, with a 75-67 victory over Iowa Western on March 23 in the consolation championship game at the NJCAA Division II National…

Marist's Jack Meader (left) and Nathen Toth face each other during a block attempt against Downers Grove North in the semifinals of the Marist Invitational on March 23. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Boys Volleyball | Marist tops Lockport for Gold at RedHawks Invite

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Marist enjoys getting its season going by hosting a tournament that is now in its 20th year. They had a good time again this season, going unbeaten over five matches in two days to win the Marist RedHawks Invitational for the sixth consecutive time. The RedHawks ended the tournament…

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…