Peggy Zabicki
Schools need to teach about Honest Abe
.
By Peggy Zabicki
Your correspondent in West Lawn
3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327
.
Abraham Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1809. Lincoln is considered to be one of our greatest presidents. It seems appropriate that we celebrate his birthday and his many accomplishments insuring freedom for all people during African American History Month. Lincoln ended slavery by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
Lincoln wrote one of the greatest speeches in our country’s history, the Gettysburg Address. Here’s the first line. “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation. Conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
Here’s the last line: “…that this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Peggy Zabicki
I hope our schools include in their curriculum lessons about Abraham Lincoln and what he did for our country.
Speaking of schools, a female hawk was spotted near Hurley School, 3849 W. 69th Place. A male hawk was seen outside a house near 68th and Komensky. I am hoping this is a nesting pair. Hawks eat rodents and insects. This could be very helpful to our neighborhood as rats continue to be a big problem.
In addition, this is also an excellent opportunity for Hurley students to learn about hawks and watch for them in our neighborhood. As a former homeschool teacher, I can’t help but see exciting learning opportunities like this all around us.
Congratulations to Lee School teacher Carl Stalla on being named by WGN News as Teacher of the Month. Mr. Stalla, who teaches seventh and eighth grade math, was nominated by his students and was featured on WGN-TV news recently. He said, “My kids won the teacher of the month. It’s not me, it’s them.”
Carl Stalla has been a teacher for more than 20 years. He gets to know each student and also shares details of his life when he was young. This helps to form a student-teacher bond which enables him to be an effective teacher. Carl said, “I think God puts you where you need to be.”
The West Lawn Branch Library, 4020 W. 63rd St., will be presenting a monthly concert series starting Saturday, Feb. 18. Sara and Kenny Folk Jazz will perform at 7 p.m. The concert is free. Call for more information at (312) 747-7381.
The next CAPS Beat 813/833 is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28 at West Lawn Park, 4233 W. 65th St. Call the Community Policing office at (312) 747-8724 for more information.
There is no February CAPS meeting scheduled for beat 823.
Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day. This holiday isn’t just about love and romance. It is also about the love between friends and others. As teachers decorate their classrooms with valentines, may they use this opportunity to encourage their students to be truly loving and kind to their classmates as they exchange valentines.
I’d like to wish a very happy February birthday to long time West Lawn resident, volunteer and friend to all, Dawn Ferrarini. May the dear Lord bless you with happy times on your birthday and the coming year. Thank you for all you do for our neighborhood.
Local News
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…
Baseball | LW West stays unbeaten, snaps Sandburg’s seven-game win streak
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Sandburg’s sizzling start to the season was cooled off, at least for a day, by a visit from even hotter SouthWest Suburban Conference foe Lincoln-Way West, which topped the Eagles 5-3 on Monday in Orland Park. The loss snapped Sandburg’s seven-game winning streak and ran the Warriors’ record to…
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…
Photo caption: White Castle closes at 79th and Pulaski
Spread the love For more than half its 103-year history–since November 1964, to be exact–White Castle has sold its signature sliders and more from its restaurant at 7912 S. Pulaski. That run ended last weekend, as the restaurant closed for good. A spokesman for the Ohio-based company said staff would be offered employment at other…
St. Rita getting a fresh coat of paint
Spread the love. By Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . If you attend Mass at St. Rita of Cascia Parish, you already have seen the scaffolding going up as the parish prepares to give the huge church a facelift. Just as when the church…
Boys Volleyball | Marist still unbeaten after downing Glenbrook South
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Marist is on a roll thus far this season, and improved to 9-0 after topping Glenbrook South in two sets last week. The RedHawks defeated the previously unbeaten Titans, 25-11, 25-21, on April 4 in Mount Greenwood, giving them eight straight matches that have gone two sets. Marist’s only…
Chicago Fire II to host Indy Eleven in U.S. Open Cup
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire II continue winning in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. They will be rewarded by hosting a third-round game against Indy Eleven at 7 p.m. April 17 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Entry to Fire II games are usually free; but tickets for the Cup match…
Red Stars to play in Summer Cup
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent When the NWSL season started, there was a gap in the schedule — created to accommodate international play — that left the Chicago Red Stars without a league game for most of July. But some extra games have been added, as the NWSL and Liga MX are participating in…
Neighbors
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…
Solar investments take center stage as questions loom on state’s renewable future
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com BOLINGBROOK – A manufacturer in the southwest suburbs of Chicago received $2.6 million from electric utility Commonwealth Edison this week as part of a state program for generating its own electricity using solar panels and storing it in one of the largest batteries in the country. But even…
Capitol Briefs: Lawmakers, advocates again call for affordable housing tax credit
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com Housing advocates are renewing a push to fund a $20 million state affordable housing tax credit in the upcoming state budget. Supporters of the “Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit Act,” modeled after a federal tax credit program, claimed it would result in over 1,000 affordable housing units being…
State Senate advances bill to ban food additives linked to health problems
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Senate passed a bill Thursday that would ban four food additives that are found in common products including candy, soda and baked goods. Senate Bill 2637, known as the Illinois Food Safety Act, passed on a 37-15 bipartisan vote and will head to the House for…