MM_011217

School year review 

Summit Hill School District 161 reviews grading 

system, integrates technology in 2016, Page 4 

Helping hand 

Future Stars Baseball Academy offers discounted 

baseball services to aid local family, Page 6 

New Year, New You 

Get fit in 2017 with help from 22nd Century 

Media’s Healthy Living Guide, Inside 

mokena’s Award-Winning Hometown Newspaper mokenamessenger.com • January 12, 2017 • Vol. 10 No. 22 • $1 A Publication 

Former Lincoln-Way 

North Principal Mark 

Cohen — pictured here 

addressing a North 

assembly — will move on 

from the district in June. 

BURNS PHOTOGRAPHY 

Former North principal leaves Lincoln-Way after 18 years, Page 3 

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2 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger calendar 

mokenamessenger.com 

In this week’s 

Messenger 

Police Reports................12 

Editorial........................13 

In Memoriam ...............16 

Faith Briefs....................16 

Puzzles..........................22 

Classifieds................ 24-34 

Sports...................... 35-40 

The Mokena 

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FRIDAY 

Inaugural Celebration 

6:30-11:30 p.m. Jan. 

13, Tuscany Falls, 9425 

W. 191st Street, Mokena. 

Join the Mokena Chamber 

of Commerce for a super 

radical 1980s glow party to 

honor the new Board of Directors 

and 2017 President 

Troy Griffiths. There will be 

dinner, an open bar, DJ and 

dancing. Wear 80s or semiformal 

attire. Cost is $65 

per person. Please RSVP by 

Wednesday, Dec. 28 to (708) 

479-2468. 

SATURDAY 

Historical Society Meeting 

8:30 a.m. Jan. 14, Mokena 

Village Hall, 11004 Carpenter 

St., Mokena. The Mokena 

Area Historical Society is 

scheduled to meet. For more 

information, call (708) 479- 

3900. 

Healthy Living Expo 

9 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 14, 

Tinley Park Convention 

Center, 18451 Convention 

Center Drive. This free-admission 

event offers dozens 

of vendors, free 30-minute 

workout classes, breakout 

sessions and more. Brought 

to you by 22nd Century Media. 

For more information, 

call (708) 326-9170 or visit 

www.22ndcenturymedia. 

com/healthy. 

SUNDAY 

Indoor Flea Market 

9 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 15, Oaks 

Recreation Center Fieldhouse, 

10847 W. La Porte 

Road, Mokena. Whether 

you’re bargain shopping or 

cleaning out after the holiday 

season, don’t let the unpredictable 

winter weather 

stop you. Buyers admitted 

free. Cost is $30 for vendors. 

Vendors must pre-register at 

the Park Office. There will 

be no on-site registration. 

Registration deadline for 

vendors is Monday, Jan. 9 

or while space is available. 

Visit www.mokenapark.com 

to register. 

MONDAY 

Library Closure 

The Mokena Community 

Public Library District will 

be closed Monday, Jan. 16 

for the Martin Luther King 

Jr. holiday. 

Village Board Work Session 

6 p.m. Jan. 16, Mokena 

Village Hall, 11004 Carpenter 

Street, Mokena. The Mokena 

Village Board is scheduled 

to have a work session. 

For more information, meeting 

agendas and minutes 

visit www.mokena.org. 

TUESDAY 

Babysitting Clinics 

6-9 p.m. Tuesdays and 

Wednesdays, Mokena Fire 

Station #1, 19853 S. Wolf 

Road, Mokena. Session 1 

will meet Tuesday, Jan. 17 

and Wednesday, Jan. 18. 

Session 2 will meet Tuesday, 

Feb. 21 and Wednesday, Feb. 

22. Students must attend 

both nights to receive a certificate 

of completion. Join 

the Mokena Fire Department 

for a lot of fun, and learn 

valuable information for 

anyone who babysits. Boys 

and girls ages 10-18 are encouraged 

to register early, as 

enrollment is limited. Cost 

is $15 per student. For more 

information and registration 

visit www.mokenafire.org or 

call (708) 479-5371. 

WEDNESDAY 

Board of Education Meeting 

7-8:30 p.m. Jan. 18, Board 

Room, Mokena Elementary 

School, 11244 Willow Crest 

Ln, Mokena. The Mokena 

School District 159 Board 

of Education meets the third 

Wednesday of each month. 

For more information and 

meeting agendas, visit www. 

mokena159.org. 

UPCOMING 

Business After Hours 

5-7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 

19, Absolute Hearing Care/ 

Absolute Vision Care, 20006 

S. Wolf Road. Mokena. Join 

the Mokena Chamber of 

Commerce for this free networking 

event. For more 

information, call (708) 479- 

2468. 

Bingo at the Library! 

1-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, 

Mokena Community Public 

Library District, 11327 195th 

St, Mokena. Get your lucky 

charms and daubers ready 

and head over for an afternoon 

of Bingo. Winners will 

receive fun prizes, and snacks 

will be served. Bingo is open 

to ages 18 and older. Registration 

requested. Call (708) 

479-9663 or email tdomzalski@mokena.lib.il.us. 

Family Swim 

4:30-6:30 p.m. Sunday, 

Jan. 22, Lincoln-Way East 

High School Pool, 201 Colorado 

Ave, Frankfort. Cost 

is $5 for residents. Free for 

F.A.N members. Call (815) 

469-3524 for more information. 

Business After Hours 

5-7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 

26, Apex 3 C.P.A., 10036 

W. 190th Place, Mokena. 

Join the Mokena Chamber 

of Commerce for Business 

after Hours and a ribbon cutting 

with Apex 3 C.P.A. The 

ribbon cutting is scheduled 

for 5:30 p.m. For more information, 

call (708) 479-2468. 

Intro to Yoga 

10-11 a.m. Friday, Jan 27, 

Mokena Community Public 

Library District, 11327 

195th St, Mokena. Join Marti 

Anne for this class that’s 

designed especially for first 

time yoga students. Learn a 

series of gentle poses, postures 

and positions while 

calming the body and the 

mind. We will spend time 

going from standing poses 

to poses on the mat. Bring 

a yoga mat or use one provided 

for class. Registration 

required. Call (708) 479- 

9663 or email tdomzalski@ 

mokena.lib.il.us. 

ONGOING 

Baseball and Softball 

Deadline to register for 

the spring season of Mokena 

Baseball/Softball is 

Tuesday, Jan. 31. MBSA 

offers baseball and softball 

divisions from Shetland 

(Pre-K) to Palomino 

(12th grade). Register at 

mokenabaseballsoftball. 

org. Email secretary@mbsa. 

org for more information. 

Youth Spring Lacrosse 

Registration 

Registration for the 2017 

Spring Season of Lincoln- 

Way Youth Lacrosse is now 

open. New this year is a 

kindergarten and 1st grade 

team in addition to teams 

for grade 2, grades 3 and 4, 

grades 5 and 6, grades 7 and 

8, and high school teams. 

Visit www.lincolnwaylacrosse.com 

for more information 

and registration. 

Winter Reading Programs 

Ongoing through Friday, 

March 3, Mokena Community 

Public Library District, 

11327 195th St, Mokena. 

Tis’ the season to cozy up 

to a good book or stop by 

the library to see what warm 

and appealing things the library 

has to offer this winter. 

Reading programs are geared 

towards both children and 

adults. Earn prizes for reading 

books, attending programs 

and trying out the new virtual 

reality station. For more information, 

stop by the library, 

call (708) 479-9663, or visit 

www.mokenalibrary.org. 

Frankfort Area Democrats 

7 p.m. third Tuesday of 

each month. Anyone is welcome 

to attend. For more information, 

call Larry Gilman 

at (815) 277-9877. 

Frankfort Township 

Republicans 

7 p.m. fourth Tuesday of 

the month January through 

May and September through 

November, Old Frankfort 

Township Building, 11008 

W. Lincoln Highway, Frankfort. 

Find out more about the 

organization, hear featured 

speakers, talk to elected office 

holders and learn about 

volunteer opportunities. The 

public is always welcome to 

attend. For more information, 

call (815) 469-4996. 

Story Hour for 2-Year-Olds 

10-10:45 a.m. and 11-11:45 

a.m. every Thursday starting 

Sept. 17 at the Mokena 

Community Public Library 

District, 11327 W. 195th St., 

Mokena. Bring your toddler 

to the library for a free story 

time. No pre-registration is 

required to join the weekly 

event. For more information, 

call (708) 479-9663. 

3D Printer Class 

10-11 a.m. every third Saturday 

of the month, Mokena 


District, 11327 W. 195th St., 

Mokena. Visit the YA Computer 

Lab to create 3-D nameplates 

with our Makerbot 2x 

3-D Printer. Call (708) 479- 

9663 for more information. 

Lincoln-Way Area Chorale 

This choir group meets 

weekly to rehearse at Lincoln-Way 

East High School, 

201 Colorado Ave., Frankfort. 

For more information, 

contact Artistic Director 

Greg Day at (815) 485-7357. 

To submit an item to the 

printed calendar, contact 

Amanda Stoll at (708) 

326-9170 ext. 34, or email 

a.stoll@22ndcenturymedia. 

com. Deadline is noon 

Thursdays one week prior to 

publication.

mokenamessenger.com News 

the Mokena Messenger | January 12, 2017 | 3 

Former North principal leaves Lincoln-Way after 18 years 

Meredith Dobes 

Freelance Reporter 

To the passing students, 

teachers and staff in the hallways 

of Lincoln-Way Community 

High School District 

210 schools, Mark Cohen’s 

presence was difficult to 

miss. 

Taller than most, Cohen 

stood out in the schools’ 

hallways and classrooms, in 

which he has spent roughly 

18 years of his career thus far. 

Aside from stature, Cohen 

demonstrated notable, 

impactful leadership that, 

according to his colleagues, 

will leave big shoes to fill 

once he formally resigns 

from the district June 30. 

Cohen, who is currently 

assistant principal at Lincoln-Way 

East High School, 

began his career teaching 

physics at Lincoln-Way 

Central, became chairperson 

of the Science Department 

at East, served as assistant 

principal at both Central and 

Lincoln-Way North, and, 

perhaps most notably, carried 

North through its final 

years as its principal. 

At the end of this school 

year, he will begin a position 

as assistant superintendent 

at Elmhurst Community 

Unit School District 205, 

but he will carry with him 

the lessons he learned from 

Lincoln-Way. 

A start in science 

When Cohen began his 

postsecondary education, 

there was a chance he never 

would have become an educator. 

Originally an electrical engineering 

major, Cohen was 

tutoring a friend in physics 

when she told him he should 

have been a teacher. After 

considering the idea, Cohen 

decided to change his major 

to education. 

When asked what his favorite 

roles from his career 

have been, Cohen said he favored 

the positions of principal 

and teacher. 

“In those roles, there’s 

just a lot of great, positive 

connections with kids,” he 

said. “It’s been a tremendous 

amount of fun. The high 

school students we have are 

just great young men and 

women. The opportunity to 

interact with them and get 

to know them is what makes 

being an educator worthwhile 

and fun.” 

In addition to working 

with 18 years worth of 

classes at Lincoln-Way, Cohen 

had the opportunity to 

work with 18 years worth of 

teachers, administrators and 

staff members. One of those 

teachers was Maria Wilson, 

the chairperson of the Science 

Department at East. 

Wilson has worked with 

Cohen for all 12 years of her 

career, both as his colleague 

and as a member of teams he 

led. 

Wilson said what she enjoyed 

most about working 

with Cohen was that there 

was never a question about 

what his expectations were 

when he was in supervisory 

positions, and he demonstrated 

a constant willingness 

to learn new things. 

“He’s always sending me 

emails of the newest articles 

he’s just read,” she said. 

“He’s like, ‘Did you have a 

chance to read that?’ and he 

wants to talk physics. He’s a 

lifelong learner. He’s given 

me that, and I hope to carry 

that forward with me. 

“He called me a nerd a lot, 

which to me — and to him 

— is a great compliment. I 

don’t think there’s a science 

person who is offended to be 

called a nerd.” 

Another person Cohen 

spent his Lincoln-Way career 

with was Superintendent 

R. Scott Tingley. The 

Former Lincoln-Way North principal Mark Cohen speaks during a spring assembly on March 24, 2016, at North. Cohen will 

continue serving as an assistant principal at Lincoln-Way East until the end of the school year. BURNS PHOTOGRAPHY 

pair attended their doctoral 

programs together at Loyola 

University Chicago. 

“We’ve, at Lincoln-Way, 

over the past 12-15 years, 

we’ve all experienced quite 

a bit,” Tingley said. “As 

deans at Lincoln-Way East 

with nearly 4,000 students 

prior to the opening of North 

and West, we worked long 

hours and late nights. I think 

just that collegiality having 

worked together will be the 

fondest memories. 

“We’ve gone through a 

number of transitions and 

growing pains together.” 

Some of Cohen’s favorite 

memories of his time at Lincoln-Way 

were of the more 

lighthearted moments — being 

involved in pep rallies, 

getting in dunk tanks, participating 

in Twinkie-eating 

contests — “all the things 

that make working with kids 

a good experience,” he said. 

And some of his toughest 

moments were coming 

up with solutions to difficult 

problems and learning the 

patience that problem-solving 

required, he said. 

Leaving a legacy with 

Lincoln-Way North 

Perhaps the toughest situation 

Cohen had to face in 

his career — a situation that 

he said nothing in a school 

environment could quite 

compare to — was the closure 

of Lincoln-Way North. 

Cohen became the school’s 

principal at the start of the 

2013-2014 school year, following 

the retirement of the 

school’s first principal, Michael 

Gardner, and remained 

in the position until the 

school’s closure at the end of 

the 2015-2016 school year. 

“Mark really kept the family 

that Gardner had created,” 

Wilson said. “And 

we needed Mark last year. 

Mark did an amazing job 

helping us go through all of 

the changes, and we were so 

fortunate that he came with 

us this year [to East] to assist 

in the transition.” 

After the July 2015 Board 

of Education meeting, at 

which the Board of Education 

decided a school closure 

would be necessary, Cohen 

and his administrative team 

began forming a plan about 

what to do if North was chosen 

to close. Following the 

August board meeting at 

which North was selected, 

Cohen and his team gathered 

all of the student leaders 

from the school and asked 

them to brainstorm what 

they wanted to accomplish 

in North’s last year. 

Cohen took their ideas — 

things like having a great 

homecoming and winning 

a state title — to the teachers 

at the school’s first institute 

day that year, and those 

ideas became the focus for 

the year, he said. 

“The most important thing, 

to me, was that the kids did 

not hang their heads or go 

through the year with a defeatist 

attitude,” Cohen said. 

“This whole business is 

about people; it’s about kids. 

I didn’t want outside things 

that we couldn’t control to 

come into play and take away 

from what the kids should be 

doing and accomplishing.” 

Part of setting the agenda 

for the year included communicating 

one-on-one with 

members of the school community 

and to large groups. 

Wilson said speaking is one 

of Cohen’s best strengths. 

“You leave the room 

knowing, ‘Oh, man, I have a 

purpose. I have a goal I need 

to meet now,’” she said. “His 

graduation speech in May 

was phenomenal. … Whether 

you were a kid graduating 

or an adult in the stands, everyone 

believed in what he 

was saying.” 

Tingley credited Cohen’s 

vision and work ethic for 

leading to a successful last 

year at North. 

“He did a tremendous job 

Please see PRINCIPAL, 8

4 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger News 


Slavic Soul: 

Kodaly, Ligeti and 

Rachmaninoff’s Piano 

Concerto No. 3 with 

Sean Chen, Winner of 

the 2013 American 

Pianists Awards 

JANUARY 21, 7:30PM 

LINCOLN-WAY EAST 

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 

Frankfort, IL 

CALLING ALL 8 TH GRADERS 

PLACEMENT EXAM 

SATURDAY 

JANUARY 14 

8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 

Tickets from $25 in advance; students just $5 w/ ID. 

IPOMUSIC.ORG // 708.481.7774 

providence 

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Bring $25 check payable to PCHS (Test Fee) 

Completed Student Information Form* 

*Visit the PCHS website for more information and to 

obtain the student information form. 

ADMISSIoNS qUESTIoNS? 

CALL 815.717.3160 

1800 W. Lincoln Highway • New Lenox, Illinois • www.providencecatholic.org 

Year in review 

Summit Hill integrates tech 

Barb Rains 

Summit Hill School District 161 

superintendent 

This year in Summit Hill 

District 161 has been nothing 

short of exciting. Our 

students are excelling, and 

phenomenal teaching and 

learning is taking place 

within our classrooms. I’d 

like to briefly share some 

highlights: 

Real-world learning 

Technology skills and 

technology integration continue 

to be a focus throughout 

District 161. All first 

through sixth grade students 

participate in a weekly technology 

class focusing on 

basic skills and other applications, 

including Word and 

Excel. New this year is the 

inclusion of a weekly Junior 

Action Lab during second 

semester for sixth-graders. 

During lab time, students 

complete two modules: a 

jet toy during third quarter 

and a gravity cruiser during 

fourth quarter. These 

modules integrate science, 

technology, engineering and 

math concepts to infuse core 

curriculum knowledge with 

technology. 

On a related topic, Summit 

Hill Junior High’s solar 

panel project is up and running, 

thanks to grant funding 

from the Illinois Clean Energy 

Community Foundation 

and Earth, Wind, and Solar 

Energy. Four 16-foot by 16- 

foot solar panels have been 

installed on the school’s 

rooftop. The solar array is 

connected to the school’s 

electrical system and the Internet 

for monitoring. The 

solar panel project is another 

opportunity to bring realworld 

science activities into 

Summit Hill classrooms in 

an interactive and engaging 

way. Over the course of the 

school year, this educational 

tool is being utilized to 

prompt discussions of how 

solar panels work to convert 

sunlight into electricity. Students 

utilize the data collected 

from the solar panels to 

learn how to calculate power 

in watts. As they advance 

in their knowledge of solar 

energy, students will monitor 

how the system behaves 

over time. 

Those Who Excel 

Kelly Collins, social 

worker at Frankfort Square 

School, and Tina Gnade, 

kindergarten teacher at Dr. 

Julian Rogus School, were 

honored by the Illinois State 

Board of Education for their 

significant contributions to 

our schools as part of ISBE’s 

‘Those Who Excel’ awards 

program. Collins received 

an Award of Merit. Gnade 

received an Award of Recognition. 

She has served the 

district since 2008. 

Assessment and grading 

The Superintendent Advisory 

committee, which consists 

of parents and school 

community members, is 

reviewing current district 

assessment and grading 

practices. Topics include 

retaking assessments and 

the grading of homework. 

These discussions are part 

of the larger picture, which 

involves a shift in the district’s 

focus from grades to 

learning. Advisory members 

are part of a communications 

For Providence 

Catholic High School’s 

Year in Review 

submission, please visit 

MokenaMessenger.com. 

loop with a team of district 

teachers. The teacher team is 

discussing practices related 

to these topics to develop 

guidelines. We are always 

happy to welcome newcomers 

to the advisory committee. 

To become a member, 

please call (815) 469-9103. 

‘Like’ us on Facebook 

District 161 has developed 

its presence on Facebook. 

The page is available via a 

link on the District homepage. 

Content includes stories 

and photos of the great 

things happening in Summit 

Hill schools. Emergency 

closing information is also 

broadcast on Facebook. 

Happy 20th birthday 

Hilda Walker Intermediate 

School was built in 1996. 

This year marked its 20th 

year. The school was named 

after Hilda Walker, a Kendallville, 

Indiana, native who 

taught at Rutledge School in 

Frankfort in 1932, ultimately 

becoming the first teacher in 

District 161. Walker School 

serves fifth- and sixth-grade 

students. It is the only District 

school to earn a National 

Blue Ribbon, an award 

presented by the U.S. Department 

of Education. The 

National Blue Ribbon recognizes 

schools for excellence. 

As you can see, great 

things are happening in 

Summit Hill District 161. 

We are very appreciative to 

our parents for sending us 

such great kids.

mokenamessenger.com Mokena 


SOUTH HOLLAND HOMEWOOD TINLEY PARK FRANKFORT CRETE DYER BEECHER 

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Ginger Ale 

6 Pk. .5 Ltr. Btls. 

 

Paper Towels 

8 Pk. Regular Rolls 

 

Walt’s Premium 

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Ice River Springs 

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Mokena’s Future Stars Baseball Academy helps family toward accessible van 

Ryan Esguerra 


Sometimes, without warning, 

life just happens. 

Events that cannot be justified 

or explained can happen 

to anyone, at any time. In September 

of 2008, life happened 

to then-2-year old Bella Brya 

and her family, and their lives 

would never be the same. 

“You can tell she still understands 

what is being said 

to her, but there is nothing 

she can do to respond.” 

In November of 2008, one 

month after her collapse, 

Bella’s mother Allison Brya 

gave birth to her baby brother, 

Liam Brya. The younger 

Brya also had complications 

of his own. He was born 

with an underdeveloped ear, 

a small jawline and spinal 

deformities as a result of 

Goldenhar Syndrome, a rare 

disease that causes abnormalities 

in the face and head. 

At age 2, Liam’s doctors 

found a brain tumor that required 

immediate surgery. 

The tumor caused him to 

lose stability on his right 

side, for which he still re- 

“You can’t prepare yourself 

for a sudden impact,” 

help was spurred by a Mokena-based 

athletics company. 

quires therapy. 

The children’s father, Bill 

said Rosemarie Melnik, Bella’s 

Months before her third Brya, underwent brain sur- 

grandmother. “You can’t birthday, Brya suddenly colgery 

of his own and today 

brace yourself. It just hits lapsed from a life-threatening is being treated for ailments 

you, and the life you knew is brain aneurysm that left her in associated with it. In July of 

forever changed.” 

a deep coma. After multiple 2016, Bella, Bill and Liam 

Since then, community 

brain surgeries to save her were diagnosed with HHT, 

life, doctors told the Frankfort a rare genetic disorder of the 

members have supported the 

family that due to the severity blood vessels that is passed 

family’s ensuing financial 

of Bella’s brain injuries, her down through generations 

burdens. Most recently, that motor skills and speech were in a family. Much is still unknown 

compromised. She would 

about HHT, and doc- 

708-478-1616 

need around-the-clock care 

for the rest of her life. 

“Watching something like 

that happen to her and being 

able to do nothing about 

it was devastating,” Melnik 

said. “It was like one day she 

was there, and then the next, 

she wasn’t.” 

tors are still left searching 

for answers. 

“Allison works part-time, 

and we do the best we can 

to help,” Melnik said. “But 

we have limited resources 

available to us to pay all of 

the costs associated with 

the medical care our family 

Bill Brya and his children, Bella and Liam, all underwent 

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major medical procedures over the past few years. The 

Frankfort family has been raising money for an accessible 

van to help transport Bella, and Mokena-based Future Stars 

Baseball Academy recently held a fundraiser to support the 

Brya family’s goal. Photo submitted 

needs.” 

In June of 2014, Melnik 

started a GoFundMe page in 

an attempt to raise money for 

a handicap-accessible van 

that would be used to support 

Bella and bring awareness 

to the obstacles the 

family is facing. Melnik said 

that a customized van would 

cost more than $40,000, and 

after initial support gathered 

more than $10,000, donations 

slowed. 

“When the tragedy first 

happened, everyone was 

pouring in so much support,” 

Melnik said. “We are 

so grateful for that, but after 

a while, it seemed as though 

people moved. 

“We still are using my 

2012 Honda Odyssey to 

transport Bella in the same 

chair she has had since she 

was 3. It is very difficult to 

get her to and from doctor’s 

appointments, but we manage 

as best we can.” 

When Chicago Elite baseball 

coach Scott Spoolstra 

read the Bryas’ story in The 

Mokena Messenger, he said 

that he had to do something. 

“When I read the story, I 

was deeply affected by the 

horrible tragedy this family 

has endured,” Spoolstra 

said. “To know that they have 

been trying to raise this money 

for two years and aren’t 

even halfway there yet just 

made me want to try to bring 

awareness back to the issue.” 

Spoolstra and Mokenabased 

Future Stars Baseball 

Academy held two consecutive 

Saturdays of baseball 

services at their facility, 

with all proceeds of the 

event donated directly to the 

Brya family. In addition to 

the discounted baseball services, 

raffle baskets donated 

by the surrounding community 

to support the Byra family 

were available. Spoolstra 

said that the proceeds of the 

two weekends amounted to 

more than $1,000. 

“I know we won’t be 

able to reach the goal dollar 

amount in one or two weekends,” 

Spoolstra said. “But 

bringing awareness to what 

is going on and getting the 

community involved brings 

us one step closer. 

“I won’t quit until we 

reach our goal.” 

In what she hopes to be a 

community-rallying event, 

Melnik said that the family 

appreciates the efforts of Future 

Stars Baseball Academy 

and hopes to keep the momentum 

rolling. 

“It’s exhilarating to think 

about,” Melnik said. “It’s 

the genuine kindness of the 

community around us that is 

truly beautiful. We stand by 

each other.” 

In the face of all of the 

challenges that the Brya 

family has endured over the 

past eight years, Melnik said 

that her family will never 

give up the fight because 

they draw off strength from 

their little girl. 

“When Bella was very 

little, she loved books,” Melnik 

said. “I don’t think she 

could actually read them, but 

she would sit there and scan 

through every book with so 

much excitement and happiness, 

that’s how she treated 

everything. 

“Even on a rainy day, 

she would look at me with 

a hopeful smile and say, 

‘Grandma, it’s a beautiful 

day.’ If she can be so optimistic, 

then so can we.”

mokenamessenger.com news 



Mokena Library programs 

show it’s more than just books 

Cathy Palmer 

Mokena Community Public Library 

District Executive Director 

2016 was an exciting and 

busy year for The Mokena 


District. 

We celebrated our 50th 

Anniversary on Aug. 6 and 

had a variety of special programs 

throughout the month 

of August. Programs included 

an open house, technology 

day with a display of 

items from the past 50 years, 

musical presentations and a 

Teddy bear picnic. 

Staff worked with the Mokena 

Chamber of Commerce 

on this year’s Chamber 

Christmas ornament, which 

celebrated the library’s 50 

years. 

The library was extremely 

honored to be chosen by Michael 

McEvoy for his Eagle 

Scout project. Michael designed, 

was project manager 

and oversaw a group of 

volunteers who constructed 

a beautiful outside seating 

area for us. This is a wonderful 

area for those visiting 

the library to read, visit with 

one another or just relax. 

Former longtime residents 

of Mokena Robert and 

Valerie Horras have donated 

many historical documents, 

maps, books and more to 

the library about Mokena, 

and we will be adding more 

to the collection. We have 

a local history/genealogy 

room for patrons to use for 

research, as well as a genealogy 

club that meets once a 

month. 

Program offerings were 

expanded during 2016. New 

programs added this year included 

Chair Yoga; Happy 

Back Yoga; Yoga for Kids’ 

a Multi Library Geo-Cache 

Event; STEAM programming 

that reveals the science 

of everyday things in 

a hands-on learning environment; 

and Memory Lane 

Social, a gathering place for 

friends with Alzheimer’s or 

other forms of dementia and 

their caregivers and families 

to relax and enjoy socialization, 

refreshments, discussion 

and entertainment. 

The library has a virtual 

reality station that allows 

patrons to experience cutting-edge 

virtual technology 

through entertainment, gaming 

and learning opportunities 

that make you feel like 

you are a part of the action. 

Another new program is 

Career Online High School, 

in which scholarships are 

offered to qualified adults 

to earn an accredited high 

school diploma and career 

certificate. 

We also offer Music In 

the Box for newborn babies 

to children age 5, plus 

a variety of programs for 

children, young adults and 

teens, including: Reading 

with Mandy (Mandy is a 

certified therapy dog who 

students in first through 

eighth grades can sign up 

to read to); Walking Book 

Club, which meets at The 

Oaks Recreation & Fitness 

Center; Adult Books Discussion 

Group held at the 

library; Knitting Club; Teen 

Game Night; Group of Advising 

Teens, or G.O.A.T.; 

YA Coffeehouse; YA Movie 

Night; assistive technology 

for the visually impaired, including 

a Braille printer and 

magnifier; and more. 

If you are unable to come 

into the library, we offer eBooks, 

eAudiobooks, eMagazines 

and movies, as well as 

educational and informative 

databases which can all be 

accessed from your home 

with a valid Mokena Library 

card. Our Friends of the Library 

will also deliver materials 

to homebound patrons. 

The library enjoyed participating 

in various community 

programs throughout 

the year, such as the 

Business Expo, Asset Faire, 

Fourth of July parade, 

Christmas parade, Business 

After Hours and more. 

The staff and board of 

trustees would like to thank 

all of our wonderful customers 

for visiting the library 

and helping to make 2016 

such a success. 

To discover all that the 

library has to offer, please 

stop in; visit our webpage 

at www.mokenalibrary.org; 

provide us your email address 

so we may send out 

our newsletter and other information; 

call us at (708) 

479-9663; and follow us on 

Facebook at www.facebook/ 

MokenaLibrary, Twitter and/ 

or Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/mokenacommunity. 

Check us out; we’re more 

than just books! 

$1 DOWN 

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JANUARY 31 

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12 W. Sauk Trail 

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For more information visit www.stpeters-preschool.com 

Where we challenge the mind 

and spark curiosity... 

Visit us online at mokenamessenger.com

8 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger COMMUNITY 


Mylee 

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Mokena, IL 60448 

Mylee is a 20-month-old, 

spayed female domestic 

short hair with a sweet 

personality. She is a calm 

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meet her. 

Want to see your pet featured 

as The Mokena Messenger’s 

Pet of the Week? Send 

your pet’s photo and a few 

sentences explaining why 

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Editor Tim Carroll at tim@ 

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PRINCIPAL 

From Page 3 

with the students and the 

staff leading them through 

that transition,” Tingley said. 

Cohen added that despite 

the stress of the situation, he 

learned that it was necessary 

to keep moving forward to 

accomplish the job at hand 

— teaching students. 

“To shut out the background 

noise and continue 

to do your job is challenging,” 

he said. “It’s like trying 

to kick a field goal on 

the road in a stadium where 

the winds are swirling, and 

maybe it’s snowing, but you 

have to block out all those 

things and do your job like 

you know how to do it. That 

was the greatest challenge. 

It pushed all of us a little bit 

just to continue to come in 

and keep plugging away, but 

I never had any doubt that 

we would continue to do a 

good job for our kids.” 

Beginning a new opportunity 

Next school year, Cohen 

will officially begin his position 

at Elmhurst D205 — a 

position that is new for the 

district. 

He said the assistant superintendent 

position initially 

interested him because 

the district was looking for 

someone with science background, 

allowing him to return 

to a subject he loved. 

At Elmhurst, he will work 

with both middle and high 

school science, technology 

and math curriculum and 

also help oversee the district’s 

one-to-one initiative. 

A resident of Tinley Park, 

Cohen has no plans to move. 

Next year, his son will enter 

his freshman year at East. 

“As I point out to a few 

people, there will still be a 

Cohen at Lincoln-Way — 

just younger and better looking,” 

he said. “There’s a part 

of me that’s kind of excited 

to just be a dad and not to be 

at work when I’m at one of 

the events for my kids.” 

What Cohen will miss 

most about working for the 

district, however, are the 

people, he said. 

“From top to bottom, we 

have a great group of teachers, 

support staff, maintenance 

staff, bus drivers,” he 

said. “They’re wonderful 

people, and I’m really going 

to miss working with them. 

“I’ve learned that every 

single person in a school 

has the opportunity to be a 

positive influence in a kid’s 

life. … I’ve learned a lot 

from how my colleagues react 

to adversity and how big 

of hearts they have when it 

comes to working with students 

here.” 

Wilson said that though 

she and her colleagues are 

sad to see Cohen go, they 

are very happy for him and 

proud of him. 

“We wish him luck,” Tingley 

said. “This is a good 

opportunity for Mark. From 

time to time, we have administrators 

move on, and 

they always do very, very 

well. We wish Mark the best 

and will continue our relationship 

with him.” 

Looking back on his legacy, 

Cohen said he simply 

wants to have made people’s 

lives easier and to have been 

a positive influence. 

“Really, my only metric 

for what I do is the success 

of the kids that graduate 

from here,” he said. “I hope 

I’ve been a positive force in 

the lives of the children who 

have been able to move on 

and be successful because 

of Lincoln-Way.” 

Come enjoy our 

expanded office– 

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Modern 

General & Cosmetic 

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for Adults 

Dennis R. LaMonte, D.D.S., M.S. 

Michael Kasper, D.D.S. 

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quality dental services for the entire family! 

Bridal Show 

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mokenamessenger.com School 


The mokena messenger’s 

Standout Student 

Sponsored by Marquette Bank 

Ryan Kraft, Mokena Junior High 

School eighth-grader 

Ryan Kraft was picked as this week’s Standout 

Student because of his academic performance. 

What is one essential you must have when 

studying? 

I need complete silence when I study. 

The best place is in my room, at my desk. 

What do you like to do when not in school or 

studying? 

I love sports. I play baseball, basketball 

and football. A lot of my time is spent at 

practice or at games. I also travel with my 

family. 

What is one thing people don’t know about 

you? 

People don’t really know that I love history, 

and I enjoy watching old war movies 

with my dad. I also have a lot of interest in 

sports memorabilia. 

Whom do you look up to and why? 

I look up to my Papa and my dad. Both 

of them have spent so much time with me 

and attending my games. They are supersupportive 

and have taught me the value of 

hard work. 

Who is your favorite teacher and why? 

My favorite teacher is Mrs. Klappauf. 

I’ve had her for years, and she makes history 

fun. We do projects in her class, and 

lots of times she gives us candy. 

What is your favorite class and why? 

My favorite class is history. I have always 

had an interest in it. 

What is one thing that stands out about 

your school? 

Photo submitted 

I think the teachers and coaches stand 

out. They are all very helpful and want us 

to succeed. 

What extracurricular(s) do you wish your 

school had? 

I wish our school had a football team. I 

know that we would have a successful team. 

We have a lot of great athletes at our school. 

What is your morning routine? 

My morning schedule consists of sleeping 

in as late as possible. Then, I brush my 

teeth, eat and get ready for school. 

What is your best memory from school? 

My best memory in school was making it 

to the Elite 8 in the state basketball tournament 

in seventh grade and placing third in 

baseball this year. I have great teammates, 

and our achievements are very special to 

me. 

Standout Student is a weekly feature for The 

Mokena Messenger. Nominations come from 

Mokena area schools. 

School News 

Lincoln-Way East 

East student published in The 

New York Times 

A Lincoln-Way East junior 

urged universities to 

require students to learn a 

foreign language in the opinion 

pages of The New York 

Times late last month. 

In the Times’ Room for 

Debate section, Taylor 

Doyle, along with other high 

school students, responded 

to the prompt, “Should the 

study of a foreign language 

be mandatory in college?” 

with her own experience 

studying Spanish. 

Many universities no longer 

require foreign language 

proficiency, according to 

The New York Times, but a 

proposal at Princeton University 

would require all 

general education students, 

even those who already 

speak another language, to 

study another language. 

Doyle wrote that learning 

another learning another language 

“was the best decision 

I ever made.” 

“I don’t know for certain 

what I want to major in, but 

I do know that a variety of 

fields across the board are 

looking for people who are 

bilingual because our nation 

is becoming more and more 

globally connected,” Doyle 

wrote. “We must be able to 

communicate effectively 

with foreign partners. So, 

what gives a person the edge 

needed to compete with others 

in this job market? Proficiency 

in another language.” 

Carthage College 

Carthage names Mokena 

residents to dean’s list 

A total of 992 students 

were named to the Carthage 

College dean’s list for the 

Fall 2016 semester. 

The students honored include 

Bryan Jack, Jennifer 

Coming in February 

We want to know your favorite local businesses! 

Tell us your favorites in categories such as: 

Beauty ★ Health ★ Dining ★ Education ★ Fitness & Recreation ★ Pets 

Services ★ Shopping ★ Vehicles 

Honor your favorite local businesses by voting for them in the Southwest Choice Awards presented by 

22nd Century Media. 

Look for the ballot in your 22nd Century Media paper or vote online at 

www.22ndcenturymedia.com/swchoice starting Thursday, Feb. 2. 

Ballot ads are now available! 

To reserve your space, call (708) 326-9170! 

Michuda and Alexis Vanderlee, 

all of Mokena. 

Dean’s list honors are accorded 

to Carthage students 

who achieve a 3.5 gradepoint 

average while carrying 

at least 14 credit hours during 

a semester. 

University of St. Francis 

Joliet university names 

Mokena residents to dean’s 

list 

The University of St. 

Francis recently named its 

dean’s honor list for the fall 

2016 semester. 

They include Kylee Bandyk, 

Alexis Berezin, Emily 

Fears, Kellie Hermann, 

Thomas Jeffries, David Santay, 

Melissa Schobel, Molly 

Szajerski, Matthew Wereldsma 

and Megan Wolfe, all of 

Mokena. 

Compiled by Editor 

Tim Carroll, tim@ 

mokenamessenger.com. 

Visit us online at mokenamessenger.com 

THE FRANKFORT STATION 

THE LOCKPORT LEGEND THE NEW LENOX PATRIOT THE HOMER HORIZON 

THE ORLAND PARK PRAIRIE THE TINLEY JUNCTION THE MOKENA MESSENGER



Join uS… 

Riverside Healthcare 

Frankfort Campus 

Health Fair 

This event will include a variety 

of activities, free health screenings 

and information, food, and more for the whole family. 

Saturday, January 28 

9 a.m. until noon 

Presentations to include… 

n Stand Up to Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) 

Dr. Vikas Patel, Cardiologist 

n Learn More About COPD Dr. Roselle Almeida, Pulmonologist 

n Migraines in 20 Minutes Dr. Daniel Orozco, Neurologist 

n Cancer: What You Need to Know 

Dr. Joehar Hamdan, Oncologist/Hematologist 

n Updates in Spine Care: 2017 Dr. Charles Harvey, Neurosurgeon 

n Minimally Invasive Cranial Approaches: 2017 

Dr. Juan Jimenez, Neurosurgeon 

Additional Screenings and Activities… 

n Meet Riverside Medical Group’s Primary Care Providers! 

n Free PAD Screenings and Consultation n POC Glucose Testing 

n Free Lung Cancer Screenings* 

n BMI Screenings 

n Health Fitness Information 

n AED Training 

n Fit 4 Life Program 

n And more! 

*Limited spaces available for qualified individuals. Please call (815) 935-7531 to 

reserve your spot today. 

Location… 

Riverside Healthcare Frankfort Campus 

23120 South La Grange Road | Frankfort, IL 60423 

To make an appointment at our Frankfort campus: (815) 464-5440 

FROM THE FRANKFORT STATION 

Young LW East wrestler 

shows strength in leadership 

Footwork. Technique. 

Wrestling with the same focus 

to the final whistle. 

Those are a few of the 

things Lincoln-Way East 

wrestler Nick Mihajlovich, a 

returning sectional qualifier, 

knows he needs to continue 

working on to have a successful 

season. But there is 

one area for improvement 

that has been more important 

to the rising varsity 

sophomore, who is only in 

his third year wrestling and 

has an eye on a state title. 

“I can be a better teammate,” 

he said. 

Mihajlovich said he thinks 

he is still growing into a leadership 

role in his second season. 

His coach, Tyrone Byrd, 

already has seen that leadership 

pedigree from the sophomore 

he described as laid 

back, lighthearted and stoic. 

He also is trying to be a 

role model to younger wrestlers. 

For the second year in 

a row, he has been volunteering 

with the Celtic Elite 

Wrestling Club, a youth 

wrestling club. The CEWC 

holds an important place in 

Mihajlovich’s life, as it is the 

place that started him on his 

wrestling path. 

Through Dec. 23, Mihajlovich 

has gone 18-4 overall, 

wrestling mainly at 182 

pounds, and occasionally at 

170 and 195. His 14-3 record 

in duals and 4-1 record 

in tournaments include seven 

wins by pin. It has been 

an impressive first half of 

the season, especially when 

he is hanging with competition 

that includes seniors 

and guys who have wrestled 

since a young age. 

“That’s the kind of competition 

I want, because that’s 

what gets me truly better,” 

Mihajlovich said. 

FROM THE LOCKPORT LEGEND 

Military family reunites at 

Lockport American Legion 

For many military families, 

it is rare to have the opportunity 

to be all together at 

the same time. 

Julie Hoffman knows that 

because of the nature of the 

armed forces, she usually is 

lucky to have even one of 

her three children with her 

for the holidays. This year, 

however, she had all three 

— all of whom are Lockport 

Township High School 

graduates — take part in Air 

Force Junior ROTC while 

there. 

“It means so much to me 

to be able to have them together 

around the holiday 

season,” Hoffman said. “I 

am so proud of them all for 

what that they have accomplished 

so far. 

“I am honored to say that I 

am their mother.” 

Hoffman and her three 

children — 25-year-old Kenneth 

Macejak, 22-year-old 

Olivia Macejak and 18-yearold 

Hannah Macejak — celebrated 

the graduation of 

Hannah from United States 

Marine Corps Recruit Training 

with family and friends 

this past month at American 

Legion John Olson Post 18 in 

Lockport. 

The celebration came days 

before Olivia, an airman in 

the Navy, was sent on deployment 

for an undisclosed 

amount of time. Kenneth 

serves as a sergeant in the 

Marine Corps, who was deployed, 

as well, in his case to 

Afghanistan. 

“My oldest and my youngest 

have always wanted to 

serve in the military, with my 

middle child deciding to join 

after two years in college,” 

Hoffman said. “My kids were 

always raised with respect for 

the military, and once they 

got to the age to decide, they 

made the decision to serve 

our country.” 

FROM THE ORLAND PARK PRAIRIE 

Little Free Library launches 

at Presbyterian Church in 

Orland Park 

The “take a book, leave a 

book” concept of the Little 

Free Library began in 2009 

with the mission “to promote 

literacy and the love of reading 

by building free book 

exchanges worldwide and to 

build a sense of community, 

as we share skills, creativity 

and wisdom across generations.” 

Today, Little Free Libraries 

are registered around the 

country, and one of the latest 

to open is at The Presbyterian 

Church in Orland Park. 

Rather than a walk-in 

library, the Little Free Library 

is a small wooden box 

that has a weatherproofed 

window door. It is located 

outside of the church at the 

southeast corner of its parking 

lot, at 13401 S. Wolf 

Road, and is accessible at 

any time of day. 

The mission of Little Free 

Library greatly appealed to 

Barb Langan, a parishioner 

at the church. 

Langan said the idea 

started with the church’s 

Vision Committee, which 

was brainstorming ways the 

church could reach out to the 

community. Langan had experience 

operating a bookmobile 

at both the Orland 

Park and Frankfort libraries 

in the past. 

When people visit the library, 

they can look through 

a window to see what books 

it has in stock, make a selection 

and leave a book. 

“We’ve tried to have a varied 

collection,” Langan said. 

“We have some children’s 

picture books and some 

books for older children. We 

have stories about dogs, cats 

and things that people are 

interested in. ... It’s a pretty 

broad spectrum.” 

Reporting by Frank Gogola, 

Freelance Reporter. For more, 

visit FrankfortStation.com. 

Reporting by Ryan Esguerra, 


visit LockportLegend.com. 

Reporting by Meredith Dobes, 


visit OPPrairie.com.

mokenamessenger.com mokena 


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12 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger news 


Police Reports 

Man charged with possession of controlled substances, more 

Edward W. Kosteck, 26, 

of 22167 S. Spencer Road 

in New Lenox, was charged 

Dec. 19 with possession 

of a controlled substance, 

DUI-drugs, possession of 

hypodermic needles, possession 

of less than 10 grams of 

cannabis, possession of drug 

paraphernalia, improper lane 

usage and improper lighting. 

Police reportedly observed 

the black Nissan Altima 

Kosteck was driving travel 

at night for three blocks 

without headlights or taillights 

activated and the vehicle 

occasionally swerving. 

After initiating a traffic 

stop, police could see a hypodermic 

syringe, according 

to the report. Police said 

the driver displayed signs of 

impairment. Upon searching 

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the vehicle, police discovered 

a glass drug pipe with 

residue that smelled of burnt 

cannabis, an Altoids metal 

container that was burnt 

and contained burnt residue, 

four plastic bags containing 

an off-white powdery substance 

inside a prescription 

pill bottle, nine plastic bags 

that contained an off-white 

powdery residue, a plastic 

bag containing a green, leafy 

substance suspected to be 

cannabis and two prescription 

pill bottles, according to 

the report. 

Kosteck reportedly refused 

to submit to blood 

and urine testing. The baggies 

containing the off-white 

powder reportedly weighed 

1 gram and tested positive 

for the presumptive presence 

of suspect opiates. The 

baggie with the green, leafy 

substance weighed 3 grams 

and tested positive for the 

presumptive presence of 

suspect cannabis. 

Dec. 29 

• William C. Garcia, 54, of 

1808 Elgin Ave. in Joliet, 

was charged Dec. 29 with 

failure to reduce speed to 

avoid a collision and leaving 

the scene of a collision that 

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Your Business Here. 

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The Mokena Messenger 

Contact 

Lora Healy 

708.326.9170 ext. 31 

l.healy@22ndcenturymedia.com 

caused vehicle damage after 

police were reportedly dispatched 

to Francis Road and 

115th Avenue in reference to 

a hit and run collision. The 

alleged victim told police 

that Garcia, who was driving 

a gray Dodge Ram 1500, 

was following the alleged 

victim closely and struck her 

vehicle when she stopped at 

a stop sign, then drove away 

from the scene, according to 

the report. 

Dec. 24 

• On Dec. 24, Rajinder Kapoor, 

58, of 8800 167th 

Place in Orland Hills, was 

charged for being involved 

in a hit and run collision 

that caused property damage. 

Kapoor, who was driving 

a silver Toyota Corolla, 

reportedly told police that he 

was backing out of the Subway 

at 19115 S. La Grange 

Road when he struck an unoccupied 

vehicle, then left 

the scene. 

Dec. 23 

• Police charged Cheryl L. 

Sorley, 53, of 1050 Sweetwater 

Trail in New Lenox,with 

DUI-alcohol and driving in 

the wrong lane Dec. 23 after 

they reportedly observed 

the gray 2016 Dodge Ram 

1500 she was driving traveling 

eastbound in the westbound 

lanes in the 11500 

block of Lincoln Highway. 

After making contact with 

Sorley, police reportedly observed 

signs of impairment. 

Sorely refused field sobriety 

tests and refused to submit a 

breath sample, according to 

the report. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Mokena 

Messenger’s police reports 

come from the Mokena Police 

Department. Anyone listed in 

these reports is considered to 

be innocent of all charges until 

proven guilty in a court of law. 

Mailbox vandalism in 

subdivision unsolved 

Amanda Stoll, Assistant Editor 

After having two mailboxes 

stolen or vandalized in 

as many months, Sheri and 

Mark Lukacek are doing everything 

they can to prevent 

further damage. 

On the morning of Nov. 

20, their mailbox was missing, 

and a pumpkin was 

smashed on their front porch. 

They installed a security 

system at their home in the 

Tara Hills subdivision soon 

after that, hoping it would 

deter any more incidents. 

On Dec. 27, however, the 

cameras got footage of a 

gold Chevrolet Malibu with 

tinted windows and custom 

rims pull up in front of their 

house. A teenager in a hooded 

sweatshirt then got out of 

the car and knocked over the 

mailbox before getting back 

in the car and driving away, 

according to the police report. 

The incident happened 

just after 4 p.m., during daylight 

hours. 

“I’m shocked that they 

would be so brazen,” Sheri 

Lukacek said. 

Police reports were filed 

for theft and criminal damage 

to property, but, so far, 

Lukacek said the Mokena 

Police Department has not 

had any leads on the case. 

Lukacek said her home 

isn’t the only one that has 

had their mailbox vandalized 

recently, although she 

said they are they only ones 

to have filed police reports. 

She said she feels less safe 

in her neighborhood after the 

incidents of mailbox vandalism. 

Other neighbors have had 

their cars broken into in recent 

months, Lukacek said, 

and a neighboring family installed 

a security camera after 

having their fence graffitied. 

Despite the handful of 

other security systems in 

the neighborhood, Lukacek 

said no one she has talked to 

caught any footage. 

Lukacek has voiced her 

concern to her neighbors in 

person and via Facebook, 

and she has even tried to get 

others to file police reports 

— but to no avail. 

One of her neighbors said 

her mailbox was vandalized 

on July 4, but she wasn’t 

sure if the incident was connected 

to the one at the Lukacek’s 

home. The neighbor 

declined to discuss the incident 

on the record. 

Lukacek said the description 

of the car is very specific, 

and with the tinted 

windows and custom rims, it 

should be noticeable. 

“I would hope at some 

point someone is going to 

know this car,” said Lukacek. 

“It’s got to stick out.” 

Lukacek said she and her 

husband are not interested 

in pressing charges; they just 

want someone to take responsibility 

for his or her actions. 

“Our intention is not necessarily 

to have him arrested, 

whoever is doing this,” 

Lukacek said. “We would 

like them to pay for the mailbox, 

and then help install 

[the new] one. What they’re 

doing is wrong.” 

Mokena Police Department 

Commander Dan 

Rankovich said these kinds 

of crimes are difficult to 

solve because, even with 

camera footage, it can be 

“almost impossible” to identify 

the offender. 

He said many home cameras 

do not have the needed 

image quality to get a usable 

facial image, and even with 

that, it can be hard to identify 

the person. 

To report an incident, 

call the Mokena Police Department’s 

non-emergency 

phone number at (708) 479- 

3911.

mokenamessenger.com sound off 


Social snapshot 

Top Web Stories 

From MokenaMessenger.com as of 

Monday, Jan. 9 

1. Providence senior, Mokena native commits 

to UW-Madison 

2. 10 Questions with Andrew Hancock, Lincoln- 

Way Central boys basketball 

3. Central, East, North have 2016 to remember 

4. The Messenger looks back on its biggest 

stories from 2016 

5. Year in Review: Mokena Fire Protection 

District looks forward to centennial 

Become a member: mokenamessenger.com/plus 

“Come check out the awesome display 

that our librarians have worked hard on! 

Snow is falling...Books are calling... How 

true!” 

The Mokena Community Public Library 

District shared this message on its Facebook 

page Jan. 3. 

Like The Mokena Messenger: facebook.com/ 


“We’re very excited to have Jeremy Cordell 

from Lincoln-Way Central, IL speaking 

about his odd front defense and 1-0 

mentality this year!” 

@TriStateClinic shared this photo on its 

Twitter page Jan. 1. 

Follow The Mokena Messenger: @mokenamessenger 

From the editor 

Where we’re going ... we’ll probably still need roads 

Tim Carroll 

tim@mokenamessenger.com 

In the grand scheme of 

things, not a whole lot 

changed in 2016. 

It was a year that I have 

heard from many people was 

the worst in their memory. 

In some ways, it was kind 

of lousy. Sure, celebrities 

like Prince, David Bowie and 

Carrie Fisher died. But, as 

the Twitter people who live 

to point out the obvious have 

been very quick to remind us, 

that will happen in 2017, too. 

(For my part, I think 

that’s bogus. I think 2017 

is the year we find the cure 

for death. Hopefully, in an 

ironic turn of events, it will 

be cigarettes or fried food, 

something like that.) 

Letters to the Editor 

Does it pass the smell test? 

Twenty-nine years ago, 

my brother Don and I purchased 

out my uncles’ shares 

in Olivieri Brothers General 

Contractors. 

Don and I being both architects, 

we altered the focus 

of the company to be architects 

first and construction 

managers second, then we 

moved the company from its 

Southeast Side of Chicago 

roots and replanted our seeds 

in Frankfort. 

In the past 29 years we 

have had the pleasure of 

serving more than 800 clients 

and completing more 

than 2,000 projects, both 

large and small. With our 

current staff, and many repeat 

clients, we will continue 

into the next 30 years! 

Last year alone, we completed 

44 projects, of which 

18 were repeat clients. 

In the last 30 years (with 

more than 2,000 projects), 

we have never had a lawsuit 

— yes, not one lawsuit 

or litigation. Now, Mokena 

Community Park District 

Commissioners Mike Bartos, 

George McJimpsey, 

Steve Curran and their new 

attorney, Anthony Bruozas, 

have filed three lawsuits 

against us. 

Do you think Mike Bartos, 

George McJimpsey, 

Steve Curran and Anthony 

Anyway, 2016 was a fine 

year, not too much better or 

worse than any other. 

For me, 2016 was a very 

good year in many ways. 

For instance, I got my first 

chance at writing professionally. 

I come from a sports 

background, but probably a 

majority of my work as the 

editor of The Messenger has 

been writing news items and 

features. Much like my assistant 

editor Amanda Stoll 

did last week, I would like to 

take a look back on some of 

my favorite stories. 

One of the first cool things 

I had the chance to do as 

editor was to go down to 

Kankakee for the boys golf 

conference tournament. 

Serving as an introduction 

to the world of Lincoln-Way 

Central athletics for me, it 

could not have gone much 

better Junior E.J. Charles, 

who wound up taking second 

place individually in the tournament, 

led Central with an 

81, and I was there to watch 

him push a tee shot well 

right, hit a seemingly miraculous 

approach shot from under 

a tree and somehow save 

par on one of his final holes 

of the championship. 

The next week, I got to 

do something that I never 

really thought I would have 

the chance to do. I was in 

attendance for the Chicago 

Southland Convention and 

Visitors Bureau annual luncheon, 

and I covered the 

speech that Gov. Bruce 

Rauner delivered. 

I also got to preview Curtain 

Call Theatre’s first production 

in its Mokena location. 

While I’ve always been 

a fan of the arts, I think the 

coolest thing about writing 

about the new Mokena theater 

was the enthusiasm of 

the community over getting 

a theater right in town. 

On Oct. 18, I covered a 

roundtable discussion of the 

heroin problem that Will 

County is facing. I had not 

been aware that it was such 

a problem, so hearing U.S. 

Sen. Dick Durbin discuss 

it with Will County State’s 

Attorney Jim Glasgow and 

some of the Will County 

Bruozas have some personal 

vendetta against us? Maybe 

they don’t like people with 

an Italian last name (by the 

way, Don and I are half German). 

Maybe something else 

is going on with project? 

Maybe they just like wasting 

taxpayer money? 

You decide: does it past 

the smell test? 

Stay tuned, the truth always 

comes out in the end. 

Please email me your 

thoughts at John@solutions 

4buildings.com 

John Olivieri 

Mokena Resident and 

AGLO team member 

Drug Court’s participants 

was very enlightening. 

Finally and most recently, 

I had a lot of fun talking 

with Nancy Fixari and 

Kathy Chapleau, the two 

sisters who own Marley 

Candles. They had recently 

put the candle shop up for 

sale, and it was enjoyable to 

hear about the business that 

had been in their family for 

37 years. 

A lot changed for me, 

and a lot changed for Mokena 

in 2016. But, again, in 

the grand scheme of things, 

these were small-scale adjustments. 

For all the complaining 

that 2016 was an awful year, 

the world kept spinning, and 

most things stayed more or 

less the same. 

Which probably means 

where we’re going ... well, 

we’ll probably still need 

roads. 

Sound Off Policy 

Editorials and columns are the 

opinions of the author. Pieces 

from 22nd Century Media are 

the thoughts of the company 

as a whole. The Mokena Messenger 

encourages readers to write 

letters to Sound Off. All letters 

must be signed, and names and 

hometowns will be published. 

We also ask that writers include 

their address and phone number 

for verification, not publication. 

Letters should be limited to 400 

words. The Mokena Messenger 

reserves the right to edit letters. 

Letters become property of The 

Mokena Messenger. Letters that 

are published do not reflect 

the thoughts and views of The 

Mokena Messenger. Letters can be 

mailed to: The Mokena Messenger, 

11516 West 183rd Street, Unit 

SW Office Condo #3, Orland 

Park, Illinois, 60467. Fax letters 

to (708) 326-9179 or e-mail to 

tim@mokenamessenger.com. 

www.mokenamessenger.com.

14 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger mokena 


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the mokena messenger | January 12, 2017 | mokenamessenger.com 

A year to remember 

Veterans Day celebration, annual speech competition 

highlight Noonan Academy’s 2016, Page 16 

Eating Italian 

Angelo’s in Tinley Park has a sandwich for 

every Italian, Page 18 

The Lockport 

Pop’s is owned 

by The Motto 

brothers — 

Mike, Matt and 

Mark — who 

own and operate 

several Pop’s 

Beef restaurants 

in the area. 

Photos by Max 

Lapthorne/22nd 

Century Media 

Mokena co-owner, brothers aid in 

running Pop’s restaurants, Page 17 

INSET: Mike Motto (right) takes Sara Geving’s order Thursday, Jan. 5, at Pop’s in Lockport.

16 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger faith 



Noonan Academy reflects fondly on 2016 

Joseph Dunn 

Noonan Academy Principal 

In August 2016, Noonan 

Academy began its 21st 

year of excellence. 

With just under 400 students 

strong and a staff of 

around 50, the school year 

was met with hope and expectation. 

We welcomed our 

new families at our “Mentor 

Dinner.” 

Becoming part of the 

Noonan family is easy; the 

difficult part is feeling like 

you belong. Educating the 

mind and soul is a lifelong 

venture, and it is essential 

that the families and school 

work together in this journey. 

The Noonan machine 

picked up right where it 

left off in June. We started 

to prepare for our annual 

speech competition hosted 

by Illinois Elementary 

School Association. Eightytwo 

students ranging from 

fifth through eighth grades 

participated, of which 79 

students received first-place 

awards, and seven of those 

students were awarded the 

Judges’ Choice Award. 

We kicked off into October 

as our Noonan families 

came out for our second 

annual Bears tailgate. 

Families were able to spend 

some quality time together. 

We played beanbags, basketball, 

football and rooted 

on our beloved Chicago 

Bears. 

Continuing into October, 

our chess club hosted their 

Annual Chess Tournament, 

where just fewer than 100 

students refined their skills 

and did battle on the chess 

grid. 

Closing out the month, 

we eagerly sent our seventh 

and eighth grades to Providence 

Catholic, as the Celtics 

hosted their 16th Annual 

Junior High Academic 

Bowl. Twenty-one Chicagoland 

junior high schools 

competed in the subjects of 

language arts, social studies, 

science, mathematics 

and geography. Our Crusaders 

took home eight trophies, 

six individual, and 

both our seventh and eighth 

grade teams placed second. 

November is a month to 

be thankful. President Kennedy 

said, “A nation reveals 

itself not only by the citizens 

it produces, but also by 

the citizens it honors, the 

citizens it remembers.” 

We began November honoring 

all saints and all souls 

and continued as we came 

together on Nov. 11 to honor 

our veterans. Noonan academy 

was packed with students, 

staff, family and veterans. 

While other schools 

had the day off, our students 

had the honor of celebrating 

Mass with real heroes. 

You could hear a pin drop 

in the gymnasium as our 

veterans proudly marched 

down the aisle bearing our 

countries colors. We had 

thirty-one veterans ranging 

from World War II to active 

duty, come in and share 

with our students their story 

and the importance of honoring 

all that served. 

We followed up with a 

service, during which students 

recited poetry, sang 

songs and gave each veteran 

a medal, a spiritual bouquet 

and a blessing from a priest. 

We concluded the day with 

a Mass for our country and 

all who served, past, present 

and future. 

December means Christmas. 

Our choir visited an 

assisted living facility to 

serenade with joy, while 

our beginning and concert 

bands anxiously awaited 

their chances to shine in 

their Christmas concert. Our 

school family collected and 

distributed items for those 

who are less fortunate. 

Students got ready to 

showcase their voices during 

our Christmas programs, 

as we celebrate Advent, 

a time of joy, hope and 

expectation for the birth of 

Christ. 

We hope students enjoyed 

the Christmas break; before 

you know it, we were back 

in action, forming the best 

versions of our students, 

families and all within our 

Noonan Community. 

Faith Briefs 

St. John’s United Church of Christ (11100 Second 

St., Mokena) 

Blood Drive 

8:30 a.m.-noon Sunday, Jan. 

22, Christian Community Center 

(next to the church).St. John’s 

United Church of Christ in conjunction 

with Heartland Blood 

Centers is hosting a blood drive. 

Call (708) 479-5123 or visit 

www.heartlandbc.org to sign up. 

Walk-ins welcome. 

In Memoriam 

Pancake Breakfast 

8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sunday, 

Jan. 29, St. John’s United Church 

of Christ, 11100 Second St., Mokena. 

Join the St. John’s Christian 

Preschool for an all-you-can eat 

pancake breakfast. Menu includes 

pancakes, sausages, applesauce, 

nice, milk and coffee. Cost is $7 

for adults, $5 for children ages 

7-12, $3 for children ages 3-6 and 

free for ages 2 and younger. For 

more information, call (708) 479- 

5123. 

Traditional Service 

8 a.m. traditional mass, 9:45 

a.m. contemporary & traditional 

music in a service of praise and 

reverence. Supervised childcare 

available. For more information, 

call (708) 479-5123. 

Garden Club 

8 a.m. Tuesdays. For more information, 

call (708) 479-5123. 

Mokena Baptist Church (9960 W. 187th St., 

Mokena) 

Faith That Stands 

5 p.m. every Sunday. Join the 

service which takes a closer look 

at the book of First Corinthians. 

For more information, call (312) 

350-2279. 

Ladies Bible Study 

7 p.m. every Thursday. Meetings 

take place at The Talking Shirt 

Boutique, 19805 S. LaGrange 

Road in Mokena. For more information, 

call (312) 350-2279. 

Men’s Bible Study 

The men’s bible study is held 

quarterly at Cracker Barrel, 18531 

N. Creek Drive in Tinley Park. 

The meetings are held at 9 a.m., 

and men will enjoy studying the 

Bible over breakfast. 

St. Mary’s Catholic Church (19515 115th Ave., 

Mokena) 

Pancake Breakfast 

8 a.m.-noon Sunday, Jan. 15, 

19515 S. 115th Ave., Mokena. 

The St. Mary Mokena Knights 

of Columbus will hold their next 

pancake breakfast at the church 

hall. All proceeds go to our various 

charities. 

Church Service 

5 p.m. Saturdays; 8 a.m, 9:30 

a.m., 11 a.m. and 6: p.m. Sundays 

Adoration and Holy Rosary 

6:30-9 p.m. Wednesdays 

Have something for Faith Briefs? 

Contact Assistant Editor Amanda 

Stoll at a.stoll@22ndcenturymedia. 

com or call (708) 326-9170 ext. 34. 

Deadline is noon Thursday one week 

prior to publication. 

Tom E. Lambert 

Tom E. Lambert, 62, of Mokena, 

died Dec. 24. He was a resident 

of Trinity Services in Mokena 

and loved the Cubs, White Sox 

and Bears. He is survived by his 

sisters, Marilyn L. Scholari and 

Charlene (Bill) Engler; brothers, 

Richard (Judy) Lambert, Harry 

(Narci) Lambert and Jim Lambert; 

brother-in-law, Roy Stuart; and 

many nieces and nephews. Visitation 

and funeral service were held 

at Carlson-Holmquist-Sayles Funeral 

Home & Crematory. Interment 

Oakwood Cemetery. 

Linda L. Palmer 

Linda L. Palmer, 60, of Mokena, 

died Jan. 1. She was a member 

of Heritage Baptist Church 

in Frankfort. She is survived by 

her husband, Paul Palmer; siblings, 

Nancy (Jesse) Beckman and 

Roy Peterson; nephews, Michael 

(Anna) Beckman and Robert Beckman; 

and great nieces, Luci Beckman 

and Antonia Beckman. Visitation 

was held at Heritage Baptist 

Church. Interment Pleasant Hill 

Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations 

to Heritage Christian School 

in Frankfort would be appreciated. 

Rachel Lynn Sweet 

Rachel Lynn Sweet, 19, of Mokena, 

died Dec. 31. She was a graduate 

of Lincoln-Way West High School. 

She is survived by her parents, James 

and Susan Sweet; brother, Randel 

Sweet; grandparents, Edward and 

Mildred Wagner; uncles, Edward 

(Carol) Wagner, Thomas (Eileen) 

Sweet and Steven (Mary) Sweet; 

and aunt, Barbara Sweet. Visitation 

was held at Kurtz Memorial Chapel. 

A funeral Mass was held at St. Jude 

Catholic Church. Interment Good 

Shepherd Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, 

donations to Two Sweet Kids 

(https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/ 

webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_ 

button_id=ESGMNLSHPY3BJ) or 

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (www. 

cff.org) would be appreciated. 

Have someone’s life you’d like to honor? 

Email Editor Tim Carroll at tim@ 

mokenamessenger.com with information 

about a loved one who was a part of the 

Mokena community.

mokenamessenger.com life & arts 


Mottos honor family tradition, just in different business 

Brothers grow up 

grocers, become 

restaurateurs 

Tim Carroll 

Contributing Editor 

Twenty-two years ago, 

Mike Motto and his two 

brothers, Matt and Mark — 

all educated at Providence 

Catholic High School — had 

the chance to keep up the 

family tradition. 

Their version of the family 

tradition was not exactly the 

same — the Mottos’ parents 

and grandfather had been in 

the grocery store business — 

but it was close enough. 

They bought a Pop’s Italian 

Beef & Sausage restaurant. 

“We thought we were going 

into the grocery store 

business, [but my parents 

sold] right before I’m getting 

ready to be college age, so I 

went off to Illinois state, followed 

by my two brothers,” 

Mike Motto said. 

In the beginning, there was 

one 

After his parents sold 

independently-owned Motto’s 

Foods, which had locations 

in both Midlothian 

and Tinley Park, and it became 

clear that a grocery 

career was not in store for 

him, Mike Motto took a 

position out of college at 

Frank’s Nursery & Crafts, 

a store that is no longer 

around the south suburbs 

but that Motto described as 

“kind of a smaller version 

of Home Depot.” 

But he immediately began 

researching different franchising 

opportunities, including 

McDonald’s, Hardee’s 

and Blockbuster video 

stores. None of them was 

the perfect fit, though. One 

brother was finished with 

school, and the other was 

getting ready to graduate, 

but they did not yet know 

which chain to join until the 

chance to get in on the Pop’s 

expansion arose. 

“Pop’s was just starting 

to expand a little bit,” Mike 

Motto said. “... We got to 

know the product a little bit, 

and we knew the owner, so I 

talked to him and explained 

to him how I was looking 

to go into business. The restaurant 

wasn’t for sale at the 

time, but we got to know the 

product and really liked the 

sandwiches and the food.” 

After Matt, the youngest 

of the Motto boys, graduated, 

the Motto family was 

in the market for a new car. 

That was when they heard 

Pop’s owner Frank Radochonski 

had opened a Bourbonnais 

location and was 

having some trouble running 

between the original 

Palos Heights Pop’s and the 

Bourbonnais store. 

When they went down 

to Bourbonnais, the Mottos 

decided to get involved with 

the business. The brothers 

came up with half of the 

money necessary to buy the 

Bourbonnais spot and borrowed 

the other half from 

their father in 1994, keeping 

the Motto business ownership 

tradition alive. 

Growth is their Motto 

In 1998, something eerily 

similar happened. Mike 

Motto was in the market for 

a new car this time, and he 

heard that the Orland Park 

location was for sale. 

The brothers jumped at 

the chance. At that time, the 

three were living together in 

Bourbonnais in a two-bedroom 

condo. 

“Not only were we working 

massive hours every 

week, we were also living 

together at night, too,” Mike 

Motto said. 

Mark and Matt Motto 

moved back to the Tinley 

Park area and began working 

at the Orland Park location 

while Mike Motto 

remained in Bourbonnais. 

Shortly thereafter, the Mottos 

sold the Bourbonnais 

location back to Radochonski 

to focus on the growing 

Orland Park store, and Mike 

Motto moved back to the 

Tinley Park area, as well. 

In the mid-2000s, the 

Mottos and Pop’s both experienced 

an expansion 

boom. 

“We were like, ‘You 

know what? It’s time to 

expand. We all don’t need 

to be staying in the same 

store,’” Mike Motto said. 

In 2004, the Mottos licensed 

another location 

in Mokena, where Mike 

Motto now lives. In 2006, 

the brothers opened a Lockport 

location. In 2007, they 

opened up in Tinley Park. 

In 2009, they opened up in 

Romeoville. And finally, in 

2013, they opened another 

location in Orland Park. 

When they went through 

the large expansion, the 

Mottos needed more people 

they could trust to help out 

with the new stores, so Mike 

Motto brought a business 

school friend of his, Burke 

Matyas, aboard. Eventually, 

Matyas bought the Tinley 

Park location from the Mottos. 

While they have taken a 

few years off from further 

expansion, Mike Motto said 

he is approached by commercial 

developers to open 

more locations in the south 

suburbs, and when the time 

and place are right, he and 

his brothers might just expand 

again. 

Family business 

One of the reasons Pop’s 

was the perfect restaurant 

for the Motto brothers to 

Brothers (from left) Matt, Mike and Mark Motto combine to own five Pop’s Italian Beef & 

Sausage locations in the south suburbs, including Mokena, Lockport and Orland Park. 

Photo Submitted 

become involved with was 

their familiarity with the 

product. 

“We were frequent visitors, 

because [the Orland 

Park location] was only a 

mile away,” he said. “We 

loved the recipe. 

“Once we had the opportunity 

to buy into Bourbonnais, 

we already knew the 

product, we knew we wanted 

to go into retail, we were 

looking to go into business, 

[but] we knew we were taking 

a shot because we didn’t 

know the restaurant business 

that much.” 

But the Mottos’ lack of 

experience in the restaurant 

business was helped by Radochonski 

training them on 

what Pop’s was all about, 

and he still visits the many 

stores once a week. 

“Still, to this day, we cook 

and slice our beef fresh every 

single day,” Mike Motto 

said. “... We make all of our 

peppers homemade, everything 

is homemade. That 

was the big draw, [that the 

food is] homemade, cooked 

fresh on the premises every 

day.” 

The Motto brothers are 

still hands-on owners, too. 

Each of them took responsibility 

for one location, 

with Mike Motto, a roughly 

eight-year resident of Mokena, 

spending his time at 

the Lockport store; Matt 

Motto, of Orland Park, runs 

the first Orland Park location; 

and Mark Motto, of 

Homer Glen, spends his 

days at the Mokena restaurant. 

While they are at different 

stores, they are able 

to stay on the same page. 

“It’s easier to talk to them 

than it would be a stranger,” 

Mark Motto said. “I’m always 

the quiet one, so it 

would be harder to [be in the 

business] with a stranger.” 

The Motto boys learned 

to love retail from their grocer 

father, who valued the 

personal relationships built 

while working in the industry. 

“We loved [going to the 

grocery store to help],” 

Mike Motto said. “And 

that’s how the retail kind of 

got into it. You’re not only 

interacting with the customer, 

you’re interacting with 

your team every day. We got 

to see dad or grandpa do it, 

and we fell in love with it.” 

Their father also helped 

build their work ethic. 

“He always instilled hard 

work in us,” Mark Motto 

said. “The harder we work, 

the more we’ll be rewarded 

in the end.” 

It was not always easy 

for the brothers, especially 

when they were cramped together 

in Bourbonnais, but 

they always made it work. 

“There were three of us, 

but it was a two-bedroom 

condo,” Mark Motto said. 

“But we always got along.” 

Despite the fact that they 

spend the majority of their 

time at different Pop’s locations, 

Mike Motto said he is 

most proud of his family’s 

cohesion. 

“The proudest thing is 

that me and my brothers 

have stuck together through 

it all,” he said. “We’re part 

of a successful chain now 

that we helped develop, and 

it’s a lot, it’s a big thing. 

A lot of people would not 

have done it. But it’s paid 

off in the long run.”

18 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger dining out 


The Dish 

Angelo’s in Tinley Park 

focuses on meaty Italian meals 

need a Doctor? See a 

DoCtor! 

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frankfort 

815-464-2010 

LaGrange Road @ St. Francis Road 

TACO 

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45 

N 

F. Amanda Tugade, Contributing Editor 

Angelo’s Fresh Markets are centered on 

tradition and value. 

The small neighborhood deli and butcher 

shop — which resides at a plaza on 183rd 

Street in Tinley Park — gives owner Carla 

Bolin an opportunity to let customers in on 

her definition of good Italian food. 

Bolin said it is no secret there is a rivalry 

between Northern Italy and Sicily, especially 

when it comes cooking, and members of her 

family have gone head-to-head to compare, 

contest and crown whose style is the best. 

“They’re very different,” the 52-year-old 

Chicago Heights native said. “Northern Italians 

do a lot of fish, more chicken. Their 

sauces are a little lighter. Sicilians are more 

heavy, like stuffed lasagna, stuffed shells, the 

sausages.” 

The idea behind Bolin’s markets — which 

also have found homes in Flossmoor and 

Schererville, Indiana — is an effort to showcase 

the stronger bond that exists between 

food and family. 

“I actually grew up in the restaurant business,” 

Bolin said. “My parents had restaurants 

from [when I was in] seventh grade on, 

and they were called Angelo’s.” 

Equipped with a marketing degree, a 

young Bolin found herself dedicating the 

next few chapters of her life working in 

that field. But an unfortunate circumstance 

forced her to reevaluate her career options. 

“The company I worked for closed,” Bolin 

said. “I was looking for something to do 

again.” 

And opening Angelo’s felt like the next 

step. 

“If it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood,” 

she added. “You’re always around food, you 

love food, you want to do food.” 

Rows of hand-picked imported condiments, 

tomato sauces and olive oils are displayed 

on a long shelf placed in the middle 

of the store, dividing the freezer aisle from 

the deli counter. 

Those freezers are reserved for Bolin’s seafood 

selection, which ranges from tilapia to 

swordfish, as well as homemade pasta and 

raviolis. 

Small tables that seat a maximum of four 

people are scattered throughout for those 

who want to stop in for lunch and grab a 

quick bite of Angelo’s sandwiches. 

Enter The Papa Phil. 

Angelo’s Fresh Markets is known for its 

homemade lasagna, sold in full slices 

($7.99) or half ($4.99). F. Amanda Tugade/22nd 

Century Media 

Angelo’s Fresh Markets 

7150 W. 183rd St. in Tinley Park 

Hours 

• 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday 

• 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday 

• 11 a.m.-4 p.m. 

For more information ... 

Web: angelosfresh.com 

Phone: (708) 407-8724 

Bolin said that was the first sandwich featured 

on the market’s menu, and it was tailored 

to her father’s favorites. 

“I just made something that he would like,” 

she noted. 

The $6.99 cold sandwich includes a hearty 

serving of Italian roast beef, topped with 

provolone cheese and roasted red peppers. 

A spread of Angelo’s basil-truffle mayo on 

a brioche bun completes the flavorful item. 

“After that, it was like, ‘What’s his favorite 

thing?’” Bolin said. “He loved the Rat 

Pack.” 

The Frank Sinatra ($6.99) is built on a 

Tuscan Panne bread and features mesquite 

smoked turkey; cheddar cheese; applewood 

smoked, all natural bacon; lettuce; and artichoke 

spread. The Dean Martin (also $6.99) 

piles spiral ham, American cheese, tomato, 

romaine lettuce, and sweet and spicy mustard 

on top of a pretzel roll. 

After running out of Rat Pack members, 

Bolin moved on to pay homage to Italian actors, 

and the Marlon Brando ($8.99) kicks 

off that list. The Brando is Bolin’s take on a 

Reuben, which pairs Vienna corned beef and 

imported Swiss cheese together on homemade 

rye. A Thousand Island dressing and 

sauerkraut packs the punch to tie it all up.

mokenamessenger.com Mokena 


22ND CENTURY MEDIA PRESENTS 

FREE ADMISSION! FREE PARKING! 

FITNESS CLASSES! 

This event will be the answer to getting the New Year’s resolution off 

to a solid start by offering healthy screenings, fitness tips, healthy 

eating ideas and more to start off the New Year with a New You 

Vendors scheduled to appear: 

22nd Century Media 

Arbonne 

Bath Planet 

Be Healthy Be Green 

Body Tech Total Fitness 

Cheesewich Factory 

Chiro One Wellness Center 

Clarendale of Mokena 

ClearCaptions 

Dan Mosca State Farm 

Defend UR Health 

Essentia Water 

Event Tees Inc. 

Great Lakes Caring 

Health Nutz Natural Foods 

Heart & Sole Dance 

Hidden Knoll Apiaries 

Ingalls Health System 

Isagenix International 

Krave Jerky 

Le-vel Thrive 

Mamma Chia 

Natural Healing Centers 

Palos Community Hospital 

Palos Imaging & Diagnostics 

PH+ Cleanee Inc. 

Physicians Immediate Care 

Planet Fitness 

Plexus Worldwide, Inc. 

Prudential Advisors 

Reconstructed Fitness 

Renewal by Anderson 

The Sheet Lady 

Theracore Physical Therapy 

Tinley Park Apothecary 

Vitality Health System 

Weight Watchers 

Young Living Essential Oils 

And more to come! 

FREE 

30-minute fitness 

classes from: 

Body Tech Total Fitness 

Heart & Sole Dance 

Natural Healing Center - yoga 

Planet Fitness 

FREE 

Healthy Living 

Cooking Demo 

Joliet Junior College Chef Tim Bucci 

Chef Colin Turner of Tin Fish 

For more info, call (708) 326-9170 ext. 16 or visit 

www.22ndcenturymedia.com/events 

The New Lenox Patriot • The Orland Prairie • The Tinley Junction • The Homer 

Horizon • The Lockport Legend • The Mokena Messenger 

The Frankfort Station

20 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger MOKENA 

mokenamessenger.com mokenamessenger.com MOKENA 

the Mokena Messenger | January 12, 2017 | 21

mokenamessenger.com mokena 


Delete Page

22 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger puzzles 


crosstown CROSSWORD & Sudoku 

The crosstowns: Frankfort, Homer Glen, Lockport, Mokena, New Lenox, Orland Park, Tinley Park 

Crossword by Myles Mellor and Cindy LaFleur 

Across 

1. Italian restaurant in 

Homer Glen 

6. Jobs for SEALs 

9. Therefore 

13. Chucklehead 

14. Ivy plant 

16. Haft 

17. 1,000 kilograms 

18. Send 

19. Peak near Taormina 

20. Subject relating to 

terrain and maps 

23. Cooler 

24. Coffee holder 

25. Murmured softly 

27. Slaughterhouse 

32. Kind of story 

33. Concerto writer 

34. Ripened 

36. “Pre” and “neo” 

ending 

40. Customer 

41. Massenet opera 

43. NASA scrub 

44. Beat 

46. Suppose (old way) 

47. Twist 

48. Cashew, e.g. 

50. Kind of suspicion 

52. Herb 

56. Hankering 

57. Early afternoon 

58. Homer Glen pumpkin 

farm and fall fest 

62. Plus 

64. Tangelo variety 

65. Specks 

68. Sound reflection 

69. Urgent request 

70. Unsophisticated 

71. Siesta 

72. Suffix with “velvet’’ 

73. Projected 

Down 

1. ___ for tat 

2. Buzzing about 

3. Acceleration power 

4. Basketball defense 

5. Dined at McDonald’s 

6. Time frame for some 

important mail deliveries 

7. Cotton fabric 

8. Impertinent ones 

9. Not just any 

10. Will Smith movie 

11. Neighbors of radii 

12. Bear 

15. Character of a culture 

21. Old British coin 

22. It’s tender to the 

Chinese 

26. Polish seaport 

27. Touch on 

28. Hit 

29. Big name in computers 

30. Royal resting place 

31. Fosters 

35. Relating to sensual 

and emotional aspects of 

human nature, after an 

ancient Greek 

37. Sun hat of India 

38. Opposed to, said in 

an unsophisticated way 

39. Lasting a while 

42. Candied 

45. Lily or onion 

49. Link 

51. Consecrate 

52. Decrease 

53. In a state of readiness 

54. English queens, for 

short 

55. Viewpoint 

59. Elation 

60. General Hospital’s 

___ Drake 

61. Get a move on 

63. “Some Like It __” 

(1959) film 

66. “___ Maria” 

67. Wield a needle 

MOKENA 

The Alley Grill and Tap 

House 

(18700 S. Old LaGrange 

Road, Mokena; (708) 478- 

3610) 

■9 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: Karaoke 

Fox’s Restaurant and Pub 

(11247 W. 187th St., 

Mokena; (708) 478-8888) 

■6 ■ p.m. Thursdays, 

Fridays and Saturdays: 

Performance by Jerry 

Eadie 

Jenny’s Southside Tap 

(10160 191st St., 

Mokena; (708) 479-6873) 

■6 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: Acoustic 

Avenue, Psychic 

night - second Tuesday 

every month. 

■9 ■ p.m. Thursdays: 

Karaoke 

■Fridays ■ and Saturdays: 

Live bands 

NEW LENOX 

Little Joe’s Restaurant 

(1300 N. Cedar Road, 

New Lenox; (815) 463- 

1099) 

■5-8 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: 

Piano Styles by Joe 

TINLEY PARK 

Bailey’s Bar & Grill 

(17731 Oak Park Ave., 

Tinley Park; (708) 429- 

7955) 

■9 ■ p.m. Wednesdays: 

Karaoke 

■7 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: Trivia 

■10 ■ p.m. Fridays: DJ 

Dance Party 

■9:30 ■ p.m. Saturdays: 

Live Music 

Cuzins Bar 

(177th and Oak Park Ave., 


1144) 

■Wednesdays: ■ 

Live Rock 

Band Karaoke 

Durbin’s 

(17265 Oak Park Ave., 


1000) 

■9-11 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: 

Open Mic 

■9 ■ p.m. Wednesdays: 

Karaoke 

■8-10 ■ p.m. Thursdays: 

Live music by Miguel 

Garza 

To place an event 

in The Scene, email 

b.kapa@22ndcenturymedia. 

com. 

answers 

How to play Sudoku 

Each sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that 

has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3x3 

squares. To solve the puzzle, each row, column and 

box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. 

LEVEL: Medium 

Sudoku by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

mokenamessenger.com real estate 


The owners of this 

beautiful home will 

miss the large, halfacre-plus 

corner lot in 

unincorporated area. 

What: Four-bedroom, quadlevel 

home 

Where: 18825 Marjorie 

Parkway, Mokena 

The Mokena Messenger’s 

of the 

WEEK 

“THE 

8TH WONDER 

OF THE WORLD. ...” 

—Joe Heard, former White House photographer 

Amenities: 2,000 square 

feet of living space. Enter 

the foyer and vaulted 

living room with sundrenching 

skylights. 

Large eat-in kitchen with 

Silestone counters, solid 

oak cabinets and newer 

appliances leads to 

separate 18-foot dining 

room with niche for 

hutch and large windows. 

Sliding glass doors bring 

you to the 17-foot deck 

with an attached gas grill 

overlooking an expansive 

yard with a sturdy twofloor 

Tuff-Shed with 

electricity. Heated garage. 

Outside also boasts newer 

landscaping with paver 

walk, fruit trees, bushes 

and flowers, as well as 

a whole-house naturalgas 

Generac 16 kilowatt 

generator. Recent added 

amenities include all 

new double-pane, low-E 

windows, electric box and 

new siding. Three secondfloor 

bedrooms including 

a vaulted master suite 

with a walk-in closet and 

private bath with Jacuzzi 

tub. Fourth bedroom in 

lower level with a private 

half-bath currently used 

as an office. Additional 

all-purpose room and 

19-foot finished rec 

room. Mechanical septic 

and state-of-the-art 

Hellenbrand Iron Curtain 

water. Low taxes, too. 

Asking Price: $279,900 

Listed Agent: Tom 

Morrison, of Mike McCatty 

and Associates - Century 

21 Affiliated in Orland 

Park. For a private tour or 

more information on the 

property, call (708) 267- 

6725. 

Want to know how to become 

Home of the Week? Contact 

Tricia at (708) 326-9170 ext. 

47. 

“ 

I’ve reviewed about 4,000 SHOWS. None can 

compare to what I saw tonight.” 

—Richard Connema, renowned Broadway critic 

“Absolutely THE NO.1 SHOW in the world!” 

— Kenn Wells, former lead dancer of the English National Ballet 

“The HIGHEST AND BEST of what humans can produce.” 

—Oleva Brown-Klahn, singer and musician 

Nov. 1 

• 10509 Jacob Drive, 

Mokena, 60448-9373 

- Winslow Ventures 

Corporation to Robert 

Mcnellis, Katelyn Mcnellis, 

$391,600 

• 10832 1st St., Mokena, 

60448-1502 - Fannie 

Mae to Scot Vandenberg, 

$92,900 

• 11957 Heinecke Drive, 

Mokena, 60448-8041 - 

Klimaitis Construction Inc. 

to William Van Bruggen, 

Lofi D. Van Bruggen, 

$517,000 

• 21248 Prairie 

Ridge Drive, Mokena, 

60448-1949 - Nebor 

Construction Inc. to 

Ronald L. Sylvester, 

$425,000 

Nov. 3 

• 12400 W. Raymond 

Drive, Mokena, 60448 - 

Chicago Title Land Trt Co. 

Ttee to Brandon Baranak, 

$150,000 

• 12400 W Raymond 

Drive, Mokena, 60448 

- Estate Mortgage Inc. 

Trustee to Brandon 

Baranak, $150,000 

The Going Rate is provided by 

Record Information Services, 

Inc. For more information, 

visit www.public-record.com 

or call (630) 557-1000. 

FEB 7-8 

University Park 

Center for Performing Arts 

“Poetry in motion... PRICELESS.” 

“It is food for my heart and soul....” 

— Siegfried & Roy, magicians and entertainers 

“I just wish there is a way that I could cry out to mankinds, 

they owe it to themselves to experience Shen Yun.” 

—Jim Crill, veteran producer, watched Shen Yun 4 times 

Early Bird code: Early17 Get best seats, waive service & facility fee by Dec.31 

FEB 11-19 

Chicago 

Harris Theater 

MAR 10 -12 

Rosemont 

Rosemont Theatre 

Tickets 

ShenYun.com/Chicago 

888-99-SHOWS (74697)

24 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger classifieds 


CLASSIFIEDS 

Help Wanted · Garage Sales · Automotive 

Real Estate · Rentals · Merchandise 

Are you made for ALDI? 

Hiring Event 

We are looking to hire 

Casual/Store Associates 

and Shift Managers for the 

following locations: 

Matteson, Frankfort, 

Homer Glen, Orland Park, 

Orland Hills & New 

Lenox. 

Casual Store & Store 

Associate-$13.00/hr 

Shift Manager-$17.50/hr 

when acting as a Shift 

Manager. 

Please visit the following 

location on January 18, 

2017 between the hours of 

7 A.M. –5 P.M. to 

complete an application: 

ALDI 

16150 S. Harlem Ave. 

Tinley Park, IL 60477 

Help 

Wanted 

1003 Help Wanted 

up to 35 hours / week 

Part-time Telephone Work 

calling from home for 

AMVETS. Ideal for 

homemakers and retirees. 

Must be reliable and have 

morning &evening hours 

available for calling. 

If interested, 

Call 708 429 6477 

M-F, 10am - 1pm Only! 

Office Assistant 

Tinley Park transportation 

company looking to 

expand Safety Dept. 

personnel. Mon-Fri. Entry 

level positions. Please 

forward resume to 

recruiting@shipgt.com. 

Apartment complex 

maintenance in Lockport 

FT/PT. Exp required. Must 

have own tools. Send 

resume: 

dawne@keenrealty 

management.com 

Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

DEADLINE - 

Friday at 3pm 

Automotive 

Real Estate 

1005 Employment 

Wanted 

Need help with your TV, 

computer or mobile device? 

Call J-Tech for local support 

that comes to you. 

Competitive pricing. 

Available evenings & 

weekends. (708) 770-3475 

JTechlocal@gmail.com 

1021 Lost & 

Found 

Found 

Set of keys at School 

House Manor park in 

New Lenox 

Call 815-717-8911 

1022 Caregiver 

Wanted 

Looking to hire a Junior or 

Senior highschool girl (highly 

prefered) to mom-sit after 

school to 6:30 pm. Must have 

own transportation, $10/hr. 

Call Robin 708-305-2482 for 

more details. 

$52 

4 lines/ 

7 papers Help Wanted 

$50 

7 lines/ 

7 papers Merchandise 

$13 

per line 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

1023 Caregiver 

Caregiver Services 

Provided by 

Margaret’s Agency Inc. 

State Licensed & Bonded 

since 1998. Providing 

quality care for elderly. 

Live-in/ Come & go. 

708.403.8707 

Caring, companion caregiver. 

Over 25 yrs exp. Great 

references w/ prof. healthcare 

& social engagement 

provided. Please call Ewa: 

708.926.4034 

1061 Autos 

Wanted 

WANTED! 

WE NEED 

CARS, TRUCKS 

& VANS 

Running Or Not 

Top Dollar Paid !!! 

Free Pick-Up 

Locally Located 

708 205 8241 

DRIVE CAR BUYERS 

TO YOUR DOOR WITH 

A CLASSIFIED AUTO AD 

Automotive 

1061 Autos Wanted 

NEW YEAR! 

NEW CAREER! 

BECOME A BUS DRIVER 

WITH AMERICAN 

SCHOOL BUS. 

708.349.1866 

Looking for energetic, 

reliable customer service 

rep for finance company. 

Email resume: 

cashcityloans@yahoo.com 

Call Us Today 708.326.9170

mokenamessenger.com Classifieds 


LOCAL 

REALTOR 

DIRECTORY 

CLASSIFIEDS 



Sell It 708.326.9170 | Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It | DEADLINE - Friday at 3pm 

Rental 

Automotive 

$52 4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Real Estate 

$50 7 7 papers 

lines/ 

Help Wanted 

$13 4 lines/ 

per line 7 papers 

Merchandise 

$30 7 4 papers 

lines/ 

REAL ESTATE ATTORNEYS 

CLOSINGS ANDALL REAL ESTATE NEEDS 

THOUSANDSOFTRANSACTIONSCLOSED 

•RECOGNIZEDASAN 

INDUSTRY LEADER FOR 

OUREXPERIENCE AND 

PROFESSIONALISM 

SELLING: $200 Flat Fee* 

BUYING: $500 Flat Fee* 

*Must mention Ad 

1225 Apartments for Rent 

Oak Forest Terrace 

•FEATURED INCHICAGO 

REALTOR MAGAZINE 

•SELECTED BYCHICAGO 

AGENTMAGAZINE ASA 

"WHO'S WHO" IN 

CHICAGO REALESTATE 

OFFICESINORLANDPARK & CHICAGO 

WWW.DUFFINDORELAW.COM• 312.566.0911 

708.966.0692 

Attorneys At Law 

www.duffindorelaw.com 

DUFFIN &DORE 

15815 Terrace, Oak Forest 

Spacious 1 & 2 Bdrms. 

Serene setting & Beautiful 

Grounds. Tennis, Pool, 

Walking Trails. Near metra. 

708-687-1818 

oakterrapts@att.net 

FRANKFORT 

Maple Apartments 

1BR-$830/month 

2BR- $930/month 

Plus security deposit 

NO PETS, 815-469-1899 

708-479-2448 

Frankfort 

Downtown apt, 2nd flr, 2BR, 

2flat. New paint & carpet & 

appls included. Available Feb 

1st. $975/mo includes all 

utilities plus $975/mo security 

deposit. No laundry, street 

parking. Credit &background 

check required. 708-674-5215 

Attention Realtors 

Looking to Advertise? 

REACH MORE THAN 96,000 

HOMES &BUSINESSES EACH WEEK! 

See the Classified Section for more info, 

or Call 708.326.9170 www.22ndcenturymedia.com 

Guaranteed The LOWEST Selling Fees! 

2 % 

3.5 % Total 

To 

Selling Fees 

708 •460 • 8101 

Contact Classified Department 

to Advertise in this Directory 

(708) 

326.9170 

Advertise your 

RENTAL PROPERTY 

in the newspaper 

people turn to first 

CALL US TODAY: 708.326.9170 

www.22ndcenturymedia.com

® 

26 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger Classifieds 


CLASSIFIEDS 



2003 Appliance Repair 

QUALITY 

APPLIANCE 

REPAIR, Inc. 

• Air Conditioning • Furnaces 

Refrigeration • Dishwashers 

Stoves & Ovens • Microwaves 

Garbage Disposals 

Washers&Dryers 

Family Owned &Operatedsince 1986 

Someone you can TRUST 

All work GUARANTEED 

BEST price in town! 

708-712-1392 

Business Directory 

MORTGAGE 

ALERT! 

LOCK-IN MORE BUSINESS. 

ADVERTISE 

LOCALLY. 

CONTACT THE 

CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT 

708-326-9170 

22ndcenturymedia.com 

2006 Basement Waterproofing 

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2701 Property for 

Sale 

SHERIFF'S SALE OF REAL ES- 

TATE at 18750 MARJORIE 

PARKWAY, MOKENA, IL 60448 

(RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAM- 

ILY). Onthe 19th day of January, 

2017 to be held at 12:00 noon, at 

the Will County Courthouse Annex, 

57 N. Ottawa Street, Room 

201, Joliet, IL 60432, under Case 

Title: HSBC BANK USA, NA- 

TIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS 

TRUSTEE OF THE FIELD- 

STONE MORTGAGE INVEST- 

MENT TRUST, SERIES 2006-2 

Plaintiff V. ADELINE C SES- 

TAK; ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT 

OF REVENUE; UNKNOWN 

OWNERS AND NON-RECORD 

CLAIMANTS, Defendant. 

Case No. 13CH 2553 in the Circuit 

Court of the Twelfth Judicial 

Circuit, Will County, Illinois. 

Terms of Sale: ten percent (10%) 

at the time of sale and the balance 

within twenty-four (24) hours; 

plus, for residential real estate, a 

statutory judicial sale fee calculated 

at the rate of $1 for each 

$1,000 or fraction thereof of the 

amount paid bythe purchaser to 

the person conducting the sale, not 

to exceed $300, for deposit into the 

Abandoned Residential Property 

Municipality Relief Fund. Nojudicial 

sale fee shall be paid by the 

mortgagee acquiring the residential 

real estate pursuant to its credit bid 

at the sale or by any mortgagee, 

judgment creditor, or other lienor 

acquiring the residential real estate 

whose rights inand to the residential 

real estate arose prior to the 

sale. All payments shall be made in 

cash or certified funds payable to 

the Sheriff of Will County. 

In the event the property is a condominium, 

in accordance with 735 

ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 

hereby notified that the purchaser 

of the unit, other than amortgagee, 

shall pay the assessments and legal 

fees required by subdivisions 

(g)(1) and (g)(4) of Section 9and 

the assessments required bysubsection 

(g-1) of Section 18.5 of the 

Illinois Condominium Property 

Act. 

Pursuant to Local Court Rule 11.03 

(J) ifthere is asurplus following 

application of the proceeds of sale, 

then the plaintiff shall send written 

notice pursuant to 735 ILCS 

5/15-1512(d) to all parties to the 

proceeding advising them of the 

amount ofthe surplus and that the 

surplus will beheld until aparty 

obtains a court order for its distribution 

or, in the absence of an order, 

until the surplus is forfeited to 

the State. 

For Information Please Contact: 

POTESTIVO AND ASSOCIATES 

811 E. South Blvd. 

Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

DEADLINE - 

Friday at 3pm 

Automotive 

$52 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 


Sale 

Rochester Hill, Michigan 48307 

P: 248-853-4400 

F: 248-853-0404 

PURSUANT TO THE FAIR 

DEBT COLLECTION PRAC- 

TICES ACT YOU ARE AD- 

VISED THAT THIS LAW FIRM 

IS DEEMED TO BE A DEBT 

COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO 

COLLECT ADEBT AND ANY 

INFORMATION OBTAINED 

WILL BE USED FOR THAT 

PURPOSE. 


TATE at 19603 Redwood Lane, 

Mokena, IL 60448 (Single Family 

). On the 19th day of January, 2017 

to be held at 12:00 noon, at the 

Will County Courthouse Annex, 57 

N. Ottawa Street, Room 201, 

Joliet, IL 60432, under Case Title: 

Wells Fargo Bank, NAPlaintiff V. 

Martha J. Kreuze; Marilyn S. 

Jaskowiak; LVNV Funding LLC; 

Equable Ascent Financial, LLC; 

Unknown Owners and Non-Record 

Claimants Defendant. 



























In the event the property is acon- 

dominium, in accordance with 735 

ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 









Act. 









Help Wanted 

per line $13 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 


Sale 


obtains acourt order for its distribution 



the State. 


ANSELMO LINDBERG OLIVER 

LLC. 

1771 W. Diehl Rd. Suite 120 

NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS 60563 

P: 630-453-6960 

F: 630-428-4620 










PURPOSE. 


TATE of 19329 Manchester Drive, 

Mokena, IL 60448 (Condo/Townhouse). 

On the 26th day of January, 

2017 to be held at 12:00 noon, 

at the Will County Courthouse Annex, 

57 N. Ottawa Street, Room 

201, Joliet, IL 60432, under Case 

Title: Nationstar Mortgage LLC 

Plaintiff V. Daniel D. Costello 

a/k/a Daniel Costello; et. al. Defendant. 





























ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 









Act. 


Real Estate 

$50 

7 lines/ 

7 papers 

Merchandise 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 


Sale 












the State. 


Codilis & Associates, P.C. 

15W030 N. Frontage Road Suite 

100 

Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527 

P: 630-794-5300 

F: 630-794-9090 










PURPOSE. 

2703 Legal 

Notices 










PURPOSE. 

STATE OF ILLINOIS ) 

) SS. 

COUNTY OF WILL ) 

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF 

THE TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIR- 

CUIT 

WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS 

HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL 

ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE 

OF THE FIELDSTONE MORT- 

GAGE INVESTMENT TRUST, 

SERIES 2006-2 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

ADELINE CSESTAK; ILLINOIS 

DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE; 

UNKNOWN OWNERS AND 

NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, 

Defendant. 

No. 13 CH 2553 

NOTICE OF SHERIFF'S SALE 

Public notice ishereby given that 

pursuant to ajudgment entered in 

the above cause onthe 5th day of 

October, 2015, MIKE KELLEY, 

Sheriff of Will County, Illinois, 

will on Thursday, the 19th day of 

January, 2017 , commencing at 

12:00 o'clock noon, at the Will 

County Courthouse Annex, 57 N.



CLASSIFIEDS 



Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

DEADLINE - 

Friday at 3pm 

Automotive 

$52 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Help Wanted 

per line $13 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Real Estate 

$50 

7 lines/ 

7 papers 

Merchandise 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

Ottawa Street, Room 201, Joliet, 

IL 60432, sell at public auction to 

the highest and best bidder orbidders 

the following-described real 

estate: 

LOT 123, IN ROBERT 

BARTLETT'S ARBY HILLS, A 

SUBDIVISION OF THE WEST 

3/4 OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 

OF SECTION 6,TOWNSHIP 35 

NORTH, RANGE 12 EAST OF 

THE THIRD PRINCIPAL ME- 

RIDIAN, (EXCEPTING THAT 

PART THERE OF DESCRIBED 

BY COMMENCING AT THE 

SOUTHWEST CORNER OF 

SAID SOUTHWEST 1/4 AND 

RUNNING THENCE NORTH ON 

THE TOWN LINE 815.0 FEET 

FOR A POINT OF BEGINNING 

THENCE CONTINUING NORTH 

OF THE TOWN LINE 400.0 

FEET THENCE EAST 500.0 

FEET ON A LINE WHICH 

FORMS A RIGHT ANGLE TO 

SAID TOWN LINE THENCE 

SOUTH PARALLEL WITH SAID 

TOWN LINE 400.0 FEET 

THENCE WEST 500.0 FEET TO 

THE POINT OF BEGINNING), 

IN WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS 

Commonly known as: 

18750 MARJORIE PARKWAY, 

MOKENA, IL 60448 

Description of Improvements: 

RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAM- 

ILY 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-06-301-014-0000 


























ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 









Act. 













the State. 

FOR INFORMATION PLEASE 

CONTACT: 

POTESTIVO AND ASSOCIATES 

811 E. South Blvd. 

Rochester Hill, Michigan 48307 

P: 248-853-4400 

F: 248-853-0404 

Plaintiff's Attorney 

MIKE KELLEY 

Sheriff of Will County 










PURPOSE. 


) SS. 




CUIT 


Wells Fargo Bank, NA 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

Martha J. Kreuze; Marilyn S. 

Jaskowiak; LVNV Funding LLC; 

Equable Ascent Financial, LLC; 

Unknown Owners and Non-Record 

Claimants 

Defendant. 

No. 14 CH 0088 




the above cause on the 11th day of 

December, 2015, MIKE KELLEY, 





County Courthouse Annex, 57 N. 





estate: 

LOT 6,BLOCK E, IN RAINBOW 

VALLEY ADDITION TO AR- 

BURY HILLS, BEING ASUBDI- 

VISION OF PART OF THE 

SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 

10, TOWNSHIP 35 NORTH, 

RANGE 12 EAST OF THE 

THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, 

ACCORDING TO THE PLAT 

THEREOF RECORDED SEP- 

TEMBER 17, 1970 AS DOCU- 

MENT NO. R70-16827, IN WILL 

COUNTY, ILLINOIS. 


19603 Redwood Lane, Mokena, IL 

60448 


Single Family 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-10-318-002-0000 


























ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 









Act. 










obtains a court order for its distribution 



the State. 


CONTACT: 

ANSELMO LINDBERG OLIVER 

LLC. 

1771 W. Diehl Rd. Suite 120 

NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS 60563 

P: 630-453-6960 

F: 630-428-4620 


MIKE KELLEY 











PURPOSE. 


) SS. 




CUIT 


Nationstar Mortgage LLC 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

Daniel D. Costello a/k/a Daniel 

Costello; et. al. 

Defendant. 

No. 16 CH 0663 




the above cause on the 19th day of 

October, 2016, MIKE KELLEY, 





County Courthouse Annex, 57 N. 





estate: 

PARCEL 1: THE EASTERLY 

45.00 FEET OF THAT PART OF 

LOT 10 BOUNDED AND DE- 

SCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: COM- 

MENCING AT THE SOUTH- 

EAST CORNER OF SAID LOT 

10; THENCE NORTHWEST- 

ERLY ALONG THE EASTERLY 

LINE OF SAID LOT 10 ADIS- 

TANCE OF 34.98 FEET; 

THENCE SOUTHWESTERLY 

AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE 

AFORESAID EASTERLY LINE 

OF SAID LOT 10 ADISTANCE 

OF 4.55 FEET TO THE POINT 

OF BEGINNING; THENCE 

SOUTHWESTERLY ALONG A 

LINE WHICH FORMS AN AN- 

GLE OF 173 DEGREES 01 MIN- 

UTE 01SECONDS (AS MEAS- 

URED IN A CLOCKWISE DI- 

RECTION WITH SAID RIGHT 

ANGLE LINE) ADISTANCE OF 

123.67 FEET; THENCE NORTH- 

WESTERLY AT RIGHT AN- 

GLES A DISTANCE OF 81.00 

FEET; THENCE NORTHEAST- 

ERLY AT RIGHT ANGLES A 

DISTANCE OF 123.67 FEET; 

THENCE SOUTHEASTERLY AT 

RIGHT ANGLES ADISTANCE 

OF 81.00 FEET TO THE HEREIN 

DESIGNATED POINT OF BE- 

GINNING IN GRASMERE 

MEADOWS TOWNHOMES IN 

PART OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 

OF THE NORTHEAST 1/4 AND 

PART OFTHE SOUTHWEST 1/4 

OF THE NORTHEAST 1/4 OF 

SECTION 9, TOWNSHIP 35 

NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF 

THE THIRD PRINCIPAL ME- 

RIDIAN, IN WILL COUNTY, IL- 

LINOIS. PARCEL 2: EASE- 

MENTS FOR INGRESS AND 

EGRESS FOR THE BENEFIT OF 

PARCEL 1ASSET FORTH IN 

DECLARATION RECORDED 

APRIL 8, 2002 AS DOCUMENT 

R2002-059604, AS AMENDED 

BY DOCUMENTS R2002-064711 

AND R2002-124125. 


19329 Manchester Drive, Mokena, 

IL 60448 


Condo/Townhouse 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-09-205-061-0000 


























ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 









Act. 













the State. 


CONTACT: 

Codilis & Associates, P.C. 

15W030 N. Frontage Road Suite 

100 

Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527 

P: 630-794-5300 

F: 630-794-9090 


MIKE KELLEY 


NOTICE OF FILING 

A REQUEST FOR 

NAME CHANGE 

STATE OF ILLINOIS 

CIRCUIT COURT 

WILL COUNTY 

There will be acourt hearing on 

my request to change my name 

from: Tyler John Spronk to the 

new name of: Tyler John Sullivan. 

The court hearing will beheld on 

March 6, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. at 57 

North Ottawa St. Joliet, Will 

County in Courtroom #236 

/s/:Tyler John Spronk 

Tyler John Spronk 

Filed 12/28/2016 

Case No: 16MR3230 

2900 

Merchandise 

Under $100 

2 legal size file cabinets w/4 

drawers $35 each or best offer. 

Frankfort. 708.514.8816 

4antique dining room chairs 

$100. 815.485.6008 

4antique dinning room chairs 

$100. 815.485.6008 

4 shadow boxes, asian symbols: 

“harmony, love, happiness, 

tranquility.” Antique copper 

$20 each. 708.460.7185 

42 brand new satin nichel 

kitchen cabinet handles: round 

with 3 inch centers $90 for all. 

815.469.5951 

Badge-A-Matic 1 2.25 pin 

back pin buttom maker machine 

tool press $100. Value 

$300 and Badge-A-Matic paper 

cutting mach mod 2800 for 

21/4 cuts $100, $260 value. 

815.464.5232 or 815.600.1023 

Badge-a-matic 21/4” pinback 

pin buttom maker machine tool 

press, value $300, now $100. 

Call for info 815.600.1023 or 

815.464.5232 

Barbie by Mattel, Spring Bouquet 

Barbie doll from Seasons 

Collection, in original box. 

Asking $85. Call 708.403.2057 

after 4 pm.



CLASSIFIEDS 



Sell It 708.326.9170 | Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It | DEADLINE - Friday at 3pm 

Automotive 

Real Estate 

$52 

4 lines/ 


$50 

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$13 

per line 

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$30 

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7 papers 

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*a ads must be pre-paid 

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Brought to you by THE MOKENA MESSENGER

34 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger LOCAL LIVING 


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mokenamessenger.com sports 


Girls basketball 

Knights get contributions off bench, blow out Thornridge 

Randy Whalen 


On the surface, the Lincoln-Way 

Central girls basketball 

team’s lone game last 

week, a Jan. 4 blowout, did 

not seem that important. 

But Knights coach Dave 

Campanile believed his 

team’s 57-18 victory over 

Thornridge in the SouthWest 

Suburban Conference Red 

Division game was anything 

but that. 

“For us to come to this, 

which is a gap game — 

since we’re still on [winter] 

break — we wanted to make 

sure we preformed well,” the 

first-year head coach said. 

“Not so much for right now 

as for down the road. 

“We want to get ready for 

that last big, push and the 

girls played well.” 

Central (10-6, 3-1) certainly 

did, and the Knights 

had balanced scoring, too. 

Senior forward Courteney 

Barnes (14 points, 6 rebounds) 

led the way , while 

junior post players Delaney 

LoConte (11 points, 5 rebounds) 

and Lauren Kraft (9 

points, 5 rebounds) came off 

the bench to contribute. 

“Delaney had a breakout 

game and played well,” 

Campanile said of LoConte 

scoring a varsity career-high 

in points. “Our defense was 

very good.” 

LoConte, who is listed as 

a forward but can hit from 

long range, buried a trio of 

3-pointers in the game. Two 

of those came in a 10-3 burst 

at the end of the first half 

when Central pulled away 

to a 29-11 halftime lead. She 

had the last eight points in 

that stretch. 

“My teammates made 

good passes, and I was able 

to make the shots,” LoConte 

said. “I usually don’t shoot 

right away, but then I get 

warmed up.” 

Like her teammates, Lo- 

Conte believes that a fourgame 

losing streak last 

month has paid dividends, as 

the Knights have now won 

6-of-7 since then. 

“We took what we learned 

[from the losses] and worked 

on it in practice,” LoConte 

said. “Whatever we had 

trouble with in those games, 

we practiced it to get better.” 

LoConte went to Lincoln- 

Way Way East her first two 

years of high school. But 

when the district realigned 

following the closure of 

Lincoln-Way North, she and 

many other Mokena residents 

were moved to Central. 

The transferring class 

also included Barnes, who 

contributed to East winning 

a regional as a junior last 

season. But now they are all 

Knights. 

“We played together the 

whole summer, and we 

bonded then,” Barnes said of 

the merge with the girls that 

were originally at Central. 

“Our motto is ‘UKnight.’ We 

had T-shirts made with that 

on it.” 

The Knights’ togetherness 

was shown in the third 

quarter, which they opened 

with a 13-0 run. During 

that time, Barnes scored 

five straight baskets inside. 

But in a position to convert 

another layup, she instead 

passed to sophomore forward 

Abi Baumgartner for 

an easy basket. 

“Yes, I like to score, but 

I love giving passes to my 

Lincoln-Way Central guard Grace Curran shoots a three 

Jan. 4, during a SWSC game against Thornridge in New 

Lenox. Julie McMann/22nd Century Media 

teammates,” Barnes said. 

“It makes me even more 

pumped when they score.” 

Barnes scored Central’s 

first basket of the game on 

a rebound bucket with 6:14 

left in the first quarter. Before 

that, the Knights had 

missed their first five shots. 

Thornridge (2-14, 0-4) 

tied the game for the only 

time at 2-2 on a layup by 

Alexis Elston (8 points). 

The senior guard later hit a 

3-pointer with 2:06 left in 

the first quarter to narrow 

the Knights’ lead to 9-7. 

But senior guard Colleen 

Barrett (6 points) banged 

home a pair of 3-pointers 

in the final 1 minute and 

50 seconds of the period to 

help Central to a 17-7 advantage 

after a quarter. 

Thornridge senior forward 

Raven Watts (team-high 9 

points) scored seven straight 

points in the third quarter to 

draw the Falcons within 42- 

18 with 1:11 to play in the 

third quarter. But they never 

scored again. A layup by junior 

forward Natalie Spudic 

(6 points, 7 rebounds) put 

Central ahead 44-18 after 

three quarters and started a 

game-ending 15-0 run. 

As the Knights gear up for 

that big push that Campanile 

talked about, there are some 

specific goals in mind over 

the next month or so. 

“We just want to keep our 

winning up,” Barnes said. 

“We know that Lincoln-Way 

West and Bradley are going 

to be tough teams, and we 

want to beat them. We want 

to win the conference and 

win a regional.” 

The Knights resumed 

play this week by traveling 

to Thornton on Tuesday, 

Jan. 10, for another 

SWSC Red matchup. This 

weekend, the Knights travel 

for the first of two straight 

weekends at the Galesburg 

Martin Luther King Tournament. 

They have a pair 

of games on Saturday, Jan. 

14, the first of which is at 

10:30 a.m. against Morton, 

and the second is at 

2:30 p.m. against Peoria 

Notre Dame. 

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22nd Century Media 

Reach 92,000+ Southwest Suburban homes. 

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l.healy@22ndcenturymedia.com

36 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger sports 


A fan favorite. 

Athlete of the Week 

10 Questions 

with Chris Robinson 

Chicagoly magazine’s Fall 2016 cover is 

nominated for national Cover of the Year in the 

Best Business and Technology category. 

You can help us claim the Readers’ Choice Award by 

visiting chicagolymag.com/vote and clicking Like. 

Chris Robinson is a junior 

guard on Lincoln-Way Central’s 

boys basketball team. 

How did you get into 

the sport? 

I didn’t start as young as 

I should have, probably. My 

mom started dating this guy, 

who she ended up marrying, 

and he was into basketball 

and started teaching me 

when I was 11 years old. I 

started to get better at it and 

just stuck with it. 

What is the best part 

about it? 

I just like how it keeps you 

thinking. It never stays the 

same; it changes rapidly. I 

also like getting the reaction 

from the crowd and playing 

in front of my friends and 

family, and being able to do 

well in front of them. 

What is your greatest 

memory on the court? 

It was the first time I 

scored over 15 points. I was 

in seventh-grade, and I was 

in this high school league. 

Everything was just clicking 

for me. That game right there 

built my confidence because 

at the time, I didn’t think I 

was that good. But after that I 

realized I could do this. 

Do you have any 

pregame superstitions? 

I pray before every game. 

I definitely do that. I pray for 

both teams. 

What is something most 

people do not know 

about you? 

I like to draw and sing. I 

also like anime, like Dragonball 

Z and Naruto. 

What is the best part 

about Central? 

The teachers. Some of 

the teachers will understand 

you more than your friends 

do. They’ve been through a 

lot, and you could learn a lot 

from them. 

Who do you look up to? 

My mother because she 

sacrificed for me to go and 

play basketball, go to camps, 

buy me shoes and things 

like that as a single mother. 

To have me at such a young 

age, I commend her because 

sometimes I’ll go to sleep, 

and she’ll come [home], and 

I wake up, and she’s already 

gone for work. I see how 

hard she works, and I love it. 

She’s my everything. 

If you won the lottery, 

what is the first thing 

22nd Century Media File 

Photo 

you would buy? 

I’d take my close group of 

friends and family that are 

living in poverty and take 

them out. 

Who would be alongside 

you in your dream 

starting five? 

Muhammad Ali, Bruce 

Lee, Michael Jordan and 

Kobe Bryant. 

If you could have any 

ability from an NBA 

player, what would 

have? 

Kyrie Irving’s handles. 

His handles are insane. He 

has a ball on a string. Also, 

probably his clutch ability. 

He’s a great player under 

pressure. He’s a finisher, too. 

Just give me Kyrie Irving, 

and I’ll be fine. 

Interview by Contributing 

Editor James Sanchez 

Voting ends Jan. 26 

This Week In... 

Knights Varsity 

Athletics 

Boys basketball 

■Jan. ■ 13 - at Thornton, 6:30 

p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 18 - at Lincoln-Way 

East, 6:30 p.m. 

Girls bowling 

■Jan. ■ 12 - hosts Bolingbrook, 

4:30 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 14 - at Red Devil 

Invitational. 1 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 17 - at Andrew, 4:30 

p.m. 

Boys swimming 

■Jan. ■ 12 - hosts Thornton 

(Senior Night), 5 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 13 - at Sandburg 

Invitational, 5 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 14 - at Sandburg 

Invitational, 11 a.m. 

Wrestling 

■Jan. ■ 12 - hosts Lincoln-Way 

West, 5:30 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 13 - at Bradley- 

Bourbonnais, 5 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 14 - at Dakota Quad, 

10 a.m.



Boys bowling 

Central takes second in conference with three All-Conference players 

Amir takes perfect 

game into ninth 

frame of fifth game 

to help lift Knights 

Frank Gogola 


Mokena resident Alex Nolan takes his turn during warmups. 

Sandburg’s first-ever conference 

title in boys bowling 

wasn’t going to be complete 

without some added drama. 

The Eagles entered the 

day atop the nine-team leaderboard 

but had to wait until 

its final frame to celebrate 

the feat on Jan. 7 at Laraway 

Lanes. They won the South- 

West Suburban Conference 

championship and placed 

three bowlers on the all-conference 

team. 

In all, area teams finished 

first, second and third, and 

10 of the 12 all-conference 

honorees were from area 

teams. Bolingbrook’s Alex 

Acosta won the individual 

title with 1401 pins. 

Entering the sixth and final 

game, Sandburg sat in 

second place in total pins. 

With points combined from 

regular-season conference 

meets and the conference 

championship, Sandburg 

could be at worst a co-champions 

by finishing second. 

Instead, the Eagles put all 

the math aside by erasing 

an 11-pin deficit to take first 

place by nine pins. 

“They showed some resiliency 

and a never-quit 

attitude,” Sandburg coach 

Jeff Kwilose said. “I tried 

to pump some positive energy 

into them because we 

needed very pin. That’s what 

I preached: that every pin 

counts.” 

The Eagles were led by 

all-conference performers 

Cameron Crowe, Brandon 

Goeringer and AJ Svatos. It 

was Goeringer’s 256 in the 

final game that helped Sandburg 

outscore Central, 1026- 

1006, to jump back in front 

while holding off a late surge 

by Lincoln-Way West. 

“Brandon was the key to 

our victory today,” Kwilose 

said. “He’s a senior, 

has been on varsity all four 

years. He’s bowled at our 

No. 1 spot, which puts a 

lot of pressure on him, but 

he’s been the catalyst that’s 

helped this team go.” 

Central, which finished 

second with 120 points, had 

been 137 pins out of first 

place after the three morning 

games. It took the lead after 

the fifth game, which included 

junior Trevor Amir taking 

a perfect game into the ninth. 

Amir, Jack Davern and Alex 

Nolan were named to the allconference 

team. 

“Our whole goal this season 

has been to win next 

week [at regionals],” Central 

coach Coley O’Connell 

said. “We’re where we want 

to be. Today was a total team 

effort, and you saw that balance 

to be No 2. It was a fun 

day to be a coach.” 

West, which finished third 

with 114 points, rolled the 

highest frame of the day 

(1125) in the sixth game. 

It was too little too late, as 

Sandburg finished with 6212 

pins, Central with 6203 and 

West with 6171. 

Eric Ullian (269) and 

Michael Nork (249) posted 

their highest scores of the 

day for West in that game. 

Ullian, Nork and Caleb 

Kirby earned all-conference 

recognition. 

“The guys showed some 

heart (in the sixth game),” 

West coach Scott Ullian 

said. “We know it’d take a 

big game to have a chance 

to win. We had some bad 

games before that, but that 

positive energy, we’ll take 

that into regionals.” 

Lockport finished fifth 

after a hot start to the day. 

The Porters rolled a 3183 in 

the morning session to build 

a 102-pin lead after three 

games but managed a 2743 

in the afternoon session. 

Lockport’s top bowler, 

Andy Sims, was held to a 

201 average after averaging 

around 245 in December. 

Lincoln-Way Central’s top bowler Jack Davern bowls Saturday, Jan. 7, during warmups 

before the SWSC meet at Laraway Lanes in New Lenox. Photos by Adam Jomant/22nd 

Century Media 

“The lanes broke down 

on us,” Lockport coach Ron 

Davis said. “We just had a 

hard time making adjustments. 

You needed a good 

touch today on these lanes, 

and we didn’t have it. Even 

our top bowler, Andy Sims, 

couldn’t find that touch.” 

East finished in sixth and 

was led by junior Colton 

Marks. He finished tied for 

11th in total pins and was 

one of just two all-conference 

honorees from a team 

outside of the top four. 

“He’s been consistent, and 

his performance today is 

what we’ve come to expect 

from him,” East coach Mike 

Foster said. “We expected 

to compete better, but we 

got off to a slow start. That 

(slow start) hurts because 

this conference is tremendously 

deep.” 

A shorthanded Andrew 

squad finished last out of nine 

teams. It had to bowl the final 

three games with four bowlers 

after Tim Branham left 

with an undisclosed injury. 

Mokena resident Trevor Amir bowls before the conference 

meet. 

“We were already without 

one bowler and then 

lost another, and I think that 

hurt the team’s confidence,” 

Andrew coach Mark Lobes 

said. “We didn’t have that 

team mentality. We’re looking 

forward to regionals 

and hopefully getting them 

back.” 

Sandburg, Andrew, Tinley 

Park and East will compete 

in the Midlothian Regional 

at Tinley Park’s Centennial 

Lanes on Saturday. 

Central, West and Providence 

Catholic continue play 

at the Minooka Regional at 

Channahon Lanes in Channahon. 

Lockport will be in the 

Oswego East Regional at 

Parkside Lanes in Aurora. 

All three regionals feed 

into the Plainfield North 

Sectional on Jan. 21 at Joliet’s 

Town and Country 

Lanes.

38 | January 12, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger sports 


Lincoln-Way co-op scores season high in winning effort 

Chris Walker 


An appearance from an 

area school in the Illinois 

High School Association 

girls gymnastics state finals 

is long overdue. 

Lincoln-Way co-op and 

Sandburg/Stagg co-op both 

believe they have a chance to 

get there. With the beginning 

of the postseason less than a 

month away, now is the time 

to polish things up in practice 

– to do what you can to stay 

healthy and make an impact 

during the final upcoming invitationals 

of the season. 

The two teams had an opportunity 

to show where they 

are during the Erin Olmsted 

Invitational at Sandburg on 

Saturday, Jan. 7, and it was 

Lincoln-Way that made the 

biggest impression, scoring 

a season-high 142.875 to 

win convincingly. 

Downers Grove South 

was second with a 138.15 

while Sandburg-Stagg was 

third with a 136.075. 

“The girls have been 

working hard, doing skills 

everyday in the gym, and 

some of that showed today,” 

said Lincoln-Way coach 

Kim Lago. “They’re incorporating 

things into their 

routines and pulling together 

as a team, and that’s what it’s 

all about.” 

Lincoln-Way surpassed 

the 142.425 it scored on 

Dec. 17. Only six teams in 

the state have scored higher 

than Lincoln-Way this season, 

and the eight highestscoring 

teams in the sectional 

in February will advance 

to the state finals in Palatine. 

Lincoln-Way hasn’t gone 

to state since 2008. 

Korina Jarosz (36.15) and 

Una Farrell (35.875) led the 

winning team, placing second 

and third, respectively, 

in the all-around. Downers 

Grove South’s Abby Carlson 

(36.925) posted the highest 

all-around score. 

“After not competing for 

a while, you can get nervous, 

but we didn’t let that 

get to us today,” Farrell said. 

“We’ve added some skills, 

and we’re progressing. In 

a big meet like this, we’re 

able to see where we’re at, 

and where we’re weaker and 

need to work harder.” 

Dominance on vault 

helped pave the way to victory. 

Gabby DeVito won it 

with a 9.5 and was followed 

by Farrell’s 9.35 and Jarosz’s 

9.225, as the trio had the 

three best scores at the invite. 

“Vault is one of our usual 

strong points,” Lago said. 

“We don’t have the most 

difficult vaults, but we have 

ones that hit, and they know 

they’re competent in their 

skills. The girls usually go 

to vault and are confident, 

which is awesome.” 

Erica Dice paced the team 

on beam with a 9.325, while 

Farrell followed with a 9.25 

and Jarosz with a 9.2. Alyssa 

Harbeck supplied the team’s 

final score with an 8.975. 

On bars, Jarosz led the 

team with a 9.075, while Erika 

Waaso gave the team its 

fourth and final score with 

an 8.4. 

“Bars is an event we’re 

working on, trying to fix minor 

things,” Lago said. “The 

goal right now is to go out 

there and just that extra one 

-or two-tenths.” 

Lincoln-Way had the best 

team score in every event 

except for floor, where it was 

third with a 34.6. Farrell’s 

8.8 led the team, while Allie 

Reis supplied the team’s 

final score with an 8.55. Jarosz 

added an 8.65, and De- 

Vito had an 8.6. 

Sandburg-Stagg co-op 

coach Mike White believed 

his team was capable of 

winning the invitational, so 

he was disappointed in the 

number of mistakes the girls 

made. 

“We had a lot of falls today 

and still went 136,” he 

said. “I know we have a big 

number in us and have the 

ability to get the job done, 

but we can’t have that many 

falls. The question is whether 

we can put it all together.” 

Maddy Roe scored a 35.6 

and Maddie Giglio had a 

35.1 in the all-around, as the 

two finished in fourth and 

fifth place, respectively. Roe 

also won beam with a 9.5, 

while Giglio tied Downers 

Grove South’s Carlson for 

first on floor with a 9.15. 

“They should’ve gone 1-2 

in the all-around today, easily,” 

White said. “They’ve 

got to come through, and it 

comes from the top down. 

Everybody has to do their 

thing, and I thought we had 

a good Christmas break and 

were going to be good today, 

but sometimes that ends up 

being the formula for things 

screwing up.” 

It just goes to show how 

talented some of the gymnasts 

are when they are 

still at or near the top of the 

leaderboard even when they 

have a bit of an off day. 

“We probably lost six 

points today, and I know I 

messed up and didn’t have a 

good meet,” Roe said. “You 

try to learn, and now I’m 

thinking what I could’ve 

done different to get the 

points to come back. I think 

we still have a good future 

as long as we get our heads 

in it.” 

Other notable contributions 

for Sandburg/Stagg included 

Taylor Talley’s 8.85 

vault and Sarah Domenick’s 

8.45 on vault, an 8.55 on 

beam from Heather Cummins, 

an 8.2 on floor from 

Devin Dubsky and a 7.4 on 

bars from Marilyn Sedlak. 

“We’ve got three weeks 

to figure out if we’re going 

Lincoln-Way co-op junior Una Farrell, who took third place in the all-around with 35.875 

points, competes in the uneven parallel bars during the Erin Olmsted Invitational Saturday, 

Jan. 7, at Sandburg High School. Photos By Julie McMann/22nd Century Media 

Korina Jarosz vaults during the invitational. Jarosz led the Lincoln-Way co-op with 36.15 

points in the all-around. 

to contend to get in the state 

meet,” White said. “We have 

the skills and the competitors, 

so we have everything 

we need to do it. We just 

need to do it. That’s something 

we haven’t done yet.” 

And something they 

haven’t done since 2009. 

Andrew took eighth place 

with a 105.75. 

Claire Scheulin and Stephanie 

Oropeza both represented 

the team as all-arounders, 

with Scheulin scoring a 

28.95 and Oropeza a 26.575. 

Oropeza had the team’s top 

score on bars, while Scheulin 

led the way in the other 

three events. 

Nicole Bath, Maeve Collins, 

Abby Fitzpatrick, Tori 

Standish and Kailey Stariha 

all competed for Andrew.



fastbreak 

Girls Bowling 

Central falls on Senior Night to former teammates 

1st-and-3 

BURNS PHOTOGRAPHY 

Balanced Ballers 

1. Delaney LoConte 

(ABOVE) 

The junior forward 

came off the bench 

in Central’s 57- 

18 blowout over 

Thornridge Jan. 4 

and provided depth, 

finishing with 11 

points and five 

rebounds in the 

contest. 

2. Courteney Barnes 

The Central standout 

is no stranger to a 

balanced total of 

points and rebounds. 

She scored 14 points 

and came down with 

six rebounds. 

3. Lauren Kraft 

Kraft, a junior 

forward, fell just 

one point short 

of double digits 

against Thornridge 

and proved a tough 

rebounder, collecting 

five boards in her 

time off the bench. 

Transferring 

Manhattan seniors 

honored by current, 

former coaches 

Frank Gogola 


It was a no-brainer for 

Steve Paulsen. 

The Lincoln-Way Central 

girls bowling coach 

was going to recognize two 

of his former bowlers, Cara 

Dudeck and Hannah Kirby, 

on Senior Night. It didn’t 

matter that they were bowling 

for Lincoln-Way West 

and were on their way to 

helping West beat Central 

2046-1690 on Thursday, Jan. 

5 at Laraway Lanes. For him 

and others, they had been 

and will always be part of 

the Central family. 

“Once a Knight, always a 

Knight,” Paulsen said, using 

a favorite quote of Central 

principal Steve Provis. 

After all, eight Central and 

West bowlers were recognized, 

he singled out Dudeck 

and Kirby during the celebration 

between the first 

and second games. They had 

bowled for him the past two 

years before the redistricting 

after Lincoln-Way North 

closed. 

He presented them both 

with a second set of flowers. 

A teary-eyed Dudeck 

wrapped him in a hug. 

“The saying of ‘Once a 

Knight, always a Knight’ is 

true,” Dudeck said. “They’re 

not going to forget us just because 

we switched schools.” 

“When they gave us the 

other flowers, I wasn’t expecting 

that at all,” Kirby 

added. “It meant a lot they 

remembered us.” 

Following the recognition, 

Kirby finished off the highest 

two-game total of all 10 

varsity bowlers with a 444 

(199, 245). Dudeck added a 

389 (222, 167), which was 

higher than all Central scores 

except for one. Central senior 

Maddy Willson rolled a 405 

(188, 217) across two games. 

“I have a special place for 

those guys,” Paulsen said. 

“I was disappointed when I 

heard that they weren’t going 

to be with us, because I 

was excited thinking about 

where we would be at when 

this season started, and then 

the split takes place. ... I 

think it’s important to recognize 

them because they were 

a part of our program for so 

many years.” 

The day brought back 

memories for Dudeck, specifically 

her first practice 

at Central. She joined the 

bowling team as a sophomore, 

and at that first practice, 

Willson invited her to 

bowl with her. 

“She put my name on the 

lane and made me feel included, 

and I’m not very open 

to talking to new people,” 

Dudeck said. “She was so 

kind and … invited me onto 

her lane with her friends and 

was like, straight up, ‘You’re 

Lincoln-Way Central senior Maddy Willson stands with parents Monica and Bob, as she is 

honored by coach Steve Paulsen (right) Thursday, Jan. 5, during Senior Night at Laraway 

Lanes. James Sanchez/22nd Century Media 

bowling with us.’” 

Kirby also joined the team 

her sophomore year after 

transferring from Ottawa 

Township High School. New 

to the school, she nearly didn’t 

join but decided to shortly after 

the season started. 

Junior Lexie Krupske and 

sophomore Lizzy Prynn 

are two other Central bowlers 

who transferred to West. 

With the schools sharing Laraway 

Lanes for practices and 

meets, the players still see 

each other on a regular basis. 

“It’s like nothing has 

changed almost, except the 

fact at meets we don’t bowl 

together,” Willson said. 

“Today was fun. Bowling 

together was enjoyable because 

it felt like we were a 

team again.” 

West picked up the win to 

improve to 5-0 overall and 

4-0 in conference play. The 

Warriors are ranked No. 9 

in the latest IllinoisBowling. 

net state rankings. They had 

earned their highest ranking 

in program history at No. 6 

before a fifth-place finish at 

the Plainfield South Cougar 

Invite on Dec. 27 dropped 

them down. 

It was a performance that 

forced West to refocus itself. 

Before the fifth-place 

finish, it had won the Saxon 

Invite, Joliet West Invite and 

Lincoln-Way Cup. It also 

took second at the Reavis Invite 

and fourth at Plainfield 

North Strike Fest. 

Against Central, West 

bowled a season-high 1,062 

in the first game and had a 

season-high 24 consecutive 

frames with a strike or spare. 

For Central, 33 open 

frames (15, 18) kept the 

scores down, but it still improved 

upon its 817 in the 

first game with an 873 in 

Game 2. Freshman Marianna 

Hristakos rolled a 364 (184, 

180). Sophomore Maddie 

Conroy bowled a 339 (147, 

192). Sophomore Kalei Bass 

went for a 328 (179, 149). 

Senior Maria Buck had a 

254 (119, 135). 

“Very inconsistent still,” 

Paulsen said of where his 

team is. “We have way too 

many open frames. We have 

got to knock those down. It’s 

simple things. Maybe today 

there was the Senior Night 

stuff, but it was Senior Night 

for them, too.” 

Listen Up 

“My teammates made good passes, and I was able 

to make the shots. I usually don’t shoot right away, 

but then I get warmed up.” 

Delaney LoConte - Lincoln-Way Central girls basketball forward, 

on scoring the Knights’ final eight points during a 10-3 

first-half run 

TUNE IN 

Boys swimming and diving 

5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13 

• The Knights head north to Orland Park 

for the first day of the two-day Sandburg 

Invitational. 

Index 

37 - Central boys bowling 

36 - Athlete of the Week 

FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor Tim Carroll. Send any questions 

or comments to tim@mokenamessenger.com, or call (708) 

326-9170 ext. 29.

mokena’s Hometown Newspaper | www.mokenamessenger.com | January 12, 2017 

Once a Knight, always a Knight 

Central girls bowling honors seniors, including former Knights 

now bowling for West, Page 39 

Testing the depth 

Knights girls basketball 

gets big contributions from 

bench in blowout win over 

Thornridge, Page 35 

Lincoln-Way co-op competitor and East sophomore 

Alyssa Harbeck performs on the balance beam Saturday, 

Jan. 7, at the Erin Olmsted Invitational in Orland Park. 

Julie McMann/22nd Century Media 

Lincoln-Way co-op shows 

depth, skill with convincing 

Erin Olmsted Invitational 

victory, Page 38 

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