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18 | April 20, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger news mokenamessenger.com Police Reports Police: Former department store employee stole goods worth $1,000 Cassidy R. Blokel, 21, of 1311 W. Maple St. in New Lenox, was charged April 10 with felony retail theft after she allegedly stole merchandise valued at $1,077 from a department store in the 11300 block of Lincoln Highway, where she had been an employee. According to the police report, a witness told police Blokel had stolen the merchandise between March 12 and April 8. April 6 • Hailey Abigail Larson, 22, of 19508 S. 115th Ave. in Mokena, was charged with driving without a valid license, expired registration and operation of an uninsured motor vehicle after police reportedly observed her driving a black Toyota Solara with expired registration on 191st Street at Wolf Road. After initiating a traffic stop, police discovered that she did not have a valid driver’s license or insurance, according to the report. April 3 • Kathleen G. Bieniek, 46, of 12341 Lajunta Court in MFPD responds to March calls of service Submitted by Mokena Fire Protection District The Mokena Fire Protection District responded to a total of 210 calls of service for the month of March, including the following: • Emergency medical services: 104 • Auto accident response: 18 • Request for citizen assist: 23 • Carbon monoxide alarm: 2 Mokena, was charged with DUI-alcohol, failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision, failure to yield at a stop sign and causing a collision that resulted in property damage after she allegedly collided at Tahoe Lane and Teluride Lane with a green Nissan Sentra while driving a gray Toyota Venza. When police arrived, they discovered Bieniek in the Toyota and noted the odor of alcohol, according to the report. Police also reportedly observed she had “bloodshot and glassy eyes.” Bieniek reportedly refused field sobriety testing. While searching her vehicle, police discovered an open can of malt liquor on the floor of the passenger seat, according to the report. Once in police custody, Bieniek reportedly refused to submit a breath sample for testing. 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. • Commercial fire alarm: 14 • Dive/water incident response: 1 • Fire investigation: 1 • Gas leak: 2 • Mutual aid response: 18 • Residential fire response: 2 • Commercial trouble alarm: 25 For more information on the Mokena Fire Protection District, visit www.mokenafire.org. FROM THE NEW LENOX PATRIOT Weather spotter training, health and safety expo set for April 26 Again this year, area residents will have the opportunity to learn about emergency preparedness, safety, health and nutrition, as well as become a certified severe weather spotter for the National Weather Service. The eighth annual Health and Safety Expo will be held from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, at the Performing Arts Center at Lincoln-Way West High School, followed by the NWS training at 7 p.m. Dan Martin, Safe Community Coordinator for the Village of New Lenox, said the expo and weather training are great opportunities for people to stay informed and learn about severe weather. “It’s not a question of if; it’s when we will be struck by severe weather,” Martin said. For that reason, he said it is important for people to know what to do in emergency situations. Becoming a weather spotter for the NWS is an extra step he said people can do to help keep themselves, their families and their communities safe when severe weather happens, because spotters are able to provide real-time information for the weather service. Martin said even with the advanced technology used by the NWS to track storms, they also rely on spotters on the ground to provide up-to-date information. Reporting by Amanda Stoll, Assistant Editor. For more, visit NewLenoxPatriot. com. FROM THE ORLAND PARK PRAIRIE Man allegedly slams, spits at and grapples with off-duty officers outside Gizmos A Chicago man who allegedly got into altercations with a manager and then police at an Orland Park family entertainment spot this past week was charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors. Carlos D. Kehl, 33, of 1038 W. 104th St., was charged with two counts aggravated battery to police officer, a Class 2 felony; one count disorderly conduct, a Class A misdemeanor; and one count of assault, a Class A misdemeanor; according to a press release issued the morning of April 11 by the Orland Park Police Department. Orland Park police responded at 2:15 p.m. April 8 to Gizmos Fun Factory, 66 Orland Square Drive, for a reported disturbance between Kehl and security. Kehl allegedly began yelling and swearing in a crowded area near other adults and children in the lobby. A manager asked him to stop, and Kehl “aggressively” confronted the manager and began to swear at him, police said. Two off-duty officers hired as site security reportedly were summoned to the scene. They asked Kehl to leave Gizmo’s, and he refused — berating, swearing, threatening and spitting at the officers, police said. Kehl eventually walked out of the business and into the parking lot, followed by the officers, who remained on the sidewalk, police said. Kehl allegedly walked back toward the officers, spit in an officer’s face and used a body slam to take him to the ground. The other officer intervened and was subsequently put in a headlock by Kehl, with the first officer still on the ground, police said. Reporting by Bill Jones, Editor. For more, visit OPPrairie.com. FROM THE TINLEY JUNCTION Siblings launch new fitness app Matt and Julie Knippen never thought their professional worlds would combine, but the tech-minded brother and kinesiology-major sister launched a new app for iPhone users. “Running alone sucks,” Julie said. “That’s our basic idea.” That idea also happens to be the motto behind the sibling’s new app, CHARGE Running, which launched April 3 via the Apple store. Matt and Julie are Tinley Park natives and graduates of Andrew High School. Matt, 27, is the CEO and founder of CHARGE. He works behind the scenes to make sure the app runs smoothly for its users. Twenty-fiveyear-old Julie, on the other hand, is in charge of the company’s marketing and public relations needs. She, along with longtime friend Rory Garman, also from Tinley Park, act as CHARGE’s trainers. In a competitive market of fitness apps, Matt and Julie knew they had to set their app apart from others. CHARGE allows users to join in on live runs with live feedback from a trainer, solving the problem of not having a running partner. Users can sign up for various class times throughout the day, and during the run the app sends data back to the trainer in real time. Runs range in length from 25-50 minutes. Reporting by Brittany Kapa, Assistant Editor. For more, visit TinleyJunction. com. FROM THE LOCKPORT LEGEND Blue Jeans Ball to benefit new playground for Lockport school The Goodings Grove Parent Teacher Organization is inviting Homer Glen and Lockport residents to dust off their boots and don their best denim while benefiting area youth. The group will host its inaugural Blue Jeans Ball, a rustic, country-casual event from 6-11 p.m. May 13, at Zachary’s Red Barn, 16849 S. Cedar Road in Homer Glen. Proceeds from the adults-only event will go toward building a playground at the school. The current Goodings Grove playground was installed more than 20 years ago. The structure features rust spots, as well as chipped and peeling coating. While it is not dangerous for the children to play, Goodings Grove PTO member Jenny Reichardt said her group is trying to be proactive. “It needs to be replaced before it becomes a safety hazard,” she said. “If you walk to the playground and you see the playground and you imagine your kids playing on the playground, anyone would want to change that.” The site has received much wear and tear, PTO member Kerrie Heeney said. With no playground in the surrounding subdivisions and with Goodings Grove’s baseball fields in use over the summer, local children flock there to play after school. “This is the playground the kids ride their bikes to,” Heeney said. “So, why not have a great playground? They’re going to use it all summer; let’s give them something great.” Reporting by Erin Redmond, Assistant Editor. For more, visit LockportLegend. com.
mokenamessenger.com sound off the Mokena Messenger | April 20, 2017 | 19 Social snapshot Top Web Stories From MokenaMessenger.com as of Monday, April 17 From the editor On maximizing fun for musical participants 1. 10 Questions with Reis Parkinson, Lincoln- Way East girls water polo 2. Annual Titan Trot 5K benefits St. Mary educators 3. Matt’s Old Mokena: Braun stood apart as Mokena’s blacksmith 4. Central girls water polo edges out 9-7 win against former East teammates 5. Photos: Helping the howlers - MIS assembly features check presentation Become a member: mokenamessenger.com/plus “Thank you to everyone that participated and volunteered at this year’s Titan Trot! It was an amazing day! #trot4rteachers” St. Mary Catholic School Mokena shared this post on its Facebook page April 11 Like The Mokena Messenger: facebook.com/ mokenamessenger.com “Senior class presidents Jason White and Sebastian Esparza are proud to present the 2017 class gift.” @LWCentralKnight posted this photo to its Twitter page April 12 Follow The Mokena Messenger: @mokenamessenger Tim Carroll tim@mokenamessenger.com This coming week is going to be a big one for the students involved with spring musicals. There is Mokena Junior High School’s “The Music Man Jr.” (Page 25), and there is also Lincoln-Way East’s “Oklahoma!” (Page 24). I have a bit of advice for the students involved in these productions, but please note that it may not be perfect for everyone. While I enjoy the hell out of performing, I also dread messing up, which made me very self-conscious and probably prevented me from performing at my peak. So, for any of those who might be in a similar boat, here’s my advice. Smile. That is it. It’s not world-changing advice at all, but smile. One of the many things these students have going for them is that these are musicals, and most people in musicals are happy, so they can smile and remain in character at the same time. These are two musicals with which I have limited familiarity. I know that I have seen them both — perhaps without the “Jr.” addition for “The Music Man” — but when I saw them, I was pretty young. However, I know they are both chances for the performing students to shine. But if the students are anything like me, they may have a little trouble getting out of their own head and into the headspace of the character they are playing. Smiling works so well in this instance, because the characters in a musical are generally happy. Simply by smiling, forced though it may be at first, the performer should begin to relax, and it also should help the character establish himself or herself. This is the simplest possible advice, if we are being honest about it. Too simple to work, one may think. But I know what I’m talking about. That’s right. You probably didn’t know it, but you are reading words written by a guy who once was, like, the fifth male lead in “Grease.” Yep, you’re getting advice from a fella who once had a chorus role in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” (pretty sure my character’s name was Shermie). Uh-huh, this is one tough hombre who was Mr. Tumnus in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” Plus, I was once a duck in a production for really little children. The rest of my roles are too long to list (they are not), but you get the picture. And if you did not get the picture, the point is that I am a big shot who knows a thing or two about acting in musicals. Fine, I am willing to admit that my performance credits are a little underwhelming, but I still stand behind the advice to smile. The advice, while its surface may seem too simple to be effective, is not underwhelming. Every parent should tell his or her child to have fun in the performance, and I absolutely agree. I just hope that smiling will help the performers have even more fun. 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. Attention Builders: Advertise with 22nd Century Media Reach 92,000+ Southwest Suburban homes. ® Contact Lora Healy 708.326.9170 ext. 31 l.healy@22ndcenturymedia.com
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