HH_120618

12 | December 6, 2018 | The Homer Horizon news
homerhorizon.com
Police Reports
Vehicle reportedly gouged, has
profanity written with sharp object
A sharp object was reportedly
used to put a continuous,
deep gouge throughout
a vehicle, including a profanity
on its hood, on Nov.
19 in the 13000 block of S.
Monaghan Road. All the
tires also were deflated, police
said.
Nov. 25
• A 2004 Chevy TrailBlazer
was reportedly stolen from
the driveway of a residence
on the 17000 block of S.
Parker Road. The keys were
reportedly inside, and the
doors were unlocked. The
Joliet Police Department
made an arrest 10 hours later
in their jurisdiction; the person
arrested was driving the
stolen vehicle, police said.
Nov. 24
• A cement block was reportedly
thrown through the front
door window of the Verizon
store at 14124 S. Bell Road
to gain entry into the business
while it was closed. It
was unclear if anything was
stolen, according to police.
Nov. 15
• An unlocked vehicle that
was parked on the street in
front of a residence was allegedly
entered and had a
wallet containing a driver’s
license, cash and credit cards
stolen on the 15000 block of
S. Sulky Drive.
Nov. 13
• Petroneo Perez-Pompa,
42, of 2215 S. 60th Court
in Cicero, was cited for reportedly
having suspended
registration, operating an
uninsured motor vehicle and
no valid driver’s license at
W. 159th Street and S. Bell
Road.
Nov. 4
• The owner of Big Joe’s
Backyard BBQ said that
upon arriving about 8 a.m.
at the business at 12326 W.
143rd St., he found broken
glass all over the floor from
the front door, according to
police. While reviewing video
surveillance, it was discovered
an unknown male
broke the glass at 3:06 a.m.
and entered the store, police
said.
The male reportedly broke
into two cash registers and
stole a small amount of cash,
and area video surveillance
was still being reviewed.
Editor’s note: The Homer
Horizon’s police reports come
from the Will County Sheriff’s
Department’s online news bulletin
service. Anyone listed in
these reports is considered to
be innocent of all charges until
proven guilty in a court of law.
Law enforcement to increase patrol
presence for remainder of 2018
Submitted by Will County
Sheriff’s Office
The Will County Sheriff’s
Office and law enforcement
throughout Illinois will be
working around the clock for
the remainder of the year to
make certain that travelers are
buckled up and driving sober.
The Sheriff’s Office is
joining the Illinois Department
of Transportation, the
Illinois State Police and
nearly 200 other police and
sheriff’s departments to remind
motorists to Click It
or Ticket and Drive Sober or
Get Pulled Over as part of an
enforcement effort paid for
with federal highway safety
funds administered by IDOT.
Drivers can expect a ticket
if they are spotted without a
seat belt or with an unbuckled
child. Motorists are also
being warned that driving
impaired will not be tolerated.
Patrols will be steppedup
through Will County and
the state, including seat belt
enforcement zones and roadside
safety checks.
“Wearing your seat belt is
second nature for most, but
we are looking for the few
motorists who skip this lifesaving
step,” Traffic Sgt. Kyle
Lakomiak said. “... Throughout
the remainder of the year,
motorists can expect to be
ticketed if they are unbuckled.
“Likewise, we need our
community to understand
it is up to them to make the
smart choice to drive sober.
Impaired driving remains a
huge problem, and if arresting
someone is what it takes
to stop this deadly crime, so
be it. Be smart, drive sober.”
FROM THE NEW LENOX PATRIOT
NL native plans second
cross country ride to benefit
veterans
New Lenox native Tracy
Sefcik completed her crosscountry
bike trip from California
to Florida earlier this
year and is already planning
her next one.
“Well, you know, I can’t
just do this once; I’ve got to
do it again, don’t I?” Sefcik
said. “I guess it’s my calling.”
During her first ride for
charity, Sefcik raised more
than $30,000 for the Gary
Sinise Foundation in support
of veterans. Her next endeavour
is to raise $50,000
for a charity closer to home
called the Oscar Mike Foundation.
While the ride itself is
still roughly two-and-a-half
years down the road, Sefcik
said it is important that she
starts fundraising now, so
she can meet her goal.
The fundraiser officially
started Nov. 7 on her website,
www.crosscountrycycle4vets.com.
The day holds
special meaning for Sefcik,
a Navy veteran, because it
is the anniversary of the day
her uncle’s plane went down
in Korea many years ago
and he was determined to be
Missing In Action.
The Oscar Mike Foundation
is located in Rockford
but serves veterans around
the country through its programs,
which are aimed at
getting wounded and disabled
veterans active again
through a variety of activities,
including exercise,
flight lessons, shooting practice,
kayaking, paddleboarding,
fishing, horseback riding
and skydiving.
Participants are flown out
to spend a week at the foundation’s
compound, where
Sefcik said the goal is to give
them a new lease on life and
a positive outlook for the future
despite their limitations
and injuries.
Reporting by Amanda Villiger,
Assistant Editor. For more, visit
NewLenoxPatriot.com.
FROM THE LOCKPORT LEGEND
Lockport Woman’s Club
ramping up local work
Jane Passaglia, the president
of the Lockport Woman’s
Club, knows what most
people think of when they
hear about a woman’s club.
She thought the same
thing when she was asked to
join years ago.
“I had the same stereotype
that anyone … would have
about women’s club, that it’s
a ladies who lunch club, and
that it’s not that well adapted
to the modem woman, with
her schedule and life,” Passaglia
said. “But I have to
say, I owe a lot to the Woman’s
Club of Lockport.”
Now, as president of the
club, Passaglia hopes other
area women come to discover
the same things she has
learned from the it.
Passaglia moved to Lockport
nine years ago to be
closer to her daughter, and
when she moved, she wanted
to get involved in her new
community.
“I have always been engaged
in my community,”
Passaglia said. “I’ve been
an activist wherever I’ve
lived.”
The then-president of the
Lockport Woman’s Club
reached out to her and asked
her to get involved but, of
course, Passaglia assumed
the woman’s club would be
less active and more social.
Then, Passaglia looked into
the it and discovered she was
wrong.
In the six months since she
has been at the helm, Passaglia
said she has turned the
club’s focus toward the community.
“I think we can do more
in the community together,”
she said.
Reporting by Jesse Wright,
Freelance Reporter. For more,
visit LockportLegend.com.
FROM THE MOKENA MESSENGER
My Joyful Heart brings
Christmas cheer to children
When providing food and
shelter are the biggest financial
concerns a family faces,
the extra things such as new
clothing or Christmas presents
often can fall by the
wayside.
Each year around Christmastime,
My Joyful Heart
provides Christmas gift bags
to children in the south suburbs.
This year, they are to
reach almost 1,000 children.
Founder and Executive
Director Diane Carroll said
many of those children are
part of families with a single
mom, who is just trying to
make ends meet and provide
for their children.
“I was a single mom. I
raised my three kids. Believe
me, I know the challenges,”
Carroll said, “So, I have great
compassion for these single
moms, which make up most
of the program kids.”
Children in the program
are enrolled mainly by a social
worker from their school,
who then fills out a profile on
each child, including their
ages, favorite colors, interests,
reading levels and
school grade levels.
In addition to toys and
clothing, Carroll said books
always are included in the
gifts, which she said has
helped many of them with
their reading skills.
After receiving a gift from
My Joyful Heart, children are
asked to write a “thank you”
letter as part of the process,
and Carroll said many of
them do.
“It’s part of the education
process, is the way I look at
it,” she said. “We get such
heartwarming thank you
notes.”
Reporting by Amanda Villiger,
Assistant Editor. For more, visit
MokenaMessenger.com.