LP_010319

lockportlegend.com Year in Review 2018
the Lockport Legend | January 3, 2019 | 5
What a year it was
The Legend looks
back on Lockport’s
2018
Max Lapthorne, Editor
decline the charges after the
phone in question belonging
to McGrath vanishes.
• Open house event Feb.
21 gives residents a peak at
renovated Roxy Theater.
There has been no shortage
of action in Lockport
over the last 365 days, and
we have done our best to
cover it all. So now that 2018
is officially in the books, we
take a look back at some of
the most memorable stories
of the year. Enjoy.
JANUARY
• Declan Kelly, a seventhgrader
at Homer Jr. High,
wins the school’s National
Geographic Bee on Jan. 19,
while Samantha Bradley finishes
second.
• Will County School District
92 Board of Education
votes at its Jan. 23 special
meeting not to renew the
contract of superintendent
Pete Sullivan.
• LTHS Prom Dress Resale
offers area students
an opportunity to purchase
formalwear for affordable
prices the weekend of Jan.
27-28.
FEBRUARY
• Homer Community Consolidated
School District
33C Superintendent Kara
Coglianese tenders her resignation
to the school board
at its Feb. 1 meeting.
• Gallery Seven opens
Feb. 1 on the second floor
of the Gaylord Building in
Lockport after relocating
from Joliet.
• New Lenox police decline
to file charges Feb.
15 against former Providence
Catholic High School
President the Rev. Richard
J. McGrath, who retired in
December 2017 amid an
investigation regarding alleged
inappropriate material
on his mobile device. Police
MARCH
• Lockport Township High
School athletes compete
once again in the annual Special
Games for special needs
students March 8 at Lincoln-
Way Central High School.
• Approximately 100 students
at LTHS East Campus
participate in National Walkout
Day March 14 to pay
tribute to the 17 people who
died in the mass shooting at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School a month earlier.
• Seventh annual Lockport
Township High School St.
Baldrick’s event raises more
than $10,000 March 15.
• Lockport Township
High School graduate and
former Chicago Cub Ron
Coomer opens Coom’s Corner
resturant March 26 in
Lockport.
APRIL
• Lockport Mayor Steve
Streit delivers annual State
of the City Address April 10
which focused on the State
Street construction.
• A lawsuit brought forth
April 12 by former Providence
Catholic High School
student Bob Krankvich alleges
sexual abuse by longtime
former Providence
President the Rev. Richard
J. McGrath and neglect by
PCHS.
• Legacy Adventure Park
opens April 14. The park offers
paintball, archery tag,
outdoor laser tag, zombie tag
and more.
• Body of former LTHS
student Sean Joy, 20, who
had been missing since
March 21, is found April 13
in the Des Plaines River.
Kylie Hunt, 4, sets up pastry samples at Cakes XO Sept. 16
in preparation for the Sweets & Savory Crawl.
22nd Century Media File Photos
• LTHS graduate searches
for justice after alleging her
former teacher began an illicit
relationship with her
when she was a sophomore
at the school.
• Homer Community Consolidated
School District
33C Board of Education
votes April 24 to hire Craig
Schoppe as the district’s new
superintendent.
MAY
• Chicago Cubs national
anthem singer John Vincent
visits Homer D33C schools
May 9 to speak about bullying.
• Mark Fleming appointed
interim superintendent of
Will County School District
92 May 10 during a special
board of education meeting.
• Grand opening held May
19 for new Dellwood Park
Community Center.
• John Olson American
Legion Post 18 honors fallen
heroes May 28 at Memorial
Day Ceremony.
JUNE
• LTHS celebrates more
than 850 graduating seniors
June 2 at commencement
ceremony at the school’s
East Campus.
• Final development plans
for controversial Prologis
industrial business park approved
June 6 during the
Lockport City Council meeting.
• Old Canal Days brings
entertainment, history together
the weekend of June
15-17 despite State Street
construction.
• LTHS graduate Amanda
Stanton, 26, is killed in what
investigators call a hit and
run in Oswego, with Stanton
reportedly killed when
struck by a car that fled the
scene. Nehemiah Williams,
38, is later charged with
three felonies in her death.
JULY
• Lockport Township High
School D205 Board of Education
President John Lukasik
submits his letter of
resignation July 10 during a
meeting.
• Jason VanderMeer resigns
as Third Ward Alderman
during July 18 City
Council meeting. His resignation
came because he
planned to move to Tulsa,
Oklahoma.
• Sizzles relocates to 110
Macgregor Road and holds
re-opening July 28.
AUGUST
• Fourth annual Comicopolis
event continues to grow
Aug. 4 and serves as a meeting
place for comic book enthusiasts.
• Ground-breaking ceremony
held Aug. 6 for a project
to restore the Lockport
Prairie Nature Preserve.
• Lockport resident Alexander
Perez is shot dead
Aug. 29 in Joliet.
SEPTEMBER
• Annual WWII Days
LTHS senior BB Lindquist (right) gets her dad John
Lindquist’s opinion on a potential prom dress Jan. 27 at the
LTHS Foundation’s annual Prom Dress Resale.
event brings historic war to
life Sept. 8-9 at Dellwood
Park with expanded attractions.
• Fourth annual Sweets &
Savory Crawl in downtown
Lockport raises money for
Make Your Mark: The Mark
Staehely Pediatric Cancer
Foundation Sept. 16.
• A light pole falls on and
injures three fourth-grade
students during recess Sept.
17 at Butler School in Lockport.
• Mark R. Lobes is sworn
in as Third Ward Alderman
Sept. 19 after Jason Vander-
Meer resigned in July.
• Two LTHS freshmen are
arrested Sept. 29 after reports
of a gun being brought
to the school’s homecoming
dance lead to a pellet gun
being discovered off school
grounds.
OCTOBER
• Meals on Wheels officially
opens its new facility
Oct. 17 in the new Lockport
Township Government
building.
• The remains of Ashley
Tucker, of Joliet, are found
Oct. 24 in a barrel in Lockport
Township. She had reportedly
been missing since
Oct. 13. Peter Zabala was
later charged with murder
in connection to Tucker’s
death.
NOVEMBER
• District 92 reopens its
superintendent search.
• Lockport resident Mike
Kelley re-elected as Will
County Sheriff Nov. 6 after
receiving 57.83 percent of
votes.
• The Lockport Township
High School Marching Band
performs at Grand Nationals
in Indianapolis in early November.
• Christmas Crossroads
craft show held for 48th year
at LTHS Nov. 17 and 18.
• Lockport Police Department
offers drivers
frozen turkeys instead of
tickets Nov. 21 as part of a
program sponsored by Tuffy
Tire and Auto Service and
Maurer Auto and Truck Repair.
• Annual Christmas in the
Square event ushers in holiday
season Nov. 24 in downtown
Lockport.
DECEMBER
• A gun threat circulating
through Snapchat is
reported to the LTHS administration
after a Dec.
13 fight at school which
resulted in a student being
charged with aggravated
battery.
• Lockport Love gives
gifts to families in need Dec.
15 during annual holiday
giveaway.
• Hailee Saenger, a firstgrader
at Schilling School
who recently completed
cancer treatment, is surprised
with a Disney princess
cruise trip for her and
her family at a school assembly
Dec. 21.