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the Homer Horizon | February 14, 2019 | 7
FROM THE MOKENA MESSENGER
Swastikas drawn on three
Mokena road signs
Mokena police are seeking
information regarding
the recent defacement of
three road signs.
Swastikas reportedly
were drawn between 1:30-
3 p.m. Feb. 3 on a one-way
sign at Midland Avenue and
Carpenter Street, as well as
two speed limit signs, one
at Division Street, between
First and Second streets,
and one at Midland and
First Street, according to
police. The signs are less
than a half-mile apart from
each other.
Mokena Police Department
Chief Steven Vaccaro
is asking residents who witnessed
the graffiti occurring
or who have footage from
their home security systems
to contact the Mokena Police
Department.
Vaccaro stated that there
are currently no suspects in
the investigation, and there
is no confirmed relationship
with the October 2017
incident in which multiple
traffic signs and one private
business in Mokena were
tagged with swastikas. In
that instance, the vandalism
was discovered by Mokena
Police around 6 a.m. Oct.
22.
“Right now, it seems like
nothing or nobody was being
specifically targeted,”
Vaccaro said. “We haven’t
made a connection to a specific
person or location.”
Vaccaro said that the vandalism
is currently being
treated as a criminal defacement
case until other evidence
is brought forward.
Village Administrator
John D. Tomasoski said that
after the “criminal acts of
vandalism” occurred, the
Village immediately removed
the vandalized signs.
“The Village condemns
such hate crimes and will
prosecute, as allowed by
law, those individuals responsible
for the crime,”
Tomasoski said.
Reporting by Megan Schuller,
Assistant Editor. For more,
visit MokenaMessenger.com.
FROM THE LOCKPORT LEGEND
Resident express concern
over potential Big Run
development
The Lockport City Council
approved a pre-annexation
agreement with the
owners of Big Run Golf
Club, who plan to sell the
property off for residential
development, after a public
hearing during its Feb. 6
meeting.
The 220-acre parcel of
land is currently unincorporated
and, through a boundary
agreement with the City
of Romeoville, could be
annexed by either municipality.
Upon the property
owner’s decision to develop
the area, City Administrator
Ben Benson said both cities
were consulted about possible
annexation and Lockport
was selected as the preferred
option.
No developer is slated
to take on the project, and
construction likely will not
begin until at least 2020. A
draft design of the development
shows 515 properties,
averaging 2.34 units per
acre, including senior housing,
townhomes and singlefamily
homes, along with
significant green space along
the canal and existing ponds.
Several residents spoke at
the hearing to express concerns
about the future development
of the site. Some
of the issues broached by
the residents included overcrowding,
increased traffic,
the development potentially
allowing commercial
properties, and the City’s
capacity to provide water
and sewer to 500 new residences.
Benson and city attorney
Sonni Choi Williams told
residents that the City has
done studies to assure it has
the capacity to handle the
water and sewer tap-ins, and
if there is to be any commercial
space in the development
it would be small. The
board voted unanimously to
approve the pre-annexation
agreement, which establishes
only preliminary expectations
for the City and any
future developer.
Reporting by Jessie Molloy,
Freelance Reporter. For more,
visit LockportLegend.com.
FROM THE NEW LENOX PATRIOT
Friend starts GoFundMe for
local dealing with central
nervous system vasculitis
Roughly a year ago, New
Lenox resident Kelsey Evoy
began developing pain in
her wrist and fingers.
Evoy and her doctor initially
wrote it off to carpal
tunnel, but when the pain
turned into numbness, and
travelled to her elbow and
up her arm, both became
concerned. Little did they
know, it was just the start of
things to come.
The 25-year-old mother
underwent elbow surgery in
May 2018, but things only
got worse.
Evoy began losing movement
in her right foot and
went to the emergency
room, where an MRI revealed
lesions covering her
brain, leaving both she and
her doctors scrambling for
answers.
After a plethora of tests,
Evoy was diagnosed with
central nervous system vasculitis,
a rare disease that
affects fewer than 3 in 1
million people each year,
according to research by the
University of Michigan.
“You go from living a normal
life to losing all movement
in your hand and your
leg,” she said. “It started out
last year, and I started slowly,
and I started losing more
and more movement in it.”
Her friend Jessica Keener
knew she had to step in and
help.
“She has so many things
against her,” Keener said.
“She has had no help, and
she is the most hard-working
person I know.”
For more information
or to donate, visit www.go
fundme.com/kelsey039skrew-kelsey-evoy.
Reporting by Erin Redmond,
Freelance Reporter. For more,
visit NewLenoxPatriot.com.
FROM THE ORLAND PARK PRAIRIE
Judge orders slate back
on ballot, but petition
challenge likely to see
Round 3
A slate of candidates for
the Orland Park Village
Board has been ordered
back on the ballot by a Cook
County Circuit Court judge
after it last month was removed
by an Electoral Board
over a petition challenge.
Judge Alfred J. Paul ordered
Thursday, Feb. 7,
that People Over Politics
— a slate of Orland Park
trustee candidates William
R. Healy, Michael R. Milani
and Cynthia Nelson
Katsenes — be reinstated
to the April 2 Consolidated
Election ballot, at the conclusion
of an appeal heard
at the Richard J. Daley Center
in Chicago. The trio was
removed Jan. 10 by the Orland
Park Electoral Board,
which voted 2-0 that there
was a “basis for confusion”
on petitions circulated in
support of People Over Politics.
“I just can’t see it,” Paul
said of the argument that
“trustee” for Village of Orland
Park could be confused
for another office. “It can’t
be anything else.
“It’s all legit. It’s all right.
... So, I’m ordering the three
are put on that ballot.”
John G. Fogarty Jr., the
attorney who represented
People Over Politics, said
he was “much happier” with
this outcome than the Electoral
Board hearing, noting
he thought the judge made
the right call. And Katsenes
echoed the sentiment.
“I’m really happy that the
voters now have a choice,”
she said.
But Burt Odelson, who
represented challenger
Christopher Kasmer, said he
“very much so” disagreed
with the judge’s decision,
and by the end of the week
the objector filed Notice
of Appeal with the First
District Illinois Appellate
Court.
Reporting by Bill Jones,
Editor. For more, visit
OPPrairie.com.
Derby
From Page 5
ers pick the most patriotic
car,” Carroll said. “…Mike
Meyers in particular is super
good to us… Basically, anything
we ask for, he helps us
do, and we try to help them.”
As with any Scouting
project, the pinewood derby
provides the Scouts with
practical, hands-on skills,
such as working with tools
while also bonding with
their parents.
“It teaches them to work
with their hands, and it’s a
good bonding experience,”
Krumdick said. “When
they’re still young, parents
do a lot more of the work, and
each year, the Scout gets to
do a little more of the work.”
The pack also encourages
siblings and parents to get
involved with the family car
category, in which they can
build their own derby car to
enter.
Scout Elijah Detman, 7,
raced for the second time
this year and recruited his
grandfather, Dale Detman,
of Romeoville, to help him
build his car. Along with
Elijah’s car, Dale was also
recruited to help build a car
for Elijah’s brother, Judah,
4. Their dad, Nick Detman,
said the event is always fun
and exciting for the boys.
“Last year we did it, but
this year [Elijah] worked
with grandpa,” Nick said.
“It’s a lot of fun; he gets really
excited to build the car.”
Dale added that Elijah was
most excited to paint the car.
With a golden theme, Elijah
named his car The Golden
Nugget, while Judah gave
his car a longer name, The
Golden Gamulet and Golden
Dragon.
Part of the fun of the pinewood
derby is learning how to
improve the design from the
previous year to make a faster
car the next. Ajay Tracy, 9,
who has won in the past, has
been able to build on the experience
of his brothers.
“We’ve been doing this
for 11 years,” Ajay’s mother,
Tina, said.
Tina is the mother of three
boys who have all been involved
in Scouting. Even after
more than a decade, the
family looks forward to the
event every year.
“The pinewood derby
is a big hit, and they like it
because they get a trophy,”
Tina said. “There’s camaraderie
and a little competition,
but it’s not too much,
and they get to vote on the
cars. …It’s always fun for
the boys.”
Lockport Cub Scout Pack
61 is inviting the community
out the American Legion on at
6:30 p.m. on May 6 for a presentation
about cold-blooded
creatures. More information
can be found on Cub Scout
Pack 61’s website at www.
lockport61.mypack.us.