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calendar 2 | February 21, 2019 | The Mokena Messenger mokenamessenger.com In this week’s Messenger Police Reports................. 7 Pet of the Week.............10 Editorial........................13 Puzzles..........................22 The Scene......................22 Classifieds................ 25-34 The Mokena Messenger ph: 708.326.9170 fx: 708.326.9179 Editor TJ Kremer III, x29 tj@mokenamessenger.com assistant editor Megan Schuller, x34 m.schuller@22ndcm.com Sales director Lora Healy, x31 l.healy@22ndcenturymedia.com real estate sales Tricia Weber, x47 t.weber@22ndcenturymedia.com Legal Notices Jeff Schouten, x51 j.schouten@22ndcenturymedia.com PUBLISHER Joe Coughlin 847.272.4565, x16 j.coughlin@22ndcenturymedia.com Managing Editor Bill Jones, x20 bill@opprairie.com president Andrew Nicks a.nicks@22ndcenturymedia.com EDITORIAL DESIGN DIRECTOR Nancy Burgan, x30 n.burgan@22ndcenturymedia.com 22 nd Century Media 11516 West 183rd Street Unit SW Office Condo #3 Orland Park, IL 60467 www.MokenaMessenger.com Chemical- free printing on 30% recycled paper circulation inquiries circulation@22ndcenturymedia.com The Mokena Messenger (USPS #025404) is published weekly by 22nd Century Media, LLC, 328 E Lincoln Hwy New Lenox, IL 60451. Periodical postage paid at New Lenox, IL and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send changes to: The Mokena Messenger, 328 E Lincoln Hwy New Lenox, IL 60451 Published by www.22ndcenturymedia.com Megan Schuller m.schuller@22ndcm.com THURSDAY Story Hour 10-10:45 a.m. Feb. Mokena Public Library District. 11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. Pre-registration required. The program is for 2-yearold children. Volley for a Cure 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21. Mokena Junior High School, 19815 Kirkstone Way, Mokena. The 7th annual Mokena School Staff vs. Mokena Fire Fighters and the Police volleyball game will raise funds for the Mokena Cancer Support Center. There will be basket raffles and Split the Pot. Donations will be accepted. Concession Stands will be available. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Game starts at 7 p.m. D210 Board of Education Meeting 7 p.m. Feb. 21 Lincoln- Way Central High School, 1801 E. Lincoln Highway, New Lenox. Meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month at the Knights of the Roundtable at LWC. FRIDAY Mobile Workforce 1:30 p.m. Feb. 22. Mokena Public Library District. 11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. The Mobile Workforce Center travels to communities throughout Will County assisting residents with internet for an online job search, assistance to create or revise a resume and a job board with listings from Will County businesses. SATURDAY LWSRA JUMPFEST Fundraiser Noon–4 p.m. Feb. 23. LWSRA Rec Center, 1900 Heather Glen Drive, New Lenox. Come enjoy a gym full of inflatables while helping to raise money for Lincoln-Way Special Recreation Association. The cost is $10 per child payable at the door. This is a family event open to the community and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Noon- 1 p.m. is reserved for individuals with special needs. For more information, visit www.LWS- RA.org/jumpfest. Girl’s of the 50’s 1 p.m. Feb. 23rd, Mokena Public Library District. 11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. MONDAY Village Board of Trustees Meeting 7 p.m. Feb. 25. Village Hall, 11004 Carpenter Street, Mokena. WEDNESDAY Group of Advising Teens 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27. Mokena Public Library District. 11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. Join the Group of Advising Teens and earn community service hours just for attending our meetings. UPCOMING Sips and Smocks Painting Party 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28. Mokena Public Library District. 11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. Come and join the fun of creating your personal work of art with an instructor from “Sips & Smocks” traveling paint parties at the Mokena Community Public Library District. Mocktails will be served. Space is limited to 15 guests. Call (708) 479-9663 to register or register on-line at our events calendar. After Hours Game Night 6-9 p.m. Friday, March 1. Mokena Public Library District. 11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. Ages 14 and up can play games after hours in the library. Lincoln-Way Symphony Concert 2 p.m. Sunday, March 3, Lincoln-Way Central, 1801 E Lincoln Hwy, New Lenox. Tickets are $5. Lincoln-Way Choral Concert 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5. Lincoln-Way Central, 1801 E Lincoln Hwy, New Lenox. Concert is free to the public with a non-perishable food item donation to donate to th local food pantry. Lincoln-Way Band Concert 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7. Lincoln-Way Central, 1801 E Lincoln Hwy, New Lenox. Concert is free to the public with a non-perishable food item donation to donate to our local food pantry. Citizens Police Academy Thursdays, ongoing from March 7 through May 23. Will County Sheriff’s Building, 16911 W. Laraway Road, Joliet. Some topics covered in this hands-on academy include: active shooter response training, traffic stops, a k-9 demonstration, a tour of Will County Jail and more. All participants must be 18 years of age and completed an application returned to the Mokena Police Department. Contact Officer Dennis Boardman at (708) 479-3912 for more information. Happy Back Yoga 10:30-11:30 a.m. Friday, March 8. Mokena Public Library District. 11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. Yoga for a Happy Back Class is designed to cultivate optimal spinal health and comfort. Knitting Group 3-4 p.m. Friday, March 8. Mokena Public Library District. 11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. Mokena Area Historical Society Meeting 8:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9. Village Hall, 11004 Carpenter Street, Mokena. Charles Stark Music Audutorium Dedication 2 p.m. Saturday March 9 Lincolnway Central High School, 1801 E. Lincoln Highway, New Lenox. Watch the dedication the LWC Performing Arts Theater to Charles Stark, one of the founding fathers of our music and theater programs in the Lincoln-Way community. The afternoon will include performances from famous alumni, the LWC Madrigals and Lincolnway Area Chorale. ONGOING Mokena Fire Protection CPR Class 6—9:30 p.m. Ongoing. LIST IT YOURSELF Reach out to thousands of daily users by submitting your event at MokenaMessenger.com/calendar For just print*, email all information to m.schuller@22ndcm.com *Deadline for print is 5 p.m. the Thursday prior to publication. Mokena Fire Station 1, 19853 S. Wolf Rd, Moknea. The Mokena Fire Protection District offers monthly CPR classes for the public. Students are instructed in adult, child and infant CPR and AED. The cost of the class is $35 for Community CPR and $40 Healthcare CPR. Register for specific dates at www. mokenafire.org. Lincoln-Way Toastmasters 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Frankfort Village Hall, 432 Nebraska Street, Frankfort. Meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Toastmasters is a community based organization whose primarily goal is to help people overcome their fear of public speaking while also developing leadership skills. Will County Scholarship Opportunity Ongoing. The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association will award over $50,000 in college scholarships to students wishing to pursue higher education during the 2019- 2020 academic year. A scholarship for $1,000.00 will be awarded by the Will County Sheriff. Applications are now available on-line at www.willcosheriff.org. Little Snapshooters Floor Hockey Ongoing from Feb.4- March 25. The Oaks Recreation & Fitness Center, 10847 La Porte Road, Mokena.
mokenamessenger.com news the Mokena Messenger | February 21, 2019 | 3 From feb 14 Pedestrian struck, killed at Metra Hickory Creek station T.J. Kremer III, Editor Metra has confirmed that a pedestrian at its Hickory Creek station has died after being struck by a train. Kathryn M. Joost, 23, of Palos Hills was pronounced dead at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, according to a press release by will County Coroner’s Office. An autopsy to determine final cause of death is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 15, according to that same press release. The incident occurred at around 4 p.m., according to Metra spokesperson Meg Reile An inbound train to Chicago, not scheduled for service and carrying no passengers, was being moved between the regularly scheduled 3:41 p.m. and 4:39 p.m. arrival times at the time of the incident. Metra police are investigating the incident. As of press time, Will County Coroner’s office had not released a final determination for manner of death. Mokena Police Chief Steve Vaccaro said that Mokena police were assisting, but that they have no further comment. Metra CEO admits to communication failures Safety reports show communication errors go back to 2014 Megan Schuller Assistant Editor Local residents gathered for a town hall to discuss the Metra crossing at 191st Street in Mokena. The town hall, held Feb. 11 at Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort, included a playby-play presentation of the Nov. 9 gate activation failure from Metra CEO James M. Derwinski and a Q&A with the general public. The event was focused on the malfunction of the equipment; however, there was a less-addressed issue at hand: the internal communication within Metra that led to these near-misses not being properly reported. A Federal Railroad Authority Safety Report issued in 2014 addressed communication errors in several areas. Metra spokesperson Michael Gills claimed that the communication issues are not the same; however, these “new” communication errors raised questions among residents. Town hall Retired Amtrak train dispatcher Robert Hardwidge, of Orland Park, spoke during the public Q&A with Metra at the town hall, using his knowledge of the railroad industry to question Derwinski. “I think the investigation of this should be treated as if there is always a major fatality event. We lucked out by seconds,” Hardwidge said to Derwinski. “That’s a very serious incident. That [happened on] a Friday. No report showed up until Monday, [and was reported as] just as a malfunction, not a serious situation.” Besides the gate activation failure that train No. 412 and 506 experienced on Nov. 9, which was extensively reported on, one train experienced the crossing arm pumping, meaning it went down and up. That was reported to a dispatcher, but the dispatcher did not further report that to the maintainer. “There was one train that the engineer didn’t report,” Gillis said. “The following train told the dispatcher. ... He didn’t realize it was more serious. ... That was another issue that we didn’t find out about until after the dash cam footage came out [on Dec. 21], and we looked at it more closely to realize it wasn’t just the one train.” Other residents raised questions of the crossing’s safety, of reinstating train Metra CEO James M. Derwinski address local residents Feb. 11 at Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort at a town hall hosted by State Senator Michael Hastings to explain the events of a Nov. 9 near-miss with a Metra train and a Mokena police officer. Megan Schuller/22nd Century Media horns at the crossing and of educating local school children on rail safety. “All crossings in Mokena have undergone at least three inspections since Nov. 9. No problems were found,” Gillis said. “The 191st Street crossing has been tested at least five times in recent weeks following recent incidents. No problems were found.” FRA safety report The FRA published a focus safety assessment in September 2014, outlining several recommendations it made to Metra regarding communication errors that caused concerns for safety at the time. The report was in response to three incidents involving Metra trains over the week of May 27, 2014-June 3, 2014 on its Rock Island and Metra Electric lines; the two Rock Island line incidents involved trains exceeding the maximum speed limit, and the Metra Electric line involved a train passing through a stop signal at a station. The assessment stated that, ”The FRA also identified other concerns that affect safety at Metra, including: Metra’s safety culture and communications, conflicts between safetysensitive duties and other responsibilities, reporting rules infractions. ... FRA recommends that Metra address these concerns.” The assessment found that: safety-related communication between engineers and conductors was inconsistent, reporting rule infractions from operating districts to headquarters was slow and lacked detail, and that Metra needed a system in place to identify the “root causes and early indicators of risk to railroads.” According to the FRA, the safety evaluation was an overarching examination of the culture and practices regarding safety at Metra. The FRA enforces only federal regulations but provides recommendations to help organizations like Metra maintain federal regulations. Recommendations are not enforced. “Since releasing the report, our team has followed up through routine inspection activities and continue to do so,” FRA spokesperson LaRaye Brown said. The FRA made several specific recommendations to Metra, including: implementing what would become the Confidential Close Call Reporting System, which allows employees to anonymously report misconduct to NASA; establishing new procedures to strengthen the flow of information infractions between districts and Metra headquarters to improve oversight and retraining of operating districts employees; improving communication between conductors and engineers; and implementing the positive train control. The FRA stated that Metra did comply and respond to the recommendations. To improve communications between conductors and engineers in the train cab, a system was implemented for conductors to remind engineers of speed restrictions along the track. Gillis explained that a chime sounds and the conductors must radio to the engineers as a reminder. This is meant to solve one of the problems from back in 2014, after a derailment occurred because of train speed. Metra adopted the Close Call Reporting System in April 2015 with their transportation department unions and expanded it in March 2016 to other unions at Metra. It is a partnership between FRA and NASA that operates in conjunction with participating railroads and labor organizations; however, according to the FRA and Metra, this near-miss occurrence on Nov. 9 would not be something reported in the Confidential Close Call Please see metra, 7
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