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orland park’s Award-Winning Hometown Newspaper opprairieDaily.com • January 23, 2020 • Vol. 14 No. 36 • $1 

A 

® 

Publication 

,LLC 

Moving toward a 

healthier lifestyle 

Annual Healthy Living 

Expo returns to Tinley Park 

Convention Center, Page 4 

Orland School D135 

School Board picks interim 

superintendent as next leader 

following exhaustive search, 

Page 3 

Cause for 

celebration Orland Park 

Area Chamber issues awards, 

installs new board, Page 8 

John Bryk, who has served since March 

2019 as Orland School District 135’s interim 

superintendent, recently was named its 

next superintendent. Photo submitted 

Working together 

Orland Park Public Library, 

Barnes & Noble team up for 

storytime, Page 9 

FLOORS FOR LIFE 

carpetinteriorsc1orlandpark.com 

*See our Ad inside for our New Year Specials! 

ORLAND PARK • 50 Orland Square Dr. • 708.364.6100

2 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie calendar 

OPPrairiedaily.com 

In this week’s 

Prairie 

Business Briefs...............14 

Police Reports................16 

Pet of the Week.............17 

Puzzles..........................29 

Classifieds................ 33-40 

Sports...................... 41-48 

The Orland 

Park Prairie 

ph: 708.326.9170 fx: 708.326.9179 

Editor 

Bill Jones, x20 

bill@opprairie.com 

Sports Editor 

Jeff Vorva, x11 

j.vorva@22ndcm.com 

Sales director 

Dana Anderson, x17 

dana@opprairie.com 

real estate sales 

Courtney Masinter ext 47 

c.masinter@22ndcenturymedia.com 

classifieds/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 


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.OPPrairie.com 

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circulation inquiries 

circulation@22ndcenturymedia.com 

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and additional mailing offices. 

POSTMASTER, Send changes to: 


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Published by 

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THURSDAY 

Trail Mix Bar & Card 

Games 

4-5 p.m. Jan. 23, The 

Bridge Teen Center, 15555 

S. 71st Court. Teens grades 

7-12 can unwind with 

Bridge friends over a game 

of Uno, War or Spoons. 

Sweet or salty trail mix on 

hand. This is a free event. 

For more information, call 

(708) 532-0500 or visit 

www.thebridgeteencenter. 

org. 

Create a Kitchen Herb 

Garden 

4:30-5:30 p.m. Jan. 23, 

The Bridge Teen Center, 

15555 S. 71st Court. Teens 

grades 7-12 can plant 

seeds for an indoor garden, 

grow culinary herbs in 

the kitchen and use them 

in cooking. This is a free 

event. For more information, 

call (708) 532-0500 

or visit www.thebridgete 

encenter.org. 

FRIDAY 

Polar Bears vs. Penguins 

Night 

7:30-10:30 p.m. Jan. 24, 



gradse 7-12 can try to 

beat the winter blues with 

some activities including a 

Marshmallow & Hot Cocoa 

Relay race, Penguin 

Team Waddle Race and 

more. In the Art Studio, 

the group is to create Polar 

Bear silhouettes. Andy’s 

Frozen Custard will be in 

the Kitchen. This is a free 


call (708) 532-0500 


encenter.org. 

SATURDAY 

The Art of Design 

2 p.m. Jan. 25, Orland 

Park Public Library, 14921 

S. Ravinia Ave. Dan Laib 

teaches the audience the 

basic elements of design, 

using storytelling, handpainted 

puppets, props and 

live art demonstrations. 

MONDAY 

Census Hiring Event 

6:30 p.m. Jan. 27, Orland 

Park Public Library, 

14921 S. Ravinia Ave. The 

Census is on April 1, 2020. 

This program is for those 

who would like a chance 

to get involved. To be eligible, 

participants must be 

a minimum of 18 years 

old, a U.S. citizen, and 

have access to a car and a 

computer. 

TUESDAY 

Create Your Own App 

4-6 p.m. Jan. 28, The 


S. 71st Court. Apple Creatives 

will show teens 

grades 7-12 how to build 

an application prototype in 

Keynote on an iPad. This 

is a free event. For more 

information, call (708) 

532-0500 or visit www. 

thebridgeteencenter.org. 

Tales of Forgotten Chicago 

7 p.m. Jan. 28, Orland 

Park Public Library, 14921 

S. Ravinia Ave. Rich Lindberg 

tells stories from his 

latest book, “Tales of Forgotten 

Chicago.” 

Charcoal Drawings 

4:30-5:30 p.m. Jan. 28, 


15555 S. 71st Court. Teen 

grades 7-12 can capture 

highlights and shadows, 

learn to blend and shade, 

and develop an eye for 

composition. This is a free 


call (708) 532-0500 


encenter.org. 

WEDNESDAY 

Soul Cafe: How to Deal 

With Grief & Loss 

4-5:15 p.m. Jan. 29, 



grades 7-12 can get tips on 

how to process, heal and 

grow from various types of 

loss — big or small. This 

is a free event. For more 


532-0500 or visit www. 

thebridgeteencenter.org. 

UPCOMING 

Culinary: Savory Café 

Sandwiches 

4-5:30 p.m. Jan. 30, The 


S. 71st Court. Teens grades 

7-12 can build a French 

Croque monsieur — an 

open-faced sandwich with 

savory ham and cheese on 

top. This is a free event. 

For more information, call 

(708) 532-0500 or visit 

www.thebridgeteencenter. 

org. 

Candid Photography 

4:45-5:45 p.m. Jan. 30, 



grades 7-12 can develop 

an eye for natural moments 

and experiences, 

and capture them with special 

photography features 

on the phone. This is a free 


call (708) 532-0500 


encenter.org. 

Ageless Grace (Brain & 

Body Fitness) 

Thursdays, March 19- 

May 14, Orland Township, 

14807 S. Ravinia 

Ave. Registration begins 

Feb. 3. $48 for residents, 

$53 for nonresidents for 

the eight-week class. Ageless 

Grace is a creative and 

playful exercise program. 

It features 21 simple tools 

for lifelong comfort and 

ease that can be practiced 

anywhere. The group will 

lubricate joints, strengthen 

muscles, exercise brains 

and improve flexibility, 

hand-eye coordination, 

balance, breath and more. 

Exercises are done while 

seated to lively music. For 

more information, visit 

agelessgrace.com. 

ONGOING 

Powered by Plants Potluck 

6:30-7:30 p.m. second 

Thursday of every month, 

starting Feb. 13, Orland 

Park Health & Fitness, 

15430 West Ave. Participants 

can socialize and 

learn from others who follow 

plant-based/vegan diet 

for health, the animals and 

environment. Information, 

cooking tips and food 

Bringing a dish is optional 

and not required to attend. 

To reserve a space, contact 

Janet at (708) 256-0102 or 

Izzy at (708) 269-6521. 

RSVP is encouraged 48 

hours before the event. 

Space is limited. 

Winter Wonderland Ice 

Rink 

Through Feb. 23, Centennial 

Park, 15600 West 

Ave. Skaters with own 

skates can use ice rink 

daily beginning at sunrise. 

Rink closes when warming 

LIST IT YOURSELF 

Reach out to thousands of daily 

users by submitting your event at 

OPPrairie.com/calendar 

For just print*, email all information to 


*Deadline for print is 5 p.m. the Thursday prior to publication. 

house closes. Weather permitting. 

Warming house/ 

skate rental hours are 4-7 

p.m. Monday-Thursday, 

4-8 p.m. Friday, noon- 

8 p.m. Saturday, noon-7 

p.m. Sunday, but subject to 

change. For more information, 

call (708) 403-5000, 

visit orlandpark.org or 

email orlandrecreation@ 

orlandpark.org. 

SMART Recovery 

7-8:30 p.m. Fridays, 

Palos Health South Campusz, 

15300 West. Ave., 

Building C, Suite 313. A 

science-based addiction 

recovery support group. 

For more information, 

visit smartrecovery.org or 

contact Deb at (708) 586- 

7020. 

Leisure Plotters Club 

12:30-2:30 p.m. the 

third Thursday of the 

month, Orland Township, 

14807 W. Ravinia Ave. All 

seniors are invited to join 

in for coffee, bingo and 

socialization. For more information, 

contact Alice at 

(708) 614-9202. Meetings 

typically are held every. 

Senior Drop-In Center 

9 a.m.-2 p.m. Fridays, 

Orland Township, 14807 

South Ravinia Ave., Orland 

Park, Activity Center. 

Seniors can make new 

friends, socialize, and play 

cards and bingo. During 

Drop-In, seniors are treated 

to refreshments (and the 

occasional light lunch).

OPPrairiedaily.com news 

the orland park prairie | January 23, 2020 | 3 

D135 announces John Bryk 

as its new superintendent 

3 

1/23/20 -1/28/20 

Walt’s Certificate 

Rochelle McAuliffe 

Freelance Reporter 

Orland School District 

135’s interim superintendent 

is to take over the role 

in a full-time capacity. 

During the Jan. 13 meeting 

of the D135 School 

Board, the district concluded 

its superintendent search 

with the announcement of 

John Bryk as its new superintendent. 

Bryk has served as interim 

superintendent for the 

district since March. 

Bryk has worked for 

D135 for the past four 

years, coming into the district 

with a combination of 

past teaching and administrative 

experience. Additionally, 

Bryk is a lieutenant 

colonel for the Illinois 

Air National Guard and has 

served for the past 35 years. 

During his introduction 

as superintendent, Board 

President Linda Peckham- 

Dodge read part of a letter 

of recommendation from 

Bryk’s commanding officer, 

stating that “he places 

[Bryk] in the top 1 percent 

of his organization.” 

“He inspires trust,” 

Peckham-Dodge said. “He 

has high levels of selfconfidence 

and optimism, 

and he models the highest 

standards of integrity and 

personal performance, and 

those were all criteria that 

we deemed very important 

throughout our search. It 

also became very evident 

early on when meeting with 

[Bryk] that he was devoted 

to the kids, and his vision is 

that they come first for the 

district.” 

Board Vice President 

Michael Maratea shared 

similar sentiments as Peckham-Dodge, 

noting his 

trust in Bryk. 

“One thing that I acknowledge 

is his level of 

trust,” Maratea said. “It’s 

something that we really 

need. You know exactly 

how he thinks, but you’re 

also able to say what you’re 

thinking, and that honesty 

and transparency is 

something that the people 

of District 135 want, and 

that’s something that we 

can expect from Mr. Bryk.” 

The district began its 

search for the new superintendent 

last July, hiring 

Ray and Associates, a national 

executive leadership 

search firm. As part of its 

initial selection process, 

the firm held stakeholderspecific 

focus groups, as 

well as open community 

sessions, to receive input 

from community leaders, 

staff, parents and students 

to help create a 33-characteristic 

profile of the ideal 

superintendent. 

Initially, 55 candidates 

submitted their applications, 

with the firm recommending 

eight candidates 

to the next round, where 

the board was presented 

with applications, resumes 

and letters of recommendations 

for the candidates, as 

well as a video interview of 

each candidate answering 

the same three questions. 

The School Board then invited 

four candidates for 

in-person interviews before 

site visits were conducted 

by representatives from the 

board with two finalists. 

The candidates were 

reviewed during a special 

board meeting Dec. 9 

following the site visits, 

and the School Board announced 

during a Dec. 16 

meeting that it would be 

“continuing the search process” 

and would have an 

update during the Jan. 13 

meeting. 

While members of the 

board may have been bothered 

by the length of the 

hiring process, they ultimately 

were pleased with 

the outcome. 

“It was tedious, but at 

this point we need to be tedious 

to make sure we get 

the right person in the position,” 

Maratea said. 

“It was a very robust 

process,” Board Member 

Devin Hodge added. 

“It was very transparent. 

There was lots of engagement 

from the community, 

which is what we needed as 

a board to make this decision. 

A lot of people could 

criticize us and ask why 

we did this big, nationwide 

search and just choose 

someone from within the 

district, but the process just 

gave legitimacy to the candidate 

that we have.” 

Board Member Dave 

Shalabi welcomed Bryk as 

superintendent, as well. 

“You will be entrusted 

to lead a great school district 

that some of us are a 

product of, have taught at, 

or have our children at, and 

you will be entrusted with 

the most precious of gifts 

— our children’s education,” 

Shalabi said “With 

three children in the district 

myself, I feel very confident 

that your leadership 

will take it where it needs 

to go to.” 

The School Board voted 

unanimously to approve a 

performance-based contract 

for Bryk, running 

from July 1, 2020, through 

June 30, 2023, with an annual 

salary of $200,000. 

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4 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie news 


Tips on diet, exercise, mindfulness and more highlighted at annual Healthy Living Expo 

Laurie Fanelli 


3 

Whether attendees were 

interested in diving into a 

new exercise regimen, trying 

the latest diet or simply 

tweaking their wellness 

plan to make it more effective 

in 2020, 22nd Century 

Media’s fourth annual 

Healthy Living Expo had 

something for everyone. 

Held Saturday, Jan. 18, 

at the Tinley Park Convention 

Center, the free event 

featured 70-plus vendor 

booths, health screenings, 

healthy cooking demonstrations, 

workout classes 

and much more. The first 

300 attendees were rewarded 

with free tote bags 

and stress balls. 

Heather Warthen, chief 

events officer for 22nd 

Century Media, explained 

that the event included a 

complete approach to wellness, 

highlighting mental 

health, medical services, 

mindfulness and more, 

along with the staples of 

diet and exercise. 

“We brought back all of 

our cooking demos, and 

we have a couple of great 

speaker sessions with 

Kimberly Kramer — who 

is a registered dietician 

with UChicago Medicine 

— so those are really exciting,” 

Warthen said. “We 

also brought back our 

workout classes again this 

year.” 

Heidi Richard, of UChicago 

Medicine Ingalls 

Memorial, and her team 

spent the day sharing information 

about the organization’s 

primary care 

locations, same-day mammogram 

appointments, 

innovative treatments and 

UChicago Medicine’s 

brand new podcast. 

“We’ve just launched a 

new podcast called ‘Things 

Mokena resident Mike Holstrom (left) stops by the Elite 

Rehabilitation Institute to get a massage from Amber 

Snapp. 

You’re Too Embarrassed 

to Ask a Doctor,’” Richard 

said. “It covers things that 

you might not feel comfortable 

asking like, ‘Why 

do I have adult acne?’ or 

‘Is stomach gurgling normal?’ 

and a few topics that 

may be embarrassing. [The 

expo] gives us insight into 

the voice of what people 

are really interested in to 

help us inform what are activities 

will be and to help 

us promote people living 

well and being healthy.” 

Along with UChicago 

Medicine, several Healthy 

Living vendors shared information 

about fighting 

and treating the flu. 

Physicians Immediate 

Care’s Jimmy Quattrocki 

explained that Alere, a 

rapid flu testing device, 

allows doctors to test for 

A and B strands and diagnose 

whether or not a 

patient has the flu within 

three minutes of the test. 

“We have 43 urgent care 

locations open in Illinois 

and Northwest Indiana,” 

Quattrocki said. “We’re 

open seven days a week in 

all of our clinics. We treat 

anything from common 

colds and flu to broken 

limbs. We treat children 

from two months of age 

up to the oldest adults. We 

take pretty much all the 

major insurance plans — 

we’re in network with all 

Blue Cross Blue Shield 

of Illinois plans — and 

patients that want to see 

us can make an online appointment.” 

Newer wellness trends 

also were showcased, 

with several vendors offering 

oils and products 

made with cannabidiol 

— a chemical found in 

cannabis plants — to relieve 

everything from 

inflammation to anxiety. 

Oils, edibles, smoking 

products, inhalers and 

more were available at the 

booth of the Homer Glen 

shop Hempology CBD 

Store. 

“CBD oil is going to 

give you the medical benefits 

without the high,” 

Hempology owner Mark 

Diorio said. “It’s nonpsychoactive, 

so you can 

take it and actually go 

to work, function and do 

your tasks, and get relief 

for your anxiety or inflammation. 

You can get a better 

night’s sleep without 

actually getting high or 

stoned. If people come to 

Brittany Means, of Cardio Party with Britt, leads a workout Saturday, Jan. 18, during 

22nd Century Media’s Healthy Living Expo at the Tinley Park Convention Center. 

Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media 

Captain Quidel — also known as Codie Thompson — stands by the Quidel Flu Bug 

car, ready to fight any symptoms. 

Hempology, they’re going 

to find very good, clean 

products that are thirdparty 

lab tested, effective 

and studied very thoroughly 

by us.” 

Homewood resident 

Claudia Montejano and 

her sister Lorena Lira, of 

East Chicago, Indiana, 

were motivated to attend 

the expo to connect with 

a wide variety of vendors 

to find what best suits their 

lifestyles. 

“I recently joined 

Weight Watchers, so I 

want to see how I can 

incorporate some of the 

cooking techniques ... to 

revamp my whole eating 

lifestyle,” Montejano 

said. 

Lira added, “I wanted to 

see what workouts work 

and try to get a little bit 

healthier, because I sit at a 

desk all day.” 

Along with sampling 

fitness classes and cooking 

courses, attendees also 

were able to taste products 

from a variety of brands, 

and She 100.3 was onhand 

with its popular prize 

wheel. 

Following the Healthy 

Living Expo, 22nd Century 

Media is gearing up for 

its Lady Expo on May 2 at 

the Tinley Park Convention 

Center.

OPPrairiedaily.com orland park 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bloating, heartburn, acid reflux 

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to restoreyou to health &vitality!” ~Dr. Ed Beyer, D.C. 

Mon, Jan. 27, 6:30 pm 

17023 S Harlem Ave, Tinley Park 

Visit beyernaturalhealthsolutions.com 

See our reviews on Facebook 

Join us right after the 11:30am family mass. Come by to check 

out the classrooms, meet the faculty and students. 

SPIRIT • GRACE • SUCCESS 

SPIRITUAL 

GROWTH 

• Catholic faith 

curriculum 

• Daily prayers and 

lessons 

• Weekly all school 

Mass 

• Sacramental 

preparation 

• Grade Level 

Service Projects 

• Corporal and 

Spiritual Works of 

Mercy 

PHYSICAL 

GROWTH 

• Bi-weekly PE 

Classes 

• Secured 

playground 

• Daily recess/ 

free play 

• Interscholastic 

boys/girls sports 

• Indoor Soccer 

for students in 

Pre-K through 

third grade 

• Fitness Club 

ACADEMIC 

GROWTH 

• Computer Research 

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• Science lab/ 

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• Music and art 

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• Foreign language 

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• Smart Board 

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• Chromebook for all 

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ST. GEORGE SCHOOL 

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6700 W. 176th Street | Tinley Park, IL 60477 

(708) 532-2626 | StGeorgeSchool.org 

SOCIAL & 

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• Student Council 

• National Junior Honor 

Society 

• Peer & Teacher 

tutoring 

• Chess Club 

• Student Ambassadors 

• And many more… 

1949-2019



DUI charge dropped against retired 

priest accused of fatal hit-and-run 

Paul Burak indicted 

on four other 

charges, pleads 

not guilty 

Bill Jones, Editor 

The aggravated 

DUI charge 

has been 

dropped in a 

case against 

a retired 

St. Michael Burak 

priest allegedly 

responsible for a hitand-run 

that killed one of 

the parish’s teachers and 

injured another. 

Paul Burak, 73, of 82 

Canterbury Court in Palos 

Heights, was charged in 

early December with aggravated 

DUI and leaving 

the scene of a fatal 

accident, both felonies, 

but the former charge was 

dropped, while the latter 

stands, as of Jan. 14. 

Officially, Burak was indicted 

on charges of leaving 

the scene of a motor 

vehicle accident involving 

death, leaving the scene of 

a motor vehicle accident 

involving injury and two 

counts of accident involving 

injury or death, according 

to a spokesperson for 

the Cook County State’s 

Attorney’s Office. Burak 

on Jan. 14 pleaded not 

guilty to those charges. 

“After a thorough review 

of the case, we did not seek 

an indictment for the offense 

of aggravated DUI, 

as the evidence and facts 

were insufficient to support 

that charge,” the State’s 

Attorney’s Office said in a 

statement. “The defendant 

was indicted with the most 

serious offenses, including 

leaving the scene of a 

motor vehicle accident involving 

death, based on the 

law and supported by the 

evidence.” 

When asked for comment 

on the change, Orland 

Park Police Chief 

Tim McCarthy said it was 

the State’s Attorney’s call, 

and “likely they didn’t feel 

they had enough evidence 

to convict” on the DUI 

charge. He noted the four 

other charges are all felonies. 

Burak is next to appear 

March 8 for a status hearing 

before Judge Kerry 

Kennedy, Room 110, at the 

Cook County Courthouse 

for the Fifth Municipal 

District in Bridgeview. 

Burak attended St. Michael’s 

parish Christmas 

party the evening of Dec. 4 

at Square Celt, after which 

he allegedly struck both 

Margaret “Rone” Leja, 

a 61-year-old technology 

teacher at the Catholic 

school from Tinley Park, 

and Elizabeth Kosteck, a 

54-year-old third-grade 

teacher at the school, 

around 8 p.m., as they 

were crossing a service 

road north of the restaurant. 

Burak reportedly then 

left the scene and did not 

contact police. 

Both women were transported 

to Silver Cross 

Hospital in New Lenox. 

Kosteck was treated and 

released the next day for 

what the State’s Attorney’s 

Office identified as 

a broken wrist, soreness 

and bruising to her shoulder. 

Leja was pronounced 

deceased at 8:33 p.m., according 

to the Will County 

Coroner’s Office. 

According to a bond 

court proffer filed Dec. 7 by 

the State’s Attorney, Burak 

acknowledged to police he 

had a cocktail and a glass 

of wine, and felt “lightheaded” 

after he drank 

them. He said he thinks he 

may have “blacked out” 

from drinking too much, 

because he does that sometimes, 

per the court document. 

He claimed he does 

not remember the incident 

and thought he hit a curb, 

the State’s Attorney said. 

A witness reportedly 

asked Burak if he was OK 

to drive before he left the 

party. Burak allegedly got 

into his car anyway, struck 

another vehicle while 

backing out of a parking 

spot and then hit the women 

while he turned left out 

of the parking lot onto the 

service drive, while the 

women had their backs 

turned to his vehicle. He 

accelerated after impact, 

prosecutors said. 

Another witness reportedly 

followed Burak’s vehicle 

westbound to a dead 

end on the access road and 

watched him stay there for 

20 seconds, but when the 

witness tried to approach 

Burak allegedly began 

to drive again, passing 

through a drive-thru lane. 

That witness approached 

the vehicle on foot, took 

a picture of the license 

plate and suggested Burak 

return to the scene of the 

crash, according to the 

document. 

Burak reportedly returned 

to the Square Celt 

parking lot but did not exit 

his vehicle or make any effort 

to speak with police. 

Another priest then witnessed 

Burak try to make 

a three-point turn and 

strike another vehicle, per 

the document. That priest 

reportedly drove Burak 

home in Burak’s vehicle. 

The Cook County State’s 

Attorney noted Burak’s 

vehicle had damage to the 

front license plate holder 

consistent with remnants 

of one left at the scene, 

where the women were hit. 

Witnesses identified Burak 

as the driver, prosecutors 

said. 

Sarah Toney, a representative 

of the Toney Law 

Firm representing Burak, 

said Burak has Parkinson’s 

disease and glaucoma. 

Burak had a valid license, 

per the court document. 

Police confirm report of shots fired on Interstate 80 


Police confirmed a social media 

report of a shooting incident 

that took place Jan. 15 on eastbound 

Interstate 80 near Harlem 

Avenue. 

There were no reports of 

any injuries, according to Illinois 

State Police Trooper 

DeAnn Falat, who serves in 

District 5. 

Family of St. Michael 

teacher killed in December 

files suit against Burak 

Will O’Brien 


The incident reportedly took 

place around 4:51 a.m., according 

to Falat. 

“It is still under investigation, 

The family of the St. 

Michael School teacher 

killed after being hit by a 

vehicle in early December 

has filed a wrongful 

death lawsuit against 

Paul Burak, the retired 

St. Michael priest facing 

criminal charges over the 

alleged incident. 

Woodridge-based Shannon 

Law Group filed the 

suit on behalf of William 

Byrne, the brother and 

estate administrator for 

the late Margaret “Rone” 

Leja. The 61-year-old 

technology teacher died 

Dec. 4 after leaving St. 

Michael’s parish Christmas 

party at Square Celt, 

when Burak allegedly 

struck her and Elizabeth 

Kosteck — a 54-year-old 

third-grade teacher at the 

school who sustained injuries 

— with a vehicle he 

was driving. 

Byrne and Leja’s other 

family members, speaking 

through their attorney, 

said they filed the lawsuit 

to prompt the Archdiocese 

of Chicago to provide 

“truthful, forthcoming 

and honest answers to the 

many unanswered questions 

they have regarding 

their beloved sister’s 

senseless death.” 

As of press time, the 

archdiocese had not responded 

to requests for 

comment. 

“As a family, we continue 

to grieve the loss of 

our sister Margaret ‘Rone’ 

Leja,” read a family statement 

provided by Shannon 

Law Group. “We 

have been touched by the 

outpouring of support and 

love for Rone by members 

of our community. 

“In the last couple of 

weeks, Rone’s friends 

and family have fondly 

remembered her kindness, 

her ever-present smile and 

her selfless years of service 

as a Catholic schoolteacher 

throughout south 

suburban Chicago. Her 

dedication and passion for 

her students will undoubtedly 

leave a lasting impression 

on everyone who 

witnessed it. Her friends 

remember Rone as a loyal, 

trusting and fun-loving 

friend that consistently 

put others before herself. 

“Though we feel exceedingly 

grateful for 

the many years we have 

shared with Rone, we remain 

heartbroken that she 

was needlessly taken far 

too early. This horrible 

crash reinforces the need 

for continued diligence in 

preventing impaired driving 

and encouraging sensible 

decision-making.” 

The suit was filed in 

the Circuit Court of Cook 

County on Dec. 20. 

and there is no further information 

at this time,” Falat wrote 

in an email to The Orland Park 

Prairie.



ORLAND 

TOWNSHIP 

SOUPER-VISOR 

IS KICKING OFF THE THIRD ANNUAL 

Want to compete? 

Openings may be 

available! 

Call Lindsay 

(708) 403-4222 

Saturday, February 1 

14807 S. Ravinia Ave. Orland Park 

SOUP TASTING 2-5 P.M. 

Raffles Games Kid Zone Music 

Additional soups will be made to donate to local soup kitchens! 

TICKETS 

$5 ADULTS • $3 SENIOR CITIZENS • $3 KIDS AGES 5+



New names and big accolades 

Chamber installs new board celebrates annual Member Awards & Board Installation 

FAR LEFT: Pictured are 

the 2020 Orland Park Area 

Chamber of Commerce 

presidents club members (left 

to right) Raymond Klosowski 

(president), Joyce Bibeau 

(president-elect), Panorea 

Bakutis (vice president) and 

Mike Hardek (past president), 

during an the Member Awards 

& Board Installation held 

Thursday, Jan. 16, at Elements 

by the Odyssey. 

LEFT ABOVE: Mayor Keith 

Pekau welcomes incoming 

President Raymond Klosowski 

during the event. 

LEFT BELOW : Patrick 

Zomparelli and Orland Park 

Trustee Kathy Fenton share a 

laugh at the event. 

Photos by Mark Korosa/22nd 

Century Media 

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OPPrairiedaily.com news 


Storytelling team-up in Orland Park 

Orland Park Public Library heads to Barnes & Noble for special 

event 

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US 

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WHAT MAKES TINLEY COURT DIFFERENT 

THAN ALL THE REST? 

Tinley Court offers a Unique Lifestyle of Catered Senior Living 

Darnetta Bolton, from the Orland Park Public Library, leads a drop-in storytime Jan. 

15 at Barnes & Noble Orland Park. Photos by Julie McMann/22nd Century Media 

All Residents monthly fees include: 

• 3 Chef Prepared meals served to you by professional wait staff 

• Full Daily activity program which includes entertainment & trips 

• Wellness Center offering podiatry, therapy, x-ray, lab, hearing 

& dental services without having to leave the building 

• Weekly housekeeping 

• Utilities 

• Library, chapel, café, beauty/barber shop 

• Walking distance to Tinley Park shops & restaurants 

• Veteran’s Financial Assistance available 

WINTER 

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FEE IF THE DEPOSIT 

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WHAT DOES “CATERED 

SENIOR LIVING” MEAN? 

It means we understand that 

each person has unique needs 

and wants. At Tinley Court 

those needs and wants will 

be met with dignity, 

respect and support. 

ABOVE: Siba 

Saadeh and sister 

Tuqa Saadeh play 

tambourines to 

the book “Groovy 

Joe Ice Cream & 

Dinosaurs.” 

LEFT: Lamees 

Arekat, 3, makes 

kazoos at the end 

of storytime. 

Tinley Court strives to nurture individuality with a 

sense of purpose in hopes of enriching one’s life. We offer 

a support system like no other senior community. Staffed 

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2019 WINNER



Orland Parker opens Gost Coffee in New Lenox 

Mary Compton 


Gost Coffee Roasters 

is now open at 1333 S. 

Schoolhouse Road in New 

Lenox, courtesy of an Orland 

Park resident. 

“I’m so honored to be 

here at Gost Coffee, which 

is a new member of the 

chamber,” said Emily 

Johnson, CEO of the New 

Lenox Chamber of Commerce. 

“Daniel [Bednarz] 

is importing his own coffee 

and roasting the beans 

here. This is a full coffee 

shop, using a special roaster, 

and super unique.” 

Bednarz, of Orland 

Park, moved into the former 

Panduit warehouse in 

June of 2019. 

“I got into the coffee 

business through fitness and 

healthy eating,” Bednarz 

said. “I didn’t begin drinking 

coffee until my mid-30s. 

When I went to the gym and 

I took powders, I got into 

healthier eating. I thought 

I needed something different 

and natural, so I began 

drinking coffee. 

Owner Daniel Bednarz, of Orland Park, prepares a cup 

of coffee for a customer at Gost Coffee Roasters in New 

Lenox. Mary Compton/22nd Century Media 

“I happened to walk in 

a natural coffee shop and 

noticed how great it tasted. 

I decided I wanted to learn 

how to roast my own coffee.” 

That day changed Bednarz’s 

life. After working 

as a manager for Walgreens, 

he was headed toward 

becoming a coffee 

roaster. 

“I wanted to do something 

different,” Bednarz 

said. “It was one of those 

‘aha’ moments. I saw how 

big corporations treat people 

and wanted to run my 

own company in a different 

way.” 

In September of 2018, 

Bednarz went to coffee 

roasting school in the Twin 

Cities. 

“I knew the science of 

coffee roasting,” Bednarz 

said. “I then wrote a business 

plan and then began 

to sell my coffee at farmers 

markets in Lemont, Palos 

Heights and Tinley Park. 

I had such a great reaction 

by my customers, I knew I 

had to open a space.” 

Samuel Adams brewing 

then chose Bednarz to create 

a coffee with beer. 

“I infused the beer into 

the coffee,” Bednarz said. 

“I did a project for them.” 

Now, Bednarz is working 

with Arrowhead Ales 

Brewing Company for a 

unique flavor expected out 

in March. 

“You want to match the 

coffee with the beer,” Bednarz 

said. 

Gost Coffee has a seating 

area and also materials 

to teach people about 

the regions where coffee 

is sourced. He uses coffee 

from El Salvador, Peru, 

Costa Rica, Ecuador, Kenya 

and more. 

Gost Coffee is located in 

Suite 332. For additional 

information, visit gostcof 

fee.com. 

Showcase singers 

One Note Stand first to take part in 

library’s 2020 series 

One Note Stand members (left to right) Cassie Miller, 

Anthony Fuhrer and Ian Henning perform Jan. 10 with 

North Central College’s One Note Stand at the Orland 

Park Public Library during a Showcase. 


Orland Township Scholarship applications available now 

High school seniors 

seeking financial 

assistance for 

college can apply 

Submitted by Orland 

Township 

The Orland Township 

Scholarship Foundation 

is to award more than 

$15,000 in scholarships 

to Orland Township high 

school seniors from the 

2020 graduating class. 



Board of Directors plans 

to award 22 scholarships 

totaling $16,500. That is 

to come in the form of one 

$2,000 scholarship, eight 

$1,000 scholarships and 

thirteen $500 scholarships 

to Orland Township high 

school seniors. 



will select and award 

scholarships based on a 

combination of the applicant’s 

leadership skills; 

dedication to community 

service, academic focus, 

participation in extracurricular 

activities, recommendations 

from school 

representatives; volunteer 

supervisors or employers; 

an assigned essay question 

response; and any other 

pertinent information requested 

within the application. 

Students faced with 

hardships will be given 

strong consideration. 

Applicants must be residents 

of Orland Township, 

high school seniors graduating 

in 2020, and enroll 

as a full-time student at a 

college, university, trade 

or vocational school. 

Applications for Orland 

Township Scholarships 

were to be available starting 

Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the 

Township office, 14807 

S. Ravinia Ave. in Orland 

Park, and online at orlandtownship.org. 

Completed 

applications must be postmarked 

or delivered to Orland 

Township by Friday, 

March 13. 

Also available through 

Orland Township are applications 

for the Township 

Officials of Illinois Scholarship. 

The Township Officials 

of Illinois will award 

seven $2,000 scholarships 

in 2020. Completed applications 

must be postmarked 

no later than March 1. Fo 

more information on this 

opportunity, visit toi.org. 

Christian Vasquez sings a solo during One Note 

Stand’s performance at the Orland Park Public Library. 

Lily Stamper sings with One Note Stand during the first 

Orland Park Public Library Showcase of 2020.



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Spine Science offers full-body, preventative care in Orland Park 

Amanda Del Buono 


Austin 

Schroeder 

Sage VanAntwerp 

The doctors are in — in 

Orland Park that is. 

Orland last year welcomed 

Austin Schroeder 

and Sage VanAntwerp to 

the community — a chiropractor 

and dentist, respectively. 

The new residents 

have not only begun 

to care for local residents 

but opened their own 

business in August. 

Spine Science, located 

at 18090 Wolf Road in Orland 

Park, and has a different 

take on chiropractic 

care, Schroeder said. 

“I wanted to create 

something that was a little 

bit different than your 

typical chiropractic office,” 

he said. “We put a 

full gym in here. It’s the 

same stuff that they put 

at the Chicago Bears facility. 

We wanted to create 

something that was 

totally unique to the area 

and have all the tools that 

anybody that’s into athletics 

or just into marathon 

Complete at least 50 categories and 

be eligible to win a $500 gift card 

Vote: 22ndCenturyMedia.com/swchoice 

Vote now for your favorite 

local businesses in more than 

130 categories including: 

Look for the ballot in the center of this 

newspaper or vote online through Feb. 9 at 

22ndCenturyMedia.com/swchoice 

Bank 

Doctor 

Grocery Store 

Hair Salon 

Movie Theater 

Pizza and more! 

visit us online at 

www.OPPrairiedaily.com 

running, just life in general, 

they can come here, 

recover and train and get 

chiropractic care with 

physical rehabilitation. 

“It’s totally different, 

and it’s what the research 

says. That’s why 

it’s called Spine Science, 

because I want people to 

understand that this isn’t 

just a philosophy; it’s 

a scientific approach to 

healthcare.” 

Rather than simply 

treating the problem 

alone, Schroeder said he 

wants to show people how 

to prevent the problem 

from occurring again. 

“There’s so much more 

fear or anxiety about going 

out into the real world 

or going to the gym or 

just doing things in general 

where they might 

have hurt their back or 

hurt their neck or hurt 

their shoulder, hip, knee 

or whatever it was, and 

they’re afraid to do a specific 

task,” he said. 

In order to make his 

patients comfortable doing 

these activities in their 

everyday lives, Schroeder 

combines elements of 

various methods he has 

learned throughout the 

years, using a scientific 

approach. 

He studied at the National 

University of Health 

Sciences, USA Weightlifting 

and in the Czech 

Republic at Dynamic 

Neuromuscular Stabilization. 

He is McKenzie Institute 

certified. He also 

is a personal trainer, and 

owned a company called 

Shredding with Schroeder 

during his undergraduate 

education. 

“Essentially, I try to 

run a layered approach 

to care,” he said. “When 

you come into the office 

and you get treated by 

me, you’ll work the chiropractic 

side; you’ll work 

with the normal spine 

manipulation, soft tissue 

work, whatever it might 

be; and also you’ll also 

be doing physical rehabilitation 

and corrective 

exercise. After that, we 

put you on some sort of 

training program, whether 

it be session-based or 

whether it be something 

where you just learn about 

correct movement patterns 

for a period of time. 

That way, when you’re 

done and you leave, it’s 

a safe place to come and 

work out. 

“You’re not going to injure 

yourself, and you’re 

going to have the proper 

guidance one-on-one to 

make sure you’re doing 

the exercise right, and 

it’s going to be beneficial 

for you in the long run. 

So many times, I saw the 

same patient coming back 

for the same thing, and 

that’s just not good care 

in my mind. I wanted to 

do something that was going 

to make that care that 

I originally administered 

last for a longer period of 

time.” 

Having played baseball 

throughout his education, 

Schroeder was inspired 

to become a chiropractor 

after he was injured and 

treated by a chiropractor. 

And Schroeder takes a 

special interest in helping 

athletes of all ages. 

He also has experience 

with prenatal care, treating 

lower back and neck 

pain in pregnant patients, 

he said. 

Although Schroeder 

owns the business, he 

has been supported by 

VanAntwerp, his fiancee, 

throughout the endeavor. 

Although VanAntwerp is 

one of three dentists at 

Orland Oaks Dental, she 

also has maintained a role 

at Spine Science, not only 

supporting Schroeder, but 

also working the front 

desk, helping with insurance 

claims and more, she 

said. 

“Maybe one day I’ll 

own my own dentistry, 

but this is enough for us 

right now,” she said. “It 

actually works out well, 

because I work over there 

3-4 days a week, and then 

on any of my off days I 

come in and I’m the front 

desk at Spine Science. So, 

it’s a nice little break from 

teeth.” 

Working together to 

open the business, the 

young couple said they 

have learned quite a bit, 

most notably on the business 

end. 

“Every day, you learn 

something new, and you 

learn you put your ego 

aside,” Schroeder said. 

“That’s what I did, I put 

my ego aside and realized 

I don’t know everything 

about business. I didn’t go 

to school for strictly business; 

I went to school to 

be a doctor.” 

VanAntwerp added, 

“They also don’t teach 

you a lot about business 

when you’re in professional 

school, which 

stinks. I think one of the 

biggest hurdles at the beginning. 

Well, once the 

building was finally built 

out the way that we wanted, 

the biggest hurdles are 

usually now dealing with 

insurance companies, 

submitting claims and all 

that stuff.” 

The young couple always 

lived in and around 

the Chicago area. They 

were ready to be closer to 

their family and thought 

Orland Park was a great 

location not only for that 

but also for the business. 

“I just loved Orland 

Park and I loved this 

spot,” Schroeder said. “It 

was the right amount of 

space that I wanted, good 

visibility from the street. 

I sat out in Starbucks 

for hours, just watching 

people walk past, talking 

to people and watching 

the activity levels out 

here, and I really love the 

health-mindedness of the 

people of Orland Park, as 

well. Everybody’s hitting 

the trails, they’re on their 

bikes, they’re hitting the 

gyms. There’s a reason 

there’s a tons of gyms and 

there’s a lot of boutique 

places out here. People 

want to be fit, they want to 

be healthy and they want 

to feel good.”



MAGNOLIA DESIGN AND 

CONSIGN PRESENTS: 

Stage to Sell 

for Spring! 

with Maria Miller 

If you are thinking about selling this year 

or just to change the look of your home... 

Then this is the event for you! 

Learn the 2020 home staging trends 

while having appetizers, drinks and prizes! 

Thursday, February 6 

5:30-7:00pm 

Demonstration starts at 6 

Magnolia Design and Consign 

15445 South 94th Avenue 

Orland Park 

RSVP at 708-945-3215 or 

mariamillerhomes@yahoo.com 

Follow us on Facebook for all the updates 

www.facebook.com/mariamillerhomes 

THANK YOU TO OUR TEAM! 

TONY PERRI, SR 

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Orland Grassland Volunteers announce 

quarterly meeting for 7 p.m. Jan. 28 

Submitted by Orland 

Grassland Volunteers 

The Orland Grassland 

Volunteers are to kick 

off 2020 with a January 

quarterly meeting at 7 

Complete at least 50 categories and be 

eligible to win a $500 gift card 

Vote: 22ndCenturyMedia.com/swchoice 

BUY IT! 

p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, 

at the Orland Park Civic 

Center, 14700 Ravinia 

Ave. 

In addition to planning 

the year’s habitat rescue 

activity, field trips and 

Vote now for your favorite local 

businesses in more than 

130 categories! 

Look for the ballot in the center of this 

newspaper or vote online through Feb. 9 at 


SELL IT! 

event dates, the group will 

be getting updates from 

task groups on birding, 

seeding strategy and shrub 

project plans. 


call (708) 220-9596. 

FIND IT! 

IN THE CLASSIFIEDS CALL 708.326.9170 

These hearts literally go 

out to our local veterans 

Valentine’s Day 

Coloring Contest in 

full swing for 2020 


If you’d give us just 

a moment of your time, 

we’d like to get to the heart 

of something. 

Every year, 22nd Century 

Media holds a Valentine’s 

Day Coloring 

Contest, and we think it’s 

important to remind people 

up front of the cause. 

Yes, it’s an opportunity for 

children in our coverage 

area to get creative. And 

yes, it’s an opportunity to 

win prizes. 

But more than any of 

that, it’s making sure some 

of our local veterans feel 

some extra love around 

the holiday, as all of the 

entries are distributed with 

the help of a local organization. 

It’s been a key 

component of this contest 

Business Briefs 

Illinois American Water 

gives grant to Orland Fire 

The Orland Fire Protection 

District will be purchasing 

full turnout gear 

for 10-15 junior cadets 

thanks to a grant from Illinois 

American Water. 

The Illinois American 

Water Firefighter Grant 

Program provides financial 

assistance to fire and 

emergency organizations 

serving communities in its 

service areas. The program 

awards grants to provide 

personal protective gear, 

communications equipment, 

firefighting tools, 

water handling equipment, 

for years, and we’re happy 

to be able to carry that out 

yet again. 

With that in mind, The 

Orland Park Prairie is 

asking children ages 3-12 

to get creative by downloading 

the form from 

the homepage of OPPrai 

rieDaily.com to create just 

one outstanding valentine 

per entrant and send it our 

way. 

Entries must be mailed 

to or dropped off at 22nd 

Century Media Southwest 

Chicago c/o Editor Bill 

Jones, 11516 W. 183rd St., 

Unit SW Office Condo #3, 

Orland Park, IL, 60467. 

The deadline to submit 

entries is 5 p.m. Thursday, 

Feb. 6. Publisher 22nd 

Century Media’s Southwest 

Chicago staff will review 

all entries and select 

winners in each of three 

age groups — ages 3-5, 

6-8 and 9-12. The winning 

entries are to be published 

in The Prairie’s Feb. 13 

edition, along with other 

training materials and 

classroom programs. 

favorites, at the editor’s 

discretion. 

For this year’s contest, 

we will be picking one 

winner in each age group 

from across all seven of 

the towns and schools in 

our southwest suburban 

coverage area: Orland 

Park, Tinley Park, Frankfort, 

Mokena, New Lenox, 

Homer Glen and Lockport. 

Each winner is to receive a 

$25 gift card for Gizmos, 

66 Orland Square Drive in 

Orland Park. 

Winners will be chosen 

based on creativity and 

neatness. Entries must use 

and fit on the form provided. 

As in past years, 22nd 

Century Media Southwest 

Chicago is to team up with 

an area organization to 

help distribute the finished 

valentines — minus the 

entry form information — 

to nearby veterans. 


call (708) 326-9170 ext. 

20 or email bill@opprai 

rie.com. 

On-demand snow-removal 

service comes to Orland 

Park 

GreenPal, an on-demand 

lawn-mowing service, 

recently launched its 

on-demand snow removal 

service in Orland Park. 

Homeowners can list 

their snow removal needs 

with their desired service 

dates, and snow removal 

companies then bid on 

the property based on the 

Google street and aerial 

images, and any other details 

the homeowner provides. 

Homeowners can then 

select who they want to 

work with based on the 

vendors’ ratings, reviews 

and price. 

Once the service provider 

has completed the job, 

they send a time-stamped 

photo of the completed 

work. Homeowners then 

pay after using the app and 

can set up more appointments. 

To learn more, visityour 

greenpal.com/il/orlandpark-lawn-care. 

Compiled by Editor Bill 

Jones, bill@opprairie.com.

OPPrairiedaily.com school 


The Orland Park Prairie’s 

Standout Student 

Sponsored by Marquette Bank 

Matthew Krutul, Noonan 

Academy kindergartner 

Matthew Krutul was chosen as The 

Orland Park Prairie’s Standout Student by 

his school. 

What is one essential you must have 

when studying? 

I like to have it quiet when I am studying. 

What do you like to do when not in 

school or studying? 

School News 

Cedarville University 

Student from Orland Park 

earns dean’s list status 

Hope Stevenson, of Orland 

Park, was named to 

the Cedarville University 

dean’s list for fall 2019. 

This recognition requires 

the student to obtain 

a 3.5 GPA or higher for the 

semester and carry a minimum 

of 12 credit hours. 

DePauw University 

Dean’s list recognizes 

Orland Parker 

Connor Burns, of Orland 

Park, has been named 

to DePauw University’s 

fall 2019 dean’s list. 

The dean’s list recognizes 

students who achieve a 

semester grade point average 

of 3.5 or higher on a 

4.0 scale. 

St. Louis University 

Students from Orland 

Park among those on 

dean’s list 

St. Louis University 

I like to wrestle. 

recently published its fall 

2019 dean’s list. 

Among those on the 

list are the following Orland 

Park students: Arjun 

Bagai (biochemistry), 

Maya C. Burnett (health 

sciences), Maeve M. 

Hennessy (occupational 

sciences), Grave A. Kupczyk 

(occupational sciences), 

Brook V. Mayer 


Ameena F. Mozaffar 

(health sciences), Lauren 

F. Niedziela (education), 

Bridget A. O’Connor 


Danielle K. Perk (psychology), 

Andrew R. 

Schab (biology), Kate V. 

Shroba (nursing), Abigail 

A. Staunton (health 

sciences) and Allison M. 

Ward (nursting). 

Trine University 

Orland Park student earns 

place on dean’s list 

Maggie O’Neill, of Orland 

Park, a student on 

Trine University’s main 

campus, earned dean’s 

What is your dream job? 

I would like to be a dad. 

photo submitted 

What is one thing people don’t know 

about you? 

list recognition for the fall 

2019 term. 

O’Neill is majoring in 

exercise science-pre physical 

therapy 3+3. 

To earn dean’s list honors, 

main campus students 

must complete a minimum 

of 15 hours and have 

a grade point average of 

3.500-3.749. 

University of Wisconsin- 

Whitewater 

Two from Orland Park 

named to dean’s list 

The following students 

from Orland Park were 

named to the University 

of Wisconsin-Whitewater 

dean’s list for the 2019 fall 

semester: Graham Hevel 

and Megan Kirkwood. 

These students have 

demonstrated their academic 

abilities by receiving 

a grade point average 

of 3.4 or above in a single 

semester. 

Compiled by Editor Bill 

Jones, bill@opprairie.com. 

I have a good grip. 

Whom do you look up to? 

My mommy and daddy. 

What is your favorite class and why? 

Religion class is my favorite, because 

we learn about God. 

What is one thing that stands out 

about your school? 

I like gym and recess best about my 

school. 

What extracurricular(s) do you wish 

your school had? 

I wish we had soccer. 

What’s your best memory from 

school? 

I like coloring in school. 

Standout Student is a weekly feature for 

The Orland Park Prairie. Nominations 

come from Orland Park area schools. 

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Police Reports 

Teen allegedly stole products from employer 

Craig Jointer Jr., 18, 

of 5059 167th St. in Oak 

Forest, was charged Jan. 

3 with felony theft after 

he allegedly tried to 

take products valued at 

a total of $1,519.95 over 

the course of December 

and early January 

from a store where he 

worked in the 15800 

block of 94th Avenue. Apple 

products were missing 

starting on Dec. 15, and 

a camera was put in the 

loading area, according 

to the report. It reportedly 

captured Jointer taking a 

watch from a box and putting 

it down his pants on 

Dec. 28, taking an iPod on 

Dec. 28 and two Airpods 

on Jan. 2. 

Jan. 5 

• Ernest Martin Jr., 46, of 

3321 83rd St. in Chicago, 

was charged with aggravated 

DUI, DUI-alcohol, 

improper traffic lane usage 

and improper turn 

signal after police stopped 

the 2010 Toyota Camry he 

allegedly was driving near 

the intersection of 163rd 

Street and LaGrange 

Road. The Camry was 

spotted changing lanes 

without a signal while 

traveling southbound on 

LaGrange Road at 159th 

Street and committing 

lane violations, according 

to the report. There was 

an odor of alcohol coming 

from the vehicle, and 

Martin had glassy eyes 

and slurred speech, police 

said. He also reportedly 

did not know where he 

was. He performed field 

sobriety tests and then was 

arrested, according to police. 

He allegedly refused 

a breath test. He reportedly 

had a prior DUI conviction. 

Jan. 3 

• David M. Dronski, 34, of 

430 Bruce Road in Lockport, 

and Amanda M. Matthew, 

34, of the same address, 

each were charged 

with one count of retail 

theft after they allegedly 

tried to take 13 items valued 

at a total of $182.08 

from a store in the 15700 

block of 71st Court. They 

selected wall fasteners, 

hooks, bath bombs and 

dryer sheets, concealed 

them in a purse Matthew 

had, and tried to leave the 

store without paying for 

them, police said. 

Dec. 27 

• Cicara C. James, 26, of 

19609 Oakwood Ave. in 

Lynwood, was charged 

with four counts of theft 

after she allegedly took 

a total of $400 from registers 

over four separate 

occasions throughout 

November at a home improvement 

store where she 

worked in the 7300 block 

of 159th Street. Cash was 

short from the registers in 

$100 increments in each 

instance, and she was seen 

on video taking money on 

Nov. 2, 9, 16, and 30, according 

to the report. 

Dec. 24 

• Jerome Curtis, 33, of 

4850 Lake Park Ave in 

Chicago, and Porsche D. 

Andrews, 30, of 5200 

Blackstone Drive in Chicago, 

each were charged 

with unlawful possession 

of a fraudulent ID card 

after Curtis allegedly tried 

to use a fraudulent driver’s 

license in an attempt to 

open a line of credit. The 

card had a name redacted 

in the report, a business 

address and Curtis’ photo, 

police said. Andrews was 

involved in the incident 

and had a driver’s license 

with a name and address 

redacted in the report but 

her photo, according to 

police. They looked at 

rings together at the store, 

according to the report. 

They reportedly did not 

have permissions to use 

the information they had 

on their IDs. Andrews 

additionally was charged 

with obstructing identification. 

• Yovanni Castillo-Diaz, 

25, of 14445 Ravinia 

Ave. in Orland Park, was 

charged with driving under 

the influence of alcohol, 

failure to reduce 

speed to avoid an accident, 

speeding 1-10 mph 

over the speed limit, no 

valid driver’s license and 

operating an uninsured 

motor vehicle after he allegedly 

struck a tree near 

the intersection of El Cameno 

Real Drive and Cordoba 

Court while driving 

a 2001 Toyota Celica. He 

had slurred speech, bloodshot 

and glassy eyes, a 

sway and an odor of alcohol 

on his breath, police 

said. He performed field 

sobriety tests and was arrested 

after them, according 

to the report. He allegedly 

refused to provide a 

breath sample. 

Dec. 22 

• Michelle M. Garrett, 

38, of 1016 Thornton St. 

in Lockport, was charged 

with DUI-drugs after she 

allegedly was involved in 

a three-vehicle crash in 

the 15600 block of Ravinia 

Avenue while driving 

a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica. 

She reportedly took 

a prescription drug before 

driving. She was swaying 

when she walked, wobbly 

while standing, with 

speech that was thicktongued, 

mumbled and 

slurred, police said. She 

submitted to field sobriety 

tests and was arrested 

based on her performance, 

according to the report. 

She also submitted to a 

breath test, but the results 

were redacted in the report. 

She allegedly refused 

blood and urine testing. 

Dec. 21 

• Ralph Jones IV, 38, of 

8320 W. 127th St. in Palos 

Park, was charged with 

criminal damage to property 

after he allegedly 

pulled down a Christmas 

tree and destroyed vintage 

ornaments valued at 

a total between $500 and 

$1,000 at a restaurant in 

the 9600 block of 143rd 

Street. 

He reportedly was part 

of a party of 20-22 people 

at the restaurant, half of 

them children. When staff 

asked the family to control 

children who were tipping 

tables, pulling decorations 

and disrupting service, it 

was met with resistance 

from the adults, most notably 

Jones, police said. 

Jones allegedly pulled 

down the tree and broke 

the ornaments on the way 

out of the restaurant, got 

into a vehicle and left the 

scene. 

Police reportedly traced 

the registration of the vehicle, 

and matched Jones’ 

image with surveillance 

from the restaurant. He 

turned himself in to police 

on Dec. 26. 

Dec. 19 

• Lynnae A. Sudor, 19, 

of 14244 Ingleside Ave. 

in Dolton, and Mary A. 

Owens, 27, of 12400 Racine 

St. in Calumet Park, 

each were charged with 

one count of retail theft 

after allegedly trying to 

take items valued at a total 

of $504.59 from a department 

store at Orland 

Square. They reportedly 

were pushing a cart that 

contained some items that 

were purchased and others 

that were not, and left the 

store without paying for 

the latter. The stolen items 

were socks, electric razors 

and children’s jewelry, police 

said. 

Dec. 18 

• Ruby D. Douglas, 22, of 

251 121st Place in Chicago, 

and Jasmine Lashay 

Hampton, 19, of 9648 

Yale Ave. in Chicago, 

each were charged with 

felony retail theft after 

they and a third person 

allegedly took 44 items 

valued at a total of $2,191 

from a department store at 

Orland Square. They reportedly 

loaded bags with 

items and tried to leave 

without paying for the 

items. A suspect — described 

as 18-25 years old, 

female, black, with brown 

eyes and black shoulderlength 

hair, wearing a blue 

coat — fled the scene, 

police said. Douglas and 

Hampton reportedly were 

stopped while trying to 

get into a vehicle stopped 

at the curb outside of the 

mall. All clothing was recovered, 

according to the 

report. 

Dec. 16 

• Omar M. Kishta, 34, of 

8184 87th Ave. in Hickory 

Hills, was charged with 

felony aggravated unlawful 

use of a weapon and 

misdemeanor aggravated 

assault after he allegedly 

pointed a handgun 

at someone following a 

verbal altercation at CD 

One Price Cleaners, 7852 

W. 159th St. He parked 

a 2019 Range Rover between 

two parking spaces, 

and someone commented 

on it, according to the report. 

He then pointed what 

appeared to be a handgun 

at the person, police said. 

When the victim left 

the scene, Kishta drove 

through the parking lot of 

Walgreens, 7960 W. 159th 

St., got out and walked 

toward 80th Avenue, appearing 

to point the gun 

again at the victim’s vehicle, 

police said. Witnesses 

confirmed seeing him 

point what appeared to 

be a handgun, and he was 

identified following his 

arrest, according to police. 

A handgun was found 

in the center console of 

the Range Rover, with one 

magazine inside of the 

gun but no ammunition 

inside of it. 

Dec. 14 

• Karijhon J. Johnson, 

21, of 330 Crandon Ave. 

in Calumet City, was 

charged with felony theft 

after she allegedly took 

six gift cards valued at 

$600 from another employee’s 

locker at a store 

in the 15800 block of 94th 

Street. She was terminated 

from employment at the 

store, issued a lifetime ban 

and arrested, police said. 

Editor’s note: The Orland 

Park Prairie’s police reports 

come from the Orland Park 

Police Department. Anyone 

listed in these reports is considered 

to be innocent of all 

charges until proven guilty 

in a court of law.

OPPrairiedaily.com community 


photo op 

This week’s Photo 

Op was sent in 

September by 

Connie Secor, of 

Orland Park, via 

email. “These 

unique, flower-like 

mushrooms sprouted 

up on the lawn near 

my condo after a 

night of heavy rain,” 

Secor wrote. 

Have you captured 

something unique, interesting, 

beautiful or just 

plain fun on camera? 

Submit a photo for 

“Photo Op” by emailing 

it to bill@opprairie.com, 

or mailing it to 11516 W. 

183rd St., Office Condo 

3 Unit SW, Orland Park, 

IL, 60467. 

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Do you want to see your 

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FROM THE LOCKPORT LEGEND 

Student wows guests 

during GeoBee contest 

Good growing conditions 

near Bogota have 

helped what country become 

the world’s second 

largest exporter of cut 

flowers? 

This is the question that 

nearly stumped Homer 

Jr. High School’s newlycrowned 

National Geographic 

GeoBee champion 

Jack Cunningham on Jan. 

15. 

But Cunningham concentrated. 

He asked for the 

question to be repeated. 

Standing before the top social 

studies students at his 

school and their parents, 

he delivered the correct 

answer: Colombia. 

Cunningham will now 

advance to the next round 

of this annual geography 

knowledge competition 

between students from 

thousands of schools in all 

50 states and the five U.S. 

territories. He will take 

an online state qualifying 

test, and if he scores high 

enough he will be invited 

to compete in the state 

GeoBee alongside 100 of 

the top scorers from Illinois 

schools. 

Cunningham, who answered 

every question correctly, 

said he is more excited 

about the next rounds 

than he is nervous. The 

eighth-grader can point to 

the exact moment he became 

infatuated with history 

and geography. 

“My love for history 

started when I was at my 

aunt’s house and I found 

a book on the Titanic,” 

Cunningham said. “I was 

just hooked the second I 

started reading it. That led 

to my interest in maritime 

history, which led to my 

interest in other history, 

too. Because I had to learn 

geography hand-in-hand 

with history, the rest is history.” 

Reporting by Benjamin 

Conboy, Assistant Editor. For 

more, visit LockportLegend 

Daily.com. 

FROM THE FRANKFORT STATION 

Art association’s pastel 

exhibition highlights locals 

The work of three 

award-winning local artists 

— Frankfort Square 

resident Mary Ann Trzyna, 

Chicago Heights resident 

Marikay Peter Witlock and 

Mokena resident Ted Fuka 

— will be on display the 

Frankfort Arts Association 

gallery through late February 

as part of the organization’s 

inaugural Pastel 

Invitational Exhibition, 

“Journey into Pastels.” 

The show’s opening reception 

on Jan. 12 gave 

members of the community 

a first look at the engaging 

collection of works 

that captured everything 

from landscapes to stilllifes. 

Frankfort Arts Association 

Vice President 

Kristin Murphy curated 

the exhibition as a way to 

highlight both the versatility 

of pastel as a medium 

and the talent of artists living 

in the southwest suburbs. 

“We’re so proud to 

showcase these artists 

here,” Murphy said. 

Reporting by Laurie Fanelli, 

Freelance Reporter. For 

more, visit FrankfortStation 

Daily.com. 

FROM THE NEW LENOX PATRIOT 

Proposed development 

leads to debate 

Traffic and housing density 

was a core concern 

among members of the 

New Lenox Village Board 

during a Jan. 13 meeting. 

The trustees — minus 

Keith Madsen, who was 

absent — and Mayor Tim 

Baldermann heard the 

first reading of a proposed 

220-unit residential development 

on a 15.1-acre 

lot called Lincoln Station, 

adjacent to the New Lenox 

Metra train station. 

Trustees called into 

question what they deemed 

to be too many units for 

the size and location of the 

proposed development, 

which would be accessed 

via Prairie Road and jut 

up against the train station 

parking lot, according to a 

presentation by Chicagobased 

architectural firm 

Bailey Edward and Wheaton-based 

developer Next 

Generation Development. 

Trustee David Smith 

said he worried that the 

number of units — 44 for 

each of the five buildings 

— would impact the traffic 

flow going in and out of the 

Metra station, and extend 

to Prairie Road and Route 

30. He expressed concern 

that a few years after the 

development is completed 

the Village would have 

to expand Prairie Road to 

handle increased traffic. 

Despite those concerns, 

the issue “boils down to 

that parcel being what it 

is; that’s all it’s good for,” 

Baldermann said, referring 

to its proposed future as 

the home of rental properties. 

A residential development 

on that plot of land 

is the “ideal use, but it 

doesn’t have ideal traffic,” 

he added. 

The land has not attracted 

commercial intrigue nor 

single-family homes. 

Reporting by Kyle LaHucik, 


more, visit NewLenoxPatriot 

Daily.com. 

FROM THE MOKENA MESSENGER 

Burglary suspects flee, 

police seek public’s help 

Around 3 a.m. Jan. 15, 

Mokena Police and Will 

County Sheriff’s deputies 

actively engaged vehicle 

burglary suspects in the 

Foxborough and Rivendell 

subdivisions, according to 

a press release sent out that 

day by the Village. 

It was reported that the 

suspects fled in stolen vehicles 

and on foot. 

Two males occupied a 

silver 2017 Jeep Cherokee 

that was reported stolen 

out of Joliet, according 

to Mokena Police Cmdr. 

Chris Carlson. A third male 

suspect was in a white Kia, 

which crashed into a ditch 

near the scene, Carlson 

said. That suspect fled on 

foot and evaded capture 

by reportedly stealing an 

unoccupied car left running 

in a driveway off of 

Schoolhouse Road. 

Police pursued the 

suspects in the Jeep to 

LaPorte and LaGrange 

Roads, where the pursuit 

was then called off by Will 

County Sheriff’s deputies, 

Carlson said. 

Mokena Police Chief 

Steve Vaccaro said no arrests 

were made. 

The release went on 

to recognize the ongoing 

concerns tied to vehicle 

burglaries and thefts that 

are occurring in Mokena 

and neighboring communities, 

and stated police are 

“continuing to dedicate a 

high level of resources and 

attention to this activity,” 

pledging “to continue to 

give this criminal activity 

our full attention.” 

Residents are being encouraged 

to stay vigilant, 

lock their vehicles, and 

remove any keys and valuables 

from the vehicles. 

Residents also are being 

asked to become a part of 

Mokena Police Department’s 

Neighborhood 

Watch Program and voluntarily 

participate in its 

video surveillance registry. 

Reporting by T.J. Kremer III, 

Editor. For more, visit Moke 

naMessengerDaily.com. 

FROM THE HOMER HORIZON 

‘Cans’ Film Festival 

features food drive, movie 

When the Homer Glen 

Junior Woman’s Club 

wanted an additional way 

to pay it forward, they 

thought of a new idea focused 

on kindness and diversity. 

That idea was to co-host 

a “Cans” Film Festival, 

which included a food 

drive and film screening 

event on Jan. 13 at Homer 

Township Public Library. 

From Dec. 16 through Friday, 

Jan. 17, the library 

was a collection site, accepting 

nonperishable donations 

for the food drive. 

“This is the first time 

we’ve done this food drive 

this way,” said Mary Lee, 

a Homer Glen resident and 

secretary for the HGJWC. 

“We’ve done food drives 

in the past at some of 

the local businesses. We 

thought it would be a good 

idea to do this at the library 

in conjunction with a 

movie. The inspiration for 

this event is Martin Luther 

King Jr. Day, kindness and 

diversity.” 

The movie screening 

that took place in line with 

those themes in the Community 

Room was “Remember 

the Titans.” 

Reporting by Mary Compton, 


more, visit HomerHorizon 

Daily.com. 

FROM THE TINLEY JUNCTION 

D228 teachers, board 

reach tentative agreement 

The Bremen High 

School District 228 Joint 

Faculty Association 

and Board of Education 

reached a tentative contract 

agreement Thursday, 

Jan. 16, according to a 

statement released by the 

district. 

The agreement comes 

just three days after the 

JFA announced that the 

teacher’s union was set to 

strike on Monday, Jan. 27. 

“To our students, staff 

and community, we are 

happy to provide you with 

another negotiation update,” 

D228 posted on its 

Facebook page the morning 

of Jan. 16. “As of this 

morning, the Board of Education 

and JFA negotiation 

teams have officially 

reached a tentative contract 

agreement. Details 

will become available to 

the public after the contract 

has been voted on and 

finalized.” 

The District 228 Educators 

Facebook page 

also shared an announcement 

updating community 

members and parents 

about the progress made. 

“As a result, the work 

stoppage scheduled for 

Jan. 27, 2020, is suspended 

pending potential ratification 

by the D228 School 

Board and the entire membership 

of the JFA,” the 

post read. 

As previously reported 

by The Junction, the union 

members have been working 

without a contract 

since July 31, 2019, and 

negotiating with the BOE 

since December 2018. On 

Oct. 3, 2019, the JFA voted 

“overwhelmingly” to authorize 

a strike. 

“The educators of District 

228 are relieved that 

we may continue focusing 

all of our efforts at 

this time on our students’ 

instruction without the 

immediate concern of a 

potential work stoppage,” 

the District 228 Educators 

Facebook post concluded. 

Reporting by Jacquelyn 

Schlabach, Editor. For more, 

visit TinleyJunctionDaily. 

com.

OPPrairiedaily.com sound off 


Social snapshot 

Top Web Stories 

From opprairie.com as of Friday, Jan. 17 

1. After couple complains about woman’s 

sons with autism, Jack Gibbons staff 

and customers step up 

2. Tinley Park: Late owner of Village 

Pizza ‘Tony’ Martino built, lived 

American dream 

3. Tinley Park: EEC president calls 

for hope, support following son’s 

diagnoses 

4. Championing her cause: Orland Park 

mother who overcame leukemia now 

major advocate for blood donation 

5. DUI charge dropped against retired 

priest accused of fatal hit-and-run 

Become a Prairie Plus member: opprairie.com/plus 

Orland School District 135 posted the 

accompanying image Friday, Jan. 17, 

with the note, “The 4th grade enrichment 

students at Meadow Ridge performed 

Greek mythology plays for their families 

and classmates yesterday. The students 

did a great job putting together their 

performances using the 4 C’s: Critical 

Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and 

Communication!” 

Like The Orland Park Prairie: facebook.com/opprairie 

“Congratulations to all our students who 

placed in the top 5 at the BPA Regional 

Leadership competition last week! Good 

luck at the state competition in February. 

#EliteDaily #D230Proud” 

@SandburgHS — Carl Sandburg H.S., on 

Thursday, Jan. 16 

Like The Orland Park Prairie: facebook.com/opprairie 

From the Editor 

Any thoughts? 

BILL JONES 


OK. I usually put 

this call out once 

a year — though, 

truth be told, the proverbial 

door’s always open. 

Occasionally, I regret 

it. Often, I’m pleasantly 

surprised. Usually, I’m 

left with some additional 

story ideas. Eventually, 

I’ll get some grief for 

not following through on 

something that came of 

this — sometimes even 

after I have followed 

through on it. 

But c’est la vie. We’re 

still in the early goings of 

2020. And this seems like 

as good a week as any to 

ask: Any thoughts? 

First and foremost: How 

are you enjoying your 

paper? What are your 

favorite parts? What could 

we be doing better to 

make it even more useful 

to you? 

How do you feel about 

some of the latest big 

news in Orland Park? 

Happy with Orland 

School District 135’s 

decision to hire Interim 

Superintendent John Bryk 

for the full-fledged job 

(Page 3)? Passionate feelings 

about the latest developments 

in the alleged 

hit-and-run case against 

retired priest Paul Burak 

(Page 6)? Strong opinions 

on the back-and-forth 

between the Village Board 

and Orland Park Pioneers 

(last week)? 

Maybe you’d like to 

write a letter to the editor 

(see Sound Off policy on 

this page). 

Have any important 

Announcements to share 

about your family? Want 

to enter your favorite 

non-human companion for 

Pet of the Week? Capture 

a great Photo Op around 

town? Now’s as good a 

time as any to submit it. 

Do you know someone 

who deserves to be featured 

in The Orland Park 

Prairie but might be too 

humble to tell us about it? 

Is it you? Stop being shy. 

Let us know! 

Do you have children 

who accomplished things 

that might be worthy of 

School News? Are you 

member of the business 

community with news 

(that isn’t just advertising 

your wares)? Do you 

just have some random 

hidden talent you want us 

to know about? Nothing’s 

stopping you. Share it. 

Do you simply have 

questions about Orland 

Park? Want to know how 

something works? Want 

my thoughts on a particular 

decision? Looking for 

a good lunch spot? 

Email me at bill@ 

opprairie.com. Call me at 

(708) 326-9170 ext. 20. 

As I said, the door’s 

always open. But this 

week I’m also staying in 

the entryway, welcoming 

you over. So let me know 

what’s on your mind. 

Poetry in OP 

‘Love knows 

no time’ 

Lin Peterson 

Orland Park resident 

We often forget how long 

its been 

Since we last saw loved 

ones. 

We have to stop; 

Count the time that has 

passed. 

The love we have for 

someone is always there; 

In our heart of hearts, 

Tucked away where it 

stays fresh, 

where time cannot touch 

it. 

We visit loved ones so 

often 

In our thoughts and 

dreams. 

We see them again and 

it’s as though 

No time has passed. 

Love has no time frame. 

It simply exists. 

Its remains bright and 

hopeful; 

Waiting for its moment; 

Waiting to connect again. 

We catch each other up; 

New babies and old 

friends, 

Bad times and good 

fortune. 

But the love remains the 

same; 

A constant in chaotic, 

everyday life 

Whether we see each 

other or not. 

Time stands still in the 

heart. 

Memories keep us going 

between visits. 

When we meet again, 

Love comes out 

And wraps around us 

once more. 

Love is an energy; 

Timeless and endless. 

A constant in The Universe. 

And energy never dies. 

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 Orland Park Prairie 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 Orland Park Prairie reserves the right to edit letters. 

Letters become property of The Orland Park Prairie. Letters that are 

published do not reflect the thoughts and views of The Orland Park 

Prairie. Letters can be mailed to: The Orland Park Prairie, 11516 

West 183rd Street, Unit SW Office Condo #3, Orland Park, Illinois, 

60467. Fax letters to (708) 326-9179 or e-mail to bill@opprairie.com. 

visit us online at OPPrairiedaily.com

20 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie orland park 

OPPrairiedaily.com

Friday nights done 

right The Bridge Teen Center kicks 

off 2020 series of special events to 

lead teens into the weekends, Page 26 

the orland Park Prairie | January 23, 2020 | OPPrairiedaily.com 

Single-serving sweets 

Reports of the death of cupcakes have been 

greatly exaggerated — Quick Bites shows, Page 28 

Originally from Australia, 

Orland Park’s Jenny Talia 

prepares for bushfire relief 

performance, Page 23 

Orland Park’s 

Jenny Talia, 

originally from 

Australia, is 

gearing up for 

a February 

performance 

in Chicago to 

benefit bushfire 

relief efforts. 

Photo submitted 

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22 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie faith 


FAITH BRIEFS 

St. Michael Church (14327 Highland 

Ave., Orland Park) 

Bingo Games 

7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 

27. Everyone is welcome 

to play Bingo with the St. 

Michael Women’s Club. 

Members will receive two 

free cards. Guests pay an 

entrance fee of $10 and 

receive two free cards. Additional 

cards are $1. Cash 

prizes for winners, splitthe-pot, 

and refreshments 

will be available. For more 


968-2561. 

St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church 

(9300 W. 167th St., Orland Hills) 

Songs from the Heart 

Concert and Sweetheart 

Fundraiser Gala 

3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9. 

The concert will last approximately 

1 hour and 

the Sweetheart Fundraiser 

Gala will follow afterward, 

with raffle prizes 

and “sweet” refreshments. 

Admission free. A goodwill 

offering will be accepted 

during the concert. 

The choir is self-supporting 

and this event helps to 

pay for the various materials 

and musicians used 

throughout the year. 

Christ Lutheran Church (14700 S. 94th 


Services 

5 p.m. Saturdays; 8 a.m., 

9:30 and 11 a.m. Sundays. 

Sunday School and Bible 

study during the 9:30 a.m. 

service. 

Presbyterian Church in Orland Park 

(13401 S. Wolf Road, Orland Park) 

Sunday Service 

10 a.m. 

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church 

(15050 S. Wolf Road, Orland Park) 

Overeaters Anonymous 

9:30 a.m. Wednesdays. 

Enter through main church 

doors, follow signs to 

meeting room. Overeaters 

Anonymous meetings 

are for anyone who has a 

problem with food addiction/compulsion. 

There are 

no dues, fees or weigh-ins. 

FUNERAL SERVICES DIRECTORY 

 

 

 

 

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HOME" 

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funeralservices. 

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All meetings are confidential. 

Church of the Transfiguration Episcopal 

(12219 S. 86th Ave., Palos Park) 

Sunday Services 

8 a.m. and 10 a.m. 

Childcare provided. 

Southwest Seventh Day Adventist 

Church (15760 Wolf Road, Orland 

Park) 

Worship 

10 a.m. Saturday 

Ashburn Baptist Church (153rd Street 

and Wolf Road, Orland Park) 

Bible Study 

9:45 a.m. 

Services 

11 a.m. and 6 p.m. 

Teen Programs 

7 p.m. Wednesdays; 

9:45 a.m., 5 p.m. Sundays 

Hope Covenant Church (14401 West 


Services 

10 a.m. Sundays 

Junior High Youth Group 

Noon-2 p.m. every other 

Sunday. This is an active 

group of children from 

fourth to seventh grades. 

It meets every other Sunday 

for a lesson, activity, 

games, treats and fellowship. 

Cafe 

11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 

All are invited to share refreshments, 

fellowship and 

conversation after most 

Sunday morning services. 

Men’s Bible Study 

7:30-8:30 p.m. The onehour 

session includes coffee 

and conversation. 

Calvary Church (16100 S. 104th Ave., 

Orland Park) 

Men’s Barnabas Bible 

Study 

7-8:30 a.m. Thursdays. 

Study various books written 

by Christian authors. 

Coffee and light refreshments 

are served. For 

more information, email 

info@calvaryop.org. 


9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. 

Stretch and Balance 

6:30-7:30 p.m. Every 

second and fourth Tuesday 

of the month. All are welcome 

to an hour session of 

stretching and balancing. 

All are invited to bring water, 

beach towel and yoga 

mats. For more information, 

contact Elizabeth Kolada 

at elleof67@att.net. 

Our Lady of the Woods Church (10731 

W. 131st, Orland Park) 

Eucharistic Adoration 

9 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays. 

The church invites 

all to spend some silent 

time with The Lord in its 

chapel. For more information, 

call (708) 361-4754. 

Living Word Lutheran Church (16301 S. 

Wolf Road, Orland Park) 

PUSH Prayer 

9:30 a.m. Tuesdays. All 

are welcome to take part in 

person or take 10-15 minutes 

to pray for the country, 

church, community and 

individual needs. Meetings 

take place the second 

Tuesday of the month. 

Standing Stone Church (Robert 

Davidson Center, 14700 Park Lane, 

Orland Park) 


9 a.m. and 11 a.m. 

Hour of Prayer 

6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays 

Children and Youth 

Activities 

7 p.m. Wednesdays 

Have something for Faith 

Briefs? Contact Editor Bill 

Jones at bill@opprairie.com 

or call (708) 326-9170 ext. 

20. Information is due by 

noon on Thursdays one week 

prior to publication.

OPPrairiedaily.com life & Arts 


Jenny Talia organizes bushfire relief fundraiser 

Alyssa Groh, Freelance Reporter 

Australian born and raised and 

now an Orland Park resident, 

Jenny Talia has made a name for 

herself as a professional comedian 

who tells her jokes through 

music. 

Talia, who just released her 

eighth album, typically does not 

do shows during the holidays and 

during the month of February, but 

this year she is making an exception. 

After learning about the magnitude 

of the Australian bushfires 

that are destroying her homeland, 

Talia could not sit back and do 

nothing. 

Knowing the rest of her 2020 is 

booked for a tour, she decided to 

make an exception and add a benefit 

show in February. Talia is to 

perform at 8 p.m. Feb. 8 at Stage 

773 in Chicago with all ticket 

proceeds to support relief efforts 

with the bushfires in Australia. 

“I decided to put this show on 

because being an Australian and 

growing up there and now living 

in the U.S., it has been pretty 

brutal to watch all the footage of 

what is happening,” Talia said. 

“Bushfires [are] something you 

definitely grow up with in Australia. 

It is part of the deal, but 

now it is changing because they 

are getting worse and bigger. It 

was an easy decision to put the 

proceeds toward the fire.” 

Talia is to donate all the proceeds 

from her show to the Australian 

bushfire relief efforts, 

specifically the Australian Red 

Cross and the Australian RSP- 

CA. 

“Quite often when you have 

bushfires, they are in one state, 

but the fires are spreading 

across several states, so it was 

hard to pick one organization 

to donate to,” Talia said. “The 

Red Cross and RSPCA will 

spread their efforts to everyone 

affected by the fires. Instead 

of giving to one place and one 

Orland Parker Jenny Talia, originally from Australia, is to hold a 

benefit show in February in Chicago to help Australian bushfire 

relief efforts. Photo submitted 

state, I thought if I could distribute 

the funds to all of the 

people that need it that would 

be the place to go.” 

Choosing Stage 773 in Chicago 

as her venue for her benefit 

show was an easy choice, as 

she has performed at that venue 

Orland Parker joins Indianapolis orchestra 

many times. 

“I chose Chicago, because it 

is my other home and it is the 

perfect place for this show,” she 

said. “We always sell out here, 

and it is a great venue.” 

While the purpose of her show 

is to raise money for the Australian 

bushfires, Talia also will be 

promoting her new album. 

“I am a comedian; my job is to 

make you laugh until you cry,” 

Talia said. “I won’t be talking 

about the fires, because those 

who purchase tickets will already 

know where their money 

is going and why. 

“My show will include songs 

from my new album. ... I have 

had a lot of success with the 

songs on this album.” 

Some of the main themes in 

her new album talk about this 

generation where everyone is so 

easily offended by everything, 

and being able to move on and 

not let things impact you. 

“As a comedian, rather than let 

that stifle, I choose to go hard at 

[those topics], because I think it 

is hilarious.” 

Talia’s comedy is generally 

geared toward adult audiences. 

To purchase tickets, visit 

www.jennytalia.com. 

Angie Maldonado 


Vincent Meklis is living the 

dream of a career musician. 

Meklis started his musical 

journey at 4 years old in Orland 

Park. And as a child, the first 

song he learned on the violin was 

“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” 

“I remember it was very difficult 

to learn how to hold it under 

my chin,” Meklis said of the instrument. 

“My neck muscles, of 

course, weren’t used to supporting 

an instrument, so it was painful 

at first.” 

Growing up around Chicago 

allowed him to study with talented 

violin teachers and attend 

great music schools. And he 

said access to a learning environment 

with a private instructor 

was a “crucial aspect” to his 

development. 

Now, at only 27 years old, his 

skills as a violinist have afforded 

him the opportunity to play some 

of the world’s most prestigious 

venues, including Carnegie 

Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and the 

Terrace Theater at the Kennedy 

Center for Performing Arts. 

While studying for his master’s 

degree at Roosevelt University’s 

Chicago College of Performing 

Arts, Meklis accepted a 

position in the first violin section 

of the Indianapolis Symphony 

Orchestra, a position he currently 

holds. He calls it a privilege to 

play in the ensemble. 

During his tenure at Roosevelt 

University, he studied under 

Emanuele Andrizzi, lecturer 

conducting for the music conservatory. 

Andrizzi witnessed 

firsthand Meklis’ transition from 

student to professional violinist. 

“When Vince won the audition 

for the Indianapolis Symphony, I 

had no doubt he would be a great 

asset for this wonderful professional 

orchestra, in consideration 

of the great job he had done in 

our student orchestras,” Andrizzi 

said. 

Andrizzi described Meklis as 

a “top violin player and great 

orchestra musician,” often assigned 

at the college to concertmaster, 

“a position that only two 

to three excellent and very solid 

students every year get to enjoy.” 

According to Almita Vamos, a 

world-renowned violin instructor 

who taught Meklis in high 

school at the Music Institute of 

Chicago, it is a rarity to see a violinist 

succeed after the first audition 

for a professional orchestra. 

Vamos said some talented 

students have auditioned “over 

40 times” and still have not accomplished 

that goal. 

Vamos said she is especially 

fond of Meklis and his achievements 

because “he’s a nice human-being.” 

At his last, large-scale, local 

performance in November 

2019, Meklis performed a concerto 

with Andrizzi, his former 

instructor. The 40-minute Jean 

Sibelius piece Meklis describes 

as “vast in its emotional scope,” 

took place at the Chicago Symphony 

Center. 

Andrizzi described the evening’s 

music as “one of the most 

challenging pieces of this genre 

and one that is usually a war 

horse” for some of the greatest 

violinists. Meklis’ delivered a 

“touching and consistent” performance, 

he added. 

Now in his second season with 

Vincent Meklis Photo submitted 

the Indianapolis Symphony, Meklis 

has played a number of concerts, 

including his most recent, 

a Taras Bulba piece he had never 

heard before preparation for the 

concerts began. 

[It] was a blast to play,” he 

said.

2017 WINNER 

24 | January 23, 2020 | The Orland Park Prairie orland park 

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26 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie life & Arts 


The Roaring ’20s return for Bridge’s Friday night party 

Laurie Fanelli 


Jazz may not currently 

be the genre of choice for 

most young people, and 

flapper dresses have long 

been out of style, but the 

celebratory spirit of the 

Roaring ’20s is alive and 

well in the new year. 

The Bridge Teen Center 

commemorated its first 

Friday of the new semester 

with a special Friday 

Night Live event honoring 

the best of the ‘20s, 

the 2020s that is, on Jan. 

10. 

Dubbed Roaring ‘20s 

(#2020 Night), the program 

featured ice cream 

sandwiches from Freddy’s, 

music from A.J. 

Skrabis and information 

about the year ahead 

while also providing the 

100-plus students in attendance 

the chance to catch 

up with friends at the start 

of a brand new decade. 

Joy Lavens, director of 

programing and student 

care at The Bridge, explained 

how helping students 

connect with their 

2020 vision was also at 

the heart of the event. 

“We did a play on vision 

for the students tonight, 

so we’re doing 

2020 trends,” Lavens 

said. “We’re bedazzling 

sunglasses, and we have 

a game where they will 

be blindfolded and do 

a drawing challenge, 

where they have to guess 

what their partner drew 

while blindfolded. We 

also have a vision boardmaking 

station, and they 

can choose inspirational 

things that they want to 

do this year or things that 

they want to challenge 

themselves with, like trying 

a new food, or challenging 

themselves in a 

different area of life.” 

Taylor Wilbanks, 14, 

and Kaylee O’Dette, 13, 

both of Tinley Park, plan 

on filling 2020 with more 

fun times with friends. 

“I’m looking forward 

to probably meeting new 

people and probably coming 

to The Bridge more 

often,” said Wilbanks, 

adding that she enjoys the 

Friday night events as well 

as the “crafty” programs 

at The Bridge. “I’ve done 

DIY bath bombs and a lot 

of the crafty ones, like 

the slime one and acrylic 

painting.” 

O’Dette encouraged 

more of her peers to make 

a 2020 resolution to stop 

by the teen center. 

“There are very nice 

volunteers here, and 

if you don’t have any 

friends here, you can always 

make new ones,” 

O’Dette said. 

The Bridge has something 

special planned for 

every Friday night of the 

winter and spring semester 

— except holidays 

— with March Madness 

planned for March 20 

and Superheros: Costume 

Contest & Movie Trivia 

on May 1 to coincide with 

the release of Marvel’s 

upcoming film, “Black 

Widow.” 

Lavens said that the always 

popular Battle of the 

Bands event — which also 

features a vinyl records 

collage project — will be 

returning on Feb. 7. 

“Students that are in 

bands and a lot of our 

Bridge students will come 

up on stage and battle it 

out,” Lavens said. “The 

winner is determined by 

crowd participation, and 

they get a gold record that 

we paint from The Bridge 

Thrift Store, so they really 

look forward to that one.” 

As for her 2020 vision, 

Please see bridge, 27 

Luke Switalski, of Oak Forest, plays pool Jan. 10 during The Bridge Teen Center’s first Friday Night Live of 2020. 


Miranda Gutierrez and Christina Novak, both of Homer Glen, play video games during The Bridge’s Roaring ’20s 

Friday Night Live event.

OPPrairiedaily.com life & Arts 


Seasoned chef brings fresh ideas 

to Smith Crossing’s residents 

Erin Redmond 


David Hardy has 

worked in some highpressure 

kitchens, but his 

latest endeavor might be 

the toughest yet. 

The former executive 

chef of downtown establishments 

the likes of 

Ditka’s and SafeHouse 

Chicago began serving up 

dishes for Smith Crossing, 

an independent and 

assisted living community 

for seniors in Orland Park, 

in September. 

Hardy said his new gig 

has its own set of challenges 

but also has been 

rewarding. 

“Being able to interact 

with the residents, going 

out there and talking to 

them [has been great],” 

Hardy said. “Hotel and 

restaurant life is challenging, 

but this is a whole 

new challenge. You have 

repeat customers every 

single day, and they’ll 

let you know if they like 

something or they don’t. 

… In restaurants, you just 

pump out food all the time 

and never really get to interact 

with the guests, so 

it’s a completely different 

avenue.” 

Hardy, Smith Crossing’s 

executive chef, 

brings a wealth of experience 

— and dishes — to 

the table. In addition to 

working for Ditka’s and 

SafeHouse, he boasts an 

associate’s degree in culinary 

arts, hospitality management 

from Ivy Tech 

Community College in 

Gary, Indiana. 

But Hardy might be best 

known for inventing the 

MOAB Burger — short 

for mother of all burgers 

— which won the 2016 

David Hardy, who honed his skills at spots like 

Ditka’s and SafeHouse Chicago, recently took over as 

executive chef at Smith Crossing in Orland Park. 

Photo by Marc Monaghan/Smith Crossing 

crown for Best Burger 

from Chicago magazine. 

The burger, which he 

developed during his time 

at SafeHouse, features 

two beef patties topped 

with American cheese, bacon, 

an over-easy egg and 

a “secret sauce” on a brioche 

bun with lettuce and 

tomato. It’s been so popular 

that copycat burgers 

are now all over the city. 

Hardy said he spent a 

great deal of time doing 

research and development 

while at SafeHouse, helping 

him grow as a chef. 

That work has been extremely 

helpful in his new 

role, as he works to keep 

a constantly fresh and updated 

menu. 

“Whether it’s simple 

sandwich fare or everyday 

American fare, different 

types of risottos or paellas 

— we run a steakhouse 

once a month, where we 

do a classic steakhouse 

menu, and that’s been really 

popular — every day 

is different,” Hardy said. 

“You’re not looking at 

the same menu every day; 

you’re trying to do things 

to see what’s popular and 

what’s not.” 

Smith Crossing residents 

have not been shy 

about offering feedback 

and telling Hardy which 

dishes they enjoyed and 

which they did not. He 

said he welcomes the 

feedback, especially as 

he continues to tweak the 

menu to fit the seasons and 

accommodate new items 

for the newly opened 

Smitty’s Pub at Smith 

Crossing — all challenges 

he looks forward to tackling 

in the new year. 

“It’s like any other 

place; you have things 

that go good and things 

that don’t,” he said. “Taking 

your notes and going 

over strong points and 

weak points [is key]. At 

the end of the end of January, 

we’re putting out a 

pub menu, and we’ll have 

a different burger every 

couple of weeks. We’re 

going to make it more of a 

restaurant-style feel.” 

bridge 

From Page 26 

Lavens sees The Bridge 

as an oasis where students 

can come anytime of year 

and just be themselves. 

“I see 2020 as encouraging 

them to push themselves 

and to have a place 

where students can just 

worry about being themselves 

and being a student 

and being a teenager, not 

having to worry about the 

pressures of social media 

or expectations we put on 

ourselves,” Lavens said. 

The Bridge is a nonprofit 

community center 

for grades 7-12. It is located 

at 15555 S. 71st Court, 

and more information can 

be found at www.thebri 

dgeteencenter.org. 

RIGHT: John Overgaard 

(left), of Orland Park, and 

Francis Tecson, of Tinley 

Park, play the 20 cups 

memory game at The 

Bridge. 

Maddie Hartsfield, of Oak Forest, creates bedazzled 

2020 vision sunglasses during Friday Night Live at The 

Bridge. Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media 

Linda M. Livesay 

Livesay, Linda M. (nee Mann) Age 68 

Devoted mother of Andrew Livesay, Elizabeth (Jennell) Livesay, 

Matthew (Rachael) Livesay. 

Proud grandmother of Reed, Nora, Evan, Elliot, Kodiak, 

Gemini and baby Livesay. 

Loving sister of Norma, Barbara, Bob, Patty, the late Sandy, 

Charlie and Richard. 

Cherished aunt of many nieces and nephews. 

Services have already been held 

www.sheehyfh.com • 708-857-7878

28 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie dining out 


Quick Bites 

Treats, not trends: Cupcake creativity still strong in SW burbs 


People love to talk about 

trends in food. 

Cupcakes were the next 

big thing, and then (depending 

on who you ask) 

cupcake shops were overbaked 

and ready to be 

tossed by the early 2010s. 

Some would argue they 

saw a resurgence near the 

end of the decade, while 

others say their moment 

has passed. 

But we say a well-crafted, 

tasty personal treat never 

really goes out of style. 

(And we’re usually right 

about these things.) 

The proof is in the pudding 

— or, batter. 

Das German Chocolate cupcake (left) at Fleckenstein’s in New Lenox is geared 

toward coconut-lovers. Sharon O’Neill (right), owner of Dough Guys in Palos Heights, 

shows off her Strawberry Sensation cupcake. 

What’s in a name? 

Doughs Guys, 12248 S. Harlem 

Ave. in Palos Heights 

Owner Sharon O’Neill 

said Dough Guys’ name 

is a tribute to her husband 

and son. But that has not 

always sat well with everyone 

in the family. 

“My daughters felt 

slighted,” she said of the 

decision. 

And so: Dough Girls 

Cupcakes — a brand within 

a brand for the bakery’s 

roster of single-serving 

treats that have grown to 

roughly 40 jumbo varieties 

($3.50 apiece). And all of 

the names that precede the 

selections are tributes to 

real people. 

It all started with Sharon’s 

Strawberry Sensation 

— a vanilla cupcake with 

fresh strawberries inside, 

topped with a strawberry 

frosting and garnished 

with a chocolate-covered 

strawberry — and cupcakes 

with the namesakes 

of her daughters. The Kelsie’s 

Karmel Apple original 

remains, while Claire’s 

evolved into Crazy Confetti. 

The list has continued 

to grow exponentially 

— “the majority are relatives,” 

Sharon said — each 

cake filled with flavors 

complementing the theme, 

sometimes handpicked by 

the named parties. Plus, 

Doughs Girls presents four 

special cupcake selections 

around Christmastime, and 

the treats go mobile for a 

number of benefits. 

Reporting and photo by Bill 

Jones, Editor 

Flourless, gluten-free 

chocolatey fun 

Parmesans Wood Stone Pizza, 

10235 W. Lincoln Highway in 

Frankfort 

When Parmesans owner 

Michael Papandrea came 

up with the concept for his 

restaurant’s flourless chocolate 

fan cupcake, he had 

a vision: to create “something 

great.” 

The resulting creation, 

which happens to be entirely 

gluten-free, surpassed 

his expectations by 

quickly becoming one of 

the restaurant’s most popular 

cupcakes. 

“This is like a risen and 

fallen souffle,” Papandrea 

said. “We have another 

version that’s the full cake 

that’s the same. You know 

when something is good 

for you, it sells anyway. 

So, it became one of these 

bestsellers because of the 

fact that it’s gluten-free.” 

Made with chocolate, 

eggs and sugar, and paired 

with a generous portion of 

the restaurant’s gluten-free 

chocolate mousse, this 

concoction is designed to 

appeal to chocolate aficionados 

with and without 

special dietary needs. 

The flourless chocolate 

fan cupcake can be purchased 

for $2.95 at the 

restaurant’s bakery counter. 

Parmesans also offers 

several other cupcake 

flavors, including turtle 

cheesecake and strawberry 

cheesecake varieties. 

Reporting by Nuria Mathog, 

Contributing Editor 

A delicious swirl of cotton 

candy, nostalgia 

Artesa Bakery, 14045 S. Bell 

Road in Homer Glen 

One of the 30 unique 

cupcake selections at Artesa 

is the cotton candy cupcake 

($3 for regular size), 

which is pink and blue vanilla 

cake that comes frosted 

with a pink and blue 

cotton candy buttercream. 

The dessert is garnished 

with cotton candy, as well. 

Artesa co-owner, baker 

and cake decorator Mikayla 

Machlet said the vanilla 

cake is dyed blue and 

pink and swirled in the 

cupcake liner to form the 

distinctive cotton candy 

look. 

“I like it because it 

makes me think of all the 

summer festivals,” Machlet 

said. “There is more of 

a childish fun to them.” 

Those nostalgic memories 

make the cotton candy 

cupcakes most popular in 

the summertime, though, 

like all of the cupcakes at 

Artesa, they are available 

year-round. 

Those interested should 

note most flavors have to 

be pre-ordered. The bakery 

needs at least 24-hour 

notice for cupcake orders. 

For more information 

on various flavors, sizes, 

prices and pre-ordering 

for Artesa’s cupcakes, visit 

artesabakery.com or call 

(708) 645-4850. 

Reporting by Thomas Czaja, 

Senior Editor 

The paw-fect dessert for a pooch 

Smallcakes, 

14225 95th Ave., 

Suite 414, in 

Orland Park 

Abhinanda Datta 

Contributing Editor 

Priding itself as a family-friendly 

business, Orland 

Park’s Smallcakes 

caters to the furry companions, 

too, with a delicious 

treat. 

The Pupcakes have a 

simple carrot cake base 

with peanut butter icing, 

topped with a dog bone. 

According to Smallcakes 

Orland Park owner Matthew 

Hackney, these special 

cupcakes are “more 

basic than the ones we 

make for humans.” 

“The Pupcakes are devoid 

of ingredients we 

usually put in our carrot 

cakes — such as cinnamon, 

pecan or coconut 

— since we do not want 

Holding on to German roots 

Fleckenstein’s Bakery, 352 

West Maple St. in New Lenox 

Fleckenstein’s Das German 

Chocolate cupcake is 

perfect for coconut lovers. 

The devilish chocolate cake 

is filled with chocolate buttercream, 

topped chocolate 

shavings and Ray Fleckenstein’s 

own Das German 

Chocolate icing, producing 

an intense coconut taste. 

It also contains pecans. 

As with all of Fleckenstein’s 

cupcakes, the Das 

German Chocolate cupcake 

($2.49) has filling inside 

that reflects what customers 

see up top. 

And Ray makes fullsized 

cakes similar to the 

the dogs to ingest them,” 

he said. “We make everything 

from scratch in our 

kitchen, except the bone, 

which is your usual storebought 

dog treat.” 

Dog owners can ask for 

the frosting to be customized 

in honor of a special 

occasion. 

“Our customers often 

come in with special requests 

when celebrating 

their dogs’ birthdays, 

and we can put a design 

on top or even the dog’s 

name,” Hackney said. 

Hackney is a dog 

owner and understands 

that sugar can be detrimental 

to canine health. 

With that in mind, the 

Pupcakes have a cream 

cheese-based frosting 

that has low sugar content. 

The Pupcakes — sold 

in packs of four for $5 

— are always available at 

the store because of their 

immense popularity. 

cupcakes. Employee Debbie 

Buckley said if people 

are looking to purchase a 

cake for a party and are unsure 

of the flavor, the cupcake 

is a great way to get an 

idea of the taste. 

“It’s the same concept,” 

she said. 

And coming up, for 

Valentine’s Day, Fleckensteins’s 

will be selling 

a variety of heart-shaped 

cheesecakes, cupcakes 

with heart toppers and other 

heart-shaped pies with 

messages on them. The 

store also is to sell special 

donuts and cookies. 

Reporting by Sean Hastings, 

Contributing Editor

OPPrairiedaily.com puzzles 


crosstown CROSSWORD & Sudoku The crosstowns: Frankfort, Homer Glen, Lockport, Mokena, New Lenox, Orland Park, Tinley Park 

Crossword by Myles Mellor and Cindy LaFleur 

Across 

1. Minute bit 

5. Senior on the 

Lockport Township 

boys swimming 

team, Augusto ___ 

10. “Combat” 

painter, William 

14. Carbonated drink 

15. Necklace item 

16. Wine aroma 

17. Top 

18. Yes or no follower 

19. Bark 

20. Regulated diet 

22. Grotto sound 

24. Mountains, abbr. 

25. Caution light 

29. Enters the freeway 

33. Family that 

produces the Lit 

Lockport Christmas 

Light Show 

36. Nondairy spread 

37. Place for pizza 

38. Commuting option 

39. Utter in a grating 

voice 

40. Kind of daisy 

42. Soft drink 

43. Shackle 

44. Humming sound 

45. Cultivator 

46. Critical examination 

48. Lilliputian 

50. Slot-machine image, 

sometimes 

51. Sugar ___ 

52. Cold powder 

55. Elevated regions 

60. Collaborative 

website open to editing 

by users 

63. Valentine’s Day 

shape 

65. What mobsters 

pack 

66. Have ___ for 

67. Bone: Prefix 

68. City in Italy 

69. Glitch 

70. Exorbitant 

71. Have the lead 

Down 

1. Rent-___ 

2. Binge at the bar 

3. First name in fashion 

4. Very long skirt 

5. Angers 

6. Trammels 

7. Aural device 

8. Tarzan’s home 

9. Actor Baldwin 

10. Bury 

11. Grind ___ halt 

12. Kitchen meas. 

13. All right! 

21. Overseas Mrs. 

23. Cole ____ 

26. Mandrill, for one 

27. Studious compositions 

28. Roman Catholic 

prayers 

29. Like a serious sin 

30. “Seinfeld” role 

31. Do some tailoring 

32. Dems.’ foes 

33. Active, energetic 

people 

34. Leafy climber 

35. “Didn’t I tell you?” 

40. Cries at a circus 

41. Top of a clock dial 

42. Boat or car perhaps 

44. Baseball Hall of 

Famer Early 

47. Behind 

48. Perfect 

49. Slippery one 

51. Strain 

53. Cries of surprise 

54. Bridge position 

56. Cries of discovery 

57. Woodpecker pad 

58. Just the facts, 

ma’am 

59. Pother 

60. Mich. neighbor 

61. BBC rival 

62. ____ Sedona 

64. Dug into 

How to play Sudoku 

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that 

has been subdivided into nine smaller grids 

of 3x3 squares. To solve the puzzle, each row, 

column and box must contain each of the 

numbers 1-9. 

LEVEL: Medium 

Crossword by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan 

answers 

ORLAND PARK 

Traverso’s Restaurant 

(15601 S. Harlem Ave., 

Orland Park; (708) 532- 

2220) 

■5-7 ■ p.m. Mondays: 

Free bar bingo 

Girl in the Park 

(11265 W. 159th St., 


0042) 

■8 ■ p.m. Wednesday- 

Saturday: Live music 

The Brass Tap 

(14225 95th Ave. Suite 

400, Orland Park; (708) 

226-1827) 

■8 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: 

Trivia. Prizes awarded 

■9 ■ p.m. Fridays and 

Saturdays: Live music 

Dan ‘D’ Jac’s 

(9358 171st St., Orland 

Hills; (708) 460-8773) 

■9 ■ p.m.-1 a.m. 

Wednesdays: acoustic 

open mic night 

■9:30 ■ p.m.-1:30 a.m. 

Thursdays: karaoke 

■9:30 ■ p.m.-2:30 a.m. 

Fridays and Saturdays: 

karaoke 

Fox’s Restaurant and Pub 

(9655 W. 143rd St., 


2111) 

■6-9 ■ p.m. Thursday, 

Friday, and Saturday: 

Eman 

■6-9 ■ p.m. Wednesdays: 

Gene Infelise and 

Francesca 

Papa Joe’s 

(14459 S. LaGrange 

Road, Orland Park; 

(708) 403-9099) 

■6-10 ■ p.m. Fridays: The 

keyboard stylings of 

Roger Pampel 

Square Celt Ale House & 

Grill 

(39 Orland Square 

Drive, Orland Park; 

(708) 226-9600) 

■8 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: Free 

Bar Bingo 

■8 ■ p.m. Wednesdays: 

Free Trivia 

■9 ■ p.m. Fridays or Saturdays: 

Live Music 

■10 ■ p.m. Sundays: 

Karaoke 

To place an event in The 

Scene, email b.conboy@ 

22ndcenturymedia.com.

30 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie local living 


If you are looking for the perfect ranch home 

at a great price, look no more. Ranch Villas at 

Keating Point, in the Village of Channahon, 

offers ranch homes that are both beautiful and 

maintenance-free. 

These unique, detached townhomes feature 

two bedrooms and two baths in 1,308 to 1,621 

square feet. Each comes equipped with a full 

basement, two-car attached garage, brick fronts, 

and central air. 

These Ranch Villas start in the $230’s and 

boast an association fee of just $140 per month. 

We offer five floorplans for you to choose from. 

Do you long for a little more time to yourself? 

For more family moments, too? 

Luxury Ranch Detached Townhomes 

Immediate Move-Ins. • Maintenance-Free Living 

Starting from the $230’s 

Maintenance-free living at The Ranch Villas at 

Keating Pointe is our solution to your problem. 

In one of our ranch townhomes, you can finally 

wave goodbye to the chores that gobble up your 

precious time. All exterior and landscaping 

maintenance is done for you, including snow 

removal. If you’ve had enough of cleaning 

gutters, mowing the lawn, and shoveling the 

driveway, you’re ready to take the next step. 

The photos in this article feature The Roma, 

one of the floorplans you can choose from for 

your new ranch home. This 1,467 sq. ft. design 

features two bedrooms and two baths. Plus, 

you’ll get a flex room to use as you see fit. 

Office? Guest room?You tell us. The Roma also 

features ceilings that reach nine feet high and a 

large kitchen with included appliances. You’ll 

enjoy an impressively roomy feel, bounty of 

spaceforentertaining,andultimateconvenience. 

Speaking of convenience, a basement, two-car 

attached garage, and patio are included. The 

Roma starts in the low $240’s, delivering quality 

in its construction and price tag. 

Looking to move into a new home sometime 

soon? Our ranch homes also feature quick 

delivery homes. These quick delivery homes 

have move-in dates as early as this fall. 

To learn more about our detached ranch 

townhomes, give us a call at (815) 290-5303 or 

go to homesbycore.com. 

Immediate Move-Ins • Maintenance-Free Living

TM 

OPPrairiedaily.com local listings | swlistings.22ndcenturymedia.com 


#1 Century21Firm in the world. Buying or Selling?Contactone of our local expert agents 

Custom 4 bed, 4 full bath, related 

living, full finished basement. 

17633 Coronado Dr., Orland Park 

$459,900 

Mark Vaccaro 

708-307-9761 Cell or 

TopProMark@gmail.com 

Newly Remodeled Cutom House 

in Burr Ridge 

1472 Tomlin Dr., Burr Ridge 

$689,000 

Anna Rapciak 

708-307-6596 

arapciak@c21affiliated.com 

Beautifully remodeled 3 bed, 1 bath 

ranch home. Inside is ALL NEW! 

168 Monee Rd., Park Forest 

$94,500 

Mark Vaccaro 

708-307-9761 Cell or 

TopProMark@gmail.com 

Stunning Family Home 

2697 Bimini Ln., New Lenox 

$358,000 

2 story, 4 bedrooms, 2.1 baths 

Linda Lownes 

708-205-4416 

Linda.lownes@comcast.net 

Beautiful Oersized lot. 

15154 Royal Foxhund Rd., Orland Park 

$309,000 

Richard Harnik 

708-257-1257 

myagent@teamelite.realestate 

Updated quad level home. Related 

Living Fin. basement w/2nd kitchen. 

11715 Brook Hill Dr., Orland Park 

$359,000 

Mike McCatty Group 

708-945-2121 

mike@mccattyrealestate.com 

Spacious Family Home in Homer Glen 

13557 Parkland Ct., Homer Glen 

$299,000 

Karen Massey 

708-364-9331 

Karenmassey@c21@gmail.com 

3500 SF New Construction 2 story. 

8239 Katie Ln., Frankfort 

$490,000 

Cutting edge open floor plan. Full basement. 


708-945-2121 


Discover Lincoln Lake, a private spring fed, 

all sports lake. Renovated. 10+acres. 

2065 Hideaway Ct., Morris 

$1,150,000, 1 hr from Chicago 


708-945-2121 


Spacious 1st Floor Condo! 

7852 W. Foresthill Lane, 

#1 ER Palos Heights 

$204,000 

Amy Hesselman 

708-908-0084 

ahesselmann@c21affiliated.com 

3 Bedroom Townhome in Gated Crystal Tree. 

Finished basement. Gorgeous views. 

14637 Golf Rd., Orland Park 

$459,900 


708-945-2121 


Century 21 Affiliated 

15812 S Wolf Road, Orland Park,IL 60467 

Office 708-361-0800 

Three bedroom condo with 1 car Garage 

19519 116th Ave, Unit D, Mokena 

$124,900 

Kathryn Scatena 

708-253-7813 

kscatena@c21affiliated.com

32 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie real estate 


Nov. 14 

• 15233 S 74th Court 47, Orland 

Park, 60462-6605 - Kathleen A. 

Leiser to Mufied M. Khalil, Insherah 

A. Khalil, $161,000 

• 15321 Aubrieta Lane 64, Orland 

Park, 60462-4313 - Eugene 

Sandrzyk to Geraldine L. Damato, 

$175,000 

• 18236 Oklahoma Court 301, 

Orland Park, 60467-8984 - Morrison 

Trust to William C. Chance, Deborah 

A. Chance, $225,000 

• 15525 Harbor Town Drive, Orland 

Park, 60462-5080 - Amschler Trust 

to Krystyna Rutka, Boleslaw Rutka, 

$262,500 

• 10760 Olde Mill Drive, Orland 

Park, 60467 - Gallagher Builders Inc. 

to Rian J. Rowles, Veronica Vallejo, 

$800,000 

Nov. 15 

• 11545 Lake Shore Drive, Orland 

Park, 60467-5218 - Touretz Trust 

to Ron T. Lilke, Eileen P. Lilke, 

$300,000 

• 14350 Wooded Path Lane, Orland 

Park, 60462-2855 - Steven P. Servik 

to Jeninifer J. Germino, Jenna L. 

Rooney, $435,000 

Nov. 18 

• 15208 Highland Ave., Orland Park, 

60462-3521 - Ryan A. Schoen to 

Jose M. Carranza, $223,000 

• 16612 Grants Trail, Orland Park, 

60467-5302 - Jennifer J. Germino to 

Donna Offerman, $247,500 

• 8720 Crystal Creek Drive, Orland 

Park, 60462-5687 - Nick Kritikos 

to Rami Yahya, Noora Shubbak, 

$320,000 

• 8118 W. 157th St., Orland Park, 

60462-4955 - First Marquette Bank 

Trustee to Joseph Illichman, Linda 

Illichman, $335,000 

• 17516 Karli Lane, Orland Park, 

60467-8562 - Peter Y. Kung to 

Noreen A. Baumgartner, Michael P. 

Baumgartner, $350,000 

• 11404 S. Winds Xing, Orland Park, 

60467-5248 - Michael McCatty to 

James Inch, $539,000 

• 10931 Frank Lane, Orland Park, 

60467-4581 - Joshua B. Beckner to 

Maher A. Ibrahim, $667,500 

Nov. 19 

• 15640 Erin Lane 10, Orland Park, 

60462-4758 - Chicago Title Land 

Trust Co Tr to Richard W. Pawlak, 

$158,500 

• 16631 Liberty Circle 2S, Orland 

Park, 60467-5532 - John M. 

Polubinski to Mahmoud Omari, 

$165,000 

• 15555 Wolf Road, Orland Park, 

60467-4539 - George R. Sims Jr. to 

Lucas A. Jousma, Angela L. Jousma, 

$437,000 

Nov. 20 

• 10851 167th St., Orland Park, 

60467 - Marth Enterprises Inc. to 

Dianne Randich, $424,000 

The Going Rate is provided by Record Information 

Services Inc. For more information, 

visit www.public-record.com or call 

(630) 557-1000. 

STAY UP TO DATE ON 22CM 

EVENTS IN YOUR AREA. 

For more info visit 

22ndcenturymedia.com/events

OPPrairiedaily.com classifieds 


CLASSIFIEDS 

Help Wanted · Garage Sales · Automotive 

Real Estate · Rentals · Merchandise 

Sell It 708.326.9170 | Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It | DEADLINE - Friday at 3pm 

SENIOR SALES 

ASSISTANT 

Due to rapid growth and 

growing business opportunities, 

Aero Rubber Company 

seeks a detail-oriented 

Senior Sales Assistant for 

a full-time position. 

Working directly with a sales 

engineer, you would be 

responsible for providing 

exceptional customer service 

and performing sales 

administrative functions. 

This is a very diversified 

position in our fast-paced 

office. 

Qualifications: 

- Strong organizational & 

communication skills 

- Expert in Microsoft Office 

- Industrial B2B customer 

service experience a plus 

Competitive salary & 

benefit package including 

401K. 

To apply, send cover letter 

and resume to: 

cstratton@aerorubber.com 

School Bus Drivers Wanted 

Homer School District 33C 

seeks quality individuals 

to join our family of 

school bus drivers. 

$17.42/hr. + full benefits 

available 

Training provided. 

Call (708) 226-7625 

or visit homerschools.org 

employment tab 

NOW HIRING 

Floor and Warehouse Help 

P/T, Days - 2-3 days/week 

Active Retirees Welcome! 

No phone calls! Apply in store: 

Sox Outlet 6220 W. 159th St. 

Oak Forest, IL 

Warehouse and Delivery 

Full-Time Position 

Valid Driver’s License 

Apply in Person 

Mike’s Furniture 

830 E. Cass Joliet, IL 

Automotive 

$52 4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Real Estate 

$50 7 7 papers 

lines/ 

Help 

Wanted 

1003 Help Wanted 

Help Wanted 

$13 4 lines/ 

per line 7 papers 

Merchandise 


lines/ 

Truck Driver CDL Class A 

FKM USA is seeking F/T and P/T, 

local/regional CDL Class A Driver 

responsible for the safe operation 

of a Conestoga Semi-Truck and the 

reliable delivery of our products. 

Driver will work first shift w/ a 

start time of 6:00am, M-F. 

Most deliveries within one day, 

with some overnight deliveries. 

Requirements: 

- Atleast 1 year CDL Class A exp. 

- No moving violations past 2-4yrs 

- Not cited for a D.O.T definied 

accident past 2-4yrs 

- No serious offenses in past 7yrs 

or pattern of unsafe practices 

Benefits 

Insurance, Paid Vacation, 401k 

APPLY IN PERSON at FKM USA 

21950 S. La Grange Road 

Frankfort, IL 60423 

Part-time Telephone Work 

calling from home for 

AMVETS. Ideal for 

homemakers and retirees. 

Must be reliable and have 

morning &evening hours 

available for calling. 

If interested, 

Call 708 429 6477 

M-F, 10am - 1pm Only! 

Papa Joe’s is opening a 

new, full-service location at 

944 E. 9th Street in Lockport 

Looking for: 

- Hostesses - Wait staff 

- Kitchen help - Phone help 

- Managers - Bartenders 

Applications will be accepted 

at 1001 S. State Street 

in Lockport 

Administrative Assistant 

Req. exp. in bookping/ledgers 

Exc. computer skills 

QuickBooks for Payroll 

Phone Savvy, P/T M-F 

Email lucykate5@aol.com 

Alvernia Manor Senior Living 

is now hiring 2 positions 

- CNA to work all shifts 

- Kitchen aide 

Call to apply: 630-257-7721 

DRIVE CAR BUYERS 

TO YOUR DOOR WITH 

A CLASSIFIED AUTO AD 

CALL US TODAY at 708.326.9170 

1003 Help Wanted 

NOW HIRING! 

Sales Associate / 

Part-Time Assistant Manager 

Applicants should have: 1-2 years of retail 

experience, an outgoing and friendly personality, 

and apassion for the well-being of dogs and cats. 

Benefits include: Day hours -20-30 hours 

per week and employee discounts! 

For more information, email us at: 

info@joysbestfriendsbestbites.com 

FOUND 

Wedding ring found in ALDI 

parking lot in New Lenox. 

Please send email to 

gwjurgens@gmail.com 

1021 Lost & Found 

1061 Autos Wanted 

WANTED! 

WE NEED CARS, TRUCKS & VANS 

Running Or Not! 

Top Dollar Paid - Free Pick-Up 

Locally Located 

(708)205-8241 

Rental 

1225 Apartments for Rent 

NEW LENOX 

2 bedroom apartment 

From $999 

extra storage 

laundry in building 

no pets/smoking, 1 yr lease 

815-485-2528 





Automotive 

Business Directory 

2003 Appliance Repair 

QUALITY 

APPLIANCE 

REPAIR, Inc. 

• Air Conditioning • Furnaces 

Refrigeration • Dishwashers 

Stoves & Ovens • Microwaves 

Garbage Disposals 

Washers&Dryers 

Family Owned &Operatedsince 1986 

Someone you can TRUST 

All work GUARANTEED 

BEST price in town! 

708-712-1392 

2006 Basement Waterproofing 

2011 Brick/Chimney Experts

34 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie classifieds 


CLASSIFIEDS 



Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

Automotive 

Help Wanted 

Real Estate 

Merchandise 

per line 

DEADLINE - 

$52 

$13 

$50 

$30 

4 lines/ 

4 lines/ 

7 lines/ 

4 lines/ 

Friday at 3pm 

7 papers 

7 papers 

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IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OFCOOK 

COUNTY, ILLINOIS 

COUNTY DEPARTMENT -CHAN- 

CERY DIVISION 

DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COM- 

PANY AMERICAS, AS TRUSTEE 

FOR RESIDENTIAL ACCREDIT 

LOANS, INC, MORTGAGE 

ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH 

CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2002-QS13 

Plaintiff, 

-v.- 

FRANK J. AGATE, CYNTHIA M. 

AGATE, JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, 

N.A., UNITED STATES OF AMER- 

ICA-INTERNAL REVENUE SERV- 

ICE'S, STATE OF ILLINOIS-DE- 

PARTMENT OF REVENUE 

Defendants 

18 CH 03629 

14210 ALDWYCH DRIVE 

ORLAND PARK, IL 60462 

NOTICE OF SALE 

PUBLIC NOTICE ISHEREBY GIVEN 

that pursuant to aJudgment ofForeclosure 

and Sale entered in the above cause 

on November 12, 2019, an agent for 

The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 

10:30 AM on February 13, 2020, at The 

Judicial Sales Corporation, One South 

Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, 

sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, 

as set forth below, the following described 

real estate: 

Commonly known as 14210 

ALDWYCH DRIVE, ORLAND PARK, 

IL 60462 

Property Index No. 27-01-305-001-0000 

The real estate is improved with asingle 

family residence. 

The judgment amount was $123,065.46. 

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid 

by certified funds at the close of the sale 

payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. 

No third party checks will beaccepted. 

The balance, including the Judicial 

Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential 

Property Municipality Relief 

Fund, which is calculated on residential 

real estate atthe rate of $1 for each 

$1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount 

paid by the purchaser not to exceed 

$300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, 

is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No 

fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring 

the residential real estate pursuant 

to its credit bid at the sale or by any 

mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other 

lienor acquiring the residential real estate 

whose rights in and tothe residential 

real estate arose prior to the sale. 

The subject property is subject to general 

real estate taxes, special assessments, 

orspecial taxes levied against 

said real estate and is offered for sale 

without any representation as to quality 

or quantity of title and without recourse 

to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition. 

The sale is further subject to confirmation 

by the court. 

Upon payment in full ofthe amount bid, 

the purchaser will receive aCertificate 

of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to 

adeed to the real estate after confirmation 

of the sale. 

Where asale of real estate is made to 

satisfy alien prior to that of the United 

States, the United States shall have one 

year from the date of sale within which 

to redeem, except that with respect to a 

lien arising under the internal revenue 

laws the period shall be 120 days or the 

period allowable for redemption under 

State law, whichever is longer, and in 

any case inwhich, under the provisions 

of section 505 of the Housing Act of 

1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), 

and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 

38 of the United States Code, the 

right toredeem does not arise, there 

shall be no right of redemption. 

The property will NOT be open for inspection 

and plaintiff makes no representation 

astothe condition ofthe property. 

Prospective bidders are admonished 

to check the court file to verify all 

information. 

If this property isacondominium unit, 

the purchaser ofthe unit atthe foreclosure 

sale, other than amortgagee, shall 

pay the assessments and the legal fees 

required by The Condominium Property 

Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If 

this property is a condominium unit 

which is part of acommon interest community, 

the purchaser ofthe unit atthe 

foreclosure sale other than amortgagee 

shall pay the assessments required by 

The Condominium Property Act, 765 

ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). 

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR 

(HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE 

RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION 

FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF 

AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN AC- 

CORDANCE WITH SECTION 

15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS 

MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. 

You will need a photo identification issued 

by a government agency (driver's 

license, passport, etc.) in order togain 

entry into our building and the foreclosure 

sale room in Cook County and the 

same identification for sales held at 

other county venues where The Judicial 

Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure 

sales. 

For information, Alexander Potestivo, 

POTESTIVO & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 

Plaintiff's Attorneys, 223 WEST JACK- 

SON BLVD, STE 610, Chicago, IL, 

60606 (312) 263-0003. Please refer to 

file number 110893. 

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORA- 

TION 

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, 

Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 

236-SALE 

You can also visit The Judicial Sales 

Corporation atwww.tjsc.com for a7 

day status report of pending sales. 

POTESTIVO & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 

223 WEST JACKSON BLVD, STE 610 

Chicago IL, 60606 

312-263-0003 

E-Mail: ilpleadings@potestivolaw.com 

Attorney File No. 110893 

Attorney Code. 43932 

Case Number: 18 CH 03629 

TJSC#: 39-7420 

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection 

Practices Act, you are advised 

that Plaintiff's attorney is deemed to be 

adebt collector attempting tocollect a 

debt and any information obtained will 

be used for that purpose. 

Case # 18 CH 03629 

I3142296 




CERY DIVISION 

M&T BANK 

Plaintiff, 

-v.- 

CHRISTOPHER PICKRUM, SECRE- 

TARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN 

DEVELOPMENT 

Defendants 

19 CH 08342 

5416 GRANGE AVENUE 

OAK FOREST, IL 60452 





on October 23, 2019, an agent for The 

Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 

AM on February 20, 2020, at The Judicial 

Sales Corporation, One South 




real estate: 

Commonly known as 5416 GRANGE 

AVENUE, OAK FOREST, IL 60452 


The real estate is improved with a 

brown vinyl siding, one and ahalf story 

single family home with an attached two 

car garage. 









real estate atthe rate of $1 for each 










whose rights in and tothe residential 








to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition. 


by the court. 





of the sale. 






information. 





required byThe Condominium Property 



which is part of acommon interest community, 





ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). 

















sales. 

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT 

PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff's Attorneys, 

One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, 

Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 

346-9088. 


TION 


Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 

236-SALE 


Corporation atwww.tjsc.com for a7 



PIERCE, LLC 

One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 


312-346-9088 

E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com 


Attorney ARDC No. 61256 



TJSC#: 39-6836 




adebt collector attempting tocollect a 



Case # 19 CH 08342 

I3142625 




CERY DIVISION 

FLAGSTAR BANK, F.S.B. 

Plaintiff, 

-v.- 

MICHAEL TGRANAT, TABITHA L 

GRANAT 

Defendants 

19 CH 07055 

5185 GREENTREE ROAD 

OAK FOREST, IL 60452 





on November 21, 2019, an agent for 

The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 

10:30 AM on February 24, 2020, at The 

Judicial Sales Corporation, One South 




real estate: 

Commonly known as 5185 GREEN- 

TREE ROAD, OAK FOREST, IL 

60452 


The real estate is improved with a 

brown vinyl siding, one and ahalf story 

single family home with an attached one 

car garage. 









real estate at the rate of$1 for each 










whose rights inand to the residential 








to Plaintiff and in"AS IS" condition. 


by the court. 





of the sale.



CLASSIFIEDS 




Sale 






information. 





required by The Condominium Property 



which ispart ofacommon interest community, 





ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). 

















sales. 


PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff's Attorneys, 

One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, 

Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 

346-9088. 


TION 


Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 

236-SALE 


Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a7 



PIERCE, LLC 

One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 


312-346-9088 

E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com 


Attorney ARDC No. 61256 



TJSC#: 39-7614 




adebt collector attempting to collect a 



Case # 19 CH 07055 

I3142635 




CERY DIVISION 

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIA- 

TION AS TRUSTEE 

SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO WA- 

CHOVIA BANK, 

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS 

TRUSTEE FOR BANC OF 

AMERICA FUNDING CORPORA- 

TION MORTGAGE PASS- 

THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 

2005-4; 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

LOUIS CALDERON; YOLANDA 

CALDERON; MB 

FINANCIAL BANK, N.A., SUCCES- 

SOR IN INTEREST 

TO COLE TAYLOR BANK; CITY OF 

CHICAGO, A 


Sale 

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION; 

WINDHAVEN WEST 

COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION; 

Defendants, 

19 CH 5239 




and Sale entered in the above entitled 

cause Intercounty Judicial Sales 

Corporation will onFriday, February 

28, 2020 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their 

office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 

718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public 

auction to the highest bidder for cash, as 

set forth below, the following described 

mortgaged real estate: 

P.I.N. 27-03-214-018-0000. 

Commonly known as 13508 South Tall 

Grass aka 13508 Tallgrass Trail, Orland 

Park, IL 60462. 

The mortgaged real estate is improved 

with asingle family residence. If the 

subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of 

acommon interest community, the purchaser 

of the unit other than amortgagee 

shall pay the assessments required 

by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of 

the condominium Property Act 

Sale terms: 10% down by certified 

funds, balance, by certified funds, 

within 24 hours. Norefunds. The property 

will NOT be open for inspection. 

For information call Sales Department 

at Plaintiff's Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, 

LLC, One East Wacker Drive, 

Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 

220-5611. 19-014402 F2 

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES 

CORPORATION 

Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 

I3142995 




CERY DIVISION 

U.S. BANK N.A., SUCCESSOR 

TRUSTEE TO BANK OF 

AMERICA, N.A. SUCCESSOR IN IN- 

TEREST TO 

LASALLE BANK N.A., ASTRUSTEE 

ON BEHALF OF 

THE HOLDERS OF THE WASHING- 

TON MUTUAL MORTGAGE 

PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, 

WMALT SERIES 2005- 

10; Plaintiff, 

vs. 

JOSE T. VAYALIL AKA JOSE VAY- 

ALIL; LUCY J. 

VAYALIL, AKA LUCY VAYALIL; 

FIRST MIDWEST BANK 

F/K/A STANDARD BANK AND 

TRUST COMPANY, AS 

TRUSTEE UNDER THE PROVI- 

SIONS OF A TRUST 

AGREEMENT DATED THE 26TH 

DAY OF JUNE, 2007 

AND KNOWN ASTRUST NUMBER 

19991; FIRST 

MIDWEST BANK FKA STANDARD 

BANK AND TRUST 

COMPANY; UNKNOWN OWNERS 

AND NON RECORD 

CLAIMANTS; SPRING CREEK ES- 

TATES PROPERTY 

OWNER'S ASSOCIATION, INC.; 

Defendants, 

17 CH 7898 




and Sale entered in the above entitled 

cause Intercounty Judicial Sales 

Corporation will onFriday, February 

28, 2020 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their 

office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 

718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public 

auction to the highest bidder for cash, as 

set forth below, the following described 


Sale 

mortgaged real estate: 

P.I.N. 27-18-204-005-0000. 

Commonly known as 15232 Poplar 

Creek Court, Orland Park, IL 60467. 

The mortgaged real estate is improved 

with asingle family residence. If the 

subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of 

acommon interest community, the purchaser 

of the unit other than amortgagee 

shall pay the assessments required 

by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of 

the Condominium Property Act. 

Sale terms: 10% down by certified 

funds, balance, by certified funds, 

within 24 hours. Norefunds. The property 

will NOT be open for inspection. 

For information call Sales Department 

at Plaintiff's Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, 

LLC, One East Wacker Drive, 

Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 

220-5611. 17-018987 F2 

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES 

CORPORATION 

Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 

I3142999 

2900 Merchandise 

Under $100 

2-Queen size bed frames $20 

ea, 2-Crystal-look table lamps 

w/ shades $50 pr. Call 

460-2587 

2recliners $35 each or $60 for 

both. Text 708-846-1556 

24” aluminum pipe wrench 

$30, 24” cast iron pape wrench 

$20, 18” cast iron pipe wrench 



$5. Call 708-448-9597 

24 party various colors and 9 

candelabra bulbs $10. Call 

708-429-3623 

2pr Cross Country Skis 

200mm with boots (size 44) 

poles, socks, and ski pants 

$30/All Call 708-645-4562 

4pk clear or white Nite lite 

bulbs $3, 2pk 40w appliance 

bulbs $4, 3ft power strip 6outlet 

$6, 4pk Rayovac alkaline D 

b atteries $5. Call 

708-460-8308 

5 Scott stamp catalogs 2016 

J-M, 2017 C-F, 2018 A-B, 

2018 C-D, 2018 US $10 ALL 

Call 708-99-7223 

All ofL. Lamour sht. stories. 

28 HB volumes $45. Very 

Good Condition. Call 

708-966-4847 

Arcadian office chair brown 

leather new, cost $179 asking 

$50 Call 708-599-6796 

Beautiful sturdy solid wood 

rocking chair, excellent condition, 

$100. Call 708-408-1576 

Bird cages $12.50 each Call 

708-478-8976 

Church pew $65 Call 

815-348-2884 

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OPPrairiedaily.com sports 


ATHLETE OF THE WEEK 

10 Questions 

with Atharva Atreya 

Atharva Atreya is a senior 

boys basketball player at 

Sandburg High School. 

Do you have any 

college plans yet 

and do they involve 

basketball? 

I will be studying engineering 

at either Northwestern 

or The University 

Of Illinois. I also wish to 

go to Med school to pursue 

a career in orthopedic 

medicine. As far as basketball 

goes, I will probably 

play intramural, and I 

might even try to walk on. 

How cool was 

going to the state 

3-point contest as a 

sophomore and what 

was your favorite 

memory from that? 

It was an awesome experience 

being able to compete 

with the best shooters 

in the state, and my favorite 

memory would have 

to be going all the way to 

state with my teammate, 

Sami Ismail. We competed 

against each other but at 

the same time rooted for 

each other. 

What is your proudest 

moment in athletics? 

Making my fourth grade 

travel team, the Orland 

Park Magic. I’ve been 

playing with that team for 

my entire life, and my two 

coaches, [Mark] Serdar 

and [Chris] Kusper, have 

been amazing mentors on 

and off the court. 

JEFF VORVA/ 

22nD CENTURY MEDIA 

Do you have a hero, 

or someone you look 

up to? 

My dad [Srinivas] is my 

hero. He is an incredible 

person, and he has taught 

me countless lessons on 

and off the court. I can attribute 

all my success as a 

student and as a player to 

him, and without him, I 

wouldn’t be the person I 

am today. 

Is there something 

people don’t know 

about you? 

I was born in Virginia, 

and before moving to Orland 

Park in 2009, I lived 

in six different places, including 

a year in India. 

Is there a movie you 

2 

could watch over and 

over without getting 

bored with it? 

“The Dark Knight.” It’s 

my favorite movie, and it 

honestly gets better every 

time I watch it. 

Any superstitions? 

I wear the same undershirt 

as I wore when we 

won our last game. Also, 

every time I’m shooting 

around at a gym, I cannot 

leave the court until I 

make two free throws and 

a top of the key three. 

If you could have 

dinner with anyone — 

living or dead — who 

would it be with? 

Probably LeBron James. 

He’s always been an idol 

of mine, not just because 

of his greatness on the 

court, but his involvement 

in the community as well. 

He embodies all the qualities 

of a great leader, and I 

feel like he could teach me 

a lot about being a better 

player and person. 

If they made a movie 

about your life, who 

should play you? 

Karan Brar, the Indian 

kid from the Disney Channel 

show, “Jesse.” 

What would that 

movie be called? 

“Brown Men CAN 

Jump.” 

Interview conducted by 

Sports Editor Jeff Vorva 

YOUTH SPORTS 

St. Michael 

Cheerleaders 

with 17th 

state title 

STAFF REPORT 

St. Michael School 

brought home the Illinois 

Cheerleading Coaches 

Association state championship 

trophy Jan. 12 

after an event at the Bank 

of Springfield Convention 

Center in Springfield. 

It is the 17th state cheerleading 

title for the Orland 

CLOSING THEIR 

CAREERS 

Eagles Hockey 

Club celebrates its 

Senior Night 

Senior members of the 

Eagles Hockey Club 

celebrate with Sandburg 

Principal Jen Tyrrell on 

Jan. 12. LISA WITKOWSKI 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

THIS WEEK IN 

SANDBURG VARSITY 

ATHLETICS 

BOYS BASKETBALL 

■Jan. ■ 24 – hosts Lockport, 

6 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 28 – hosts Joliet 

Catholic, 6 p.m. 

BOYS BOWLING 

■Jan. ■ 25 – IHSA Sectionals, 

TBA 

BOYS SWIMMING 

■Jan. ■ 23 – at Andrew, 4:30 

p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 28 – hosts Lincoln- 

St Michael School’s cheerleading team won its 17th 

state title in Springfield. PHOTO SUBMITTED 

Park school. 

SMS is coached by firstgrade 

teacher Becky Weslow 

and is assisted by Kim 

Williams and Amy Weslow. 

The members of the 

team are Alexandra 

Ball, Ava Dill, Adrianna 

Doherty, Breanna 

Way East, 5 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 30 – hosts Lockport, 

5 p.m. 

WRESTLING 

■Jan. ■ 24-25 – at SWSC 

Conference (Stagg), 5 p.m. 

GIRLS BASKETBALL 

■Jan. ■ 23 – at Lincoln-Way 

East, 6:30 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 25 – at Oak Lawn, 

3 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 28 – hosts Yorkville, 

6 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 30 – at Lockport, 

6:30 p.m. 

Doherty, Olivia Eid, Ashley 

Fahey, Giana Gudino, 

Mollie Harlin, Samantha 

Laundrie, Gianna Marciano, 

Mya Marciano, Allie 

McAdams, Jenna McAdams, 

Faith Miller, Tillie 

O’Connor, Iris Silberman, 

Maggie Stokes and Sarah 

Tadevich. 

GIRLS BOWLING 

■Jan. ■ 25 at SWSC 

Conference (Bolingbrook), 

8 a.m. 

■Jan. ■ 29 - at Tinley Park, 

4:30 p.m. 

CHEERLEADING 

■Jan. ■ 24 – at SWSC 

Conference Championships, 

TBA. 

GIRLS GYMNASTICS (Co-op 

team based at Andrew) 

■Jan. ■ 25 – at York 

Invitational, 1 p.m. 

■Jan. ■ 29 – hosts SWSC 

Meet, 5:30 p.m.

42 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie sports 


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GIRLS BASKETBALL 

Sandburg, O’Connor storm 

out of the gate to end skid 

JEFF VORVA, Sports Editor 

After losses to Argo, 

Lockport and Homewood- 

Flossmoor, Sandburg was 

looking for a huge shot in 

the arm against Schaumburg 

on Saturday, Jan. 18. 

Sophomore Erin 

O’Connor was there to 

provide that shot as five 

of her shots went into the 

hoop to give the Eagles a 

10-1 lead and they went 

on to win 60-50 in a nonconference 

home game 

facing Saxons coach Jacqueline 

Storm, a former 

Sandburg girls basketball 

standout. 

“We’ve had some rough 

games but talked about 

rebounding back,” said 

Eagles coach Nick Fotopoulos, 

whose team entered 

this week 14-6. “Schaumburg 

kept fighting us and we 

played well to win and that’s 

the moral of the story.” 

Grace Badon added 13 

points for Sandburg. 

Rough conference start 

The Eagles dropped 

Sandburg and Lockport players piled up while chasing 

down a loose ball in Lockport’s 55-52 victory on Jan. 21 

in Orland Park. JEFF VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA 

5 

their first two SouthWest 

Suburban Conference Blue 

game with a 55-52 setback 

to Lockport on Tuesday, 

Jan. 14, and a 60-17 loss 

at Homewood-Flossmoor 

three nights later. In the 

Lockport loss, Charlotte 

Trunk led the Eagles with 

14 points while Maggie 

Manthey had 12 and 

O’Connor came up with 

10. 

The Eagles scored just 

four free throws and had 

no field goals in the second 

half against H-F. 

“We had good looks and 

didn’t hit our shots,” Fotopoulos 

said. “It was ugly.” 

Manthey injured 

Senior Stephanie Manthey 

suffered a shoulder 

injury in the Lockport 

game. 

“It’s a separated shoulder,” 

the coach said. “We 

haven’t heard the prognosis 

yet…but it’s not good.” 

Coming up 

Sandburg was scheduled 

to visit Bolingbrook on 

Tuesday, Jan. 21 and Lincoln-Way 

East on Thursday, 

Jan. 23. 

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BOYS BOWLING 

Freshman and sophomore lead 

Eagles to fifth straight regional title 


It is probably not fair to 

compare freshman Gabe 

Castro to former Sandburg 

standout bowler Cameron 

Crowe. 

But how can you not? 

Especially after what Castro 

did over the weekend? 

There are some similarities. 

Both are left-handed. 

Both throw the ball with 

two hands. And both were 

regional champions as 

freshmen, helping the Eagles 

to regional titles. 

Castro rolled a 1,352 

and sophomore Joe Zellinger 

finished fourth with 

a 1,314 to lead the Eagles 

to their fifth straight regional 

crown with a 6,212 

six-game series to win the 

Bremen Regional on Saturday, 

Jan. 18 at Centennial 

Lanes in Tinley Park. 

“Those were big-time 

performances,” Sandburg 

coach Jeff Kwilose said. 

“That was huge. This is 

nice. We lost one of the 

best bowlers in the state 

[Crowe, who graduated in 

2019 after finishing second 

in the state] and we didn’t 

know what we would have 

coming back. To get another 

one is awesome.” 

As for Castro being the 

next Crowe? 

“To be honest with 

you, I don’t see myself 

on the same level as Cam 

Crowe,” Castro said. “He 

is on a whole different 

level.” 

Zellinger, who has been 

teammates with both, said 

Castro is not far off. 

“He might be a level below 

[Crowe] but Gabe is 

still amazing at bowling,” 

Zellinger said. “When 

Sandburg’s Gabe Castro (facing camera) hugs Joe 

Zellinger at the Bremen Regional. Castro, a freshman, 

won the regional title and Zellinger, a sophomore, 

finished fourth. JEFF VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA 

Gabe was in junior high 

and I was a freshman, I 

used to coach him. But he 

was pretty much teaching 

me because he was so 

good.” 

Castro, who shook off a 

rough performance at the 

SouthWest Suburban Conference 

meet (19th place 

with a pinfall of 1,165) 

opened regional action 

with a 256. He added a 

259 in the fourth game and 

a 230 in the fifth game to 

help cement the championship 

by 30 pins over Bremen’s 

Connor Meegan. 

Zellinger, an all-conference 

performer, opened up 

his regional appearance 

with a 181 but was consistent 

the rest of the way and 

averaged 226 the final five 

games to finish fourth. 

Another all-conference 

player, senior Alex Grezlovski, 

finished 10th with 

a 1,272 and his 279 in 

game four was a key, according 

to Kwilose. 

“We were down four pins 

going into the second half,” 

the coach said. “His score 

helped give us the lead.” 

5 AREA SPORTS ROUNDUP 

4 

That fourth game for 

the Eagles resulted in a 

tournament-best 1,133 and 

helped them beat runnerup 

Bremen by 197 pins. 

Timmy Novak rolled a 

1,149 and Matt Bartlett 

(771 in four games), Tyler 

Zellinger (193 in one 

game) and Gavin Burns 

(161 in one game) rounded 

out the Sandburg scoring. 

The Eagles head to the 

Lockport Sectional and 

Strike and Spare II in what 

could be one of the toughest 

sectionals in the state. 

Lockport, Oswego, Oswego 

East, Plainfield South, 

Joliet West, Minooka and 

Lincoln-Way Central are 

among the 16 teams in the 

loaded sectional. 

“It’s going to be a very 

good sectional,” Kwilose 

said. “We hope to be one 

of the six that goes to state. 

Whether we’re first or sixth 

or anywhere in between, 

that’s all I care about.” 

The Eagles have qualified 

for state five times in 

school history with the last 

coming in 2017. 

Sandburg wrestlers outscore their 

opponents 231-42 in four matches 


It was a huge three-day 

stretch for Sandburg’s 

wrestling team as the 

Eagles opened things up 

with a 57-16 victory over 

Lincoln-Way East on Senior 

Night on Thursday, 

Jan. 16. 

Two days later, the Eagles 

hosted their own duals 

meet and beat Wheaton 

North, 57-13, Joliet West, 

60-8, and Crystal Lake 

Central 57-15 for a 231- 

42 advantage in the four 

bouts. 

Sammie Hayes, Dom 

Iannantone, Tyler Milani, 

Carson Bruce, James Hart, 

Kevin Zimmer and Mike 

Bosco won all four bouts 

to help the Eagles improve 

to 22-5. Moe Alamawi 

won all three matches at 

the duals competition. 

The Eagles entered the 

week ranked sixth in the 

state in Class 3A by the Illinois 

Wrestling Coaches 

and Officials Association. 

Sandburg’s Moe Alamawi, wearing a protective mask 

against a Crystal Lake Central opponent, won all three 

of his matches at 152 pounds in the Sandburg Duals 

event on Saturday, Jan. 18. 

Sandburg swimmer Sean Harlin took second place in 

the 200-yard IM at the Al Gilberg Invitational in Orland 

Park. PHOTOS BY JEFF VORVA/22nd Century Media 

Sandburg fourth in Gilberg 

Invite 

Host Sandburg’s boys 

swimming team finished 

fourth in the 12-team 59th 

Al Gilberg Invitational, 

which wrapped up Saturday, 

Jan. 18. 

Diver Cody Thill won 

his event for the Eagles 

with a 444.10 while teammate 

Corey Verzak took 

second with a 428.80. 

Sean Harlin took second 

in the 200-yard IM with 

a time of 2 minutes, 1.28 

seconds and finished fifth 

in the 100 fly. 

The 200 medley relay 

team of Eddie Howaniec, 

Jimmy Jenkot, Harlin and 

Ayoub Yassin claimed second 

with a 1:41.22. 

Jenkot place fifth in the 

100 free and second in the 

100 breast stroke with a 

1:03.29. 

Harlin, Yassin, Howaniec 

and Jenkot took fifth 

in the 400 free relay. 

St. Charles East won 

with 366 points, followed 

by Naperville Central with 

352.5, Maine South with 

327.5 and Sandburg with 

210. 

Gymnasts set record 

The Andrew co-op team, 

featuring athletes from 

District 230 schools Andrew, 

Sandburg and Stagg, 

put up a huge record-setting 

performance in the 

Neuqua Valley Invite on 

Saturday, Jan. 18. 

The team finished second 

with a 141.5, which 

broke a 20-year-old school 

record for most points in a 

meet. 

SouthWest Suburban 

Conference foe Lincoln- 

Way won the event with a 

141.775. 

Andrew is at the York 

Invitational on Saturday, 

Jan. 25.

44 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie orland park 


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BOYS BASKETBALL 

Atreya’s career-best 30-point effort helps Sandburg split 

MATT CIZEK 


5 

Following a four-game 

winning streak, Sandburg 

split its two contests last 

week with two vastly different 

types of games. 

The Eagles dropped a 

33-23 loss to Oak Forest 

on Jan. 14, and came up 

with a 63-56 victory over 

District 230 foe Stagg in 

Palos Hills three nights 

later as Atharva Atreya had 

a career-high 30 points. 

At first glance, a 33-23 

outcome may appear to 

be the sign of a very poor 

shooting day for both 

teams. 

However, Sandburg 

coach Todd Allen said it 

was all part of the game 

plan against a 15-1 team 

with offensive firepower. 

“We were trying to 

shorten the game a little 

bit,” Allen said. “They’re 

obviously very talented, 

so we wanted to give our 

guys a chance to win it. 

Our kids did a great job.” 

Among highlights, the 

Eagles held onto a threepoint 

lead at the end of the 

first quarter, were down 

only six points with four 

minutes left to go, and held 

an Oak Forest team featuring 

two Division I recruited 

players [Rob Avila and 

Jayson Kent] to one basket 

in the third quarter. 

“We held their two Division 

I guys to single digits 

[in points]”, he said. “Our 

plan was to hopefully have 

it close in the fourth and 

maybe…make a shot or 

two. Unfortunately, we 

never got it [to] a one-possession 

game.” 

The Eagles’ offensive 

strategy was primarily 

focused around utilizing 

high-percentage layups as 

scoring opportunities. 

Sandburg’s Daryl Jackson drives on Stagg’s Troy 

Huddleston in the Eagles’ victory. 

Defense benefitting 

offense 

Three days after scoring 

23 points against the 

Bengals, Sandburg (9-8 

overall, 1-0 in the South- 

West Suburban Conference 

Blue) nearly equaled 

that total in the first quarter 

on Friday as 21 points 

saw them jump out to a 

16-point lead against the 

Chargers. 

Along the way, the 

Eagles forced the Chargers 

into eight turnovers, 

including two steals 

by Atreya and three by 

Khaled Salah. 

“We had some easy baskets 

in transition,” Allen 

said. “That start got us going.” 

“We’re always a little 

bit more jacked up for 

these district games,” 

Atreya said. “I think that’s 

why we got off to such a 

good start. We were focused 

and determined to 

get a win here considering 

they ended our season last 

year [in regional competition].” 

Atreya continues to rise 

What has already been 

a fascinating season for 

star senior guard and leading 

scorer Atreya took another 

step higher on Friday 

night. 

Atreya scored a career 

high 30 points – 21 of 

them coming in a first-half 

performance that saw him 

outscore the entire Stagg 

roster [18 points] – en 

route to victory. 

“Considering I’m not 

playing in college, I definitely 

want to end it all 

with a bang,” he said. “I 

was a little more calm then 

I usually am before games. 

Once the game started, I 

started to pick it up.” 

Atreya shot 11 of 12 

from the field, including 

four 3-pointers. He averages 

13.6 points per game 

during the season. 

Second half survival mode 

In recent losses, problems 

arose with the Eagles’ 

ability to come back 

from deficits on their way 

to victory. On Friday 

night, a different story 

was told. 

After jumping out to a 

21-5 lead, Sandburg held 

on following a furious 

Stagg comeback attempt 

that saw the Eagles get 

outscored by 13 points in 

the final 16 minutes after 

building a 38-18 halftime 

lead. 

Atharva Atreya, shown completing a spinning layup, scored a career-high 30 points 

against Stagg on Friday, Jan. 17. PHOTOS BY JEFF VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA 

After one half, Sandburg’s Atharva Atreya (No. 23 on the scoreboard) outscored 

Stagg. 

Toward the end of the 

first half, a turnover by the 

Eagles lead to a 3-point 

shot by the Chargers that 

brought their deficit to 20 

points. 

“I know it doesn’t sound 

like a big deal,” Allen said. 

“[However] I thought being 

up 25 possibly instead 

of 20, and that momentum 

for them carrying over, 

was foreshadowing to that 

second-half being closer 

than we would’ve liked.” 

Looking ahead 

Sandburg was scheduled 

to head to Chicago versus 

St. Ignatius on Tuesday, 

Jan. 21. The Eagles head 

back to Eagle Gym to 

battle the Lockport at 6:30 

p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24.

46 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie sports 


Richardson gets carried away with kicking for NIU 

3 

RANDY WHALEN 


John Richardson remembers 

when he first tried 

kicking back in sixth grade 

at St. Michael School in 

Orland Park. 

“I started playing football 

in fifth grade, and I 

started kicking in sixth,” 

said Richardson, who 

originally had played soccer. 

“They needed someone 

to kick off on the 

grammar school team, and 

when I was kicking the 

ball down to the 5- or 10- 

yard line, they were like, 

‘There might be something 

here.’” 

There was. 

Soon Richardson was 

kicking extra points at St. 

Michael. Since those were 

harder to make, they were 

worth two points rather 

than the one if the conversion 

was run or passed in. 

Eight years later, Richardson 

still lives in Orland 

Park, and he is still kicking. 

But now it is on a much 

bigger stage, as he is the 

placekicker at Northern Illinois 

University. 

While the Huskies (5- 

7) had a losing record 

this past fall for only the 

second time in the past 11 

seasons, they won a pair 

of close games in the final 

seconds on field goals 

by Richardson — both on 

the road and in the state of 

Ohio. First was a 37-yard 

kick for a 39-36 victory 

with no time left on Oct. 

12 against Ohio University. 

The second came on 

Nov. 13 in a 31-28 win 

over the University of 

Toledo on a 25-yard field 

goal with 41 seconds to 

play in the game. 

“In the Ohio game, the 

snap came with three seconds 

left,” Richardson said. 

Orland Park native John Richardson kicks a game-winning field goal against Ohio with no time left on Oct. 12. 

LON HORWEDEL/NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY 

“It was really cool because 

it was the last play of the 

game, and my teammates 

picked me up and carried 

me. The second one, 

against Toledo, it was cold 

out. I just wanted to make it 

and get out of there. 

“But I just wanted to 

make the most of my opportunity 

and come through 

when needed.” 

As a redshirt freshman 

this season, Richardson 

did just that. He converted 

on 14-of-18 field goal attempts 

and was 30-for-30 

on extra points to lead the 

team in scoring with 72 

total points. That allowed 

him to garner 2019 All 

Mid-American Conference 

third team honors. 

If he stays healthy and 

remains the Huskies’ top 

kicker the next three years, 

he can make a huge impact 

on the leaderboard. He is 

KICKING IT 

The top 10 NIU kicking scorers. Redshirt freshman 

John Richardson has 72 points. 

NAME YEARS POINTS 

1. Steve Azar 2000-03 370 

2. Mathew Sims 2010-13 358 

3. Chris Nendick 2004-07 332 

4. Christian Hagan 2014-17 298 

5. John Ivanic 1987-90 253 

6. Vince Scott 1980-83 192 

7. Mike Salerno 2008-09 184* 

8. Brian Clark 1995-98 152 

9. Rome Moga 1977-80 142 

10. Brian Steger 1992-93 118 

*-- Sandburg graduate and Orland Park native 

on pace for 288 points, 

which would put him fifth 

on NIU’s list among kickers. 

If he gets into the Top 

10 next season, he would 

be the second Orland Park 

native to make the list. 

Mike Salerno, who booted 

for Sandburg, is seventh 

on the list with 184 points 

from 2008-2009. 

Richardson’s longest 

field goal this season was 

a 51-yarder in the Ohio 

game. He thinks in normal 

conditions he could kick in 

the mid-50 yard range. 

What is the key for Richardson 

when he is kicking? 

“You just have to go 

out and think that every 

kick is the same,” he said. 

“There’s a lot of repetition. 

It’s sort of the same thing as 

a golf swing, except you’re 

kicking it.” 

A 2018 Brother Rice 

graduate, Richardson had 

tons of success at the Chicago 

school. He was second 

in the state for most 

consecutive PATs made 

with 101 over his three seasons 

on the varsity team. 

He was named Special 

Teams Player of the Year 

following his sophomore, 

junior and senior seasons. 

He was first team All- 

Conference in the Catholic 

League Blue as a senior. 

Richardson made a careerlong 

field goal from 48 

yards out during the 2017 

season and hit six of his 

eight field goal attempts 

overall. As a sophomore, 

he connected on all nine of 

his field goal attempts and 

added seven field goals in 

2016. 

Brother Rice coach Brian 

Badke is happy to see 

Richardson succeed. 

“We are so excited for 

Johnny and his success this 

past season,” Badke said. 

“He had a great year and 

having two walk-off gamewinning 

field goals is pretty 

special. We look forward to 

following John and NIU 

football for the years to 

come. 

“We have had a few players 

over the years attend 

and play NIU that graduated 

from Brother Rice such 

as Brenden Dolan, Steve 

Nye, Mike McShane, Dan 

Nicholson, Marcus Jones, 

and now Johnny Richardson.” 

When he was in high 

school, Richardson attended 

a Kohl’s Professional 

Football Kicking Camp in 

Aurora. There, he kicked a 

63-yard field goal and advanced 

to another of those 

camps in Florida. Along 

the way, he got noticed by 

NIU and committed to the 

school. 

Richardson, who is majoring 

in business administration 

with a minor in 

accountancy, could not be 

happier at NIU. He is looking 

forward to the next 

three seasons of being a 

Huskie. While he said he 

“doesn’t look up to any 

NFL kickers” he can dream 

of playing in the NFL 

someday. 

“Sure, if the opportunity 

presented itself,” Richardson 

said of joining an NFL 

team. “It’s definitely something 

I’d look into.”



fastbreak 

THURSDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK 

Coyne gets King-sized kudos for video and scrimmage 

1ST AND 3 

PHOTO SUBMITTED 

A FEW FACTS AND 

FIGURES ABOUT 

ORLAND PARK KICKER 

JOHN RICHARDSON 

(ABOVE) AND NIU’S 

FOOTBALL TEAM 

1. A good PAT-tern 

Richardson had 

101 straight pointafter-touchdown 

kicks for Brother 

Rice in high school 

and went 30-for-30 

in 2019 for Northern 

Illinois University. 

2. Strong leg 

Not only did Richardson 

kick gamewinning 

field goals 

in Ohio and Toledo, 

earlier in the Ohio 

game, he kicked a 

51-yard field goal. 

3. Also from Orland 

The seventh-leading 

kicking point 

scorer in NIU history 

is Mike Salerno, 

a Sandburg grad 

and OP native, 

who notched 184 

points. 

Jeff Vorva 

Sports Editor 

There was a time 

when Billie Jean 

King was one of the 

biggest sports stars on the 

planet. 

The tennis great won 

countless tournaments, 

including 39 Grand Slam 

titles. In 1973, a goofy 

exhibition with 55-yearold 

Bobby Riggs was one 

of the hugest events of the 

decade, and they made a 

movie about it a few years 

ago. 

She has done so much 

for women’s sports over 

the years. 

King is still making 

appearances and trying to 

promote women’s sports 

as much as she can. 

The legend is a big fan 

of Kendall Coyne Schofield, 

a Sandburg graduate 

who may or not become 

as big of a name as Billie 

Jean King, but is extremely 

important to female athletes 

of this generation. 

King, who has more 

than 504,000 Twitter followers 

recently tweeted 

two cool things that are 

going on with our local 

hero. 

First, King was impressed 

with and hawked 

a video feature that was to 

debut on Blackhawks TV 

Wednesday, Jan. 22, and 

can be found on Black 

hawks.com. It is a profile 

of Coyne and her life, 

gold- and silver- medal 

Olympic career, and her 

trailblazing race around 

the rink as the first woman 

to compete in the NHL 

Skills competition in 

2019 during its All-Star 

weekend. 

It is called “As Fast as 

Her” and the Blackhawks’ 

tagline for the feature is 

“Who knew one lap would 

inspire so many?” 

Billie Jean was not 

done. She also promoted 

another event 

that Coyne will be a part 

of: a 20-minute 3-on- 

3 scrimmage between 

two women’s teams as a 

part of the NHL All-Star 

festivities at on Friday, 

Jan. 24, at the Enterprise 

Center in St. Louis. 

The scrimmage between 

United States and 

Canadian stars is dubbed 

the Elite Women’s 3 on 3 

Game. 

“I was the individual 

who skated that lap,” 

Coyne told the Associated 

Press. “So to step alongside 

19 other women just 

shows how we’ve earned 

this opportunity to have 

more women involved.” 

NHL Chief Content 

Officer Steve Mayer, who 

was also geeked up by 

Coyne’s performance last 

year told the AP, “It was 

Kendall Coyne is a subject of a Chicago Blackhawks video feature and will be a part 

of the NHL All-Star game festivities in a 3-on-3 women’s scrimmage. 

DAVE REGINEK/USA HOCKEY 

just this moment, having 

been there and experienced 

it, that you’ll never 

forget. And then we had to 

look immediately, how in 

the world are we going to 

top this?” 

We will see Friday. 

More good hockey news 

The day after Coyne 

and her friends skate 

around for the good of 

women’s sports, the 

Eagles Hockey Club will 

be skating around the 

Arctic Ice Arena in Orland 

Park for the good of some 

athletes with special 

needs. 

The Eagles are to 

take on the Blackhawks 

Special Hockey team in a 

fundraising scrimmage at 

3:40 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 

25. 

There will be raffles, a 

Chuck-A-Puck and skills 

competitions. 

Money raised will go to 

the Special Blackhawks 

team, which features 

Sandburg Special Olympian 

Colin Lewis. 

This is the second time 

Lewis and his Blackhawks 

pals play in Orland Park. 

On Jan. 11, the Blackhawks 

faced an Orland 

Park Vikings team that 

featured Colin’s brother, 

Brendan. 

That event raised 

$3,610. 

LISTEN UP 

“It was really cool because it was the last play of the 

game, and my teammates picked me up and carried me.” 

John Richardson — NIU kicker and Orland Park native, on his 

game-winning field goal against Ohio 

WHAT2WATCH 

WRESTLING 

Various times, Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25 

• Sandburg is at the SouthWest Suburban 

Conference Blue meet at Stagg High School. 

Index 

42 - Girls basketball 

41 - Athlete of the Week 

Compiled by Sports Editor Jeff Vorva, 

J.vorva@22ndcm.com

Orland Park’s Hometown Newspaper | January 23, 2020 

STAGG-ERING Sandburg 

gets back on winning track with 

win over D230 foe, Page 45 

HIGH-FIVE Eagles boys bowlers win 

fifth straight regional as a freshman and 

sophomore lead them, Page 43 

John Richardson kicks a game-winning field goal for Northern Illinois University 

against Toledo in November — his second game-winner of the season. 

LON HORWEDEL/NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY 

Orland Park’s Richardson kicks a pair of game-winning FGs for NIU his first season, Page 46 

We’re 

Focused on 

SM 

Award-Winning Health Care from Experienced, 

Caring Professionals 

paloshealth.com/today

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