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6 | March 19, 2020 | the homer horizon news homerhorizondaily.com Homer Glen Village Board Officials, police lieutenant chide residents for mocking deputy Measure also approved to create service area for development Benjamin Conboy Assistant Editor The Village of Homer Glen Board of Trustees condemned some residents at its March 11 meeting for mocking and antagonizing a Will County Sheriff’s Office deputy in Facebook groups. “Traffic Deputy [Harold] Toong is doing his job every day to keep residents safe,” Mayor George Yukich said. “The Village gets hundreds of speeding complaints every year. Deputy Toong responds respectfully to these requests all over the Village, preventing speeding and keeping people safe. This isn’t possible if residents are sharing the location of the police.” Yukich is referring to posts on Facebook where residents have made a game out of sighting Toong while out and about in the community. Toong has garnered a reputation among these groups for giving out a lot of speeding tickets. “I understand people don’t like the tickets,” Yukich said. “But if you aren’t speeding, you won’t get a ticket. If you’re trying to catch up with where [Toong] is at, you’re worried about the wrong thing.” Lt. Jim Holuj, of the Will County Sheriff’s Office who is in charge of policing in Homer Glen, read a prepared statement in which he urged residents in these Facebook groups to refrain from making personal attacks on Deputy Toong for doing his job and enforcing speed limits. “The past several weeks people have been singling out a Homer Glen traffic deputy on social media,” Holuj said. “Comments have steadily gotten worse, calling his integrity into question, calling him derogatory and racist names and disrespecting his service in the U.S. Army. How would you feel if your loved one was being treated like this for doing his job?” Holuj said the game of finding Toong’s location has presented a public safety issue. “Some people have suggested speeding where he is not located or purposely speeding so they can get pulled over and take selfies with him,” Holuj said. Trustee Beth Rodgers expelled a myth that the Village somehow benefits from the number of tickets given out. “There’s this notion that the Village makes money on these tickets,” Rodgers said. “That’s just not true.” Goodings Grove special service area The board approved a measure to create a dormant special service area for The Square at Goodings Grove, a new housing development off of Bell Road. The special service area is put in place to make sure the incoming homeowner’s association takes care of public areas and infrastructure within the development, such as lighting, signs and landscaping. If the homeowner’s association lets any part of the development fall into disrepair, the board will activate the special service area and will be allowed FISH FRY From Page 5 between the Post members, veterans, the Ladies Auxiliary, the Legion Riders and the Sons of American Legion, there are over 1,000 members. Trustee Burian resigns from Village Board Will take on new position as chief of staff for Illinois State Senate Benjamin Conboy Assistant Editor Trustee Brian Burian announced his resignation March 11 from the Homer Burian Glen Village Board at its regular meeting. Burian has accepted a new position as the chief of staff of the Illinois State Senate. Due to the demands of the new position, he will no longer be able to serve on the Village Board. “I believe the residents of Homer Glen deserve someone who can represent their interests over to levy a tax specifically on that development, so that taxpayers in the rest of the Village will not have to shoulder the burden of funding repairs. In approving the special service area, the board set a maximum tax levy of .2 “Fifty percent of our membership is Lockport and a lot of members from Homer Glen,” Meyers said. Summing it up, Jack Hale, a scout from Homer Glen from Troop 63, said he is determined to always live the Boy Scout promise. “I try and encourage my friends to become a scout because you get to go to camp outs, learn survival and life skills,” Hale said. The 10 year old was also honored to help at the fish fry. the next several months and attend important meetings,” Burian said. “It’s been one of the great honors of my life to serve the residents of this community for the last five years, and I am enormously proud of the many things we accomplished together for Homer Glen.” Mayor George Yukich, with the concurrence of the other trustees, will appoint someone to fill Burian’s position for the remainder of his term, ending May 2021. “I know I will definitely miss you,” Yukich said to Burian. “But I know what you’re getting into, and I would never want to get in your way.” Burian chaired the Village’s Community & Economic Development Committee, and his stewardship of that committee earned praise from Trustee Keith Gray. “You made it look easy, you made it look welcoming and you made it look worthwhile,” Gray said. “I appreciate the influence you’ve had upon me, Brian, and I’ll miss you. You’ve been a great colleague.” Trustee Beth Rodgers said she hopes Burian’s new position in the State legislature will help the Village grow closer to Springfield. “I’m sure that we’ll hear from you in the coming years and gain some insight into what’s going on [in Springfield] and get ahead of some of the things that happen there,” Rodgers said. The Village of Homer Glen will be accepting resumes for this vacancy until March 27. Interested residents should send a resume and cover letter to Village Manager Karie Friling at kfriling@ homerglenil.org or by mail at 14240 W. 151st St., Homer Glen, Illinois 60491. percent of the equalized assessed value of the property within the special service area. “This really will affect future residents of The Square at Goodings Grove,” Trustee Keith Gray said. “It’s just an insurance policy so if they don’t do the duties they are obligated to do, it won’t fall to all of the taxpayers of the Village. It will just fall on the homeowners within that area. They will pay into a fund to take care of all of that.” “Most people here are veterans, which served our country,” he said. “They helped us, so we want to give back and help them.” For more information on the Friday Fish Fry, visit alegion18.org.
homerhorizondaily.com news the homer horizon | March 19, 2020 | 7 Governor orders schools closed, local schools prepared for eLearning days Staff Report Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday, March 13, that he is ordering all public and private Illinois schools closed from March 17 to March 30 as more people in Illinois have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Local schools are preparing to institute eLearning days to make up for the lack of classroom instruction time. Here is what local school districts are planning. Lockport Township High School District 205 In a letter to the community from March 13, Lockport Township High School District 205 Superintendent Robert Mc- Bride said the district has anticipated the emergency closure and has prepared an emergency eLearning plan. Students had an opportunity to access their lockers to retrieve laptops and other materials they may need on Monday, March 16. The school will be closed from that date through March 27. All after-school activities and practices are canceled until further notice. The district’s spring break runs from March 30 to April 5, setting a tentative return date after the end of spring break. A decision to hold events scheduled after April 6 will be determined at a later date, McBride said. More details about the eLearning plan are forthcoming from the district. McBride’s statement can be read at lths.org/ Page/2577. Homer Community 6 5 Consolidated School District 33C In response to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announcing Friday, March 13, that all schools statewide will close due to the coronavirus pandemic, Homer Community Consolidated School District 33C Superintendent Craig Schoppe released a letter to parents and staff that same day noting the district would be closed beginning Monday, March 16 through March 27, followed by spring break from March 30-April 5. Knowing the closure of schools due to COVID-19 was a possibility, the district had already been finalizing emergency eLearning plans, Schoppe said. In preparation for nonstudent attendance days, Reptile conference with now former Homer resident, his alligator canceled Thomas Czaja, Editor Former Homer Glen resident Jim Nesci and his alligator, Bubba, were supposed to attend one final event in the area, the North American Reptile Breeders Conference, on Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15, at the Tinley Park Convention Center, before moving to Florida on Monday, March 16. But Nesci, who has been putting on his Cold Blooded Creatures show with Bubba and other animals for years around the area, teaching “Conservation though Education” to a variety of groups, was unable to make that last nearby appearance, as the event was canceled Thursday, March 12, because of coronavirus concerns. The NARBC said on Facebook they were canceling the event because Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker Please see SC<strong>HO</strong>OL, 13 6 that same day announced the shutdown of all events having 1,000 or more people. All pre-ordered tickets for the show were to be honored at the NARBC October show or sooner, if they are able to reschedule before that, according to the post. A Friday, March 13, post noted new spring dates for the show are slated for June 19-21, pending the status of the pandemic at that time. Mayor Yukich issues message on COVID-19 to community Thomas Czaja, Editor Homer Glen Mayor George Yukich issued a message on the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, March 13, that is posted on the Village’s website. In it, he notes the Village has been in contact with State and County officials regarding the virus, urging everyone take precautions such as social distancing and not touching their face. He also asked the public to stay calm, saying at that time of his message there were 144,000 people in the world with COVID-19 out of a worldwide population of more than 7.8 billion people. He likewise asked families to take care of one another and keep up with news reports. For general questions on COVID-19 and Illinois’s response and guidance, he said to call the coronavirus hotline at 1-(800) 889- 3931 or email dph.sick@ illinois.gov. He also provided further resources for residents, including the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website at dph.illionis.gov and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention frequently asked questions page at cdc.gov/ coronavirus/2019-ncov/ faq.html. Read the mayor’s message at homergle nil.org/CivicAlerts. aspx?AID=532. Catholic churches cancel Mass, Parkview services go online, more Thomas Czaja, Editor St. Bernard Catholic Church and Our Mother of Good Counsel Catholic Church canceled Masses for the weekend of Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15, per the Diocese of Joliet. Weekday Mass at both parishes is still ongoing at St. Bernard at 9 a.m. and OMGCCC at 8 a.m., according to their respective websites, as of press time. Bishop Richard Pates released a statement Friday, March 13, on the Masses being canceled out of coronavirus concerns. “I fully realize that some of the accommodations are difficult for us in light of the great meaning of our prayer life,” Pates said in the statement. “But they are undertaken in the interest of the common good, which ultimately is to the benefit of us as individuals and as communities.” Pates added they will consider if any further action becomes necessary for future weekends. Exceptions are being made for weddings, funerals and Confirmations, as long as the State guideline of having no more than 250 people participate is observed. The bishop’s full letter can be read at dioceseofjo liet.org/communications/ newsdetail.php?id=119. Other Homer Catholic church events canceled include St. Bernard’s Happy Hours (Seniors Luncheon and Bingo) and religious education on Wednesday, March 18, the Knowledge and Prayer Series event at OMGCCC on Thursday, March 19, (with a new 5 date to be announced) and Family Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 20; the Grief Support Group on Saturday, March 21; an Evening of Reflection on Sunday, March 22; and the Stations of the Cross concert on Friday, March 27, all at St. Bernard. Each local Catholic parish was open for private prayer March 14 and 15. Parishioners can check back for updates at each church at stbernardhg.org/ news/covid-19-concerns and omgccc.org. Parkview Christian Church moves services online Parkview Christian Church, including its Homer Glen Campus, has suspended all large in-person gatherings effectively Please see CHURCHES, 12
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