Chicagoland Archives - Page 8 of 27

GLBT Movie Series Opens Saturday At The Park Forest Holiday Star

Posted on June 17, 2010 by TL

As part of its ongoing effort to provide entertainment for each of its members, The Holiday Star will begin showing the first in a series of gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgendered (GLBT) movies this Saturday night, June 19th at 7 p.m.

The feature “Were the World Mine,” a story of gay empowerment, inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Theater owner Kenny Yochelson says Park Forest is a unique community with a diverse group of people and cultures, "Our responsibility as an entertainment venue is to fulfill the needs of our community. What separates us from other theaters, is our ability to listen and react. The GLBT Movie Series is a direct reaction to the needs of an underserved GLBT community here in Park Forest and we’re happy to fill that void. We like to keep things constantly moving and fun. The patron’s needs aside, if it weren’t for our special events and the wonderful folks who attend…I’d get bored!"

Yochelson says costumes are welcome and encouraged.

Sounds like a blast.

Why Do People Celebrate by Shooting Guns?

Posted on June 12, 2010 by TL

Two Naperville men face Class 4 felony charges because of the way they allegedly chose to celebrate the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup victory.

From the Sun-Times:

A Naperville man and his son caught the unexpected attention of police as the men allegedly celebrated the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup victory by firing rounds from an assault rifle into the ground behind their home.

Mark W. Steinbrecher, 54, and his son Mark S. Steinbrecher, 20, were wearing shirts embossed with Blackhawks and Stanley Cup insignia when their booking photographs were taken at the Naperville police station. Both men face Class 4 felony charges of reckless discharge of a firearm.

Police Cmdr. Dave Hoffman said patrol officers were sent at 12:40 a.m. to the Steinbrechers’ house on Naperville’s far southwest side. A neighbor called 911 to report "a subject in the backyard firing a weapon,” Hoffman said.

I don’t understand.

Welcome to the Summer of Blagojevich

Posted on June 12, 2010 by TL

It’s not yet bedtime for Blago, but the madness has officially begun.

From John Kass at the Chicago Tribune:

The former Democratic governor of Illinois now has only one audience to charm: his jurors. And they’ve had one heck of a week already, being dragged down the rabbit hole into the wonderland of Illinois politics.

They watched Dead Meat perform from the defense table, sighing, shrugging and making faces at a former chief of staff testifying for the prosecution. Dead Meat was desperate to convince them he’s just an honest man victimized by a pack of schemers.

On just the second day of testimony, the jury was treated to a peek into the political shadows, with audio of Rod praising good buddy and state Sen. Jimmy DeLeo, D-How You Doin?, as the one guy he could trust to bring in the campaign cash.

The Summer of Blagojevich, hopefully the last season we’ll spend with the wild-haired one before he’s sent away, has begun.

Chicago Blackhawks Drink Lord Stanley’s Cup

Posted on June 9, 2010 by TL

Park Foresters celebrate the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup victory at the Holiday Star Theater. (Photo: ENEWSPF)

The Chicago Blackhawks drink from Lord Stanley’s Cup, ending professional hockey’s longest drought. Patrick Kane sealed the slim 4-3 overtime victory with a slam that just kissed net after passing under Flyers goalie Michael Leighton. After brief hesitation while officials and television comentators comprehended the winning goal, fans at Park Forest’s Holiday Star Theater, and throughout the rest of the Chicagoland area, erupted in cheers.

Chicago drinks the cup again at last.

Richard Roeper had the honor summarizing the game at the Sun-Times:

Victory!

The enigmatic half-smile of Chief Blackhawk has widened to a full-out expression of joy. OK, so there might be a few teeth missing in that smile in honor of Duncan Keith, but oh what a satisfying grin it is.

Let that signature horn of victory blare deep into the night, as Chicago celebrates its first major championship in a half-decade, brought to us by the best team in their sport — a team that outlasted, outsmarted and outplayed Nashville, Vancouver, San Jose and finally, Philadelphia, home of the nastiest fans and the most weirdly-bearded players in all of hockey.

It seemed as if the playoff marathon lasted nearly as long as the regular season. (Do the Bears kick-off tomorrow?) When it was finally over, there was one team left standing, one team hoisting the fabled Stanley Cup. After decades of watching the Oilers and the Islanders and the Red Wings and the Penguins and so many other franchises have their day, it’s finally Chicago’s turn.

Let “Chelsea Dagger” and “Here Come the Hawks” play until your iPod explodes and your ears bleed.

Rattle your windows as if you were a fan in the front row celebrating a goal by Patrick Kane or a bell-ringing hit by Dusty Byfuglien.

Drink out of your own cup to celebrate the first Stanley Cup to be claimed by the Chicago Blackhawks since John F. Kennedy was a freshly minted president, Roger Maris was making a run at Babe Ruth’s single season home run record and a band called the Beatles was performing for the first time at the Cavern Club.

At this moment, it doesn’t matter if you’re an Original Six diehard who saw Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita skate in the glory days, or a newbie whose feet still feel the sting from jumping on the bandwagon. You have the right to cheer as much as you want for as long as you want.

Job Market Thaws Slightly for 2010 Grads

Posted on May 31, 2010 by TL

This year’s graduates may find a few more jobs than last year’s grads..

No, this is not the news we had been waiting for. The economy is still in recovery mode, but some indicators are looking better.

From the Sun-Times:

The National Association of Colleges and Employers spring job outlook survey revealed employers plan to increase college hiring by 5.3 percent this year from 2009. A separate NACE student survey found 24.4 percent of responding graduating college seniors who applied for jobs said they had jobs waiting this year. That is up from 19.7 percent who said so a year earlier, but still no major turnaround.

Staff at local universities said they have not yet completed their surveys of students’ job search results. But job postings are up at some. Still others have seen dropoffs in employer interest as the shaky economy continues to make it tough for graduates to launch their careers.

Still, the numbers are all over the place in Chicago:

The University of Chicago has seen a 36 percent increase in job postings this year compared to last, and the number of recruiters on campus rose 23 percent, said Marthe Druska, senior associate director, Career Advising & Planning Services.

At DePaul University, April job postings — the most recent data available — were up 37 percent. Still, that was 40 percent below April 2008, notes Carol Montgomery, associate vice president of career and money management at DePaul. The university meanwhile saw an 11 percent drop in the 2009-10 year in the number of employers attending job fairs this year compared to last, she said.

Job postings and internships at the University of Illinois at Chicago fell 10 percent, and employers attending job fairs declined 33 percent, said Katherine Battee-Freeman, assistant director for recruitment.

Graduating seniors here expected a tough time in their job search. Among them was DePaul business student Jacqueline Scharf, who majored in operations management.

To the grads, remember, any job "in the meantime" is better than sitting on mom and dad’s couch. So suck it up, get over yourself, and get out there. Work fast food or drive a cab, whatever it takes. Stay active and show employers you want to work and can do so dependably.

Park Forest Police Charge 18-year-old with Shooting Death of 20-year-old

Posted on May 18, 2010 by TL

(Photo: PFPD)

Park Forest, IL– The Park Forest Police Department announced this evening that eighteen-year-old Jason Burns of 4648 Clarendon Ave., Richton Park, has been charged in connection with the May 12 shooting death of Park Forest resident Adam Martinez.

Six days ago, on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at approximately 11:30 P.M., Park Forest Police responded to a report of gun shots fired in the 100 block of Hemlock. Responding officers found a twenty-year-old Hispanic male, later identified as Adam Martinez, of 6 Illinois Ct, Park Forest, sitting in the driver’s seat of a 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the middle of the parking lot of court H-12. Officers could see one visible bullet hole in the passenger side of the front car door. Adam had been shot once in the right side of the head.

Responding officers and Park Forest paramedics assisted the victim, transporting him to St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights for treatment, police said. Friends of the victim who were with Martinez at the time of the shooting were located. Police credit those friends and many local neighborhood residents for assisting the police in helping to identify the alleged offenders and bring about the arrests of those involved.

The Park Forest Police Department Investigations Commander activated the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force (SSMCTF). The Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services unit also responded.

The SSMCTF is a combined unit of police detectives and command officers, comprised of local agency, Cook County Sheriff’s Police and Illinois State Police Detectives. This multi-jurisdictional, mutual aid team assists member agencies by providing manpower and technical support in major crimes.

"The Major Crimes Task Force is one of the Country’s most successful multi-agency murder task forces," said Park Forest Deputy Chief Michael McNamara.

Adam Martinez died on Thursday May 13, 2010 at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn.

The Cook County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death homicide from a gunshot.

During the next five days, police say Task Force Detectives worked around the clock. Suspects and witnesses were identified and located. Numerous statements of those involved lead investigators to believe that Adam Martinez and his passengers had no connection to Jason Burns, but were allegedly mistaken by Jason Burns as individuals involved in an earlier altercation with a friend of Burns’.

Burns allegedly fired a firearm into the vehicle, killing Adam Martinez, according to police.

The Cook County States’ Attorney’s Office approved the charge of first degree murder against Burns. Jason Burns will appear for a bond hearing before a Markham 6th District Judge on Wednesday morning, May 19, 2010 at 9:00 a.m.

At this time, out of respect to the Martinez family, there will be no interviews given by members of the Park Forest Police Department to the media.

Source: PFPD Press Release via eNews Park Forest

Jewel-Osco: Where Have All the People Gone?

Posted on May 16, 2010 by TL

I ran to Jewel-Osco this morning before mass for dish detergent, and left with everything but.

After forgetting the item I really needed, I debated on waiting for a cashier, or trying to negotiate one of the so-called “self-checkout” lanes. Been there before, and the self-checkouts can be quick. More often than not, they’re simply annoying as the simple recorded voice reminds you to “place your item on the belt,” or “in a bag.”

I opted for the human being, telling her the self-checkout lanes cost real people jobs, and I prefer to work with people.

“Really? I hadn’t heard that side before,” she replied. “It takes three people to run those.”

There are seven self-checkout lanes at this particular store in Olympia Fields. Even using conservative figures for staffing of one cashier and three baggers for those seven lanes, that still means seven human beings are out of work.

Do the math with all Jewel-Osco stores in the Chicagoland area and beyond, and, well, you get the picture. They have 185 stores nationwide. Multiply that by the two to three shifts of people who are not working because of these shopping ports, and we’re suddenly talking real people without real jobs, or health care, etc. etc. etc.

Jewel-Osco: great savings every week, at a price.

Betty Loren-Maltese Will Now Take Your Call

Posted on May 14, 2010 by TL

Betty Loren-Maltese is done with the pizza business. Now, she wants a talk radio program.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Betty Loren-Maltese says she has quit her job as hostess at an Oak Park pizza restaurant because she did not make enough money and would like to pursue a career as a radio talk show host.

The former Cicero town president said she enjoyed her time at Salerno’s Pizza and Pasta restaurant, where she began working on April 7.

But she said she did not make enough money to live on. She said one of her paychecks for four nights’ work totaled $216.75.

"It worked out to about $3 to $4 an hour," she said. "I cannot survive on that."
Loren-Maltese says she took the job because she is strapped for cash after being released from a federal prison for her role in a scheme that bilked the town of more than $12 million.

Loren-Maltese said she needs money to prove to a judge in Alabama that she is financially sound so she can regain custody of her 13-year-old daughter.

Loren-Maltese said she is doing computer research on foreclosed homes while she pursues other opportunities.

One job she said she would like is to host her own radio show. Last month, Loren-Maltese was guest co-host of "The Cliff Kelley Show" at WVON radio.

Here we go.

Free Rides May Finally End for Illinois Seniors

Posted on May 5, 2010 by TL

First, Illinois’ senior citizens must realize that Rod Blagojevich was practicing cheap politics when he railroaded free rides for seniors through the legislature. The state of Illinois simply can’t afford this for every senior in the state.

For those of you tuning in from other states, this has meant free rides on the CTA, Metra and Pace. Public transportation.

Generally, it’s easier to get something past the House of any legislature. Senates, state and the big one in D.C., can be more temperamental.

Well, today, the Illinois Senate took a vote:

The days of all Illinois seniors riding free on the CTA, Metra and Pace could be numbered. On Wednesday, the state Senate voted to limit those free rides to seniors who need them most. CBS 2’s Mike Parker reports it’s all about money.

Transit agencies have been complaining that the free ride program is costing them millions in lost revenue every year.

Some estimates have gone as high as $60 million a year in lost fare money. Those losses have affected the CTA, Metra and the RTA. Now the Senate has voted to limit free transit for seniors.

Single people over 65 who make more than about $41,000 a year could no longer ride for free. In a two-person household, the income limit would be about $55,000.

CBS 2 Chicago reminds us, " The free rides were inserted into legislation two years ago by then-governor Rod Blagojevich, who used it as a bargaining chip in a budget battle with the legislature."

It was a ploy — and a bad idea — from the start.

I recall a conversation with one Chicago legislator after Rod pushed this through the legislature. At the time, there was no know way to pay for the free rides. But the bill passed.

Thank you to the Illinois senators for working to plug the gap.

Governor Quinn, sign the bill.

For Honest Government, Oak Forest Must Keep Village Manager

Posted on May 1, 2010 by TL

Oak Forest is insane for considering the elimination of the position of Village Manager. Steger has apparently already gone off the deep end, voting to eliminate the position of Village Administrator.

This is wrong – and dangerous – on so many levels.

Here’s the danger: Blagojevich, Blagojevich, Blagojevich. And I’ll throw in the name Ryan, too.

It’s not that elected officials are inherently evil or unethical. It’s that elected officials and hired staff are human. As such, they are, we all are, susceptible to temptation. Thus, I believe, the genius of that line in the Lord’s Prayer Christians pray, "…lead us not into temptation." Why is that such an important and beautiful prayer for human beings?

Because human beings are easily tempted.

The position of Village Manager isolates elected officials on the local level from power — and that is a good thing. That is a necessary thing. The Council-Manager form of government is one of the smartest ideas on the planet.

Elected officials set policy.
The Village Manager and staff implement policy, and handle the day-to-day operations of village government.

What’s this all about?

From the Southtown Star:

Oak Forest Mayor Hank Kuspa came up with a surprising suggestion Thursday night to help the city save money: Eliminate the city administrator job.

Kuspa painted a grim financial picture for the city at a meeting of the city council’s finance committee and called for creative ways to help resolve its budget crisis.

Then he came up with one – abolishing the key post of city administrator, held now by John Marquart at a salary of $155,000.

In a prepared statement to aldermen, Kuspa called cutting the position, which oversees the daily operation of city government, "perhaps the hardest decision of all." He did not say how city operations would be managed if the position were eliminated.

First, Oak Forest will be losing much, much more than they will gain by eliminating a $155,000 salary. Oak Forest’s elected officials will be putting themselves one step closer to the temptation of running Oak Forest the way Todd Stroger has run Cook County: government-by-patronage. And patronage is a horribly expensive way to run government.

Tax payers of Oak Forest, do you really want your elected officials dolling out jobs, giving jobs to friends, creating jobs for friends and family? You need to think long-term. 20 years from now, in the absence of a Great Recession, what will your elected officials be up to? What power will they have that they do not have now? How many of their relatives will they have hired for positions that do not now exist?

Mayor Hank Kuspa and the board are putting Oak Forest on a suicide course. Village Managers — and Village Administrators — are essential to keeping elected officials focused on policy as opposed to patronage.

The temptation is too great. Elected officials — present and future — need to isolate themselves from temptation.

Or they, and Oak Forest, won’t have a prayer.