Elm Leaves

New scoreboards go up at EPHS

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:14:07 -0600

After years of fund-raising, indoor sporting events at Elmwood Park High School have a new look. Through various fund-raising events, members of Elmwood Park High School Athletic Booster Club raised $18,000 for the two new scoreboards, which were installed in the school’s gymnasium Jan. 25 and 26. Elmwood Park School District 401 Athletic Director Doug Noyes said since the new scoreboards have been up and running they’ve received a lot of compliments on how good they look. “The scoreboard looks a little bit brighter,” he said. “It makes the gym look a lot nicer. It’s been a good addition.” He …

Voterama in Congress, week ending Feb. 10, 2012

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:20:02 -0600

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted to bar members of Congress and their staff from using inside legislative information in personal stock trading. Members empowered presidents to veto discretionary-spending items providing that both houses of Congress then vote to approve of the rescissions. Members also required new rules for figuring the budgetary impact of federal loan programs. Senators, meanwhile, approved a federal aviation budget, and they advanced a bill to authorize federal road, bridge, transit and highway-safety programs through Sept. 30, 2013.

Snow, warmer temperatures expected this week

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:56:20 -0600

The bitter cold temperatures that hit the Chicago area over the weekend are expected to give way to snow Monday and then milder weather by the end of the week. Temperatures are expected to climb to 35 degrees on Monday, when there is an 80 percent chance of snow after 3 p.m., according to the National Weather Service’s website. About two inches of accumulation is possible by Tuesday morning. While the temperature is expected to climb from a weekend low of 10 degrees Saturday morning, wind gusts as high as 20 miles per will remain Monday afternoon, the weather service …

Kirk moved to Chicago rehab center

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:06:02 -0600

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, who suffered a stroke nearly three weeks ago, was transferred Friday to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Snow makes its way back to the area Friday

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:00:02 -0600

Feeling a chill in the air? Snow will be back as soon as Friday when lake effect snow could hit the city and Northwest Indiana with six inches.

Benefit to help woman undergoing chemo

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:14:25 -0600

The Elmwood Park community is rallying behind a woman with cancer to help buy her a wig. The public is invited to gather Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Zia’s Hair Salon, 7416 W. Grand Ave. for the benefit and raffle. Proceeds will raise money for a resident who will soon be undergoing chemotherapy to fight cancer. Hair Today-Gone for Charlotte hopes to raise money to buy the woman a nice wig and other necessities she may need. Food and refreshments will also be served at the event. …

St. Celestine celebrates Catholic Schools Week

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:22:25 -0600

Correction Feb. 9, 2012: The photo captions mistakenly listed the wrong school of this event. It should been St. Celestine. The information is corrected below. The Elm Leaves regrets the error. In celebration of Catholic Schools Week, the students at St. Celestine celebrated their faith and team spirit by participating in a Knights of Columbus free throw basketball competition. To show team spirit students wore their favorite sports jerseys instead of their uniform shirt. …

Winter Wonderland at St. Celestine

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:14:31 -0600

St. Celestine held its Winter Wonderland Feb. 3. The Rev. Jeffery Grob strapped on goggles and took wet sponges to the face from children and adults alike. The fun fair game with two direct hits would win a student the highly coveted “out of uniform for the day” pass. …

Senior crafts holiday memories for students

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:14:38 -0600

With yarn and a little imagination, an Elmwood Park woman has been making area children smile on Valentine’s Day and other holidays. Lucille Chomacke, 93, points to the “Thank You” cards in her home from local elementary school students she has received over the years. “Look at all the smiles on the kids’ faces,” Chomacke said admiring the pictures of students wearing the pumpkin buttons. She believes the heart-shaped buttons she is working on for Valentine’s Day will be a hit as well. Then it’s on to making small baskets for Mother’s Day and bunny buttons for Easter. The heart …

Crime taskforce’s cases up by 65 %

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:34:04 -0600

An annual report issued last week by West Suburban Directed Gang Enforcement taskforce mostly highlighted a number of headline-grabbing arrests that took place in 2011. But it also addressed a strategy the multijurisdictional law enforcement group has grown fond of: long-term investigation. WEDGE is a special unit composed of officers from Berwyn, Cicero, Elmwood Park, Forest Park, Oak Park, Riverside, River Forest and Stickney. Since late 2008, the group has worked to tackle regional drug and gang problems. Presently, the task force is working to craft a long-term strategy to deal with those issues. This means there will likely be …

Catholic cemeteries offer to bury 300 bodies stacked at morgue

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:28:02 -0600

The Archdiocese of Chicago is offering to pay for up to 300 burials for the bodies being held at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

Oak Park cops nab suspect in bank robbery

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:33:25 -0600

Oak Park police dragged a suspect from a trash dumpster where he was hiding after allegedly robbing a bank on Tuesday afternoon. A man wearing sunglasses and a scarf over his face entered the Charter One Bank, 810 S. Oak Park Ave., at 1:44 p.m. He displayed a handgun and ordered everyone inside the bank to the floor. Witnesses say he then jumped over the counter, grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash from a cash drawer, and ran out of the bank. The suspect’s description was broadcast to patrol units, which responded to the area around Oak Park Avenue and …

Police: Northlake teen’s fatal shooting was gang retaliation

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:00:10 -0600

Northlake police are certain gang retaliation was behind the shooting death of an 18-year-old who was watching TV at home early Tuesday when five bullets came through his living room window.

Saviano reserves judgment on Quinn’s outline for state

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:24:37 -0600

State Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano (R-77th) is giving Gov. Pat’s Quinn’s State of the State address last week a mixed review. During a 35-minute speech, Quinn focused both on accomplishments and goals. Under accomplishments, he listed the passage of ethics laws, legalizing civil unions, raising the standard of care in nursing homes, cutting red tape for businesses that need environmental permits, and investing in public works. “He did a lot of good things,” Saviano said. “He did them in consultation with the Legislature. “He worked for a capital infrastructure program.” Saviano added,” Someone has to be a cheerleader. Overall, it’s …

St. Cyprian celebrates culture during Catholic Schools Week

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:22:25 -0600

To honor Catholic Schools Week, St. Cyprian students brought a little culture to school. “We want to teach students to celebrate our differences and accept one another,” said Sister Kathleen Klingen. The students started off by writing reports on their nationalities. St. Cyprian has a diverse population including Italian, Irish, Mexican, German, Chinese, Filipino and Hindu families. The students learned to research their own cultures and their classmates. “We want students to realize that wherever they go, they should make friends,” said Klingen. “It is important to learn and live with different cultures.” On Jan. 29, the students conducted a …

Cicero couple nabbed for alleged video pirating

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:13:56 -0600

Elmwood Park police broke up an illegal video pirating scheme after a routine traffic stop for malfunctioning brake lights. When police pulled over the car on Jan. 26 at Grand Avenue and 75th Avenue, the officer noticed a suitcase on the back seat and got permission to search the car. Officers found more than 800 DVDs in the suitcase and in a backpack. The car’s occupants, Paula Loaiza, 35, and Juan Salgado, 29, of 2137 S. 61st St., Cicero, told police they had bought the suitcase and backpack from a man in Chicago. That opened an investigation by Elmwood Park …