A P R I L 18 , 2 0 1 8 V O L . 1 0 I S S U E 32
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EVENTS
Calendar Events Upcoming events in your area SEE PAGE 10
SPORTS
Mark made Lockport, Minooka team up to raise money SEE PAGE 7
BUSINESS Dave Says Don’t give debt collectors account access
SEE PAGE 11
JOLIETBUGLE.COM
WHISKY ALONE’ THWARTED PLAN TO STEAL LINCOLN’S BODY
SEE PAGE 4
FORUM SPOTLIGHT
LINCOLN’S LEGACY
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM
SCHOOL NEWS
Hofer’s 1st Family STEM Night a big hit Troy Hofer Elementary School has held an annual Family Game Night for several years, but this year, a student science fair and a science demonstration by “Dr. Shakey” were added to make the night, “Family S.T.E.M. Night.” This was the first year the Troy School District 30-C school has had a Science Club, explained one of the club’s coaches, teacher Jennifer Komosa. “We added the Science Club this year to extend S.T.E.M. to the students as an extracurricular event,” Komosa said. Club members began meeting in September, bi-weekly after school, learning about the scientific method, space, and other areas of science and watching episodes of the popular science entertainment television program, “Mythbusters.” Science Club students also chose a science question to re-
search and performed experiments, the results of which they displayed and explained at the S.T.E.M. Night. The 19 projects included the effect of heat on dissolving sugar and salt, a comparison of the lung capacity of boys and girls, the effect of paper airplane design on travel distance, crystal shape, the qualities of metals, the effect of boat design on flotation, the effect of ramp height and surface material on the distance balls can travel, comparing how fast various objects fall to the ground, and comparing strengths of various brands of paper towels. The other two Hofer Science Club coaches are teachers Chrissy Santerelli and Alexa Johnson. Tables were also set up in the school with such games as chess, checkers, Blik Blok, Mancala and other mind-challenging games
that parents could play with their children. Hofer’s ACE (accelerated classes) students and Student Council members hosted the event. The evening was capped by science demonstrations by “Dr. Shakey,” aka Tim Kueper, Hofer P.E. teacher Jon Kueper’s father and science aficionado. Experiments included demonstrating such scientific subjects as density, air pressure and gravity by floating bowling balls, stabbing potatoes with straws, balancing nails on top of each other, and holding glasses full of water upside down over staff members’ heads and hands. “By expanding science beyond the classroom,” Troy Hofer Principal Kristin Copes said, “we at Hofer are really trying to build that S.T.E.M. awareness with programs, events and clubs like these.”
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NEWS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM
COMMUNITY
‘Fantastiks’ coming to Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Musical is being directed by Michelle Heermann The Joliet Drama Guild is in the middle of rehearsals for its upcoming production “The Fantastiks.” “The Fantasticks” is one of the most classic musicals of all time and the Joliet Drama Guild is excited to bring a brand new production to life to the theater at Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park. Show times are May 3-5, May 1112 at 7:30 p.m. and May 6 at 2 p.m. The Fantasticks is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and their two fathers who try to keep them apart. The narrator, El Gallo, asks the audience to use their imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic. The boy and the girl fall in love, grow apart and finally find their way back to each other after realizing the truth in El Gallo’s words that, “without a hurt, the
heart is hollow.” “Try To Remember” a time when this romantic charmer wasn’t enchanting audiences around the world. The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in the world and with good reason: at the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers. The result is a timeless fable of love that manages to be nostalgic and universal at the same time. The musical is being directed by Michelle Heermann, with musical direction by Marty Kaspar. THE CAST IS AS FOLLOWS: • El Gallo: Matt Dodge • Luisa: Kristy Kesselring • Matt: Michael Mendoza • Hucklebee: John Hehl • Bellomy: Dan Jagodzinski • Mortimer: Elyse Lorenz • Henry: Lee Bric The Guild also has plans in place for summer as well. Itwill present Meredith Wilson’s “The Music Man” July 27, 28 and 29 and August 3,4 and 5. Auditions will
be May 7 and 8, with callbacks on May 10. Applications are currently being accepted for a music director. They are are also looking for assistants to these positions. Also, if you are interested in being a part of the production team behind the scenes; stage manager, assistant stage manager, stage crew, lighting designer, set designer, sound designer, and anything else you might like to do. All interested parties should submit a letter of interest to directorselection@joiletdramaguild.org along with a resume. For over 80 years, the Joliet Drama Guild has entertained residents of Joliet, Will County, and surrounding areas. Located at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theater on the edge of historic downtown Joliet, the Guild seeks to provide quality live entertainment at a low price. The Guild has actors and audience members that are in the second, and in some cases, third generation of involvement. For more information on the guild and on upcoming shows visit jolietdramaguild.org
COMMUNITY
Showcase for Peace on April 25 at Central H.S. Students from the Joliet Central High School Fearless Females Z Club, Brother 2 Brother, Black Student Union, and Club Puentes will host a Showcase for Peace on April 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Joliet Central High School Student Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Joliet. This free community event will feature student speeches, spoken word, dramatic and musical performances, as well as student artwork and photogra-
phy about their stance on gun violence in our schools and our community. The Showcase for Peace builds off the momentum of the #OurJT17 initiative to keep the conversation on safer schools going. Fearless Females Club Sponsor Ashley Samsa said, ““Students have been incredibly engaged with this issue and asking: ‘What’s next?’ We met with student representatives from each group and decided that this would be a great next step to keep the conversation going about gun violence in our schools and our community.”
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FORUM
We want to hear from you! Send us your feedback at sweditor@buglenewspapers.com WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Whisky alone’ thwarted plan to steal Lincoln’s body Lincoln’s Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery is the nation’s 2nd-mostvisited cemetery BY TARA MCCLELLAN MCANDREW FOR THE STATE JOURNALREGISTER It was July 3, 1876 — the eve of our country’s first centennial. Everyone in Springfield would be celebrating downtown. No one would be near Oak Ridge Cemetery. It was the perfect time to steal Abraham Lincoln’s body. The incredulous plot was hatched by Midwestern counterfeiters who had been shut down when their expert bill engraver was jailed. Benjamin Boyd’s bills were the best in the Midwest, possibly the country. In 1875, he was captured in Fulton, found guilty, and sent to the Joliet penitentiary for 10 years. Without his plates, the criminals who made and passed the counterfeit bills were out of business. They had to spring their money man. “Big Jim” Kennally, a St. Louis Irishman who led Midwestern counterfeiters, according to Thomas J. Craughwell’s book, “Stealing Lincoln’s Body,” brainstormed a solution. They would snatch Lincoln’s body, bury it in the Indiana Dunes, then ransom it for $200,000 and Boyd’s pardon and freedom. His minions in Lincoln moved to Springfield to implement the plan. As a front, they opened a saloon and dance hall — just a block west of the current Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. When the criminals weren’t running the saloon, they posed
as tourists to case Lincoln’s tomb. With their preparations finished around the middle of June, the Logan County boys relaxed. They spent the night at a Springfield brothel and toasted their upcoming riches. In his welloiled state, the gang’s leader boasted to one of the ladies that they were going to steal “old Lincoln’s bones” and ransom them. He even told her when. She told the chief of police, who warned John Carroll Power, the tomb’s custodian. He told the Lincoln Monument Association, local friends and peers of Lincoln’s who were in charge of the tomb. They did nothing. In a book he wrote about the crime (“History of an Attempt … ”), Power explains: “It seemed to them so incredible that no attention was given to it.” When the Logan County leader sobered and realized what he’d done, he and his gang fled. “Whisky alone is entitled to the credit of having thwarted this well laid scheme,” wrote Power. A few months later, Kennally headed for Chicago to find new partners for his plot. He was part-owner of a bar there called “The Hub,” which had little to offer except booze and boodle (counterfeit) carriers. Here, Kennally proposed his idea to co-proprietor, Terrence Mullen and Jack Hughes. They liked what they heard. The duo needed more men for the job, so they approached Lewis Swegles, a horse thief who had become a frequent customer. Unbeknownst to them, he also was a spy. The assistant chief of the Secret Service in Chicago, Patrick Tyrrell, hired Swegles to hang around The Hub and inform him of the habitue’s criminal activities. As the would-be kidnappers honed their plan, Swegles told Tyrrell every detail. Tyrrell then told Lincoln’s oldest and
only surviving son, Robert, a Chicago attorney. The detective asked Robert to let the plot proceed so he could catch the kidnappers in the act and increase their chance of conviction. Robert agreed. Mullen and his boys selected Nov. 7, election night, as the date. The presidential contest between Democrat Samuel Tilden and Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was heated, and once again, Springfield residents would be downtown celebrating and waiting for the results. No one would be near Oak Ridge Cemetery. On Nov. 6, the counterfeiters caught a train to Springfield. In the back car, Tyrrell, other detectives and a Chicago Daily Tribune reporter were tailing them. Once in Springfield, some of the gang procured tools, while the others visited the tomb, acting as tourists, to determine how to break in. They only had to break a door’s padlock to reach Lincoln’s white marble sarcophagus. Swegles later said, as reported in the Nov. 20, 1876, Illinois State Journal, that while his cohorts were able counterfeiters, they had few skills for burglary, especially when it came to picking the right tools. That night, Tyrrell and his detectives got to the tomb first. They hid inside and waited. Mullen and his gang snuck up to the monument and began sawing the metal padlock on the door to the catacomb. They’d brought a flimsy metal saw for the job, and it broke. So they used a three-sided metal file, which took half an hour, according to Craughwell. Once inside, the kidnappers opened the sarcophagus lid with a crowbar and sawed through the container’s front to reach Lincoln’s coffin. They pulled it out about a foot, but it was too heavy. Mullen told Swegles to get help. Instead, the informant signaled the detectives that it was time to raid the operation.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
It’s social, not political DEAR EDITOR We, the people and our elected representatives, continue to treat issues that are social in nature as if they are political. As such, nothing gets done. Issues such as jobs, immigrations, term limits, fiscal responsibility, border security, crime, gun control, etc. are social problems. By allowing them to become political issues nothing gets done, and we’re still stuck with the problems unsolved. The issues are complex, but resolvable with hard work and moral thinking. For decades many of these issues get lip service, but no resolution.
We, the people, must demand that our elected representatives actively work toward the resolution of these issues or we need to replace them with persons who will get the job done. Using a broad brush, many politicians care more about their next election rather than resolving the hard issues that they were elected to solve. The special interest groups and influence peddlers want gridlock, not solutions because it may not be in their financial and/or special interest desire for solutions to be found. So when voting, first determine if this person is part of the solution or part of the problem. We need resolvers, not problem creators. MARK TURK, JOLIET
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FOR WHEN YOU NEED 5 MINUTES FOR YOURSELF! WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM
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BASEBALL
MARK
MADE Despite weather, Porters and Indians raise money for local ‘Make Your Mark’ Foundation
BY DRAKE SKLEBA For the Bugle www.buglenewspapers.com
After collecting more than $50,000 in the first five years, of Mark Staehely’s, Make Your Mark Against Cancer Foundation’s, Strike Out Cancer games, at Lockport High School on Saturday, playing baseball and softball games Saturday morning, looked to be impossible. The games are presented to honor the families that have had members suffering from and lost to cancer. This year’s event raised $7,000. Beginning at 11 a.m., at the historic Ed Flink Field Athletic Complex, all-levels of the Lockport, Minooka and Downers Grove South girls, softball squads, began play. Also at Ed Flink Field, all levels of the Minooka Indian and Lockport Porter baseball teams, began their cold, windy, moisture-packed, journey, against each other. Thirty-nine degree temperatures, 25 mile per hour winds and a constant misty rain, couldn’t stop boys and girls freshman, sophomore and junior varsity squads, from completing their games. The most amazing part of the day was how many hundreds of fans of the three school’s, sat in unbearable conditions, to sup-
port this great event and their girls and boys. Downers Grove South’s girls rolled past Minooka 8-2 in varsity softball. Lockport, earlier defeated Minooka 10-3. At 4:57 p.m, after a threeinning junior varsity baseball game, won by Minooka 5-0, the Main Event began. Minooka won the sophomore game, earlier 5-3. The Voyager Media Publications Terrific Ten, No. 1 Lockport Porters (10-1), fresh off their prestigious WJOL/Don Ladas Memorial Tournament Championship, took on Minooka (7-3) ranked seventh in the Terrific Ten. With Minooka ahead 3-0 with, two outs in the top of the third inning, Public Enemy No. 1 this spring, arrived. The ol’ gal known as Mother Nature, increased the misty drizzle of all day, with a conventional shower, wreaking havoc on the pitching mound. After a discussion with the three men in blue (umpires) the game was called. With the home team, Lockport losing, for the game to be official, it would have had to have gone five complete innings. Game over. Lockport (8-2) scored six times in the bottom of the sixth, to SEE MARK PAGE 8
PHOTO BY MATT EVANS/FOR THE BUGLE
Despite the varsity game being cancelled early, Josh Bentley and the Porters, along with Minooka, raised $7,000 for the Make Your Mark Foundation.
TWITTER: For up -to-the-minute coverage of upcoming local sport events going on in your area, follow @VoyagerSport
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM MARK FROM PAGE 7 stun Downers Grove South 11-7 in varsity softball, long after the boy’s game was called. Losing the Main Event to that ol’ gal, did not diminish, this outstanding day of high school softball and baseball played for this outstanding cause. “This Day has become very special and Lockport does such a tremendous job organizing it,” Minooka head coach Jeff Petrovic said. “We at Minooka are thrilled to be a part of this and help out any way we can. I’m proud to say this is one of my favorite days of the season. “This means a lot to a lot of
people. One can see how much, by the huge numbers of people, in terrible conditions, chose to be here and support this great cause.” “To see all the families and friends of families, come out here, in horrible weather conditions, shows how many people have ben touched by this event,” Lockport head coach and Strike Out Cancer Event Director, Andy Satunas said. “The kids, with their family names of those who have been affected by cancer, on their shirts, is very special. And even more special are the people who sat in terrible weather conditions, to watch their young men perform.”
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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM
ST. FRANCIS
Saints win twin bill over Lakers The University of St. Francis baseball team bounced back from an extra-inning loss to take game two in a doubleheader split with Roosevelt. After losing the opener 7-4, the Saints (16-23, 10-9 CCAC) quickly responded by scoring seven runs in the first two innings of a 10-4 game-two win over the Lakers (18-19, 14-8 CCAC).
ROOSEVELT 7, USF 4 (12 INNINGS) The Lakers scored three times in the 12th inning to win game one 7-4. After allowing four runs in the opening frame, USF starter Kevin Mampe (New Lenox, Ill./ Lincoln-Way Central) tossed 10 consecutive scoreless innings. During his scoreless stretch, he allowed just 10 hits and one walk while striking out seven. The Saints chipped into their early 4-0 deficit with one run in the bottom of the first inning before tying the game in the sixth. John Riordan (Chicago, Ill./St. Laurence) and Travis Schoonover (Braidwood, Ill./ Reed-Custer) both singled to put two on with nobody out. Then, both came in to score when Shawn Harper (Plainfield, Ill./Providence Catholic) reached on a bunt single and the throw got away. Pat Michalak (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) drove Harper in on a groundout later in the inning to knot the score at four. Mampe and Roosevelt pitchers Matt Dunne and Nick Simak held their oppositions in check through 11 frames. The Lakers went ahead in the 12th and held off the Saints, who put the tying run on base in the bottom of the inning, to win the game. All of USF’s 10 hits were singles. Riordan had three hits, while Schoonover and Harper both added a pair. Tyler Dome (Orange, Calif./El Modena) took the loss. Simak earned the win in relief for Roosevelt.
Leo Lunatto and Jonah MeidlZahorodny both drove on a pair for the Lakers.
USF 10, ROOSEVELT 4 The Saints scored 10 unanswered runs to defeat the Lakers 10-4. After Roosevelt scored four runs in the opening frame, Michael Quiram (Shorewood, Ill./ Joliet Catholic) settled down, holding the Lakers scoreless on just four hits in the final six innings of his complete game victory. USF immediately answered Roosevelt’s big inning, tying the score in the home half of the first. Michalak, Mampe and Kevin Rada (Valencia, Venezuela/Calusa Prep – Fla.) all recorded hits in the frame. The Saints took their first lead of the doubleheader in the bottom of the second. Schoonover, Michalak and Harper all reached base with one away, setting the stage for a Mampe sacrifice fly that gave USF a 5-4 edge. Anthony Faron (New Lenox, Ill./ St. Rita) then sent a two-RBI double to left-center field that pushed St. Francis’ advantage to three. USF added some insurance in the sixth. Schoonover and Harper both recorded their fourth hits of the twin bill to get the Saints started. After both runners moved into scoring position on an error, Michalak drove in Schoonover on a single to left field. An errant throw on a double steal helped Harper cross the plate and then Michalak scored the Saints’ final run of the day later in the inning. Michalak went 3-for-3 with three runs scored in the contest. Schoonover and Harper both finished with their second multi-hit games of the doubleheader. Faron drove in a team-high three runs. Zach Taylor had the biggest hit of the day for Roosevelt, a two-RBI triple in the first. Matt Garbacz took the loss.
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SENIORS
NEWS ABOUT SCHOOLS IN YOUR COMMUNITY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM
CALENDAR APRIL 21 Earth Day Celebration. Noon at
Pilcher Park, 2501 Highland Park Dr, Joliet. Celebrate the environment! Join us for wildflower hikes, pulling invasive plants, playing games, making crafts out of recycled materials, and visiting earthwise vendors with great information. The stewardship portion is a good opportunity for community service hours for high school, scout groups, and church groups. Learn why it is important to preserve habitats and good to recycle. Let’s learn how to help Mother Earth! This program takes place at Pilcher Park Nature Center. jolietpark.org.
APRIL 23-25 Motown Review. 11:30 am. at
Starved Rock Lodge, Starved Rock
2668 E 875th Rd, Oglesby.
Gregory James, a Milwaukee native, has a soulful and distinct R&B singing style. He performs old school songs by Al Green, Wilson Pickette, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Manhattans, Marvin Gaye, The Spinners, Stevie Wonder, and
U P CO M I N G E V E N T S I N YO U R A R E A
many, many more. Call 815-2207386 for more information. $34 per person.
APRIL 24 Utility Bill Workshop. 10 a.m.-
noon at Plainfield Public Library, 15025 S. Illinois St., Plainfield. Will County residents can get help find savings on utility bills. All participants must bring current copies of their electric, gas and phone bills to take advantage of this free resource. Hosted by State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (DShorewood). Bertino-Tarrant urges residents to call (312) 263-4282 ext. 111 or email: events@citizensutilityboard.org with the subject line: Plainfield 4/24 to register for the workshop to ensure proper accommodations are available for all interested participants.
APRIL 29 Pioneer Fest And Pancake Breakfast. 2 p.m. at Pilcher Park
Nature Center, 2501 Highland Park Dr, Joliet. Enjoy pancakes, sausage, and 100 percent pure maple syrup! Come for the maple syrup making demonstrations and try your hand at pioneer chores while stepping back into time with our pioneer re-enactors. You will learn how to make butter and ice cream, learn pioneer toys, and check out the general store among other fun things. Breakfast available through-
out the event. jolietpark.org.
MAY 3 National Day of Prayer Ecumenical Service. 5-6 p.m. at the
Jacob Henry Mansion Old Central Church, 15 South Richards Street, Joliet. NAACP Joliet Chapter hosts this third annual event. The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. For more information, please email Minister Naurice Moffett at NFAMU13@cs.com. Trivia Night. 7 p.m. at P.B. Mulligans in Prairie Bluff Golf Club, 19433 Renwick Rd., Lockport. Grab your friends for a night of fun and show off your knowledge of useful and useless information. Fee: $60/Team; $72/Non-Resident team. For more information visit www.lockportpark.org or call 815-838-3621, ext. 0.
MAY 4 May the 4th Be With You: Celebrate Everything Star Wars. 5-7
p.m. at Louis Joliet Mall, in Carson’s Court, 3340 Mall Loop Dr, Joliet. Join us to complete a free, one-ofa-kind Star Wars themed training and participate in many different activities, crafts and games. Come dressed as your favorite Star Wars character! plainfieldparkdistrict. com
BUSINESS + REAL ESTATE
NEWS ABOUT LOCAL BUSINESSES IN YOUR COMMUNITY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018 | BUGLENEWSPAPERS.COM
COLUMN >> DAVE SAYS
Don’t give debt collectors account access DEAR DAVE, Will paying my taxes online give the government electronic access to my checking account? ASHLEY DEAR ASHLEY, If you use your checking account, of course they will have the ability to withdraw that money from your account. I believe I know where you’re going with this question, and I think you may be a little confused about my stance on this sort of thing. There’s nothing wrong with certain entities having access to your checking account. I use electronic bill pay for utilities, mutual fund contributions, and things like that all the time. The only time I warn people against giving electronic access to their bank accounts is when they’re dealing with collectors over a bad debt. The government — even the IRS — isn’t known for coming in and randomly taking money out of people’s accounts. Collectors, on the other hand, do it all the time. You’re in a fight when you’re dealing with a debt collector. It’s an adversarial relationship. As a rule, no one in that industry should ever be given electronic access to any of your accounts. There may be a few decent debt collection companies out there,
but many of them will lie, cheat, and steal to get your money. I hope that clears things up, Ashley. —DAVE DEAR DAVE, How can I convince my fellow millennials that government isn’t the solution to their problems? JOSH DEAR JOSH, I think you’re proceeding from a false assumption. Many millennials already understand it’s not the government’s job to take
care of everyone and provide everything. The problem, I think, is there’s a group of people in every generation that wants someone else to take care of them. The only thing I can suggest is that you try to be kind to everyone. It does no good to have a political discussion with a political neophyte. If you have friends like this, perhaps you could suggest they work to control and improve the variables in their lives they can actually control and make better — namely themselves.
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SUMMER CAMPS COMMUNITY
Get prepared for camp Parents can help kids prepare in advance for the fun Summer camp season is just around the corner. Each summer, millions of children depart for campsites around the country to swim, hike, craft, and enjoy the companionship of friends. Summer camps in North America were first established in the 1880s and were attended by children without their parents for overnight stays. By the 20th century, summer camps had become an international phenomenon, and various organizations hosted traditional summer camps or camps geared toward religion, sports, music and other subjects and activities. According to the American Camp Association, each year more than 14 million children and adults in the United States attend camp. America is home to more than 14,000 day and resident camps (8,400 are overnight camps and 5,600 are day camps). Nonprofit groups are the largest sponsors of summer camps. Many people put off summer camp planning until it is too late. Parents should keep in mind that camps begin registration
early in the year and have specific cut-off dates for enrollment. Parents who want to beat the crowds this year can use this guide to help plan a summer camp agenda. Prepare children for the physical challenges a camp may present. Summer camp activities may be rigorous, and campers may need to be cleared by a physician before starting. Be sure to schedule your child a physical and bring along any pertinent forms. Children also can increase their levels of physical activity compared to the often sedentary nature of winter. Such preparation can prevent injuries when engaging in outdoor and physical activities. Shop for supplies. Camps are likely to provide a list of requirements with regard to clothing and other equipment campers will need. Make sure kids have enough shorts, T-shirts, socks, athletic shoes, swimsuits, toiletries, and other camp necessities before they leave. Keep children in the loop. Engage children in the planning process to help alleviate their fears and get them excited about summer camp. Summer camp can foster lifelong memories. Parents can help kids prepare in advance for the fun that’s soon to arrive.
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