Niles 12-27-12

INSIDE

SPORTS 2012: The year in sports PAGE 11

www.nilesbugle.com

NEWS Main West coach ямБred over hazing allegations

PAGE 8

Our Village, Our News

DECEMBER 27, 2012

2012 YEAR IN REVIEW FOR A LOOK AT THE TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR IN YOUR COMMUNITY... SEE PAGE 2

Vol. 57 No. 12

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THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

News

Year in Review

Schakowsky wins the 9th congressional district

In the 9th Congressional District, Democratic incumbent Jan Schakowsky won over Republican challenger Tim Wolf.

This will be Schawkosky’s eighth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Schakowsky, 68, of Evanston, has held the 9th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1999.

Wolfe, age 59, is from Arlington Heights and runs his own tax and accounting practice there. Two years ago,the Democratic Party lost the U.S. House of Representatives to Republicans. Because of this, Illinois has become an important part of the Democrats’ strategy to win 25 seats nationally to retake control U.S. House of Reps.

Congressional contests across nation are using new redrawn districts designed using data from the latest federal census.

Many of these new districts have given an advantage to some candidates over others, as there was a shift in conservative and liberal voters after the redistricting.

Term limit issue could see April ballot In a meeting that left some offended and others incensed, Niles Village Board members argued the merits of term limitations last week, and the discussion proved to be both personal and passionate.

In a village that saw its former mayor, Nick BlasĂŠ, rack

up more than 40 years at the helm, to be followed only by indictment and a year-long prison sentence for taking $420,000 in kickbacks during his tenure, some trustees were agreeable to a petitioned suggestion limiting local offices to 16 years as trustee

and 12 for mayor. Others were anything but complacent.

The measure will not be on the April ballot but questions still remain about how it will be enforced as some of those candidates running in that upcoming election have served more than 16 years already.

THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

Preckwinkle, Stolman promise unity in regional planning, development In a pledge to stand united to keep businesses here and happy, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Lake County Board Chairman David Stolman vowed to work together to strengthen the ties between communities for the economic betterment of the region.

Stolman and Preckwinkle told attendees at a Sept. 11 meeting of the Northwest Municipal Conference (NMC) that the business community of the northwest region is now competing with international markets in addition to other

states like Wisconsin, Iowa and Indiana.

Both said coordination and cooperation of the north west Cook and Lake County regions is more important than ever, if either hopes to remain an attractive destination for businesses like Motorola, who recently relocated to the Merchandise Mart in the Chicago loop from their campus in Libertyville.

Stolman said he has dealt with representatives from out of state coming to Lake County and trying to woo away businesses and industries.

Former trustee runs for office “I am just very disgusted with what I see in the village. I just don’t like what I see,” said George Alpogianis on the way Niles is being run now.

He said he views Niles trustees, including Louella Preston and Jim Hynes, as “wishy washy [sic]” when it comes to voting on issues. Alpogianis also said he decided to run after he spoke with his wife and kids.

They told him he should run again since running for public office to improve Niles was something he has wanted to do for quite some time. He will be running for Niles trustee, while current Trustee Andrew Przybylo runs for mayor.

“I want to help put Niles back on track. I just think there’s been a major loss of focus on the village board. I just think they keep on looking backwards and to the past, and anyone with common sense will tell you that you can’t change what’s happened in the past, you can just move forward,” said Alpogianis, referring to the arrest and conviction of former Niles Mayor Nicholas Blase, who served for 47-year as mayor of the village.

In 2008, Blase began serving federal prison time for fraud related to a kickback scheme he was involved in while in office.

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2012

Niles library honors veterans Nearly 30 veterans attended the sixth annual Veterans History Breakfast Nov. 8 at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W. Oakton St. The breakfast honored veterans from the Niles and Park Ridge area who have participated in the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project.

“Today, we honor and thank our local veterans for providing us the freedom to read,” said Niles Library Director Linda Weiss at the breakfast.

The oldest veteran in attendance was 99-year old Dr. Irwin Williger. He was a flight surgeon and major during WWII and served with the 376

Bugle File Photo

Heavy Bomb Group in North Africa and later in Europe with the 40th Evacuation Hospital.

While enjoying breakfast, veterans listened to a

performance of songs popular during WWII by a group dressed as the Andrew Sisters, calling themselves the “Legacy Singers.”

Park Ridge ranked top 20 transit suburb After a year-long study, Park Ridge was ranked as one of the top twenty transit suburbs in metropolitan Chicago by DePaul University.

The study, published by DePaul’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development on July 26, said that Park Ridge was ranked number thirteen due to the community’s railway stations, close proximity to downtown amenities near the railway station and transit use in the community.

Essentially, the study praised that commuters are only steps away from the library, downtown shopping and dining.

Bugle File Photo

The study also believes that Park Ridge’s heavy investing in transit-oriented development

that leverages commuter rail should raise its rankings in future years.

See YEAR IN REVIEW, page 5

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THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

The following items were compiled from the official reports of the Morton Grove, Niles, and Park Ridge Police Departments. Appearing in the police blotter does not constitute a finding of guilt, only a court of law can make that determination.

Niles Rickey S. Johnson, 29, of 922 Waukegan, Glenview, was arrested at 3:58 a.m. Dec. 19 in the 9500 block of Greenwood for DUI, and Speeding over 40 mph.

Nasanbat Batpurev, 39, of 5161 N. East River Road, Chicago, was arrested at 2:36 a.m. Dec. 19 in the 7300 block of Harlem for DUI. Robert E. Lazzara, 27, of 8734 Olcott, Niles, was arrested at 3 p.m. Dec. 18 at a retail store in the 900 block of Civic Center for retail theft.

Mia Morrison, 43, of 5320 W. Adams, Chicago, and Tamika S. Spann, 33, of 1636 Melvina, Chicago, were arrested at 5:12 p.m. Dec. 17 at Golf Mill Center for retail theft.

Police Blotter

Tomasz Laczynski, 31, of 860 Trace Drive, Buffalo Grove, was arrested at 7:55 p.m. Dec. 19 in the 7700 block of Nordica for having no driver’s license.

Michael J. Loverde, 31, of 7171 Gunnison,Harwood Heights,was arrested at 8:58 a.m. Dec. 19 in the 6800 block of Milwaukee for driving on a suspended license.

Mario Caldera, 24, of 2600 Brookwood, Rolling Meadows, was arrested at 7:52 p.m. Dec. 14 in the 9000 block of Golf on charges of Retail Theft.

David Green, 29, of 247 W. 107th St., Chicago, was arrested at 3:33 a.m. Dec. Dec. 14 in the 7100 block of Oakton on charges of DUI (Class A) and driving on a suspended license.

Nakia Dickerson, 30, of 1148 N. Lawndale, Chicago, was arrested a 8:12 a.m. Dec. 13 in the 8200 block of Wisner on charges of Theft, Obstructing Identification, Resisting a Peace Officer and Knowingly Damaging Property.

Erasmo Hernandez-Medrano, 52, of 506 Loves Drive, Prospect Heights, was arrested at 5:10 p.m.

Dec. 14 at Golf Mill Center for

having no valid driver’s license.

Park Ridge A 15- year-old boy from Niles was arrested at 2:01 p.m. Dec. 7 in the 2600 block of West.

Dempster for Sexual Exploitation of a Child.

A 17-year-old boy from Park Ridge was arrested at 7:42 p.m.

Dec. 10 at Potter and Northwest Highway for Speeding (40+)/No Valid Insurance.

Daniel Bordonaro, 41, of the 5700 block of North Christina, Chicago, was arrested as 10:43 p.m. Dec. 13 at Touhy and Merrill for No Valid DL/No Valid Insurance/Failure to Signal When Required.

Emmeran Weiss, 23, of the 7600 block of North Osceola, Niles, was arrested at 3:05 a.m.

Dec. 15 at Touhy and Berry for Improper Lane Usage/DUI. Jennifer Ghanayem, 32, of the 8000 block of West Giddings, Norridge, was arrested at 4:23 am. Dec. 15 at Cumberland and Devon for Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid Accident/DUI/ No Valid Insurance.

Niles police warn residents to take precautions after string of burglaries

By Alex V. Hernandez Staff Reporter

On Nov. 17, Niles police said that they were alerted to three home burglaries. One incident occurred at a home under construction in the 7200 block of Greenleaf, while the other two happened on the 7500 block of Main and on the 8300 block of Olcott.

Currently Niles police are investigating the incidents but have not arrested anyone in connection to these crimes.

However, they have released burglary prevention tips to help residents protect themselves from burglaries.

Chief among them, Niles Police officials said, is to call the police to report a crime or

any suspicious activity in the community.

Writing down the license plate numbers of any suspicious vehicles and noting the descriptions of any suspicious persons are two ways that residents can help police with this ongoing investigation.

Additionally, if you believe your home has been broken into Niles police warn residents to not enter their home as the person who broke in may still be inside. Instead use a neighbor’s phone to call police and wait for their arrival. Also residents are asked to not touch anything or clean up their homes until the police have inspected for evidence. ahernandez@buglenewspapers.com

THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

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Year in Review

New law helps in gang prosecution Milwaukee Avenue Gangs in the Chicago area have evolved into multi-generational, tiered organizations, and now, thanks to new legislation, they can be prosecuted that way.

Signed into law this past June

by Gov. Pat Quinn, the “Street Gang RICO Act” gives attorneys in Illinois similar powers to the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Maine Township trustee Laura Morask and MaineStay Youth and Family Services offered up a community seminar in Park Ridge last week, featuring information compiled by more than 100 law enforcement representatives and ended with an open panel discussion between parents and law enforcement officials on how to keep gangs out of their communities.

reconstruction nears completion

Bugle File Photo

“We do a great job of getting that soldier, but we never seem to get the guy who calls the shots.” Cook County State’s

Attorney Anita Alvarez who opened the seminar by talking about Illinois new “Street Gang RICO Act.”

Commuters could be seeing some relief from Niles roadwork next month, as Milwaukee Avenue construction nears completion.

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, streetscape work at the intersections of Milwaukee Avenue and Harlem, Howard, and Oakton is about done for this season.

The brick crosswalks are complete, new sidewalks poured, pedestrian lights erected, sod laid, and

decorative banding is complete. Pace bus stops have been relocated at the far end of the intersections, for transit efficiency.

Eight of the streetlights from Monroe to Neva will be replaced for safety reasons will be replaced with black streetlights.

Modernization of the traffic signals will be done by the State of Illinois. IDOT reports these new LED systems will improve pedestrian safety with a countdown that allows additional time for seniors to cross.

FBI arrest suspected serial bank robber

Price of 10-ride Metra ticket to reflect cost of one-way ticket

Over the weekend, the FBI announced they had apprehended a suspect linked to multiple bank robberies, including the robbery of a Harris Bank in Park Ridge on Nov. 9.

They identified the alleged serial bank robber as Kenneth White, 34, of Hoffman Estates.

In addition to the Nov. 9 bank robbery in Park Ridge, the FBI also believe he robbed several Northwest Side Chicago and suburban banks, and is

Soon, commuters who buy Metra’s 10-ride tickets will pay for exactly what they get.

Currently, those riders actually pay for nine rides and get the 10th free.

But on Nov. 16, the 11-member Metra Board voted 8 to 2 to have those commuters pay the regular price for all 10 rides.

“The price of a 10-ride ticket actually is the price of nine full fares,” said Metra spokesperson

believed to be responsible for the Dec. 3 robbery of the MB Financial Bank at 2200 N. Waukegan Road in Glenview.

The arrest comes as Chicago’s FBI field office announced that it expected to surpass 200 bank robberies for 2012. Currently there have been 197 robberies in the Chicago area.

Previously the year on record with the highest bank robberies in Chicago was 2006 with 284.

Meg Reile. “… the board voted to change that so that the ticket is actually the cost of 10 full fares.”

The new price for 10-ride tickets -- estimated anywhere between $27.50 and $85, depending on the zone traveled -- may go into effect as early as February.

The different zone prices are determined by distance. For example, Morton Grove is on the Milwaukee Direct West rail

system and Park Ridge is part of the Union Pacific Northwest rail system but are part of the same zone. Metra operates a distance-based fare system consisting of twelve fare zones.

Riders are charged based on the number of zones they travel through.

Regular one-way fares to downtown Chicago currently range from $2.25 from the closest zone, Zone A, to $8.50 from the farthest, Zone M.

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THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

ONGOING 9 Annual Community Food Drive. The Village of Niles & Niles Fire Department announce the official kickoff to the 9th annual U.S. Marine Corps Reserve/Village of Niles Toys for Tots Drive & Community Food Drive. Niles locations will be collecting non-perishable food items benefiting Niles Family Services and new toy donations during regular business hours beginning November 5 thru December 16, 2012. For more information, call 847-588-6800. th

TOPS. 5-7 p.m. every Monday at the Niles Park District Howard Leisure Center, 6676 W. Howard Street, Niles. This not-for-profit weight loss organization meets every Monday. Visitors are welcome. For more information contact Sandie at 847-691-7122.

FISH Seeking Volunteers.

Due to the economy, FISH is experiencing over a 40 percent rise in ridership. It is straining both the volunteer service level and budget. Since 1971, FISH volunteers have been serving Park Ridge and Maine Township residents by providing free rides to medical appointments.

To continue to provide a high level of service to all residents of Maine Township, FISH needs volunteers. Can you spare four hours per month to drive neighbors to medical appointments? To volunteer, call Ed Oken, President, 847 6960761.

Meet US Rep Schakowsky’s Representative. 9 a.m. to noon at the Park Ridge Library.A member of U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky’s Evanston office will be at the library every Wednesday morning to answer your questions about government, health care, retirement issues, immigration visas, and anything else related to federal benefits. For more information, contact Ann Limjoco at 847-328-3409.

Stroke Club. 3-4:30 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at Center for Advanced Care, Room 1220, 1700 Luther Lane, Park Ridge. This is a free program for stroke victims and survivors (plus a guest). Free parking is available in the attached parking garage. For more information contact Meg Potterfield, 847723-4765 or Dorene Wlodarski, 847-296-2470.

TOPS Club. 8:30-10 a.m. every Tuesday at the Feldman

Rec Center, 8800 W. Kathy Lane, Niles. Lose weight with TOPS: Take Off Pounds Sensibly.

Everyone is welcome. Call Dorene Wlodarski, 847-2962470 or Lenore Lunquist, 847729-2530 for more information.

DECEMBER 27 Job Seeker Workshop. 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Morton Grove Public Library, 6140 Lincoln Ave., Morton Grove.This workshop focuses on effective techniques to find jobs in today’s market. For further details go to www.illinoisworknet.com . Reg. req. For more information, call 847-929-5122.

DECEMBER 28 Take A Walk On The Wild Side. 2 p.m. at the Morton Grove Public Library, 6140 Lincoln Ave., Morton Grove.

Get up close to many different kinds of live animals, including mammals and snakes, at this show presented by the Flying Fox Conservation Fund. Free tickets for this event will be available on a first-come, firstserved basis to Morton Grove Public Library cardholders one week prior to the event.

Remaining tickets, if any, will be made available to the general public on the day of the event.

JANUARY 4 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Party.

3 to 4:15 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. Come to the Niles Library and celebrate the release of the seventh Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. For kids in grades 3 and up. For more information, visit www.nileslibrary.org or call 847-663-1234.

JANUARY 5 New Releases: “The Lucky One”. 2 to 3:45 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault returns from his third tour of duty in Iraq with the one thing he credits with keeping him alive - a photograph he found of a woman he doesn’t even know.

For more information, visit www.nileslibrary.org or call 847-663-1234.

JANUARY 9 Choosing a Preschool/ Daycare for Your Child. 6 to 6:30 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles.

Get tips for choosing the right preschool and daycare for your child. Feel free to bring your questions and concerns. For

Calendar more information, visit www. nileslibrary.org or call 847-6631234.

visit www.nileslibrary.org call 847-663-1234.

Preschool and Daycare Fair. 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. The Preschool Fair gives you a chance to come talk in person with representatives from local preschools, daycares, and other early childhood centers all in one place. Take home brochures about the different organizations. For more information, visit www. nileslibrary.org or call 847-6631234.

Teen Study Hall. 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. Got finals? Don’t study alone! Gather with friends to take advantage of free printing, WiFi, refreshments and more. For grades 7-12. For more information, visit www. nileslibrary.org or call 847-6631234.

JANUARY 10 ESL Club. 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. New English speakers are invited to join this conversation club to practice speaking English. Meet people from all over the world to share personal stories and discuss current events and other topics chosen by the group. For more information contact Darlene at 847-663-6433.

For more information, visit www. nileslibrary.org or call 847-6631234.

JANUARY 11 Bibliobop Dance Party. 10 a.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. Join us for an hour of songs and handson musical activities that will help children develop motor, listening, and literacy skills. For more information, visit www. nileslibrary.org or call 847-6631234.

Shakespeare After Hours Film Discussion: “Shakespeare in Love”. 7 to 10 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. When Will Shakespeare needs passionate inspiration to break a bad case of writer’s block, a secret romance with the beautiful Lady Viola starts the words flowing like never before! Members of The Shakespeare Project will be on hand for discussion for each film. For more information, visit www.nileslibrary.org or call 847-663-1234.

JANUARY 12 Serbian Storytime. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles.

Hey preschoolers, come one and all to share stories and songs in another language (with a bit of English). For ages 2 and up with grownup. Craft and snack included. For more information,

or

JANUARY 13

Second Sunday Special: See a Juggler, Be a Juggler!

2 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. Experience the TotalParticipation & Interactive Juggling, Balancing, and Circus Arts Workshop where YOU become the Juggler! Jason Kollum is our talented guest for this ages 5 and up show.

Pick up free tickets at the Youth Services Desk ½ hour ahead of time; space is limited. For more information, visit www. nileslibrary.org or call 847-6631234.

JANUARY 14 Teen Study Hall. 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. Got finals? Don’t study alone! Gather with friends to take advantage of free printing, WiFi, refreshments and more. For grades 7-12. For more information, visit www. nileslibrary.org or call 847-6631234.

JANUARY 15 Jim Schwantz, NFL’s Unsung Hero. 7 to 8 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. Former Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboy football player, Jim Schwantz speaks about his days playing football, receiving the NFL’s Unsung Hero Award and winning Super Bowl XXX with Dallas. For more information, visit www.nileslibrary.org or call 847-663-1234.

Teen Study Hall. 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. Got finals? Don’t study alone! Gather with friends to take advantage of free printing, WiFi, refreshments and more. For grades 7-12. For more information, visit www. nileslibrary.org or call 847-6631234.

ESL Club. 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. New English speakers are invited to join this

conversation club to practice speaking English. Meet people from all over the world to share personal stories and discuss current events and other topics chosen by the group.

For more information contact Darlene at 847-663-6433. For more information, visit www. nileslibrary.org or call 847-6631234.

JANUARY 17 Clarence Culver Spelling Bee. Clarence Culver School will be holding its annual Culver Spelling Bee at 7 p.m.

Closed Captioned New Releases: “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”. 2 to 4:15 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles.

When seven seniors decide to ‘outsource’ their retirement to a resort in far-off India, friendship and romance blossom in the most unexpected ways. For more information, visit www. nileslibrary.org or call 847-6631234.

Niles’ Songwriters. 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. Area songwriters are invited to bring original songs to share and get feedback from others in the group. For more information, visit www.nileslibrary.org or call 847-663-1234.

Reading with Rover. 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles. Does your child need to build confidence when reading out loud? Our friendly dogs are great listeners, always positive and always fun to relax with. For kids in grades K+ (beginning to advanced readers). Call 847663-6622 or drop by Youth Services to sign up for a 20-min slot. For more information, visit www.nileslibrary.org or call 847-663-1234.

JANUARY 18 Shakespeare Project of Chicago: “A Woman Killed With Kindness”. 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W Oakton St., Niles.

Critically acclaimed among Thomas Heywood’s works is this drama of property and marriage, adultery and revenge first performed in 1603.

Performed here as a theatrical reading by professional actors of the Shakespeare Project of Chicago. For more information, visit www.nileslibrary.org or call 847-663-1234.

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THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

Illustrated Opinions

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THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

care. Expect to receive frequent requests for help and assistance from others in the week ahead.

you an opportunity to demonstrate your poise and preparedness for any and all contingencies.

Excitement can boil over like potatoes on the stove.

Tensions may run high, as last minute holiday preparations cause a flurry of unexpected obligations.

A day off might entail extra work this week.

Make season’s greetings a priority; call loved ones far away. Touch base with clients with lastminute reminders. A touch of the Blarney Stone will make the wheels of commerce turn more smoothly in the week ahead.

Niles police win Golf Mill’s Festival of Trees Across

By Alex V. Hernandez Staff Reporter 1 Leader elected by

TuesdayDown and Friday from 1 to 4:30 Give in to the urge to Get prepared for a splurge. When your wallet is full, it’s a fabulous week. Act the part of jolly old p.m.

The 1 Indian Maine tomb siteTownship à-vis Food Mickey dive good time to express generosity in the upcoming St. Nick by sending all your personal elves on 2 Nincompoop Mouse 39 Executive monks Pantry supplies 150 boxes of food week. Just because you count pennies and clip coupons errands. Take stock; plan ahead to take care of essentials 3 Briefs not seen in 30 Indira’s position 6 Jazz aficionado every month, which go toward Golf Mill officials 41 onTolkien Dec. creature 19 court successor doesn’t mean you’re middle name is Scrooge. the create holiday joy.

9 “__ Astor”: feeding over 300 individuals.

Each announced the Niles Police 4 Sommelier’s 31 Treasure stash 42 “Pink Shoe Sargent portrait Brew hue Laces” 13 Rule hand packed by32township Department as the winner of singer the box isprefix 5 Like many a New 35 Unfortunate Stevens 15 Maker of Good staff and volunteers with dozens soul 2012 Festival of Trees.

Having Venus in your Where there’s a will, England street 38 Chewy caramel 46 Green shade Grips kitchen sign should draw others closer in the there’s a way - but in some cases, of non-perishable food items to Their tree display raised 6 Kid finishing a candy 47 Tourney ranking tools week ahead. Enjoy relaxation and cheerful getting your way may be viewed as willfulness supplement the40needs 4,423 items benefi tingleisurely the help book, maybe Sneaky of 49 Enjoy 16 __ food of mystery social events. Expect a brief flurry of popularity. in the upcoming week. Take a deep breath and relax.

7 They’re under maneuver 51 1988 Radio Hall 17 Former township residents in distress.

Maine Township Food Pantry.

Impulsive spending could prove delightful.

Demanding family members require patience. shoulder joints, 43 Buck the of Fame quarterback People who donated food As the winners, the Niles Police anatomically majority inductee Peete allowed Department awarded a plaque 8 “Mazel __!” to vote44 for Guts their 53 Boss, in Swahiliwere 18 Portrayerwas of the 9 Bucks shots 45 Quaint outburst favorite decorated tree at the fromElfMaine thanking 56 Beatles title maidenTownship, Walk on the wild side.

Holiday outings are 10 Seasonal song 48 “Aw, shucks!” woman who Arwen in shopping center, with each nonthem for their participation, and a Your attraction to the latest fashions on the horizon.

There’s a sparkle in starter 50 “Giant Brain” “made a fool ofperishable food item delivered Lord of card, compliments $100“The Sears gift and technological gadgets will receive a your eyes that invites others to join in the fun.

11 Eins und zwei unveiled in 1946 everyone” the Rings” to the Customer Service CenterApril of 20 Sears. workout in the week to come. Family and friends Sense the magic in the air as this week unfolds. You 12 Easy to 52 It follows 57 Bit of work Hunk’s pride maneuver, at sea in Paris look to you for directions and knowledge. shine the brightest when entertaining others. counting as one vote.

Additionally, “A truly heartfelt 60thank Solon you 21 The sun, in 14 Versatile 53 Shapeless form 62 Santa Catalina’s Cancún shoppers were able to track the for such wonderful support,” synthetic 54 U.S.’s largest only city 23 Award for books of adonations on until Golfits 2008 said Monika Kalick, director of progress 19 Cap with pomS&L 64 All: Pref. on tape pom called a collapse Mill’s Facebook page, and every marketing fore.g.

Golf Mill Shopping 65 Wrap up 24 Torchiere, tooriean individual55picture Botanicalof bristles Photo courtesy of Dick Barton five Likes Center.

Inlike total, 7,15366food Placeitems for a 26 Exist a mob 22 Remote hiding 57 Mtn. statistic picture informant, say a tree received on Facebook led were collected this year, setting a place?

58 Where all roadsFrom Left to Right: Angelika Jurczyk (Golf Mill), Monika Kalicki (Golf Mill), Trustee Peter Gialamas 67 Narc’s goal 29 Mlle. to one vote being applied to that (Maine Township), Carol Teschky (Maine Township), Dean Strzelecki (NPD), Gary Warner (Maine Townnew record for the program.

24 Frond bearer lead?

68 Old IBM PCs counterpart 25 Stuck, after “in” 59 Growl ship), Vince Genualdi (NPD), Joe Penze (NPD), Jim Corbin (Sears Store Manager). tree’s tally.

The Maine Township69Emergency It’s chopped, 33 Nut in a cupule 26 Old Nigerian 61 Annoy in a way, in 34 Words in a 1700 Ballard There were 11 total Food Pantry, Road, capital 63 “Wheel of 18-, 26-, that Chamber of Commerce, Parents Niles Fire Department, Niles Police John Lutheran Church and Ross Park market Ridge,report provides food on 49an andorganizations 27 Words of and businesses Fortune” 60-Across 36 Equip with compassion purchase participated in the tree decorating andTeacher Association of Ignacy J. Department, Maine Township, the Dress for Less. emergency basis to persons living firepower 28 Walt Disney, visTribune Media Services 2012 contest this year.

Paderewski Polish School of Niles, Niles Public Library, Edward Jones, in 37the greater Maine Township Somersaulting These included the Niles Gordon Food Service Market Place, St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, St. ahernandez@buglenewspapers.com area and is open for residents

Sudoku

J umble

Previous puzzle ’s answers

Main West coach fired over hazing allegations

By Alex V. Hernandez Staff Reporter

The Maine Township school board, after spending nearly three hours in closed session, voted on Nov. 19 to fire one of the two soccer coaches at the center of a hazing scandal at Maine West High School in Des Plains.

Prior to the decision, many former students and athletes packed a public meeting before the vote to speak defend the coaches. After the coaches’

defender s spoke, the attorney who is representing four students from the lawsuit against the c o a c h e s Photo courtesy of Main and school West High School o f f i c i a l s , Michael T o n y Divincenzo, Romanucci, said that while he respected the opinions of those who spoke in

TOP POP ALBUMS December 9 through December 15 TITLE

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defending the coaches, his clients student hazing,” said Board days to request a hearing on President Sean Sullivan. his dismissal from his position are “[suffering] in silence.”

The board also said that it plans via the Illinois State Board of Michael Divincenzo is one of P r e v i o u s p u z z l e ’ s a n s w e r s to continue the consideration of Education. the two coaches connected to any disciplinary action against The other coach tied to allegations of hazing on athletic other staff members involved in allegations of hazing at the school teams at Maine West High School. hazing allegations. is freshman boys and girls soccer Maine Township High School Before the suspension, coach Emilio Rodriguez, who District 207 has suspended Divincenzo was a physical was also put on paid leave and him without pay while officials P r e v i o u s p u z z l e ’ s a n s w e r s duties education teacher, former reassigned from teaching pursue his dismissal. freshman baseball coach and while the district and authorities “The board believes Mr. Jumbles: current head boys and girls investigated allegations of hazing Divincenzo violated District • AGILE • QUAIL • ELIXER • UNIQUE 207 Board of Education policy varsity soccer coach at Main on the school’s soccer and and professional expectations West High School. Answer: However baseball teams.

It’s a five-letter word, but only one is needed by failing to adequately prevent, as Divincenzo is a-- QUEUE tenured recognize, report and punish teacher, Sullivan said he has 17 ahernandez@buglenewspapers.com

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Night Train Tornado Blown Away Tailgates & Tanlines Hunter Hayes

ARTIST

Taylor Swift Blake Shelton Florida Georgia Line Lady Antebellum Scotty McCreery Jason Aldean Little Big Town Carrie Underwood Luke Bryan Hunter Hayes

TITLE

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Men in Black III Sony Pictures The Dark Knight Rises Warner Bros.

The Amazing Spider-Man Sony Pictures Madagascar 3 Paramount Pictures Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer 20th Century Fox The Expendables 2 Lionsgate The Bourne Legacy Universal Pictures Ted Universal Pictures Resident Evil: Retribution Screen Gems/Sony Pictures Brave Walt Disney Pictures

taKe 5 C ro s s w o rd P u z z l e

Across

Down

1 Leader elected by monks 6 Jazz aficionado 9 “__ Astor”: Sargent portrait 13 Rule 15 Maker of Good Grips kitchen tools 16 __ of mystery 17 Former quarterback Peete 18 Portrayer of the Elf maiden Arwen in “The Lord of the Rings” 20 Hunk’s pride 21 The sun, in Cancún 23 Award for books on tape 24 Torchiere, e.g.

26 Exist like a mob informant, say 29 Mlle. counterpart 33 Nut in a cupule 34 Words in a market report 36 Equip with firepower 37 Somersaulting

dive 39 Executive position 41 Tolkien creature 42 “Pink Shoe Laces” singer Stevens 46 Green shade 47 Tourney ranking 49 Enjoy leisurely 51 1988 Radio Hall of Fame inductee 53 Boss, in Swahili 56 Beatles title woman who “made a fool of everyone” 57 Bit of work 60 Solon 62 Santa Catalina’s only city 64 All: Pref.

65 Wrap up 66 Place for a picture 67 Narc’s goal 68 Old IBM PCs 69 It’s chopped, in a way, in 18-, 26-, 49- and 60-Across

1 Indian tomb site 2 Nincompoop 3 Briefs not seen in court 4 Sommelier’s prefix 5 Like many a New England street 6 Kid finishing a book, maybe 7 They’re under shoulder joints, anatomically 8 “Mazel __!”

9 Bucks shots 10 Seasonal song starter 11 Eins und zwei 12 Easy to maneuver, at sea 14 Versatile synthetic 19 Cap with a pompom called a toorie 22 Remote hiding place?

24 Frond bearer 25 Stuck, after “in” 26 Old Nigerian capital 27 Words of compassion 28 Walt Disney, vis-

à-vis Mickey Mouse 30 Indira’s successor 31 Treasure stash 32 Brew hue 35 Unfortunate soul 38 Chewy caramel candy 40 Sneaky maneuver 43 Buck the majority 44 Guts 45 Quaint outburst 48 “Aw, shucks!”

50 “Giant Brain” unveiled in 1946 52 It follows April in Paris 53 Shapeless form 54 U.S.’s largest S&L until its 2008 collapse 55 Botanical bristles 57 Mtn. statistic 58 Where all roads lead?

59 Growl 61 Annoy 63 “Wheel of Fortune” purchase

THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

H o ro s c o p e s When you are determined to create a unique experience, you sometimes end up in a fringe world. In the early part of the week, your penchant for the unusual and unconventional could put you on the outside.

It pays to send the very best. Last-minute gifts are painstakingly adorned with as many pretty bows as those stashed away for months. In the week to come, you find it is more satisfying to give than to receive.

You may be the one called upon to hammer in the nails if stockings are to be hung by the chimney with care. Expect to receive frequent requests for help and assistance from others in the week ahead.

Be prepared to show off your versatility in the upcoming week. An unexpected change of plan can give you an opportunity to demonstrate your poise and preparedness for any and all contingencies.

Excitement can boil over like potatoes on the stove.

Tensions may run high, as last minute holiday preparations cause a flurry of unexpected obligations.

A day off might entail extra work this week.

Make season’s greetings a priority; call loved ones far away. Touch base with clients with lastminute reminders. A touch of the Blarney Stone will make the wheels of commerce turn more smoothly in the week ahead.

Give in to the urge to splurge. When your wallet is full, it’s a good time to express generosity in the upcoming week. Just because you count pennies and clip coupons doesn’t mean you’re middle name is Scrooge.

Get prepared for a fabulous week. Act the part of jolly old St. Nick by sending all your personal elves on errands. Take stock; plan ahead to take care of essentials the create holiday joy.

Having Venus in your sign should draw others closer in the week ahead. Enjoy relaxation and cheerful social events. Expect a brief flurry of popularity.

Impulsive spending could prove delightful.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way - but in some cases, getting your way may be viewed as willfulness in the upcoming week. Take a deep breath and relax.

Demanding family members require patience.

Walk on the wild side.

Your attraction to the latest fashions and technological gadgets will receive a workout in the week to come. Family and friends look to you for directions and knowledge.

Holiday outings are on the horizon. There’s a sparkle in your eyes that invites others to join in the fun.

Sense the magic in the air as this week unfolds. You shine the brightest when entertaining others.

Sudoku

J umble

Tribune Media Services 2012

Previous puzzle ’s answers

Previous puzzle ’s answers

Previous puzzle ’s answers Jumbles: • AGILE • QUAIL • ELIXER • UNIQUE

Answer:

It’s a five-letter word, but only one is needed -- QUEUE

9

10

THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

Bugle Kids

INSIDE: Local boys and girls basketball teams look to make noise in holiday tournaments, pages 12-13

www.nilesbugle.com

THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

11

Athletic memories in 2012 can’t be beat

By Mike Sandrolini Sports Reporter

The area produced more than its share of top-notch team and individual performances that made headlines and shattered records during 2012.

Here’s a trip down memory lane, highlighting several of those achievements.

Boys basketball Maine South went on to the sectional semifinals last March after winning the St. Patrick Class 3A regional, but was ousted by Niles North. The Hawks finished 19-13, while Notre Dame put together a 20-victory season in 2011-12. Both the Dons and Hawks got off to fast starts when the 2012-13 season began in November and were ranked among the area’s top 20 prep teams.

Girls basketball Maine South, with a versatile lineup that included Michelle Maher, Jacqui Grant, Kaitlyn Mullarkey and Regan Carmichael, was hoping last February to duplicate its 2010-11 season when the Hawks went downstate.

But Maine South (25-7) fell short, losing to Loyola at the New Trier sectional semifinals. That same night, also at New Trier, Jewell Loyd scored 31 points, yet Glenbrook South prevailed over Niles West (22-9), ending her career and the Wolves’ season.

• Jewell Loyd, one of the state’s most dominating girls basketball players during her four-year varsity career, wrapped up that fabulous career at Niles West by being named to the West Team for the 11th annual McDonald’s Girls All-American Game in late March. In February, Loyd became See 2012, page 14

Mark Gregory/Bugle Staff

Niles West star Jewell Loyd is now at Notre Dame after leading the Wolves for four years.

12

THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

Sports

Boys teams looking forward to holiday tourneys

By Mike Sandrolini Sports Reporter

The Proviso West Holiday Tournament and Pontiac Holiday Tournament are two of the most prestigious boys prep basketball tourneys not only in the state, but across the country.

And two area schools will be represented at both.

Maine South will take its undefeated 9-0 record (as of Dec. 20) into the 52nd annual Proviso West tourney, which got under way last Saturday.

Meanwhile, Niles West starts play in the Pontiac tourney on Thursday.

Notre Dame, winners of nine of its first 10 games, once again will be at the 34th annual Wheeling Wildcat Hardwood Classic. Maine East will compete in the Luther North Holiday Tournament starting Thursday.

MAINE SOUTH Coach Tony Lavorato calls the Proviso West tourney “the No. 1 tournament in the state,” and the Hawks are one of 16 new teams in an expanded 32-team field.

“We’re putting our program in the belly of the beast, and we’re looking forward to it,” said Lavorato, whose club is off to its best start in 33 years and cracked the top 20 area prep rankings of a major Chicago newspaper last week. “It’s a monster bracket— 32 teams so it’s important not to look too far ahead.”

The Hawks, who’ve been led so far by forwards Danny Quinn and John Solari, along with guard

Frank Dounis—all seniors— did have a CSL South game opposite Waukegan last Friday before facing off with their first tourney foe, Nazareth Academy, the following morning.

After the holiday break, the Hawks resumed action Wednesday morning at Proviso versus Hillcrest.

“We’re not just happy to be there,” Lavorato said. “We’re looking to make some noise.

We’re honored to be part of it and looking forward to representing our school and our community.”

NOTRE DAME The Dons and coach Tom Les had an 11-day break between their last game and their Wheeling Wildcat Hardwood Classic opener with Alcott, which took place on Wednesday, December 26.

Les said he toned down the team’s practice schedule early last week in order to let team members prepare for final exams, but added that he’d pick up the pace of practice towards the end of last week.

Notre Dame’s fast start hasn’t gone unnoticed by Chicago media.

Two metro dailies have the Dons and ranked in their top 10. Les said veteran senior leadership, combined with those seniors gaining plenty of experience last year playing in big games, are key reasons why the Dons sit at 9-1.

The Dons are getting strong play from seniors Matt Mooney,

Justin Halloran, Eddie Serrano and junior Duante Stephens.

Utilizing a backcourt with two point guards, seniors Donte Stephenson and Jake Maestranzi, also has caused matchup problems for Notre Dame’s opponents, but Les said he’s concerned more with how his club performs than how the opposition responds.

The Dons have received a high seed at the tourney, and Les said the team’s goal is to win four games.

“Our No. 1 goal is to continue to improve as season goes on, and we’ve done that,” Les said.

“Our goal is to play one game at a time (in the tournament).”

NILES WEST The Pontiac tournament is billed on its website as “the original and oldest prep hoops holiday tourney in the country.”

Given that it’s in its 82nd year, the claim certainly isn’t hyperbole.

The Wolves bring a 6-3 record into their Thursday afternoon contest against Joliet West—one of several Chicago and suburban schools that have made the trek to the central Illinois community.

Niles West also could match up against downstate teams such as Peoria Manual, Bloomington, Danville, East Moline and the host school.

Niles West coach Bob Williams is looking forward to the challenge.

“It is an opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the state from many different areas who play a wide array of styles,” he said. “It has a state tournament type environment as the community supports the tournament in tremendous fashion.”

Williams believes that if the Wolves—behind the efforts of sharpshooter Joe Younan, and senior classmates David McCoy, Alex Darville and Ahmad Gibson—can play to their potential,“We will have an opportunity to win every game that we play.”

MAINE EAST The Blue Demons are veterans of the Luther North tourney, which for them begins Thursday against Gordon Tech of the Chicago Catholic North— coached by Gordon Tech alum

Mime Sandrolini/Bugle Staff

Frank Douins and Maine South will play in the expanded Proviso West Holiday Tournament.

and former DePaul star Tom Kleinschmidt.

“It’s a nice tournament,” said Maine East coach Dave Genis.

“The level of competition isn’t overwhelming on both sides.

It’ll be a good opportunity to gain some confidence and play well.”

Maine East will then tangle with two Chicago Public League squads in the round-robin tourney: Chicago Academy of the Blue-North Division, and Taft of the Red North.

In spite of a 2-5 record, the young Demons have solid talent with sophomores Ezeke Omeke and Abby George playing alongside seniors Urchit Chokshi, Adrian Skorka and Evan Nazzal.

“We look at our guys and we think all of those games are winnable,” Genis said. “I go in thinking our goal is to win three games, put ourselves in a championship ballgame and see what happens.” mike@buglenewspapers.com

Sports

THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

Hawks, Bandits off to Charger Classic

By Mike Sandrolini Sports Reporter

While Maine South, Niles West and Resurrection are each participating in holiday girls basketball tournaments across the suburbs that began Wednesday, Maine East got a jump-start in tourney play after taking on Elmwood Park last Saturday in the St.Viator Snowflake Tournament.

The 30th annual Dundee-Crown Charger Classic Tournament is where you’ll find both the Hawks and Bandits.

The Wolves are part of the Mundelein Holiday Tournament.

MAINE SOUTH After traveling to downstate Bloomington-Normal the past few years for the State Farm Holiday Classic, a tournament which they won last December, the Hawks are sticking closer to home for the holidays this year.

Although this is their first goaround at the 14-team DundeeCrown tourney, the Hawks should feel right at home.They’ve already faced five of the teams in the tournament—Evanston, New Trier, Maine West, Barrington and Buffalo Grove—and defeated all but Evanston. But the only time they’ll meet any of these aforementioned clubs is if they reach the championship game.

All of the above are in the upper bracket, while the Hawks are in the lower bracket.

The Hawks, who are getting stellar play from their senior core of Jacqui Grant, Regan Carmichael and Mackenzie Duffy, opened on Wednesday versus the host school.

If they get past Dundee-Crown, they’ll match up with either Mother McAuley or Bartlett, last season’s Class 4A third-place winner.

“We’ve heard nothing but unbelievable things about their tournament,” said Maine South coach Mark Smith. “It’s a very, very prestigious tournament.”

Facing some new teams is one aspect of this tourney that Smith likes.

“It exposes you to teams that you otherwise wouldn’t play,” he said. “We’re and looking forward to new competition and a new environment.”

MAINE EAST The

St.

Viator

Snowflake

Mike Sandrolini/Bugle Staff

Hailey Schoneman and the Hawks will travel to Dundee-Crown

Tournament is familiar territory for Karol Hanusiak, whose teams have competed here ever since she took over as head coach six years ago.

The Demons were 4-9 prior to meeting Elmwood Park, yet Hanusiak says she’ll be disappointed if Maine East doesn’t finish at least among the top two teams at St.Viator.

“I look at our team and the talent on our team,”she said.“With the caliber of teams we’re (now) playing, I would be disappointed if we’re not first or second.”

There is a core of talented juniors on Maine East who are putting up some nice numbers.

For example, Shaylee Sloan and Maria Protic finished with 22 and 14 points, respectively, in a loss to Resurrection Dec. 18, with Sloan reaching double digits in rebounds. Sloan, Protic, Elana Slowek and Jazlene Gonzalez have been playing together since the sixth grade.

“They came through our feeder program,” Hanusiak noted. “We’re

starting finally to see the results of all that. There are some flashes of some pretty special things out there.”

The Demons tangled with Northside Prep on Wednesday play St. Viator, the host school, Thursday.

NILES WEST Coach Tony Konsewicz’s young club dropped its first three games of the new season, won two in a row, and has since lost five straight before taking the floor at Mundelein.

“We are on a roller coaster right now,” Konsewicz said. “In each game we have our highs and lows. The girls are working hard, and as coaches we are proud of their efforts.”

This is the first year that the Wolves are competing at Mundelein. The Wolves met Streamwood,which came into the tournament with an 8-1 record, in Pool C play on Wednesday.Win or lose, Niles West suits up again

Thursday.

“It features some very, very good teams,” Konsewicz said. “It is always nice also to play teams that you normally do not get a chance to play.”

Guard Molly Kleppin and forward Jasmine Townsend, both seniors, have been among the Wolves’ scoring leaders so far this season, along with sophomores Katherine DeLara (guard) and Julia Easter (forward).

RESURRECTION Keith Miniscalco, head coach of the Bandits, looks at the DundeeCrown tourney as an opportunity for Resurrection to prove it can go head-to-head with some of the area’s better teams.

“This is one of the premier holiday tournaments in the area,” said Miniscalco, whose team took a 9-6 record into Wednesday’s firstround game against Barrington.

“We feel we can compete with the best and now we will have a chance to do so.”

13

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THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

2012 Continued from page 11 only the seventh girls player in IHSA history to eclipse 3,000 career points when she scored 42 against Glenbrook South.

She finished with 3,077 career points.

Loyd averaged 27.5 points and 12.2 rebounds per game her senior year. She took her hoops career to the next level at nationally ranked Notre Dame and has become one of the Irish’s leading scorers.

Baseball Maine South put together a 28win season and advanced to the sectional final, where it lost a 10-8 heartbreaker to Oak Park-River Forest, this year’s Class 4A state champion. Kyle Richardson, now at Notre Dame, smacked a tworun homer in the game. Eight of the Hawks’ 10 graduating seniors went on to play college baseball.

• George Kontos, the former Niles West star, originally drafted by the New York Yankees, was traded to San Francisco prior to the start of the 2012 season. It turned out to be the biggest break of his fledgling Major League career.

Kontos started the year in the minor leagues, but was called up by the Giants in mid-June. He became a mainstay in the Giants’ bullpen the rest of the year and won a World Series ring.

In Game 1 of the NLCS, Kontos was one of 11 relievers used by both the Giants and Cardinals whose teams combined to set a postseason record for most scoreless relief appearances in a nine-inning game.

• A few days after Kevin Ross had graduated from Niles West in June, the star shortstop of the Wolves’ baseball team was picked in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Pirates—the 256th player chosen overall. In 2011, Ross had verbally committed to playing collegiate baseball at the University of Michigan, but he chose to forego a scholarship with Michigan and sign with the Pirates just prior to the July 13 deadline.

Cross country Both Maine South boys and girls cross country teams qualified for the Class 3A state meet held at Peoria’s Detweiller Park in early November, and each team carved

Sports

out a place in the school record books with their finishes.

The boys, behind senior all-stater Jon Vaccaro (15th individually), were fifth overall— the highest finish ever recorded by a Maine South cross country team of either gender in school history. Meanwhile, the girls squad—led by three-time state qualifiers Emily Leonard, a junior who placed ninth individually,and Megan Leversal, a senior—was 10th, equaling the 1988 team for the best finish ever by a Hawks girls team

Football Chris James, a junior from Notre Dame, becomes the premier running back in the ESCC next fall after rushing for 2,089 yards—one of the top totals in the state—and 32 total touchdowns. The Dons, meanwhile, enjoyed their best season on the gridiron since 1997 by finishing 7-5 and going to the Class 6A quarterfinals.

• Maine South’s Matt Alviti, the versatile 6-foot, 180-pound signal-caller announced in midApril that he would commit to Northwestern. This past fall, Alviti accumulated over 2,700 yards passing, throwing for 28 touchdowns and rushing for 19 more while gaining 843 yards on the ground.

The Hawks won their 12th consecutive CSL South championship and 60th straight league game during the season.

Maine South (11-1) advanced to the Class 8A quarterfinals, where it suffered its one and only loss to state runner-up Glenbard North.

Golf In October, Nate Lee of Niles West competed in his third straight Class 3A boys golf tournament and finished in an eight-way tie for 25th place. The Maine South girls qualified as a team for the Class AA tourney.

Leia Atas, Annie and Katie Krall, Brittany Lung and Kathleen Daly were the Hawks’ state tourney golfers.

Soccer Maine South’s boys squad, behind goalkeeper Erik Wagner, won its first regional title since 2009 with a 4-0 victory over Loyola. The Hawks, though, were eliminated in the sectional semifinals.The Ali Cottrell and Alli Curry-led Hawks’ girls team also advanced to the sectional semis, See 2012, page 15

Mike Sandrolini/Bugle Staff

Maine South quarterback was Voyager Media Player of the Year.

Sports 2012 Continued from page 14 but fell to Loyola 4-0.

• Rami Dajani overcame a rash of injuries and capped his varsity career at Maine East with a 31-goal season while finishing with 88 career goals. He also was named a first-team all-state player.

Swimming Niles West junior Edan Scott became the first girls swimmer in school history to take home allstate medals in two events at last month’s state meet. She finished fifth in the 50-yard freestyle and 10th in the 100 freestyle.

Tennis Freshman Leigh Friedman became Maine South’s first girls state qualifier since 2010 this year. She posted a 3-2 record at state in singles play.

Track Michal Filipczak of Maine South, runner-up in the 2011 boys Class 3A 800-meter run, won the

THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

15

800 state crown last May, edging Geneva’s Peter Archibald at the finish line.

Neal Omar of Niles West also ran in the 800 final and earned all-state accolades after placing seventh.

Omar also ran the anchor leg of the Wolves’ all-state 4 x 800 relay team, which placed seventh.

The team included Marc Julien, Blake Helton and Yandiel Cardenas. Omar’s teammate, Terrance Bramlett, was an allstate medalist with a sixth-place finish in the shot put. Maine East’s James Shields earned all-state in the triple jump (sixth place).

At the girls state track meet, the Maine South 4 x 800 relay team, consisting of Leonard, Lemersal, Austen Beaugureau and Emma Ropski, took ninth.

Volleyball Senior Molly Kleppin, junior Olivia Rusek and the Niles West girls volleyball team established a new single-season school record for most victories (26) en route to advancing to the sectional championship game, where the Wolves bowed out to New Trier—the 2012 state Class 4A runner-up.

Mike Sandrolini/Bugle Staff

Edan Scott is the first Niles West swimmer to medal in two events.

Wrestling Several Notre Dame matmen qualified for the individual state meet last February in Class 2A:

Jimmy Biancofori (132 pounds), Joe Cortese (152), Tim Donnelly (138), Jimmy Gallardo (106), Scott Smith (113), Kevin Stahmer (182), Ryan Walsk (heavyweight) and

Roark Whittington (145).

Maine South’s Terry Calkins, a two-time state qualifier, also punched his ticket to state at 120. mike@buglenewspapers.com

00 16

THE BUGLE DECEMBER 27, 2012

00

www.buglenewspapers.com/basketball

Voyager Media teams ready for Pontiac Tournament

By Mark Gregory Sports Reporter

Founded in 1926, the Pontiac Holiday Tournament is considered the Granddaddy of all Illinois’ holiday basketball tournament and features the top team in the state of Illinois in Chicago Simeon and their 6-foot, 8 inch senior forward Jabari Parker, the No. 1 rated senior in the nation.

Parker, who on Dec. 20 chose Duke University as his college of choice for next season, has been playing hobbled since suffering a broken foot in July and had to sit out for five months.

If fans want to watch Parker, the No. 1 seed Simeon opens play Dec. 27 at 7:30 p.m. against United Township-East Moline.

An assumed win will pit them against either Bloomington or the host Pontiac at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 28.

In the semifinals, Simeon has a three-out-of four shot of running into a Voyager Media area team, if one can knock off No. 4 seed Chicago Curie.

The Condors open against Plainfield North and if the Tigers cannot knock them off, the winner of Joliet West and Niles West will have a chance to advance and play Parker and Simeon.

While there are three teams in the bracket with Simeon, the Joliet area has a pair of teams competing in the tournament.

•The aforementioned Joliet West is coming off a 1-2 showing at last season’s tournament and will open this season’s tournament with Niles West, a 6-3 team from the Chicago Suburban League.

The Tigers have been at full strength this season, having guard Morris Dunnigan back to the form he showed his freshman season before blowing out his ACL in his sophomore campaign.

This season the Tigers are 7-2, losing only to SouthWest Suburban Conference leader Homewood-Flossmoor and Tyler Ulis-led Marian Catholic.

•The other Joliet area team in the Pontiac Classic is Lockport.

The Porters are in the opposite bracket of No. 1 Simeon and would only be able to face them in the championship match, however, Lockport has a tough road to get that far.

Lockport opens play at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 27 against No. 3 seed West Aurora. It faces either St. Charles North or Waukegan in its second game.

Both matchups pose a concern for Lockport coach Lawrence Thompson, Jr. “We have to play West Aurora and that’s a monumental task,” Thompson said.“You want to get better. It’s a danger zone because if we don’t win that game, we play one of two different styles of teams in the next game. We get either St. Charles North or Waukegan. Waukegan is athletic and they cause a lot of fits. St. Charles North has a great player in Quinten Payne, they have some size and have played a great schedule. Not being eliminated in two games is going to be the challenge.”

•Plainfield North is back at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament, where it has seen its share of success, finishing third in 2008.

If the Tigers (4-7) want to continue their success, they will have to beat some strong opponents. They open play at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 27 against the tournament’s No. 4 seed, Chicago Curie.

“We have a couple practices to get ready for the entire experience that is Pontiac,”North coach Nick DiForti said. “That being said, we want to get back to our winning ways for sure. But we want to get back to playing as a team going into the New Year.

We want to do all the little things we do during practice. We have to be more consistent in that.”

A win would set the Tigers up at 4 p.m. On December 28, while a loss would put them at the 2:30 p.m. game. Their opponent will either be Joliet West or Niles West.

“We like that because we are going against good coaches,” DiForti said of their opponents. “Their intensity will be there because of the level of competition and the whole

Mike Sandrolini/Bugle Staff

David McCoy and Niles West are ready for the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.

atmosphere.It is an exciting time.”

Every team will play at least twice in the three days, while teams can play as many as four games.

The tournament championship game is at 9 p.m. Saturday, December 29. Other seeded teams are No. 1 Simeon, No. 2 Peoria Manuel (7-0) and No. 3 Aurora West (5-1).

•The Wolves bring a 6-3 record into their Thursday afternoon contest against Joliet West—one of several Chicago and suburban

schools that have made the trek to the central Illinois community.

Niles West also could match up against downstate teams such as Peoria Manual, Bloomington, Danville, East Moline and the host school.

Niles West coach Bob Williams is looking forward to the challenge.

“It is an opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the state from many different areas who play a wide array of styles,” he said. “It has a state

tournament type environment as the community supports the tournament in tremendous fashion.”

Williams believes that if the Wolves—behind the efforts of sharpshooter Joe Younan, and senior classmates David McCoy, Alex Darville and Ahmad Gibson—can play to their potential, “We will have an opportunity to win every game that we play.”

Scott Taylor and Mike Sandrolini also contributed

Business & Real Estate

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Concession can get you what you want Q. In a recent column, you wrote, “Most people around you will actually give away what they originally wanted if you will just let them be right.” I can’t understand how your scenario could possibly work. It sounds as though if I disagree with a colleague and I say, “OK, you’re right,” the coworker will say, “Great! Now that you admit that I’m right, we’ll do what you want.”

Can you give an example or two of how this actually works?

A. Your coworkers want to be right about the principle. They don’t necessarily care about the details.

Some of the best examples of what people will do if you just let them be right can be seen in any television crime drama. You’ll notice that clever detectives validate the heck out

of the criminals’ point of view.

The last thing any criminal should do is confess, yet this is exactly what the criminal ends up doing.

Being validated is more important than not incriminating themselves.

The same principle applies to the workplace,which has as much drama as your favorite television show. Most of your coworkers never get told they are right and almost never get their viewpoints validated. The three rules for getting along with people are: validate their emotions, validate their emotions and validate their emotions.

When coworkers see that

Giving to charity Dear Dave, Do you have any advice for deciding which charities to give money to during the holidays?

Danny Dear Danny, There are so many great organizations out there. It’s virtually impossible to pick three or four and say with any certainty they’re the best.

When it comes to choosing, I think the amount of diligence you put into the decision-making process should correspond directly to the amount of money you’re giving.There’s no reason to spend hours in exhaustive study over a $20 donation. However, you’d want to put some time and thought into research if the amount is $2,000.

In situations like this, I’d want to see full disclosure. I’d like to know the expense ratios of the organization and how much money goes toward administrative costs. Every organization has bills to pay and salaries to consider, but you don’t want overhead to eat up 90 percent of every dollar donated.

Helping a good cause is wonderful, but you’ve got to be

reasonable and wise about these things. Don’t feel bad about asking to visit a site and take a tour. Lots of times you can get a feel for what’s going on by just walking around and gauging the people you encounter. Regardless, the bigger the gift, the more time you should spend investigating!

—Dave * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He’s authored four New York Times bestselling books: Financial Peace, More Than Enough, The Total Money Makeover and EntreLeadership. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 5 million listeners each week on more than 500 radio stations. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com.

you understand how they feel and what they think, they will become flexible in what they do next. Unfortunately, most people are just so interested in being right that everyone on a team is arguing for being right and the outcome gets lost in the war for emotional validation.

You have to keep your eye on your desired result to be capable of negotiating with this technique at work. If you still enjoy the emotional satisfaction of being right, you will have to pick between that and getting your result. You simply cannot have both.

You are not telling your coworker, “I agree we should all wear blue shirts.” You are telling your coworker, “I can see how important it is to you that our team presents a united front to customers.”What you are doing is

agreeing with what is emotionally important to your coworker.

Most people feel strongly that you are entirely unqualified to change their mind until you can show them you understand their viewpoints. If you take the time to understand and articulate your coworkers’ perspective, they’ll be much more flexible about integrating what you want into the outcome.

Again, most people want nothing more desperately than to have their feelings validated.

If your ego can afford to let your coworkers win the fight to be right, you will win most workplace wars to get what you want.

The last word(s) Q. I work with one incredibly rude and contemptuous coworker.

I’ve been nothing but nice, but he seems to be just getting worse. Is there something that works with mean people?

A. Yes, be curt, cut the niceties out, and use flat body language.

Mean people just see niceness as weakness.

(Daneen Skube, Ph.D., executive coach, trainer, therapist and speaker, also appears as the FOX Channel’s “Workplace Guru” each Monday morning. She’s the author of “Interpersonal Edge: Breakthrough Tools for Talking to Anyone, Anywhere, About Anything” (Hay House, 2006).

You can contact Dr. Skube at www. interpersonaledge.com or 1420 NW Gilman Blvd., #2845, Issaquah, WA 98027. Sorry, no personal replies.)

(c) 2012 INTERPERSONAL EDGE DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

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Senior Style

Retire Smart: The gift of education

By Jill Schlesinger Tribune Media Services

With the holiday season in full swing, many grandparents and other relatives are wondering how to make gifts earmarked for education.There are a myriad of options, and selecting the best one for your family depends on your circumstances.

Section 529 Plans: Since 1996, families have been able to use these tax-advantaged savings plans that are operated by individual states or educational institutions.There are two types of section 529 plans: prepaid tuition plans, which lock in future tuition rates for eligible colleges at current prices; and college savings plans, which allow saving and investing for qualified higher education expenses, free from federal and (almost all) state taxation.

Additionally, some states offer 529 plans that provide state income tax deductions for residents. If your state offers a specific deal for residents, use it! (For a list of the states which

Niles Senior Center November/December Naturally Active All programs require advanced registration.

For a detailed description of programs & activities or to ask about membership or registration requirements, call the Niles Senior Center at 847-588-8420 Individuals must be a registered member of the Niles Senior Center to receive the member price. Non members are invited

provide such deals for residents, check out the wonderful finaid. org website.)

529 plans offer a variety of investment vehicles, ranging from low-risk fixed options to aggressive stock funds, as well as age-based investment plans, where portfolio managers invest based on when the student will attend college. Most plans do not require that you be a resident of the state to use the plan, nor do most require that the student attend school in that state. To compare state plans, go to www.savingforcollege.com.

Savings Bonds: These bonds are the lowest risk education funding vehicle, because they are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

The Education Bond Program allows qualified taxpayers to exclude all or part of the interest earned from all I Bonds and EE Bonds issued after December 31, 1989, when paying for qualified higher education expenses. To qualify, there are income phaseouts based on the year in which you redeem the bonds, not the

year you buy the bonds.The 2012 limits haven’t been announced, but for 2011, the income phaseouts were $70,100 to $85,100 for single filers and $105,100 to $135,100 for married taxpayers filing jointly.

Bonds must be issued in the name of a taxpayer age 24 or older at the time of issuance.

Grandparents can purchase bonds for their grandkids, but the bonds must be registered in the grandparents’ or parents’ names. The child cannot be listed as a co-owner but may be listed as a beneficiary. There is an annual purchase limit of $30,000 per owner for Series EE and Series I Bonds. As of January 1, 2012, paper savings bonds are no longer sold at financial institutions. Investors can buy the bonds at www. treasurydirect.gov.

Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESAs): These accounts were previously known as Education IRAs and can be opened at most financial institution (banks, mutual fund companies, brokerage firms).

Contributions to a Coverdell ESA are not deductible, but amounts deposited in the account grow tax free until distributed, if the funds are used for qualified education expenses. The ability to use ESAs for private elementary and secondary education makes them different than both savings bonds and section 529 plans. The downside of ESAs is that the total contributions for the beneficiary of this account cannot be more than $2,000 in any year, no matter how many accounts have been established.

Coverdell accounts can be owned by the student or the adult opening the account, and the beneficiary must be under age 18.

UGMA & UTMA Accounts: The Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) and the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) allow adults to establish accounts on behalf of a minor, but do not offer any special tax treatment. All of the money and investments in these accounts are turned over to the

to participate in programs at the non-member price. For more information about membership and programs, contact the Senior Center.

toast. Thursday, January 3, 12:002:30pm $15M/$20NM.

Santa Rosa, CA. studio, recreated for the first time, will allow for a deeper look into his work and life. In addition, with cartoons and memorabilia, the exhibit will explore Halloween,Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day, during which these characters became known so well. At the Center, we will enjoy lunch featuring a half slab of ribs, baked potato, coleslaw, and dessert. $50M/$55NM. Thursday, January 24, 2013 10:30am-4:00pm.

Issues in the News – Thursdays - 9:30-11:30AM This dynamic, refreshing class is led by long time leader of this program, Arlene Golub. This group is filled with folks from all walks of life, retired or not, who want to keep abreast of a broad spectrum of what is occurring locally and worldwide. Issues for discussion are brought up by class participants, and everyone’s opinion is valued. Please call the NSC at 847-588-8420 for more information.

A Noon-Year Celebration Join us as we celebrate the beginning of the New Year with an elegant lunch including salad, chicken parmesan, vesuvio potatoes, steamed vegetables and dessert. Entertainment will be followed by Chicago’s own Peter Oprisko, and his 4 piece band, a premiere interpreter of treasured traditional adult Pop, Jass, and Tin Pan Alley standards.

We will end the afternoon with a traditional NewYears champagne

The RTA and You The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) gets you where you’re going with three transit operators: the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus and rail system, Metra commuter rail, and Pace suburban bus service. Join Kristin Saltas from the RTA as she explains the workings of the RTA. Wednesday, January 16th, 1:30 pm. Free with registration.

Call 847-588-8420 to register.

All are welcome to attend this program.

Charlie Brown and the Great Exhibit Trip At the Museum of Science and Industry. It’s the Great Exhibit, Charlie Brown! Explore the history of Charlie Brown and Charles Schulz. See Schultz’s role as the sole inspiration and artistic talent behind Peanuts and its unique cast of characters.

Through original cartoons, as well as reproductions and related Peanuts ephemera, you will see how characters were developed and how they evolved over decades in print and popular culture. Schulz’s

Got the Dot? – It Could Save Your Life!

Assist first responders with the information they need. Become part of the Illinois Dot Program.

The Illinois Dot Program is a statewide initiative designed to provide vital medical information on vehicle drivers and passengers.

Information contained on the medical card can assist first responders in the “Golden Hour” immediately following a serious crash. This can very well mean the difference between life and death. For more information, please contact the Niles Senior Center (847 588-8420).

beneficiary’s control at the age of 18 to 21 (depending on the state in which the account was opened), and the beneficiary can use the funds in any way he or she chooses. For this reason, UGMA and UTMA accounts are risky, because if the student decides against college and instead wants to take a crosscountry motorcycle trip, there is nothing that the custodian can do.

It’s also important to know that all of these plans can potentially impact financial aid applications. For details, go to www.finaid.org/savings/ accountownership.

(Jill Schlesinger, CFP, is the Editorat-Large for www.CBSMoneyWatch. com. She covers the economy, markets, investing or anything else with a dollar sign on her podcast and blog, Jill on Money, as well as on television and radio. She welcomes comments and questions at askjill@moneywatch. com.)

(c) 2012 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

North Shore Senior Center North Shore Senior Center’s Morton Grove Campus North Shore Senior Center offers programs,classes,activities, and travel opportunities for adults at the American Legion Memorial Civic Center at 6140 Dempster Street.

You may register for all programs at the Center or call 847-470-5223.

Lunch & Bingo!

Wednesdays, from 10 a.m to 12:30 p.m.

Enjoy an exciting game of Bingo, a tasty lunch and great company!

Every Wednesday, Bingo begins at 10:30 am followed at 11:30am by lunch catered by a different local restaurant each week. Come early for coffee and conversation! Registration required (so we can order your food). Fee includes lunch. Bingo cards $.50 each. Watch the bulletin board for the menu!

Please note, no Lunch and Bingo on November 21. To register for this program, or seek additional See SENIORS, page 22

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North Shore Senior Center’s annual meeting to feature discussion of nanotechnology North Shore Senior Center will present Vinayak P. Dravid, PhD, as the keynote speaker for its Annual Meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. Dravid will discuss “Emerging Nanotechnology for Biomedicine and Quality of Life: Will 75 Become the New 35?”

An area of great interest to researchers in the United States and abroad, nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on an atomic and molecular scale.

It is theorized that as an emerging science, nanotechnology could have a vast range of applications in fields such as medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy production.

Vinayak P. Dravid is Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and founding Director of Northwestern University’s Atomic Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center (NUANCE).

His presentation will include an

Submitted Photo

Vinayak P. Dravid, PhD, will be the keynote speaker for the North Shore Senior Center’s annual meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013.

introduction to nanotechnology and will cover theranostic approaches, which combine medical diagnostics and therapy

for cancer, as well as earlystage diagnostics of Alzheimer’s disease.

Other theranostic approaches include prospects for gene therapy, personalized medicine and devices for improving quality of life.

The Annual Meeting of North Shore Senior Center takes place at Arthur C. Nielsen, Jr. Campus, 161 Northfield Road, in Northfield. A short 10 a.m. business meeting will precede Dravid’s presentation at 10:30 a.m.

The Annual Meeting will be held as part of the organization’s weekly Tuesday morning program series, sponsored by the Men’s Club.

These programs spotlight topics in politics, medicine, history, science, technology, sports and popular culture, and are free and open to the public.

For more information, please call 847-784-6030 or visit www. nssc.org.

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Obituary Henry J. Szot Henry J. Szot, age 89, US. Navy veteran WWII; beloved husband of the late Mary nee Lawcewicz; loving father of Barbara (Fredrick) Mathews, Elizabeth (Barton) Mroz and Dianne (the late David) Spence; cherished grandfather of Heather Mroz, Katherine Mathews, Kelly Spence and Casey Spence;

Walter S. Bialka Walter S. Bialka, age 96, beloved husband of Mary; loving father of Dolores Rusnak, and Gerald (Janet) Bialka; cherished grandfather of Jason (Nancy) Rusnak, Katherine Bialka (Daniel Greenberg), and G. Houston Bialka.

Visitation was Friday Dec. 15 from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Skaja Terrace Funeral Home 7812 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles. Funeral

dear great grandfather of Owen; brother of Norbert Szot and the late Emily (the late Stanley) Lelito; fond uncle of many nieces and nephews. Lying in state Friday Dec. 28 at Our Lady of Ransom Church 9 a.m. until time of Memorial Mass 10 a.m. Interment Maryhill Cemetery. For information, call 847-966-7302 or visit www.skajafuneralhomes.com. was Saturday Dec. 16 at 10:15 a.m. to St. John Brebeuf Church Mass 11 .am. Entombment All Saints Mausoleum. He was a member of the Chicago Society, Advocates Society, Niles Senior Club, Knights of Columbus North American Martyrs Council 4338 4th Degree, St. John Brebeuf Holy Name Society, and Maine Township Senior Club. For information, call 847-966-7302 or visit www.skajafuneralhomes.com

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SENIORS Continued from page 20 information, call 847.470.5223 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Volunteer Drivers Needed!

North Shore Senior Center’s Escorted Transportation Service (ETS) relies on volunteers to provide rides for ambulatory seniors to/from medical and dental appointments. Volunteer drivers use their own cars and have great flexibility; they can accept or decline any request for transportation. To learn more about this important and rewarding role, please contact Maura Rogan, Director of Volunteer Services and Community Engagement, at 847.784.6052 or mrogan@nssc. org.

Tell your Life Stories!

North Shore Senior Center’s Life Stories is an oral history program in which you tell and record stories from your life.

During two meetings with a trained volunteer interviewer, ideally in the comfort of your own home, you identify themes and events you want to cover and then share and record them in a conversational interview.

The recorded interview is one hour in length and is transferred to CDs for you to keep and/or share. A Life Stories interview makes a wonderful gift to give or receive! Fee: $40 North Shore Senior Center members; $50 others. To learn more, call 847.784.6085.

Senior Center Membership Become a member of North Shore Senior Center’s Morton Grove Campus and enjoy opportunities to live longer, happier,healthier lives through an array of programs, activities, trips and services. Members receive a discount on all programs, activities, and trips, Lifelong Learning Program Catalog, information on local, state, and federal issues affecting seniors, and invitations to special events and presentations. Membership dues are $20 for an individual and $35 for a couple/household for a full year. Everyone welcome!

Call North Shore Senior Center’s Morton Grove Campus at 847470-5223 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or stop by the Senior Center, 6140 Dempster Street in Morton Grove, to become a member.

Park Ridge Senior Center If bridge is of interest there are several opportunities to enjoy the game. Groups meet on Friday mornings, Sunday afternoons, and Couple’s Bridge meets the first Thursday of the month. Call the Center at 847-692-3597 for more information or to be put in tough with one of the group moderators.

Membership dues for the 20122013 year are being accepted.

The dues are: single - $45 resident/$63 non-resident and a Couple (must reside in the same household) $68 resident/$97 non-resident. And attention to current members … bring in a new member and receive a $5 gift card !!!! Ask the front desk for more details.

Jo Buck continues her exercise classes at 9 am and 10:30 am Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

This class covers a variety of movements including stretching, strength training and floor exercise. Give it a try!!! The first class is free. After that it is $2 each time you come Following are number of ongoing activities at the Center: Woodcarvers meet Thursdays at 9am…a FREE activity: Gamers, 1-4:30pm on Fridays play dominos, hand and foot, scrabble for rummikube … also FREE. Ceramics students meet Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:30am to noon and work on projects of their choice. There is a charge of only $7 per class. Pinochle players meet the second Monday, Third Thursday and every Saturday of the month at 1pm. Table tennis players start play at 1pm,Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. All abilities are welcome for this free activity. Bocce ball players gather just north of the Center at 10am Wednesday mornings. Ken Hewelt is bocce master and can explain how the game is played.

Have you ever thought of tap dancing!!! This is a fun way of exercising. The class is at 12:30 Tuesdays with a fee of $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers.

The Center will welcome the New Year at 1:30pm. On Friday, December 28. Planned is a cocktail party with appetizers and desserts and Maureen Christine will join in with a performance

sure to get everyone swaying to the beat. Dancing shoes are recommended. The charge is $14 for members and $16 for non-members.

Charlie Brown and the Great Exhibit takes place from 9am5pm on Thursday, January10. The Great Exhibit explores Schulz’s personal history and his role as the sole inspiration and artistic talent behind Peanuts and its unique cast of characters. In addition, with cartoons and memorabilia, the exhibit will take guests on a Peanuts tour of the holidays – Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day – during which these characters became known so well. Participants will also have plenty of time to explore the rest of the Museum of Science and Industry. Cost is $62 for members and $75 for non-members and includes admission, box lunch and transportation.

After the indulgence of the holiday season, the Center will be offering two new programs that will be an easy start to the usual New Year’s resolutions. Starting at 1:30 on Friday, January 11 and running through March 22 will be Tai Chi for Health. Tai Chi is a gentle, low impact approach to fitness that can help ease the pain and stiffness of arthritis and other chronic conditions, increase flexibility, muscle strength, heart and lung activity, posture and help balance prevent and falls.

This class can be done standing or modified to chair practicing at one’s own pace. Charge is $62 for members and $77 for nonmembers. Classes are 45 minutes with no class February 15.

Following this is chair Yoga Plus which is perfect for those with compromised knees, hips, shoulders, ankle, or back pain. Included will be gentle stretching, light weights, and cardio. Participants can stand for a few minutes for balance or stay seated. This class is also 45 minutes with no class February 15 and runs from January 11 to March 22 at 2:30pm at the same cost, $62 for members and $77 for non-members.

A free Health Care Forum is planned for 11am on Thursday, January 10. The Health Care Forum is a collaborative group of health and wellness professionals and community partners working to bring health education to the community. Topics will address a variety of heath issues,

Medicare scams, new Medicaid changes, health screenings, how to prepare for our next doctor’s appointment, brain health and ideas on how to navigate through the health care process.

Refreshments will e served.

The Opera-Arts Discussion group will meet promptly at 12 noon on Thursdays, January 10 and 24. On the 10th, “The Holiday Concert” with Peter, Paul and Mary will be presented.

The concert features a mixture of the trio’s iconic folk classics, Christmas and Hannukah songs and carols, traditional spirituals and songs of hope. On the 24th it’s “The Barkleys of Broadway with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their final pairing and the only one in Technicolor, after 10 years of being apart. The story mirrors real-life creative tensions the two share. Fred’s number, “Shoes with Wings on”, is astounding. As always, refreshments will be served after the programs.

A Body Self Awareness Program with Jo Buck begins January 14 from 10am-10:30am at a cost of $1 for members and $2 for non-members (plus drop-in-fee).

Have fun in participating in this class which focuses on general well-being, building mental & physical fitness awareness. It is Jo’s desire for all who attend her class to be physically fit as well as nutritionally savvy. She has tips for you to attain optimal health and secrets on how to help take off those holiday pounds.

An Introduction to the iPad class begins at 1:30-3:30, January 14-January 28 at a cost of $60 for members and $75 for nonmembers. The class covers the basics of the iPad which includes operation, how to use the app store to download apps (free and paid), how to backup your iPad to your computer and discussion about the use of iCloud. Please bring your iPad and charger to the class.

Jim Weaver, Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley will be conducting two investment related courses. The first is Investing with Relative Strength from 7-8pm on Tuesday, January 15. He will discuss the importance of assessing market risk when investing. This seminar will teach participants how to use relative strength to choose and hold the strongest investments while managing risk. Cost is $6 for both members and non-members.

Then from 2-3pm on Wednesday, January 16, he will discuss how to do all you can to make smart choices today and prepare for the future. However, sometimes the unexpected happens and this is when insurance can help.

Cost for both members and nonmembers is $6.

The January Women’s Club lunch begins at 12:30 on Wednesday, January 16. The theme is Celebrities I have Known with author and journalist Sandra Pesman presenting her new memoir, Stairway to the Stars: John Travolta, Wood Allen, Joan Rivers…and Me. The book and talk chronicle Pesman’s life as a Chicago Daily News reporter, then as Crain’s Chicago Business’ Features Editor, and Executive Woman columnist for North Shore Magazine. Cost is $17 for members and $21 for nonmembers. Lunch will be catered

by All on the Road Catering.

The Center will be having movie Thursday, the third Thursday of the month. Join friends and enjoy latest movie releases and popcorn. The Life of Timothy Green will be presented from 1-4pm on Thursday, January 17 at a cost of only $2 for members and $3 for non-members.

The regular monthly luncheon will be Monday, January 21 at 12:30.

Lively musician Patti Ecker will bring everyone out of the winter doldrums with her Smiling Through performance.

Lunch will be catered by Inglenook. Cost is $17 members, $21 non-members.

The monthly blood pressure and blood sugar screening takes place from 9am to 10:15am.

This is a FREE service for everyone, provided by ProvenaResurrection Healthcare.

No appointments are necessary.

Don’t know what gift to give mom and dad, grandpa and grandma, aunt and uncle or friends over age 55….consider a membership to the Park Ridge Senior Center. Call the Center at 847-692-3597 for more information or drop by and pick up the current newsletter and take a tour of the facility.

Please note the Center’s holiday hours: Christmas Eve, 8:30 to noon and closed all day on Christmas Day. The Center wishes everyone a happy holiday season and hope to see new faces at the Center in the New Year.

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Making your home senior friendly (StatePoint) More seniors than ever before are choosing to stay in their homes as they age. According to a study by the AARP, only five percent of Americans ages 65 and older live in group quarters like nursing homes.

From narrow hallways to steep stairs, design elements in typical houses can make remaining at home difficult in our golden years. However, basic upgrades, like handrails and ramps, can go a long way toward making homes safer for seniors. And there are other small senior-friendly changes that can even make homes more environmentally friendly, which can help lower utility bills.

“The aging process can be gradual for some, however others can move quickly from independent living to a cane to a walker,” says Joyce Polhamus, Chair of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Design for Aging Knowledge Community.

“You don’t need to completely remodel your home; there are small things you can do now to make it more accessible as the aging process evolves, while also making it better for the environment.”

Automate to Conserve One of the best ways to help ensure senior safety is to have a well-lit home. But it sometimes can be difficult to reach outlets and to remember to turn

lights on and off as you move about your house. Installing sensors, so lights go on and off automatically when you enter and leave rooms, will cut back on electricity costs and ensure better visibility.

As we age, tasks that formerly seemed simple, like watering plants, can be difficult and energy-consuming. Polhamus recommends setting automatic timers on sprinkler systems to eliminate the need to do this task yourself, while also helping to conserve water.

Update Appliances Emptying the dishwasher or putting a load of laundry in the washing machine, can put a strain on the body. Consider installing newer appliances designed to be more senior friendly.

With newer dishwasher and refrigerator models, you can open doors and drawers between hip and shoulder height, which won’t require reaching up or bending down.

Additionally, replacing older appliances with newer, more energy-efficient appliances can help you reduce your carbon footprint.

Or you can place existing appliances, like front-loading

Submitted Photo/Fotolia.com

Making your home senior friendly can also lower your bills .

washing machines, on platforms. An architect can help you redesign any room around appliances to make it safer and more senior-friendly.

Seasonal Design The majority of heat gain and loss comes from windows.

Electronic curtains can alleviate the burden of repeatedly opening and closing traditional curtains and are more airtight to better keep cold air outside.

If electronic curtains aren’t an option, Polhamus recommends ensuring windows are properly sealed and considering shrubs or bushes outside to act as a

buffer against wind and cold air.

To find an architect who can help make your home greener and more comfortable for seniors, visit http:// architectfinder.aia.org/.

With a few updates, you can live in peace knowing your home is designed for aging.

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