111th and Kedzie Project

Thanks to the commentors who sent the link regarding the 111th Street Walgreens project that has been 12 years in the making. I'm posting the link to the article because it is copyrighted and very lengthy.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-mt-greenwood-tif-city-zoneaug28,0,3817618.story

What do you guys think?

Officer Cole

I received this as a comment under the old post heading so I wanted to move it up front for all the people who want to keep updated regarding Officer Cole. It was sent by the Detective in Denver.

I am posting regular updates on our website:

www.TheCenturionLawEnforcementMinistry.org.

Jason and I are also visiting regularly (I went by today) and Denz is doing much better.

Det. M.C. Williams

Open Post 8/27 through 9/2

Just a reminder, this is the post where miscellaneous information/questions are posted.

Save the Date.

These were sent to me. Here are some upcoming events.

First event

1st Annual Taste of Mt. Greenwood
Sunday, September 27, 11 a.m.- 5 p.m.
at the Chicago Agricultural School, 3807 . 111th St. Chicago.
Food
craft/vendor show
Car Show
petting zoo
Pet parade/blessing
and MORE!!!

Second event:

ALL ABOUT ME Boutique
makes it
All About the Season with Twas the Night to Shop!
The Ultimate Shopping Event!!
Thursday, November 5, 7-11pm
at 115 Bourbon St. in Merrionette Park
$3.00 admission
Free appetizer buffet
Cash Bar- Over 40 vendors to shop from!

Seven Holy Tombs

The majority was right. Mt. Greenwood was formerly called Seven Holy Tombs.

John R. Powers wrote three books about growing up in Mt. Greenwood, which he calls Seven Holy Tombs in the book. If you have never read them, go to the library and get them. They are hilarious. Last Catholic in America, Do Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? and The Unoriginal Sinner and the Ice-Cream God.

Here is a little history of Mt. Greenwood from Wikipedia:

...Even though there were a small number of settlers in Mt. Greenwood, the origins of Mt. Greenwood began in 1877 when it was surveyed by George Waite. Mr. Waite established an area where he could trade with the local Native Americans. Mount Greenwood Cemetery was established around this time by Mr. Waite. With the cemetery came the saloons and restaurants and eventually tracks for horse and greyhound racing. Mt. Greenwood became part of Chicago in 1927. It was not until 1936 that the Works Progress Administration finally laid sewage systems, and paved and lighted city streets. As late as the 1960s, the Mount Greenwood Civic Association was still fighting the city for curbs and gutters. By the 1980s, Mount Greenwood was home to the last surviving farm in the city, which was developed as the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences at the southeast corner of 111th and Pulaski...

To add to the above, Mt. Greenwood also had quite a few brothels. People would travel by train for drinking, gambling and well, you know. Guess the neighbors buried in the cemetaries didn't complain too much.

Jewel Shop & Share - Support Ellie and Carson

Support Ellie and Carson by Shopping at Jewel August 24-26

Our first Jewel Shop & Share is scheduled for this coming Mon-Wed (August 24, 25 & 26). And it's really easy.

If you shop at Jewel during these days, simply print and present this coupon (http://www.cookfamilyfund.com/images/JewelShopShare.pdf) to the cashier when paying for your groceries. That's all it takes!

Feel free to distribute the coupon to as many people as possible. The only restriction is that we are not allowed to pass out the coupon in front of any Jewel Food Store. If you can't make it to a Jewel Food Store during these days, we will have another event in November & December.


A fund has been established to cover future expenses for the children of Cari Lyn Cook, the Countryside woman who died May 19 after being struck by a vehicle while crossing 47th St in La Grange.

The children, two-year-old Ellie and four-month-old Carson, were with their mother at the time of the accident. Carson suffered a fractured leg; Ellie was unharmed.

Monies collected by the fund will be used to provide "education, child care, medical needs and any other costs related to the needs of the children," according to information posted on the Cari Lyn Cook memorial website, cookfamilyfund.com.

"Although Carson and Ellie will have the love and support of many friends and family, life will not be easy as [Cari's husband] Matt tries to raise two young children while providing for his family," the website said.

The website also contains a guest book and photo album where visitors can share their thoughts, stories and pictures of Cari.

http://www.cookfamilyfund.com/

CAPS Meeting Tonight

CAPS meeting for 2211 is tonight at Mt. Greenwood Park from 7:00 to 8:00.

Chicago PD Fan website

A lot of work went into putting together this web site.

For those of us who grew up in Chicago and for those of us who currently live & work in Chicago, you might be interested in this site put together by a CPD Fan, it has a gallery of badges patches and memorabilia from over the years put out by and related to the Chicago police dept.

http://chgopdfan.tripod.com/index.html

http://chgopdfan.tripod.com/id10.html


Thanks for the info Jim!

Open Post 8/20 through 8/26

Here's your open post.

Please remember we are all neighbors and should treat each other with respect.

I am getting mentally exhausted reading all the negative comments. Do we all really hate EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING so much...geesh. Let's try to remember that other people's opinions may not be ours and that's okay, got to love America, and read and respond to such with an open mind and a light heart.

Think of this, there are 41 comments for the BBQ post, and over 130 comments in open post, most concerning blacks and parent coaches. THERE ARE ONLY 4 regarding Officer Cole (injured PO) and NONE regarding the Y-me tournament (fundraiser for cancer).... that is a sad statement of what interests us.

Thanks.

15th Annual Y-Me Softball Tournament

Website: http://www.y-mesoftball.com/

When: Saturday, August 29th

Where: 111th & Central Park (St. Christina Fields/Mt. Greenwood Park)

Fee: $35 per player - Minimum 15 players ($525.00 per team) ~ Players must be 25 or older

Call: (773) 779-0172 Kathy O'Shea or email: ymesoftball@gmail.com

The money earned from this year's tournament will be donated to The American Cancer Society Patient Navigation Services Program the Duchossios Family Foundation, a family with roots in Beverly has agreed to double all American Cancer Society donations from this event.

Please check out the website for rosters and rules, along with other information.

Acceptace is on a First Come First Serve basis

If you plan on participating, tomorrow is the deadline.

The issue with BBQ's in Mt. Greenwood Park

post is closed to comments, I keep getting people pretending like they are other people and leaving stupid, ignorant and completely uncalled comments. It's people like this on the blog that are ruining it.

Since this has to do with 60655, I stole this from Shaved's blog:

This E-Mail was sent to me:Shavedlongcock@yahoo.com

Dear Shaved:

Recently the Mt. Greenwood neighborhood raised close to a hell of a lot of money to re-new the old Mt. Greenwood Park. In many Chicago neighborhoods the park districts pays for the whole project but in working areas of the city where taxes are being paid big time, it is up to the local residents to pay for the park to be re-newed. Now that the Mt. Greenwood residents worked their asses off and personally paid for what many areas of the city get for free, guess who is now taking over the park? And before the flaming liberals jump all over me and call me racist (and I don't give a fuck if they do) for the last couple of weekends large groups of blacks from other neighborhoods have set up BBQ camp and coolers in the fenced in area surrounding all the new park district swings and playlot.

I took this picture with my cell:




Now people from all over come to this park and BBQ and enjoy themselves but not on the fenced in playlot area. Smoke from their BBQs are going into the faces of the kids playing on the new playlot - which can get kids with Asthma sick and they are openly drinking alcoholic beverages on the kid's playlot too. You can see all the coolers in that picture. Filled with beer and alcohol. Now just imagine a big group of whites going to a all black Park, setting up smoking BBQs next to their brand new swings and playlot and drinking a bunch of booze. What do you think would happen? And the worse problem is that the park district employees are afraid to say anything to any person of color at Mt. Greenwood Park. They have no park permit, they are in an area that doesn't even allow cooking and drinking and littering their ass off. Can you please post this and see if anybody knows what I can do to stop this behavior and illegal activities?

Sincerely, Justine - Mt. Greenwood

Any ideas?

Update - Injured Police Officer Densey Cole

Status Update on Chicago P.D. Officer Densey Cole

I got word this morning that Densey is NOT doing well, that he remains in ICU, and that he may NOT have visitors other than "family and clergy." He has asked to see me and I've been granted access to visit and pray with him possibly this afternoon and tomorrow AM. PLEASE, PLEASE lift our brother in prayer. Pray also for Densey's wife during this exceedingly difficult time.Please pass on...

Posted by Detective/Chaplain MC Williams

Please everyone, even if you don't pray, please say a prayer for Officer Cole and his family.

Baseball in Chicago

We have our favorites. MOST southsiders love the Sox, a few southsiders love the Cubs, along with the northside transplants. But when did America's favorite past-time get so expensive. You can't take a family to a game anymore and not spend a couple of hundred bucks easy. I think it may be cheaper to take a vacation somewhere. Who actually watches the games anyway?

I was looking on line and here is the wallet saving alternative for a night (or day) of baseball.

The Thunderbolts, they are closer to home being located in Crestwood, tickets are $9, and the food and drinks are CHEAP. They have special promotions and events and you can have fundraisers and parties there too.

Here is the link: http://www.wcthunderbolts.com/

Open Post 8/13 through 8/19

Here's your open post for the week.

Property Tax Increase (again) to fund the CPS.

The City of Chicago will be raising property taxes for the 13th time in 14 years to help bail out the budget of the Chicago Public Schools.

Okay, I have a CRAZY idea to save some money, how about they stop paying all that money to advertise that school starts the day after Labor Day. How dumb can someone be? It ALWAYS is the day after Labor Day for the traditional public schools (not including year round).

Here's another one, how about you no longer offer incentives for going to school, like "show up on the first day of school and get free Bulls' tickets" or "get $100 for every A." Or, free lunches only for the student, not the whole family, all year long. Or, stop giving out free uniforms, school supplies, backpacks, and G-d knows what else the give out. If you do the math on the free giveaways, that will be probably balance the budget, please leave a little extra as a cushion.

Below is the article explaining the details.

http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1711924,081209skultax.article is

Meteor Shower!

Don't be alarmed if you see hundreds of necks craned to the sky tonight through Wednesday morning.

Up to 100 meteors per hour are expected to paint the sky with fiery streaks as the Earth passes through the dust trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, according to the Adler Planetarium. The display could be the most vibrant in years, the planetarium says.

The comet, discovered in 1862, is a giant iceberg made up of ice, rock and dust particles. Dust particles the size of sand slowly have been eroding away from the comet every time it approaches the sun, leaving a trail of debris that the Earth's orbit intersects once every year, according to the planetarium.

That means sky lovers can expect quite a show tonight and Wednesday morning.

The particles, known as meteoroids, create a meteor shower when they collide with the Earth's atmosphere and burn up, creating fiery streaks across the sky, according to the planetarium.
Mark Hammergren, an astronomer at Adler, said the best viewing time in the Chiocago area will be tonight before the moon is expected to rise at 10:09 p.m. and Wednesday before the moon rises at 10:40 p.m.

And the best viewing place? Get away from the city lights and look northeast while the skies remain dark. As Hammergren said, the darker the skies, the better.

Hometown Hero Gets the Ride of a Lifetime!

Monday was "way overwhelming" for Brian Otto, a rescue diver for the Chicago Fire Department who was honored for "doing my job."

That entailed saving the life of a 2-year-old boy who had fallen into Lake Michigan last year.

For his efforts, Otto got to ride in an Air Force Thunderbird F-16 fighter jet.

"This isn't why you do what you do. You do what you do to help people, to save some lives. It's a bit over the top, but it's once in a lifetime," said Otto, of Chicago's Mount Greenwood community.
During his flight, he soared to 15,000 feet at 600 mph and briefly endured a 9.2 G-force.
Otto got to ride in the jet because he had been named a "hometown hero" in a contest held by the Thunderbirds and WBBM-AM (780).

On a blustery April 18, 2008, Otto was the diver who pulled the boy out of frigid lake waters. High winds had blown the boy, still strapped into his stroller, into the 42-degree water at Belmont Harbor.

Otto was at the scene in moments thanks to skillful flying by Chicago fire department helicopter pilot A.J. Lisanti, of Chicago's Beverly community.

The crew had been doing training that day and had landed at Midway Airport to get more fuel when they heard the emergency call.

Lisanti figured a strong tailwind helped the copter hit about 180 mph.

At Belmont Harbor, with the assistance of fellow firefighter Bill Davis, of Chicago's East Side, Otto gingerly searched the murky waters. He finally found the boy and pulled him out.
Miraculously, the boy survived and suffered no ill effects, Otto said.

"Bill did an outstanding job. He was my tender. He put one hand on the wall, had me on a line. We searched the first area, and then he let some more line out and we got (the boy) on the second pass," Otto said.

Otto, 45, said it was "a long helicopter ride home because we didn't know what the results would be."

"A lot of your thoughts do go home," Otto said, saying he thought of his own son, Devin, 6.
Otto felt humbled Monday by the large media turnout at the Gary Jet Center, where the Air Force Thunderbirds are stationed as they prepare for the weekend's annual Chicago Air and Water Show.

"It's unbelievable. But there were 40 guys out that day on that run, and all 40 deserve to be here. I was one link in the chain," said Otto, a firefighter for 20 years.

Two of those links, Davis and Lisanti, were there to witness Otto's flight.

Lisanti joked that if Otto climbed out of the plane holding an air sickness bag. "that photo will be up in the firehouse tomorrow."

No bag was needed, but Otto was nervous.

"The last plane I was in, they gave me a drink and a movie," Otto said.

Otto did "get weirded out" when the flight reached a 9.2 G force. That means the pressure on his body was nine times normal, causing his eyesight to experience tunnel vision. But a few deep breaths got him through.

Air Force Major Tony Mulhare was the pilot whose flight plans included four rolls in five seconds.
"That one will spin your gyros a bit," Mulhare cautioned Otto in a pre-flight briefing session.
The highlight for Otto was the takeoff. With the plane 50 feet off the ground, Mulhare cranked it up to 350 mph as the plane flew straight up for a mile and a half.

"That caught me by surprise," Otto admitted.

The takeoff remains fun for Mulhare "because you have a speed rush from the ground."
"Most people either shout, scream or laugh because it's sensory overload. He was saying lots of 'Wows' and 'That's really cool.' He was making me laugh. My job is easy when the passenger is having fun. He will never forget this day and for us that is mission accomplished," Mulhare said.

Devin was relieved his Dad was OK and told mom, Carrie Otto, during the flight, "I'm anxious to see if he's alive."

"Oh, Daddy will be OK," she assured him.

Moments after Mulhare safely landed the F-16, Devin ran up and gave a big hug to his father, the hometown hero.

Mulhare then handed Devin a tiny American flag that been in the cockpit.

"We'll take good care of that," Otto said, adding he now has "coolest story on the block."

from the Southtownstar

Summer has arrived.

Finally, summer has arrived. Better late than never. However, these temperatures are unbearable.

In these extreme temperatures, please do a wellness check on your elderly neighbors.

Please also remember that pets have a hard time in these hot temperatures. I hate seeing dogs in cars with the windows cracked barely an inch in this kind of weather. Leave them home.

Deceptive practices

This blog was started as a community blog; for people to communicate with one another and be aware of what was happening in the area. I am dismayed to see that certain people feel the need to lie and spread vicious rumors, while using the identity of others. Those people are ruining something that could be a reliable source of neighborhood news. I just wanted you, the readers of this blog, to know that some of the comments that have come through, were done under deceptive practices by cowards who cannot post their true identity, but rather assume the identity of frequent readers and commentors. When the comments were posted, I was unable to tell that it was not the true identity of the poster, but rather an imposter. I apologize to Jim McMahon for this. I could have never imagined that someone could/would stoop that low. Thanks.

Open Post 8/6 through 8/12

This weeks open post. Please put all GENERAL comments and questions here.

Olympic Meeting at St. Xavier (Tonight)!

2016 Olympic Committee Meeting at Saint Xavier University.

This coming Wednesday, August 5th, the Chicago Olympic Committee will be hosting an open meeting for community residents that are interested in learning more about our city’s bid to host the 2016 summer games here in Chicago. The meeting is in the “Butler Reception Room” at Saint Xavier University at 7:00 PM.

If you need more information on this, you can contact Fran Hurley at the Mt. Greenwood 19th Ward office by calling (773) 238-8776 or e-mail her at fhurley@cityofchicago.org.

In my opinion, hosting the Olympics is a losing proposition for the taxpayers of Chicago . Mayor Daley is cutting jobs, salary’s and benefits for city workers under the guise of being broke, yet is still going to guarantee profits to the Olympics using OUR money. If he refuses to listen to the will of the people that oppose this and insists on having these games here, let him and the City Council guarantee these profits personally using their own homes, bank accounts, other personal assets and pensions to back it up. The only ones that stand to benefit from any of this are the “Clouted” Contractors and the corrupt city officials that will be getting kickbacks under the table in return for huge contracts being awarded. Besides, Mayor Daley made it quite clear that the only people that are even allowed to bid on some of these city projects are “Minority Contractor’s,” which as of last week includes special status for “Gays.” What happened to the EQUALITY everyone wanted so badly? Personally, I don’t care what race, gender or sexual orientation anyone is, discrimination is discrimination in any color. To give ANY preferential treatment to ANY group of people under ANY name or description, is nothing more than plain old “discrimination.”

Regardless if you’re for the games or against them, here is your opportunity to let the Olympic Committee, Mayor Daley and all the other politicians in Chicago know how you feel about the 2016 Olympics. Whining about what’s going on won’t make a bit of difference, come on out and express your opinion……….LOUD & CLEAR!

Jim McMahonmcmahon351@aol.com

Get ready for a lot of smoke and mirrors.

New gadget!

At the bottom of this page you will find a Search box, you can use it to search this blog for prior posts and links and you can also search the web. Should make finding things A LOT EASIER!