Sunday, February 22, 2015

St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish Invites Everyone to Casino Night Benefit

Just sharing a flyer from our friends at St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish.

Sounds like lots of fun!




Crime News Update


Editor's note: The crime news reported by the Southwest Chicago Post---taken directly from Chicago Police Department incident reports---is not by any means an exhaustive catalogue of all crime reported in the Chicago Lawn (8th) District. For example, it typically does not include news of crimes committed in the eastern and southern sectors of the district---because the Southwest Chicago Post's coverage area is primarily the neighborhoods that border Midway Airport and secondarily because including the relatively large volume of crime news from elsewhere in the district would be a logistical challenge. We make this note to offer a little helpful perspective and remind everyone that while crime is definitely a concern in all parts of the district (as it always has been), crime remains relatively low overall in Sector 1. May all of us work together diligently to keep it that way. May all of us also remember that a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

* * *




Burglars entered a home near 61st and Kolmar and stole a PlayStation 4 video game console, 12 video games, a pair of Beats headphones, and a jar with about $100 in coins inside. The crime was discovered by the victims, a 35-year-old woman and her 17-year-old son, when they came home from shopping in Orland Park at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. Police found no sign of forced entry, and the boy admitted that he keeps a ground-level window unlocked in case he forgets his keys.


* * *

Want to work directly with Chicago Police to prevent crime in your neighborhood? If you live in Beat 815 or 821 (see map), come to St. Bruno School (south entrance) at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 4. Hear updates on crime in your neighborhood and learn how you can work with neighbors and police to make the community safer and better for all.



Burglars kicked in the back door of a home near 64th and Komensky and stole a safe, $5,000 cash, assorted jewelry worth about $17,000, two fur coats, a TV and a computer. They also broke into the garage and stole three nail guns, an air compressor and assorted work tools. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 61-year-old woman, when she came home from visiting her son at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15. Also burglarized in the incident was a basement apartment unit. According to the victim,a 40-year-old man, the burglars stole a TV, a laptop computer and $50 cash.

* * *

A 42-year-old man told police that someone stole two DVD players, two TVs and eight bottles of cologne from his apartment near 62nd and Major. He discovered the crime at 2:30 p.m.Tuesday, Feb. 17. Police said they found no sign of forced entry, and the victim said that his nephew occasionally allows gangbanger friends inside as guests.


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Friday, February 20, 2015

Sheriff's Vice Unit Busts Ashburn Man After Sting at Hotel Near Ford City


A 24-year-old Ashburn man has been charged with
Troy Gardener
promoting prostitution after the Cook County Sheriff’s Vice Unit arrested him during an undercover hotel operation, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said today.


Troy Gardener, of 77th and Trumbull, was arrested Feb. 18 at a Southwest Side hotel during an undercover operation in response to a Backpage.com advertisement.

A sheriff's spokesman declined to name the hotel, but said it is in the Ford City vicinity.

During the operation, members of the county's vice unit recovered a female victim and learned that Gardener had rented the hotel room for the purpose of prostitution, according to a statement released to the press by the Sheriff's Office.

Officers also reportedly learned that he was gaining financially from the alleged prostitution being conducted in the room by the woman, who he met via Backpage.com. 

Backpage is a classified advertisement website with "escort" pages that serve as prominent hubs for prostitution and sex trafficking, Dart said.

Since 2009, the vice unit has made over 750 arrests off of Backpage. Gardener's apprehension is the 47th vice-related arrest for involuntary servitude, human trafficking or promoting prostitution since 2007, the statement added.

The majority of those investigations originated from Craigslist or Backpage postings for prostitution.

The woman was offered services through the Sheriff’s Women’s Justice Program, which supports recovering prostitutes as they overcome their trauma while maintaining safe and healthy lives. Gardener was charged Thursday with promoting prostitution, a Class 4 felony. He is scheduled to appear in bond court today (Friday) at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courts Building.

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Wednesday, February 18, 2015

St. Bede Hosting St. Patrick's Dinner; Mega Raffle Tickets Still Available

Mark your calendar and makes plans to attend St. Bede Parish's annual St. Patrick's Day Dinner on Tuesday, March 10 in the parish hall at 83rd and Kostner.

Mega Raffle winners will be drawn at the event.

Tickets for the Mega Raffle are $50 each. Prizes are:

1st Prize: $10,000
2nd Prize $2,500
3rd Prize $1,000
4th, 5th and 6th Prizes are $500 each

Only 500 tickets will be sold and can be purchased in the church rectory or the school. Proceeds of this raffle benefit St. Bede's children and the parish.

More details in the flyer below:



Sunday, February 15, 2015

Crime News Update


Editor's note: The crime news reported by the Southwest Chicago Post---taken directly from Chicago Police Department incident reports---is not by any means an exhaustive catalogue of all crime reported in the Chicago Lawn (8th) District. For example, it typically does not include news of crimes committed in the eastern and southern sectors of the district---because the Southwest Chicago Post's coverage area is primarily the neighborhoods that border Midway Airport and secondarily because including the relatively large volume of crime news from elsewhere in the district would be a logistical challenge. We make this note to offer a little helpful perspective and remind everyone that while crime is definitely a concern in all parts of the district (as it always has been), crime remains relatively low overall in Sector 1. May all of us work together diligently to keep it that way. May all of us also remember that a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

* * *


A North Side man was arrested and charged with burglary after he allegedly broke into a home
Burl Harbin Jr.
near 62nd Place and Springfield and stole more than $1,300 cash and two items of jewelry.


Burl Harbin Jr., 51, of the 1900 block of West Melrose, was apprehended by police at about 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13 after a short foot chase.

Police responding to a "burglary in progress" call said they heard a 59-year-old woman screaming inside the home. Then they saw her standing in a doorway, hollering "Get him! He just broke into my house!"

After Harbin was apprehended, he was brought back to the home, where he was positively identified by the victim, police said.

A witness to the incident, another 59-year-old woman who lives in the same home, told police that she was in the front room, watching TV, when she heard a burglar breaking in the back door. She immediately ran outside the front door and called 911 on her cell phone. Moments later, the burglar broke into the home and reportedly accosted the other 59-year-old woman, who had been napping in her bedroom. The victim in bed told police that the burglar grabbed her, shook her and asked, "Where's the money?" before stealing the cash and jewelry and fleeing.

Harbin is currently held on $150,000 bond by the Cook County Department of Corrections. He is set to appear in Cook County Circuit Court Branch 48, 155 West 51st Street, on Friday, Feb. 20.


* * *

Want to work directly with Chicago Police to prevent crime in your neighborhood? If you live in Beat 811 (see map), come to Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 17. Hear updates on crime in your neighborhood and learn how you can work with neighbors and police to make the community safer and better for all.





A burglar broke into a car parked near 58th and Massasoit, stole the garage door opener, opened the garage, and stole five bags of sand, two sets of tools, two ladders, a Weber grill, 20 patio blocks, and a snow blower--as well as a leather jacket and a pair of Gucci eyeglasses from the Nissan inside. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 32-year-old man, at 8 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 12.

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Burglars kicked in the service door of a garage near 52nd and Knox and stole an estimated $4,000 worth of remodelers' tools. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 36-year-old man, at 7 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14.


* * *

Burglars entered a house near 58th and Parkside and stole assorted jewelry. The crime was discovered by a 50-year-old woman, the daughter of the victim (a 70-year-old woman), at 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14. The victim was on vacation in Hawaii, according to the police report.


* * *




Burglars used a stolen garage door opener to enter a garage near 61st and Keeler and steal an air compressor, a car jack and a bag of tools. The crime occurred at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12 and was interrupted by a neighbor who saw what was happening. The three burglars sped away in a tan minivan with a black stripe on the hatch back. The victim, a 50-year-old man, was at work at the time.


* * *

A burglar pried open the service door of a garage near 58th and Central, but apparently stole nothing. The victim, a 29-year-old man, told police that his garage alarm was triggered at about 11:45 a.m.Wednesday, Feb. 11. He looked outside and saw a white vehicle in the alley. He mistakenly thought it was his father's car and figured the alarm was triggered on accident.

When no one came in the house, the victim went outside to investigate and saw the burglar in the garage. The victim, a licensed gun owner, drew his pistol and asked "Who are you?" of the offender, who then jumped in the vehicle (a white, older Pontiac Bonneville) and sped away south down the alley, then east on 58th Street and south on Central.

The offender is described as a Hispanic man age 30-35, 5-foot-6 and 210 pounds, with an olive complexion.


* * *

A 44-year-old Clearing man told police that a friend, a 36-year-old man, stabbed him in the neck during an argument at a pool game at Pete & Mary's Lounge, 5908 W. 63rd St., at about 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10. After the stabbing, the offender bolted from the bar and ran east on 63rd Street. The victim was taken by CFD ambulance to Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, where he was treated and released. He told police he would not sign a criminal complaint against his friend.

* * *


A 28-year-old Archer Heights man told police that he was robbed in an alley behind 4700 S. Keating at 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10. The victim said he was walking to a nearby currency exchange when a silver Chevy pulled up. The passenger in the vehicle asked, "What are you about? (a common question relating to gang affiliation)," and the victim replied, "Nothing." The passenger then jumped out, brandished a knife and hit the victim on the head with a pink, souvenir mini-baseball bat. The offender went through the victim's pockets and stole his cell phone before jumping back in the vehicle, which sped away east on 47th Street. The victim refused medical treatment.

The offenders were described only as Hispanic men about age 25.


* * *

Two West Elsdon boys--ages 15 and 16--said they were robbed as they walked in an alley near 54th and Kenneth at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10. They said that two men approached, said "Give us everything you got!" and pushed them to the ground. The victims told police they tried to flee, but slipped and fell on the icy and snow.

The offenders went through their pockets and took a cell phone and a LINK card, before fleeing on foot. The victims ran home and told their mothers, who contacted police.

The robbers are described as black men age 20-30, between 5'8 and 6'0.


* * *

Two Northwest Side men--ages 33 and 38--told police they were robbed at gunpoint as they warmed their truck that was parked near 60th and Sayre at 12:40 a.m. Monday, Feb. 9 The offenders stole a wallet, a watch and $550 cash from the two men before fleeing on foot. They are described as black men age 28-35.


* * *

A burglar broke into a garage near 63rd and Kildare and stole a snow blower, a now shovel and an outboard motor. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 54-year-old man, when a burglar alarm was triggered at 1 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2--although it was not reported to police until six days later. The victim told police he saw the burglar but could only describe him as a man about 5-foot-5, with a bowed lower right leg.


* * *

Burglars kicked in the back door of a home near 84th and Kostner and stole two watches. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 58-year-old man, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7. The victim saw the offender fleeing and unsuccessfully chased him for a short dustance. The criminal is described as a white man age 30-39, about 5-foot-7 and 165 pounds, with medium-length brown hair and a light complexion.

# # #

Thursday, February 12, 2015

CPD Alert: Older Man Tries to Grab School Boy Near 57th and Keeler

Just released to the press by CPD at 3:19 p.m. today:



Breaking News: 3rd Man Charged in Sept. Slaying Near 62nd and Kilpatrick

Just released to the news media today by CPD:


23rd Ward Hopefuls Make Their Pitches At Archer Heights Civic Assoc. Event

Our thanks to the Archer Heights Civic Association for
Martin Arteaga and his wife, Michelle
including a candidates forum within its February 11 meeting, held at the UNO Veterans Memorial Campus, 47th and Kildare.


The roughly 130 people in
Anna Goral speaks with voters
attendance heard from two of the 
three 23rd Ward aldermanic candidates. (Alderman Michael R. Zalewski was a last-minute no show, with AHCA officials expressing surprise and confusion over his unexplained absence.)

Other no-shows who AHCA officials said had earlier
Arteaga and GRCL President Rick Techman
confirmed were Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.


Also on hand and speaking were 14th Ward Alderman Edward M. Burke, who is running unopposed for re-election; 22nd Ward Alderman
Goral and HCO President Joann Williams
Ricardo Munoz, who is running for re-election; and 22nd Ward aldermanic hopeful Robert Martinez.


The Southwest Chicago Post was there with camera and
tripod, recording the event, for the thousands of Southwest Siders we serve and who were not there.

Our plan was to shoot and present unedited video of each of
Arteaga supporters at the door.
the three aldermanic candidates in the 23rd Ward, in their entirety. Below is what we shot in that regard.








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Sunday, February 8, 2015

Police Nab Garfield Ridge Man on Subway Sandwich Shop Robbery Rap

Just released to the news media this afternoon by CPD:



CPD Investigation leads to Apprehension of Armed Robbery Offender
Area Central Detectives and 8th District Officers Nab Garfield Ridge Man in the Act

CHICAGO – Chicago Police arrested a Garfield Ridge man as he attempted to commit an armed robbery at a fast food restaurant in the Clearing neighborhood on Friday night.

Area Central detectives and Chicago Lawn (8th) District officers, working in concert, were conducting an
Samuel Ferrara
investigation into ongoing robbery patterns in the 8
th District. During the course of their investigation, they employed various investigative methods, including the creation of CPDBusiness Alerts P14-1-247BA and P15-1-005BA, both of which were disseminated to the media and surrounding communities, all in an effort to identify and apprehend the armed offender.

On February 6th, 2015 at approximately 11:35 pm, officers and detectives were conducting covert surveillance on a fast food restaurant located on the 6400 block of West 63rd Street, in an area where the offender had committed previous crimes, when they observed an armed male offender enter the restaurant and announce a robbery. The officers and detectives immediately broke surveillance, entered the restaurant, and placed the offender, who was armed with a knife and .40 caliber semi-automatic hand gun, into custody.

After further investigation revealed that he was also responsible for several other robberies committed in the area, Samuel Ferrara, 23, of the 6600 block of West 59th Street, was charged with seven felony counts of Robbery – Armed with a Firearm, six felony counts of Robbery –Armed with Other Dangerous Weapon, one felony count of Attempt Robbery – Armed with a Firearm, two felony counts of Theft, two felony counts of Aggravated Unlawful Use of Weapon, and one misdemeanor count of Failure to Register a Firearm.

Ferrara is expected to appear in Central Bond Court on February 9th, 2015.


Monday, February 2, 2015

Crime News Update


Editor's note: The crime news reported by the Southwest Chicago Post---taken directly from Chicago Police Department incident reports---is not by any means an exhaustive catalogue of all crime reported in the Chicago Lawn (8th) District. For example, it typically does not include news of crimes committed in the eastern and southern sectors of the district---because the Southwest Chicago Post's coverage area is primarily the neighborhoods that border Midway Airport and secondarily because including the relatively large volume of crime news from elsewhere in the district would be a logistical challenge. We make this note to offer a little helpful perspective and remind everyone that while crime is definitely a concern in all parts of the district (as it always has been), crime remains relatively low overall in Sector 1. May all of us work together diligently to keep it that way. May all of us also remember that a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

* * *


Police armed with a search warrant arrested Oscar Sanchez, 26, of 54th and Kenneth, at
Oscar Sanchez
his home at 6:48 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26. Police said they confiscated a pistol and ammunition, as well as cannabis and cocaine. Sanchez, said by police to be a gangbanger, was ordered held without bond, and his next court date is set for Feb. 17 at Cook County Circuit Court Branch 44, 155 W. 51st
 Street.


* * *

A thug armed with a knife robbed Wing Stop, 6188 S. Archer, at 10:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26. An employee told police that the robber made off with about $400 and sped away north on McVicker in a white or gray Buick Rendezvous. The criminal was described as a white man age 18-22, 5-foot-10 and 130 pounds, with blond, curly hair and a light complexion, wearing a blue ski mask.


* * *

Want to work directly with Chicago Police to prevent crime in your neighborhood? If you live in Beat 815 or 821 (see map), come to St. Bruno School (south entrance) at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 4. Hear updates on crime in your neighborhood and learn how you can work with neighbors and police to make the community safer and better for all.


A criminal who tried to rob the currency exchange at 5354 S. Archer ran away empty-handed. A clerk told police that the would-be robber walked in at 4:46 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27 and slipped her a note that read, “Give me your money and no one will get hurt.” She responded by slipping the note back to him and hitting a panic alarm. The offender fled and was last seen running east on Archer.


* * *

Burglars broke into the Boost Mobile cell phone store at 6922 S. Pulaski and stole an unknown amount of cell phones, as well as a cash register with an unknown amount of cash inside. The crime was reported to police at 11:25 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27. Surveillance video indicated that the burglars were three black men about 5-foot-8 and 200 pounds, according to the police report.





The owner of Brilliance Beauty Studio, 4346 W. 51st St., told police that a burglar smashed the glass front door with a large rock, entered and stole a TV. The crime was discovered at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25.

* * *

A 51-year-old Clearing woman reported that burglars used a large rock to smash the bedroom window of her home near 64th and Lorel and stole an Xbox and $50 cash. The crime was discovered by her 15-year-old son when he came home from school at 4:10 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29.





Burglars pried open the front door of a home near 52nd and Central and stole assorted jewelry. The victim, a 40-year-old woman, was alerted to the crime by a home security company at 1:50 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28.

* * *

A 34-year-old West Lawn man told police that burglars entered the front door of his home near 59th and Kildare and stole about $300 in coins. Police were alerted to the crime by a person who called 911 to report an open door at the home at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28. Police investigating the crime were told by a neighbor that a middle-aged man knocked at her door at about noon that day; and that when she answered, he said, “Wrong house” and walked away.



A 55-year-old Scottsdale woman told police that burglars pried open the service door of her garage near 84th and Kostner and stole a snowblower. She discovered the crime at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24.

* * *

Burglars broke into a garage near 46th Place and Hamlin and stole food, drink and catering supplies worth about $350. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 48-year-old man, at 2 a.m. Monday, Jan. 26.

* * *

Burglars forced open the back door of a home near 51st and Leamington and stole assorted jewelry, a laptop computer and an iPod. The victim, a 36-year-old man, told police that the crime was discovered by his children when they came home from school at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26.


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Letters to the Editor

Editor's note: We respect your opinion and are privileged to share it via this website. All letters to the editor will
be reviewed before being posted. We do allow anonymous comments, yet we will not allow the Southwest Chicago Post to serve as a forum for bigotry of any kind. We also will not allow personal attacks against anyone, including elected officials and other public figures. On this site, all of us need to keep our tone respectful and our criticisms constructive. That's important as we work together to build better Southwest Side neighborhoods for all. So please join the conversation by sending your letter to editor@swchicagopost.com.



* * *

Editor,

Thank you for videotaping and posting the 23rd Ward candidates forum put on by the Garfield Ridge Civic League. I never realized how important that is until I read a local newspaper story (in some other paper) about the forum.


There was a huge difference between watching and hearing the entire forum on video--on the one hand--and reading a non-video account written by someone else, especially someone who cleans up the nonsense that came out of the mouths of some of the candidates. I wasn't able to be at St. Jane's that night, but thanks to the Southwest Chicago Post video, it's almost like I was.

Teresa Andreotti
Garfield Ridge


Editor's reply: Thank you. We find it interesting that not one of the three candidates for 23rd Ward alderman has linked to our video via their websites or Facebook pages. Are they afraid of something?

* * *

Editor,

Time was when the cop on the beat had a healthy respect from the good citizen and a certain fear from the wrong-doers. Perhaps this was a simplistic way of looking at things, in a strictly back and white, good and evil manner. But nonetheless, that was the way it was.

We can look to the changes in this "quaint" and archaic view of things beginning to change about 60 years ago. Concerted efforts by the Political Left sought to emasculate police departments in their regular day to day dealings with the criminal element; as well as that pertaining to the law abiding community at large. The sensationalizing of police misconduct was amplified in both the print and the electronic media, giving the impression that corruption, excessive force and unequal enforcement was the norm; rather than being the exception.

This is certainly not an attempt on our part to deny that corrupt practices do not exist; nor is it a move intended as a defense for bad behavior by anyone; be they in the "glorious blue" or not.

Concerning allegations of misconduct by cops, we're put in mind of the words of the late CPD Commander Robert M. Harness. "The Crusher," as Harness was affectionately known, had been the head of a special detective unit that was assigned to high-crime areas and to the baddest of the bad in the black community. His unit was an equivalent to Captain Frank Pape's Robbery Unit.

Well, those words from Commander Harness were: "The game never changes, just the players!" He knew that there were no new scams under the sun, although the police department continues to get wise guys who think they're "smarter" than anybody in their petty scams. This will also be so, as long as man is a fallible creature.

All of these points bring us back to the original point. Just who is afraid of the police? Is it the bad guys with their "rights" or the good, common and decent citizen, who minds his or her own business?

What do you think?

John T. "Red" Ryan
Garfield Ridge


* * *

Editor,

Just checking in to ask if there is there any update on Checkers? Did they get back to you with the information they promised, on how many people from Garfield Ridge and Clearing applied for jobs there?


The situation appears to be getting worse, with all the stories I'm reading on Facebook about allegations against the employees there. Isn't this the place that the alderman bragged about last summer, about what a good thing it would be for the neighborhood?

Dave Hubalik
Garfield Ridge


Editor's reply: We put the question to Checkers' public relations representatives (again)  a week ago. Still no reply. All of us should draw our own conclusions from their silence. If and when they reply, we will gladly share their response in its entirety.

* * *


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Sunday, February 1, 2015

Donation Honors the Memory of Clearing Branch Library Friend Joan Sadowski

Family and friends of the late Joan Sadowski gathered
recently at the Clearing Branch Library, 6423 West 63rd Place, to honor her memory, both as an avid reader and a longtime, loyal friend of the library.

Mrs. Sadowski's family made a generous donation to the library, which has been used to purchase a collection of books that were typically favorites of hers.


Family members Julia McCabe, David Sadowski and Kathryn Robinson.
The Southwest Chicago Post was honored to be there to help capture the special moment.

Would you like to make a donation to the library to honor the memory of a loved one? Please call (312) 747-5657 and ask for Branch Manager Rob Bitunjac.





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