A Look at St. Nicholas of Tolentine

We were privileged to recently spend a few minutes with Mariagnes Menden, principal at St. Nicholas of Tolentine School, 3741 W. 62nd St.

We came away most impressed with a school rich in history, steeped in the arts, successful in academics and athletics, warm and welcoming to newcomers, and affordable for working parents.

Here is a conversation we had with her. Enjoy!

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CPD Busts Oak Lawn Man on 4 Counts of Sex Abuse Crimes on CTA Trains

Just sharing some information released by CPD at 11:46 p.m. Wednesday:



Michael Robinson, 31, of the 4300 block of West 95th Place

Michael Robinson

in Oak Lawn, was arrested and charged with four counts of felony aggravated criminal sexual abuse, after he was identified as the offender who sexually abused several female victims on CTA trains, between January 2012 and May 2014, according to police.

On these occasions, Robinson allegedly would expose himself and perform an inappropriate sexual act in front of female riders.

CPD Area North detectives said they were able to identify Robinson through CODIS and photo line-ups. On Oct. 14, 2014, Robinson was held by CTA security after being identified from CTA flyers.

Robinson was placed into custody on the 500 block of South Pulaski and was charged. He is due at a bond hearing at Central Bond Court, 26th and California, on Thursday. Oct. 16.

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CPD Busts Two Men for Burglary

Just released to the news media at 5:39 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15 by CPD:

Car Burglars Nabbed by Deering (009^th) District Officers

Offenders Arrested, Proceeds Recovered

CHICAGO – Deering (09th) District officers apprehended a pair of offenders stealing

John Eiliers

items from vehicles early this morning. 

Jeorgio Solis, 21, of the 3200 block of S. Lituanica Avenue was charged with four counts of felony Burglary and one count of misdemeanor Theft of Lost / Mislaid Property. John Eiliers, 21, of the 4400 block of S. Shields was charged with four counts of felony Burglary and one count of misdemeanor Theft of Lost / Mislaid Property and a Warrant Issuance.

On October 14, 2014, approximately 4:00 a.m, Deering (09th) officers responded to a “suspicious person” call in the area around 32nd and Princeton Avenue.  After touring the area, officers observed two male subjects matching a radio description walking on the sidewalk.  Upon exiting

Jeorgio Solis

their vehicle, Officers further observed that both subjects were carrying large, heavily laden backpacks.  Officer’s conducted a field interview, and subsequent investigation revealed the offender’s backpacks to be chock-full of stolen goods, ranging from GPS devices to IPhones. 

Officers were able to contact several victims who positively identified their items.  The Offenders were placed in custody and charged accordingly.  This investigation remains ongoing.

Solis and Eiliers were scheduled to appear in Central Bond court on October 15, 2014

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Hale Park Pumpkin Patch a Hit With Kids

Just sharing a few photos from the Pumpkin Patch event at Hale Park on Saturday.

Beautiful weather, fun activities, smiling children and parents (and grandparents)!

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Cook County Crime Stoppers Offering Up to $1,000 to Catch Woman's Killer

A lot of us Southwest Siders have friends and relatives on the Lower West Side in neighborhoods like Pilsen, Little Village, Heart of Chicago, Marshall Square, etc.

With that in mind we pass along an important announcement from our friends at Cook County Crime Stoppers, who are offering up to $1,000 for information that helps solve a homicide that occurred near 24th and Washtenaw on June 1. Check it out, and let's work together to find and apprehend Debra Escobedo's killer!

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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.

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A 19-year-old Gage Park man was charged with robbery after he allegedly used a black-handled kitchen knife to rob a 33-year-old Scottsdale woman of her cell phone.

Luis Cisneros of 53rd and California is being held on $50,000 bond by the Cook County

Luis Cisneros

Department of Corrections. He is due in Cook County Circuit Court Branch 48, 155 W. 51st St., on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

The victim said she was walking on a sidewalk in front of 4350 W. 79th St. at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, when Cisneros rode up on a bicycle and asked to borrow her cell phone. When she took out her phone, Cisneros allegedly brandished a knife and said "Just give it to me." She said she did, and he pedaled away east, according to the CPD incident report.

Police said they later stopped Cisneros on his bike near 76th and Pulaski. They brought the victim, as well as a witness (a 29-year-old Scottsdale woman), to the scene, where they both positively identified Cisneros, police said. When asked about the stolen cell phone, Cisneros said he dumped it behind Daley College, police added.

Police said about 30 minutes after Cisneros robbed the 33-year-old woman, he attempted to rob a 28-year-old Ashburn woman as she walked at 8001 S. Pulaski, just south of Bogan High School. In that incident, Cisneros allegedly asked to borrow the victim's cell phone; and when she refused he allegedly said, "Give it to me. I don't want to hurt you." The victim said she then screamed for help, and Cisneros reportedly pedaled away north.

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6400 W. 63rd Street

A burglar drilled out the lock on the door of Central Drugs, 6400 W. 63rd St., but stole nothing after the crime may have been interrupted.

The pharmacy owner, a 57-year-old Palos Heights man, said that although the door was open, nothing appeared to have been disturbed inside. The crime occurred at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, police said.

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Want to work directly with Chicago Police to prevent crime in your neighborhood? If you live in Beat 812 (see map), come to the Clearing Branch Library at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 8. 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 thief swung a box cutter in the direction of a 28-year-old Walgreens clerk when she

confronted him about stealing a bag of T-shirts at the store, 4000 W. 59th St., at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28. The clerk told police that she saw the offender conceal the bag of shirts, valued at about $9, and then try to walk out of the store. He is described as a black man, 5'4 and 130 pounds, brown eyes, black hair in an afro style, medium complexion.

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A 45-year-old Gage Park man was arrested and charged with possession of cannabis and possession of a controlled substance, minutes after he was beaten and robbed by three thugs on the street near Friendly Food & Liquor, 6323 S. Central, at about 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3.

6323 S. Central

Police responding to a "battery in progress" call said they were approached by a man exiting the store, who said, "You guys better get in there, there's a guy bleeding."

The said they entered the store, where the owner, a 54-year-old Melrose Park man, allegedly obstructed their investigation by denying that the beating victim was in the store. He also allegedly told police they were forbidden to enter the rear of the store. Police then did that and said they found Andres Rivera of 52nd and Talman, bleeding from the mouth.

Police said they saw a pill bottle containing cannabis, as well as a glass smoking pipe, in the store. The owner allegedly claimed it was his, saying "Yes, I'm 54 years old, and sometimes I smoke weed," police said.

But Rivera allegedly claimed that the cannabis, as well as more cannabis and cocaine that that were reportedly found in his jacket were all his.

Rivera is due in Cook County Circuit Court Branch 48, 155 W. 51st St., on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

An unoccupied house at 3753 W. 71st St. was the scene of two recent crimes, according to police.

A 35-year-old Mattoon woman told police that she was robbed at gunpoint inside the home

3753 W. 71st Street

at 1:10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30. She said she was driven to the location by a 47-year-old Northwest Side man because she said she heard there was a party there. Once inside, two offenders ordered her to the floor and stole her cell phone and credit card before fleeing on foot.

The victim described the attackers as Hispanic men age 20-30, one 5"5 and 170 pounds, and the other 5'11 and 200 pounds.

Two days earlier, a 31-year-old Dolton woman told police she was walking in front of the address at 6 a.m. when two men on the front porch asked her for a light. When she walked up the steps, they pulled her in the house and hollered "B~tch, where's the money?" She was robbed of her cel phone, ID and $800 cash, she told police.

When police asked her why she was so far from home at 6 a.m., she claimed that she was at 71st and Hamlin to meet the father of her child to settle a dispute. She had been driven to the location by a 34-year-old man from Gary, Ind.

The victim's description of the attackers was similar to the one that would be given two days later.

In each case, the man who had driven them women to the location remained on the scene. The CPD incident reports did not speculate about whether drugs or prostitution were involved.

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 A 19-year-old West Lawn man was stabbed in the right hip when he refused to surrender his belongings to a trio of thugs who accosted him on the street at 64th and Springfield at five minutes after midnight Tuesday, Sept. 30.

The man said he was walking to his car when one of the offenders said "Give me your stuff." Interviewed later at St. Anthony Hospital, the victim told police that he then responded by saying, "Get out of my face. I'm not giving you anything."

After he was stabbed, the criminals stole his cell phone and fled on foot. There was no description of the offenders other than that they are Hispanic men.

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A 16-year-old West Elsdon boy told police that he was robbed by several men as he walked down the street in from of 5300 S. Pulaski at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2. They stole his hat, jacket, shoes, a $20 Starbucks gift card and $70 cash, the boy told police. His description of the robbers was vague, according to the CPD incident report.

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A 20-year-old West Lawn man told police he was beaten and robbed by four gangbangers as he walked down the street at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3. The four thugs got out of a vehicle and began punching and kicking the victim, while asking if he was in a gang. They also stole his photo ID and $160 cash, the victim told police. His description of the quartet was vague, and he reported the crime more than 12 hours after it occurred.

A 34-year-old Gage Park man told police that his uncle, a 52-year-old man, threatened him with a pistol with a silencer, as the two sat in a car in the parking lot of Zacatacos tacqueria, 3949 W. 71st St., at 5:50 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4.

The man, who was there at his uncle's request, told police that his uncle suspected him of having an affair with his wife, who was seated in the rear of the vehicle during the incident. The uncle allegedly brandished the weapon and said, "If you don't tell me the truth, I'm going to use this on you." The victim gave police his uncle's name and contact information. The CPD incident report did not say how the incident ended.

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Burglars forced open the back door of a home near 62nd and Meade and stole jewelry worth about $9,000, as well as $100 cash, according to the victim, a 58-year-old woman, who discovered the crime when she came home from work at 4:40 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2.

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Burglars forced open the rear door of an apartment near 62nd and Tripp and stole a laptop computer, an iPad, three video game consoles, a wallet and assorted clothes. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 32-year-old woman, when she came home from work at 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1.

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Burglars forced open the side window of a home near 52nd and Kilpatrick and stole three iPods, an iPad and two watches. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 39-year-old woman, when she came home from work at 1:40 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29.

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Burglars forced open the front door of an apartment near 55th and Central Park and stole a TV, a cell phone and a laptop computer. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 22-year-old man, when he came home from a coin laundry at 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29.

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Burglars forced open the rear door of a home near 56th and Neva and stole three tablet computers, two laptop computers, an iPad, a hockey bag with skates and other hockey gear inside, assorted jewelry, a TV and $2,860 cash. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 34-year-old woman, when she came home from work at 3:15 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29.

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Pulaski Promenade Breaks Ground at 42nd Street: Retail at Old Box Factory

Ceremonial ground was broken Wednesday on the Pulaski Promenade, a shopping center

planned for a 12-acre parcel at 4200 S. Pulaski, once the site of a corrugated cardboard and box factory originally built in about 1935 to house the Chicago Carton Company. The factory was demolished in 2008, and the site has been an eyesore for years.

Plans call for a shopping center of about 133,000 square feet of retail space, with such chain-store tenants as Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less, Michaels, PetSmart and Shoe Carnival, with store openings anticipated in the spring of 2016.

The center’s remaining available space and three out-lot parcels are currently being marketed to complementary retail and restaurant users, according to a statement from the Inland Real Estate Corporation, a real estate investment trust that owns and operates shopping centers mostly in Central U.S.

The property benefits from high traffic volumes, with vehicles per day totaling 160,000 on I-55 and 41,400 on Pulaski Road. The shopping center will draw from a population base of 217,083 with average household incomes of $67,458 within a three-mile radius, according to an Inland statement.

Some $7.9 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds are being used to sweeten the deal for developers.

Bringing the fallow parcel from rubble to ribbon cutting has been more than a challenge, according to 14th Ward Alderman Edward M. Burke, widely acknowledged as a champion of the site's re-development. Burke told the assembled audience of about two dozen business, government and civic leaders that the project had "been on life support" several times in recent years.

Burke was praised by several key figures at the ceremony as "stalwart," a "motivator" and the "impetus" for the deal getting done.

Archer Heights Civic Association President Thomas S. Baliga praised the development and said he hopes it can serve as a catalyst for other eyesore sites in the neighborhood to start moving forward, most notably the old Miami Bowl site near Archer and Pulaski.

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