Byrne School Eighth Grade Girls Sweep Volleyball Tourneys, Crowned Champs

(Editor's note: just sharing some good news from SWCP reader Becki Pestow Reyes. Congratulations to the girls at Byrne, as well as their coaches and everyone who contributed to their success. Way to go! And thanks, Becki, for sharing the good news and photos...)

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On Saturday December 14, Byrne's eighth grade girls volleyball team, coached by Rebecca Reyes and Sara Parker--as well as Assistant Coach Victoria Reyes--won first place at Kennedy High School's annual Holiday Classic volleyball tournament. This is the third year for the tournament, and Byrne's third straight win!

Gillian Reyes won the overall tournament MVP award, and Kelsi Chambers was named an all-tournament player.

Then on Sunday, December 15, the Byrne girls continued their streak and captured first place at Mt. Assisi Academy's annual volleyball tournament. They went undefeated the entire day to earn the win.

This team has been playing together for more than three years and are in their fourth and final season together at Byrne. They have worked incredibly hard to get to this point. 

They are known for their positive attitude, team effort, and overall wonderful sportsmanship. They represent Byrne and the neighborhood well. Congratulations to Gillian Reyes, Kelsi Chambers, Maya Diaz, Haili Parker, Elisia Calderon, Ashly Tully, Lelani Malara and Jael Munoz!

Keep up the great work! and GO BYRNE!

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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 pair of thugs robbed Ted's Jewelers, 5334 South Archer, at 6:20 p.m. Friday, December

5334 South Archer

13. According to the owner, a 45-year-old woman, and a witness, a 45-year-old Burbank man, the two criminals entered with a revolver and baseball bat. The owner and witness immediately fled toward a back entrance while one of the thugs smashed a display case with the bat.

The pair made off with assorted jewelry before fleeing on foot, east toward Kilpatrick. They were described only as black men. The owner and witness told police that shortly before the crime occurred, a third man was in the store. He made a modest purchase and was seen talking on his cell phone several times. The moment he left, the two robbers entered before the door could close--thus circumventing the door's buzz-in lock. The customer is described as a black man, light complexion, wearing a dark blue cap and a puffy jacket over a hoody.

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An 86-year-old woman was robbed as she sat in her apartment at the 87-unit Senior Suites of Garfield Ridge, 5839 South Harlem. The crime occurred at 5:44 p.m. Wednesday, December 11. The victim told police that she was working a crossword puzzle when someone walked into her apartment, grabbed her from behind and said "Give me all your money or you will die."

The robber stole $300 cash and fled in an unknown direction. The victim sustained a scratch on her forehead, but refused medical attention, police said. The robber is described only as a black woman. Detectives are said to be reviewing security video footage.

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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, December 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.

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A 26-year-old West Lawn man told police he was robbed as he walked near 60th and Knox at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, December 11.

He said he was approached by two thugs, one of whom brandished a knife and said "Give me your wallet and phone." The victim said he had neither, but surrendered his wallet and phone when the robbers moved towards him in a menacing manner. The offenders are described as white Hispanic men age 20-25, 5'8 to 5'9 and 200-215 pounds, olive complexion.

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A 51-year-old South Side man told police he was robbed by a pair of thugs as he delivered packages near 67th and Hamlin at 2:00 p.m. Monday, December 9. He said he was standing next to his work van when two men approached. One had his hand in his pocket and said "I got a gun. Step aside or else."

The criminals then reportedly stole several packages and fled in a green Dodge Caravan. The man said he contacted his employer and was told to continue delivering packages and report the crime to police at the end of his shift. The victim reported the crime the following day, however, saying he was too tired at the end of his shift.

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A 40-year-old South Side woman told police that a girlfriend robbed her of $120 cash as they were partying at the Crossroads Hotel, 5300 South Pulaski. The crime reportedly occurred at 10:51 p.m. Monday, December 9 when the girlfriend slammed her head into a wall and grabbed the cash from the victim's pants.

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Want to work directly with Chicago Police to prevent crime in your neighborhood? If you

live in Beat 813 or 833 (see map), come to West Lawn Park at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 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.

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A 24-year-old West Lawn man told police he was robbed as he walked down a sidewalk near 62nd and Kilbourn at 5:10 p.m. Tuesday, December 10. He said that three men jumped out of a black minivan and grabbed him, with one saying "Shut the f~ck up or I'll kill you." They stole his cell phone and $5 cash before jumping back in the minivan and speeding away north on Kilbourn.

They are described as white Hispanic men age 20-29.

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Burglars smashed the front glass door of the Boost Mobile store at 6950 West Archer and stole about 200 cell phones and $100 cash. The crime occurred at about 6:15 a.m. Thursday, December 12.

6950 West Archer

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Burglars forced open the service door of a garage near 60th and Keeler and stole a ladder and assorted tools. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 30-year-old man, when he came home from work at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 11.

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Burglars forced open the rear window of a home near 54th and Hamlin and stole a laptop computer, a jewelry box and assorted jewelry, an amplifier and a total of $2,200 cash. The crime was discovered by one of the victims, a 24-year-old woman, at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, December 12.

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Burglars kicked in the back basement door of a home near 67th and Komensky and stole assorted jewelry. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 31-year-old woman, when she came home from shopping at 3:20 p.m. Thursday, December 12. A witness described the offenders as two white Hispanic men age 18-21.

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Burglars smashed the front window of a residence near 59th and Lawndale, entered the premises and broke a vase in the process--but nothing appeared to be stolen, according to the victim, a 42-year-old man, who discovered the crime when he came home at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, December 12.

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Burglars forced open the rear window of a home near 59th and Kildare and stole a laptop computer. The same burglars most likely forced open the overhead door of the garage on the property, stealing a lawn mower and assorted tools.

The crime was discovered by the victim, a 32-year-old man, when he came home from work at 6:50 p.m. Friday, December 13.

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A 22-year-old woman told police that someone entered her second-floor apartment near 64th and Central and stole a small safe that contained $100 cash and a check for $107. The crime occurred while the victim was at work and was discovered by a relative at 5:00 p.m. Friday, December 13. There was no sign of forced entry, and the victim gave police the name of a person she suspects of committing the crime.

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Top Spellers Earn Awards at Byrne

(Editor's note: just sharing some information from the good people at Byrne School. Congratulations to the winners, as well as all students, faculty and administration who participated.)

Spelling bees aren’t all about sequencing letters correctly; they are about effort, managing nerves, and developing a competitive spirit against adversity. Fittingly, the Byrne Spelling bee’s greatest moment wasn’t about the final result.

The competition on Friday, December 6^th built intensely through twelve rounds as the field of eighteen whittled down to two. Milany Villa and Ines Garcia went back and forth for four more rounds, then shared a transcendent moment of sportsmanship. As Garcia completed the round, Villa greeted her with a high five. The crowd melted, then cheered. Seeing their exchange, you could sense this was not about winning as much as it was about celebrating high-level student achievement.

Then, 6^th grader Milany Villa calmly walked up to the microphone. She looked straight ahead and spelled out “seraphic” to clinch the Byrne Spelling Bee championship. The capacity crowd went absolutely bonkers with applause and cheers. Everyone showed appreciation to both students for a legendary contest. More than that, they applauded because these two young ladies won over their hearts.

Dakota Koonce won the intermediate bee in spectacular fashion as well, with Robert Schuch coming in a close second. Koonce won on the clinching words “bulwark” and “shiatsu”.  All had a great time as the Byrne Spelling Bee taught the students, teachers and parents about spelling and word usage, but also about integrity and sportsmanship.

Intermediate

1^st Place – Dakota Koonce

2^nd Place – Robert Schuch

Junior High

1^st Place - Milany Villa

2^nd Place – Ines Garcia

Left to right: intermediate spelling champion Dakota Koonce, assistant principal Elizabeth Gallo, 2^nd place speller Robert Schuch.

Left to right: junior high spelling champion Milany Villa, assistant principal Elizabeth Gallo, 2^nd place speller Ines Garcia

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Sheriff's Police Bust Felon on Gun Rap

Just released today by the Cook County Sheriff's Office:

A 57-year-old convicted felon has been charged with weapons violations after Sheriff’s Police officers found ammunition in a candy box inside his apartment and an assault rifle and a bullet proof vest that appeared to have been thrown from the apartment’s 15th story window, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today.

Jose Negrete’s bond was set at $200,000 during a court hearing on Friday at the George N.

Jose Negrete

Leighton Criminal Court Building for the charges of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon with body armor.

At approximately 12:50 p.m. on Thursday, members of the Sheriff’s Gun Suppression Team and the Sheriff’s Hostage Barricade and Terrorist (HBT) Team executed a search warrant at a 15th story apartment in the 4300 block of West Ford City Drive. When members of the HBT team entered the apartment after announcing themselves and receiving no answer, they saw a man, later identified as Negrete, closing an open window with no screen.

A member of the Gun Suppression Team, who was positioned outside the building, found an assault rifle on the ground outside of the building, directly under the apartment’s window. A fully loaded magazine was found near the assault rifle, and a bullet proof vest was found in a bush directly under the apartment’s window.

During the search of the apartment, officers also found rounds of ammunition in a candy box. Negrete was arrested at the apartment.

Negrete’s criminal history includes convictions for murder in 1980 and 1983 and a retail theft conviction in 2003.

Sheriff Dart reminds the public that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the government in a court of law.

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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.

* * *

A convicted burglar, out on parole, has been arrested and charged with burglarizing a home near 68th Place and Hamlin.

Cortrell Rush, 20, of 102nd and Pulaski in Oak Lawn, was arrested by police at 12:50 p.m.

Cortrell Rush

Wednesday December 4, in a gangway at 3812 West 68th Place, several doors away from the home he allegedly burglarized. He is set to answer charges in Cook County Circuit Court Branch 48-4, 155 West 51st Street, on Wednesday, December 11.

The victim, a 36-year-old man, told police he was asleep in his home when was he was woken up by knocks on his door. Thinking it was the mailman or UPS trying to deliver a package, he ignored the knocks. He then reportedly heard footsteps in his gangway, men's voices, and the sound of his patio furniture being moved. He called 911 and waited inside his home.

The victim then reportedly saw Rush attempting to enter a rear bedroom window. He told police he saw Rush's head and shoulders inside the room, but that he backed out when he was unable to squeeze through the opening. Shortly after that, the victim reportedly heard Rush and an accomplice talk about trying to break in via another window. Moments later, he said he heard squealing tires and one man say "Let's go!"

Rush was positively identified by the victim. The other man remains at large, police said.

Rush was convicted of burglary in 2011 and sentenced to four years in prison. He was released on parole in August of 2012, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

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Two armed thugs robbed the EZPAWN shop at 4338 South Pulaski, making off with jewelry worth about $50,000, according to the manager, a 46-year-old Archer Heights woman.

4338 South Pulaski

The crime occurred at 6:50 p.m. Friday, December 6. The men walked in, with one using a sledge hammer to smash a display case and the other brandishing a pistol and saying to staff and customers, "Get down and do not look at us."

After snatching the jewelry, the criminals fled on foot southbound, then west bound through the parking lot. Police later recovered some of the stolen items on the ground near 44th and Komensky.

The criminals are described as black men age 20-25, 6'3 and 160 pounds, medium complexion, wearing black hoodies and black jeans.

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Two men used a stolen pickup truck to ram through the front window of a Garfield Ridge gas station on Monday, in an attempt to gain entrance and steal merchandise. The crime occurred at 1:33 a.m. Monday, December 2 at the Mobil station at 5448 West 55^th Street, long after the establishment had closed for the night.

5448 West 55th Street

   A neighbor told police that he witnessed the crime moments after he heard the truck’s tires squealing. He also said that the truck rammed an ATM at the station, in an attempt to break it open.

   The police incident report did not say what, if anything had been stolen. The truck sped away and was later discovered by police in an alley on the 5500 block of West 54^th Street. A check of the vehicle revealed it had been stolen on Nov. 15 while parked on the 4300 block of West Marquette Road.

   The burglars were described as white men---one 5'10 to 6'1 and 170-200 pounds, with long red/auburn hair, and the other 5'8 to 5'11 and 160-190 pounds, with brown hair.

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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, 

December 11. 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 24-year-old Clearing man was stabbed during an attempted robbery on the street on the 5700 block of West 62nd Street at 4:55 a.m. Saturday, December 7.

The victim told police that four offenders tried to steal his vehicle s he got out of it. As he apparently resisted and thwarted their efforts to steal the vehicle, he was stabbed. Another smashed the driver's side window before the quartet fled on foot.

They are described as white Hispanic men age 18-25, wearing black jackets and pants.

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A 30-year-old West Elsdon man was robbed of $180 cash as he walked on a sidewalk near 59th and Komensky. The crime occurred at 8:00 p.m. Friday, December 6. The victim told police that his assailants approached from behind and hit him on the head with the butt of a pistol. The victim fell to the ground, and the robbers took the cash from his pants pocket.

The offenders fled in an unknown direction, and the victim refused medical treatment. The robbers are described as black Hispanic men, 5'5 to 5'7 in height.

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* * *

A 23-year-old West Lawn woman thwarted two burglars when she called out to let them know she was in her house, near 69th and Komensky. The crime occurred at 9:55 a.m. Thursday, December 5. The woman told police she heard a banging noise near the back of the house. She went to investigate, looked out a window and saw two men crouching by the back door.

They fled on foot when they heard her call out. The door frame was damaged with pry marks. The woman described the pair as white Hispanic men age 22, 5'6 tall and wearing black hoodies and blue jeans.

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Want to work directly with Chicago Police to prevent crime in your neighborhood? If you

live in Beat 814 (see map), come to Vittum Park at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, 

December 12. 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.

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Burglars smashed the basement window of a home near 57th and Hamlin and stole two laptop computers, a video game console and $50 cash. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 36-year-old woman, at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, December 5.

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Burglars forced open the back door of a home near 66th and Springfield and stole an unknown amount of possessions. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 41-year-old man, when he came home from work at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, December 5.

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Burglars forced open the service door of a garage near 48th and La Crosse and stole two bicycles, a tool box with tools, two ladders and a snow blower. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 40-year-old man, when he came home from work at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 3. He did not report the crime until December 5, police added.

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Burglars pried open the service door of a garage near 45th and Keating and stole three cases of beer. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 28-year-old woman, at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 3.

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Burglars pried open the service door of a garage near 52nd and Nottingham and stole assorted power tools, two portable air conditioners, four rims, an amplifier and other items. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 60-year-old woman, at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 3.

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Burglars entered a home near 86th and Karlov and stole $700 cash and assorted jewelry worth an estimated $6,000. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 58-year-old woman, when she came home at 5:40 a.m. Wednesday, December 4. There was no sign of forced entry, police said, and the victim stated that her doors and windows had been locked when she left the home.

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A Clearing woman who left her apartment near 62nd and Major to pick up her children from school returned to find her home ransacked. The crime was discovered at 3:09 p.m. Wednesday, December 4.

When the victim left, burglars pushed a garbage cart under a rear bedroom window and climbed in. Stolen were a jewelry box and assorted jewelry, a TV, a computer monitor, several video game consoles and games, a laptop computer, an iPad, a Chicago Bears helmet signed by Walter Payton and a football signed by members of the 1985 Bears.

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Burglars forced open the back door of a home near 58th and Kilbourn and stole various items. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 36-year-old woman, at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 4. She told police she was not initially certain what had been stolen.

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Burglars entered an apartment near 62nd and Melvina and stole a TV. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 50-year-old man, when he came home from work at 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 4 and noticed his front door unlocked and the apartment in disarray.

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CPD Issues Alert About Missing Teen

Just sharing an alert just released by Chicago Police:

St. Nick's School Calling All Alumni

Sharing a notice from our friends at St. Nicholas of Tolentine School:

St. Nicholas of Tolentine School alumni will be meeting at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 22, at the school, 3741 West 62nd Street.

All St. Nicholas alumni are invited to be part of the official

creation of the Alumni Association. We are meeting to discuss how the alumni will organize the association and upcoming alumni events.

This is a continuation of the November 2013 meeting, at which many great ideas were heard. Please come and encourage your St. Nick's alumni friends to come with.   

Contact the school office at (773) 735-0772 if you have any questions.