Midway Area Homeowners Lose Faith in Aviation Dept., Chart Their Own Course

By Tim Hadac
Managing Editor
Southwest Chicago Post

Midway area homeowners who say they have lost faith in the Chicago Department of Aviation’s efforts to offer substantial relief relating to the ongoing concern over government-supplied windows and doors emitting fumes that may be toxic, are taking matters into their own hands.

Chrysler Village homeowner Pam Zidarich, one of four RSIP homeowners initially profiled by the Southwest News-Herald in early June, has announced that she and others who have lost faith in CDA are forming a not-for-profit organization.

Dubbed Midway Defective Window Recipients, the new

group’s aim is to unite RSIP homeowners in a drive to raise funds to hire an independent environmental health firm to conduct their own testing “to get to the bottom of what these windows and doors have put into the air we breathe, and what effect that has on our health.”

“We’ve given the Department of Aviation every chance to do the right thing and take corrective action to test the air in our homes, find out what we’ve been breathing for the last few years and take corrective action,” Zidarich said. “In response, they have delayed, they have failed to return phone calls, they have thrown legal roadblocks in our way, they have even lied to us; and then they hired a company to do the testing, and a company vice president admitted publicly that his company has never done this specific type of testing.”

CDA officials have repeatedly said they share the homeowners’ concerns and are working diligently through a multi-layered process to learn exactly what is in the fumes—and to replace RSIP windows as quickly as they reasonably can.

The MDWR’s first meeting is set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23 at West Lawn Park, 4233 W. 65th St. All

homeowners with defective and possibly poisonous RSIP windows and doors are welcome to attend. Pastries, snacks and light refreshments will be served.

Zidarich thanked 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn for his role in making the event happen.

After initially refusing to test the air inside RSIP homes, CDA reversed course under pressure from 23rd Ward Ald. Michael R. Zalewski and other local elected leaders.

CDA now says it will test the air in 10 percent of the 92 Southwest Side homes where they have confirmed noxious odors coming from RSIP windows. In all, they have received complaints from about 225 local homeowners.

“I’m not going to cave,” Zidarich said of CDA’s existing offer for in-home air quality testing. “I’m not going to have the testing done by the City of Chicago, because I don’t trust it one iota—and nobody else here should, either. They are hiding what they know.”

Homeowner concern over RSIP windows and doors was first reported exclusively by the Southwest News-Herald in early June, with a number of front-page follow-ups as the story developed over the summer.

Some of the windows and doors are emitting foul-smelling fumes. Homeowners, some of whom have been diagnosed with cancer in recent years, are highly concerned that the fumes may be toxic—causing or at least exacerbating their serious illness, and possibly having long-term, negative effects on the health of their children.

It appears that years of exposure to heat and sunlight may be breaking down the materials used in the manufacture of the windows and frames. One of those materials is polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a known carcinogen banned in some countries outside the U.S.

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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 the western section of the district. 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.

* * *

Palos Hills man shot, killed on Komensky
A 24-year-old man from suburban Palos Hills was shot in the neck and killed as he sat in the driver’s seat of a vehicle parked in front of 4940 S. Komensky at 3:47 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 12. Andres Pina was pronounced dead at the scene. A 24-year-old West Lawn man who was a front-seat passenger in the vehicle was uninjured. He told police that when he heard gunshots, he reclined his seat all the way down. He told police he did not see the shooter. No one is in custody.

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Thugs rob man walking to work
A 47-year-old Pilsen man was robbed at gunpoint as he walked down a sidewalk in front of 4800 S. Cicero at about 5:20 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 12. The victim told police he was walking to work when two men approached. One pulled a pistol and demanded his valuables. The victim handed over his cellphone and wallet, which contained about $300 cash. The thugs then ran away east on 48th Street. The victim described them only as Hispanic men and said they were gang members.

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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, 5550 S. Merrimac, at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 17 and attend your monthly CAPS meeting. 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.

Thugs rob man walking down sidewalk
A 34-year-old Chicago Lawn man was robbed at gunpoint as he walked down a sidewalk in front of 4800 S. Kilpatrick at 5:20 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 12. The victim told police that two men in black hoodies approached him, and one pulled a pistol and demanded his belongings. The victim handed over his cellphone and wallet, which contained about $100 cash. The robbers then ran away east on 48th Street. They were described only as Hispanic men.

Teen robbed of cellphone
A 15-year-old Archer Heights boy was robbed of his cellphone as he walked down a sidewalk at 4700 S. Lawndale at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10. The victim told police that a man approached, snatched the cellphone and ran away. The offender was described as a black man age 18-20, about 5-foot-11 and 150 pounds, with brown eyes, short black hair and a medium complexion. He wore a black hoody.

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Cashier foils armed thug at restaurant
A quick-thinking cashier foiled an armed robbery at Fon Fon Chinese Cuisine, 8253 S. Kedzie, at 1:25 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9. The cashier, a 48-year-old Brighton Park woman, told police that the robber initially posed as a customer; and that when she opened the cash register to put his money inside, the thug pulled a gun and tried to jump the counter. She quickly closed the drawer and ran to the back of the restaurant. The gunman then ran out the front door and west on 83rd Street. He was described as a black man age 20-30, about 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, with brown eyes, black hair in dreadlocks and a medium complexion. He wore a blue baseball cap, a red Chicago Bulls t-shirt and light blue pants.

Charge Justice man with threatening tow-truck driver
A 40-year-old man from suburban Justice was charged with aggravated assault after

Yousef Darjbara

he allegedly used a knife to threaten a tow-truck driver at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10 on the street in front of 4532 S. Kolin. 

Yousef M. Darjbara, of the 8100 block of West 83rd Street, was apprehended a short time later by police searching the neighborhood. They said they spotted him sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle travelling west on 46th Street, near Kolin.

The tow-truck driver, a 40-year-old Oak Forest man, told police he and Darjbara were engaged in a dispute over payment for towing services.

Bust Burbank man on burglary rap
A 21-year-old man from suburban Burbank was arrested after he was reportedly caught burglarizing La Fogata restaurant, 6600 S. Kedzie, at 1:49 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 12. 

Cristian Torres

Cristian Torres, of the 8100 block of South Lorel, was apprehended at the scene by police responding to a “burglary in progress” call made by a witness.

Police said they spotted Torres inside the establishment with a flashlight.

Police added that he smashed a window to gain entry and that the cash register had been torn from its mounting on a wall.


Neighbors saw something, didn't say something
A trio of burglars broke into four homes in the 3600 block of West 53rd Street, ransacking homes and stealing valuables. The crime was reported at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12 when a 47-year-old victim called 911 to report that the front door to his home was open. Stolen was a $600 Gucci watch. It was initially unclear what, if anything, was stolen from three other homes on the block. Descriptions of the three suspects were vague. Witnesses who saw the men told police that the men appeared suspicious, but apparently no one called 911 to report them.

Burglar drops screwdriver, flees garage
An Archer Heights man scared off a burglar he caught breaking into his garage in the 4400 block of South Keeler at 1:35 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10. The victim told police that when he saw the offender and confronted him, the burglar dropped a flathead screwdriver and sped away in an older, beige Toyota Camry. The burglar was described as a Hispanic man age 40-49, about 5-foot-6 and 230 pounds, with black hair in a crew cut and a medium complexion. Nothing was stolen from the garage.

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Vittum Park garage burgarized
Burglars forced open the overhead door of a garage in the 5100 block of South Leclaire and stole a tile cutter, leaf blower and a car jack. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 51-year-old man, at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13.

Woman charged with driving on a suspended license, again
A 22-year-old Scottsdale woman was charged with obstructing identity, driving on a

Blanca Quezada

suspended license and driving an unsafe vehicle after a traffic stop in the 6300 block of South Pulaski at 12:13 a.m. Friday, Oct. 6.

Blanca Isabel Quezada, of the 8000 block of South Kedvale, was taken into custody and later released on bond.

According to police, Quezada has been charged with driving on a suspended license four times in the city, dating back to December 2015, when she lived in Back of the Yards.




Yards man charged with DUI in Hearst area

Jose Dominguez

A 22-year-old Back of the Yards man was charged with DUI, driving in reverse when inappropriate and improper lane usage after police curbed his vehicle in the 4600 block of South Laramie at 2:08 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 5.

Jose T. Dominguez, of the 4800 block of South Wolcott, was later released on bond.







Merchant sold cigs without tax stamps, police say
A 56-year-old Worth man was charged with selling cigarettes without the correct tax

Khaled Sheikhahmad

stamps at Mi Tiendita, 6832 S. Pulaski.

Khaled I. Sheikhahmad, of the 10600 block of South Depot Street, was arrested and later released on bond.

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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 the western section of the district. 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.

* * *

Bridgeview man dies after shooting on 79th Street
A 34-year-old man from suburban Bridgeview died at about 6:15 a.m. Monday, Oct. 9, five hours after police found him, shot in the abdomen, inside a vehicle in the 4300 block of West 79th Street. Adam "Wiggins" Furtick was found by police responding to a "shots fired" call. He was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center. Police gave no other indication of what occurred, but a law enforcement source said that Furtick may have been the victim of a road rage dispute that began near 79th and Pulaski. No one is in custody, and CPD Area Central detectives are investigating. A GoFundMe page to pay for his funeral expenses can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/adam-wigginsfurtick.

Reputed gang member shoots self in leg
An 18-year-old man said by a law enforcement source to be a documented gang member accidentally shot himself in the right thigh as he sat in a vehicle parked in the 3900 block of West 69th Place at 7:33 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6. The man was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition.

* * *

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, October 12 and attend your monthly CAPS meeting. 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.

Charge Glen Ellyn man with drug rap in Clearing
A 21-year-old man from suburban Glen Ellyn was arrested and charged with narcotics

Robert C. Nelson

possession by police responding to a 911 call at 10:37 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26. Robert C. Nelson, of the 300 block of Ash Lane, was taken into custody after police reportedly spotted a Mason jar containing suspect cannabis and suspect ecstasy pills near the driver’s seat of his 2002 Jeep Patriot, parked in front of 6013 S. Austin. A 19-year-old Glen Ellyn woman with Nelson was released without being charged.






Beaten with baseball bat during money argument
A 55-year-old West Lawn man arguing over money with a friend was beaten with a baseball bat in his kitchen, in the 3900 block of West 64th Place at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2. The victim told police that his friend, a 53-year-old man, used the bat to hit him in the head and back before fleeing. The victim, cut on the head, was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was treated and released. The offender remains at large.

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Dollar Tree robbed at gunpoint
Two armed thugs robbed the Dollar Tree store at 5101 S. Cicero at 10:06 a.m. Friday, Oct. 6. A 20-year-old cashier told police she saw one of the men initially posed as a job applicant and then left the store. A second bandit then entered and asked for the manager. When he encountered the manager he said, “My brother’s in front with your girl. You do anything stupid, and he’ll blow her head off.” The robbers then took about $600 cash from the store’s safe and a cash register before speeding away in a white Chevy van. One thug was described as a black man age 20-25, about 5-foot-9 and 140 pounds, with brown eyes, black hair and a dark complexion. He wore a black hoody and blue jeans. The other bandit was described as a black man age 30-35, about 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, with black hair in dreadlocks. He wore a gray hoody and black pants.

Takes out trash, robbed at gunpoint
A 30-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint as he took out the trash behind his apartment in the 5400 block of South Archer at 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3. The victim told police that the offender came up behind him, held what felt like a gun to his back and asked, “What the f~ck you got in your pockets?” The thug then took $20 cash from the victim’s pocket and ran away west down the alley. He was described as a Hispanic man age 28-32, about 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds.

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Suburban man flees gunman on Kilbourn
A 37-year-old Country Club Hills man told police that two men threatened him as he got into his vehicle near 59th and Kilbourn at 10:50 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4. The victim said that one of the two men was armed with a pistol and asked, “What up now, cuz?” The victim sped away north several blocks and called police. The CPD incident report did not include a description of the offenders.

Naperville woman hit with hot coffee in spat
A 50-year-old Naperville woman refused medical treatment after a man threw a hot cup of coffee on her during an argument in a bank parking lot at 6400 S. Pulaski at 11:35 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7. The victim told police that a man hollered at her for parking too close to his vehicle and said, “I hope you die, you b~tch” and “I’m going to wait until your man comes out and f~ck him up.” As the offender sped away, he flung the coffee, hitting the victim and her vehicle. The offender was described as a dark-skinned Hispanic man with brown eyes and short black hair.

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Thief swipes food truck from El Patron
A thief stole a white-and-red food truck belonging to El Patrón restaurant, 6836 W. Archer, from behind the Garfield Ridge eatery. The crime was discovered by the restaurant’s owner at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4. She told police that the vehicle was last seen in the parking lot at 10 p.m. the previous night. The vehicle bears the restaurant’s name and includes human skull images in pink.

Big haul in Kilpatrick home burglary
Burglars forced open a window of a house in the 4800 block of South Kilpatrick and stole about $40,000 worth of Louis Vuitton purses, $30,000 in jewelry, $4,000 cash and various computers, computer games and electronic communications devices—according to the victim, a 44-year-old man. The crime was discovered at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3 by a babysitter arriving at the home.

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Dodge Charger stolen, torched near railroad tracks
A blue Dodge Charger stolen from the 6000 block of West 64th Place was found ablaze on Belt Railway property near 6104 W. 60th St. at 5 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3. Both license plates were missing, and police said they found what appeared to be a bottle of gasoline or similar flammable liquid on the car’s floor.

Burglars take lawnmower from Lawler garage
Burglars broke into a garage in the 4700 block of South Lawler and stole a lawnmower. The crime was discovered by the victim, a 33-year-old Westmont man, at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3.

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Kennedy Crushes Little Village at Homecoming; Big Future Predicted

By Tim Hadac
Managing Editor
Southwest Chicago Post

When the National Anthem was played before Kennedy High School's homecoming football game at Rockne Stadium on Friday, October 6, almost every player on the opposing Little Village High School team took a knee in protest.

By game's end, Little Village was still on its knees, figuratively speaking, after getting crushed by the Crusaders, 50-18.

Anthony Church led the Kennedy (4-3, 2-0) defense with a pair of interception returns, totaling 135 yards.

The end zone was familiar territory for star running back Alonzo Diaz, as the senior co-captain scored three touchdowns--two rushing from scrimmage and the third a thrilling kick return to start the game. 

“My athletes came to play football and swarmed like hornets on defense, bringing in multiple fumbles and a 100-yard interception return,” said Kennedy coach Dawid Łowisz. “Our offense put down over 300 yards. If we win the next two games, which I am banking on, we will be conference champions.

"Kennedy football is competitive, will always be and is back,"  Łowisz added. "We’re here to stay. My goal is to make this a powerhouse in the years to come.”

After their triumph, the team was saluted by parents and other fans back at Kennedy's parking lot at 56th and Narragansett. Players enjoyed pizza donated by Jimmy and Tommy Pieprzyca, owners of the newly opened Danny's Neighborhood Pub, Archer and Menard.

"Those guys at Danny's were very good to our team, donating pizzas on a busy Friday night," said Erica Leal, a team parent. "The homecoming victory was great, and the pizza was a nice reward."

Little Village players kneel in protest during the National Anthem.

Kennedy players stand during the National Anthem.

With blockers helping clear a path, Alonzo Diaz rolls for another gain.

The Crusaders won the battle in the trenches.

Kennedy's next game is against Farragut on Thursday, October 12.

Beads of rain form on Crusaders' helmets, as they made the night a long one for Little Village.

The wet weather didn't dampen the enthusiasm of Kennedy fans.

Back at Kennedy, players were saluted by fans.

A moment of triumph, as the team feasts on pizza from Danny's.

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Garfield Ridge Dad Continues Battle Back from West Nile Encephalitis

Insurance runs out; fundraiser planned

By Joan Hadac

Family, friends and neighbors of Garfield Ridge resident Jeff

Walls, a union carpenter battling his way back from a severe, paralyzing case of West Nile encephalitis, are inviting the community to a fundraiser next month.

The “Jeff’s Road to Recovery” benefit is set for 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8 at 115 Bourbon Street, 3359 W. 115th St., Merrionette Park.

Tickets are $30 for adults and includes a four-hour open bar (beer and wine) and food buffet. Tickets are $20 for those under age 21 (as young as age 6).

The event will feature live music, raffles, gift baskets and more, including sports memorabilia like a Chicago Blackhawks jersey autographed by Denis Savard. Walls’ wife, daughters and son are expected to be on hand, leading the event.

To learn more about purchasing tickets, visit the Jeff’s Road to Recovery page on Facebook.

Back in March, Walls had been flat on his back for seven months, felled by a mosquito bite that gave him West Nile encephalitis and left him completely paralyzed in a hospital bed set up in his Garfield Ridge home.

In August of 2016, he came home from work more tired than

usual and chalked it up to the summer heat. The next day, he went to work but came home early. In the days after that, his energy level continued to fall. He started experiencing double vision, was feverish and sweating and seemed to take a long time to formulate answers to questions.

Trips to the emergency room, as well as multiple blood tests, did not yield a diagnosis of West Nile Virus infection, his daughter, Ariana, said.

Doctors put him into a coma for his own protection. He lay there for three months, coming out “super slow” in the fall, his daughter recalled, saying that her dad’s case is one of the worst cases of West Nile-related disease ever documented in Illinois.

Encephalitis is a dangerous inflammation of the brain It is a rare complication of West Nile Virus infection.

Jeff today

More than a year after infection, Walls is still profoundly disabled but has regained some mobility, his daughter said. He can move his right arm. He talks more. He’s still on a ventilator, but he can communicate more. Therapy is helping him speak better.

However, insurance has run out for in-home nursing care, which he needs 36 hours of every week.

Those unable to make the October fundraiser are encouraged to visit gofundme.com/supportjeffwalls to make a monetary donation electronically.

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Dulce V, family-owned and operated!

Dulce V, locally-owned and operated!

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Trump said what U.N. needed to hear

Opinion by John T. "Red" Ryan

WHETHER OR NOT one is a supporter or in opposition to President Donald J. Trump, one has to like his recent sojourn to the United Nations.

The venerable world organization has been increasingly moving into waters that are increasingly unproductive for world peace; being unduly supportive of states that promote persecution of religious minorities and mark for physical abuse (even death) those who are homosexual. trans-gender or in anyway don't fit into their standards.  

THE UNITED NATIONS has gone so far as to place the very countries who are the biggest offenders in these human rights areas in charge of the very committees that are supposed to seek solutions.

For example, in recent years, the U.N. General Assembly has chosen the governments of such countries as Libya and Iraq to had up important committees as the U.N.'s Commission on Human Rights; whereas these are among the very worst offenders. The result is that instead of using the strength of U,N. sanctions in those areas, we find the undue criticism directed toward the United States, Israel, Great Britain, France and the other Western powers. 

THE SITUATION HAS degenerated to just that degree. But things were far different when the organization was founded. That would be in the waning days of World War II. It was then that the sentiment got really strong for such an international cooperative. The name "United Nations" was taken from the term that was then being used when referring to the Allied Powers who were waging the war against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Imperial Japan and their satellite countries. These enemy nations were referred to as the Axis Powers, meaning all that revolved around the Berlin/Rome/Tokyo axis. 

THE IDEA OF having such an international member organization dedicated to maintaining world peace and encouraging cooperation in the areas of industry, commerce (business/trade), science and medicine was not a new one and such proposals had been around since the time of our American Revolution. It was first put into reality following the Armistice in World War I of November 11, 1918, at 11:00 AM (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, to be exact.) The formation of the League of Nations was an integral component of the Treaty of Versailles (January 10, 1920), which was largely the creation of United States President, Woodrow Wilson. The League had some early successes; but failed to prevent the Second World Conflict. This was at least in part due to the fact that the U.S. never ratified the Versailles agreement; hence never became a member.

BUT NOW LET us get back to this past week and how "the Donald" fared at the U.N.  It is our feeling that he was viewed much in the same manner as was President Ronald Reagan when he dealt with foreign powers; be they friend or foe. Whether or not it was true and deserved or not, Mr. Reagan was widely thought of as being a "cowboy" or a "loose cannon" and far from his predecessor, President Jimmy Carter. Inasmuch as perception can be very powerful, this  can work very well on our behalf today, just as it did in the 1980s.

MR. TRUMP HAS been in the public view for years now and is used to meeting people who are at the top of their fields; be it business and industry, science and religion, as well as dignitaries in government from all corners of the world. When you add this to the ideas and principals as advocated in the President's best seller, THE ART OF THE DEAL, you come up with a chief executive who is both a shrewd dealer at he bargaining table as well as having the potential of being a great statesman. For just what is a "deal" but the product of negotiation?

AS FAR AS his dressing down the U.N..we feel that it's high time that someone did just that! For if the present anti-American, pro-brutal dictatorship policies continue, we'll have real trouble here at our own doorstep. As it is now operating, if we had our druthers, we'd give all these parasite nations a year to close out business and make their move anywhere; but not before they all clear up the infinitesimal number of traffic fines they've accumulated since 1945 and evaded paying under the policy of diplomatic immunity. We'd then turn the U.N. building into a combination hotel and casino complex. It would at least then be serving some useful purpose.

AS FOR THE aforementioned outstanding parking ticket fine$, the total would doubtless pay off our national debt!

NOTE: CONGRATS to you Cub fans on your team's clinching the NL Central Division!  And Cub fans remember, the League of Nations mentioned in the above column is not the same as your National League!

~ ~ ~

John T. “Red” Ryan is a retired Chicago police officer and Garfield Ridge resident. 

Mud, blood and thud: new book relives gritty glory of St. Rita football champs

‘3 Yards and a Cloud of Dust’ now available

By Tim Hadac

Managing Editor

Southwest Chicago Post

            In an era when multi-millionaire athletes sit out games for reasons like “unspecified soreness” and “stiff neck,” Chicago-area sports personality Tim Maher has written a true tale about some of the most rugged young men anywhere: the City champion 1970 St. Rita Mustangs football team.

            Maher, a co-captain of that legendary squad, has

penned and self-published “3 Yards and a Cloud of Dust,” a 200-plus page book newly available in paperback for $14.95 at chicagocatholicleaguefootball.com.

“I’ve been thinking about writing this book for years, and I finally did it. Hey, I’m a guy who can’t spell ‘cat’ and yet now I’m a published author,” Maher joked during a recent book signing at Bookie’s New and Used Books, 10324 S. Western. “Seriously, though, this book is a perfect Christmas gift for the thousands of men who—as teenagers—played football in the Chicago Catholic League, as well as thousands more who watched from the stands.”

            While some fans of Chicago Catholic League football history know of the storied squad—which amazingly went from 0-9 in 1968 to 9-2-1 in 1970—few, other than the players themselves, recall the details.

            But Maher, along with a handful of his teammates who are all now 64-year-olds scattered across the Southwest Side, the southwest suburbs and beyond, brings it all back: from the brutal summer practice sessions in Michigan to three November victories at Soldier Field over tough CCL opponents (Fenwick, Loyola and Leo) to a December Prep Bowl triumph over Lane Tech before a Soldier Field crowd of 65,745.

            St. Rita alumni—and other Catholic high school graduates--will smile as they read descriptions of the mud, blood and thuds in the brick-walled tight space at St. Rita’s home field near 64th and Claremont—typically a path to glory for Mustang teams, usually a dead-end to defeat for opposing squads.

            The book brings back recollections of grit, of trials by fire, of coaches being tough on players as they turned boys into men—teaching them how to overcome adversity, how to be hard but fair, and more.

“We didn’t have what [high school] football players have today. After a double-session practice in 100-degree heat, we’d get two salt tablets. Not like today--not bathed in water, not chugging down Gatorade. We had papaya juice—and it was great because it had grass, blood, snots, everything in it. You drank it, it had ice in it,” Maher chuckled.

And so it goes in the book, less of a warm and fuzzy stroll down memory lane and more of a gritty grind down an alley.

In chronological fashion, Maher and others relive each game of the 1970 season. Included are hand-written game notes and black-and-white photos that offer a glimpse into a time when football was often more fight than finesse, when the sport was part bare-knuckled brawl.

As he has been for years—as a sports promoter, radio

personality and more--Maher is an unabashed fan of Chicago Catholic League football. In “3 Yards” he tips his cap to the states of Texas, Ohio, California and Florida—long known for their powerhouse prep football teams. But he adds that if any schools from those states want to play “a real game of football,” they should contact the CCL.

“We will play you at your stadium, in your parking lot, in an alley, in a cornfield, at a beach,” Maher wrote. “Makes no difference to us. We will show up.”

Maher is a South Side native who grew up at 5417 S. Racine, across the street from Sherman Park, where as a boy he wore the uniform of the Visitation Ramblers—butting heads with such Southwest Side grid powers as Queen of the Universe and St. Mary Star of the Sea

Maher dedicated the book to his mother, Mary Jean, and his father, John, a 1944 St. Rita graduate and football player who joined the Marines and earned a Purple Heart fighting on Okinawa.

            One of the well-wishers at the book signing was Bob Wojtalewicz, co-captain of the 1970 St. Rita championship team.

“We ain’t seen each other in 35 years, but I love him to this day,” Maher said. “That’s one great thing about the Catholic League—you hate each other when you’re there on the field; but after that you discover that you’ve forged a bond, a kind of brotherhood, in a way, that lasts for years. You shake hands with a man from the Catholic League, you know you’ve shaken the hand of a man of honor—a man whose word is his bond.”

Tim Maher (right) and Bob Wojtalewicz.

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