southtownstar.suntimes.com

First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre’s 2013 concert season

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:07:24 -0500

The 2013 summer concert season is a live music fan’s dream. A ton of great gigs are on the way, and many of them will be at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, 19100 S. Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park. “It’s a busy summer and there’s just a lot of great artists on the road and great shows coming through,” said Jon Reens, senior director of marketing/Midwest for Live Nation, which operates FMBA. “They run the gamut on style and they run the gamut on format. It’s an extremely wide-ranging summer season.” The outdoor venue is boasting the most amount of country concerts …

Tinley Park police blotter

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:32:00 -0500

TINLEY PARK VANDALISM: An image similar to the Mona Lisa was stenciled May 7 onto an AT&T service box at 172nd Street and Harlem Avenue. POT POSSESSION: Joel Miranda, 22, 16771 Hobart Ave., Orland Hills, was charged with possession of marijuana and resisting police May 7 after a stop in the 9900 block of 187th Street, police said. RETAIL THEFT: Hadeel Alameria, 21, 16736 Olcott Ave., Tinley Park, was charged with retail theft May 7 after stealing merchandise from Super Kmart, 16300 Harlem Ave., police said. SUSPENDED LICENSE: Dave M. Dulek, 38, 8455 Currant Ave., Tinley Park, was charged with …

Tinley Park police blotter

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:30:01 -0500

TINLEY PARK BURGLARY: Sixteen Chicago Cubs tickets were stolen between April 6 and 29 from a house in the 8000 block of Stonegate Drive. THEFT: An air conditioning unit was stolen between April 19 and 29 from a house in the 16700 block of Oketo Avenue. THEFT: Two air conditioning units were stolen April 30 or May 1 from Betscher Cleaners, 6787 W. 159th St. THEFT: Two cement lawn ornaments were stolen May 1 from a house in the 7500 block of Newfield Avenue. SUSPENDED LICENSE: Safurat Ameo, 27, of Chicago Heights, was charged with driving on a suspended license …

Community Sports Calendar (Central) for May 19, 2013

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:42:27 -0500

Here is a look at sporting events in the SouthtownStar’s Central region, which includes Crestwood, Frankfort, Homer Glen, Manhattan, Midlothian, Mokena, New Lenox, Oak Forest, Orland Hills, Orland Park, and Tinley Park.

Dekker: Impressive learning the Montessori way

Sun, 12 May 2013 02:27:01 -0500

I have driven past Hope Montessori School on 170th Street and Oak Park Avenue for years and always have been curious about just what the Montessori method of education involves. Recently, I met a delightful lady named Traci Tyszka at a meeting and had a great conversation with her about art and children. She informed me that she was the director of Hope Montessori School and graciously invited me to visit and take a tour of the school. From the moment I walked in the door of the school, I felt it — calm and peace all around me. It …

TWC set to host ‘Luau on the Links’

Sun, 12 May 2013 02:27:10 -0500

Together We Cope will host its annual golf outing fundraiser June 5 at the Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park.

Orland Park school honored for excellence

Sun, 12 May 2013 02:28:36 -0500

The Kruse Education Center in Orland Park received the Academic Award of Excellence for 2012. Principal Carey Radde, staff and students have been honored by the Illinois State Board of Education for outstanding school performance for the second year in a row. The award is granted annually by the state board in conjunction with Northern Illinois University, to recognize exemplary academic accomplishments of Illinois public schools. The award is presented to those schools that met Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks in 2011 and 2012 as required by the federal No Child Left Behind act and have 90 percent of the student …

Tinley Park police blotter

Fri, 03 May 2013 22:24:00 -0500

TINLEY PARK DUI ARREST: Michael Ryan, 23, 7930 W. 172nd Place, Tinley Park, was charged with drunken driving after an April 17 stop in the 17100 block of Harlem Avenue, police said. MARIJUANA CHARGE: Glenn Essenberg, 28, 5191 Newport Drive, Oak Forest, was charged with possession of marijuana after a stop April 18 in the parking lot of Eurofresh Market, 16000 Harlem Ave., police said. DUI CASE: Michael McDonough, 28, 13560 Mohawk Lane, Orland Park, was charged with drunken driving and improper lane use April 18 after a stop in the 17800 block of Harlem Avenue, police said. CAR BURGLARIES: …

Crisis Center fundraiser offers more than day of wine, roses

Sun, 05 May 2013 02:28:52 -0500

Crisis Center of South Suburbia holds daytime fundraiser at Lake Katherine

Tinley Park High School’s South Suburban Blue title

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:33:10 -0500

The boys swimming and diving team from Tinley Park High School won the South Suburban Blue title for the second straight season. Senior captains Dan Shaunnessey and Kevin Hesse led the way at the conference meet, each winning four events. Staff reports …

Disabato: Andrew to name baseball field after Frank Ganser

Fri, 03 May 2013 02:10:33 -0500

When you think of Andrew’s baseball program, what comes to mind first is Frank Ganser. That’s how it should be — and always will. Ganser was the face of the program, and with his shiny silver hair and bright blue eyes, Andrew could have fared far worse. Ganser transformed a little-known program that played its first varsity game in 1979 into a respected and feared powerhouse. While doing so, he also turned a glorified cow pasture into the region’s first Field of Dreams. Ganser’s blood, sweat and tears remain ingrained in that field — along with many of the greatest …

Kadner: A mission to adopt children in need

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:49:22 -0500

Traci and Scott Heim are just your typical parents of 10 adopted children from three foreign countries. Sveta, from Russia, who is now 15, was the first in 1998. “We were living the American dream,” Traci recalled. “We had a big house in the Brookside Glen subdivision of Tinley Park, a Mercedes and we planned on having two kids. That was the plan.” The couple had difficulty conceiving, and Traci began thinking about adoption. “I wanted a family. Some people can’t deal with the idea of adoption and I get it,” she said. “But I realized family to me meant …

What’s Going On for May 2, 2013

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:12:39 -0500

Here is a look at what’s going on in the Southland. Events include Homewood, Palos Heights, Frankfort, Matteson, Tinley Park, Chicago Heights, Blue Island and Palos Park.

Tinley Park artist, teacher to design for New York tennis tournament

Wed, 01 May 2013 11:02:05 -0500

As a kid growing up in Oak Lawn, Al Sorenson had a natural artistic talent, and the sports fan often would draw pictures of his favorite athletes. He honed his skill, eventually getting to the point where he felt confident enough to offer his pieces for sale online as well as at sports collectibles shows. The Tinley Park resident and school teacher recently was hired by organizers of the New York Open, a tennis tournament to be held in July just outside New York City, to create a piece that will be used in marketing the inaugural event. Ironically, while …

Charity Briefs for April 30, 2013

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:33:01 -0500

Here is a look at charity news in the Southland.

Crime Report: Shots fired at house in Park Forest

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:19:52 -0500

Several shots were fired April 11 at a house in the 200 block of Allegheny Street, but no one was wounded, according to police. They said five men and a teenage boy were inside the residence at the time. Police found six shell casings in the street and said two bullets penetrated a bedroom window and one hit the front door. Kate McCann Vehicle burglary spree Park Forest police are investigating a rash of vehicle burglaries that occurred from April 12 to 14, with most on Birch and Ash streets and others on Dogwood Street, Bertoldo Road and Western Avenue. …