Park Ridge Herald-Advocate

Park Ridge Police say man scammed victims with friendship

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:26:57 -0500

Park Ridge police say a 63-year-old man may have swindled countless people out of various possessions and cash, simply by befriending them.

Park Ridge hydrant flushing to begin June 3

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:04:00 -0500

The Park Ridge Fire Department will begin its 2013 hydrant flushing program on Monday, June 3. The department will be flushing between 100 and 150 hydrants each week through Aug. 30. It will occur between the hours of 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and between 7 a.m. and noon on Fridays. The flushing is required to test that the hydrants are ready to be used in case of fire. Residents will be notified on Saturday mornings if their neighborhood hydrants are scheduled for flushing the following week. During the testing period there may be a change in …

Flood debris pick-up cost Park Ridge $76,000

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:33:46 -0500

As Park Ridge residents and business owners seek federal financial reimbursement and aid for property damage related to the April 18 flood, the city is reviewing its own expenses. Public Works Director Wayne Zingsheim said his department incurred a $76,200 bill from ARC Disposal for pick-up of residential flood debris over a two-week period following the storm. In addition, the department spent roughly $20,000 in employee overtime expenses related to flood response. The city’s Sibley Lift Station, which is intended to keep water out of the neighborhood to the east of Sibley Avenue and Riverside Drive, required some repairs after …

In scandal’s wake, Maine Township warns against hazing

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:37:17 -0500

Hannah Klein shifted uncomfortably as she mustered courage to talk about being bullied. The 16-year-old approached the microphone, hesitated for a minute, and then apologized. Then, she explained how after being adopted at age 8, peers began harassing her daily about the way she talked and dressed. “It happened so often … I kind of thought it was true,” she said. “The experience was really depressing and sad.” Youth and parents stepped forward at a community forum in Des Plaines May 22 to recount the emotional toll hazing and bullying has had on their lives. They joined a panel of …

Park Ridge alderman wants $100k for shabby building crackdown

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:18:10 -0500

Park Ridge Ald. Joe Sweeney (1st) would like to see the city invest more money in taking the legal action required to force owners of dilapidated buildings to clean up their act. But his suggestion that the city find additional $100,000 in order to pursue such an endeavor failed to receive support from his fellow aldermen. Citing two properties that have fallen into disrepair and a third involving a potentially abandoned vehicle, Sweeney argued that the city has done nothing to get the owners to comply with existing city ordinances concerning the upkeep of private properties. “I think it’s time …

Iannelli’s statue heading home to Park Ridge

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:46:04 -0500

To the students who saw her daily, she was affectionately known as “Our Lady of the Doorway.” For decades, the 11-foot-tall statue of the Virgin Mary stood in silent prayer above the entrance to Immaculata High School on Chicago’s North Side, until she was taken down and put into storage when the school closed in the early 1980s. This summer, though, the statue is coming “home” — to the Park Ridge studio in which she was sculpted over 90 years ago. A group of Immaculata alumni say they have raised nearly half of the funds needed to begin restoration of …

Salon, fitness center proposed for Uptown in Park Ridge

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:28:45 -0500

Business owners looking to bring a salon and fitness center to two empty storefronts in Uptown Park Ridge are hoping to get special approvals from the City Council. Niko Zafiriadis is hoping to open Spa Di Da, a hair salon and skin care studio, at 124 S. Prospect Ave., while Cross-Fit, a health and fitness center, is proposed for a portion of the former Hill’s Hobby location a few blocks west at 10 S. Prairie Ave. The Park Ridge Planning and Zoning Commission recently recommended City Council approval of a special-use permit to allow Spa Di Da to open within …

Maine East honors ‘stand-out’ students

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:36:23 -0500

Ask Maine East High School science teacher Judy Tyler what she sees in the Class of 2013 and she’ll point to two defining characteristics: kindness and caring. “It’s one of the best classes we’ve had,” she said as a group of seniors, donning their blue graduation gowns for the first time, lined up in the hallway of the 84-year-old Park Ridge school during Senior Honors Night on May 22. Tyler says she’s not exaggerating. This year’s seniors, she says, “tend to help each other out,” whether it involves partaking in service projects or actively publicizing student events on social media. …

Kitchen bands play everything but the sink

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:27:07 -0500

Who needs polished violins and grand pianos when there are pickle jars and spoons to play? Local seniors are turning normal household goods into instruments, proving that music can be made with anything. More than 100 of these creative musicians gathered at the Niles Senior Center May 22 for the 10th annual kitchen band jamboree. Groups from Libertyville, Antioch and Carpentersville joined the Niles Rhythm Band for the weekday sing-along show. Some played guitar and keyboard, while others scraped washboards and clapped wooden spoons. Leaders of the bands said the only requirements for participating are a willingness to perform and …

Bank teller charged with theft

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:35:13 -0500

A Park Ridge bank teller is accused of stealing several thousand dollars from the account of one her customers. Park Ridge Police on May 17 arrested Marianna Bonanno, 46, of the 4800 block of North Knight Avenue, Norridge, on charges of theft and aggravated identity theft after she allegedly withdrew over $12,000 from the account of a senior citizen while working at PNC Bank, 607 W. Devon Ave. Deputy Police Chief Lou Jogmen said the thefts occurred between April 2012 and January 2013. A total of 15 bank account withdrawals were made from the customer’s account, he said. Bonanno’s next …

Beaglemania hits Paws Park in Park Ridge

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:12:01 -0500

Hundreds of beagles and the people who love them packed into Paws Park in Park Ridge Saturday to celebrate the 11th annual Beaglefest. Festival organizers said the event, held in the fenced-in dog park behind the Oakton Sports Complex at 2800 W. Oakton Ave., was a success.

Local Disaster Center opens for flood victims

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:22:27 -0500

A Disaster Recovery Center, which will allow residents to apply for federal reimbursement and financial aid for damage caused by April 18 flooding, has opened in Des Plaines. The center is located at 1486 Miner St., next to the Des Plaines Theatre. It is operated jointly by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. Residents do not need to visit the center to register for FEMA reimbursement or assistance. Registration is available online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling (800) 621-3362. The center is an additional …

Park Ridge, Niles cops head back to doughnut shop rooftops

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:22:27 -0500

Park Ridge and Niles police officers will be headed back up to the rooftops of local Dunkin’ Donuts shops for the annual “Cop on Top” fundraiser for Special Olympics.

Police warn of fake cop who pulled over Maine East student driver

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:34:40 -0500

A 17-year-old Maine East High School student was handcuffed and had money stolen from her car by a man pretending to be a police officer on Monday, authorities said.

3 Brookfield Zoo dolphins expecting

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:48:20 -0500

Chicago Zoological Society officials say three Brookfield Zoo bottlenose dolphins are pregnant. Officials say Allie, 26, Tapeko, 31, and Spree, 10, are due to give birth this summer and fall.

Park Ridge crime briefs

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:28:24 -0500

BURGLARY An apartment on the first block of Devon Avenue was entered through an unlocked window on the evening of May 14 and a bicycle, laptop, hard drive and iPad were reported stolen. A home on the 300 block of West Higgins Road was burglarized between May 15 and May 16, but it did not appear anything was taken. BURGLARY TO VEHICLE A wallet containing credit and debit cards and European currency was stolen overnight between May 14 and May 15 from a vehicle parked in a lot on the 2600 block of Oakton Street. THEFT A man was seen …