Park Ridge Herald-Advocate

Park Ridge’s Officer of Year faces down ‘policeman’s worst nightmare’

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:16:56 -0500

The objects left behind on the kitchen table made Park Ridge Police Officer Steve Tracy’s heart sink. A man’s wallet and house keys. His eyeglasses and — most troubling of all — his wedding ring. “I thought, ‘That’s really not a good sign,’ ” Tracy recalled. Tracy was thinking of the distraught woman beside him, a worried wife who sensed even before opening the door of her home that something was terribly wrong. That her long-despondent husband had taken his life. Unwilling to enter the house alone she’d called Park Ridge Police. Tracy responded to the call. “She knew something …

Zoning vote a victory for Whole Foods proposal in Park Ridge

Thu, 24 May 2012 05:13:21 -0500

The first step in bringing a Whole Foods Market to the city was finalized this week when the Park Ridge City Council approved new zoning for the property on which the grocery store is to be built. Aldermen on May 21 voted 5-1 in favor of a motion to rezone property at 225 W. Touhy Ave. and 1 S. Washington Ave. from R-5, multi-family residential, to B-1, business and retail. The new zoning designation is contingent upon a building permit for a grocery store being issued within 12 months and an occupancy permit received within 36 months of the vote. …

Emerson seventh-graders raise money to help kids in South Africa

Sun, 27 May 2012 10:38:34 -0500

Emerson students put studies to action to get African children clean water …

Niles looks to put new face on biz community

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:13:47 -0500

Business owner and Niles resident Joe Walsh thinks the village’s business community could use a facelift. And while he indicated image upgrades are needed in general, any effort should start with the anchor of Niles’ business community, Golf Mill Shopping Center. Walsh sees Niles as a major retail village and is strongly in favor of supporting business, but he doesn’t feel all village trustees are necessarily on the same page. “There’s a mayor who’s very pro-business,” said Walsh, who feels improvements are needed to Golf Mill in order to boost sales-tax revenue. “And there are a few trustees who are …

Morton Grove martial arts school wins fight to stay open

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:52:49 -0500

As Duck-Keun Yoon leads his class of small children running around his martial arts school, each child jumps over a large equipment bag on the padded floor. When one of the smallest girls can’t quite make it over, he pulls her back so she can try a second time. When that attempt fails, Master Yoon — as he is known to his students — picks her up, lifts her over the bag and sets her back down on the floor laughing. The children learning tae kwon do at North Shore Martial Arts are young, some just 4 years old. Keyed …

1.5 million people to use Midway, O’Hare this holiday weekend

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:24:01 -0500

About 1.5 million people are expected to pass through Chicago’s two airports this Memorial Day weekend, city aviation officials say.

Property Transfers

Sat, 26 May 2012 21:08:24 -0500

Information is provided by Record Information Services, P.O. Box 894, Elburn IL 60119; phone (630) 557-1000; fax (630) 557-1001. ALBANY PARK 4686 N Kasson Ave.: Triumph Development Group Llc to Jonathan M Liddell Yvonne M Grabe, $274,500, April 26 4942 N Kostner Ave.: Albany Bank & Trust Co Na Ttee to Brad J Timm, $123,500, April 26 5418 W Windsor Ave. Apt 2s: Federal Home Loan Mtg Corp to Urszula Winkiewicz, $45,000, April 23 BARRINGTON 104 Brinker Road: Flannery Trust to Jack E Reich Mary Beth Reich, $35,000, April 19 808 E Hillside Ave.: Federal Home Loan Mtg Corp to …

Park Ridge Community Calendar for the week of May 24, 2012

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:07:22 -0500

Submissions for Community Calendar are required two weeks preceding the date of publication. Send to: Mary Ann Bottari, Pioneer Press, 3701 W. Lake Ave., Glenview IL 60026; mbottari@pioneerlocal.com. Information may be faxed to (847) 486-7495. Agenda City of Park Ridge: The following meetings take place in City Hall, 505 Butler Place, unless otherwise noted. For a complete agenda, call City Hall at (847) 318-5200: June 4: City Council, 7 p.m. June 6: Historic Preservation Commission, 6 p.m. June 7: Mayor’s Advisory Board, 7:15 p.m. Chamber Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce: 720 Garden St., (847) 825-3121; www.parkridgechamber.org; e-mail info@parkridgechamber.org: Retail Committee: …

POLL: What is your most anticipated summer adventure movie?

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:22:51 -0500

With summer almost here, Hollywood is rolling out a host of action and adventure films guaranteed to heat up the season. Will you be standing in line at midnight, July 20 for the premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises”? Is a retooled version of the Snow White fairy tale more your thing? Look to the left and vote for your most anticipated summer adventure film. …

Teen bands from across area compete in Park Ridge

Thu, 24 May 2012 05:15:08 -0500

The return of Park Ridge’s annual teen band night, Bobbapalooza, was smaller than past events but still considered a success, according to its new organizer. “It went great,” said Jared Skiba, who managed the event. “It got nothing but positive feedback. The bands went extremely, extremely well.” Eleven high school bands performed during the May 12 concert and competition, which took place at the Park Ridge Community Center and drew an audience of roughly 350, Skiba said. This is about one-third the draw of the past several Bobbapalooza events at South Park Church in Park Ridge. Seven awards were presented …

Study says Chicago traffic congestion actually got better

Tue, 22 May 2012 17:50:34 -0500

Drivers in the Chicago area were stuck in traffic an average of 36 hours in 2011, 12 fewer than the 48 wasted in traffic in 2010, according to INRIX, a company that studies traffic patterns.

Park Ridge woman gets burial for MIA brother after 40 years

Thu, 24 May 2012 05:14:07 -0500

The Vietnam War was waging and George Macdonald knew he wouldn’t be returning home. “He gave away his track trophies and told the family he wouldn’t be coming back,” his only sister, Jeanette Frye, recounted. It was 1972 and Macdonald, an Evanston native, was heading toward the war for which he had been training with the U.S. Air Force. Five months later, on Christmas Eve, his family would learn what Macdonald seemed to sense before he left. An Air Force gunship had been shot down over Laos. Macdonald had been on it, but he wasn’t among the two sole survivors. …

Zoning vote a victory for Whole Foods proposal in Park Ridge

Thu, 24 May 2012 05:13:21 -0500

From Maine South kid to Jersey Boy

Thu, 24 May 2012 05:14:16 -0500

Nick Cosgrove’s entry into the world of musical theater began on stage — and in the classroom — at Maine South High School. Six years after graduation the Park Ridge native is putting the skills he learned as a teenager into his career as a professional actor. Cosgrove is now starring as Frankie Valli in a national touring company’s production of “Jersey Boys.” Cosgrove’s twice-weekly performances in the award-winning musical are taking place through June 3 at Bank of America Theatre in downtown Chicago. It was “Jersey Boys,” which Cosgrove first saw at age 17, that cemented his desire to …

World War II airman to pilot Memorial Day parade in Park Ridge

Thu, 24 May 2012 05:13:45 -0500

As World War II raged on the other side of the world, Richard Smaus was training pilots to fly twin-engine planes in Indiana. But when the opportunity came to fly combat missions over the Pacific, the U.S. Army Air Corps pilot eagerly volunteered. “That’s where all the action was,” explained Smaus, 89, of Park Ridge. Flying with student pilots had gotten boring, the veteran acknowledged — especially after hearing about the heroic and exciting exploits of men he knew who had already been sent overseas. Smaus would go on to fly 38 combat and reconnaissance missions as a B-25 pilot …

Park Ridge’s Officer of Year faces down ‘policeman’s worst nightmare’

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:16:56 -0500