OP_033017

16 | March 30, 2017 | The orland park prairie News
opprairie.com
FROM THE NEW LENOX PATRIOT
Mayor opines on proposed
property tax freeze
Uncertainties surrounding
talk of a proposed property
tax freeze by lawmakers in
Springfield looking to secure
a State budget deal loomed
over the March 21 forum for
officials in New Lenox.
The forum, hosted by New
Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann,
sought to inform constituents
of the advantages
and disadvantages to altering
the way local taxing authorities
fund their operations. A
number of civic leaders were
on hand to serve as experts.
“With the State’s financial
condition, freezing property
taxes does nothing,” Baldermann
said. “The State of Illinois
has not received property
taxes to their budget since
1932; so it has no impact on
the $11 billion hole that they
have, the $11 million a day,
further into debt hole that
they’re digging, and by the
end of the next governor’s
election in 2018 — whoever
the next governor that takes
office in January of 2019
— they’re looking at somewhere
from $22 [billion] to
$24 billion in the hole if they
don’t resolve this crisis.”
Dr. Jeremy Groves, an
associate professor and director
of graduate studies at
Northern Illinois University,
took a moment to note the
complexity of the matter at
hand.
“In my discussion with individuals
and so forth, I find
out the property tax is one of
the most misunderstood taxes
that we have, and there’s
very good reason for that,”
he said. “It’s the most complicated
tax that we have. It
also happens to be one of
the most hated taxes that we
have.”
Reporting by Megann
Horstead, Freelance
Reporter. For more, visit
NewLenoxPatriot.com.
FROM THE FRANKFORT STATION
East alumni travel for health
care rights
A moment traveling
through rural Texas illustrated
why Monica Tanouye and
Angela Ray were driving
thousands of miles across
the southern United States.
They needed to purchase
an over-the-counter medication.
The nearest pharmacy:
three hours away.
It is why the 2011 Lincoln-Way
East High School
graduates did not just start
a travel blog to document
their road trip, but one that
highlights issues of health
care access and reproductive
justice. They will be blogging
and encouraging donations
to small organizations
through April 11.
Named HOWLing Across
America, which stems from
an acronym for “happiness,
openness, wisdom and love”
they coined in high school,
their new blog is about supporting
reproductive justice
through encouraging donations
to four organizations:
Hearts Women & Girls, Sister
Song, the National Latina
Institute for Reproductive
Health and Illinois Caucus
for Adolescent Health.
Posts include both fun and
frustrations from the road —
a broken air conditioner in
the Southwest, a late-night
traffic jam in Houston — as
well as information about
health care issues pertinent
to each state.
“If we’re going to spend a
month of our lives crossing
the country, driving 7,000
miles, it can’t just be for ourselves,”
Tanouye said.
Reporting by Kirsten Onsgard,
Editor. For more, visit
FrankfortStation.com.
FROM THE TINLEY JUNCTION
Children’s authors stop by
GiGi’s Playhouse
Marcus Sikora sat down
at a table where several
other people were gathered,
grabbed a sheet of white
loose-leaf paper and began
to read.
“I’m a storyteller,” he
said.
A storyteller, who in nearly
two years became an author,
Sikora, 26, of Omaha,
Nebraska, penned “Black
Day: The Monster Rock
Band” with assistance from
his mother, Mardra.
The children’s book tells
the story of a young boy
named Brad and his Halloween
adventure, which
sees him crossing paths with
a musical group composed
of Frankenstein’s monster,
a vampire, a werewolf and
Skeleton Pumpkin Head.
Sikora, who has Down
syndrome, was at GiGi’s
Playhouse in Tinley Park
on March 18 to sign copies
of the book and view the accompanying
short film created
by Noah Witchell. The
visit to GiGi’s Playhouse
— which offers therapeutic
and educational programs
for individuals with Down
syndrome and their families
— was the latest stop on
a promotional tour for the
Sikoras, who have been to
14 states since “Black Day”
was published.
The idea for “Black Day”
came to Marcus during a
stay in a cabin at a Nebraska
state park, and his love for
Halloween and music were
key inspirations for the story.
Mardra often is quick
to question whether or not
Marcus’ ideas will work but
admitted his initial concepts
are usually the ones that
work.
“I’m always writing down
what he says and thinking it
will have to change, but usually
his ideas were the best
all along,” she said.
Reporting by Jason Maholy,
Freelance Reporter. For more,
visit TinleyJunction.com.
FROM THE MOKENA MESSENGER
WWII veteran honored by
USO, Blackhawks
It was an emotional moment
for Mokena resident
Elizabeth Schneider, 93, as
she stood on the ice at the
United Center before a recent
Chicago Blackhawks
game.
The World War II veteran
— a petty officer, third class,
for the Bureau of Naval Personnel
from 1943-1946 —
was honored alongside other
veterans before the national
anthem.
“When I was on the middle
of that ice with the other veterans
and [national anthem
singer] Jim Cornelison, tears
just came to my eyes,” she
said. “I never expected anything
like this, with 20,000
people clapping and screaming
and singing the national
anthem together.”
The Blackhawks partner
with the USO to find and
recognize those who served.
“They treated us like royalty,”
Schneider said. “And
the crowd was great. Everybody
was coming over [during
the game], and all the
veteran men were coming
over and kissing me on my
cheek.”
Schneider, who grew up
in Kansas City, Missouri,
joined in 1943, after she
graduated high school.
“Everybody asked why
I was leaving, and I said,
‘There’s no men left here in
Kansas City, so I have to follow
them,’” she said with a
laugh.
After serving, Schneider
eventually moved to the
Chicago area, later working
for the United States Postal
Service.
But one thing that remained
constant was
Schneider’s love of the
Blackhawks.
“To me, being 93 years
old and a veteran, it was indeed
an honor and a privilege
to be on that ice and to
salute our flag of the United
States,” Schneider said.
Reporting by Jon DePaolis,
Freelance Reporter. For more,
visit MokenaMessenger.com.
FROM THE HOMER HORIZON
Healthy Kids Running Series
comes to Homer Glen
Ever since Cindy Flores
moved to Homer Glen two
years ago, she has been
searching for activities to
keep her two young children
active.
When Flores could not
find anything in the area, she
took matters into her own
hands. Enter the Healthy
Kids Running Series.
Flores became a community
coordinator for
the Healthy Kids Running
Series, a set of five races
for children in grades prekindergarten
through eighth
grade. The series is to kick
off at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 2,
at Stonebridge Park, 14200
Stonebridge Drive in Homer
Glen. Races also will be held
April 9, 23, 30 and May 7.
“I never saw anybody trying
to do much for the children
in Homer Glen,” Flores
said. “I came across Healthy
Kids Running when I was
working in Oak Brook ... I
just wanted children to enjoy
themselves and know there’s
fun things to do.”
The series features a variety
of different distances for
the array of ages. Children
in pre-K will compete in a
50-yard dash, while kindergartners
and first-graders run
a quarter of a mile. Secondand
third-grade students
run a half-mile, and fourththrough
eighth-graders go
the distance for a full mile.
At the conclusion of the
series, the Top 3 finishers
will receive first-, secondand
third-place trophies, respectively.
All runners will
receive a medal and T-shirt
for participating.
The cost is $35 for the series,
but runners can opt to
run races a la carte for $10
per race.
Reporting by Erin Redmond,
Assistant Editor. For more, visit
HomerHorizon.com.
FROM THE LOCKPORT LEGEND
Special needs squad makes
dreams come true
Growing up, Ashlee East
repeatedly watched her sister
Kaylee jump, stunt and
tumble on one of cheerleading’s
biggest stages: The
Cheerleading Worlds Championship.
Kaylee, a lifelong and talented
cheerleader, competed
at Worlds 10 times over the
course of her career, and
during each routine Ashlee
would watch, dreaming one
day she would be there, too.
But having been born with
cerebral palsy, performing
at Worlds seemed to be just
that — a dream
Not anymore.
Ashlee and her special
abilities squad — the Lockport-based
GymTyme Illinois’
HEART — have earned
a coveted bid to Worlds, held
April 29-May 1 at the Walt
Disney World Resort in Orlando.
Kaylee will be there,
too, but this time she will be
the one watching, in her role
as the team’s coach.
“[Ashlee] would always
say, ‘One day I’m going to
get on that stage; one day I’m
going to get on that stage,’”
her mother, Tracy, said. “It’s
kind of cool that this is the
first time Ashlee gets to do it,
and Kaylee’s not doing it.”
The trip is made possible
thanks to a slew of donations
the team received — most
recently a $2,500 check from
the 100+ Women Who Care
of Will County, given March
16. So far, the Hearts have
received around $10,000,
which covers almost all the
competition fees, travel to
Florida and tickets to Disney
World.
Reporting by Erin Redmond,
Assistant Editor. For more, visit
LockportLegend.com.