Rich Township students cook at Illinois Culinary Competition
The Rich Township High School District 227 team of ProStart Culinary students showcased their aptitude and love of cooking food at the 22nd Annual ProStart Invitational hosted by the Illinois Restaurant Association on Saturday at Kendall College at National Louis University in Chicago. Open to students aged 16 to 18, the Rich Township students were among seven teams competing, finishing in third place.
The students who competed were Malachi Baines with a salmon and shrimp entree, Alicaia Campbell with a heirloom tomato and goat cheese salad, Gia Bledsoe with a salmon shrimp entree and Christen Rainer with a raspberry soufflé dessert.
The competition gave the students exposure to judges who are Michelin-starred chefs and James Beard nominees as the students launch their careers into a competitive and lucrative field, according to a news release from the school.
Cook County OKs transportation project funding
The Cook County Board of Commissioners approved funding this week for several Southland transportation projects.
Oak Forest received a $59,500 award for design engineering and obtaining necessary land easements and the acquisition of nearly one mile of new sidewalk along four streets within the city to improve access to commercial areas. The streets include Laramie Avenue from 148th Street to 147th Street, Le Claire Avenue from 151st Street to 149th Street, Lavergne Avenue from 151st Street to 149th Street and 149th Street from Lavergne Avenue to Cicero Avenue.
Pace Suburban Bus received a $500,000 award for the Pulse 95th Street Line Environmental Review and Advanced Conceptual Design Project. This project will study transit solutions to improve connectivity and reduce congestion from Moraine Valley Community College to the 95th Street Red Line Station, making transit more efficient.
Worth received a $500,000 award for the construction and construction engineering for nearly one mile of new sidewalk and multiuse paths on the north side of the Cal-Sag Channel between Harlem Avenue and Metra’s Southwest Station in Palos Heights. This project creates a new path between the station and community destinations, recreational areas and the Cal-Sag Trail.
In Richton Park the county is providing $150,000 in funding for new lighting, signage and pavement patching to assist in the design and construction of Steger Road.
Road work season about to ramp up along I-57
Repairs to the bridge carrying Interstate 57 over the Canadian National Railroad in Matteson and Richton Park will begin, weather permitting, April 1, Illinois Department of Transportation officials said. To accommodate the work, I-57 will be reduced to one lane in each direction over the bridge.
The $2.1 million project, which consists of a new bridge deck overlay with joint replacement and structural steel repairs, is expected to be completed in September.
In another project, traffic shifts on I-57 are scheduled to begin this week as roadway bridge work resumes over the CSX Railroad, part of the final year of construction to complete the Tri-State Tollway/I-57 Interchange Project.
Work in 2022 includes the completion of the ramp connecting northbound I-294 to northbound I-57, the two ramps carrying southbound I-57 to I-294 and work to widen the CSX Railroad Bridge on I-57. In addition, IDOT has roadway resurfacing work scheduled to begin on I-57 later this year.
Weather permitting, this week on I-57 overnight lane closures will be scheduled between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. with traffic reduced to a single lane at midnight. Up to three nights of closures will be needed to shift traffic. In addition, closures of the ramps carrying southbound I-57 to 147th Street and 147th Street to northbound I-57 will be needed. Each ramp requires only one night of closures. No detours will be posted.
The shifts are needed for work to widen the bridges over the railroad. After the shifts are put in place, traffic is scheduled to remain in this configuration into summer.
This work is part of the second phase of the I-294/I-57 Interchange Project, which includes building four new ramps to connect southbound I-57 to I-294 and 294 to northbound I-57, including the flyover ramp bridge. The flyover ramp bridge will carry traffic from southbound I-57 to southbound I-294 and from 147th to southbound I-57. The multi-span structure will be 2,649 feet long with a bridge deck approximately 16 feet above I-294 and 17 feet above I-57. Interchange construction is scheduled to be complete this year.
Additional work on this project includes the reconstruction of the I-57 median and the widening of the I-57 mainline, as well as drainage improvements, erosion and sediment control, retaining wall and bridge construction.
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Motorists can expect delays, officials said.
Arts Extravaganza at Richards on April 8
Jazz bands, show choirs, speech teams and drama casts will highlight the 12th annual Arts Extravaganza on April 8 at Richards High School in Oak Lawn.
The Friends of Community High School District 218 Education Foundation will host the event at Richards, 10601 S. Central Ave.
Both a fundraiser and a celebration of student talents in drama, speech, music, visual and the culinary arts, the event will run from 5 to 8 p.m. Students from Eisenhower, Richards and Shepard high schools will share the spotlight in a wide variety of arts.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens, and free for children age 5 and younger. The ticket price includes hors d’oeuvres prepared by culinary arts students. Tickets are available at the door.
The Arts Extravaganza also will feature a gallery exhibiting hundreds of art pieces by students from District 218 schools.
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