Free throw champs crowned in Mount Greenwood
Nine new champions were crowned earlier this month after the annual Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship as Brother Rice High School in Chicago.
Sponsored by the Father Perez Council 1444 in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood neighborhood, the event included 56 players ages 9 to 14.
Age group champions from Mount Greenwood Elementary School and St. Christina Parish are Ailish Murphy, Dean McGlynn and Wyatt McNichols. St. Barnabas School and Parish were represented by winners Mary Herber and George Jennings. Fiona McGarry of St. John Fisher School and Parish nabbed the 12-year-old girls title while Ryan Kolasa of Southwest Elementary School and Most Holy Redeemer Parish earned the 10-year-old boys crown. St. Linus student Kevin Marzec came away with the 11 year-old boys title.
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The eight champions qualified for the Illinois State Council Regional Competition on March 10 at St. Christopher Catholic School.
The regional champions advance to the State Championships on April 14 at St. Anthony’s High School in Effingham.
Metra: Bikes OK on all trains
Metra is making permanent a pandemic era policy that allows bicycles on all trains and plans to make room for additional bikes by installing new racks on its railcars.
Bikes have been allowed in the ADA seating area on Metra trains since 2005, but for most of that time they were restricted to non-rush period trains. During the pandemic, when ridership plummeted, Metra relaxed that policy to allow bikes on rush period trains, and now that change has been made permanent effective Feb. 1.
Last year, 260,000 riders brought bikes on trains, the highest annual number ever — even higher than pre-pandemic years, officials said. To facilitate the growing number of cyclists, and to ease conflicts with ADA customers, Metra is manufacturing and installing new bike racks on its railcars. The new racks, which can hold two to four bikes and can also be used to store e-scooters, will initially be installed on about 50 cars, and those cars will be identified with an exterior bike logo and used on the trains that carry the most bikes.
The creation of the policy and installation of new racks was aided by bicycle advocates who lobbied the Metra Board of Directors, contributed to a working group that drafted the new policy, and tested the new racks, Metra officials said in a news release announcing the policy.
Under the new policy, bicycles and scooters, including e-bikes and e-scooters, are permitted on all trains, either in the priority seating areas of ADA-accessible railcars or in the new racks on railcars with the bike logo. There is no charge.
Bicycle and scooter spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and customers with disabilities have priority in the priority seating areas on ADA-accessible railcars. Crews have the right to refuse bikes and scooters if all spaces are filled or if ADA-accessible seating is needed for customers with disabilities. Gas-powered bicycles and scooters are prohibited.
Frankfort’s Founders Center Gym reopens after yearlong repairs
Nearly a year after engineers found damaged trusses in the roof of the Founders Community Center gymnasium, the facility is reopening for programming, Frankfort Park District officials said.
The gym has remained offline since February 2023 resulting in programs being moved or canceled, according to a news release. Repairs to the gym’s roof structure were completed in December, including new steel rods installed on all four trusses, which span the length of the gym.
“The gym is crucial for programming, including special events such as the upcoming Fairytale Ball and Craft Fair,” said Gina Hassett, the Park District’s executive director. “Without the gym we must reduce the number of attendees.”
So far, engineering and repair costs for the truss system are at just under $300,000, Hassett said, noting officials anticipate additional costs for repairs to the ceiling, acoustic insulation and tuckpointing damage on the exterior of the building.
The Founders Community Center was formerly the Frankfort Middle School. Portions of the school were constructed in the 1940s and additions were added in 1959 including the gym, and in 1969. The Park District administrative offices and programs have been housed at the Founders Community Center since 1997 when it acquired the property from District 157C.
Steger school district hires superintendent from Lemont
Anthony McConnell has been hired as the next superintendent of Steger School District 194 and will take over for acting interim Superintendent Patricia Fiorenzo Hahto on April 1.
McConnell has spent the last four years as the superintendent of Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A in Lemont, where he helped the district reduce class sizes, implement a full-day kindergarten program and open a new school, according to a news release. He is also the co-author of the book “The Principled Principal: Ten Principles for Leading Exceptional Schools.”
Orland Grassland Volunteers to meet
The Orland Grassland Volunteers will kick off the new year with their January quarterly meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Orland Park Civic Center, 14700 Ravinia Ave. Kris DaPra from the Forest Preserves of Cook County Volunteer Resource Center will demonstrate their new website for volunteers and offer a look at the various opportunities for volunteering. There’s usually some pretty good treats, too, according to a news release. Information is at 708-942-8038 or www.orlandgrassland.org.
100+ Women of Will County mark ‘Galentine’s Day’
The February Meeting of 100+ Women Who Care of Will County will celebrate Galentine’s Day by choosing to help a local charity during a meeting from 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 13 at Coom’s Corner, 225 E 9th St., Lockport.
The group meets four times a year, where members each donate $100, individually or as a team, to a local charity or cause they nominate and vote on.
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At each meeting, members nominate charities, three are chosen at random, and after a brief presentation, the members vote on which charity to support. Once the winning charity is announced, everyone writes a $100 check, on the spot directly to that charity. Teams of 2 or 4 are welcome to join. All charities nominated must be located in, and serve, Will County and must have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. 100+ Women of Will County of Will County has raised over $168,100 for area charities. More information is at www.100wwc-will.org.
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