Rowan Willard-Rose gets a big hug from his dads, J.R., left, and Brandon Willard-Rose. (Mary Compton/H-F Chronicle)
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The weeks | Jan. 8

THE WEEK >

Flossmoor Public Art Commission will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 9, in the committee room at village hall, 2800 Flossmoor Road.

  • Read the agenda here.
  • View the livestream here. Use ID 814 1183 6590 and passcode 067011. 

Homewood Board of Trustees will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, in the board room of village hall, 2020 Chestnut Road.

  • Read the agenda here.
  • Watch the livestream of the meeting here. Use meeting ID 980 4907 6232, password 830183.
  • Highlights: The board will consider approving the revised zoning code that was developed over the past 18 months. The board will also consider an ordinance seeking alternative bids for the property at 2066 Ridge Road, purchased by the village last year. The village has received a proposal to redevelop the site as a five story mixed-use building. The board will recognize two police retirements, Officer Paul Neitzel and Sgt. Darren Easter. 

Flossmoor Public Library Board of Trustees will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, in the conference room at the library, 1000 Sterling Ave.

  • Read the agenda here.

Pursuing the Dream
Homewood-Flossmoor High School will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, in the Mall Auditorium, South Building, 999 Kedzie Ave. Pursuing the Dream is an annual tribute and showcase of H-F talent, with performances by the H-F Steppers, H-F Inspirational Voices and more. 

2023 Homewood-Flossmoor Juneteenth Royal Court applications open

Applications are now open for the opportunity to be crowned Mr. and Miss Homewood-Flossmoor Juneteenth. The deadline is Jan. 20. To learn more and apply visit www.hfjuneteenthfestival.com/royalcourt.

Send questions to [email protected].

Benefit for Homewood PTA
Panera at 820 175th St. in Homewood will share 20% of proceeds from 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 9, with Homewood PTA. Enter the promo code FUND4U at check out.

Angels winter basketball registration
Angels Athletics winter basketball for girls in first through eighth grades will start Jan. 15. Register by emailing [email protected].

THE YEAR >

We predict a great 2023 for local news if …
Prognostication is a dangerous, irresistible pastime. This time of year the national news is littered with people noting how the many predictions made over the past year failed to come true, sometimes spectacularly (the Red Wave election, the quick Russian conquest of Ukraine, inflation will be temporary and brief, for a few notorious examples).

At the same time, new predictions being made, most of which likely will succeed at about the same rate as last year’s.

We at the Chronicle, on the other hand, have always excelled at prognostication.

We predicted in 2014 that if the H-F community wanted a newspaper, a newspaper would succeed. Here we are, in 2023, five months away from our ninth anniversary of publishing local news.

We predicted in 2015 that if the H-F community wanted a print newspaper, a print newspaper would succeed. Here we are, in 2023, beginning our eighth full year of publishing a monthly print newspaper.

We predicted in 2021 that if the H-F community wanted its newspaper to flourish, people would support it financially by subscribing. In 2022, revenue from readers increased by more than 40%.

You’ve probably noticed the secret ingredient to our success. We include a dash of contingency in all our predictions. I don’t know why more pundits don’t. Conditions influence how things unfold, and conditions change. So we say if.

And now we will predict that if in 2023 the H-F community wants the Chronicle to write more stories, shoot more photos and video, answer more questions, delve more deeply into issues and cover the people and events that make up our corner of the world, even more people will subscribe this year.

We currently have a bit more than 260 subscribers. There are 10,000 households in our two villages. We’re not math whizzes, but it looks like there’s some room to grow.

We could use your help. Subscribe if you haven’t already. Invite those who don’t currently subscribe to join the Reporter Supporter Club (our informal name for everyone who pitches in). Or drop us a note with a message about why you support the Chronicle. We’ll pass the word along through our promotions, if that’s OK.

The more who join, the better your newspaper will get. If the community wants a great newspaper, we’ll make it so. Together.

< THE WEEK

Losses
Photojournalist Mary Compton died on Christmas Eve. She spent many years working for south suburban newspapers capturing the people and events of Southland life. Our tribute to her includes a gallery of selected photos from her work for the Chronicle.

Mike Galderio

Michael Galderioowner of Balagio Ristorante in Homewood, died on Dec. 29. He was known as a friendly, service-oriented businessman who knew many of his customers and had a loyal staff. He opened Balagio on Ridge Road in downtown Homewood in the late 1990s and moved the business to its current location at 175th and Dixie Highway in 2010.  

Irwin Center makeover
The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District’s Marie Irwin Community Center at 18120 Highland Ave. is getting an update. The building dates to 1986 and was in need of sprucing up. It’s losing old paneling and getting new colors on the walls along with new flooring and lighting.

A first floor hallway at the park district's Irwin Center has been updated. The wood paneling has been replaced with a shade of blue highlighted with white accent boxes. The carpeting has been replaced with flooring. (Marilyn Thomas/H-F Chronicle)
A first floor hallway at the park district’s Irwin Center has been updated. The wood paneling has been replaced with
a shade of blue highlighted with white accent boxes. The carpeting has been replaced with flooring.
(Marilyn Thomas/H-F Chronicle)

Homewood teen shows muscle in home run derby
Jhames Holley III got some attention at the World Power Showcase home run derby in Miami recently with his display of power at the plate. Holley also played in the 15U All American game and got on base twice.

Jhames Holley III

Happy birthday, Homewood Fire Department
Friday, Jan. 6, marked the 127th anniversary of the founding of the Homewood Fire Department.  The 75-page department history book, available online, was updated through 2022 by author and retired firefighter Jim Wright. The book initially was published in 1993 and was updated in 1996 and 2002.  Check out this comprehensive history of the department and the men and women who have lived up to their motto of “Dedication to Service” for the last 127 years.

Looking back at 2022
Speaking of history, the Chronicle has been providing a look back at 2022 through the galleries of page images from our monthly print editions. It’s a good way to retrace the year we just left behind as we launch into the year ahead. Don’t forget to check out the ads. Some of the special offers might be out of date, but you’ll get a sense for which businesses are supporting your local newspaper.

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