THE WEEK >
Flossmoor Board of Trustees will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 1, in village hall, 2800 Flossmoor Road.
- Find the agenda here.
- Comment on items on the agenda by email to [email protected]. Emailed comments will be shared with board.
- Attend virtually here. ID 861 1508 7092, passcode 60422. Join by phone 312-626-6799.
- Highlights: The board will consider adding a class A liquor license for Poppin Corks Bistro, a proposed restaurant in Flossmoor Commons. Board members elected April 4 will be sworn in. The board will consider changing the time permits are required in commuter lots to encourage youth baseball families to use the lots when street parking near the ball fields is full.
Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Board of Commissioners will hold a committee meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, in Goldberg Administration Center, 3301 Flossmoor Road.
- The agenda will be posted here.
Homewood-Flossmoor School District 233 Board of Education will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, in the library of the South Building, 999 Kedzie Ave.
- Find the agenda here.
- Highlight: Board members elected April 4 with take the oath of office and new officers will be elected.
EComm changes emergency alert systems
Residents of Homewood, Flossmoor, Country Club Hills, East Hazel Crest, Glenwood, Hazel Crest, Riverdale, South Holland and Thornton will need to register with Rave Mobile Safety Emergency Alerting to continue receiving local emergency alerts. The move is effective May 1. Ecomm has been sending email and text notices to subscribers for several weeks with instructions about how to switch registration.
Cinco de Mayo in Homewood
The village is partnering with local businesses to offer an opportunity to celebrate Mexican culture on Friday, May 5. Swag bags with tickets and wristbands for food and drink specials will be available for $25. Participants will be able to take a swing at a piñata on Martin Square at 7 p.m. Ticket sales will close on May 4 or when 100 tickets have been sold.
Park Pride on Saturday
Volunteers for Park Pride will work from 8:30 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, to help prepare Homewood and Flossmoor parks for the summer season. Captains are needed for each park and can register with Jennah Carlson at [email protected].
< THE WEEK
Fatal crash involved wrong-way driver
Homewood police released more details about what happened when three vehicles collided on Halsted Street April 18. One person died and one was injured in the crash blamed on a wrong-way driver.
Homewood man killed in industrial incident
Dru Worker, 25, of Homewood was pronounced dead at the work site after an explosion April 25 at Seneca Petroleum in Lemont. Worker was a wrestling coach at Andrew High School.
Bergstein’s Deli coming to Homewood
Bergstein’s NY Deli announced it will move from its Chicago Heights location on Dixie Highway to the former Homewood Florist location on Martin Avenue in Homewood. The Davis family started the business in 2008 and has Homewood ties.
District 233 board seeks cost-cutting measures for science wing
With construction cost estimates rising, the Homewood-Flossmoor School District 233 Board of Education Finance Committee is seeking ways to trim the $20 million project to stay closer to budget.
GSU union, administration ratify agreement
After a weeklong strike, University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100 members voted overwhelmingly Wednesday approving an agreement with Governors State University. The GSU board approved the pact on Friday.
West Loop Juice WRLD mural destroyed
Axios Chicago and Block Club reported last week that West Loop murals of the late rap superstar Juice WRLD, formerly of Homewood, and Chicago house music founder Frankie Nuckles were painted over recently, but neither news source had discovered who was responsible for the destruction of the murals.
Juice WRLD’s mother, Carmela Wallace, and partners Brian Wallace and Robert Lauderdale are building a craft brewery and restaurant on the site of the former Bogarts Charhouse in Homewood. She told the Sun-Times late last year that the establishment would include a mural of her son.
Friday is Juneteenth participation deadline
The deadline is Friday, May 5, for registering to be a vendor, volunteer or parade participant in the 2023 H-F Juneteenth celebration organized by You Matter 2. The festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on June 17, at Homewood-Flossmoor High School’s South Building parking lot. The parade will start at 9 a.m. on June 19 at Western Avenue School and end at Parker Junior High.
Bloom Township office undergoing renovation
Bloom Township officials announced recently that the office at 425 S. Halsted St. in Chicago Heights will be renovated, and effective April 1 business is being conducted at 712 Halsted St.
Hours remain the same, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 708-754-9400.
ENVIRONMENT: NO MOW MAY
Earth Month ended Sunday. Like Black History Month, it’s good to have a designated time to regularly bring focus to environmental issues, but it’s important not to see the designation as the limit of our attention. Environmental health issues are with us every day and always.
Fortunately, we have another designation that helps keep the focus going. No Mow May.
There seem to be more articles each year discussing the liabilities of traditional grass lawns and the advantages of alternatives that include native plant species, especially those that help pollinators thrive and contribute to soil health.
Homewood and Flossmoor each devote resources to keeping our suburban forest healthy. I covered Flossmoor’s community tree planting event on Saturday, and about 50 volunteers helped plant more than 40 trees in village parkways, helping keep the tree population flourishing and diversifying.
Tyler Thompson of Bent Oak Landscaping helped plant several trees in the Ballantrae subdivision. He pointed out that the soil there is mostly clay, tough to dig and tough on trees. The bluegrass lawns have shallow root systems that do little to enrich the soil. Other grasses with deeper root systems can help break down clay into loam.
Changing from traditional grass lawns to approaches that help rather than hurt the environment does not mean simply stop mowing and let the jungle have its way. That approach will soon invite a stern letter from a village inspector and might not be all that beneficial.
Even no mow approaches require some intention and some work.
The Washington Post published a story on April 22 that offers suggestions for good alternatives.
Axios Chicago provided information Sunday about grass alternatives.
I wonder if our villages could start programs aimed at helping residents kick the water-slurping, labor-intensive bluegrass lawn habit in favor of pollinator and soil friendly alternatives?
(Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)