THE WEEK >
Meetings
Homewood School District 153 Board of Education will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, at the James Hart School media center, 18220 Morgan St.
- Find the agenda here.
- Highlights: The board will consider making the day of the primary election, March 19, an e-learning day because two schools serve as polling places. The board will also consider adopting the 2024-2025 school calendar.
Flossmoor Public Art Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, in the village hall conference room, 2800 Flossmoor Road.
- Find the agenda here.
Homewood Board of Trustees will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13, in village hall, 2020 Chestnut Road.
- Find the agenda here.
- Attend remotely here or dial 312-626-6799. ID 980 4907 6232, passcode 830183.
- Highlights: Trustees will consider
- Approving the appointment of Thomas Johnson as deputy police chief to fill the vacancy left by Robert Misner’s retirement.
- A letter of intent with Rabid Ground LLC to explore the possibility of purchasing and redeveloping property at 3003-3025 183rd Street, currently home to American Bagel Company.
- A letter of intent with Ultra Energy Group LLC to explore the possibility of purchasing and redeveloping the property at 2124 183rd St., formerly the Citgo station.
- A special use permit to allow the Honeycomb Hideout, an event space at 18205 Dixie Highway, to add fitness classes.
Flossmoor Public Library Board of Trustees will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the library, 1000 Sterling Ave.
- Find the agenda here.
- Highlight: The board will consider whether to close the library for up to three days for maintenance work.
Bloom Township Board of Trustees will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 425 S Halsted St., Chicago Heights.
- Find the agenda here when it is available.
Thornton Township Board of Trustees will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 333 E. 162nd St. in South Holland.
- Find the agenda here when it is available.
Flossmoor Plan Commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, in village hall, 2800 Flossmoor Road.
- Find the agenda here.
Stuff to do
Monday, Feb. 12
Abraham Lincoln: A New Birth of Freedom. The Flossmoor Public Library, 1000 Sterling Ave., will host Kevin Wood as Abraham Lincoln from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Helen Wilson Meeting Room. Wood’s portrayal will provide a first-hand account about the history of the country during his life, including his rise to the presidency and governing during the Civil War. Registration is not required for this program. Wood has been portraying Lincoln for more than 20 years.
Mo Willem’s Birthday Celebration. The Homewood Public Library Teen Leadership Council will host a birthday party from 6 to 6:30 p.m. for children’s book author Mo Willem at the library, 17917 Dixie Highway. Open to children from kindergarten through second grade. There will be a story time and a craft. Participants will be given a goodie bag to take home. Register here.
Tuesday, Feb. 13
Zumba with GiGi. The session from 10 to 10:45 a.m. will be at the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club, 2920 183rd St. in Homewood.
Wednesday, Feb. 14
The History of Homewood Dairy Queen. The Homewood Historical Society will host Diary Queen owner Kevin Welsh, who will tell the history of the village’s summertime favorite. The presentation will follow a brief business meeting at 6:45 p.m. in the meeting room of Homewood Public Library, 17917 Dixie Highway.
MWRD Virtual Tour. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District will hold a free live virtual tour of the area’s water infrastructure from 2 to 3:15 p.m. The tour will show how the Chicago River was reversed and how wastewater treatment technology was developed. It will include a look at the Deep Tunnel and the work of the electrofishing crew sampling fish on the Chicago River. Register here.
Friday, Feb. 16
Prince Charming Dance. H-F Park District will host a dance for moms, grandmothers and aunts with their “prince charming” dates from 6 to 8 p.m. in the H-F Sports Complex, 18211 S. Aberdeen St. in Homewood. Click here to register.
“Love is an Adventure” Celebration. A post-Valentine’s Day celebration for teens in 7th through 12th grades from 6 to 10 p.m. at Homewood Public Library, 17917 Dixie Highway, with games, a craft, food and a showing of the movie “The Princess Bride.” Register here.
Saturday, Feb. 17
Homewood Indoor Farmers Market. The monthly market will be open from 8 a.m. to noon in the Homewood auditorium, 2010 Chestnut Road.
Save the date
June 7 | H-F Pride event. Irwin Park, sponsored by the H-F Park District and the villages of Homewood and Flossmoor.
June 8 | Liv Well Fest. A celebration of health and wellness for all ages in Irwin Park from noon to 6 p.m. There will be TED-style talks and activities to help mind, body and spirit. There will be activities for kids and a vendor village with a wide range of information and products.
NEWS & NOTICES
Flossmoor police seek info on pedestrian fatality. The Flossmoor Police Department is investigating a fatal hit-and-run accident reported on Friday, Feb. 9, that occurred in the 19600 block of Governors Highway. Police request anyone who observed someone walking on Governors Highway on Thursday night, Feb. 8, into Friday morning, Feb. 9, to call 708-957-4500.
Black History Month. Flossmoor will be celebrating the achievements of residents who are African American business owners, finance professionals, entrepreneurs or influencers through “Roots to Success: Bridging Generations in Black Entrepreneurship,” a workshop to be held at Homewood-Flossmoor High School on Monday, Feb. 19. Anyone who would like to participate should click here.
Vote for the snow plow name. Nominations have been made for Homewood’s Name the Snowplow contest. Now it’s time to vote online. The deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 14. The winning name and contestant will be announced on Thursday, Feb. 15. The winner will be invited to officially name the plow at the Public Works Department at a later date.
Jonathan Kane Salon & Spa recognized. JKSS was recently recognized by Green Circle Salons with a carbon neutral certificate for offsetting 33 metric tons of carbon dioxide through recycling.
< THE WEEK
- Flossmoor police seek information on fatal hit-and-run (Feb. 11).
- GSU launches LatinX Resource Center (Feb. 10).
- Manufacturers push legislative agenda with focus on workforce, technology, clean energy (Feb. 10).
- H-F sees six sign to continue athletics in college (Feb. 10).
- Matteson woman dies Friday in possible hit and run on Governors Highway (Feb. 9)
- Flossmoor police investigate possible fatal accident Friday (Feb. 9).
- State treasurer, Rep. Davis return missing money to Homewood Fire Department (Feb. 8).
- Vernon Hills man dies from injuries at H-F High construction site (Feb. 8).
- H-F park board will reconsider Rover’s Run decision (Feb. 7).
- Construction worker hurt in accident Homewood-Flossmoor High School (Feb. 7).
- IPO welcomes pianist, composer as guests for Feb. 24 concert (Feb. 7).
- Former H-F speech coach honored by NFHS (Feb. 7).
- H-F girls basketball pulls away late in season finale (Feb. 6).
- D161 kindergarten registration opens Feb. 28 (Feb. 6).
- Sen. Joyce appointed to Manufacturing Caucus (Feb. 5).
- Two CPR sessions offered at fire stations (Feb. 5).
- Homewood man earns top enlisted rank in Ill. National Guard (Feb. 4).
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DEMOCRACY WATCH: ELECTION NEWS
Thornton Township mental health services referendum. On the March 19 primary ballot will be a question about establishing a “708 board” to govern mental health services in Thornton Township. “Shall Thornton Township levy an annual tax not to exceed 0.15% for purposes of providing community mental health facilities and services?”
Homewood residents east of Western Avenue and north of 183rd Street will be able to vote on the question and will be subject to the tax if it is approved. The ballot language states that the tax increase for a property with a market value “of $100,000 is estimated to be $21.93 semiannually,” or nearly $44 annually.
Thornton Township placed the question before voters in the April 2023 election, but 51.1% of voters said no and the referendum failed. Thirteen elected officials penned a letter opposing the measure last year, including three representing Homewood residents: Mayor Rich Hofeld, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller and state Sen. Napoleon Harris.
State Supreme Court. The Chicago Sun-Times posted a story Feb. 11 about the primary race for Illinois Supreme Court between incumbent Joy Cunningham, who was appointed to the seat in 2022 and is the second Black woman to serve on the state’s high court, and Jesse Reyes, an appellate judge who would be the first Latino justice if elected. The contest is one of those “final” primaries. There is no Republican challenger, so whichever candidate the voters choose in the March 19 Democratic primary effectively will be elected to serve.