Homewood Deputy Fire Chief Steve DeJong was called to the scene of the train derailment in Matteson last year in his role as one of the hazardous materials team leaders for Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) district 24. “Matteson responded as a department. They realized that they had a[Read More…]
Feature
Positive peer pressure: Adolescent Activists group works to educate teens about issues
Kelly Parker voted in her first presidential election at Willow Elementary School in Homewood, the very same elementary school she once attended. Parker called it a full circle moment. “My mom took me to vote. I was very excited. She was very excited,” said Parker, who said she was proud[Read More…]
Flossmoor’s 95th 4th of July Bike Parade features local historians
Eighty-five years after participating in his first Flossmoor Bike Parade, Al Wagner served as grand marshal in the annual parade on July 4. Wagner’s first parade came before his first birthday. He was born late in 1939 and participated in the 1940 bike parade. “I have a picture of my[Read More…]
Growing pains: You Matter 2 stays true to its mission despite funding challenges
No good deed goes unpunished — or so the saying goes. Area nonprofits are feeling the sting of those words as they find their funding being cut, frozen or eliminated altogether. You Matter 2, a nonprofit in Flossmoor that offers programming to empower and educate south suburban youth, is one[Read More…]
New Zion Ministries finds new home in Homewood, plans for growth
Each Sunday, the doors of the former St. Andrew Methodist Church open to welcome New Zion Ministries’ congregation. Jimmy Allen Thomas, New Zion Ministries’ founder and senior pastor, envisions that anyone who walks through the sanctuary’s doors will be met with the life-changing message of Christ. Thomas and his wife[Read More…]
Local Architecture: 2023 home tour inspires creation of local architecture organization
Note: This story is the second of two on local architecture.A homes tour in Flossmoor and Olympia Fields in 2023 was designed to promote the architectural gems in the village, but it ended up accomplishing something else — it was the spark for the creation of a community of mid-century[Read More…]
Local Architecture: Homewood architect John McPherson left his mark on South Suburbs design
Note: This story if the first of two about local architecture.Anyone who travels around Homewood, Flossmoor and Olympia Fields has almost certainly driven past buildings designed by John McPherson. But probably few people know that McPherson, based in Homewood, was an important mid-century modern architect. Art and architecture historian Alfred[Read More…]
You Matter 2 marks 10 years of empowering South Suburban youth
Destiny Watson, the CEO and founder of You Matter 2, began the organization when she was 16 years old with one call-to-action Tweet to engage her peers in community service. Ten years later, her dreams of creating social impact with her peers has grown into empowering hundreds of youth in[Read More…]
A hero’s salute for the uncle they never knew
A military historian’s deep dive into the details of what happened to a single plane lost in 1944 during the Allied invasion of Normandy instantly changed the significance of D-Day for Nancy Baran Voll and her husband, Gregory Voll, of Homewood. Growing up, Nancy and her brother, Bob Baran, heard[Read More…]
Salem Lutheran kids help build Girl in Lansing Little Free Pantry
By midmorning, Caty Fremouw, 8, was brushing lavender paint across a pantry panel while her older brother worked beside her. Around them, kids drilled, painted, and hauled supplies across the courtyard at Salem Lutheran Church. The plan was to finish the build, then enjoy refreshments and munchkins. On Saturday, May[Read More…]
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