I was born in Elgin, 10 minutes before my twin brother, Tim. He has since made up for his tardiness in height, towering over me today by about 1 and 1/2 feet. He and I are tied for the youngest in the family—though I like to consider myself a middle child—and have two older brothers. I grew up on one of the last standing farms in what is now the well-developed area of Prairie View. For those who do not know the town, it is a northwest suburb of Chicago sandwiched in the middle of Long Grove, Buffalo Grove and Lincolnshire. I moved to Minnesota to attend Winona State University, which is situated right on the Mississippi River. During my time there, I left for six months to study abroad in Granada, Spain, where I traveled throughout the provinces and even ran with the bulls in Pamplona. I returned to Illinois in June 2007 after graduating with a B.A. in Mass Communications: Journalism and Spanish. I wrote for The Daily Chronicle in DeKalb until June 2010. There, I covered education for about two years, crime for nearly one and during my home stretch, delved into issues centered on the governments of DeKalb County and the City of Sycamore.
Southland residents reacted Thursday—some positively, some negatively—to President Obama's public support for gay marriage. What do you think?
This week's Readers' Choice contest takes us to the breakfast table.
Local police recently arrested a Tinley Park resident who they said was the intended recipient of a box of marijuana being shipped by the postal service.
Water conservation efforts in Tinley Park kick off May 15. See what that means for you.
Benches now on display along Oak Park Avenue are "singing praises" to famous music and musicians.
Widening the south end of Oak Park Avenue is part of Tinley Park's approved Legacy Plan. Committeemen said they supported the move this past week and plan to apply for government funding to help pay for the project.
Officials want to further restrict street parking during this summer's Cruise Nights, which kick off June 5.
Tinley Park officials recently increased the fines for those who don't comply with a local ordinance that regulates the height of residences' lawns. See how many have been fined.
Looking for a local job? Patch wants to help.
Police arrested a man last week who they said was caught cleaning out the cosmetics aisle in a local grocery store. Then, he reportedly made a run for it.
Tinley Park police reports, May 4-5.
The Tinley Park Bulldogs community was mourning the loss Monday afternoon of one of its own—a teenager who played on a traveling team in the organization.
Criminal trespassing, a purse snatcher at Portillo's and two marijuana arrest are also included in the latest police reports. They stem from May 4-6.
Representatives from the Illinois Department of Agriculture will be flying planes over Tinley in June to curb the rising gypsy moth population. But the planes will not be spreading a chemical treatment. Instead, they'll be using a more interesting method.
There are warrants out for the arrest of 68 accused criminals in Tinley Park.
With "no-cost credits," available at your local Devry University campus, what do you have to lose? Registration is open now but it won't be forever.
We've plotted for you the local vehicle break-ins that have been reported between March 15 and April 28.
Also in today's blotter, a son steals his mother's television and a man is charged with burglary to a motor vehicle. Reports stem from April 11, April 29 and May 1-2.
Kathy Passafiume wants to connect drug addicts with those who can help. James Garner wants a traveling youth baseball team that got scammed to have a season.
Now that Plass Appliance and Furniture has moved from a storefront on 171st Street, we're left asking ourselves, "What should go here?" So take a moment to tell us what your hopes are for the vacant space.
