Norridge Harwood-Heights News

Baseball important to Vlchek’s way of life

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:38:35 -0500

Vince Vlchek, of Harwood Heights, has been managing youth baseball since 1967, back when Mickey Mantle was still swinging for the New York Yankees and before metal bats were introduced. He estimates that he has managed more than 900 Little League games, though he stopped adding milestone patches to his baseball jacket after the 600th game patch. He has been coaching the Orioles team since 1973 — originally for the Harwood Heights Little League, but now for the combined Norridge Harwood Heights Little League which plays in the fields outside the Norridge Park District from April through June. Though he’s …

Top fundraising class reaps its reward

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:22:47 -0500

The James Giles Elementary School auditorium was filled with excitement and clamor on the afternoon of April 30, as students waited to see their principal, Kerry Leiby, get hit with whipped cream pies. The assembly was a celebration of the funds raised last February, when the Norridge school held a contest of which class could sell the most pies for Market Day, a grocery program that raises funds for schools and other organizations. Eileen Hoban’s second-grade students sold the most pies. In order for the whole class to celebrate, each student got their own chance at throwing a pie at …

Coffee House gives students chance on stage

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:23:04 -0500

Jessie Roman isn’t as demure as her classmates thought. The junior at Ridgewood High School in Norridge came out of her shell on May 2, when she recited “An Ode to Dwarf Planet 134340,” a poem dedicated to Pluto by slam poet Big Poppa E, at the annual variety show Coffee House. About 220 students gave her rousing applause for her energetic and humorous performance. “I’m actually the quiet girl at school because I’m new here,” Roman said, adding she transferred from Guerin Prep High School in River Grove. Roman chose the poem because she felt scientists unfairly took away …

Norridge man killed

Wed, 09 May 2012 14:08:30 -0500

A northwest suburban man died Tuesday morning after crashing a vehicle into his own house. Patrick Goduto, 60, of the 4300 block of North Ozanam Avenue, was pronounced dead at 6:13 a.m. at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge after crashing a vehicle into his own house, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. Norridge police were not immediately available for comment Wednesday morning. — Sun-Times Media …

Program helps soldiers keep in contact

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:48:49 -0500

It’s said that there are some phone calls a parent hopes to never get. And then there are those for which moms, dads, spouses and children anxiously wait. When service men and women are separated from family members by thousands of miles, a call, an email or a letter from a loved one can be their lifeline. Keeping such communication channels open and affordable, however, sometimes proves difficult despite living in an age of widespread digital distribution. Four years ago Norridge began doing its part to ensure deployed and returning troops have cost-free methods to communicate while serving in the …

Winzeler shifts into different gear for show

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:22:55 -0500

Mechanical gears and art don’t often show up in the same thought. Unless you’re John Winzeler, president of Winzeler Gear in Harwood Heights. The company, which makes gears for the auto industry, hosted a show featuring gear-inspired headwear designed by students at the School of the Art Institute.

Police blotter for May 7

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:23:21 -0500

The following incidents were listed among the official reports of the Norridge and Harwood Heights police departments. Readers are reminded that an arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt. Only a court of law can make that determination. Norridge POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY Logan Craig Jr., 45, of 1814 W. Eddy, Chicago, was charged with two counts of possession of stolen property on April 26. A police report states that on April 24, two victims on the 4800 block of North Sunrise Lane noticed two rings missing from a drawer in their residence and went to a nearby pawnshop …