Last year saw more than its share of highs and lows.
The year had barely started when tragedy struck when a man was killed in an apartment fire in Hickory Hills on Jan. 2. A second man was badly injured and several families were displaced by the fire in a three-story apartment building near the corner of 87th Street and 80th Court.
Tragedy struck Hickory Hills again in June when a 32-year-old man was charged with killing his 90-year-old grandfather on June 21. Police charged Dean J. Faulk with murder in the death of Dean L. Faulk.
Tragedy was averted in March when an off-duty Oak Lawn police officer was shot three times but survived while he was working security.
Palos Heights and Palos Park police busted a mail theft ring in February that had stolen hundreds of pieces of mail from area residents.
Area diners were saddened in October when Oak Lawn’s Petey’s Bungalow called it quits after 63 years. The restaurant’s Orland Park location had closed in January.
Parishioners at St. Bernadette Church in Evergreen Park celebrated the church’s final mass at the end of June.
Students at Northwestern College were thrown for a loss in July when the school closed without warning and its promises that students would be welcome at other institutions proved false.
A school psychologist at Ridgeland District 122 was forced to resign in March after Islamophobia social media comments from her were discovered and parents were outraged.
On the brighter side, 2024 saw an Orland Park native win the famous Fourth of July Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest on Coney Island.
A Palos Heights woman won $1 million from the Queen of Hearts raffle to benefit Park Lawn., which took home the other $1 million.
Petey’s Bungalow might have closed but the Worth Restaurant celebrated its 75th anniversary and is going strong.
The Palos Lions Club also celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2024.
Here are some of the other highlights from 2024:
Cicadas
Last year marked the long-awaited return of the 17-year cicadas, whose screeching was hit or miss across much of the southwest suburbs. Some towns were heavily drowned out by the little red-eyed buggers, while others heard nary a peep.
On the cicada front, there were also some sightings of rare blue-eyed cicadas.
Madigan trial
Former House Speaker Michael Madigan and his longtime associate, Mike McClain, went on trial, which is set to continue next week. The former speaker, who left office under growing pressure related to the investigation in early 2021, and McClain each face 23 counts of racketeering, bribery, extortion and wire fraud.
Riot Fest
The Riot Fest music festival announced in June it was set to move from Chicago to Bridgeview’s SeatGeek Stadium later in the year. But by August the fest had reversed course and returned to its longtime home in the city.
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky women’s basketball team announced in August they were going to build a $38 million practice facility in Bedford Park.
Mayhem
A 16-year-old junior at Argo High School and the father of another student were senselessly gunned down in early November.
Jaydin Bahena and Jose Rosales, 34, were both shot and killed on Nov. 1 in Summit.
Two men – Nicacio Munoz, 34, and Mariano Martinez, 31 – were arrested for the murders and are being held at Cook County Jail.
In May, a Bridgeview man heading to work was allegedly shot to death by the young lover of his live-in girlfriend.
Arturo Cantu, 39, was leaving his apartment in the 7300 block of 79th St. when he was allegedly shot by Anthony Calderon, 20, who was having an affair with Cantu’s girlfriend, Agnieska Rydzewski, 33.
Both are being detained at Cook County Jail.
In February, Morales Ricardo Lopez, 36, was allegedly gunned down by Sisto Brito after a fight in the parking lot of a tavern in McCook.
Garfield Ridge residents were shocked when one man was killed and two others injured after a shooting in November at the former Halina’s Pub at 7023 W. Archer. Ald. Marty Quinn called for the tavern’s permanent closure and an increased police presence in Garfield Ridge.
Chicago police were not immune to the violence and two officers from the Southwest Side were killed last year. Enrique Martinez, of West Lawn, was killed November 4 during a traffic stop. A 23-year-old man has been charged in the shooting death. In April, Luis Huesca, an off-duty, uniformed officer, was shot and killed in Gage Park while on his way home from work.
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