Wanikka Vance spent a part of her childhood in Chicago Heights learning to add and subtract at District 170's Jefferson School. As an adult, Vance returned to Jefferson, and for the past eight years has taught young people as impressionable as she once was. But serving as a kindergarten teacher in a financially strained public school district isn’t enough for Vance, who sees an inherent problem with the system. “I see when kids come in, they don’t have the necessary skills,” Vance said. “A lot of times in the public school system kids have a good teacher, then they have a bad teacher, so they…

Chicago Heights’ newest park commissioner is attacking several major projects in his ward, and he's not even old enough to have a beer when he's done. Twenty-year-old Fernando Desiderio can call himself the youngest Heights resident holding an elected position. He was appointed as second ward commissioner in August of 2011 and soon after matched words with actions by starting a non-profit after-school program at Jirtle Park. Desiderio, a Marine who came off active duty last year, founded the Second Ward Alliance for Community Advancement in October 2011. Since then, he and a team of his peers…

When we talked to Michelle Rodriguez last year, she had just released her first novel, and was excited to talk about the growing fanbase for her Phantom of the Opera fan fiction. Now the 30-year-old mother of two has released book No. 2 online–soon to be in print as well–and has plenty more projects in the works. Michelle's first book, Opera Macabre, was a dark love story involving vampires and Gothic themes (not to be confused with the teen-friendly Twilight series). Her newest work, The Devil's Galley, revolves around angels and demons, kicking off a series of individual tales woven …

As snow fell in Chicago Heights on Saturday, thoughts of Afghanistan were far from the mind of Lance Cpl. Christopher Mann of Chicago Heights. He was home, for now.  With sirens blaring, two Chicago Heights fire trucks, one carrying Mann, were escorted by Chicago Heights, Olympia Fields and Park Forest police to the American Legion Post No. 1198 along Western Avenue.  Waiting for Mann were friends, family, veterans and even strangers willing to hold flags in the cold to welcome a hometown hero. As Mann jumped off the fire truck, he was greeted with applause and hugs. A party was waiting …

Back in the 1930s the four Irons brothers had the east side of Chicago Heights all sewn up. At the Irons Tavern, when there was a murder, Officer Irons would investigate, the Rev. Irons would say the home-going service and the mortician Irons would bury the victim. All was taken care of.   The son of that police officer, Louis Melvin Irons, has a story of his own. One he only started telling six years ago. He broke records as an athlete, had his heart broken in Tuskegee, AL and even met a notorious mobster as a child. But it all starts in Chicago Heights, during the World War II era. Irons …

Check out the second half of Louis Melvin Irons story to find out what he did after his disappointment at Tuskegee.  

If you ask five-year Chicago Heights Police Officer Ben Nguyen about his gold medal, he passes it off, giving credit to a detective solving a crime or a firefighter saving someone at Glenwood apartments. Nonetheless, Aug. 26 through Sept. 5 in New York City, Nguyen was the star of the Heights, showing off the athletic prowess that has made him good at his day job. Nguyen had his highs and lows in track, but it always kept calling him back. "I always liked competing and winning," Nguyen said, "I ran track in high school and college. In my senior year of high school, I went down to state, I was…

Michelle Rodriguez spends plenty of time singing, wearing masks and thinking about vampires.  She also keeps up with her 2-year-old daughter, Cordelia, and 5-year-old son Noah, who is autistic. Michelle, formerly a teacher at Homewood Flossmoor High School is now a stay-at-home mom while her husband Jose works as an assistant principal at Curie High School in Chicago. Born and raised in Chicago Heights, the talented mom consistently lives a life of fantasy, mystery and chaos.  The Marian Catholic and St. Kieran alum is an opera singer at St. Xavier University and has written more than 20 …

Seeing various artwork spread across a desk at Prairie Manor in Chicago Heights, one can't help but notice the smooth brush strokes of a floral arrangement painting. Is it 'Comparison to Sunflowers' by Vincent Van Gogh or 'Roses' by Pierre Renoir? Neither. It's Tessie Baffes from Chicago Heights. This local artist has a talent many would envy, but there is something different about Tessie. She has Alzheimer's and has forgotten many details of her life. The one aspect that is unchanging is her love for the arts. As she shows these works of beauty, one could imagine them hanging on the walls of…

He is on the board of five non-profit organizations. He was one of the first African Americans to work at R.R. Donnelley Corporation. He is Ronald E. Daly, of Olympia Fields, and he is a HistoryMaker. Fellow Olympia Fields resident Barbara A. McKinzie also is a HistoryMaker. She is the 27th International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and she joined Daly to bring a message to the freshman class at Rich Central High School, as part of Back to School With the HistoryMakers. HistoryMakers was incorporated in July of 1999 by public historian Julieanna Richardson. The national non-…

Updated Sept. 15, 2011: Cynthia Thompson has been chosen as Huffington Post's "Greatest Person of the Day" because of her amazing accomplishments and the positive impact she has had on her community. She is featured here and can also be found on the Huffington Post's Impact page. Sickle-like Asian Kama blades swing in smooth motions behind a Chicago Heights home, cutting through the hot summer humidity of a Friday afternoon. Cynthia Thompson is a 15-year science teacher. She's also a former Illinois beauty queen and a Coors Light girl, not to mention an outspoken Heights resident, who voices …

Growing up on Hungry Hill in Chicago Heights in the '90s, Jesus “Gabriel” Cadena saw frequent gang battles in his neighborhood. And he watched a teen cousin die in a freak accident. But nothing prepared him for what he'd experience in the streets of Iraq. The day a bullet jammed in a terrorist gun aimed at his head is one he will never forget. But that isn't where Cadena's story begins. “I joined the military in 2002," Cadena said. "I watched TV when the towers came down, I thought to myself, 'I needed to do something.' I felt I needed to join the Army and do something for my country, so I …

One week from today, Chief Tom Martello will be saying goodbye to the Chicago Heights Fire Department. Martello, who has been involved in firefighting since 1973, said he is ready to retire, and has been for a while now. "I’ve been planning this for some time now," Martello said. "It seems like you never find the most opportune time. We had just returned from vacation and I had a long talk with my wife, I said, ‘I just keep putting this thing off.’" A History in the Field The chief has been helping put out fires and keeping people safe for nearly four decades. Oddly enough, Martello initially…

He doesn’t cut his hair. His 6-foot-8, 310-pound frame could be the biblical likeness of Samson.    Marian Catholic High School graduate and Chicago Heights resident Dennis Kelly jokes, "Some people have told me, 'Don’t cut your hair, you’ll lose everything.' ”  Kelly plays offensive tackle for the Purdue Boilermakers and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2009. Now a senior, he is preparing for his last hurrah in the collegiate ranks. He carries the same passion for football into fall camp that he had when he was in fourth grade at St. Kieran School.  “I remember when I was talking to a …

You never know what to expect when you ring the doorbell of the food pantry at Together We Cope, a social service agency in Tinley Park. Sometimes you'll see reindeer ears, sometimes long black hair with a witch hat and sometimes no costume at all. That's the kind of entertainment William "Bill" Dillon provides as he welcomes visitors. Dillon was the co-recipient of the 2011 Ted Reimer Volunteer award at the agency. "I try to make things lively around here," Dillon said. "If I can make the people smile, I'll do it. Around the holidays, I always try and do something like wearing rabbit ears …

Chief Michael Camilli has served in the Chicago Heights Police Department for 35 years. He began as a patrol officer, then special division, narcotics officer, detective, supervisor, watch commander and finally became the chief after Mayor Alex Lopez appointed him.  "I've had some memorable moments," Camilli said of his long career, but helping protect the President of the United States ranks high on his list. "I did security for President Ronald Reagan when he visited," Camilli explained. "He came to Bloom High School. I was a young detective at the time. The Secret Service called upon the …

During the Great Depression, there was not a lot of money for entertainment. So the parents of Joanne Beckmann bought a piano for $50 and encouraged there two daughters to begin playing.  Since then, Joanne has given her talents to a church choir, kids and a group of singing ladies called the Chansonettes, all right here in Chicago Heights.  "I began playing in sixth grade," Beckmann begins. "Then I studied organ in college and continued to study up here until my teacher passed away."  Beckmann, a resident of Chicago Heights for 50 years, has a paid position as an organist at First …

In its heyday, Chicago Heights was the envy of other towns in the South Suburbs. Shoppers came from miles around to buy items from Montgomery Ward,  Marshall Field, Kline’s and others. Thousands of men worked at steel plants located on the east side of Chicago Heights. Things have changed. Churches that once stood proud have been reduced to a pile of rubble, replaced with grass. Acres of stores along Halsted are now vacant. Children of immigrants have left for greener pastures. One lifelong Chicago Heights resident has seen it all, but still has a glimmer of hope. He is former Chicago Heights…

The performance bug bit Charlie Misovye at an early age. At five years old he performed for his kindergarten graduation. That was back in the 1960s. After that, a mothers club at St. Michael's Parish, along South Shore Drive, invited him to perform. “I lip synced before anyone even knew what it was," Misovye said. "It started way back when both of my older sisters went to dance class. I tagged along. When I saw them dance, I wanted to do that. All of a sudden I was taking classes." The classes were only the beginning. Misovye soon began seeing the intangible rewards for his work. "When I was …

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” —Matthew 7:24-25 To have a good church, there must be a solid foundation of people. Mary Jane Hicks is a strong part of the foundation of Chicago Miracle Temple Church in Chicago Heights. When called upon, Hicks has volunteered in almost every area of her church—from Sunday School teacher to prayer warrior to caretaker for …