I love Chicago Heights. Honestly, I didn't know if I would when I first moved here nearly three years ago. My wife was being hired at the Chicago Heights Public Library and she needed to live in the city to work there, so we were looking for apartments.  We drove from the north to the south side and found ourselves asking, "Is this the same town?" Weird. A real estate agent showed us a house for rent. We asked him if there was a lot of crime in the area. "I can't answer that," he said. Scary. Eventually, we settled on an apartment just south of Joe Orr Road and moved in. Not long after, I …

As I wash my face in the morning I can't help but to think about it: Water is an easy thing to take for granted. Whether it's the dishes, the laundry, a quick shower or a drink, the day-to-day survival of a household is often contingent upon good, clean running water.  This dispute between Chicago Heights and Hammond, IN could serve as a blaring reminder to us about the importance of the clear stuff. Obviously we're not in danger of losing running water in the Heights, but the price of it will likely be going up soon. Normally when the price of something increases, many of us consider cutting…

Let's talk about the Bloom Township High School football team. The Blazing Trojans made a valiant return to the IHSA playoffs this week after a 22-year absence.  Unfortunately, they took a heartbreaking 10-13 loss to Simeon on Friday at Gately Stadium in Chicago. Despite giving up a touchdown to the Wolverines after an early fumble, the Trojans used a field goal by Eufemio Fonseca III and a touchdown of their own to gain a 10-6 lead going into the fourth quarter. In the end, the Trojans couldn't hold on to their advantage. "We always say we are a team, and today we lost as a team," Coach Tony…

Last week, I paid a visit to Andrew Boyd, a man who has lived in Chicago Heights most of his life. During the visit, Boyd shared an amazing story about growing up in the Heights, becoming an entrepreneur and finally owning a building for his growing business.  Read the whole story about Andrew Boyd moving and upgrading his business. Boyd said something to me that I was unable to fit into the initial story, and I would like to share it here. He said one of the reasons he never took his business out of Chicago Heights involves a feeling of safety. "I feel safe here," Boyd said. "That’s why I’m …

I'm happy to report an old gas station on the corner of Ashland Avenue and Joe Orr Road is seeing some new activity this week. Several months ago we featured the vacant property at 525 Ashland Avenue on Patch and asked residents what should go in the empty storefront, which was once a Great American Bagel. Along with suggestions for restaurants and stores, many of the comments were about why the property was empty in the first place: that old gas station. "That eyesore of an empty gas station is pretty much telling businesses to stay away," said J.R. in the comments section of the article. "…

In the days before the Sister Cities Fall Festival began, many Heights residents were concerned about violence at the event. In fact, they were so concerned they made an immediate decision not to go. It's not difficult to figure out where this fear comes from. All it takes is one bad experience at one of these events to sour a person's perception of them. The bad experience could be direct but it is more likely heard about through a friend or the media. Regardless, one can't blame people for not wanting to take the chance. I took the chance, and not just as a reporter. I took my family to the…

Six videos. Six of your questions. Six of his answers.  Mayor David Gonzalez sat down with me near the beginning of August to answer a slew of questions. His responses were well-received in some instances and argument-provoking in others.  Take a look at our Minutes with the Mayor topics page for a second look at this series.  Here are the user-submitted questions we asked Gonzalez. What are all these charges on my water bill? Will the City of Chicago Heights crackdown on undocumented immigrants? What is being done to bring Metra's SouthEast Service to the Heights? Will the old gas station at…

Buying a house in Chicago Heights was an exciting experience for my wife and I. We've felt the pride of the title "homeowner." We've felt the pain of the dreaded second-year mortgage payment increase. And we've felt the relief of realizing we have neighbors we can brag about. But the 20-somethings in the Paicely household were not the only ones affected by the move from Broadway Avenue to Saratoga Farms. Our oldest son, Chris, will be transferring to a new school this year.  He's leaving Greenbriar School, where he spent two years getting to know the friends I heard about every day, like …

A week ago I asked Heights residents to post pressing questions for Mayor David Gonzalez in the comments section of a Patch article. This is part of an ongoing video series in which public officials can address the concerns of their constituents more broadly, using Patch as an avenue for communicating with the people that pay them. Read the comments section of the original article to see what questions Heights residents are asking. I'll be meeting with Mayor Gonzalez today to discuss how we will perform the interview and talk to him about some of the questions that have been posted already. …

If you've been to Chicago Heights Patch to read the news, you may have come across our Patch Places directory. It's basically a list we composed of local businesses that includes addresses, contact information, open hours and lots of other information we think our readers will find useful. We even went out and took pictures of several Chicago Heights, Olympia Fields and South Chicago Heights businesses. Now, let's say you own or operate one of those businesses. You can actually claim the listing for your business for free and do all kinds of cool stuff with it, including adding pictures and …

Summer is just about here, and it's time to break out the old tables and clean out our attics, basements and closets. It's garage sale time! If you're really looking to draw attention to your garage sale, your best bet is to use a community resource that lots of people in the Heights will see. Of course, you don't want to have to pay for this resource. It should be free. It should also be easy to use. Hmmm. Wait! Isn't this is exactly what Chicago Heights Patch is for? Take a look at our quick walk-through for how to post a garage sale to our site. 1. Log into Patch. In the upper right corner…

Our readers do a great job of weighing in on topics they are passionate about, stories that are important to them or anything that is just plain interesting.  Here's a look at what has been said this past week on our Facebook page (where it appears we got a few more 'Likes!') and here on Chicago Heights Patch. Chicago Heights Mayor Practices What He Preaches Mayor David Gonzalez followed the recently passed anti-nepotism policy even before it was official. He asked for the resignation of his daughter, a full-time city worker, within 30 days of election. Here's what some of our readers had to …

Every day is Valentine's Day at the SOUP Center This week of love kicked off with a community service story about the SOUP Center. The Rev. Walter Mosby has hugs for those waiting in line for food at his church, Greater Faith Baptist.  Readers commended the SOUP Center for their work and made suggestions about highlighting other benefits of the facility. Anaya Hughes said, "Awesome job Mr. Mosby! I know the work you and your ministry are doing are helping a lot of people in need! Blessings!" Winston Wolf commented, "Excellent! I like to see that aspect of your work [career services] …

The most romantic greeting card holiday of the year is here, and it can be tough to get out for a romantic night on a Tuesday. That's why I rounded up a few good ideas, and you don't even have to leave the Chicago Heights area. Good Food It sometimes seems like we have to travel all the way up to Chicago or over to Orland Park to find a restaurant that creates the proper environment for proclamations of love and like. Not true. There are a few places right here in the Heights area that are ideal for a romantic evening for two, and Chicago Heights Patch has them right here. Carlo's Restaurant…

Earlier this week, Chicago pop-rock band Workout Music posted a video on YouTube, supposedly pointing out things people from Chicago Heights never say. The video pokes fun at crime in the Heights, as well as the idea that it is a predominantly low-income city. There are even some jabs at the Chicago Heights Park District and the State of Illinois DMV. The video is attached to this article, but there is some profanity in it. Some examples of things people from Chicago Heights never say, according to the clip: "Is there a liquor store around here?" "I don't know any Italian people though." "I'…

Remember last year's pizza-themed Chowdown Showdown? It generated thousands of votes, particularly when Aurelio's in Homewood and Faso's in the Heights were neck-and-neck.  Well, this time the competition is on a much larger scale. The Patch Pizza Playoffs will be a tournament-style series, in which we pick the best pizza place in several Patch towns and pit them against each other in a battle for the hearts and taste buds of the entire South Suburbs. That's right. We'll be taking this thing across the whole region, baby! We're putting a question out, on here and Facebook: What restaurants in…

It's all well and good that Marian Catholic High School is located in Chicago Heights. By many standards it's a great school. But let's face it, Marian is in the Heights, but not necessarily of the Heights. It serves nearly towns and cities well beyond the South Suburbs, touting it self as having a student population travelling from more than 70 zipcodes. That's what makes this sizable group of scholars so special. They all made the second-quarter honor roll and they all live right here in Chicago Heights. In fact, the Heights had one of the largest groups of students on Marian's honor roll! …

It looks like the Blazing Trojans are good at staying three moves ahead of the competition. The Bloom Township Chess Team recently won the conference championship for the third time in the past decade, defeating Rich South High School in a fourth-round tie-breaker. Let's congratulate these brilliant students, and wish them luck as they head to the state tournament in February! Chess team members also won individual medals. Those medal winners are listed here: Jarred Stanton - 1st place: Board 1 Rolando Enriquez - 3rd place: Board 4 Hollyn Fisher - 1st place: Board 5 (Also took 1st place for …

A couple of weeks ago we got to see Bloom Trail High School students show off their culinary skills. This time art students from both District 206 schools have their visual art on display in a gallery. They have 14 pieces of artwork the public can view  at South Suburban College in South Holland. The display will be in the fourth floor galleries for almost a whole month, ending Friday, Feb. 24.  Bloom and Bloom Trail’s displays can be found in the Photo Four Gallery, according to District 206 staff. Students in this year’s show are: Clarissa Alexander Elizabeth Carruthers Christian Estrada …

Anyone who was eagerly awaiting one of those fabled Chicago winters should have a happy weekend. The snow is expected to accumulate up until next Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. While we brave the arctic tundra that is the Heights, we may as well document what we see and share it as a community. Take a photo of your newly blanketed front lawn. Get video of your family engaging in an intense snowball fight. Grab snap shots of your kids in their snowsuits. When you're done doing all that, post it to this article so we can share in this awesome/horrible experience. You can …