Cops Announce Robbery Suspect Nabbed, Crime Stats at April CAPS Meeting
Vernalynn De La Rosa speaks of her coalition's program to combat teen drinking while, from left, 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas, Chicago Police Department Community Organizer Holger DelCid, officer Oscar Escalante and Beat Facilitator Glenn Young look on.
At the April 11 meeting of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) meeting for Beat 912, representatives from the Chicago Police Department announced the apprehension of a primary suspect in the March 20 robbery of Humberto's Pizza on Pershing Road. According to third watch CAPS officer Oscar Escalante, the man is also a suspect in a string of robberies in other districts of the city, and police are narrowing down the hunt for the suspect's associates in the robbery.
CAPS officers also updated the community on neighborhood crime statistics at the meeting, and Vernalynn De La Rosa of the McKinley Park Underage Drinking & Other Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition presented on her group's activities and campaign against teen drinking for Alcohol Awareness Month.
Read more: Cops Announce Robbery Suspect Nabbed, Crime Stats at April CAPS Meeting
Omega Delta Baseball Gets Ready for Opening Day
T-ballers receive awards to conclude their 2017 season at Omega Delta's annual picnic in September 2017.
The popular Omega Delta Youth Baseball & Softball League is starting its 2018 season with a parade and full day of games and fun this Saturday, April 21. The parade begins at 11 a.m. at the Target store at 33rd Street and Damen Avenue, and then winds through the neighborhood to nearby Hoyne Park at West 34th Street and Hoyne Avenue for opening ceremonies, kids baseball games, food, a bounce house and speeches and support from local officials.
All community members are welcome to attend opening day, and neighbors are encouraged to step out and view the parade and cheer on the teams as they march to Hoyne Park. This is the fifteenth year of play for Omega Delta, which is comprised of youth players supported by an all-volunteer staff of coaches, assistants and administrators.
Baseball Season Start, Earth Day Planting and Community Meetings Lined Up for Neighborhood
Omega Delta Youth Baseball & Softball League gets their season off to celebratory start on Saturday, April 21, with their Omega Delta Baseball Opening Day festivities. This includes a parade through the neighborhood starting at 11 a.m at the Target store at 33rd Street and Damen Avenue and ending at Hoyne Park, where the league, neighbors and friends can enjoy a full day of baseball games and fun.
The McKinley Park Advisory Council is calling for all hands on deck for their Earth Day Planting on Sunday, April 22. Many volunteers are needed to help gets plants in the ground in McKinley Park's newly expanded natural area on the east end of the park.
Horizon Students Build Solar Panels to Power Play Garden
Horizon Science Academy students work to build photovoltaic panels for installation in local sites, including the McKinley Park Play Garden.
Students from the Horizon Science Academy have built and are installing solar power for the McKinley Park Play Garden and four other locations, part of the school's Green Power for Green Spaces program for high school juniors and seniors.
A joint program between the school and the El Paseo Community Garden in the Pilsen neighborhood, its goal is to both expose students to practical experience in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields and also connect students to community organizations, said Horizon Principal Cafer Cengiz.
"Their experience not only built on their knowledge of physics, but increased their awareness of community opportunities" and emboldens them to participate in the community, he said.
Read more: Horizon Students Build Solar Panels to Power Play Garden
McKinley Park Coalition Targets Springtime Teen Drinking
The McKinley Park Underage Drinking & Other Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (McK-UDOS) is reaching out to local youth with information on alcohol consumption as part of the coalition's campaign for Alcohol Awareness Month.
Although drinking may often be portrayed as a rite of passage for teens as they end the school year with events like prom, alcohol consumption takes a heavy hit on young brains that won't finish full development until a person reaches their mid-20s, according to research cited by the coalition.
Read more: McKinley Park Coalition Targets Springtime Teen Drinking
