Category Archives: Waveland

Twenty-two years. Seven hundred home runs.

Albert Pujols achieved a level of greatness only three other players in the history of the game have matched when he hit No. 700 on Friday night -- his second homer of the evening at Dodger Stadium. He joins Barry Bonds, Henry Aaron and Babe Ruth as the only players in the exclusive 700-home run club.

As the St. Louis Cardinals slugger made his march for history, ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Buster Olney and Alden Gonzalez asked current and former teammates, opposing pitchers and other greats in the game to describe their favorite moments and what it has been like playing with, pitching to and simply witnessing an all-time great home run hitter during Pujols' two decades in the majors.

Mike Trout: 'This is for 600. This is gonna be sick right here'

"The grand slam, when he hit 600. Just the situation. I mean, it was a big spot in the game, and everyone was thinking the same thing. 'This is for 600. This is gonna be sick right here.' And then he hit it. He loves the moment. And that's the thing -- people kept asking me, 'Hey, do you think he's going to get it [700]?' For sure. The way Albert prepares himself -- he doesn't change his approach, doesn't try to hit a homer. He's just trying to put a good swing on the ball. That's big."

Manny Machado: Game 3 of the 2011 World Series? 'You could even throw the rosin bag and he was probably going to hit it out'

"That was just incredible. I mean, he was not missing. You could throw him whatever and he was going to hit it. You could even throw the rosin bag and he was probably going to hit it out. Just that sweet swing. Even all his homers, going back -- his first home run. I just admire that swing, how smooth it is, how long it stays in the path. It's impressive."

Tony La Russa: 'That gave us life'

"In 2006, we had a big lead and everyone got hurt, so it came down to September and we were struggling to get into the playoffs. San Diego came into town and it was a Wednesday night, we had lost the first two games of the series, down a run in the eighth inning, the Padres brought in a real good sinkerball pitcher [Cla Meredith], and he hit a three-run homer and won the game. That gave us life.

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"His true claim to fame is he is a high-average hitter who has extra-base power. He plays the scoreboard. With a runner on second, he's trying to hit a line-drive single and then he may get all of it for a two-run homer. He'll go foul line to foul line and he hits all different pitches. When he gets that underspin with his swing, he gets that carry."

Paul Goldschmidt: 'If you wrote it up perfectly, this is what you would write'

"There's been three or four home runs I've been absolutely amazed at. The [Drew] Smyly one at his eyes was impressive. The one in Pittsburgh. That one passed A-Rod (on the all-time home runs list) and was a game winner. There was another game winner when it was 0-0 and he homered. And then the ones against the Padres. A two-homer game ... kind of like storybook. That's what I'll remember. If you wrote it up perfectly, this is what you would write: Albert with the game on the line -- and he actually comes through. Amazing."

Nolan Arenado: 'He doesn't think about hitting home runs'

"I'm probably going to say something people don't like, but he doesn't think about hitting home runs. That's what he tells me, and I believe him. With the way he swings, the way he works, talking to him, he says he never thinks about it. And he's not going to change what's worked for him. It's about getting on top of the baseball, backspinning the baseball, and wherever it goes, it goes. He talks the talk and walks the walk with saying those things. And I really believe him."

Mark McGwire: It's all in the hands

"I'm a true believer in the bottom hands being the key to swinging the bat. You watch Albert. He never lets go of that bottom hand until he has to run. To me, that's the driving force in his swing and why he's one of the best ever."

Chris Carpenter: The Machine calls his own shots

"There were multiple times he would go up there for his first at-bat and come back and tell us he was going to hit a homer the next time up. I couldn't tell you how many times that happened and he would do it. It happened a lot because he understood after one time how they were going to attack him. He was amazing to watch play."

Matt Holliday: And he's earned the right to admire his home runs

"When you hit 700 home runs, you know when it's going out and when it's not. The guy that bothers me is the guy who [has three career home runs] and it hits the wall and he gets a single. That guy needs to run. But when you hit 700, you know what it feels like. If anyone can give advice on when a ball is going to go over the wall or not, he's right at the top of the list."

Mike Matheny: 'He walked up ... like his family wasn't going to eat unless he made a pitcher pay'

"You run out of ways to describe how unique, different and special he is. He's relentless. I've never seen a hitter who would not, could not give away an at-bat. It didn't matter if he had four [hits] that night, he walked up to that fifth one like his family wasn't going to eat unless he made a pitcher pay. The intensity he was able to maintain from Day 1 of spring training until he got sent home at the end ... the consistency sticks out."

Jim Edmonds: 'If Albert doesn't get hurt, we're talking 800 or 850'

"If Albert doesn't get hurt and plays three-quarters in Anaheim of how he played here, we're talking about 800 or 850 [home runs]. When he first got back here, your brain is telling you what everyone is telling you: 'You can't hit righties anymore and you're swinging for the fences.' Well, he's turned back into a pure hitter.

Here are some of our favorite stories on the legendary slugger as his career comes to an end.

Pujols joins 700-HR club

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"He won't back down. I've seen him take a knuckleball out to right field and I've seen him take a 102 mph fastball out to left field. This guy is just relentless about his approach at the plate. He took Kyle Farnsworth deep in 2004 on 100 mph and I'm sitting on deck thinking, 'Wow.'"

"What's been interesting is watching him grow this year: from leg kick to overswinging to chasing pitches to turning back into a hitter. When he did that, he started hitting home runs ... He's got another year in him, for sure. I know he's not going to play, but he could."

Brad Lidge: 'I made a mistake -- and it wasn't super surprising that he didn't make a mistake'

Lidge broke into the big leagues the year after Pujols, and initially, he had some success against the Cardinals slugger. But somewhere around his second or third year in Lidge's career, teammate Roy Oswalt mentioned that there had been an evolution in the challenge of pitching to Pujols -- the holes that you could attack as a pitcher were no longer available.

"All of a sudden, it started to feel like he knew what you were going to throw before you did," Lidge recalled. "You felt like you had to be perfect ... He had so much plate coverage, whether you're throwing a 97 mph fastball or a slider down and away, you had to be perfect."

Lidge says that this is the part of Pujols that is often not fully comprehended. He was strong, had great hands, great eyes -- but he also could anticipate what the pitcher was going to try to do against him with a high degree of success. "If there was one thing I know from facing him, it's that he's going to win the chess match far more than he should," said Lidge. And if the pitcher was able to execute a big-breaking pitch, Lidge said, Pujols was adept at fouling the ball off to continue the at-bat. Or, if the pitcher was doing something with his glove or his hands to tip off the identity of the next pitch, "he'd be the first guy to see it," said Lidge.

Check out all our latest coverage and favorite stories from the slugger's historic season.

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The Astros bore in on the National League title in 2005, leading Game 5 of the NL Championship Series, and Lidge, the Houston closer, was called on to finish off the Cardinals. With two outs and two on, Lidge spun a good slider and Pujols chased it.

"I tried to come back with [the slider]," Lidge recalled. "I made a mistake" -- the ball was down in the strike zone, but over the heart of the plate -- "and it wasn't super surprising that he didn't make a mistake." Pujols rocketed a three-run homer over the train tracks in left field in Houston, the ball loudly crashing against the protective glass.

Lidge bumped into Pujols from time to time after that home run, saying hello at All-Star Games, without talking about the home run. What he feels about Pujols now is that he was a hitter "hard-wired" for greatness, physically and mentally.

Greg Maddux: 'He hit it over frickin' Waveland Avenue'

"The first time I faced him, I threw him a changeup that he missed by 2 or 3 feet. And I'm going, 'Wow, OK, maybe we got something here.' Next time up, I threw the exact same changeup and he hit it over frickin' Waveland Avenue. And I went, 'Oh s---, maybe they have something here. This guy is pretty good.'

"If you walked him or gave up a single, you won the AB. He covered the middle of the plate as well as anyone. My game plan with him was to give up a single or less."

Glendon Rusch: 'He was the best slugger I faced'

"He was the best slugger I faced that could do the most damage in the most different ways. He could hit a homer off any pitch -- a mistake in or off-speed out over the plate the other way, he could do it all. When I was facing him, he was in his prime-prime. He's the guy that you had to be careful of unless you had a big lead or were down by a bunch because he would take you deep at any time. He was a threat if you made a mistake and if you didn't make a mistake."

Ryan Dempster: 'There is no ... more of an expert on how to give up home runs to Albert Pujols than me'

"There is no one out here that's more of an expert on how to give up home runs to Albert Pujols than me.

"People have talent, people work hard, people are prepared. He coincided with all three probably better than anyone I ever watched or faced. Always diligent about his cage work, his BP, everything. So when the game started, he was like playing a video game with a cheat code. He knew what pitch was coming. If a pitcher fell into patterns, he would take advantage of it. He never gave at-bats away. It could be 10-0 in the ninth and he would give you the same AB as if it were tied. He could hit any pitch out that wasn't executed, and he could hit the pitches that were executed.

"This has been a perfect storm. They put him in a position to have success against all these lefties, then he goes to the HR Derby and gets locked in. And now he's feeling really good, so when he faces righties, it's just carrying over."

Mike Hampton: 'I should be thankful ... that he didn't go deep'

The Cardinals' Opening Day lineup in 2001 was stacked with big names such as Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds, sluggers who most concerned Mike Hampton. He didn't know anything about the guy plugged into the sixth spot in the lineup that day, a rookie left fielder named Albert Pujols, who was set to play in his first game.

Hampton recalls that there really wasn't a lot of information available on Pujols, so the left-handed Hampton figured he'd pitch Pujols the same way he had pitched other right-handed batters. "Sink it away, cut it in," said Hampton, whose start that day was his first with the Rockies after signing a $121 million deal. He shut out the Cardinals for 8 scoreless innings. "It went down pretty quickly after that," Hampton joked of his short, rough tenure with Colorado.

One of the five hits that Hampton scattered was a seventh-inning single to Pujols, the first of Pujols' career. "I should be thankful that it was a single through the 6-hole," he said, "and that he didn't go deep."

Alex Rodriguez: 'It was like he was a mad scientist'

Albert Pujols inhabited the NL Central in the first half of his career, and it was because of that history that Alex Rodriguez called Pujols about a pitcher from that division. Rodriguez figured that Pujols would have some observations about the pitcher, about his repertoire. "Usually, that kind of conversation will go on for five minutes," Rodriguez. "Forty-five minutes -- it went on for 45 minutes. He's telling me about the movement of his curveball, his sinker, his passion coming out of the phone. He gave me the greatest scouting report I've ever had.

Breaking down the next generation of stars to reach baseball's most iconic offensive milestones when sluggers Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols retire.

Future milestone watch

"If the count is 0-0, he'll throw you a curveball," Pujols told Rodriguez. "If he gets ahead in the count, he'll throw two fastballs inside -- but because he wants to get to his changeup."

Rodriguez thinks back on that conversation now and says, "It was like he was a mad scientist. He was walking me through at-bats with very specific information on what the guy was going to do.

After the game, in which he recalls hitting a double off the pitcher -- "The accuracy of the scouting report was incredible," Rodriguez remembered -- Pujols texted Rodriguez immediately. "He wanted to know everything about how it went, what he threw to me, the counts, everything ... It's not only about what the pitcher throws, but he wants to be a chess player, too."

Dale Scott: 'He was there to do a job'

There were days when Albert Pujols would pause briefly, as he ran or off the field in between innings, and compliment longtime umpire Dale Scott on his work calling balls and strikes in the previous game. "It might be a situation where he catches your eye and says, 'Good job,'" said Scott. "But it didn't happen every time." Yes, there were days when Pujols wouldn't stop, wouldn't say anything, leaving Scott to wonder if he had struggled with his strike zone.

This was all in keeping with Pujols' intensity, says Scott, who shared fields with Pujols over the past 17 seasons of the umpire's career. He was gregarious, Scott said, offered a smile and a greeting when he stepped to the plate, "but he was there to do a job." Pujols didn't complain out loud about ball-or-strike calls, but if he had an issue with the home plate umpire, he would be passive aggressive -- maybe a quick grimace, maybe a step back out of the batter's box. "If the bench saw it, then they would react to it, or the fans," said Scott. "He reminded me of Cal Ripken. He was serious ... The aura around him was that he was there to work."

Joey Votto: 'I'll never be at that level. I'll never be that guy'

Votto has a crystal-clear memory of the moment when he recognized the preeminence of Pujols, an at-bat that distinguished him from other hitters -- including Votto. "It stands out to me in how it represents how skilled he was, and is," Votto said.

The Reds first baseman was in his second full season in the big leagues and Cincinnati was hosting St. Louis. The Reds had a 3-0 lead, and Dusty Baker summoned longtime reliever David Weathers from the bullpen.

"Nothing rattled Weathers," Votto recalled. "He had two-pitch command, a running fastball [inside to right-handed hitters]. He knew how to manage big situations. You knew there was either going to be a ball in play or a strikeout."

As Votto watched Pujols launch the ball toward left-center field, a monstrous grand slam in a pivotal situation, he remembered thinking: That's a really good swing -- a really good swing on a pitch that looked to be in a good spot.

When he watched the at-bat again on video to see if his initial reaction was correct, Votto saw Weathers attempt to work off the outside edge of the plate, with a backdoor sinker -- the ball starting out of the strike zone, zipping toward the left-handed hitter's batter's box, before veering back toward the plate. It was a good pitch by Weathers, a good spot, because right-handed hitters had to be cognizant of how his sinker would cut inside. But somehow Pujols had the acumen, the balance and the swing to get to the pitch -- and blast it into the seats well beyond left-center field.

"I already viewed him at such a high level," said Votto. "But after watching it, I realized: I'll never be at that level. I'll never be that guy."

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Albert Pujols joins 700-HR club - The best stories from those who played with and against him - ESPN

St. Lucie County - Tuesday September 27, 2022: St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners government offices, libraries and attractions will be closed on Wednesday, Sept. 28 as Hurricane Ian is expected to impact our area with tropical force storm winds and heavy rains.

Additionally, all St. Lucie Public Schools and district offices will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 28 and Thursday, Sept. 29.

The St. Lucie County Tax Collectors Office will be following the lead of the St. Lucie County School District in closing all three office locations on Wednesday, Sept. 28 and Thursday, Sept. 29. Following the storm, the Tax Collector will be offering extended hours on Friday, Sept. 30, opening one hour early at 8 a.m. and remaining open until 6 p.m. The St. Lucie County Clerk & Comptrollers Office, will also be closed Wednesday, Sept. 28 and Thursday, Sept. 29.

The Sheriffs Office, the Property Appraiser, the Supervisor of Elections and the 19th Judicial Court will be closed on Wednesday, Sept. 28. A decision Thursdays hours of operation for the Board of County Commissioners and other agencies will be made on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

The St. Lucie County Landfill and Waste Pro will continue to operate normal business hours until the weather conditions become unsafe for trucks to be on the road.

St. Lucie Countys public transportation system, ART (Area Regional Transit), bus service will also continue to operate as long as the weather allows. Riders are encouraged to monitor the schedule using the RouteShout application, available on the Apple Store and Google Play sites.

Indian River State College will be closed to employees, students, and visitors at starting at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept, 27. All classes (including online classes) and campus events are canceled. The college will remain closed on Wednesday, Sept. 28. IRSC continues to monitor Hurricane Ian and will assess conditions to determine when it is safe to reopen.

Hurricane Ian is projected to make landfall on Floridas Gulf Coast near Tampa Bay Wednesday, Sept. 28 or Thursday, Sept. 29 as a Category 3 storm. St. Lucie County declared a Local State of Emergency at 9 a.m. on Sept. 27. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency for all 67 counties on Saturday, Sept. 24. Based on the projected path of Hurricane Ian there are no plans to issue evacuations or open shelters in St. Lucie County at this time.

St. Lucie County Emergency Operations Center is operating at a Level 2 (partial) activation. If residents have questions or concerns, they can call the St. Lucie County Public Information Lines at 772-460-4357 or 772-460-HELP, which are open beginning today from noon to 7 p.m. and the rest of the week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (These hours are subject to change depending on the storms path).

Even if the Treasure Coast stays out of the direct path of Hurricane Ian, St. Lucie Countys 21 miles of coastline will see impacts from this storm, including heavy surf, rips currents and escarpments/erosion. Residents and tourists are reminded to use caution when visiting our beaches before and after the storm passes Florida. Always swim at lifeguarded beaches: Pepper Park and Waveland.

St. Lucie County reminds all contractors to make preparations at their job sites for the potential impacts of Hurricane Ian. While St. Lucie County is not in the direct path of the storm, our area may still experience heavy rain and strong winds. All debris, trash, equipment and construction materials should be removed from construction sites until the storm passes. Residents with construction site concerns should report construction sites to Code Compliance. Please note that new state laws make it so that Code Complaints are no longer anonymous and your report will be part of the public record. https://www.stlucieco.gov/departments-and-services/planning-and-development-services/code-compliance/report-a-code-violation.

The potential for heavy rains and flash flooding will be in effect for the next several days. Residents can report flooding by emailing details, including street addresses and images, to flooding@stlucieco.org. If there is emergency, life-threatening flooding, please call 911. Residents are reminded to avoid driving and/or walking down flooded streets.

St. Lucie County has additional storm-related information available at http://www.readystlucie.org.

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St. Lucie County Government Offices Closed on Wednesday - WQCS

The most punishing of hurricanes bring deaths and catastrophic destruction, lifting roofs off homes, toppling trees, snapping power lines and causing billions in damage.

Category 5 storms are the most dangerous, defined by sustained winds of 157 miles an hour or more.According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, they leave a high percentage of framed homes destroyed, residential areas isolated by fallen trees and power poles and power outages that last for weeks at least. Most of the areas that are hit are uninhabitable for weeks or months.

The wind scale does not take into account storm surges, flooding or tornadoes, all of which also can be deadly.

Before Hurricane Ian, which made landfall as a 150-mph Category 4 system, four Category 5 hurricanes have made landfall in the United States since the early 1900s. Here they are:

Blocks of homes in Mexico Beach, Florida, lie in rubble in Oct. 17, 2018, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. The storm hit on October 10 along the Florida Panhandle, causing massive damage and claiming the lives of more than a dozen people.

Hurricane Michael made landfall inthe Florida Panhandle, causing 16 direct deaths and 43 indirect deaths.

The day's top national and international news.

With top wind speeds of 162 miles per hour and maximum sustained winds of161 miles per hour, it caused damage from wind and storm surges, especially from Panama City Beach to Mexico Beachto Cape San Blas.

Hurricane Michael left $25 billion in damage, destroying 3,374 homes.

The storm remained at hurricane strength into southwest Georgia.

Homes ripped apart by Hurricane Andrew seen in Dade City, Florida, Sept. 1, 1992.

Hurricane Andrew struck in the early morning hours of Aug. 24, 1992, hitting with devastating force in southern Florida. The storm had a top wind speed of 174 miles per hour. It killed 15 people directly and another 28 indirectly, according to the National Weather Service. All but three of the deaths were in what was then called Dade County, now Miami-Dade County.

The storm caused about $26 billion damage, a record until Hurricane Katrina 13 years later. Most of the damage occurred in the southern part of Dade County. Some 49,000 homes were destroyed and another 108,000 were damaged.The hardest hit community was Homestead, wheremore than 99% of mobile homes or 1,167 out of 1,176 were demolished.

The shrimper "Wade Klein" is thrown against a house facing the beach in Biloxi, Mississippi, Aug. 18, 1969, shortly after Hurricane Camille tore through the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Camille struck along the Mississippi Gulf Coast near Waveland late on Aug. 17, 1969.

According to the National Weather Service, Camille ranks as the second most intense hurricaneto strike the continental United States in terms of atmospheric pressure and wind speed. It was weaker than the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and slightly stronger than Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Michael.

The hurricane destroyed all of the wind-recording instruments in the area, according to the National Weather Service, so the actual maximum sustained winds are not known. Peak winds were about 175 miles per hour, according to later analysis of data.

It caused about $11.3 billion in damage, in adjusted costs. The value is based on the 2022 Consumer Price Index adjusted cost.

A hotel in Matecumbe Key, Florida, is reduced to rubble as seen in this Sept. 7, 1935 photo after an unnamed category 5 hurricane swept through the Florida Keys during Labor Day. All along the Keys are scenes like this, bearing grim evidence of the fury that snuffed out 300 lives.

The Labor Day hurricane hit the Florida Keys on Sept. 2, 1935, causing at least 485 deaths.

Itcrossed the Florida Keys between Key West and Miami, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of about 185 miles an hour.

Those included about 260 World War I veterans who were working on the Overseas Highway in a federal relief project. They were from the Bonus Army, soldiers who camped out at the steps of the U.S. Capitol in the early 1930s to demand compensation promised by the federal government, according to the Library of Congress. They were dispersed by U.S. Army troops under the command of General Douglas MacArthur in 1932.

A rescue train failed to reach them and Ernest Hemingway wrote an essay, "Who Murdered the Vets?" that was published days after the hurricane.

It likely caused more than $6 million in property loss in Florida as it cut a path of destruction 40 miles wide across the Keys. Most manmade structures were demolished.

After the storm, additional monitoring stations were set up in southern Florida and disaster preparedness was improved along the coast.

Edward "Roaddawg" Manley, a volunteer and honorary firefighter with the Point Breeze Volunteer Fire Department, places a star on top of a Christmas tree Dec. 25, 2012, in the Breezy Point neighborhood of New York City. Residents are still struggling to recover from a massive fire that destroyed over 100 homes during Superstorm Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy struck near Atlantic City, N.J. on Oct. 29, 2012. In New York City, it left 44 people dead and destroyed about 300 homes. In the end, it did about $81.9 billion in damage in adjusted dollars. Despite the destruction it caused, it made U.S. landfall as a Category 3 storm.

A military truck drives down a flooded Canal St., Aug. 31, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hundreds are feared dead and thousands were left homeless in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida by Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina, which hit Louisiana and Mississippi, was one of the deadliest hurricanes to strike the United States.

It was responsible for 1,833 deaths and about $108 billion in damage. New Orleans was especially hard hit when levees separating New Orleans from Lake Pontchartrain broke. At one point, 80% of New Orleans was underwater.

But although deadly and destructive, it was a Category 3 hurricane when it made U.S. landfall.

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Catastrophic Damage': Category 5 Hurricanes That Have Made Landfall in the US - NBC4 Washington

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX18)The last Karl Shannon Waveland Car Show occurred in Lexington on Sunday at the Waveland Historic Museum as friends and family said goodbye to the radio personality.

Shannon passed unexpectedly in June, just days before one of his favorite car shows.

Friends and organizers tell LEX18 that Shannon loved classic cars.

About 5 years ago, he started his own show, paying for the event out of his own pocket. Proceeds from the car show benefited "Friends of Waveland."

Before his death, Shannon was already planning for this year to be the last car show he hosted, so family members decided to honor him by moving forward with this year's car show.

Shannon was known for making his shows a big to-do, but due to time constraints, organizers had to cut some of the things he would have included in the event.

"We know he's looking upon us right now, the sun's out," said friend Terry Malin. "It started raining and he must have said something and the rain stopped. He's just a great guy and he's missed."

Originally posted here:

Karl Shannon remembered at Waveland car show - LEX 18 News - Lexington, KY

Taylor Passantino

Waveland residents used their home security cameras to help police solve a pair of thefts this week.

Chief Mike Prendergast said Taylor Ryan Passantino, 33, has been charged in both burglaries investigated by his officers.

Passantino was charged with burglary and possession of burglary tools.

On Tuesday, a homeowner on Nicholson Avenue said he saw on his security cameras that a man had entered his storage area and took several items.

The description led police to question Passantino, who admitted to taking the items from the home on Nicholson. The stolen items were recovered from a nearby residence.

The following day, Waveland Police received a call from a resident on Sarahs Lane about a bicycle being stolen.

From the description of the bicycle, police determined it was the same bike that Passantino was riding he was arrested. He was charged with a second count of burglary.

The rest is here:

Waveland residents use security cameras to help police solve theft cases - WXXV News 25

CHICAGO Police on the North Side are trying to determine if the same crew is responsible for several armed robberies over the last few days.

Separate incidents in North Center and Lakeview, which occurred in less than 30 minutes, saw the victims approached by a group of offenders who demanded their belongings before taking off.

Police said they learned of the first incident just before 10:50 p.m. Monday. A 23-year-old male and a 21-year-old male were walking in the 1600 block of W. Waveland when a dark-colored sedan driving eastbound approached them.

Three male offenders exited the vehicle displaying firearms and demanded the victims personal property.

The victims complied and the offenders got back into the vehicle and fled northbound through the alley. Police reported no injuries.

Less than two miles away, around 11:20 p.m., in the 3100 block of N. Damen, a 35-year-old told police that two to three unknown male offenders approached him and demanded his belongings.

According to police, one of the offenders struck the victim in the head with a firearm and took his possessions.

The uptick in armed robberies has left North Side residents Ezequiel Collazo and Samantha Matos concerned for their safety.

Right now, it just gives me the chills because I live down the block, Collazo said. Its not too often that you hear that it happens here in Lakeview, but its starting to happen more frequently than usual.

Its pretty scary knowing that that happened here, Matos said. To have to walk through the neighborhood and having to look over my shoulder constantly, thats a scary thing.

The incidents come after a similar attack happened over the weekend in the citys Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods.

On Monday, WGN News spoke with a couple who was robbed at gunpoint Saturday evening in the 1700 block of N. Winchester around 11 p.m.

Surveillance video shows a white sedan stopping in the middle of the street and three men rushing the victims and demanding they turn over their personals.

The couple did not wish to be identified but told WGN News they were ambushed.

All the doors open up and you immediately see people with guns, she said. One kind of rushed us up the middle, the other two flanked us. We tried to get away. They caught us in the middle of the street, emptied our pockets and were gone in 30 seconds.

Police told the couple another attempted robbery had happened nearby on Armitage and Wolcott. Still, police have no suspects in custody.

Tuesday evening, police issued a community alert for four more similar robberies that all occurred on Saturday:

The search continues and police ask anyone with information to contact the authorities.

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Similar armed robberies on North Side, where group ambushes victims, reported to CPD - WGN TV Chicago

On Monday around lunchtime, a Facebook post circulated among musicians and vinyl collectors noting the arrival of a new record shop in the basement of the Arlington Hotel Resort Hotel & Spa, a hulk of a structure in downtown Hot Springs that opened its arms in 1875 to the upper crust who came for the towns healing thermal spring waters and libertine charms Babe Ruth and Al Capone among them. The hotels basement is a sort of precursor to the shopping mall, with a handful of ventures (Mamoos Creamery, for one) doing business among the vestiges of the bathhouse districts heyday vintage mosaic tile, an antique barbershop swivel chair.

The newest of those underground storefront enterprises is the Downtown Record & CD Emporium, a 4-day-old vinyl record shop owned by vinyl lifer Tom Coleman. Buy, sell, trade, or just come in and look around. 78s, 45s, cassettes, CDs. The shop will do a soft opening this month and a grand opening on Friday, Sept. 2, in conjunction with Hot Springs monthly First Friday Gallery Walk.

Coleman is not new to the line of work; Downtown Record is his fifth record shop since he started selling vinyl in 1981. I actually thought I was out of the business, Coleman told me, but it kept dragging me back. Hes been hooked on vinyl for decades now. He bought his first record as a kid for $4.98 at Roses Drug Store in Lubbock, Texas The Beatles 1964 release Something New. Hes a devotee to the analog medium, and listens to music at home on a McIntosh tube amp system.

His first shop Play It Again Records in Chattanooga, Tennessee was more like a High Fidelity store, he said. We were a bunch of music snobs and anybody who was listening to Madonna or anything like that at the time, we were totally against. These days, though, Coleman seems anything but narrow-minded about music. Before I and Arkansas Times photographer Brian Chilson left the building, the three of us, plus Colemans partner Beau Baize, had covered territory that ranged from The Clash to The Church to the glories of Paul Cauthen to Colemans studies of the Ars nova, a medieval treatise that rocked the music world in 14th-century France.

Nor is Coleman stranger to the vinyl shops elsewhere in the area. Hes a big fan of Bill Eginton and the Arkansas Record & CD Exchange, and spoke highly about Control Records and Been Around. Little Rock is blessed, he said. Ive been in large cities that didnt have that many good record stores.

Over the years, Coleman ran record and vinyl memorabilia shops in Knoxville and Laguna Beach, California. When Katrina hit, his mother was living in Waveland, Mississippi ground zero for the hurricanes devastation. She watched as her home and belongings washed away into the sea, and when Coleman broached the subject of where she might relocate, she said she thought Hot Springs might be nice. Hed intended to get her settled and move elsewhere, but when she got ill, he decided to stick around.

Coleman bought CDs For Less, a music shop on Hot Springs Albert Pike Road, eventually upended around 2010 when Popeyes Chicken bought the land. And Coleman went back to being a collector again. Until about a month and a half ago, that is, when the owners of Benton-based record shop Retro Rose put their Arlington storefront then a small-scale record shop called The Loud Library on the market, and Coleman grabbed it up.

The shelves in the front room of Downtown Record & CD Exchange are full a small country music shelf, loads of Rolling Stones and 70s rock and a section labeled Vapors, inspired by Hot Springs famous nightclub. By the time the grand opening rolls around in September, the back room will be stocked, too. And whats there is a fraction of of Colemans and Baizes collection, the upper echelon of which leans toward rare Rolling Stones records, white label promos for The Kinks records, and sought-after stuff from The Dickies, New Order, Joy Division. Some of Colemans collection came from his connections to the creators of Hits Magazine, one of whom decided to liquidate a choice vinyl collection during the CD era and gave Coleman first dibs. It was like walking into Tuts tomb, he said. Still, he said, he really doesnt collect anything for the sake of rarity, or by bands hes not a fan of. Im more inclined toward the things that just make me happy, he said.

All told, I left there with some Odetta, T-Rex, a copy of The Andrews Sisters greatest hits (signed by Maxene!) and a saucy-looking cabaret comedy collection from Downtown Records Sleazy Listening shelf, recorded by an English actress named Elsa Lanchester, who sang songs like If You Peek in My Gazebo, Please Sell No More Drink to My Father and Lolas Saucepan. I never even saw the CDs and cassettes he had on hand, but theyll be the first thing I look at when I get back underneath the Arlington.

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Buried Treasure: There's a new record shop in the basement of the Arlington - Arkansas Times

IRVING WOODS For decades, the halls of Canty Elementary School twinkled with sparkly animal prints and glittery paper stars made by students in Alexandria Lialios classroom.

The Far Northwest Side school at 3740 N. Panama Ave. was Lialios second home for 38 years, where she taught first grade, Greek and specialized in early childhood development. The teacher died unexpectedly in February from lung cancer, her family said. She was 61.

In early June, on the last day of school before summer vacation, an honorary street designation for Lialios was posted across from the school at North Paris Avenue between West Waveland Avenue and West Grace Street. All of the students and staff joined in to celebrate the teacher and share memories.

Honorary Alexandria Lialios Way remembers the teacher and mother who impacted the school community and touched generations of students, said Canty Principal Jennifer Rath.

She was one of the longest-standing teachers here at the school, said Rath, who has been principal since 2019. One of the things that I learned initially was I have a teacher in the building who had [Lialios] as a first-grade teacher.

Lialios, a first-generation Greek American, grew up on the Northwest Side and lived in Arlington Heights. She devoted her life to teaching and always put others before herself, said her brother, Chris Lialios. She joined Cantys staff in 1984.

She loved teaching. She loved being around children, Chris Lialios said. She started teaching at a very young age, whether it was at our church, parish or Sunday school. She was fluent in both English and Greek, so she loved [teaching] that, as well.

Known for her polished look, Lialios always wore patterned animal outfits and was decked out with sequined jewelry, dresses and high heels. She was always dressed for work, and her makeup was perfect Rath only saw her in tennis shoes once, she said.

In Lialios decades at Canty, she created traditions at the school that will continue, Rath said. During the winter holidays, Lialios and her students would make large, white paper glittery star ornaments to wear while singing Do You Hear What I Hear? for the winter concert she organized.

Lialios also loved reading Corduroy, a classic 1968childrens bookwritten and illustrated byDon Freeman, to all of her students, and she tried her best to make sure no student fell behind, Rath said.

She understood the value of a neighborhood school that it should be the heart of a community, she said. That she dedicated her entire teaching to Canty really says a lot about her.

When Lialios wasnt in the classroom, she enjoyed spending time with her two children and caring for her elaborate flower garden, her family said. Neighbors would stop to admire the plants and shed often talk with them about her favorite flowers, relatives said.

Lialios was at Canty in late January when she didnt feel well and fainted, said her son, Demetri Verros. She was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.

Verros said Lialios told the family her news, and her instinct was to comfort everyone else, he said.

When we got the diagnosis, we were all sitting there crying and she was looking at me trying to make me smile, Verros said. She had just received the worst news of her life probably and she was trying to comfort me.

Lialios died three weeks later, Verros said. It all happened so fast that Lialios never got a chance to say goodbye to her school community. With remote teaching because of the pandemic, there were students she never saw again and families with whom she lost touch.

With the honorary street designation, its almost as if she came back for a final adieu, her family said. Canty families came out in droves for her wake and the street dedication, and they reached out to the Lialios family to remind them of her impact on their lives, Chris Lialios said.

She never really got to say goodbye to all of the people she touched here so the street sign, I think, is her way and a blessing of saying, I love you guys. I was not able to say goodbye, but dont forget me,' he said.

That makes the street designation even more important, Chris Lialios said. The family is grateful to Ald. Nick Sposato (38th), who pushed the designation through City Council to make it in time before the school year ended.

Although Sposato never met the first-grade teacher, he said it was important to honor her.

She was loved by many. It was a very a nice thing for the family, said Sposato, who attended the unveiling ceremony.

After Lialios death, Canty created a committee to determine other ways to remember the teacher, Rath said. The committee, along with the family, has raised almost $10,000 in Lialios honor. The money will be used to build two benches near the schools playground that will be installed in September, the principal said.

The school also hosted a Ms. Lialios Spirit Day after she died, where all of the students and teachers dressed in sparkly animal prints and some received cheetah keychains as gifts.

Inside the school, a copy of the street sign hangs below Lialios picture, framed with sequins to match her style, the principal and the Lialios family said. The school also gifted the family with a sequined and framed photo.

The brown street signs, which border the back of the school on both sides of North Paris Avenue, can remind people of how deeply an educator can influence a community, Rath said.

Sometimes people dont think about the power of a first-grade teacher, she said. How wonderful that we have a street named after a teacher.

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Far Northwest Side Teacher Alexandria Lialios Remembered With Honorary Street Title - Block Club Chicago

Waveland police officers took a break from catching bad guys this weekend to go fishing with kids at Buccaneer State Park.

A pole and bait was all it took for the officers to come together to create lasting memories with children and their families on Saturday morning.

Fishing with the Fuzz hosted 62 kids who got a free fishing pole for a fishing experience along with lunch.

Officers and lieutenants helped and watched as kids reeled in fish off their poles. Everyone got a free t-shirt regardless if they caught anything or not. Lt. Chad Dorn said, When they all started showing up this morning it really. Its a real thing. and just seeing the kids smile. They are already catching fish. They are having a good time. Its a joy to see that happening. Meeting and greeting with them while they are out there fishing and stuff. Kinda the same thing while were doing our meal and stuff. We will get to know the kids and they will get to know us.

The Waveland Police Department plans to host more kids for this event next year.

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Waveland Police host inaugural Fishing with the Fuzz event - WXXV News 25

Chicago is a city that comes even more alive during the hot summer months; if that is even possible to believe. June starts with PRIDE FEST, a tribute to our LGBTQIA+ friends & family.

This year June 18 and 19 Pride Fest returned. On Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. till 10 p.m. along Waveland Avenue, Grace Street, Halsted Street, and Bradley Place festival-goers will be treated to live music, local artists, food, drag shows, and a pet parade. There is a suggested donation of $15 that will help offset the cost of the festival and the workers to attend this neighborhood festival. The sense of community and togetherness is alive and well in this amazing neighborhood. In 2019, 14 rainbow paved intersections were installed and it has been given the distinction of being the longest public Pride installation of its kind in the entire world.

Here is a list you might like to check out between or after your summer classes or even prior to the beginning of the Fall semester. Whatever you choose to do during the summer in the city, have fun and enjoy all the city has to offer.

August:

8/6 7 North Halsted Market Days

8/27 28 Pilsen Fest

8/27 28 Bucktown Art Fest

Believe it or not the above listed are just a few events you can check out during the summer months. There are tons of other events as well as events in local surrounding areas. Be sure to check out http://www.timeoutchicago.com, http://www.wttw.com, and local ads on Instagram, Facebook or neighborhood news outlets for more information on events happening all around the town.

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Summer In Chicago NEIU Independent - The Independent