Un-neighborliness spreading throughout the suburbs

Usually it's all happy talk and ignored politics in the news in most suburban communities like Orland Park. But lately, the news has been filled with a lot of violence and un-neighborly misconduct.

Sunday, some kids got their hands on some guns and shot at each other near a park near the Village Hall. One kid died and another is recovery from wounds. The police arrested three kids, and ethnicity and race are issues, sadly. African American. Hispanic. Arab American. It also involved apartment complexes and crowded tenants. And, of course, according to the reports, the confrontation involved drugs.

Drugs and Guns are the real issue here. It happens in every race and culture. But, I guess I don't understand how kids can throw away their lives so easily. Police sound like they plan to seek the death penalty in the murder.

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In another case, two neighbors got into a scuffle over something one of their wives did. Yes, one man told the other neighbor that he was upset because he threw a beach ball into their backyard pool. And the other man then threw the complainer into the lake behind their home, "damaging" his glasses and soaking his cell phones.

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Water's not good for cell phones, I know that much!

How can two people who live next to a beautiful pond find the time to fight with each other over such trivial issues, especially when they have ducks and geese wandering all over dropping their "droppings" all over, too?

Duck and Geese droppings look like they belong to Doberman Pinchers or something. I'm not saying redirect the anger and kill the ducks or the geese. Chances are the fines are worse. but don't we have other things to talk about as "neighbors" than to be so uncivil to each other?

I know a neighbor who had their pool slashed -- no doubt by another neighbor. neighbors in the suburbs are not being so neighborly at all these days.

I didn't realize that neighbors in the suburbs knew each other enough to be angry at each other. Don't you at least have to know someone's last name before you throw them in a pond behind your house or damage their property? People in the suburbs moved to the suburbs to "not know" their neighbors. Suburbanites don't want to be bothered. So why would you then take the extra-ordinary step of committing some physical contact with your neighbor, like throwing them in a pool.

Parents walk their kids to school in the morning these days out of fear. About 30 percent of the fear is that some stranger will grab their kids. But the remaining 70 percent of the fear is that a neighbor will be unneighborly and do something worse to their kids.

Gotta protect your kids, family and property from suburban neighbors, I guess. While tip-toeing around the duck and geese poop.

-- Ray Hanania
www.TheMediaOasis.com

Kite kaboodle brings out the children in all of us

I took Aaron, my 8-year-old son, to the Kite Kaboodle Sunday at the Orland Park Village Center near the civic center. They had the Kite Kaboodle, where kids can make their own kites and then fly them.

Not everyone knows how to make a kite.

But everyone did have fun. Fortunately for Aaron, I managed to put the kite together (without my glasses) and it flew. And wow did it fly. We've been out several times in the Springs past trying to fly a kite -- a box kite, a store bought kite -- but they rarely got much height.

I blamed it on the lack of real wind.

But there wans't much wind out Sunday and Aaron's kite shot up straight to the heavens all the way to the last inch of string.

I was surprised there weren't more kids and parents there. Orland Park has some great family fun events, this one co-sponsored by the SportsPlex. What a blast.

We saw Heather Warthen of the Orland Park Prairie out there taking pictures. I don't think Heather ever sleeps, she's everywhere. And, there was a writer and photographer for the SouthtownStar covering the Kite Kaboodle, too.

Orland is getting a lot of media attention these days. While all of the suburban communities are experiencing drops in retail sales and store closing, Orland is managing to survive very well and the newspapers and media know it. They have a great advertising base out here.

But watching my son hold the last of the string as the kite he made fluttered high above in what little wind was there, smiling, was real satisfaction. It's nice to see kids have fun.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

Tinley Park Community Halloween tops the region

Tinley Park saw a flood of Orland Park residents attend their annual Halloween for the kids program Saturday October 25th, in part because of the high fees imposed by the Village of Orland Park for their similar program.

The Village has been cash-strapped and has been increasing fees, cutting services and reducing the tax-rebate program which was approved originally to off-set the Orland Park home rule sales tax increase of .75 on all sales. The sales tax hike today has become regressive in the face of so many other sales tax hikes.

The Tinley Park Park District turned out to be the alternative to the high taxes and fees in Orland Park. There were no charges in Tinley for children or families from the within or outside of the village. And, in today's economy, that was a major source of interest for the more than 310 people who attended the event with their children.

Children dressed up in everything from witches to politicians, from Spiderman to Batman. The event was held at the spectacular 65,000 square foot Tony Bettenhausen Recreation Center which in addition to being a recreation center and gynasium is also a museum for the many achivements of this car-racing family. The kids flocked around one of the Bettenhausen race cars roped off in the center foyer of the entrance lobby.

Down the hall, the Tinley Park Park District set up rooms with attractions that included a story-teller, an exhibit of bugs, spiders, and lizards, face-painting, games and more.

Downstairs, the kids could play more games and lined up for more than a dozen games where they could win prizes. The lines were long but the patient children had fun waiting for their turn to ring toss, play the "Bozo-buckets" and more and every child left with a bag loaded with free goodies to make their halloween enjoyable.

"This is amazing," explained one mother who said she lived in Orland Park. "We went to the Orland Park Halloween event and they wanted us to pay. It just seemed wrong."

Her sentiments were repeated by dozens of parents and the topic of the day in fact was the ongoing discussion about the charges in Orland Park, and the new taxes and high fees for services.

"I love the Orland Park Recreation Department. I don't blame them. But even if you are a resident, it's costly. I have four kids," another mother explained. "It's free here and my kids are loving every minute of it."

While Orland Park also sometimes becomes a self-promotion for members of their staff and friends to perform, Tinley Park's event focused entirely on the children.

The biggest attraction was the haunted house in the downstairs gynasium. Children entered and left the huge in-door haunted house screaming with laughter.

Students from nearby Victor J. Andrew high school served as cheerful volunteers to make the event from 12 noon until 3 PM the most enjoyable for the children.

This is the 6th year the village has hosted the free event for families in the region.

-- Ray Hanania
www.OrlandParker.com