Patti Ahern

Beverly residents, clockwise from left, Doug Adams, Jack Powers, Ralph Athey and Michael Powers gather every Saturday at Ellie's Café, 10701 S. Hale Ave., to play chess in the Steve Tschantz Memorial Chess Club. The club was started by Powers and meets every Saturday at 1 pm. All are welcome.

A friend’s memory lives on through Beverly chess club

May 22, 2019 at 2:14 a.m.

When two men play chess together for many years what happens when one of two dies? This was the question Jack Powers faced when his friend and chess playing partner...

Wildlife expert Debi Pocius holds Pete the opossum a year ago when the critter was a baby found by columnist Patti Ahern. Pocius is a licensed wildlife rehabber in Illinois.

Opossum, where art thou?

May 22, 2019 at 2:10 a.m.

Regular readers of this column may remember that I found a baby opossum about a year ago, and turned him over to a wildlife rehabilitation person. Now a little more...

Bethany Church member Jan Heniff (left) and her daughter Melissa Heniff stand in front of a Compassion International truck that visited the Beverly church recently. Jan Heniff agreed to sponsor Elmer, the boy whose picture she is holding.

Session at Beverly church enlists aid for children

May 22, 2019 at 2:07 a.m.

Community members were given a glimpse into life in the Dominican Republic recently when Compassion International, an organization that rescues children from poverty, visited Bethany Union Church in the Beverly...

As school year ends, students solve a murder mystery

May 22, 2019 at 2:03 a.m.

Christ the King Elementary School's eighth grade ended the academic year as it always does – with a pretend murder as part of an involved lesson plan designed by two...

McAuley senior looks to bright future after acing ACT

May 22, 2019 at 1:59 a.m.

Remember the panic of the ACT test? Remember the anxiety, the pressure, and the tight grip on the freshly sharpened number 2 pencils? Catherine Rogers, 17, of the Beverly community...

Brother Rice robotics team set to head under water

May 22, 2019 at 1:55 a.m.

For the second year in a row, the Brother Rice High School Crusader Robotics team dominated a regional robotics competition, and now will compete at the international level in California....

Beverly resident Amy Kelley, was inspired by her daughter, Avery, to create a program where young girls can learn about science, technology, engineering and math. Kelley will present a girls summer invention camp in July, at Bethany Union Church in Chicago.

Math teacher planting STEM in girls’ minds

May 22, 2019 at 1:50 a.m.

Amy Kelley is a math teacher, and while she likes to inspire all her students to learn, she especially likes to encourage young girls about learning lessons that incorporate the...

Orland Park resident Nancy Gee met with children from Chicago's Barnard Elementary School, reading to them from her book "The Secret Drawer."&#157

Encounter with flying squirrel leads to series of secrets

May 22, 2019 at 1:46 a.m.

Orland Park resident Nancy Gee never thought of writing a book, until a small flying squirrel decided to camp out for a few days in her sock drawer. Gee, 72,...

Frunchroom event showcases South Side stories

May 22, 2019 at 1:44 a.m.

In 2015, Morgan Park resident Scott Smith wanted to start a storytelling show about the far South Side. He started with a handful of participants in O'Rourke's Office, a neighborhood...

Bond with bird leads Beverly man to animal empathy

May 22, 2019 at 1:40 a.m.

This is a story of how one wounded seagull and a kind man joined forces to spread compassion and an understanding of animals in the Beverly community of Chicago, and...

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