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Category: Opinion

Midnight Flight: Chapter 2, Dividing Lines

Posted on January 29, 2016November 22, 2021 By Ray Hanania 1 Comment on Midnight Flight: Chapter 2, Dividing Lines
Midnight Flight: Chapter 2, Dividing Lines

Midnight Flight: Chapter 2, Dividing Lines One family’s experience of White Flight and the racial transformation of Chicago’s South Side (an online novel) By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2020 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved “You never really knew a man until you stood in his shoes and walked around in them.”  — To Kill…

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Baby Boomers, Blogger, Books & Films, Chicago, Commentary, Opinion, Suburban Chicagoland

Midnight Flight: Chapter 1, Introduction

Posted on January 29, 2016November 22, 2021 By Ray Hanania 2 Comments on Midnight Flight: Chapter 1, Introduction
Midnight Flight: Chapter 1, Introduction

Midnight Flight: Chapter 1, Introduction By Ray Hanania Midnight Flight, (C) 1990-2020 Ray Hanania, All Rights Reserved This book is about one family’s experience of White Flight from a changing and great Chicago community, South Shore Valley (also called South Shore Gardens, Calumet Heights). It is also one person’s memory of living in a wonderful…

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Baby Boomers, Blogger, Books & Films, Chicago, Commentary, Editors Pick, Opinion, Suburban Chicagoland

Will controversy follow recent sale of Palos Church to Muslims?

Posted on January 28, 2016November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Will controversy follow recent sale of Palos Church to Muslims?

Will controversy follow recent sale of Palos Church to Muslims? The southwest suburbs have a history of community opposition to the building of a mosque or Muslim center, reflecting growing racism and discrimination against Muslims nationwide. Have things changed? By Ray Hanania More than 15 years ago, tried to purchase the abandoned Reform Church of Palos…

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Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Great teachers are hard to find

Posted on December 7, 2015November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Great teachers are hard to find

Great teachers are hard to find. Chicagoland schools in the city and the suburbs are deficient and not doing their jobs. A major responsibility falls on the teachers, whoa re not doing enough, and the excessive focus and resource commitments to school administrations. Cut the administrations and grade teachers for their work By Ray Hanania…

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Education, Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Common Core and our failing high schools

Posted on November 4, 2015November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Common Core and our failing high schools

Common Core and our failing high schools. Too many high schools are graduating students who are “not ready” for college, achieving under 21 on ACT testing. By Ray Hanania When I was young, if my grade point average was under 60 percent, I flunked. The grading system we used then applies today: A=90+; B=80+; C=70+;…

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Education, Opinion, Orland Park, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Suburbs lose a great leader in Liz Gorman

Posted on July 31, 2015January 17, 2023 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Suburbs lose a great leader in Liz Gorman
Suburbs lose a great leader in Liz Gorman

Cook County Commissioner Liz Gorman resigned from her 13 year position on the board to take an important private sector job at a Fortune 100 company. It’s a loss for Cook County,  a loss for moderation, a loss for Gov. Bruce Rauner and a loss for taxpayers By Ray Hanania Liz Gorman, the Orland Township…

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Blogger, Opinion, Politics, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Would Chicago just stop whining already?

Posted on May 27, 2015November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Would Chicago just stop whining already?

Would Chicago just stop whining already? Chicago’s financial mess is dominating the news and dragging the state of Illinois down. The only solution Chicago mayor’s have had over the years is to make the State bail out the city. But I think it’s time we stopped By Ray Hanania I’m so tired of listening to…

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Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Are handicap parking privileges being abused?

Posted on May 22, 2015November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania 1 Comment on Are handicap parking privileges being abused?

Too often, I see people briskly step out of their vehicles parked in handicapped parking zones and displaying handicapped licenses plates or handicapped rear view mirror tags. They just don’t look like they need the plates, but who in government is courageous enough to set this abuse straight? By Ray Hanania Three times in the past…

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Baby Boomers, Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Have a Halal of a time at Pete’s Market, and meet women too

Posted on May 13, 2015November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Have a Halal of a time at Pete’s Market, and meet women too

Pete’s Fresh Market opened a new store in Bridgeview recently that offers the widest range of fresh deli salads and buffets, the largest I have ever seen. And I love grocery stores. By Ray Hanania I love food, especially from the Middle East. That’s one reason why I spend so much time meandering around grocery stores…

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Features, food, Opinion, rayhanania, Recipes, Suburban Chicagoland

Chicagoland stores battle for growing Middle Eastern market

Posted on May 13, 2015November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Chicagoland stores battle for growing Middle Eastern market

This week, another major grocery retailer entered the battle for the growing Middle Eastern food market in Chicagoland offering a wide range of Arab food products. The past half century has seen Arab food migrate from the shelves of small ethnic neighborhood food stores to the premium shelves of the largest national chains. Chicagoland has been no exception, just…

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Features, food, Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Gorman gives Rauner some added ‘Big Mo’

Posted on December 29, 2013November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Gorman gives Rauner some added ‘Big Mo’

Gorman gives Rauner some added ‘Big Mo’ By RAY HANANIA Southwest News-Herald Newspaper Friday, December 27, 2013 Winnetka Businessman Bruce Rauner may be new to politics, but he apparently knows more about Republican politics than his rivals. Rauner won the endorsement of the Cook County Republican Party over GOP rivals State Sen. Kirk Dillard and Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford,…

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elections, Opinion, Orland Park, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

What’s Peotone’s Impact On Midway Airport?

Posted on October 24, 2013November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on What’s Peotone’s Impact On Midway Airport?

What’s Peotone’s Impact On Midway Airport? By RAY HANANIA Southwest News-Herald Newspaper, Friday, October 25, 2013 We hear a lot about the third airport that everyone wants to build in the “South Suburbs.” But we don’t hear enough about Midway Airport. I have been a Southwest Sider almost all of my life, migrating with my…

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Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

David Orr and Making Voting Just So ‘Easy’

Posted on June 20, 2013November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on David Orr and Making Voting Just So ‘Easy’

David Orr and Making Voting Just So ‘Easy’ By RAY HANANIA Southwest News-Herald Friday, June 21, 2013 Despite the low voter turnout, voting is already easy. But not everyone wants to take the time to vote. In fact, the vast majority of residences who could vote don’t even register to vote. They don’t want to….

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elections, Opinion, Politics, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Local governments not responsible for flooding

Posted on April 25, 2013November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Local governments not responsible for flooding

Local governments not responsible for flooding By Ray Hanania Southwest News-Herald Friday April 25, 2013 When my home flooded in 1997, the Village of Orland Park provided large garbage canisters for each group of homes that had been damaged. They also provided dozens of crates of bottled bleach to kill mold and bacteria, that one…

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Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Low turnout in Chicagoland elections reflects hypocritical monitoring systems

Posted on April 9, 2013November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania 1 Comment on Low turnout in Chicagoland elections reflects hypocritical monitoring systems

Low turnout reflects hypocritical monitoring systems By Ray Hanania Southwest News-Herald Newspaper Friday April 12, 2013 Everyone likes to blame the low voter turnout each year on the “low quality” or the “corruption” of elected officials in government, but I like to blame it on something else, the hypocrisy of the monitoring systems. Those “monitoring…

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elections, Opinion, Politics, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Time to clean the Water Reclamation District’s political filter

Posted on December 6, 2011November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Time to clean the Water Reclamation District’s political filter

Time to clean the Water Reclamation District’s political filter
By Ray Hanania — For far too long, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Great Chicago has been a reservoir for retired, do-nothing government officials who were rewarded with spots on the board in return for their party loyalties.

Or, it has been a place where ambitious candidates with political clout have tried to launch their power dynasties.

The fact is the MWRD-GC board is unaccountable and a cesspool of wasted taxpayer dollars.

It is a do-nothing board that has spent most of its time spending money lavishly on itself and its members. They have huge salaries yet their impact on our lives has been so un-impactful.

Their primary responsibility is the management of flood water and they do a very poor job of doing that. But they do a great job of blaming everyone else.

The do-nothing chairman of the board Terrence O’Brien spent money on himself like there was no tomorrow, buying very expensive lunches and having a blast. He’s retiring after trying to turn the retirement home into a stepping stone to higher office.

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General Topics, Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Bank of America should change its name

Posted on October 11, 2011November 29, 2019 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Bank of America should change its name

Bank of America should change its name
By Ray Hanania — Bank of America really doesn’t deserve to carry that name. They are not very American. Or at least, they don’t seem to care much about the American people.

The bank announced it would impose a $5 monthly fee on its bank customers to use their ATM cards.

For those few out there who don’t know what an ATM card is, it is a Debit Card that takes your money out of your checking account without writing a check.

Why would they do that to their customers, you might ask? Greed? Stupidity. Greed? Greed?

Ironically, the Bank of America decision to impose the $5 fee comes right at the time when the U.S Congress is seeking to limit the outrageous profits the banks have been making off of most Americans. But worse, it comes at a time when most Americans are using Debit Cards as an alternative to credit cards as they struggle to get out of credit card debt.

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General Topics, Opinion, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland

Harry ‘Bus’ Yourell Was a Fighter to End

Posted on September 28, 2011October 25, 2021 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Harry ‘Bus’ Yourell Was a Fighter to End
Harry ‘Bus’ Yourell Was a Fighter to End

Harry ‘Bus’ Yourell Was a Fighter to End By Ray Hanania The first time I met Harry “Bus” Yourell was in 1978 while writing for the Southtown. At the time, he was the Worth Township Democratic Committeeman. I had written something nice about his Republican rival, Herbert V. Huskey, and “Bus” was giving me a piece…

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