It’s little exaggeration to say the apparent suicide on Dixie Highway yesterday afternoon fundamentally shocked our community. Understandably. Nobody likes the idea of someone completely abandoning the will to live. It shakes us to the core. It makes us reflect. It makes us question. Death is never easy to deal with, but the context of this particular death compounds the difficulty. The worst part is, ultimately, there are no concrete answers at the end of the road—just speculation. We can only assume what was going through the mind of Johnny Anderson during the last moments of his life. But …

I was very nervous one year ago today. I feel like it was nervousness akin to a paratrooper preparing to jump into battle. And for all intents and purposes, that’s sort of what happened. In a frenzied swarm of pre-launch meetings, story writing and directory building, H-F Patch emerged in cyberspace one year ago. I’m still in disbelief that it even got off the ground. What’s harder to believe, however, is just how far H-F Patch has come since its humble origins. Since launch, I’ve had the unique privilege to see H-F Patch slowly integrate itself within the community. Reciprocally, I’ve …

Between skateboarders, improper burials and the alleged catching of Flossmoor's "ski mask" burglar, this past week in H-F has ranged from the extreme to the bizarre. Here is a look back at the top five stories of the week.  The Flossmoor "Ski Mask" burglar, who has already generated a flurry of comments on H-F Patch has reportedly been caught and charged by Flossmoor Detectives. Homewood Memorial Gardens Cemetery President Tom Flynn was "surprised" when Sheriff Tom Dart issued a press release that called his treatment of the burial of indigents "appalling." The Sheriff claims that procedure …

With "snowmageddon" and bitter cold temperatures behind us, and the prospect of 50 degree weather next week, things seemed to be taking a turn for the better in the Southland. Now is your chance make the best of it by priming yourself with the highlights of last week's local news. After all, you might find that conversation material is increasingly valuable as nature and personalities begin to thaw.   H-F High School was recently named by the College Board to have Illinois' only "exemplary AP program." According to a press release from district 233, H-F High's African American test scores on …

Have you been so busy shoveling snow that it cut into your normally scheduled Patch viewing time? Don’t worry, here’s a list of the past week’s top five articles to get you up to speed with H-F happenings. Chicago Height’s Editor Christopher Paicely sat down with State Rep. Anthony DeLuca amidst the storm to chat with him about a gambling bill that he is trying to get passed. The bill might result in the building of a casino in Ford Heights. You can read why DeLuca thinks this is a smart move here. Have you taken any photos of the blizzard that you are dying to share with the community? …

From national attention on Chevrolet of Homewood’s new celebrity car salesman to professionally prepared cuisine, here are our top five stories from the week. 1. Homewood-Flossmoor Patch was able to get an exclusive interview with John Stone, the car salesman who sparked national attention after getting fired for wearing a Packers tie to work. Chevrolet of Homewood turned his luck around by offering him a job the morning after being fired. Since then Stone has sold cars to customers from Wisconsin to California. Oh, and he is keeping the tie. Read more here. 2. Homewood School District 153 …

Moms, we want to talk to you. And we want you to talk to us. Often. We know you've got wisdom to share—not just with your children, but with other moms facing the same challenges, dilemmas, joys and opportunities you've encountered. Although it seems like you can do everything (it really, really seems that way—we never stop being amazed by it), it wouldn't hurt to have some fellow moms around to share ideas and advice. Here's the deal: Starting very soon, we're going to be offering a lot of information we hope you'll find useful. Tips and stories on everything from finding the best …

Do you operate a local website or blog? Would you like a feed of local news headlines on your site? Now you can stream all the H-F news — or just certain categories — on your site with the Patch News Widget.  With our News Widget feature, you can create a box that's easily insertable into blogs and web pages. It's also customizable by topic, so you can limit your feed to sports, police and fire news, school news or business. Just scroll to the bottom of our home page and click on "Widgets" to find the directions for how to insert the news feed.  Are you wondering, "What is a widget?" Here's …

With the big game on everyone’s minds and bitter cold temperatures taking their toll, we all had a lot of distractions this week. That’s why Homewood-Flossmoor Patch wants to take a moment to look back on some of the things you may have overlooked. We kicked off the week by demonstrating just how dangerous the H-F boys basketball team’s balanced attack really is. More good news came shortly after as the H-F’s lady Vikings dominated Lincoln-Way Central with an impressive 27 point lead. If all these sports had an impact on your appetite, then Krystal Morris’ article on Homewood’s Mama & Me …

As everyone with a window knows, it's been snowing. Here are the online places to go for the best ways to keep safe and have fun in this winter weather. Weather Forecast You're already here. Homewood-Flossmoor Patch is the place for Homewood weather. See that little thing in the upper right corner that has the temperature and a little picture of a cloud? Move your mouse over it and not only will today's forecast pop up, but the forecast for the next six days. And that's Homewood-Flossmoor's forecast. Accept no substitutes. Driving Tips Where better to get tips on driving in winter weather …

It's a new year, and everyone is setting goals. We all want to accomplish something great this year if we can. My goal is to help make Homewood-Flossmoor Patch the most respected news source in the community. How do we plan to do that? Here's a list of things you can expect from us: 1. We will be a conversation – News is no longer a one-way street. Journalists cannot expect to post a story without asking for feedback from the people who read it. I want your feedback on everything we're doing. If we're doing something that angers you, tell us in the comments or email me. I will do my best to …