Frankfort Newsmakers: Who and What Made Headlines Last Week (Aug. 15-20)

Each week, Frankfort Patch is filled with tons of stories about what's going on in the village, and sometimes it's hard to read them all with a busy schedule of work and family.

Catch up on what you missed with this quick roundup of what went down around town last week. Or check out our archive for a day-by-day look at the news.

Top Headlines of the Week

1.  
   The cost of crude oil isn't the only factor when it comes to determining what you pay at the pump.
   
   
2. The lowered speed limit will run through the construction zone between William Street in New Lenox and Harlem Avenue in Frankfort.
   
   
3. Judge takes Richard Petrick's military record into account in his decision. The victim, Michelle Fischer, says she's breathing easier after Wednesday's hearing.
   
   
4. The board on Thursday voted to cut the number of polling places countywide from 445 to 303.
   
   
5. Frankfort police stopped Tyler J. Richards, 18, and found marijuana, prescription drugs, pipes and materials typically used to deal drugs.

People of the Week

• This senior talks exclusively with Patch about his role in the upcoming Matt Damon movie Contagion.
  
  
• Duct tape is the medium of choice for this 10-year-old girl, who has made a business out of creating wallets, purses and other items from the home-repair staple.
  
  
• We spoke with the new kindergarten principal at about his goals for the new academic year.
  
  
• This former legal secretary became a full-time candymaker, opening her shop, , in April.
  
  
• The recently retired director of  discusses how prayer helped her with a school playground project and her own career future.

Sports Stories of the Week

• Summer softball league run by the has been a huge hit, with an emphasis on fun.
  
  
• 's Kelly Sterling shot a round of 5-over 76 and placed fourth in the season-opening Marian Catholic Invitational at Coyote Run. She led the Griffins to a fourth-place finish. Lincoln-Way North placed 17th.
  Alisa Goler, third baseman for the Chicago Bandits, led the National Pro Fastpitch league in home runs this season.
  
  
• A rug can tie a room together, but Coley O’Connell helps tie Lincoln-Way North and the greater community together as a coach, teacher, volunteer, fundraiser and more.
  
  
• Stony Creek is a shorter golf course that plays to a par of 65. The trouble is the fairways are U.S. Open-like, that is to say, very narrow. The course originally was built in 1994 alongside the already standing practice facility and driving range.

School Story of the Week

Members of the high school's leadership council gave T-shirts to Dr. Julius Rogus kindergarteners on their first day of school.

Business Spotlight

Patch editors shopped several items around area gold-buying stores----to see how the gold-selling process works and to weigh the different offers.

Chowdown Showdown

This week our taster tried waffles from three Lincoln-Way breakfast joints--including --and discovered an interesting colloquialism: On menus around here, Belgian waffles are called 'Belgium waffles.'

News From Patch

• The Southland's Patch sites are seeking bloggers to follow our beloved Bears this season. And rip on the Pack, of course.
  
  
• Patch's new series--'Dispatches: The Changing American Dream'--will tell the stories of your hopes, challenges and successes as you try to attain your piece of a U.S. ideal.

PLEASE VISIT the listings for Amy Peterson Chocolates, Gold and More, Lumes Pancake House, Frankfort Park District, Lincoln-Way East High School, Lincoln-Way North High School, Dr. Julius Rogus School and Peace Community School in the Patch Places directory.