The Windy City

Growing up in Chicago was fun. Its always something to do. There is nothing like going downtown at night. Seeing the lights and the tall skyscrapers light up is amazing. Chicago also has a lot of different racial groups so you can always find people with the same culture as you.Growing up I went to a couple Chicago Bulls games. It's a great experience to be able to have so if you haven't been to one you should go. I haven't been to a Bears game because I don't like Jay Cutler and the Bears are trash, but I heard their games are alright too.

Growing Up in Chicago

                                                                       Desiree Lacy 

I loved growing up in Chicago as a child; I grew up on the South Side of Chicago. The block I grew up on, everyone was a big family. We were always there for each other. I still till this day go to the same block and relive my childhood with the same friends. On the hot summer days when the ice cream truck came down the block were the best days. Playing jump rope, tag, hide and go seek, making up dances for the block parties and everything else was fun. Growing up in Chicago was the best. It taught me so much. There were lessons I thought I would never use, but I really use everyday.

Living in Chicago

                                         
                                                               Amilia Adams
                                           

Living in Chicago is great. Chicago has a lot of things that other states don't, such as the water towers located in Millennium Park. They also have the Taste of Chicago. They have some very good chicken wings. Chicago is a big tourist place and a lot of people enjoy their time here. It's really exciting to see people just out enjoying themselves. A lot of rappers come from here like Kanye West, Lil durk, and Tink. Chicago is a cool place to live.

Kayla's Country Life In Chicago

Growing up in Chicago wasn't really that bad. My parents were much happier than they are now. WHY? Because technology wasn't that popular. All kids wanted to do was go outside and play with their friends. With that being said, less electricity was being used. Now, technology rules the world and you would probably have to pay me to go outside because I'm always on my phone. Everybody use to link up and go places and just have fun. Also, the murder rate wasn't so ridiculous as it is today. Mind you, I lived in the country so the only thing that had a big murder rate were deer, rabbits, and whatever else you can hunt. My dad stayed with new toys and we lived by nothing but hills so all me and my brothers did was ride four wheelers and dirt bikes. 

South suburbs of chicago

                                                          Ashley R

                             
Growing up in the south suburbs of Chicago was nice. I made a lot of friends. I always have something to do. Sometimes I go out shopping or out to eat with my friends. Sometimes we take a train into the city and walk around downtown. My favorite time to walk around downtown is Christmas time because of all of the pretty lights.

Growing up in Chicago

                                                                   Taylor LaFevre

Growing up in the Chicago suburbs has been overall a great experience. I get the best of both worlds because I am close enough to the city to experience all it has to offer. Chicago is extremely diverse; we are a city of all different kinds of ethnicities, which makes it a really great place to be. We are well known for our food, attractions, and traditions. http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/05/us/things-you-should-know-about-chicago/

What Chicago taught me

         


                                      
  Chicago taught me the importance of growth and development. Especially being a son to a widowed mother was tough within itself. But honestly, I think Chicago put me through the traumas and misfortunes I've endured in order to teach me a lesson. Everything happens for a reason, and by all means, get what you want. Don't wait for it, don't beg for it , don't depend on anybody to give it to you.  Chicago raises the children, and I don't have much shame about being in that black statistic. I love where I'm from, and not a VeniceBeach or palm tree will change my mind either. It shows you the worst to encourage our youth to get out and see the world, by any-means necessary. Whether it's rap, shooting buzzer beater 3's, or even stacking and starving, Chicago never stops moving. Somewhere someone is hustling to make it in his rough city. Our work ethic is A1, and that's why we're still one of the wealthiest cities in the US.








                                                                                                                        -Victor Moore

Sweet Home Chicago

Growing up in Chicago was and continues to be very special to me. Being close enough to the city is a huge advantage, as you can go downtown to special events, and every season you can see the different scenery. Chicago is such a beautiful city and I am always amused by the new things that are downtown. Also, not to mention, the food is amazing. Chicago is mostly known for their deep dish pizza and Chicago styled hot dogs. All and all, growing up in Chicago has been an amazing experience and I wouldn't want to have it any other way. - Savannah Kiel

We Use To Get ALONG With Eachother

One thing I always liked about growing up in Chicago was that when we were growing up. Everyone was able to get along. Whether it was everyone meeting up at the movies to hang out or go to the skating rink to get our juke on! We grew up having fun with each other. -Johnaye

Warriors

The warriors made history last nigfht beating the atlanta hawks for their 50th win. They reached 50 wins faster than any other team in NBA history.now they chase the Bulls as they attempt to break the Bulls record and win the most gamesd ever in one season 73 wins.Steph Curry had 36 points and 8 assists for the night.the Warriors are still at the top of the West and they are the favorite to win another championship.They have too many weapons and a roster full of talent so it would be hard for anyone to beat them.
-Seth Gipson

Shonda Rhimes: Primetime TV Goddess

Why Shonda Rhimes is a TV Goddess

You may have heard of the super successful writer and executive producer Shonda Rhimes. If you haven’t heard of her, you’ve probably heard of the shows Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal or How To Get Away With Murder.

Her shows have received countless accolades over the years including 45 Emmy Nominations for Grey’s Anatomy, six for Scandal, and two for How To Get Away with Murder including the groundbreaking win for Viola Davis for her role as Annalise Keating.

Shonda is a great inspiration for many young women who would like to get into writing or producing especially to the kids here at Crete-Monee. In fact, Shonda Rhimes is from University Park! However while she attended Marian Catholic, she’s from the same town that many of us are from. She’s walked the same streets and she’s become successful.

New episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder premiere every thursday night as a part of ABC’s TGIT (Thank God Its Thursday) lineup at 7pm,8pm, and 9pm.

BenchMob

              Crete-Monee currently has an overall record of 17-7, but a question lingers. Could their record be better if more players have a chance to play? "We always beat the starters in practice," said Jonathan Armstrong, a backup SF for starter Jalen McCoy. "Not saying we're better, but if we work hard in practice, why can't we get a little bit of show-time when it matters the most?" he also added. Not to bash Tom, but, however, what if he plays his bench? Would their record be better? Or worse? Only one way to find out. PLAY THE BENCH.

-Victor Moore

How Rob Got His Groove Back

Rapper Tyga’s baby mother Blac Chyna has lead her way into the Kardashian family. Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian have been dating for some months now and have recently gone viral about it. Rob has stayed away from the public eye due to his weight issue but his new girlfriend has got him gaining his confidence back while losing weight and getting back on a healthy track!


-Johnaye Smith

Shootings on the South Side of Chicago 

According to the Chicago Tribune Carlos James Hemphill a 33-year-old man was found shot Saturday night in the 8100 block of South Stewart Avenue, and was announced dead at 10:26 a.m. Sunday at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Police said “someone in a white or gray vehicle fired shots, and the shooting seem to be gang related”.

Earlier that Saturday morning two men ages 23 and 24 where shot in the 8000 block of South Stewart Avenue just one block away from where Carlos was shot. “They were both taken to Stroger hospital where they were stabilized” officers said. Chicago is just getting out of hand with all the shooting and killing thats happening. I just wish we could stop killing each other and put the guns down.

-Desiree Lacy

Young Thug

Everyone is so dissapointed in young thug for only opening his I'm Up mixtape for iTunes users. You don't know the salt on people's faces when they thought they could download it. Even I was a little upset that i couldn't download it because I liked a few songs on there. Reasoning for the push back was because of the beef with Young Thug and YFN Lucci but we are just going to keep that off the blogs. Hopefully, it will be free for everyone to listen to it sooner or later.

-Meckayla Saxon

The Ultimate Travel Bucket List By: Taylor LaFevre

A bucket list is a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime. In shorter terms, it is a list of things to do before you die. Comes from the term "kicked the bucket." One of the most popular choices is to travel, so here is a list of 10 most desired places to travel before death. 
1. See the northern lights
2. Walk the Great Wall of China
3. Trek the Machu Picchu
4. See New England in the fall
5. Witness the Serengeti's great migration
6. Go whale watching
7.Visit the Grand Canyon
8. Go on a Safari
9. Set foot in Antarctica 
10. Take a great American road trip
Post in the comments things you would like to do or accomplish before you die. 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/The-ultimate-travel-bucket-list-25-things-to-do-before-you-die/

Fashion Week 2016

Fashion Week is one of the most exciting times of the year for new designers and models all over the world. It is time for fashion designers to show off their talent and new ideas to contribute to the fashion world. Models love this time every year as well because designers will ask certain models to be in their show during that week. Some known designers such as Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, and Alice & Olivia all had shows that blew everyone's mind on how great their designs were.

FIGHT

“I tried to be the peacemaker, until a guy hit me”, Trina tells TMZ rep. Early Monday morning a fan got kicked off her party bus outside Justin’s Bar and Lounge where Trina was hosting. She was only defending a friend, when 2 of her male friends started fighting.. And that’s when everything went downhill. According to TMZ, Trina was trying to tell the dude to back off and go home, when he shoved her and she wasn’t having it. 






-Tiayla

Tink.

Trinity Home  better known by her stage name Tink, is an American rapper, musician and singer-songwriter. She is from calumet city IL. Since the beggining of 2012 she has dropped six mixtapes. According to wikipedia She is signed to Epic Records run by producer, Timbaland.Her 2014 mixtape, Winter's Diary 2: Forever Yours, was featured as a top 10 R&B album in both Rolling Stone and Billboard magazines. Tink is only 20 years old and already has alot of record labels after her because of her unique talent as an female artist. Tink inspirations for music are Lauryn Hill, Ms.Jad and rapper The Brat. Tink just wants to be succesful in the music industry and make it big like others that she admires.

Amilia Adams

Broadway

My dream is to be a Broadway actress. It’s been my dream for a very long time now. Although I would also love to be in movies it’s nothing like giving a live performance. I feel such a great rush when I am performing. I get so nervous but it’s a good kind of nervous. So hopefully I’ll be able to make my way to New York and make my dreams come true.

- Ashley R

Warriors come back

Warriors become the fastest team to 50 wins in NBA history by beating Hawks. It got interesting. Atlanta became the latest team to make a big run on Golden State and force a response. Portland did it most of the game, but the 13-turnover third quarter for the Warriors put that game out of reach. The Clippers game seemed to be in garbage time until a 13-0 run late gave Los Angeles a chance to tie (the shot fell short). Then Monday night the Warriors were in complete control up 23 in the third quarter, when the Hawks went on a 33-6 run and took the lead. These lapses are a combination of factors. The Warriors have some mental vacations, they get bored it seems, but also teams are not just rolling over for them. Good teams that have pride. The result is the Warriors having to work hard for games where it felt like they were in control.

But in the end, the Warriors usually do bounce back. Golden State closed Monday’s game on a 23-10 run in Atlanta 

Chris Williams

Fire Equipment Sales Company Fire

Over this past weekend, a fire began in a building on Old Mone Road, across from Queens Estates. The fire began in the right end of the building at around 10;30  and spread to the rest of the building, destroying the entire building. The fire lasted until around 2 A.M.
Ironically, part of what caught fire was a Fire Equipment Sales & Service Company, known as FESSCO.
Inside of part of the building, there was a propane tank which exploded, and people throughout town felt the boom. The building was still smoking in the morning, and there were flames again at around 8. The fire was determined to be electrical.

FESSCO building in flames at around 11:30 P.M. Saturday night. 

http://www.fessco.com/

How helpful is Youtube?

Youtube has been one of the biggest websites to hold video information. Some people have even made Youtube their job, by making sponsorship videos for different companies. There are videos on Youtube that can help anyone and everyone. This reliable source is known for sharing videos with people who are willing to learn or are willing to watch for entertainment.
- Savannah Kiel

Review on "Me Before You" Trailer

The trailer I have chosen to do a review on is for the upcoming movie, "Me Before You". It is based off of the novel by Jojo Moyes.
The movie is about a girl, Louisa Clark, who loses her job at a coffee shop after it closes, and she is in search of a new job. Louisa gets a job as a caregiver for a wealthy quadriplegic, Will Traynor, though she has no training whatsoever. Her job is not that of a "normal" caregiver; she was hired for her positive outlook on life and her bubbly attitude. William no longer wants to live, and she was hired to give him reasons to live. 
The actress, Emilia Clarke, fits the description of Louisa Clark nearly perfect, but the actress playing Katrina doesn't fit well.
Overall, I am very excited to see this movie when it comes out in June. 

ALL STAR WEEKEND

All Star weekend took place this past weekend.The All Star game has been going on in the NBA for over 60 years.this all star weekend was in Toronto and featured exciting events like the Skills Challenge,and the Celebrity Game. The three most popular events the Dunk Contest, The 3 point Shootout and the All Star game itself took place on Sunday. This years Skills Challenge which is a mix of passing and shooting was won by rookie Karl Anthony towns. Last years champion and heavy favorite to win the 3 point shootout Stephen curry was dethroned this year by his teammate Klay Thompson. if you are a true basketball fan you know the dunk contest has recently been declinig as a lot of bigger name athletes choose not to compete in it however the excitement was revised this year.the Orlando Magic's aaron Gordon and the Minnesota Timberwolves Zack lavine battled for the crown as it took them multiple rounds to decide a winner.in the end Aaron Gordon was robbed because he did some of the best dunks i ever saw as he but he didn't win.Zack Lavine won for the second year in a row
SETH GIPSON

Don't take it personal bro

To get a lot of comments on your blogs is to have an attention grabber to draw everybody onto your blog. Basically, your blog should go both ways either disagree or agree. Some people may feel like you are right and want to give you your credit. Some people may feel like you're wrong and want to comment the way they feel. Comments are just basic opinions, so don't take anything personal. If you're going to reply to comments just keep everything appropriate or just don't respond at all.

-Meckayla Saxon

After Beyoncé released her formation video a lot of racism came upon everyone about Beyoncé being black or not. White America, white supremacy  continue to live in fear of an actualized black woman who actually resonates with black women. Black women expressing their views are on the "attack." as the  reactions to Beyoncé’s "Formation".




-Desiree Lacy

How Many Text Messages Are Too Many?

Think of how long it takes to access your voice mail and listen to one of those long-winded messages. “Hi, this is so-and-so….” In text messages, you don’t have to declare who you are, or even say hello.

How many texts do you think teens send in a day? Five? 20? 1,000?  According to a study done by the Pew Internet and American Life Project in 2010, young people between the ages of 12 and 17 send more than 100 texts a day.  To me it allows us teens to stay in contact with the people who are important to us. “Texting is a much different experience than calling somebody on a land line, where you might get their parents. There’s an element of ownership for teenagers around texting.” And with cell phone plans including more unlimited texting plans than ever, teens can send as many texts as they want.

The Grammys Hair, Make Up, and Fashion

By line: Ashley Randle
 This year at the Grammys there was many different fashion choices and make up looks.
Lady Gaga wore a custom Marc Jacobs dress. Personally I thought it was ugly. Her make up wasn't the best either. she wore this ugly blue eyeshawdow all the way up to here eyebrows. I don't know what it was but it wasn't right.


But oh my god Bella Hadid was beat. good god from her dress to her make up and hair. it was just snatched to the gods. her Alexandre Vauthier Haute Couture dress was flawless. but her make up JESUS HAVE MERCY ON MY SOUL. her soft brown Smokey eye was just amazing! she came to kill and she did.

 Zendaya's make up was nice and just something light and her little outfit was ok. I personally wasn't messing with it but to each is own. but her hair was like WHY?! I honestly don't know where she was going with it or why she did that


Wearing Alexandre Vauthier Haute Couture dress Ciara was looking good! I'm just like dang girl. I even liked her hair and that was really something slight. but her dress was just so pretty. I almost forgot to look at her make up, which was BEAT!


I lastly want to talk about Nicole Trunfio. she was beat in all categories. he jump suit by Zuhair Murad  was godly. her make up was BEAT 2X. he contour had me asking Jesus for help. she was just the definition of the Grammys everybody needs to take notes from her because she was slayed.

Chicken.

I think some of the best chicken comes from Harlods. Lately I been eating chicken for 4 days. Harolds chicken is fresh, smells good and I like the the mild sauce so I get extra. Chicken is a healthy food depends on how you cook it. I do not like sharks. There chicken is very salty and seems like its fried very hard. Harolds has been in business for a long tome and in my opinon its one of the best out right now.

Amilia Adams

Apps

There are a lot of apps out there on the world. And they all come in handy at times like kik snap-chat Instagram etc. Some say if you have a Facebook that your old but most of the high school keep up with theirs peers on their some teachers add their fomer students to see how they are doing in life also its where you can be yourself. Some say kik is for androids but people dont know that iphone user use them also you can have up to fifty friends in a group chat on kik you can even send (Gifs) Gifs are moving picture that says something to someone. Snapchat is a app that you can take pictures videos have funny filters also send messages to everyone around the world. You can have over as many friends you can I myself have over one thousands. Instagram is an app that you can follow people on and like and comment on their pictures or video. Some people say all these apps are the same in my thoughts I believe they are the same.
-Alexia Dandridge

Lawsuit , Slander and Libel. Oh My.

Ciara and Future war just got more heated than it already was, before it even started.  According to sources, Future’s “Twitter fingers” have earned him a $15 million lawsuit.

Ciara is suing Future for alleged slander and libel, according to TMZ.  In the lawsuit, Ciara cites the series of tweets Future posted last month in which he called Ciara a “B****” with “control problems.” “I gotta go through lawyers to see baby future,” he said. “The f-ckery for 15k a month.” Future is a well-known artist, so we all know he has money but does Future have $15 million to pay for this lawsuit?

According to www.celebritynetworth.com , Ciara net worth is estimated to be about $15 million.  So she really doesn’t need the money from the lawsuit but Ciara is a grown, independent women and I’m pretty sure she is well aware that ordering Future to pay an amount of money she knows he doesn’t have will get his attention. Hopefully it’ll get her what she really wants... silence. 




-Tiayla Miller

Superbowl 50

The panthers lost the Superbowl this past weekend to the Denver Broncos. The Superbowl has become a big event in America as millions of people sit in front of the TV and watch the game. The win will likely mark the end of a hall of fame worthy career by broncos QB Peyton Manning. The panthers were the large favorite to win after they got off to a hot 16-0 start in the regular season and QB Cam Newton became a superstar. Newton has faced a lot of criticism in his short career,really for no reason.His critics say his Superbowl performance wasn't good which may be true but hes a great football player and a good person I dont know why people dont like him.

Animal Rescue Taylor Lafevre

A blog post of interest to me is Animal rescue.Animal cruelty happens everyday in our society and it needs to be stopped. This article will influence people to adopt, donate, or volunteer.  Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats.Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized (1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats).Approximately 2.7 million shelter animals are adopted each year (1.4 million dogs and 1.3 million cats). As you can see, we need to shed light on this issue and make a change to give our animals a better chance at life. 

DIY's, Room Decor & Traveling!

I would love for my blog to be about DIY’s (Do It Yourself projects), room decor and traveling. I chose these topics because they interest me and I love to do all of them. I chose DIY’s because I love to make my own crafts and projects. It is one of my favorite hobbies and when I look at the project I made, I can know that I did it by myself. I chose room décor because I love designing rooms and the setup of them. I like getting all of the objects and putting them into place. Last but not least, I chose traveling because that is another favorite hobby of mine. Even though it’s not as easy to do, I would love to start making travel diaries about the places I go and to film and make a video on it and possibly add it to my blog. - Savannah Kiel

Favorite Retro?

Whether it's Nike, Jordan, Reebok or even Ewing, people around the world buy shoes everyday. However, Nike is the top breadwinner in sales. However, why is it that whenever I hear people discuss shoes, they're always asking, "What's your favorite RETRO?". That led me to believe that maybe Nike isn't the true breadwinner in all aspects of sales and popularity. Maybe Nike is more affordable than Jordan, yet Jordan is more popular. The smart buyer will purchase what's affordable I know, but popularity matters too don't you think? And actually, the Air Jordan 6 is my favorite retro.

-Victor Moore

Why boycotting Beyonce's halftime show is offensive

Why boycotting Beyonce’s halftime show is offensive

Kyla Summer Miller

On Sunday February 7 aka Super Bowl Sunday, Beyonce performed at the halftime show for the second time along with popular rock band Coldplay and Bruno Mars and people are outraged by her performance.

Beyonce performed her new song, “Formation” which promotes positivity and self love within the black community. People are calling her “racist” because she didn’t have any non-black background dancers and she and the dancers were dressed as members from the Black Panthers. And many others believe it was an attack on police officers.

The fact that thousands of people actually plan to boycott her because they felt uncomfortable with the black positivity offends me.

Why is it that many people still refuse to believe that racism is alive and well in this country but the minute a prominent black figure does something to empower, its automatically seen as racist?

The fact of the matter is, it wouldn’t make sense for  Beyonce to have white background dancers in a performance about black people and if she did, it would be cultural appropriation to have them dressed as Black Panthers.

I applaud Beyonce for doing something that she believed in and thank her for talking about something no one else would. Pro-Black and black centered messages are not automatically anti-white.

Beyonce Formation Tour

Beyoncé just recently announced that she was having A Formation tour the night of the 2016 Super Bowl! Fans went crazy until they seen the prices of the tickets. Ranging from $94- $10499 fans just thought the prices were a little too crazy. Beyoncé brings out all the stops to give her fans an incredible show.




Desiree 

Fashion Updates

My blog will be about all the latest fashions. High quality fashion to some teen stores or even department stores. This blog will be to help people with their fashion sense or people who want to learn more about certain items. This will update you on what new things designers are coming out with or what designers celebrities are wearing. The latest online stores for fashion is the famous website called Fashion Nova or Akira. The latest high fashion has been Balmain designed by Olivier Rousteing; to Kanye West’s fashion collection “YEEZY” he is currently working on Yeezy season 4.
-Taylor McKnight

Senior year.

Senior year seems like its taking forever to come too an end. I'm ready for graduation, prom, and all the senor events that's lined up. I hope 2016 become one of the best years of my life. I get to experience the college lifestyle, and see whats its like to live on my own. I heard it wasn't easy but i'm ready for the challenge. High School went by so quick, I was just a freshman and in a blink of an eye I became a senior and getting ready to walk across the stage again. I made a lot of friends and been through a lot of different experiences.All though I had an difficult time with some things in my personal life that distracted me from school I still managed to get my grades back on track.


Amilah Adams

Make up Make up Make up

byline: Ashley Randle

Make up is something I feel like every girl needs to know something, Even if you know the least bit or the very minimum. It should be something that you know about.

Many people believe make up is the “devil’s paint” or that it’s something that no woman needs, When in fact it’s the very opposite. People also believe that make up is only used to make you feel beautiful, also not true.

Make up enhances what you already have. It doesn’t recreate your face or bone structure. It shows you that you have beauty and what girl doesn’t want that.