Top 2017 Stories in Palos

Groomed for Murder

Clanking bats, blunt runs, a skull that fell apart in the medical examiner’s hands like broken egg shell. These were just a few of the details that jurors heard of John and Maria Granat’s deaths during the January 2017 double-murder trial of the couple’s son, John, and his pal, Christopher Wyma. Granat was 17 when he groomed three other teens to help murder his parents for money on Sept. 11, 2011. Accomplice Ehab Qasem testified in court how he and Wyma stood over the sleeping forms of the Palos Park couple with aluminum baseball bats raised, in exchange for a 40-year sentence. Mohammed Salahat, the driver, is serving a 35-year sentence. He bought gum at a convenience store while waiting for the call to come pick up his friends. It didn’t take both juries long to reach a guilty verdict for both men. Granat’s jury reportedly had to wait to announce their verdict while closing arguments for Wyma were taking place. The two are serving life sentences without parole. Patch was there for gavel-to-gavel coverage. There were sights, sounds, images and impressions that we’ll never forget. Via Palos Patch.
Granat 'Groomed' His Friends To Murder His Parents: Prosecutors
'I Can't Get Their Screams Out of My Head'
'I Had A Bat And Chris Had A Bat:' Ehab Qasem Flips Against Friends
Murderous Teen Guilty In Brutal Beating Deaths Of His Mom And Dad
Tearful Killer Begs Family for Forgiveness
'You Are Not Only Irredeemably Corrupt, You Are Also Evil'

'Maxine the Mighty Heart Warrior'

A Palos Heights toddler found herself on the waiting list for a heart transplant at Lurie Children’s Hospital. Maxine Zolk, the daughter of Stagg High School special education teachers Randy and Melissa, was born on Oct. 1, 2015 with the arteries to her heart transposed. Undergoing surgery when she was just 1-day-old, doctors discovered the baby had other heart defects as well. On Mother’s Day -- May 15 -- Maxine got a new heart. Melissa Zolk says Maxine and big sister, Lucy, are keeping their parents busy. As her father says, “Maxine is all go and no quit.”
Read more via Palos Patch

Palos Heights Hit

A 39-year-old Palos Heights man was gunned down in his garage on Nov. 20, 2017 in the tony Ishnala neighborhood. Neighbors told police heard three gunshots and a car driving away. The victim, Murad Talib, died of multiple gunshot wounds. Police assured frightened neighbors that the murder was not a “random incident.” Talib had a lengthy criminal record of pot arrests. The case grew even more bizarre when a few days later, a man walked up to mourners gathered at Talib’s burial in Evergreen Cemetery and reportedly shot into the open grave shouting: “You deserve it.” No arrests have been made in connection to the murder. The motive is rumored to be over “business dealings.” Via Palos Patch.
Man Shot To Death In Palos Heights 'Not Random Incident': Cops
'You Deserve It,' Alleged Shooter Yells At Murder Victim's Burial

Game Changers

A pair of Palos East Elementary fifth-Graders took top honors in the 2016 2016 Chicago Toy and Game's Young Inventor Challenge by inventing a new board game. Dynamic duo Olivia Wasilewski and Brynna Siewers were honored in an all-school assembly. The students came up with a prototype and packaging for their game Ship of Treasures, which reportedly blew the ChiTag judges away. Ship of Treasures hit Target shelves just in time for Christmas. "Everyone in our grade likes pirates and treasure hunts,” Brynna said, “so we know the suspense of the game will be fun.”

Read more via Palos Patch

'P-A-C-K-A-G-E D-E-A-L'

Attorney Justyna Kruk, 28, grew up in Burbank watching America’s favorite game show -- Wheel of Fortune -- with her mother and grandmother, both immigrants from Poland, who taught themselves English watching the show. Kruk became so enamoured with Pat Sajak and Vanna White, she vowed to her third-grade classmates that she would one day appear as a contestant on the “Wheel.” Kruk not only realized her dream on May 15, 2017, she won $49,500 and a trip to Antigua.
Read more via Oak Lawn Patch

'I'm Not Anti-Muslim'

The Palos Township Board is a good example why it may be time to abolish townships as a wasteful form of government. Tr. Sharon Brannigan drew the ire of Arab Americans and activists for disparaging remarks she made about Muslims on social media. With 30 percent of the township’s population of Muslim faith, residents have been shutting down every monthly board meeting since August. Brannigan, a one-time GOP candidate challenging U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski and a Trump supporter, has apologized to those of the Muslim faith for her “poorly crafted words.” She has stated that she will not step down. Residents vow to keep attending meetings until Brannigan resigns.

Palos Township Residents Confront Trustee On 'Anti-Muslim' Facebook Posts

Preckwinkle Denounces Sharon Brannigan's Alleged Anti-Muslim Facebook Posts

Palos Township Tr. Sharon Brannigan's 'Walk of Shame': VIDEO

'I am not anti-Arab. I am not anti-Muslim. I am not anti-immigrant'

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• 17 Illinois People To Remember From 2017
• 25 New Illinois Laws in 2018 That Could Change Your Life