The city of Lake Station is mourning the passing of Assistant Police Chief William “Billy” Taylor, who died Wednesday following surgery.

Taylor was 57. He’s survived by wife Jennifer; three daughters and a stepdaughter; mother Linda Taylor; and three siblings.

“Assistant Chief Billy Taylor was one of those rare people whose presence made every room a little brighter and every day a little better,” said Mayor Bill Carroll. “He had a warm heart, a generous spirit, and a way of making people feel seen and valued.”

His sister, Kim Frizzell, said she and her brother “played cops” as kids and he grew up in Lake Station aspiring to be a police officer.

A burly man who became a champion powerlifter, Taylor was described by relatives as a “teddy bear and gentle giant.” His family worried he wouldn’t have the temperament to work in law enforcement.

Frizzell said her brother joined the New Chicago Police Department in 1990 and became a Lake Station police officer about 1993. He became assistant chief about two years ago.

One of Taylor’s passions was weightlifting. Frizzell said her brother became a champion powerlifter and held many records.

She said what she’ll remember most is his affection for his community and friends.

“I feel like he’s the George Bailey of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’” she said of Jimmy Stewart’s character in the popular Christmas movie.

“You could have a bad day and you’d meet my brother and he’d make you feel good. He would do anything for anyone. He has the biggest, kindest heart.”

Lake Station Police issued a statement saying it “encourages the community to honor Officer Taylor’s memory, celebrate his contributions, and continue to uphold the values he exemplified throughout his life.”

Carroll said in grief the community can hold on to the ways Taylor touched their lives through his compassion, honesty and loyalty.

“Those qualities don’t fade; they live on in every life he helped, every memory he left behind, and every person who was better for having known him.

“May his legacy bring comfort and may the love he shared continue to shine through all who carry his memory forward,” Carroll said.

Visitation for Taylor will be from 2-9 p.m. Tuesday at the Robert J. Sheehy & Sons Funeral Home, 9000 W. 151st St. in Orland Park, Illinois.

Funeral services are at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Jubilee Worship Center, 415 Hobart Road in Hobart.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/lake-station-grieves-loss-of-dedicated-officer-billy-taylor/ 

In a recent email, the founder of the Lake County Symphony Orchestra says he was forced out several months ago due to an “incredibly negative set of circumstances,” and encourages members not to donate to the organization.

The email, sent to several hundred people, was from the now former executive and artistic director of the orchestra, Ron Arden. In the message, he alluded to an internal controversy and takeover of the orchestra’s board, describing it as a “story of lies and deceit.”

Arden said he resigned in August, “in response to the unreal betrayal of board members” he had recruited, “trusted and thought had integrity.”

“I cannot in good faith recommend the orchestra to you as a place for your generosity, but that is ultimately for you to decide and I respect that,” the email said.

Arden alleges the previous board president and secretary were fired in August as well, prior to his resignation. However, an LCSO statement said the former board president’s term had ended and that they were voted out, with the former secretary choosing to resign voluntarily.

The LCSO website currently lists Noah Mendez and Nathan Ward as the board president and secretary, respectively.

According to LCSO’s statement, the board accepted Arden’s resignation “based on internal concerns regarding administrative alignment, organizational expectations and long-term governance needs.”

“These components were reviewed in the context of ensuring the stability and compliance of the LCSO as a 501(c)(3) organization,” the statement said.

Lauren Moldenhauer is currently serving as interim executive director. According to an archived version of the website, she was previously a website manager for the orchestra.

According to the LCSO statement, her professional background includes experience in nonprofit arts administration, ensemble management, logistics and performance. She also has “long-standing relationships” with the group’s musicians, partners and community.

During the interim period, LCSO said its priorities are “institutional stability, transparent communication and consistent, uninterrupted operations across administrative, financial, and artistic domains.”

Any appointment of directors or staffing of vacancies will include, “a formal process and the evaluation of candidates by an established committee.”

The orchestra plans to proceed with all scheduled performances, with its December plans “fully on track.” Holiday performances are planned for Dec. 12 and 13 at the James Lumber Center in Grayslake, conducted by Jim Stephenson and featuring guest vocalist Sara Sheffield.

“The organization continues to benefit from an engaged board of directors and a committed roster of musicians who are ensuring both artistic continuity and operational stability,” the statement said.

In reference to Arden’s letter, the LCSO said statements circulating online represent his personal views, and that the LCSO, “does not concur with those characterizations”.

The LCSO “remains fully committed to compliant governance practices, the support of its musicians, and the continued presentation of high-quality symphonic music to the Lake County community,” the statement said.

Arden said he issued the statement after being contacted by several people about his absence from the upcoming concerts.

Arden, the group’s founder who celebrated the orchestra’s 20th anniversary last year, said the orchestra has been “ripped” from underneath him, describing it as an emotionally stressful and draining experience.

The email included Arden’s plans to start a new orchestra, with potential performances starting as early as February, and he said he would reach out to people with more information in the near future.

“I have learned a great deal about my expectation and perception of relationships, and I’m making some serious changes,” he said. “The next venture is going to be based on business and talent.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/lake-county-symphony-orchestra/ 

The Lake County Council is poised to pass a resolution that would ask for 911 services to be added to the Indiana General Assembly’s upcoming legislative agenda.

The council discussed the resolution in a Thursday study session ahead of its Tuesday meeting.

According to council documents, the resolution asks for a $2 increase to state 911 fees and enhanced prepaid wireless telecommunication service charges to be added to the agenda.

“It’s been about 10 years since it increased, and costs have gone up, and funds are needed,” said Council President Christine Cid, D-5th. “We want some legislation at session, and we want to get that out as soon as possible.”

Indiana Code currently has a $1 911 service wireless charge, according to resolution documents, and the state 911 board can only increase the fee once between April 30, 2023, and July 1, 2026. The increase cannot exceed $0.10, according to Indiana Code.

The state 911 board distributes funds to county treasurers, which helps with property development, operation and maintenance of the statewide emergency system.

“911 services have grown both in geographic scope and in the level of service provided,” council documents said. “The revenue used to fund 911 services consists almost entirely of fees and surcharges on wireline, wireless, Voice-over-Internet-Protocol telephone lines. These fees and surcharges generate billions of dollars each year, but 911 service revenues still fall short of estimated annual costs. Expenditures for personnel and for technology maintenance and upgrades have also increased over time…”

An interlocal agreement consolidated emergency 911 services for Lake County’s cities and towns, according to Post-Tribune archives. The consolidation occurred in January 2015, but dispatchers weren’t brought together until October 2015.

Lake County Councilman Randy Niemeyer, R-7th, said Thursday that he has met with State Treasurer Daniel Elliott and his team about the resolution.

“The state treasurer is in charge of statewide 911, and he requested this resolution to be able to advocate to the General Assembly on behalf of Lake County for that increased fee … because it is an act of legislation … that allows this to happen,” Niemeyer said. “This is an important item for us to be able to bring a little more sustainable revenue stream for the service.”

The State Treasurer’s office was unable to immediately respond to a request for comment about the resolution.

The Lake County Council is expected to vote on the resolution on Tuesday.

mwilkins@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/lake-county-council-urges-legislature-to-increase-911-fee/ 

Biggest NatGas Quarterly Spike In Decades As Deep Freeze Slams U.S. East

Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/05/2025 – 15:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/biggest-natgas-quarterly-spike-decades-deep-freeze-slams-us-east 

Lake Central junior shortstop Parker Robinson has committed to play baseball at Oklahoma.

Robinson, who announced his decision on social media on Thursday, batted .341 with a .946 OPS, 12 doubles, 18 RBIs and 25 runs scored last season.

He also started at short during his freshman season, when the Indians won the Class 4A state title.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/baseball-lake-central-parker-robinson-commits-oklahoma/ 

Good afternoon, Chicago.

The Chicago-based American Medical Association is blasting a federal vaccine advisory committee’s decision today to no longer recommend that all babies get the hepatitis B vaccine when they’re born.

The committee’s decision “is reckless and undermines decades of public confidence in a proven, lifesaving vaccine,” said Dr. Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, an American Medical Association trustee, in a statement Friday morning. “Today’s action is not based on scientific evidence, disregards data supporting the effectiveness of the Hepatitis B vaccine, and creates confusion for parents about how best to protect their newborns.”

Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.

Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History

Residents pick up their belongings following an overnight fire in the 1500 block of North Karlov Avenue in Chicago’s West Humboldt Park on Dec. 5, 2025 which sent at least 10 people to the hospital. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

10 people reported injured in overnight fire at Humboldt Park apartment building

At least 10 people were taken to five area hospitals after a fire broke out Friday at an apartment building in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, officials reported. Read more here.

More top news stories:

Arab American activists to continue protest after Oak Lawn settlement of lawsuit accusing cop of beating teen
Harvey family grieves 19-year-old musician Jair Ortega after fatal crash with train in Blue Island

Liquid steel is poured into a steel-making unit at Granite City Works in Granite City, Illinois, on June 28, 2018. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)

US Steel to resume steel production at southern Illinois plant shut 3 years ago

The company shut down the last blast furnace there in 2023, and it even moved to wind down its steel processing mill there in September. Read more here.

More top business stories:

Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business for $72 billion
Wall Street flirts with its all-time high

Bears players stand during the national anthem before playing the Packers at Lambeau Field on Jan. 5, 2025, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

5 things to watch in the Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field — plus our Week 14 predictions 

It’s not like the semiannual grudge match between the Bears and the Green Bay Packers needed higher stakes, but the football gods bestowed them anyway. Read more here.

More top sports stories:

Connor Bedard scores for a 3rd straight game in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings
Big Ten football: Ohio State and Indiana clash in rare title game featuring nation’s top-ranked teams

Composer Matthew Aucoin and soprano Julia Bullock embrace following the world premier of Aucoin’s “Song of the Reappeared” at Symphony Center in Chicago on Dec. 4, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Review: A chilling CSO premiere, magnificently led

At the Chicago Symphony this week, poet Raúl Zurita’s verses become “Song of the Reappeared,” a 20-minute work for soprano and orchestra by Matt Aucoin. Read more here.

More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:

Review: The storytelling less than magical in ‘100 Nights of Hero’
Steve Cropper, guitarist and member of Stax Records’ Booker T and the M.G.’s, has died at age 84

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets in Atlanta on Dec. 5, 2025, to consider changes in hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants. (Ben Gray/AP)

US vaccine advisers say not all babies need a hepatitis B shot at birth

A loud chorus of medical and public health leaders decried the actions of the panel, whose current members were all appointed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a leading anti-vaccine activist before this year becoming the nation’s top health official. Read more here.

More top stories from around the world:

Donald Trump awarded FIFA’s new peace prize at 2026 World Cup draw
5 years later, authorities arrest a suspect in Washington pipe bomb case. Here’s what to know.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/afternoon-briefing-10-people-reported-injured-in-humboldt-park-building-fire/ 

Supreme Court Will Hear Trump Birthright Citizenship Case

Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/05/2025 – 15:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/supreme-court-will-hear-trump-birthright-citizenship-case 

A key step of demolition is expected to begin this month at 799 Central Avenue, as nonprofit Keshet — which provides services for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities — builds its new permanent center in Highland Park.

Structures related to the building’s previous bank tenant will be removed, according to a news release. Interior renovations are expected to be finished in the fall of 2026. The 210,000-square-foot building, which also has several offices and salons, will see about 40,000 square feet transformed into the Kersten Campus and Justin Coe Center, CEO and President Jen Phillips said.

The multi-million dollar renovation work will provide a new home to an organization that has “hopped around” the community for decades, Phillips said.

Started in 1982 by a group of area parents who wanted to help their children with disabilities, Keshet has grown in scope and scale, providing a variety of services and activities for about 560 children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities.

Keshet has various recreation and art programs, including weekend trips, camps, day schools for a range of ages, and adult day programs, with offices and facilities in rented spaces. Now, the new location will be “universally designed,” Phillips said, to go “beyond accessibility” and have a building for people with various disabilities.

The organization has grown in recent years, necessitating the new facility, she said.

“The board laughed at me five years ago when I said that we needed to get a bigger business office space,” Phillips said.

The new facility will have a variety of spaces, including a music therapy room with its own recording studio, training kitchens, Keshet’s consolidated offices, and a gymnasium. The building has immediate access to a neighboring park and a parking garage.

Renovations will cost about $10.5 million, Phillips said, roughly half of the $20 million raised to buy and update the building. The fundraising campaign’s success reflected the community’s investment in the organization, she argued.

“I really, truly believe Keshet has impacted so many people,” she said. “It’s not just about the people who are receiving services. Everyone’s part of our community, and has been touched by it.”

Amy Cutler is a Deerfield mother whose oldest daughter, Hannah — who turns 12 in January — was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby.

“We knew that she was going to need some adaptive recreation activities and support in her daily life,” Cutler said.

Cutler had known about Keshet already, having worked for the organization in college. She knew her daughter would need accommodations, Cutler said, and Keshet has kept Hannah active and social. Her daughter plays baseball, bowls, and goes to Sunday school and day camp.

“She needs a lot of support in all aspects of her life, but particularly physically,” Cutler said.

One of the big things for families who have kids with disabilities is trust, she said. Signing up their child who needs extra support and can’t necessarily advocate for themselves can be worrisome. And for Hannah specifically, her physical disability means many facilities aren’t accessible. Cutler praised Keshet’s new facility.

“Sometimes she can get in the front door, but there’s nowhere for her to use the toilet or be changed if she needs to,” Cutler said. “Having accessible facilities adapted so that everybody can use them, I think, is going to be really exciting.”

Cutler reflected on how attitudes around physical and mental disabilities have shifted over the years, even within her daughter’s lifetime. Today, people are much more committed to being inclusive, she said.

“It’s definitely changed. It’s still a ways to go, I would say, but definitely better,” she said.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/highland-park-keshet-home/ 

Por MARK SHERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — La Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos acordó el viernes abordar la constitucionalidad de la orden del presidente Donald Trump sobre la ciudadanía por nacimiento, según la cual los niños nacidos de padres que están en Estados Unidos de manera ilegal o temporal no son ciudadanos estadounidenses.

Los jueces escucharán la apelación de Trump a un fallo emitido por un tribunal inferior que anuló las restricciones de ciudadanía. Estas no han entrado en vigor en ninguna parte del país.

Los alegatos del caso se presentarán en la primavera. Se prevé un fallo definitivo para principios del verano.

La orden sobre la ciudadanía por nacimiento, que Trump firmó el 20 de enero, el primer día de su segundo mandato, forma parte de la amplia imposición de medidas contra la inmigración de su administración republicana. Otras acciones son el aumento en las medidas de aplicación de la ley de inmigración en varias ciudades y la primera invocación en tiempos de paz de la Ley de Enemigos Extranjeros del siglo XVIII.

El gobierno enfrenta múltiples impugnaciones judiciales, y el máximo tribunal ha enviado señales mixtas sobre las órdenes de emergencia que ha emitido. Los jueces detuvieron el uso de la Ley de Enemigos Extranjeros para deportar rápidamente a presuntos miembros de pandillas venezolanas sin audiencias judiciales. Pero la Corte Suprema permitió la reanudación de paradas de inmigración masivas en el área de Los Ángeles después de que un tribunal inferior bloqueara la práctica de detener a personas únicamente por su raza, idioma, trabajo o ubicación.

Los jueces también analizan la apelación de emergencia del gobierno para que se le permita desplegar tropas de la Guardia Nacional en el área de Chicago con el fin de emprender acciones de aplicación de las leyes de inmigración. Un tribunal inferior ha impedido indefinidamente el despliegue.

La ciudadanía por nacimiento es la primera política de Trump relacionada con la inmigración que llega a la corte para un fallo definitivo. Su orden cambiaría más de 125 años de consenso con respecto a que la 14ta Enmienda de la Constitución confiere la ciudadanía a todas las personas nacidas en suelo estadounidense, con excepciones limitadas para los hijos de diplomáticos extranjeros y aquellos nacidos de una fuerza de ocupación extranjera.

En una serie de decisiones, los tribunales inferiores han anulado la orden ejecutiva por considerarla inconstitucional, o probablemente inconstitucional, aun después de un fallo que la Corte Suprema emitió a finales de junio, en el que limitó el uso de medidas cautelares a escala nacional por parte de los jueces.

La Corte Suprema, sin embargo, no descartó otras órdenes judiciales que podrían tener efectos a nivel nacional, incluidas las demandas colectivas y las presentadas por estados. Los jueces no decidieron en ese momento si la orden de ciudadanía subyacente era constitucional.

Todos los tribunales inferiores que han examinado el tema han concluido que la orden de Trump viola o probablemente viola la 14ta Enmienda, destinada a asegurar que las personas negras, incluidos los antiguos esclavos, tuvieran ciudadanía. La ciudadanía por nacimiento convierte automáticamente a cualquier persona nacida en Estados Unidos en ciudadano estadounidense, incluidos los niños nacidos de madres que están en el país ilegalmente, según las reglas establecidas desde hace mucho tiempo.

El caso bajo estudio proviene de Nueva Hampshire. En julio, un juez federal bloqueó la orden de ciudadanía en una demanda colectiva que incluye a todos los niños que se verían afectados. La Unión Estadounidense de Libertades Civiles (ACLU, por sus siglas en inglés) encabeza al equipo legal que representa a los menores y sus padres que han impugnado la orden de Trump.

“Ningún presidente puede cambiar la promesa fundamental de ciudadanía de la 14ta Enmienda”, dijo en un comunicado Cecillia Wang, directora legal nacional de la ACLU, y añadió que “Esperamos dar por terminado este asunto de una vez por todas en la Corte Suprema en este periodo”.

La administración también había pedido a los jueces que revisaran un fallo del Tribunal Federal de Apelaciones del 9no Circuito en San Francisco. También en julio, ese tribunal, dictaminó que un grupo de estados gobernados por demócratas que demandaron por la orden de Trump necesitaban una medida cautelar a escala nacional para prevenir los problemas que causaría que la ciudadanía por nacimiento estuviera en efecto en algunos estados y no en otros. Los jueces no emprendieron ninguna acción en el caso del 9no Circuito.

El gobierno ha afirmado que los hijos de no ciudadanos no están “sujetos a la jurisdicción” de Estados Unidos y, por lo tanto, no tienen derecho a la ciudadanía.

“La Cláusula de Ciudadanía de la Decimocuarta Enmienda fue adoptada para otorgar la ciudadanía a los esclavos recién liberados y a sus hijos, no… a los hijos de extranjeros que se encuentran ilegal o temporalmente en Estados Unidos”, escribió el principal abogado del gobierno ante la Corte Suprema, D. John Sauer, al instar a la revisión del alto tribunal.

Veinticuatro estados gobernados por republicanos y 27 legisladores de ese partido, incluidos los senadores Ted Cruz de Texas y Lindsey Graham de Carolina del Sur, apoyan los argumentos del gobierno.

___

Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/corte-suprema-de-eeuu-decidir-si-orden-de-trump-sobre-ciudadana-por-nacimiento-es-constitucional/ 

The holiday span of November and December is a time of celebration but peppered with the
memories of loved ones who have passed while precious memories remain.

This fall, Oct. 12 marked the one-year passing of our dear farm friend from down the road, Joann
Scamerhorn. She loved all of the holidays, but Christmas was extra special because she loved baking and cooking paired with the opportunity to entertain family and friends.

Joann and her parents lived in Chicago until she was 5 years old, and then her family moved to a rural farm in North Judson, bringing their Polish traditions and recipes with their packed pantries.

“The Christmas Eve meal is probably the most important of the Polish year,” Joann said when she kindly agreed to be interviewed in December 1992. “It’s very family-oriented and has a lot of religious significance. It was also a day of fasting on Christmas Eve before everyone gathered around the dining room table for the big evening feast.”

The multi-course, meatless Christmas Eve traditional meal is called “the Willia,” which is from the Latin word “vigilare,” meaning “to watch.”

Joann would remind that the menu might extend from seven courses to as many as nine or even 11.

Selections passed around the table include a broth-based soup with dried mushrooms, flat wafers called “oplatek,” pickled herring, assorted filled pierogi, cauliflower cooked with butter and breadcrumbs, a fried fish course, sauerkraut, and for dessert, poppyseed cake roll.

“I can still recall as a little girl that salted herring would be sold in wooden kegs,” Joann explained.
“After much anticipation, the Christmas Eve dinner would be served when night arrived and the first star of the evening could be seen.”

Joann’s daughter Ann Scamerhorn continues her mother’s legacy, spreading traditions of a Polish family.

Last week, Ann reminded me of a previous column I published in May 2024 featuring cooks Stasia
Podczerwinski and her sister-in-law Zosia Podczerwinski, based in Merrillville as the Our Lady of
Czestochowa Shrine caterers. They previously shared their delicious recipe for “klopsy,” which are Polish meatballs with dill gravy.

These kitchen angels are busy preparing to host an early version of this Polish dinner, which they are calling “Oplatek with the Salvatorian Fathers” on Sunday, Dec. 14, in the gathering hall of Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine at 5755 Pennsylvania St. in Merrillville.

I’m told Polish mass will be celebrated at noon, followed by the opportunity to sample the traditional Polish Christmas menu selections such as mushroom soup, cabbage rolls aka golabki stuffed with barley and mushrooms, breaded fried fish, sauerkraut with yellow peas and assorted desserts.

The incredible “Panorama of the Millennium of Christianity in Poland,” comprised of nearly 50 life-size animated figures, will also be open in the church sanctuary following mass. The “Polskie Kwiaty,” or “Little Polish Flowers” children’s dance group will entertain guests in the hall after the meal.

Fr. Ireneusz “Irek” Bem, SDS, the superior of the Salvatorian Fathers who ministers to the Polish-American diaspora at the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine in Merrillville, likes to cook, including a delicious appetizer of peeled avocado wedges wrapped in prosciutto. (Photo courtesy of Fr. Irek Bern)

The church service and dinner are both open to all. Reservations are $60 per person and are due by Dec.10 by calling Zosia at 708-267-5603 or Stasia at 708-205-8324.

Zosia and Stasia also take orders for holiday to-go dinners for orders placed by Dec. 22. The food items are packaged “warm” and then reheated at home. Available menu items include “devolaj,” which is a Polish version of the classic chicken Kiev, pork loins stuffed with prunes, beef roulades, mashed potatoes, potato dumplings, sauerkraut, apple-beet salad and broccoli-cauliflower salad. Order pick-up time will be from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Dec. 25 in Millennium Hall, located on the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine grounds, 5755 Pennsylvania St. in Merrillville. The cost is $20 per meal, with a minimum order of 10 required by calling the same telephone contacts above.

This week’s recipe is from Fr. Ireneusz “Irek” Bem, SDS, the superior of the Salvatorian Fathers who ministers to the Polish-American diaspora at the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine in Merrillville.

Born and raised in Silesia, a southwest region of Poland known for its coal mining and heavy industry, Fr. Irek performed four years of pastoral work in Poland following his priestly ordination in 1987 before transferring to Canada, where he served the Catholic community for more than 30 years from the east to west coasts. His assignment to Merrillville began this past August as his first ministry in the U.S.

Next to playing golf, Fr. Irek’s favorite hobby is cooking.

An appetizer of peeled avocado wedges wrapped in prosciutto is a light yet satisfying snack or party prelude menu pick. (Photo courtesy of Fr. Irek Bern)

“I considered becoming a professional chef until I received the calling to the priesthood,” he said.

“I learned this particular recipe for these elegant appetizers I’m sharing today from some Italian
members of my former parish in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada. Serve with your favorite French or sourdough bread and perhaps a glass of good red wine.”

Columnist Philip Potempa has published four cookbooks and is a radio host on WJOB 1230 AM. He can be reached at PhilPotempa@gmail.com or mail your questions: From the Farm, PO Box 68, San Pierre, Ind. 46374.

Fr. Irek’s Avocado-Wrapped Prosciutto Appetizers

Makes 8 appetizers

1 large ripe avocado
8 thin slices of prosciutto
1 or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 or 2 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Olive oil, approximately 2 tablespoons or to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Peel avocado and remove pit; cut into 8 even vertical wedges.
2. Wrap the center of each avocado wedge with a slice of prosciutto. Arrange each wedge on a
serving plate and evenly sprinkle parsley and chopped garlic over them.
3. Drizzle wedges with olive oil and a generous amount of lemon juice; sprinkle with black pepper
to taste and allow ingredients to “blend” for a short while before serving.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/05/from-the-farm-celebration-of-polish-traditional-christmas-eve-dinner-includes-symbolism-preparation/