Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
The Lansing Journal's YouTube channel is being sponsored this month by Lansing Christian School, Melanie Jongsma's alma mater! A solid, faith-based education prepares you for plans you haven’t even dreamed of yet, and it teaches you that we each have a role to play in making the world better. "Lansing Christian School helped make me the person I am today," says Melanie. See what they can do for the kids in your life.
Lansing Christian School:
• 3660 Randolph Street, Lansing, IL 60438
• (708) 474-1700
• facebook.com/LansingChristianSchool
• lansingchristian.org
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The Lansing Junior Woman's Club is a spirited group of women volunteers who love to find ways to give back to the community. One of their big events each year is the Spaghetti Dinner, featuring Mama Rosalie Putignano's famous homemade spaghetti sauce. The LJWC sells tickets to the Spaghetti Dinner, and the community is happy to spend and attend, knowing that proceeds will help fund a special Veterans Dinner in May.
The Lansing Journal attended the 2026 Spaghetti Dinner as well as the prep day, to give viewers a sense of what goes into this annual Lansing tradition:
0:00 - Sponsorship message about Lansing Christian School
0:37 - Introduction by Carole Sharwarko and Melanie Jongsma
1:29 - A look at Prep Day — in the kitchen with Gloria and "The Spice Girls"
2:46 - Getting to know Lansing Junior Woman's Club member Kecia Hodge
5:03 - Back in the kitchen, and memories of Mama Rosalie
6:07 - Getting to know Lansing Junior Woman's Club member Christine Murphy
8:26 - Back in the kitchen, counting guests and meatballs
9:06 - Dinner Day — the basement of First United Methodist Church transforms into a busy Italian restaurant
10:13 - "Buon appetito" from Melanie and Carole
Make sure you receive all the local news The Lansing Journal publishes, not just the videos! Subscribe to The Lansing Journal's Daily News email: thelansingjournal.org/subscribe-from-youtube
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The questionable politics of Thornton Township Supervisors Tiffany Henyard and now Napoleon Harris brought new viewers and subscribers to our channel, and we appreciate their interest in our local politics. But most of the news that happens in Lansing and other parts of Thornton Township is much less dramatic, though just as important. The Lansing Journal serves a diverse community and offers a diverse range of news — stories that are often overlooked by larger media. If you are interested in what local news looks like, subscribe to The Lansing Journal:
• Our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
• Our Daily News email: thelansingjournal.org/subscribe-from-youtube
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom, and we depend on support from viewers and readers in order to provide the journalism our community deserves. Visit the Donate page on our website to make a tax-deductible donation: thelansingjournal.org/donate
Every dollar goes directly into the journalism and helps support this local newspaper as we serve our community.
MISSION
The Lansing Journal is the only newspaper in Lansing, Illinois. Our mission is Building Community, and we fulfill that mission by keeping our diverse community informed and connected through local independent news that is freely accessible.
Subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
The Lansing Journal's YouTube channel is being sponsored this month by Lansing Christian School, Melanie Jongsma's alma mater! A solid, faith-based education prepares you for plans you haven’t even dreamed of yet, and it teaches you that we each have a role to play in making the world better. "Lansing Christian School helped make me the person I am today," says Melanie. See what they can do for the kids in your life.
Lansing Christian School:
• 3660 Randolph Street, Lansing, IL 60438
• (708) 474-1700
• facebook.com/LansingChristianSchool
• lansingchristian.org
=========
The Lansing Junior Woman's Club is a spirited group of women volunteers who love to find ways to give back to the community. One of their big events each year is the Spaghetti Dinner, featuring Mama Rosalie Putignano's famous homemade spaghetti sauce. The LJWC sells tickets to the Spaghetti Dinner, and the community is happy to spend and attend, knowing that proceeds will help fund a special Veterans Dinner in May.
The Lansing Journal attended the 2026 Spaghetti Dinner as well as the prep day, to give viewers a sense of what goes into this annual Lansing tradition:
0:00 - Sponsorship message about Lansing Christian School
0:37 - Introduction by Carole Sharwarko and Melanie Jongsma
1:29 - A look at Prep Day — in the kitchen with Gloria and "The Spice Girls"
2:46 - Getting to know Lansing Junior Woman's Club member Kecia Hodge
5:03 - Back in the kitchen, and memories of Mama Rosalie
6:07 - Getting to know Lansing Junior Woman's Club member Christine Murphy
8:26 - Back in the kitchen, counting guests and meatballs
9:06 - Dinner Day — the basement of First United Methodist Church transforms into a busy Italian restaurant
10:13 - "Buon appetito" from Melanie and Carole
Make sure you receive all the local news The Lansing Journal publishes, not just the videos! Subscribe to The Lansing Journal's Daily News email: thelansingjournal.org/subscribe-from-youtube
=========
The questionable politics of Thornton Township Supervisors Tiffany Henyard and now Napoleon Harris brought new viewers and subscribers to our channel, and we appreciate their interest in our local politics. But most of the news that happens in Lansing and other parts of Thornton Township is much less dramatic, though just as important. The Lansing Journal serves a diverse community and offers a diverse range of news — stories that are often overlooked by larger media. If you are interested in what local news looks like, subscribe to The Lansing Journal:
• Our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
• Our Daily News email: thelansingjournal.org/subscribe-from-youtube
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom, and we depend on support from viewers and readers in order to provide the journalism our community deserves. Visit the Donate page on our website to make a tax-deductible donation: thelansingjournal.org/donate
Every dollar goes directly into the journalism and helps support this local newspaper as we serve our community.
MISSION
The Lansing Journal is the only newspaper in Lansing, Illinois. Our mission is Building Community, and we fulfill that mission by keeping our diverse community informed and connected through local independent news that is freely accessible.
Subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
