Local News
By Bob Bong and Peter Hancock One year after COVID-19 scrambled the state’s public school system with schools alternating between in-person and remote learning because of uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the Illinois State Board of Education has released its school report card for public schools. The report card, issued every fall, gives parents a…
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By Steve Metsch Marek Gil, like many residents, has questions about his property taxes. Plenty of questions. Gil owns two properties, one in Hickory Hills and one in Justice. Asked if his taxes are too high, Gil replied: “Of course.” Gil, who resides in Justice, was among a group of residents who attended the “Coffee…
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By Jason Maholy Sports Editor Trailing 12-6 in the third set of the Class 3A state championship match last Saturday at Illinois State’s Redbird Arena, time was running out on Nazareth to right the ship. Belvidere North was riding a wave of momentum going back to the second set and had scored 28 of the…
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By Steve Metsch Only two teams in the entire state are better than the cross country boys from Gurrie Middle School in La Grange. Gurrie’s cross country boys team placed third in the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 2A state finals held Oct. 16 at Maxwell Park in Normal. This is the second straight season…
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Here are the designated trick-or-treat hours for Sunday, October 31. Happy Halloween! Bedford Park from 3-6 p.m. Bridgeview from 2-6 p.m. Brookfield from 3-7 p.m. Burbank from 2-6 p.m. Countryside from 3-8 p.m. Forest View from 1-7:30 p.m. Hickory Hills from 3-7 p.m. Hodgkins from 3-6 p.m. Indian Head Park from 3-7 p.m. Justice from…
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Argo High School, 7329 W. 63rd St. in Summit, will host a Fall Festival from 4-7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 8, at the school. Admission is free. Everyone is invited. There will be inflatables, a food truck, arts and crafts and more.
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By Steve Metsch Township of Lyons trustee Mark Anderson figured it wasn’t his day after he scored a nine on the par-three first hole at Zigfield Troy in Woodridge. Boy, was he wrong. On the 111-yard fifth hole Sept. 14, after struggling with his pitching wedge, Anderson pulled out his trusty 7-iron. He proceeded to…
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By Steve Metsch The Township of Lyons is getting a new bus for its popular senior services that saw 2,300 riders in the month of August. The bus is officially called a “2021 Microbird DS Series 12+2 Wheelchair Bus” because it has room for two wheelchairs. The price tag is $69,860 with an interest rate…
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By Steve Metsch After a year of not seeing folks march with their dogs, cats and other creatures down the streets, anticipation is high for this year’s La Grange Pet Parade. Last year, the parade was held virtually and people watched on their computers or cell phones. It was a far cry from the live-action…
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By Carol McGowan Three local residents who participated in the 2021 National Club Softball Association World Series were honored last week at the Lyons Township Board of Trustees meeting. Pitcher Krystal Levitske, of Willow Springs, a graduate of Nazareth Academy, and outfielder Natalie Metsch, of La Grange, a graduate of Lyons Township High School, were…
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Victress Women’s Wellness Center sets goals for 2022
By Kelly White Empowering women in the new year is Victress, a wellness center for women, in Palos Heights. The center opened in October at 7120 W. 127th St. and welcomed in the new year with a goal-setting seminar open to women in the local community called, Achieve 2022: This year set goals, not resolutions.…
New owner will keep Palmer Place name and burgers Copy
By Steve Metsch Palmer Place Restaurant and Biergarten, a mainstay in downtown La Grange for nearly 40 years, will soon have new owners. But not much else will change. The name on 56 S. La Grange Road will still read Palmer Place. The employees now there will still have their jobs. And the hamburgers that…
Justice swears in new police officer
By Carol McGowan The Justice Village Board approved the recommendation of the Justice Fire and Police Commission to hire Police Officer Kady Sassenger at its January 10 meeting. Her move from the Coal City Police Department to Justice is considered a lateral move, which means the officer transfers from one department to another for the…
Medeisis promoted to fire battalion chief in Bridgeview
By Steve Metsch The Bridgeview Fire Department has a new battalion chief. Michael Medeisis, 55, was promoted from the rank of lieutenant at the Jan. 5 meeting of the Bridgeview Village Board. “Hey, hot diggity dog, we’ve got a great guy (promoted),” village Trustee Michael Pticek said. Trustee James Cecott said the promotion was due.…
Retired village employee appointed to Lyons ZBA
By Steve Metsch The Karasek family has a long history of working for the village of Lyons dating back decades. And that history is getting a new chapter. Steven Karasek, 60, who two years ago retired after 36 years in the public works department, has been appointed by Mayor Christopher Getty to serve on the…
Walker teacher Eva Manzke honored by farm bureau
By Carol McGowan School District 104 teacher Eva Manzke was recently honored by the Cook County Farm Bureau for her work with teaching students about agriculture. Students at Walker Elementary in Bedford Park, and Manzke herself were surprised when Principal Amanda Venegonia said they were gathered to honor Manzke, as she had been selected as…
Moraine Valley’s Tom Diaz earns All-Conference honors
By Carol McGowan Tom Diaz is a freshman at Moraine Valley Community College, and is making big strides with their cross country team. Diaz is also a 2021 graduate of Argo Community High School, and is the first Argonaut to earn All Region honors while pursuing his cross country career. MVCC’s Men’s an& Women’s Cross…
Illinois News
New law ends parental notification in Illinois
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law on Friday that ends parental notification, a requirement that doctors notify the parents of a minor seeking an abortion. “With reproductive rights under attack across the nation, Illinois is once again establishing itself as a leader in ensuring access to health care…
Illinois jobless rate falls to 5.7%
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The unemployment rate in Illinois fell three-tenths of a point in November to 5.7 percent as employers added 19,500 payroll jobs to the economy. Preliminary data released by the Department of Employment Security and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the biggest job gains during…
Illinois jobless rate falls to 5.7%
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The unemployment rate in Illinois fell three-tenths of a point in November to 5.7 percent as employers added 19,500 payroll jobs to the economy. Preliminary data released by the Department of Employment Security and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the biggest job gains during…
Potential buyer identified for James R. Thompson Center
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Plans are moving ahead for the sale of the James R. Thompson Center at 100 West Randolph Street in Chicago. Gov. JB Pritzker announced on Wednesday plans to enter into exclusive negotiations with JRTC Holdings, LLC, for the purposes of acquiring and redeveloping the Thompson Center…
CAPITOL RECAP: JRTC Holdings will enter negotiations with state for $70 million purchase of Thompson Center
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS CHICAGO – Plans are moving ahead for the sale of the James R. Thompson Center at 100 West Randolph Street in Chicago. Gov. JB Pritzker announced on Wednesday, Dec. 15, plans to enter into exclusive negotiations with JRTC Holdings, LLC, for the purposes of acquiring and redeveloping the Thompson Center that…
Lawmakers push for nursing home reforms this spring
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Several Illinois lawmakers said this week they are determined to pass a bill in the spring that would overhaul the way nursing homes are paid through the state’s Medicaid program to address critical staffing shortages, but the state’s largest nursing home industry group is still pushing…
New law provides for licensure path of certified professional midwives in Illinois
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Colleen Marotta has delivered hundreds of babies. Marotta, 43, of Arlington Heights, became a nurse in 2001. Ten years later, she became a certified professional midwife, or CPM. When Marotta was a CPM the law barred her from delivering babies in Illinois, forcing her to drive to Wisconsin…
Edwardsville chief on Amazon warehouse: ‘It was definitely one of our worst days’
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] In the wake of Friday night storms that left six dead at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, a disaster proclamation was issued Monday for 28 counties in southern and central Illinois. The proclamation will bring personnel or equipment from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to assist with storm…
Reimagine Public Safety Act to drive violence intervention funds to state’s most dangerous areas
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A state program aiming to take a “comprehensive approach to ending Illinois’ firearm violence epidemic” will be expanded under a law signed Friday by Gov. JB Pritzker. The Reimagine Public Safety Act became law in June, but the expansion signed Friday clarifies guidelines in the original…
CAPITOL RECAP: Oral arguments begin in state redistricting challenges
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS CHICAGO – Oral arguments began Tuesday, Dec. 7, in three lawsuits challenging the new legislative district maps that lawmakers passed earlier this year with three federal judges asking detailed questions of all the parties in the cases. Each case centers on the question of whether Democrats in the General Assembly violated…
