Local News
By Steve Millar Correspondent When Peter Marinopoulos was a freshman, he served as the Marist wrestling team’s manager when the RedHawks would travel to tournaments. Two years later, he is finishing tournaments on top of the podium. Marinopolous, ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 3A at 195 pounds by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches…
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Neighbors to square off in friendly game on 79th Street By Tim Hadac A cherished amateur athletic tradition that some assumed was gone for good from Chicago is returning—in a way—on the Southwest Side. A team led by the Scottsdale Neighborhood Watch will square off with a team from West Lawn at 7 p.m. Friday, June…
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I had a very busy Saturday last week. I started my day by attending a “landlord/tenant rights: workshop at the Chicago Lawn (8th) District police station. I recommend to anyone who has any investment/rental properties, make the time to attend one of these sessions. It is filled with valuable information. The goal for these free…
Read More Not sure if you missed my column last week or not. In case you were wondering, we took a short family vacation to the Smoky Mountains. It was such a nice break from the day-to-day routine and city life. We stayed in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. and traveled back and forth to Gatlinburg and the Smoky…
Read More Last week, on our way to my son’s soccer practice, we drove past the traffic circle on 82nd, where the street meets Kolmar and Scottsdale. I noticed a group of people working tediously to remove weeds and shrubbery. I wondered if they were part of the Chicago Area Project organization that has been working on…
Read More Last Saturday I experienced one of Mother Earth’s beauties–sunrise by the lake. It was my sister’s 40th birthday, and she wanted me to join her for a morning jog by the lakefront after watching the sunrise. What started off as a gift for her (me agreeing to get up early and join her), turned out…
Read More Would you like to learn more about the process and timing of City services like tree trimming and removal, street and alley light outages, vacant properties, animal control, sewer issues, etc.? Then you should attend the City Service Town Hall Meeting to speak with representatives from City departments like Streets & Sanitation, Buildings, Transportation, Water…
Read More Tomorrow we start a new month. June is a busy and fun month. It marks the end of the school year, the start of summer vacation, graduations, many birthdays, Father’s Day and backyard barbecues. What are you most looking forward to this summer? A revised date has been set for 18th Ward Ald. Derrick Curtis’…
Read More Between home showings, writing up contracts, shuttling kids to their practices/games/activities and last minute income tax preparation, I totally missed last week’s column deadline. Now I have a whole lot to write about! My boys were on spring break and it was nice to do some fun stuff with CAR (Chicago Area Project). On Tuesday,…
Read More I am disappointed. For weeks, if not months, talks and plans were made of having a blood drive to show that our community cares and has a great heart. Today, I don’t know that this holds truth. I had a very busy morning. Started off by registering my son for high school, dropped him off…
Read MoreLifestyle
Comings & Goings
A heavenly sound
In what is arguably the most ornate and beautiful house of worship on the Southwest Side—St. Joseph Church in Back of the Yards–the Polonijna Orkiestra Chicago played liturgical music selections last Sunday. Founded in 2011, the orchestra is designed to teach young musicians Polish music and culture. St. Joseph parishioner Konrad Pawelek served as conductor…
Crime images spark outrage in Gage Park
Robbed at gunpoint in his own garage By Tim Hadac Home-security camera images of a 48-year-old Gage Park man being robbed at gunpoint in his own garage outraged a number of Southwest Siders this week. Images showed the man driving his car down the alley in the 5500 block of South Richmond at about 3:50…
College Report: McAuley grad Swiatek plays hero for St. Francis
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Hannah Swiatek comes off the bench for the University of St. Francis and is averaging 3.1 points per game. But when called on for the biggest shot of her college career, the 5-foot-8 junior guard from Oak Lawn delivered. Swiatek scored the winning basket in a wild 99-97 overtime road…
Stagg’s Laila Barakat and McAuley’s Bella Finnegan hit 1K career points; Richards’ Kortz gets 300th win
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Look what Laila Barakat started. The Stagg senior basketball star hit a milestone when she scored her 1,000th career point against Richards on Jan. 8. That was the first of three notable career accomplishments achieved the following week. It was followed by Mother McAuley senior Bella Finnegan scoring her 1,000th…
Tax exemptions will be automatic, Kaegi says
From staff reports In response to the ongoing pandemic, the Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s office will continue the automatic renewal of the Senior Freeze, Veterans with Disabilities and Persons with Disabilities Exemptions. The Homeowner and Senior Exemptions will continue to auto-renew every year. If a homeowner received any of these five exemptions last year…
Marist wrestlers take Illini Classic crown; Shepard’s Damari Reed stays unbeaten
By Steve Millar Correspondent When Peter Marinopoulos was a freshman, he served as the Marist wrestling team’s manager when the RedHawks would travel to tournaments. Two years later, he is finishing tournaments on top of the podium. Marinopolous, ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 3A at 195 pounds by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches…
Troop 1441 Scout earns Eagle rank
From staff reports A journey that began years ago for Adrian Ayala recently culminated in Boy Scouting’s highest honor. Ayala, a member of Boy Scout Troop 1441 (sponsored by the St. Mary Star of the Sea Holy Name Society) was honored at an Eagle ceremony at Duggan Hall on Jan. 13. The Eagle rank is a…
Scavenger Sale different this year, Pappas says
From staff reports Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ 2022 Scavenger Sale will look different, as the Treasurer’s Office takes steps to help small developers, homeowners and investors rebuild neighborhoods and create generational wealth. Under Illinois law, the Treasurer’s Office is required to conduct a Scavenger Sale every two years, offering at auction the taxes on…
Give poor countries a break, Chuy says
From staff reports U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th) is one of 18 Members of Congress who recently sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, urging her to use the voice and vote of the United States at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to abolish the IMF’s surcharge policy, which requires countries with substantial…
Stop sale of dangerous drugs online, Rush says
From staff reports Legislation designed to ensure that social media platforms and websites are held accountable for failing to prevent the sale of dangerous, illegal drugs on their platforms has been introduced by U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-1st). The Domain Reform for Unlawful Drug Sellers (DRUGS) Act also was introduced by U.S. David B. McKinley…
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…
