Local News
By Jeff Vorva Brent Lewandowski said he has learned a lot in four years on the Palos Heights City Council. The Third Ward alderman said he has a respect for his peers and likes the way the group has made decisions, even if there are disagreements. George Popelka begs to differ. He sees a council…
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Therapy pets have been proven to be an effective tool for lifting the spirits of hospital patients of all ages. Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital last week announced the return of the pet therapy program that had been on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Buddy, an Old English Sheep Dog, and his handler Marty Strubin…
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By Jeff Vorva Palos Heights Alderman Donald Bylut, who heads the city’s Water and Sewer Committee, has been looking into the future and doesn’t like what he sees. There is an aging infrastructure that is already handing the city some pretty steep bills and there are more hefty price tags ahead. “We have a 10-year…
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From staff reports The Consolidated High School District 230 Board of Education last week approved a $15 million expansion at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills. The expansion will include much-needed classroom space, several science labs, offices and teacher workspace, as well as a rooftop environmental learning space. The project is expected to…
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By Kelly White One of Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanical Gardens’ most popular features is its large waterfall, which tumbles over four separate falls, travels a distance of over 300 feet and descends approximately 30 feet before joining the lake itself on the east side. With Irish festivities in full swing this St. Patrick’s…
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Mostly through the traditional Polar Plunge, this year Shepard High School broke its record for fund raising for Special Olympics. More students and staff — including nearly all administrators, band director Chris Pitlik, and choir director Roland Hatcher — participated than ever. This year also featured a new fundraising vehicle: A pie-in-the-face contest. Many Shepard…
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By Jeff Vorva Palos Heights Mayor Bob Straz used the phrase “quality of life” quite a bit Tuesday afternoon. The longtime mayor gave his annual State of the City Address sponsored by the Palos Area Chamber of Commerce at the Palos Heights Parks and Recreation Department and his theme was about the quality of life…
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By Kelly White The high school, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos Heights, honored Special Olympics Illinois with a unique school-based Polar Plunge on Thursday, March 2. “This year was our biggest group plunging yet,” Ashley Lythberg, Special Education Teacher (POWER PE teacher) and Special Olympics Coordinator at Shepard, said. “Every year is special, but since…
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By Jeff Vorva For more than 10 years, a group of Palos Heights police officers have gone south to take a Polar Plunge in Manteno. This year, the cops will stay home. The frigid water in Manteno will be replaced by frigid water in Palos Heights. Palos Heights Police will host their first Polar Plunge…
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By Jeff Vorva For the first time since Feb. 27, 1973, Larry Yott is not a member of the Palos Heights Police force. Let that sink in for a moment. Saturday, March 4, was his last official day as a Palos Heights cop and he retired as the force’s longtime chief. William Czajkowski took over…
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OLHMS educator nominated for Women Changing the World Award
By Kelly White Heather McCarthy is constantly inspiring her students at Oak Lawn-Hometown to be everything they can be. As a woman and an educator, she believes all goals are obtainable. It was no surprise to her staff members or students at OLHMS, 5345 W. 99th Place in Oak Lawn, that McCarthy, of Oak Lawn,…
Contest Play from Richards wins state drama championship
The Contest Play of “Macbeth” from Richards High School won first place last weekend at the Illinois High School Association competitive drama state finals. After years of finishing among the top productions, Richards won its first state crown in the category. Mike Badger, Jon Nebor, Lauren Davis, Claudia Baranowski, and Rick Keeley served as the…
OLHMS festival celebrates student cultures
By Kelly White Oak Lawn students recently held a full day celebration of all of the cultures in the Oak Lawn Hometown Middle School community. Cleverly called International Fest or iFest, the day acknowledged 19 different cultures of students at the school at 5345 W. 99th Street in Oak Lawn. Cultures featured included Poland, Palestine,…
Palos South basketball places 2nd in SWIC Conference, 1st in North Division
Palos South Middle School’s eighth-grade boys’ basketball team finished second in the post season Southwest Interscholastic Conference in March. The Cardinals completed the season with a 13-3 record and finished first in the North Division. During the championship game, the team lost 55-52 to undefeated Century Junior High following a last second 3-point shot. Student…
Lightning starts fire in Orland Park home’s attic
By Bob Bong A lightning strike Sunday afternoon caused a small fire in the attic of an Orland Park home in the 13200 block of Harvest Crossing in the Silo Ridge subdivision. Officials of the Orland Fire Protection District said the fire started around 5 p.m. Sunday when a storm rolled through the area. The…
Larger crowds returning to Hills Chamber Business Expo
By Joe Boyle Phyllis Majka, president of the Hills Chamber of Commerce, said the organization’s annual Business and Community Expo is an opportunity for everyone to gather after a long winter. The irony was not lost on Majka and chamber members that while the calendar indicates spring, snow flurries were falling outside. “But we are doing quite well this…
Orland voters to decide who has power between mayor and village manager
By Jeff Vorva There is no mayoral election going on in Orland Park this year but this has the feel of mayoral elections from the recent past. Keith Pekau’s foes are coming out in full force this year, comparing him to Lori Lightfoot and Vladimir Putin, which he doesn’t appreciate, by the way. At issue?…
Palos South friends, classmates miss Jake’s laughter
By Bob Bong The halls at Palos South Middle School are not as loud as they used to be. That’s because Jake Kaminski isn’t around to make the other kids laugh. Jake died earlier this month in a skiing accident in Wisconsin. His family was trying to take advantage of the long Pulaski Day weekend…
Woman’s club, cadets highlight cheerful Palos Park meeting
By Jeff Vorva The meeting before Tuesday’s election in Palos Park was free of controversy. After a few recent meetings were packed with people and featured some strife, the March 27 village council meeting was packed but full of joy and accomplishments. Many were on hand from the Palos Park Woman’s Club, an organization that…
Chicago Ridge cops to get body cameras
By Dermot Connolly The Chicago Ridge Police Department is moving ahead with plans to purchase body cameras for officers, something that has been under consideration for a few years. Police Chief Jim Jarolimek told the Village Board at its March 21 meeting that the police department received a quote that day from Motorola to supply…
Illinois News
Senate approves measure to crack down on ‘crisis pregnancy centers’
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A rush of legislation passed before a Friday deadline in the Senate included proposals aimed at protecting those seeking reproductive health care in Illinois. The first of these proposals, Senate Bill 1909, would give the state’s attorney general explicit authority to…
Senate approves measure to crack down on ‘crisis pregnancy centers’
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A rush of legislation passed before a Friday deadline in the Senate included proposals aimed at protecting those seeking reproductive health care in Illinois. The first of these proposals, Senate Bill 1909, would give the state’s attorney general explicit authority to…
Senate approves measure to crack down on ‘crisis pregnancy centers’
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A rush of legislation passed before a Friday deadline in the Senate included proposals aimed at protecting those seeking reproductive health care in Illinois. The first of these proposals, Senate Bill 1909, would give the state’s attorney general explicit authority to…
Senate approves measure to crack down on ‘crisis pregnancy centers’
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A rush of legislation passed before a Friday deadline in the Senate included proposals aimed at protecting those seeking reproductive health care in Illinois. The first of these proposals, Senate Bill 1909, would give the state’s attorney general explicit authority to…
Senate approves measure to crack down on ‘crisis pregnancy centers’
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A rush of legislation passed before a Friday deadline in the Senate included proposals aimed at protecting those seeking reproductive health care in Illinois. The first of these proposals, Senate Bill 1909, would give the state’s attorney general explicit authority to…
Senate approves measure to crack down on ‘crisis pregnancy centers’
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A rush of legislation passed before a Friday deadline in the Senate included proposals aimed at protecting those seeking reproductive health care in Illinois. The first of these proposals, Senate Bill 1909, would give the state’s attorney general explicit authority to…
Senate approves measure to crack down on ‘crisis pregnancy centers’
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A rush of legislation passed before a Friday deadline in the Senate included proposals aimed at protecting those seeking reproductive health care in Illinois. The first of these proposals, Senate Bill 1909, would give the state’s attorney general explicit authority to…
Senate approves measure to crack down on ‘crisis pregnancy centers’
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A rush of legislation passed before a Friday deadline in the Senate included proposals aimed at protecting those seeking reproductive health care in Illinois. The first of these proposals, Senate Bill 1909, would give the state’s attorney general explicit authority to…
Senate approves measure to crack down on ‘crisis pregnancy centers’
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A rush of legislation passed before a Friday deadline in the Senate included proposals aimed at protecting those seeking reproductive health care in Illinois. The first of these proposals, Senate Bill 1909, would give the state’s attorney general explicit authority to…
Senate approves measure to crack down on ‘crisis pregnancy centers’
By ANDREW ADAMS & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A rush of legislation passed before a Friday deadline in the Senate included proposals aimed at protecting those seeking reproductive health care in Illinois. The first of these proposals, Senate Bill 1909, would give the state’s attorney general explicit authority to…
