Local News
Moraine Valley Community College is hosting its popular Movie in the Moonlight series this summer. The college will show three movies on a 16-foot inflatable screen at the Gateway, between Buildings F and M, on campus, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills. Admission is free. The first movie is the Oscar-nominated “Puss in Boots” on…
Read MoreBy Steve Millar Correspondent It was a tough regular season for a young Sandburg team, which entered the playoffs on a six-game losing streak. The fifth-seeded Eagles put that all behind them May 16, running away with an 8-2 win over 11th-seeded Bloom in a Class 4A Lincoln-Way West Regional semifinal in New Lenox. Sophomore…
Read MoreBy Steve Millar Correspondent Evergreen Park’s players believed they had a special team this season. That was validated when they accomplished something the program had not done in 37 years. With their 4-2 win over Shepard on May 16, the Mustangs sealed the outright South Suburban Red championship for their first conference title since 1986.…
Read MorePalos Park is going to the dogs on Saturday, May 20. Two- and four-legged friends are invited to the Palos Park Rec Center, 8901 W. 123rd St., for 1-mile fun run/walk (with or without your dog), and 5K run/walk with or without your dog. Free parking for the event is available next to the Rec Center…
Read MoreComcast announced that it has officially launched service in Palos Park. Village residents now have or soon will have access to Comcast’s full suite of Xfinity services, including gigabit+ internet speeds. Commercial and government entities will have access to the company’s full suite of Comcast Business services. Comcast said service would roll out in phases across town through the end of spring. Comcast will notify…
Read MoreBy Bob Bong Police departments across the south suburbs are gearing up for another high-flying fundraiser for Special Olympics Illinois. Police will be hanging out at more than 325 Dunkin’ Donut coffee shops across Illinois starting at 5 a.m. Friday, May 19, for another edition of Cop on a Rooftop. They will be collecting donations…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Stagg was stagger-ing in the second running of the Illinois High School Association’s eSports State Tournament. There were no team scores recorded in the event, held April 29 at Evergreen Park Community High School, but if there were, Stagg would have had a good shot at a state championship. In the five…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva After 16 years, retiring Palos Park Mayor John Mahoney presided over his last full meeting on April 24. He’ll get to bang the gavel one more time on May 8 before turning it over to new mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters. Mahoney did not have a long speech, but he did have a few…
Read MoreBy Kelly White Children’s Theatre Company is thrilled to have Palos Park native Katie Spelman as choreographer for the highly-anticipated world premiere of “An American Tail the Musical.” Showcasing from April 25 through June 18 at CTC’s UnitedHealth Group Stage, 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, “An American Tail the Musical” will hold its opening night on Saturday,…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva There will be a wait before playtime. Palos Park village Council members voted on April 10 to accept a proposal from Westchester-based NuToys Leisure to replace playground structures and surface at Village Green Park. The bill will run $226,887. But it’s going to take a while before kids will be running, jumping and swinging on…
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Comings & Goings: Jason’s Deli closes in Oak Lawn
By Bob Bong Jason’s Deli, which had been open in Oak Lawn for more than 10 years, closed its doors for the last time on May 31. According to employees, the Beaumont, Texas-based restaurant at 6260 W. 95th St. closed because the lease was up and the company decided not to renew. Messages to the…

Stagg breaks ground on $15M school expansion
By Dermot Connolly Stagg High School administrators, teachers and students all lifted ceremonial shovels at a June 2 groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of a two-year $15.5 million expansion project that will add 11 new classrooms, four science labs and much more at the Palos Hills school. The build-out at the District 230 school at 8015…

Special Ed students, seniors race for friendship
By Kelly White While cars revved their engines at the Indy 500 this past weekend, residents at Grace Point Place in Oak Lawn were able to join in on the excitement. Grace Point Place, an Anthem Memory Care community located at 5701 W. 101st St., celebrated the Indy 500 on May 25 with a remote-control car race against…

Orland Park police station to be named after former chief Tim McCarthy
By Jeff Vorva Sometime in the near future, Tim McCarthy will be driving by or visiting his old home at the Orland Park police station and he will notice something new. His name. The Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees voted to name the station the Tim McCarthy Police Headquarters at its June 5…

23 EPCHS students achieve perfect attendance
Twenty-three Evergreen Park Community High School students were recognized by Principal Bill Sanderson at a breakfast in the school cafeteria on May 19 for having achieved perfect attendance for the 2022-2023 school year. Perfect attendance is truly an accomplishment, and we commend the following students and their parents for their focus on coming to school…

Chicago man charged in Palos Heights motor vehicle thefts
From staff reports A Chicago man was charged last week with possession of stolen motor vehicles after Oak Lawn police found him allegedly driving a van stolen in Palos Heights. Police said they responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of Good Shepherd Church at 7800 McCarthy Road about noon…

Palos 118 foundation donates $30,000 for new classroom displays
The Palos 118 Educational Foundation recently made a $30,000 donation to Palos School District 118 for classroom equipment upgrades. The donation will be used for the purchase and installation of new 70-inch interactive displays in all of the district’s third-grade elementary classrooms. “Our hope is that the new displays can be delivered and installed over…

Family-run Bobalicious pops up on Harlem with community focus
By Isabella Schreck Families can bond and kids can have fun at Bobalicious in Palos Heights, according to co-owner Gustavo Godinez. The cafe, which opened in late November at 12250 S. Harlem Ave., offers dozens of teas, smoothie and other drink combinations. It sells boba toppings and features free popcorn, cotton candy, foosball, air hockey…

Moraine Valley to host summer Movie in the Moonlight series
Moraine Valley Community College is hosting its popular Movie in the Moonlight series this summer. The college will show three movies on a 16-foot inflatable screen at the Gateway, between Buildings F and M, on campus, 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills. Admission is free. The first movie is the Oscar-nominated “Puss in Boots” on…

Shepard JROTC closes year with awards ceremony
The U.S. Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Shepard High School concluded its academic year recently with an awards ceremony honoring cadets who distinguished themselves. Many national organizations presented awards to students for scholastic excellence, JROTC leadership and involvement, conduct, and military bearing. Students named the top cadets in their academic class…
Illinois News

On the witness stand, ex-legislator finally acknowledges he wore wire for FBI
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Former state Sen. Terry Link, a nearly 24-year veteran of the Illinois Capitol, publicly acknowledged for the first time this week that he’d worn a wire to secretly record a fellow lawmaker in 2019. Link, a Vernon Hills Democrat, has spent years denying news media reports…

Pritzker puts final stamp on $50.4 billion state spending plan
By ANDREW ADAMS & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker signed the state’s operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year on Wednesday, marking the first spending plan of his second term as governor. The $50.4 billion spending plan anticipates about $50.6 billion in revenues for the fiscal year that begins…

New law limits venue for constitutional lawsuits to Sangamon, Cook counties
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – People who file lawsuits in state courts challenging the constitutionality of a state law, administrative rule or executive order will now have to file those cases in either Sangamon or Cook counties. Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed House Bill 3062, which applies only to cases…

As trial begins, politically connected businessman claims feds set him up to bribe legislator
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Nearly four years after his name first surfaced in connection with a bribe arrangement between two sitting lawmakers, politically connected businessman James Weiss is finally having his day in court. Weiss, who is married to former state Rep. Toni Berrios, D-Chicago – the daughter of longtime…

Pritzker set to consider signing more than 500 bills in the next three months
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers passed 566 bills through both chambers of the General Assembly in the recently concluded legislative session – all but one of them in May. It sets the table for an approximate three-month bill-signing season for Gov. JB Pritzker. That’s because the state’s constitution gives…

Capitol Cast: End of Session Review
Capitol News Illinois · End of Session Review The Capitol News Illinois team breaks down the highlights of the just-completed 2023 spring session.

Cannabis regulatory reform bill fails to advance in spring legislative session
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A proposed cannabis reform bill won’t get further consideration until at least the General Assembly’s fall veto session after stakeholders failed to come to an agreement during the spring session’s final stretch. Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat and the bill’s sponsor, told Capitol News…

Top Democrats announce budget ‘deal,’ but details are scant as last-minute negotiations continue
By JERRY NOWICKI, HANNAH MEISEL & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] UPDATE: The budget was filed as a 3,409-page amendment to Senate Bill 250 late Wednesday evening. This story has been updated to reflect the latest developments as of Wednesday night. SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic leaders announced Wednesday they’ve agreed…

Legislature approves bill to tighten restrictions on red-light camera industry
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — Lawmakers in Springfield have unanimously approved a measure that would place new restrictions on the red-light and speed camera industry’s involvement in state and local elections and government. House Bill 3903 would ban automatic traffic enforcement companies or their officers from donating to candidates for public…

State board of education looking for new providers in preschool ‘deserts’
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Even though Gov. JB Pritzker has yet to sign the budget bill lawmakers just passed, the Illinois State Board of Education is seeking applicants for some of the new money contained in that bill. ISBE is looking for new providers to offer preschool programs in areas…