Local News
PALOS PARK Rescheduled: An Evening with Michelle Zauner (Virtual) Join us for an evening with musician and author Michelle Zauner as she discusses her music career and her beloved bestselling memoir, “Crying in H Mart.” Music critic and producer Jessica Hopper joins her in conversation from 7-8 p.m. Monday, May 30. Register online through the calendar. Morse Code Bracelet…
Read MoreFrom staff reports Orland Park Public Library announced this week that five free concerts will be performed for residents at the library, 14921 S. Ravinia Ave. Three concerts are for families and two are intended for an adult audience. “The library has a long tradition of offering concerts during the summer on the weekends,” said…
Read MorePalos Park police are again asking residents to join them for a cup of joe at “Coffee With A Cop” at the Plush Horse, 12301 S. 86th Avenue. On May 12, residents were encouraged to bring their public safety concerns and stop by for a cup of coffee and to chat with officers Kevin Green…
Read MoreFrom staff reports Palos Park Police Commissioner Dan Polk is inviting the community to visit with the police as part of a Coffee with a Cop event today at noon at the Plush Horse, 123rd Street and 86th Avenue. Polk said residents can sit down with police officers over a cup of coffee and have…
Read MoreBy Steve Millar Correspondent As a four-year starter at defender, Erin O’Connor has been a rock on the back line for Sandburg her entire high school career. “She’s just so reliable,” Sandburg coach Tom Kubowicz said. “She’s a great leader back there, she’s dependable and she’s just so solid. We know what we’re going to…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Oak Lawn and Stagg took seconds in the first. The inaugural Illinois High School Association eSports State Tournament took place Saturday at Bloomington High School and area gamers had a chance to play in the historic event. Oak Lawn and Stagg both had second-place finishers in the tournament and Stagg added a…
Read MoreBy Steve Millar Correspondent Shepard senior Leah Rizzo has been a two-sport standout since her freshman year, and is a four-year varsity player in both volleyball and soccer. “Both sports are really different,” Rizzo said. “I get to be more aggressive on the soccer field, go at girls shoulder-to-shoulder and be physical. Volleyball is more…
Read MoreBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Chicago Christian continues to impress. Riverside-Brookfield is seeking consistency. That scenario played out April 19 when the Knights rallied for a big 18-25, 25-19, 25-18 comeback victory over the Bulldogs in a key Metro Suburban Conference matchup in Palos Heights. By week’s end, Chicago Christian (16-2, 3-0 in Metro Suburban) had extended…
Read MoreSeniors have been swindled out of millions of dollars due to various types of scams. In an effort to reduce the chances of falling victim, the Palos Park Police Department on Friday, April 29, at 6:30 p. m. at the Kaptur Center, 8999 W. 123rd St., will hold a Take a Slice out of Scams seminar…
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Library Briefs
PALOS PARK Rescheduled: An Evening with Michelle Zauner (Virtual) Join us for an evening with musician and author Michelle Zauner as she discusses her music career and her beloved bestselling memoir, “Crying in H Mart.” Music critic and producer Jessica Hopper joins her in conversation from 7-8 p.m. Monday, May 30. Register online through the calendar. Morse Code Bracelet…

Orland Park Library announces 5 free concerts for the summer
From staff reports Orland Park Public Library announced this week that five free concerts will be performed for residents at the library, 14921 S. Ravinia Ave. Three concerts are for families and two are intended for an adult audience. “The library has a long tradition of offering concerts during the summer on the weekends,” said…

Coffee with a Cop in Palos Park
Palos Park police are again asking residents to join them for a cup of joe at “Coffee With A Cop” at the Plush Horse, 12301 S. 86th Avenue. On May 12, residents were encouraged to bring their public safety concerns and stop by for a cup of coffee and to chat with officers Kevin Green…

Orland Township to host summer job fair June 7
From staff reports Orland Township will host its Summer Job Fair on Tuesday, June 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Orland Township Activity Center, 14807 S. Ravinia Avenue, Orland Park. The fair is open to all members of the public, and attendance is highly encouraged. Nearly 30 companies will be attending, representing…

Orland Park to add 7 names during Memorial Day ceremony
The Orland Park community is invited to join the village this Memorial Day in remembrance of those who have given their lives for our country. The ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, May 30, at the village’s memorial, Ara Pace – Place of Peace, located outside of Village Hall at 14700 S.…

Girls Soccer: De La Salle tops Bremen for program’s first regional title
By Steve Millar Correspondent De La Salle coach Carlos Nunez has seen his teams come up a bit short in the postseason repeatedly over the years. The Meteors had never won a regional championship in girls soccer. Until this year, that is. “I’ve been in every single one that we’ve lost in,” Nunez said. “We’ve…

Pro soccer report: Pugh tallies twice return in Red Stars’ win over Orlando
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Mallory Pugh gave a sample of what could be a big 2022 season when she scored four goals in the exhibition Challenge Cup series. But the Red Stars scoring threat missed the first two games of the NWSL season with an injury, and the team split decisions against Louisville and…

Area Sports Roundup: Sandburg takes 2nd at Bajenski tourney
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer The Sandburg baseball team has had more downs than ups this season. But the Eagles finished the regular season on a strong note with a run to second place at the Steven M. Bajenski Memorial Tournament, which wrapped up May 21 at Ozinga Field in Crestwood. To get to the…

Track Postseason Report: Sandburg boys 3200 relay records nation’s third-best time in 2022
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer How good was the competition in the boys track Class 3A Lockport Sectional in the 3200 meter relay? Sandburg’s relay team of Brock Rice, Declan Tunney, Trent Anderson and Sean Marquardt ran a time of 7:42.42, which tied for the third-best time in the nation in 2022. And that was…

Pop’s to celebrate National Italian Beef Day with week of specials
Palos Heights-based Pop’s Italian Beef & Sausage is beefing up May this year with a week-long celebration of National Italian Beef Day at each of their locations. As part of the celebrations, Pop’s is hosting an interactive contest on their Facebook page during the week of National Italian Beef Day from Monday, May 23, through…
Illinois News

Former lawmaker sentenced in bribery scheme
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Former state Rep. Luis Arroyo was sentenced this week to nearly five years in prison for his role in a bribery scheme involving a state senator and one of Arroyo’s private lobbying clients who sought favorable legislation for the sweepstakes gambling industry. Arroyo, 67, is a…

Republican governor candidates on the issues
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Abortion, January 6, Donald Trump, Critical Race Theory and whether Joe Biden is rightfully the president of the United States were the basis of questions asked to a field of six Republican candidates for Illinois governor Tuesday. A pair of debates took place on two stages…

CAPITOL RECAP: Republican candidates debate
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – The six Republican candidates for Illinois governor faced off Tuesday night in Chicago, albeit on two separate debate stages, hours after a shooting at a Texas elementary school that dominated a large portion of the debates. A scheduling conflict between two TV networks – WGN and NBC 5 –…

ANALYSIS: Illinois’ official U.S. census numbers have not changed
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday that he is asking President Joe Biden and the federal government to increase Illinois’ share of federal funding to reflect the results of a recent Census Bureau study showing the state was very likely undercounted in the 2020 census. The news…

GOP debate: Candidates address rising crime, Texas school shooting
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The six Republican candidates for Illinois governor faced off Tuesday night in Chicago, albeit on two separate debate stages, hours after a shooting at a Texas elementary school that dominated a large portion of the debates. A scheduling conflict between two TV networks – WGN and…

GOP Floor Leader Batinick ready to ‘pass the baton’
By GRACE KINNICUTT Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois House Republican Floor Leader Mark Batinick, a self-described “policy guy,” came to Springfield with the goal of pushing good policy. A father of five who resides in Plainfield with his wife, Batinick said after eight years in the General Assembly, it was either time to…

Longtime lawmaker reflects on time in General Assembly, calls it ‘honor of lifetime’
By GRACE KINNICUTT Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – House Majority Leader Greg Harris, the number two Democrat in the Illinois House of Representatives, never imagined landing the role of state representative – or that he would leave office feeling that he has been successful at it. The first openly LGTBQ leader in Illinois History,…

11th contempt citation filed against DCFS director
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – On Thursday afternoon, a Cook County judge found Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith in contempt of court for the 11th time for violating court orders to move children to proper placements. The 11-year-old girl at the center of the case has…

Criminal case against senior staff at state-run hospital dismissed
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The official misconduct case against a Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center senior staff member was dismissed on Thursday. Union County State’s Attorney Tyler Tripp dropped the charges, related to a cover-up of abuse at the state-run facility, against Choate’s quality assurance manager Gary Goins. The…

ANALYSIS: Fuel retailers sue over ‘compelled speech’ at the gas pump
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] “As of July 1, 2022, the State of Illinois has suspended the inflation adjustment to the motor fuel tax through December 31, 2022. The price on this pump should reflect the suspension of the tax increase.” Those two sentences may be coming to a gas pump near you…