Local News
By Dermot Connolly Two residents of Chicago’s Mount Greenwood neighborhood are running in the Democratic primary for the 35th District seat in the Illinois House, which stretches from the South Side of Chicago to Orland Park. Mary Gill, a lifelong district resident, was appointed last March to succeed Fran Hurley, who resigned to take a…
Read MoreBy Kelly White Beautiful voices rang out through the Orland community this past week. Held on March 7, Orland Township’s Senior American Idol was an annual event that brings together talented seniors to showcase their musical abilities. Orland Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady and the Board of Trustees invited seniors out for exciting evening filled with…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Palos Park officials want to keep their grocery tax. Recently, Gov. JB Pritzker said he was planning on getting rid of the state’s 1% grocery tax. The axing of tax, which goes to municipalities, would allow shoppers to save a small amount of money – a dollar for every $100 spent. But…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Kelly Burke would love to hand the ball off to fellow Evergreen Park resident Rick Ryan for her 36th District state representative seat. Palos Hills’ Sonia Khalil would love to intercept those plans. Ryan and Khalil are battling it out for the spot that Burke held since 2011. They are on the…
Read MoreFrom staff reports Expanded early voting for suburban residents kicked off on Monday at more than 50 polling locations in village halls, community centers, and courthouses across Cook County suburban communities. Suburban voters will have 53 sites to choose from to cast an early ballot in advance of the 2024 Presidential Primary Election on March 19. Early voting…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva More than 80 people crowded Orland Park’s Village Hall Monday night with many there to protest the village board’s decision not to draw up a resolution asking for a ceasefire in Gaza. Unlike a Feb. 5 meeting, in which there was yelling and chants and Mayor Keith Pekau having police clear the…
Read MoreBy Joe Boyle Two ordinances were passed at the Worth Village Board meeting Tuesday night requiring changes for pedestrian crossings and vehicular traffic. Police Chief Tim Denton said one ordinance needed to be amended regarding pedestrian and vehicular traffic. It needed to be made clear that individuals should not be walking along main streets and…
Read MoreBy Bob Bong Palos Heights aldermen rejected a $1.7 million renovation project for its aging City Hall building at a sometimes testy City Council meeting Tuesday night. Aldermen voted 5-3 to shoot down a plan that would have made some bathrooms compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, moved the Building Department back to the…
Read MoreBy Nuha Abdessalam Residents at last week’s city council meeting asked Palos Heights aldermen to scale back plans to renovate City Hall. Aldermen Michael McGrogan, Don Bylut, Jack Clifford and Robert Basso are seemingly at odds with Aldermen Heather Begley, Brent Lewandowski, Jeffery Key and Jerry McGovern over plans to renovate City Hall. At the…
Read MoreSoftball | Mother McAuley seeks to right ship
From Staff Reports The 2024 season is off to an uneven and somewhat rocky start for Mother McAuley. The Mighty Macs opened the spring with consecutive losses — 9-3 to Oak Forest on March 11 and 18-1 to Benet on March 13 — before getting off the schneid with an 18-1 win over Stagg on…
Boys Basketball | Players from Evergreen Park and Brother Rice to ball at prospect showcase
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Five players from the area have been invited to play on the South Suburban Team at the Illinois Hoop Prospect Senior All-Star Games scheduled to be played March 24 at Joliet Junior College. Brother Rice’s Zavier Fitch and Ty Wooten join Evergreen Park’s Nolan Sexton, Marist’s Darshan Thomas and Stagg’s Connor…
Girls Basketball | George Shimko takes reins for Mustangs
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent One longtime area basketball coach will succeed another at Evergreen Park. George Shimko, who brought success to the girls basketball programs at Queen of Peace and St. Laurence, has been named the new girls hoops coach at Evergreen Park. He will succeed Bruce Scaduto, who retired after 27 years with the…
De La Salle tabs Harold Blackmon as next football coach
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent A pair of familiar coaches from the area have landed in new spots. Harold Blackmon, who has been head football coach at St. Laurence and Oak Lawn, has been named coach at De La Salle. George Shimko, a former girls basketball coach at Queen of Peace and St. Laurence, will serve…
Red Stars, rugby will highlight big weekend at SeatGeek
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Things will get busy in Bridgeview this weekend. The Chicago Fire II will host its season opener against Toronto FC II at 6 p.m. Friday, March 22 at SeatGeek Stadium. The following day, the Chicago Red Stars make their 2024 home debut against Seattle at 3 p.m. Rugby invades the stadium…
Red Stars Report | Cooks provide recipe for success in Red Stars’ win over Utah
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Lorne Donaldson era is already Cook-ing. The new Chicago Red Stars coach enjoyed a victory in his debut with a 2-0 triumph over Utah in the NWSL season-opener for both teams on March 16 at America First Field in Sandy, Utah. The game was the first in franchise history for…
College Sports Wrap | Morton College OF Angelo Luna slugs two grand slams in one day
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Area college baseball sluggers had a grand time on March 16. Former St. Laurence standout Angelo Luna, a sophomore outfielder at Morton College, hit two grand slams and drove in 10 runs over two games as the Panthers beat Highland, 7-3 and 18-5, in a doubleheader at home. Luna has crushed…
College Notebook | Ex-Mount Carmel wrestler Sergio Lemley takes fourth in Big Ten
By Mike Walsh Correspondent One reason the Michigan wrestling team has been successful this season is freshman Sergio Lemley. At the Big Ten tournament, Lemley won three of his five matches to finish fourth at 141 pounds. The Wolverines placed second with 123.5 points behind conference champion Penn State (170.5). In the consolation semifinals, Lemley,…
Softball | Sandburg tops Richards, Crete-Monee to begin rebound season
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent With a blank slate, unblemished record and all goals still theoretically intact, beginning of the season for any sports team offers — if nothing else — hope. Teams are looking to start fresh and either rebound from a season that failed to meet expectations, or build on the success from and…
SD122 parents demand answers on school psychologist’s status
By Nuha Abdessalam A petition demanding the firing of a school psychologist at Ridgeland School District 122 for posting Islamophobic social media messages has gathered more than 1,400 signatures. The petition on change.org is “calling for the removal of the schoo psychologist Laurie Hoke for sharing posts and comments that are explicitly racist, Islamophobic, hateful,…
Illinois News
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…
Capitol Briefs: Pritzker executive order creates advisory council for affordable sickle cell treatment
DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed an order to create an advisory council to examine how Illinois’ Medicaid program can help cover costs of emerging gene therapies that effectively treat sickle cell disease and other rare disorders. About 5,000 Illinoisans live with sickle cell disease, a gene defect most…
Illinois high court asked to review law limiting venue in constitutional challenges
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court is being asked to decide on the constitutionality of a new state law that says constitutional challenges to state laws and actions can only be filed in Cook or Sangamon counties. Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office on Monday filed an appeal directly…
Diversity, judicial appointments at issue in 1st District Supreme Court race
By HANNAH MEISEL DILPREET RAJU & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The race for one of the seven Illinois Supreme Court seats pits an appointed incumbent against a second-time candidate as the two Democrats vie for their party’s nomination next week. Because no Republican has filed to run for the Cook County-based seat, it’s…
Pritzker agency heads questioned on $1.1 billion revenue proposals
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s revenue and budget directors took questions from a legislative panel Thursday on his proposals to generate another $1.1 billion in the upcoming fiscal year through various tax changes. Pritzker’s proposed spending plan anticipates $52.9 billion in revenue, with new funds raised by increasing…
Diversity, judicial appointments at issue in 1st District Supreme Court race
By HANNAH MEISEL DILPREET RAJU & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The race for one of the seven Illinois Supreme Court seats pits an appointed incumbent against a second-time candidate as the two Democrats vie for their party’s nomination next week. Because no Republican has filed to run for the Cook County-based seat, it’s…
Bailey vs. Bost congressional race among GOP primaries to watch
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The March 19 primaries in Illinois may seem anticlimactic to those who are only interested in presidential politics. Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump sewed up their nominations a full week before polls even opened in the Prairie State. But further down…
Candidate Q&A: Cunningham, Reyes make pitch for Supreme Court seat
Compiled by Capitol News Illinois There’s one contested primary for an Illinois Supreme Court seat on the March 19 ballot, with appointed incumbent Justice Joy Cunningham facing challenger and 1st District Appellate Court Justice Jesse Reyes. The 1st District race is for one of three Cook County seats and one of seven spots on the…
Pritzker agency heads questioned on $1.1 billion revenue proposals
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s revenue and budget directors took questions from a legislative panel Thursday on his proposals to generate another $1.1 billion in the upcoming fiscal year through various tax changes. Pritzker’s proposed spending plan anticipates $52.9 billion in revenue, with new funds raised by increasing…
House panel opens hearings on Pritzker’s health insurance reforms
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A panel of Illinois lawmakers began hearing testimony Wednesday on Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposals for sweeping changes in the state’s health insurance industry. The changes, which Pritzker first unveiled in his State of the State address in February, would limit the ability of companies to deny…
Orland Park lays the groundwork for public speaking at meetings
By Jeff Vorva All was calm at the March 4 Orland Park village board meeting. And Orland Park officials want to keep it that way. During a Feb. 5 meeting, there was yelling and chanting from protesters who wanted the board to draw up a resolution requesting a cease fire in Gaza. Mayor Keith Pekau…
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