Some of the fans attending the first Veterans’ Tuesday in the Park event listen to Peter Militec belt out Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man’ on June 1. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Veterans event gets rolling in Orland Park
By Jeff Vorva
The first Veterans’ Tuesday in the Park event at Orland Park’s Civic Center got rolling on June 1 and there was a sparse crowd at the beginning of the night.
Mayor Keith Pekau said word of mouth should help bolster the crowd during future events and encouraged the crowd to tell their friends about the remaining three events on June 15, July 6 and July 20. He said the event is open to the public.
Peter Militec provided entertainment with his piano during the opener.
Entertainer Peter Militec attacks the keyboard during the first Veterans’ Tuesday in the Park Event on June 1.
On June 15, the Sweet Reminder Duo (an Andrews Sisters musical revue) will help celebrate with World War II and Korean War generation.
On July 6, My Dad’s Cover Band will help celebrate the Vietnam War generation.
On July 20, Five Guys Named Moe will celebrate the Global War on Terror generation.
War collectibles are for sale, courtesy of Palos Heights’ Gary Martin, during Veterans’ Tuesdays in the Park.
Local News
Steve’s Bite holds grand opening
By Kelly White Palos Heights welcomed in a new business last weekend. Steve’s Bite, 11906 S. Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights, held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on October 15. The store officially opened its doors over the summer, and owners Sufian “Steve” and Kifah Syouri said they could not be happier to…
Lake Katherine pays homage to the mighty oak
By Kelly White Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanic Gardens celebrated the oak tree during the month of October with a cleverly named, Oak-tober Fest last weekend. “We wanted to have an event that was more of a fall festival in addition to the Monarch Celebration that we hold in September,” Gareth Blakesley, Director and…
Coyne Schofield to be honored as IBAM’s Person of the Year
By Jeff Vorva Palos Heights hockey legend Kendall Coyne Schofield is picking up a huge award Friday night and it doesn’t have much to do with hockey. Schofield was named the Irish Books, Art and Music Person of the Year and will be honored at the group’s 13th Awards Gala Oct. 22 at the American…
‘White Elephant’ Civic Center a center of attention at Orland Park board meeting
By Jeff Vorva It appears that over the years, the Orland Park Civic Center may have become the “white elephant” that long-ago village trustee William Vogel was worried about. Shortly before the center opened its doors to a business expo in September 1989 to debut the new place, Vogel told the Star Newspaper, “Let’s face…
Orland Park caregiver arrested for forgery
From staff reports A caregiver for an elderly couple in Orland Park has been charged with stealing more than $4,000 from the couple, police said. Police said Shantae White, 36, of Calumet City, was charged with forgery (a class 3 felony) after a lengthy investigation discovered she had been forging checks and using their debit…
No casino at Lake Katherine — eighth-graders have fun at mock city council meeting
By Jeff Vorva To be clear, the City of Palos Heights legal team is not investigating the feasibility of putting a casino on the banks on the Cal Sag Channel at Lake Katherine. Nor did the city approve a skateboard park. Nor an outdoor hockey rink. Nor a licensed daycare center for reindeer. Nor is…
Trinity Christian women’s soccer coach Josh Lenarz wins 300th game
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent It’s way, way, way too early to predict this, but it’s not something to dismiss. At this pace, Trinity Christian College women’s soccer coach Josh Lenarz could someday win his 600th career game. While the current NAIA record is 380 triumphs by Oklahoma City’s Brian Harvey over a 26-year span, Lenarz…
Pro Soccer Report: Red Stars battling for home playoff match
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Red Stars played their final regular-season game at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday night with a 2-1 victory over Kansas City in a National Women’s Soccer League game. Is there a chance they will be back in Bridgeview for a postseason match? Even though the top four teams in the…
High School Football: Streaking St. Rita pounds Providence
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent St. Rita is still back on track. On Sept. 11, St. Rita’s football team came home after being battered around by Loyola in Wilmette, 37-7. That dropped the Mustangs to 1-2 after suffering a tight loss to Mount Carmel two weeks prior. In that game, they lost talented running back and…
Sheriff Dart, state Sen. Collins propose legislation to ban ‘ghost guns’
From staff reports Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart and state Senator Jacqueline Collins have proposed legislation to ban “ghost guns”–homemade, untraceable weapons that are increasingly being found by police fighting Chicago area violence. “The rapid proliferation of these weapons is alarming, and they are intentionally being used by individuals who want to thwart investigations…
Neighbors
CAPITOL RECAP: Major action expected in veto session’s second week
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – The legislative action was light during the General Assembly’s first week of fall session, and lawmakers in both chambers left town a day early after leadership canceled the Thursday session. That means bigger items, such as a vote on congressional maps and potential changes to the Health Care Right…
Pritzker mandates vaccine for day care professionals
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced an executive order Friday that will add day care personnel to the list of professions that must either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing. The governor’s office said it expects the order to affect 55,000 individuals in the state,…
Illinois Supreme Court strikes down Cook County tax on guns
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a Cook County tax on gun purchases is unconstitutional, but it left the door open for a more tailored tax that specifically goes toward mitigating gun violence and its effects. The Cook County gun tax, which took effect in…
Public speaks out on proposed congressional maps
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Members of the public got their first chance to speak directly to state lawmakers Wednesday about a proposed set of new congressional district maps, and most of those who did were critical of the plan. Democrats in the General Assembly released a proposed new map Friday…
Heavy workload expected next week as lawmakers cancel Thursday session
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The legislative action was light during the General Assembly’s first week of fall session, and lawmakers in both chambers left town a day early after leadership canceled the Thursday session. That means bigger items, such as a vote on congressional maps and potential changes to the…
Federal court throws out June legislative maps, declines to send issue to bipartisan commission
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A three-judge federal court panel in Chicago ruled Tuesday that the legislative redistricting plan that Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law in June – before official 2020 U.S. Census numbers were available – was unconstitutional because the population variances among districts violated the “one-person, one-vote” doctrine.…
State ramping up vaccine booster campaign
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday urged eligible Illinoisans to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot and called on skilled nursing facilities to make booster shots available to patients and staff by Thanksgiving. Currently anyone who received the Pfizer vaccine and is over 65 years of age…
State worker vaccine deadline extended to Oct. 26 for first dose
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced Monday that his administration has reached agreement with multiple trade unions requiring certain state workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but it is extending the deadline for workers to get their first shot to Oct. 26 while negotiations continue with the state’s…
Lawmakers returning to Springfield to consider congressional remap, more
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ first congressional remap draft is out but changes could be in store as lawmakers return to Springfield Tuesday for the first of their final two weeks of scheduled session in 2022. It’s customary for lawmakers to meet each fall to consider overriding or accepting any…
CAPITOL RECAP: New congressional maps unveiled ahead of veto session
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly released a proposed set of new congressional district maps Friday, just days before lawmakers return to the Statehouse for the start of their fall veto session, which begins Oct. 19. All states redraw their congressional districts following each decennial census. The proposed new…
