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Local News

Baseball Class 4A State Finals: Brother Rice takes third with romp over McHenry
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Some view state third-place games as a waste of time. It’s usually the game nobody wants to be involved in after having their dreams of winning a state championship crushed by a loss in the semifinals. But the third-place game in the IIHSA Class 4A baseball state tournament produced a……

Pro Soccer Report: Red Stars blank Orland to finish brutal stretch unscathed
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer The Chicago Red Stars finished the busiest stretch of their season unbeaten. The five-games-in-16-days logjam ended with a 1-0 victory over Orlando on June 11 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Mallory Pugh drilled her fifth goal of the season in the 10th minute for the Stars (4-1-3), who entered this……

Softball 4A State Championship: Marist falls short in bid for repeat
By Randy Whalen Correspondent If someone would have told Emily Bojan that she would come up in the bottom of the seventh with an opportunity to tie or win the state championship game in her final high school at-bat, she’d love to be in that situation every time. But unfortunately, the Marist senior catcher hit……

Young Roadrunners win first baseball title to cap a huge sports season at Naz
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer Nazareth’s athletic class of 2024 could go down as the best in school history. The Roadrunners’ girls volleyball team finished first in the state in the fall. Two sophomores were among the eight players who were on the court during the Class 3A state championship game. The girls basketball team……

News from Springfield: Bill to stop catalytic converter theft becomes law
From staff reports Catalytic converter thieves will be unable to easily sell stolen parts for quick cash without creating a paper trail under a new law supported by state Rep. Fran Hurley (D-Chicago). “There has been a significant rise in catalytic converter thefts in recent years, which are a real safety risk for innocent vehicle……

Nazareth Academy’s Class of 2022 makes history
From staff reports On May 22, Nazareth Academy’s Class of 2022 celebrated their graduation and made school history by being the first class to have their graduation mass and commencement in the Alexine Chapel on campus. Commencement was the capstone event of a week of senior-themed celebrations including Circle the City, Closing School Mass, Awards……

News from Springfield: New law makes reaching 911 easier
From staff reports Legislation sponsored by state Senator Bill Cunningham that makes it easier for callers to reach 911 during an emergency was signed into law Friday. “This new law helps children during times of an emergency,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “We are removing barriers that……

New principal named for Oak Ridge School
From staff reports North Palos School District 117 announces that Stephanie Johnson will be the new principal at Oak Ridge School in Palos Hills beginning with the 2022-2023 school year. Johnson assumes the role of principal after spending the last two years as assistant principal at Glen Oaks School in Hickory Hills. She has been……

LULAC Council 5238 to help Latino families in Summit connect to internet
LULAC Council 5238 will host weekly events on Thursdays beginning June 9 at Summit Public Library to help eligible local Latino families enroll in the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program. The Village of Summit, Argo Community High School District 217, Summit Community School District 104, and Latinx Digital Leaders Now are proud to partner……
Neighbors

Pritzker signs bills protecting sexual assault victims
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed two bills into law Thursday aimed at protecting the victims of sexual assault. One of those new laws allows victims to press charges, even if they were voluntarily intoxicated at the time of the attack. Another expands where survivors can access treatment…

UPDATED: State reports COVID-19 outbreak at Manteno Veterans’ Home
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – At least 16 residents and six staff at the state-run veterans home in Manteno have tested positive for COVID-19 and one COVID-positive resident who was in hospice died Wednesday morning, according to the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The number of residents reached 17 Thursday after…

State reports COVID-19 outbreak at Manteno Veterans’ Home
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – At least 16 residents and six staff at the state-run veterans home in Manteno have tested positive for COVID-19 and one COVID-positive resident who was in hospice died Wednesday morning, according to the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs. All of the positive residents had received at…

Pritzker expands state child care subsidy, increases reimbursement rates
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Thousands more families in Illinois will soon be eligible for subsidized child care and child care providers will see a pay raise under a series of initiatives that Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday. Starting July 1, the state will invest more than $175 million in additional…

Pritzker signs bills targeting wage theft, expanding HIV care options
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker has signed 401 bills sent to him this calendar year, leaving just 10 of those passed by lawmakers this year awaiting his action as of Monday. His most recent crop of signed bills from Friday, June 10, included a measure taking aim at…

ANALYSIS: Pritzker, Mendoza see record ‘rainy day fund’ balance as proof of fiscal achievement
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] The state’s “rainy day” fund – spent down to essentially nothing during the 2015-2017 budget impasse – now has its highest-ever balance of $750 million after a $320 million deposit this week. While statutory fund transfers don’t usually make for headline fodder, the fact that the state is…

New poll shows Bailey ahead in GOP primary; Irvin ‘reassessing’ strategy
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] A new poll from the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago radio station WBEZ shows downstate state Sen. Darren Bailey with a 15-point lead on Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin in the GOP governor race, a major reversal with 18 days to go before polls close on Tuesday, June 28. Irvin’s…

Pritzker signs bill to expand mental health workforce
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Friday aimed at expanding the state’s mental health workforce and improving access to mental and behavioral health services throughout the state. Senate Bill 3617, an omnibus mental health bill, passed unanimously out of both chambers this spring. Among other things,…

ANALYSIS: Poll shows Illinoisans more moderate than GA on abortion
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A new survey released this week suggests Illinoisans are more moderate on the issue of abortion than the current Democratic-controlled General Assembly, but it is unclear whether that will cost Democrats votes in November. The poll by the Chicago-based firm Ogden & Fry – which is…

DCFS timeline shows agency visited family one day before 8-year-old’s death
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Amaria Osby’s friends and family were to gather Tuesday, not to celebrate her eighth birthday, but to attend her funeral. Andrea Hagler, Amaria’s mother, won’t be there. She is charged with the first-degree murder of her daughter. Amaria’s death once again drew scrutiny of Illinois’ child protection agency,…