Kennedy students win big scholarship
Kennedy High School graduating seniors John Strus (left) and Douglas DaSilva have won the Wentcher Scholarship this spring. The scholarship is worth $40,000 (spread out over four years). The Wentcher Foundation identifies students nearing graduation from Chicago Public Schools who exemplify academic excellence, high character and demonstrate financial need. This fall, Strus will be attending Illinois Institute of Technology, and DaSilva will begin studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. DaSilva is an alumnus of Hale Elementary School, while Strus went to Byrne School. –Supplied photo
Local News
Hoops Wrap | Four area girls teams take regional titles
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Four area girls basketball teams won regional championships to advance to sectional action, which was scheduled to start Feb. 21. Two of those teams will play each other right away. In Class 3A, Nazareth won the St. Laurence Regional and De La Salle won its own regional, setting…
College Notebook | Sandburg grad Madison Giglio making a splash at Toledo
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent The University of Toledo’s Madison Giglio was lauded as the Mid-American Conference’s Women’s Diver of the Week for the timeframe ending Jan. 25. Giglio, a junior who prepped at Sandburg, won both diving events in the Rockets’ tri-meet against MAC opponents Buffalo and Ohio on Jan. 20. Giglio won…
Major League Rugby | Chicago Hounds could emerge strong in expansion season
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer There is a school of thought that the expansion Chicago Hounds could win the Major League Rugby championship in their inaugural season. Their first game, however, was a case of attending the school of hard knocks. The Hounds debut resulted a 42-27 setback to Old Glory DC at…
Area Sports Roundup: Lyons’ Collins will be busy at state swim meet
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer A host of area boys swimmers qualified for the IHSA state meet, which begins Friday at FMC Natatorium in Westmont. At the Hinsdale Central Sectional, Lyons finished second with 253 points, 99 behind the champion Red Devils. Lions senior Quinn Collins is heading to state in four events…
Exclusive Interview: Casten reaching out to mayors and people of the 6th District
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Congressman Sean Casten doesn’t want to waste time learning about the new communities in the 6th District. Casten beat out Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau in the November election and was sworn back into office in January. But the district had been re-jiggered and had changed. In addition to some of…
Boys Wrestling | Mt. Carmel, Marist will be well-represented at state finals
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent As Sergio Lemley embarks on the final couple weeks of a storied high school wrestling career, the Mount Carmel senior is determined to soak it all in. Lemley has won three state championships, capturing two as a member of the Caravan during his freshman and junior seasons, and one…
Area Sports Roundup: Curie’s Grandberry eyes wrestling state title
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The inaugural IHSA state girls wrestling meet took place last year, with Curie heavyweight Aaliyah Grandberry finishing second at the historic event. She would like to do a just a little bit better this year. Gradberry will shoot for a state championship beginning Friday at Grossinger Motors Arena…
Hoops Wrap | Oak Lawn girls win third straight conference championship
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer It couldn’t have been scripted much better than this. Two neighborhood rivals, both with 8-4 records in the South Suburban Red, went to battle on Feb. 7 with the girls basketball conference title on the line, and the Spartans earned their third straight Red title by knocking off…
Boys Wrestling | Brother Rice and St. Rita each sending four to Champaign
Spread the loveEvergreen Park, Richards and Kennedy grapplers also headed to state By Mike Walsh Correspondent Call it purpose or focus or determination. Whichever word you choose, Brother Rice’s Bobby Conway had it in abundance entering the final match at 126 pounds at the IHSA Class 2A Hinsdale South Sectional on Feb. 11. The sophomore…
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Pritzker says state ‘obviously’ needs to change 2010 law that shrunk pension benefits
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com With a month-and-a-half left in the General Assembly’s spring session, Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration is readying its proposal to address Illinois’ chronically underfunded pension system. But the governor this week also acknowledged in the strongest terms yet that any plans to finally get the state on track toward…
Pritzker’s health insurance reforms targeting ‘utilization management’ clear House
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated a partial legislative victory Thursday night when the House passed his initiative to end some practices health insurance companies use to control the amount and cost of health care services individual patients receive. The “Healthcare Protection Act,” House Bill 5395, cleared the…
Lawmakers, cannabis industry calls for ban on ‘delta-8’ and other psychoactive hemp products
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ largest cannabis business association is pushing to ban the sale of delta-8 THC, an increasingly popular psychoactive substance that’s popped up in corner stores across the country in recent years. New legislation filed in Springfield this week revives an ongoing debate over delta-8 and other…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Capitol Briefs: Bill creating new early childhood agency among 244 to advance
By ALEX ABBEDUTO HANNAH MEISEL & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to create a new state agency to oversee Illinois’ various early childhood programs moved forward on Friday after the state Senate’s unanimous approval. It was one of 244 bills that cleared the Senate this week. Early childhood…
INVESTIGATE MIDWEST: Farmers have clamored for the Right to Repair for years. It’s getting little traction in John Deere’s home state
By Jennifer Bamberg, Investigate Midwest Originally published April 10, 2024 During the 2023 harvest season, one of Jake Lieb’s tractors quit working. A week later, his combine stopped working, too. Both were new — and he was locked out from making any repairs himself because of software restrictions embedded in the machines. Instead, a technician…
Capitol Briefs: Pritzker appoints first-ever Prisoner Review Board director; Chicago advances migrant funding
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Advocates renew push to tighten firearm laws aimed at protecting domestic violence victims
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for stricter gun laws rallied at the state Capitol Tuesday for a measure aimed at protecting domestic violence victims and two other criminal justice reforms. The bills are backed by organizations such as Moms Demand Action and One Aim Illinois among others. “These policies support…
Education leaders seek added state funding to help districts accommodate influx of migrants
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The recent surge of international migrants arriving in Illinois has brought with it a host of new challenges for state and local officials. Those range from filling their most basic needs like emergency food, clothing and shelter, to more complex issues like lining them up with…
Solar investments take center stage as questions loom on state’s renewable future
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com BOLINGBROOK – A manufacturer in the southwest suburbs of Chicago received $2.6 million from electric utility Commonwealth Edison this week as part of a state program for generating its own electricity using solar panels and storing it in one of the largest batteries in the country. But even…