
There was a lot of joy at the start of the kids' 50-yard dash at the Liberty Run. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Area Sports Roundup: Orland Park’s Krysta Stanko wins Liberty Run
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
Out-of-state runners have been doing well recently in the men’s division of the Orland Park Veterans Liberty Run.
In 2021, Minnesota Resident Owen Ford was a close second in the running of that race.
This year, another out-of-state athlete did one better.
Brett Hulliberger, of Waukesha, Wisconsin, won the 2-mile race at Centennial Park in 10:50.8 seconds.
Hulliberger has some Illinois connections, as he is on the cross country and track teams at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. He was on his way from Wisconsin to a family vacation in Michigan when he stopped to see his girlfriend in Orland Park and signed up for the race.
“I just wanted to have fun,” he said. “It’s a cool event.”
The woman’s champ was Orland Park resident and Andrew student Krysta Stanko, who placed eighth overall with a time of 13:02.7.
Her father, Dave, ran cross country while he was a student at Oak Lawn High School and placed 18th in the state in 1986.
There were 160 runners who finished the race and several that walked on a one-mile course. There was a 50-yard kids dash.

Brett Hulliberger of Wisconsin won the Veterans Liberty Run, held in Orland Park’s Centennial Park on July 1. Photo by Jeff Vorva
A list of the age group medalists in the Liberty Run:
Male 9-under: Connor Gregorson, Colin Young and Dylan Ahmer.
Female 9-younger: Taylor Bogdan, Elena Wilkins and Addison Bogdan.
Male 10-14: Dylan Straka, Colin Stack and Pounds Rylan.
Female 10-14: Samantha Barry, Kaylee Woods and Katie Ahmer.
Male 15-19: Saulo Mateo Ramiro, Peter Mulligan and Brayden Block.
Female 15-19: Krysta Stanko, Daniela Iraci and Charlotte Gallian.
Male 20-24: Brett Hulliberger, Patrick Gannon and Andrew Szmanski.
Female 20-24: Julia Dalmann and Stephanie Gaspardo.
Male 25-29: Tyler Guzinski and Zack Lundquist.
Female 25-29: Elyse Janosz, Michaela Trail and Cassandra Noonan.
Male 30-34: Trevor Noonan.
Female 30-34: Michelle Lally, Sarah Janosz, Stephanie Nolan.
Male 35-39: Colin Nolan, Scott Gerretse, Nick Gregorson.
Female 35-39: Kaitlyn Yoder and Katie Smith.

Runners (left to right) Andrew Heilman, Gavin Hanley and Colin Stack get ready for the Liberty Run. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Male 40-44: Dariusz Lisowski, Nicholas Janet and Jakob Luckhard.
Female 40-44: Courtney Luckhard, Mary Beth Casarez and Erica Bogdan.
Male 45-49: Michael Young, Benedyct Szymanski and Michael Turk.
Female 45-49: Bridget Young, Bridget Quinn and Elizabeth Aguinaga.
Male 50-54: Krzysztof Wasik, Sean McNamee and David Bruce.
Female 50-54: Paula Gaspardo, Erika Garcia and Sonya Levoy.
Male 55-59: Patrick O’Connell, Richard Rugett and Jim Downey.
Female 55-59: Vilma Elizondo.
Male 60-64: Doran Phillips and John Janosz.
Female 60-64: Laura Mniszewski-Krull, Kathy Jurcenko and Susan Janosz.
Male 65-69: Richard Schopper.
Female 65-69: Beverlee Dallmann.
Male 70-older: Alan White, Geoffrey Tryon and John Jurcenko.
Female 70-older: Paula Scheiwe, Kathy Kleczkowski and Judy Hetzel.

Orland Park’s Krysta Stanko (right) won the women’s division of the Liberty Run. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Heading to junior Olympics
The new Illinois Lightning Track team is already in a position to make some national noise.
Two athletes from the Palos Heights-based club qualified two athletes to the AAU Junior Olympics, which will be held July 30-Aug. 6 at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Richards’ Julia Niemeyer and Shepard’s Kyla Motley qualified at a recent qualifier in the heptathlon with Niemeyer scoring 3,520 points and Motley 3,291.
Rose ready for PDP League
Brother Rice catcher Zion Rose, who just completed his junior season helping the Crusaders to a third-place finish in the state in Class 4A, is one of 100 players invited to the Major League Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline League which wrapped up Wednesday in Cary, North Carolina.
Rose will also compete in the MLB-USA Baseball High School All-American Game at Dodger Stadium during All-Star Week.
Local News

She kept her promise
Spread the love. . By Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • [email protected] . Never underestimate a woman’s love for her man. Gary and Kimberly Hughes met in 1996. They fell in love and were wed in 1998. They bought a home near 61st and Natchez and were on their way…

Harvest done, but farmers still busy
Spread the loveBy Richard Guebert Jr. As snow blankets our frozen fields, winter is a time of reflection for farmers. What worked well, what could we do better and what challenges will the upcoming spring bring? Those are questions we ask ourselves as we ring in the new year and begin planning for the next…

Pritzker struggles to get auto manufacturing in gear
Spread the loveBy Rich Miller The Rockford Register-Star reported last week that the state of Illinois “has submitted what could be its best offer to keep the Belvidere Assembly Plant operating and save what could be thousands of jobs.” Stellantis announced in December it would idle its Jeep Cherokee assembly plant in February. So, there…

District 128 schools are going to the dogs and the kids love it
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Pet therapy has also been shown to improve energy levels, self-esteem, social skills, verbal communication and mood, as well as decrease depression. Palos Heights School District 128 made the decision to bring pet therapy into the classroom to help both its students and staff reap these benefits while enjoying the…

Orland Park cops honored and defended
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The Village of Orland Park hosted its police awards ceremony last week and, as usual, Mayor Keith Pekau expressed his gratitude for the job the police force does. He also was irked by some comments he has seen online with negative comments on a post. On Jan. 7, Orland police…

Warn of burglars in Garfield Ridge
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A cluster of residential burglaries in Garfield Ridge has prompted police to issue a warning to the community. Crime scenes include: 5200 block of South Normandy on Jan. 1. 5600 block of South Mobile on Jan. 7. 5300 block of South Mason on Jan. 10. 6000 block of West 60th Street…

Casten scolds sheriff on new gun control law
Spread the loveSays he can’t pick which laws to enforce By Tim Hadac U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-6th) and several other Democratic members of the state’s Congressional delegation recently sent a letter to DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, expressing concern over his Jan. 13 statement that he will not enforce the Protect Illinois Communities Act…

Bust accused shooter in Clearing
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac Chicago Police and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force visited Clearing late last month to apprehend a man wanted in connection with a West Side shooting. Shaheer Muhammad, 24 of the 3800 block of West Grenshaw, was arrested on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at a home in the 6000 block…

2023 Illinois tax filing season now open
Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Illinois Department of Revenue began accepting 2022 state individual income tax returns on Monday, the same date that the Internal Revenue Service began accepting federal individual income tax returns. “Taxpayers are encouraged to file electronically as early as possible in the tax season and choose direct deposit in order…

Palos Park tries to stay ahead of the curve on sextortion scams
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The Palos Park Police Department is trying to stay ahead of a disturbing trend that has not been talked about publicly very much. When it comes to the topic of sextortion scams, the Palos Park police are monitoring things very closely and Detective Ross Chibe was called on to provide…
Neighbors

‘Omnibus’ health care bill passed amid criticisms
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A law recently signed by Gov. JB Pritzker will extend the deadline for the state to transfer criminal defendants deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial from jail to a mental hospital. That same bill, House Bill 240, also gives nursing homes in Illinois two more years…

Veteran Statehouse reporter Hannah Meisel joins Capitol News Illinois reporting team
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS [email protected] Longtime Statehouse reporter Hannah Meisel has joined the Capitol News Illinois team as a full-time state government and politics reporter. She’s had a number of assignments covering the Statehouse and Illinois government since the 2014 legislative session, most recently serving as Statehouse editor for NPR Illinois from 2020 until after…

Replacing Illinois institution as secretary of state, Giannoulias makes modernization push
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – For newly sworn-in Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, customer service is the central mission as he assumes the state’s second-largest constitutional office, replacing the man who had held it for nearly a quarter century. “Modernization and bringing new technology is going to be at the forefront…

UPDATED: State preparing further defense of assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Monday filed a petition asking an appellate court to vacate a temporary restraining order that was issued late Friday afternoon blocking enforcement of the state’s recently-passed assault weapons ban. Raoul’s office filed the petition in the 5th District Appellate Court in…

State preparing further defense of assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and legislative leaders said they were disappointed but not surprised by a judge’s decision late Friday putting a temporary and limited halt to enforcement of the state’s recently-passed assault weapons ban. Effingham County Judge Joshua Morrison issued the temporary restraining order late Friday…

Rifle Association files federal suit against assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Rifle Association has joined forces with other gun rights advocates in filing a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s new ban on the sale and manufacture of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. It’s the latest legal challenge to the law, which went into effect…

DCFS, director face lawsuit filed on behalf of jailed wards
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services on Thursday was named in a federal class-action lawsuit on behalf of children in state care who have been held in juvenile detention centers after a judge ordered their release. Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert is a…

At World Economic Forum, Pritzker plays role of Illinois’ ‘best chief marketing officer’
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – After his second-term inauguration amid a frenzied “lame duck” legislative session last week, Gov. JB Pritzker took the global stage this week at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The governor and high-ranking members of his staff joined a bipartisan delegation of U.S.…

Watchdog seeks harsher penalties in wake of abuse at Choate
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois & MOLLY PARKER Lee Enterprises Midwest This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Lee Enterprises, along with Capitol News Illinois. The watchdog for the Illinois Department of Human Services is seeking harsher penalties against health care workers who obstruct abuse and neglect investigations. IDHS…

Rifle Association files federal suit against assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Rifle Association has joined forces with other gun rights advocates in filing a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s new ban on the sale and manufacture of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. It’s the latest legal challenge to the law, which went into effect…