Pirates take CRRL 10u softball crown
The Pirates recently won the right to say they are the 10u softball champions of Clear Ridge Little League. The Bucs amassed a 13-4-1 record this season and won the championship game by a score of 6-3. Members of the championship team are Alaina Nolan, Isabella Lehman, Gianna Whalen, Ava Verdin, Juliana LaPorte, Molly Mendez, Emilie Ashcraft, Meadow Mullen, Mila Solana, Jazlynn Stroup, Abbie Gasteier and Crista Hickey. The champs were coached by Jen Nolan, Maria Molinaro-Whalen, John Lehman and Mike LaPorte. –Photo courtesy of Carla Baluk
Local News
‘Me? A school bus driver?’
Spread the loveYes you, First Student says By Tim Hadac In a world where “Help Wanted” signs now outnumber “Wear a Mask” signs by about a thousand to one (or so it seems), employers across the board are scrambling to compete for prospective employees like never before. Having a leg up on the competition are…
City giving away bicycles
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A new program that will provide 5,000 free bikes, as well as maintenance and safety equipment, to Chicagoans by 2026, began earlier this week. Called Bike Chicago, the effort will see at least 500 bikes distributed to age and income-eligible Chicagoans throughout the program’s first year. Over the next four years,…
Prayers in the park, for peace
Spread the love A handful of Clearing and Garfield Ridge residents gathered last week at Hale Park to pray for peace, the well-being of police officers and an end to violence in the city. Organized by Clearing resident Jennifer New, the circle included several local faith leaders, as well as 23rd Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares.…
Veterans and families enjoy a banner day on Orland Park
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva When former Stagg teacher Diane Gurnea looks up and sees the banner displayed on Ravinia Avenue and 143rd Street in Orland Park, she can’t help but to be proud. Her father, John Langevin, and uncle, Robert Langevin, share a banner that was recently erected. The Village of Orland Park held…
It doesn’t have to be this way
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com Today I begin on a note of profound sadness. One of our own, a Garfield Ridge police officer, took her own life recently. I normally don’t name suicide victims, but CPD Officer Patricia “Patsy” Swank left a young son behind,…
Patriot’s Day Parade a success
Spread the love Red, white and blue were the colors of the day, as several thousand men, women and children lined Archer Avenue late last month to enjoy the Garfield Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Patriot’s Day Parade. The GRCC’s next large public event is its Back to School Extravaganza, set for August. Details are…
Quinn touts ‘get tough’ ordinance on reckless drivers
Spread the loveNew law gives CPD authority to seize, impound vehicles By Tim Hadac Thirteenth Ward Ald. Marty Quinn and a number of his City Council colleagues this week fired the latest salvo in the ongoing battle against those who use vehicles to engage in drag racing, drifting and other car stunts that create a…
Pro Soccer Report: Houston’s hat trick too much for Red Stars; Bezerra hat trick not enough for Fire II
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Bad things came in threes for the Chicago Red Stars. Houston’s Ebony Salmon scored three goals against the Red Stars’ defense and Chicago lost by three, 4-1, in an NWSL match July 16 at PNC Stadium. It snapped the Red Stars nine-game unbeaten streak. The loss dropped the…
IHSA releases 2022 football schedule
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer It’s that time of year. The IHSA has released the 2022 football schedule. So, from now until Aug. 26, one can go on the IHSA website, look at the schedules and see all of the blanks where the results and scores will be. It’s a clean sheet for…
Neighbors
Remembering Lee Milner
NEWS TEAM Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com On Wednesday, April 17, the Springfield, Illinois Capitol and journalism communities lost a devoted friend and advocate when Lee Milner passed away. As Dean Olsen wrote in his piece in the Illinois Times earlier this month, “Readers of Illinois Times often have seen Milner’s work as a freelance photojournalist. But…
Capitol Briefs: Expansion of postpartum coverage, ban on kangaroos among hundreds of measures to pass House
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois kangaroo owners are one step closer to being forced to surrender their marsupials this week after the House passed a bill criminalizing their possession. That was one of more than 300 bills to pass the House ahead of a Friday procedural deadline.…
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
By JERRY NOWICKI & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Weeks after two high-profile resignations at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday appointed the first-ever executive director to help lead the beleaguered agency. To fill the newly created position, the governor tapped Jim Montgomery, who most recently served as director of…
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…