Orland Park Trustee Joni Radaszewski, shown at a June 20 meeting, participated via phone at the Sept. 6 meeting. It was her first board meeting since being involved in a serious auto accident. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)
Orland trustee back on call after horrific accident
By Jeff Vorva
Orland Park Trustee Joni Radaszewski phoned it in on Sept. 6.
And the rest of her teammates on the board couldn’t be happier.
Radaszewski was seriously injured during an accident in Homer Glen on June 21 which killed her parents, Adrian Spaargaren and Kathleen Repsis, who were passengers in the car.
The trustee is still recovering from her injuries but was able to participate in her first board meeting since the accident via the phone.
“I want to say thank you to the board and the staff and everybody for covering for me while I’m on the road to recovery,” Radaszewski said. “I’m still on the mend. I’m definitely looking forward to being back to coming back to meetings and doing what I can.
“I’m sad that I missed all the fun stuff at the village over the summer. I’m looking forward to being a part of things moving forward. Thank you for your understanding, your sympathy and your support and for helping me see me through it.’’
Mayor Keith Pekau said the board misses her and told her he can’t wait until she returns to meetings in person.
Trustee Cynthia Nelson Katsenes added her sentiment.
“Welcome back Joni – we miss you,” she said. “You are an inspiration Just your smile and your demeanor…after everything you’ve been through you are a wonderful person and are very blessed to have you on the board with us.”
According to news reports, Christopher Haramija, 37, of Joliet, was cited for a variety of offenses including improper lane usage and transportation of open alcohol after the head-on collision with Radaszewski’s vehicle.
The accident occurred on 143rd Street less than 24 hours after she attended Village of Orland Park Committee of the Whole and village board meetings.
She was elected to the board in April 2021 along with Sean Kampas and Brian Riordan.
1 Comment
Local News
Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.
Neighbors
Prairie Band Potawatomi becomes 1st federally recognized tribe in Illinois
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Nearly 200 years after Native Americans were forced out of Illinois, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has become the first federally recognized tribal nation in the state after a decision from the U.S. Department of the Interior last week. The move represents the first victory in the tribe’s…
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…
So sorry for your accident. Loss of parents must be devastating. Stiffer penalties for dui’s are needed. God bless