Posts by Jeff Vorva
Area Hoops Wrap: Holiday tournament season starts early at Oak Lawn
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Oak Lawn got a jump on the rest of the area basketball world when its girls holiday tournament opened for business Dec. 10. Most area boys and girls holiday basketball tournaments take place the week before or the week after Christmas. But Oak Lawn has a tradition of hosting its…
Read MorePekau has mixed reactions to SAFE-T Act changes
By Jeff Vorva In response to criticism during the election campaign, the Illinois General Assembly has made some changes to the SAFE-T Act. Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, one of the act’s harshest critics, is not completely satisfied. Pekau has voiced criticism of the law, especially its no bail provision that kicks in on January…
Read MorePalos Heights council talks wall of tributes
By Jeff Vorva Tributes were the talk on Tuesday. The Palos Heights City Council meeting featured a discussion on building a wall to honor volunteers in town and kicked ideas around to honor former aldermen Dolores Kramarski, who died in November, and Alan Fulkerson, who died in 2020. The council unanimously voted to foot a…
Read MoreMahoney not running for Palos Park mayor; Milovich-Walters throws hat in the ring
By Jeff Vorva Palos Park will have a new mayor in 2023. John Mahoney will end his 16-year tenure as mayor next year after he announced this week that he will not run for a fifth term. “Every time you run for office you think about it,” the 60-year-old Mahoney said about leaving the post.…
Read MoreLocal Hoops Wrap: Transfers shining for Saint Xavier in early going
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The transfer portal is turning college athletics upside down, and Saint Xavier men’s basketball coach Robert Ford is enjoying it. And taking advantage of it. Jaeden King came to SXU in 2021 after transferring from NCAA Division II Tiffin University. Prior to that he played at Western Illinois. He is…
Read MoreArea Sports Roundup: College of DuPage repeats as national football champ
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The College of DuPage, the only junior college in Illinois with a football program, won its second straight National Junior College Athletic Association national championship with a 14-12 victory over North Dakota State College of Science in Glen Ellyn. Former Richards’ standout Marquel Porter caught a 25-yard pass for the…
Read MoreOrland Park gets in the holiday spirit with parade and tree lighting
By Jeff Vorva The Village of Orland Park’s lighting of the Christmas tree ceremony has been going on for decades, but its holiday parade just completed its sophomore run. The second holiday parade kicked off the festivities on Sunday followed by Mayor Keith Pekau and a group of children pulling the switch to not only…
Read MoreOrland Park man wins Turkey Trot; St. Laurence runner takes women’s title
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The number 19 meant good things on Thanksgiving morning. The top two finishers in the 34th running of the Orland Park Turkey Trot had “19” as part of the number on their bibs. Brandon Lukas, 25, of Orland Park, wore No. 7519 and took first place with a time of…
Read MoreArea Sports Roundup: Orland Park Pioneers honored; local hoops teams win Thanksgiving tourney titles
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Two youth football teams teams were honored by the Orland Park Village Board for winning Super Bowl championships in their respective divisions. The Orland Park Pioneers’ varsity and super lightweight players received awards and recognition Nov. 21 from the board and Mayor Keith Pekau, who has the distinction of playing…
Read MoreFootball Class 5A State Championship: Roadrunners win shootout for fourth state title
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Nazareth opened the season in August with a 2-0 win over Kankakee. It closed the season the afternoon of Nov. 26 with a 45-44 win over Peoria at Memorial Stadium in Champaign to take the IHSA Class 5A state championship. In between was a rollercoaster of wins and losses and…
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