Posts by Steve Metsch
Pedestrian bridge to cross busy intersection in Countryside
By Steve Metsch We all know you can get your kicks on Route 66. But soon, thanks to $2.5 million grant from the state, you will get your kicks crossing over Route 66. The historic highway – known as Joliet Road in Countryside – will be getting a pedestrian bridge at the intersection with Brainard…
Read MoreCountryside finally gets bids for water main project
By Steve Metsch Lo and behold, there is a bidder for a public works project in Countryside. A few months after learning no bids had been submitted for the Sunset Avenue water main replacement, city engineer John Fitzgerald was pleased to inform the city council on June 14 that an interested company has been found.…
Read MorePooches may get their own park in Countryside
By Steve Metsch The city of Countryside may be going to the dogs. At a city council meeting earlier this year, Mayor Sean McDermott said he was interested in opening a dog park in Countryside. “I’ve heard a number of residents bring it up during the campaign,” McDermott said. “I’d like to ask the infrastructure…
Read MoreLyons Fest offers five nights of music over holiday weekend
By Steve Metsch Lyons Fest proved so popular last year, the village has decided to add a day and night. This year’s Lyons Fest will be spread over five days and nights at Veterans Park, 4100 S. Lawndale Ave., just south of Ogden Avenue. The event kicks off on Friday, June 30, and runs through…
Read MoreBig turnout at Father’s Day Car Show in Lyons
By Steve Metsch If it’s Father’s Day, James Stano is going to be in Lyons. Stano, 58, of Berwyn, said it’s an annual tradition for he and his family to visit the Father’s Day Car Show held in Lyons’ Smith Park each June. Stano was overheard quizzing Kissi, his 13-year-old daughter, about cars. “She knows…
Read MoreQuikTrip fueling center moves forward in Bridgeview
By Steve Metsch Bridgeview Trustee Mike Pticek was so excited to attend the latest village board meeting, he canceled a doctor’s appointment. Pticek did not want to miss a chance to vote on selling land to a developer expected to bring plenty of tax money to village coffers. A fueling center on a block-long site…
Read MoreMcCook hires mayor’s brother as police chief
By Steve Metsch McCook’s new police chief has a familiar last name. Jeremy Carr is the younger brother of Mayor Terrance Carr. His promotion from commander to chief, effective July 1, was unanimously approved by the village board on June 19. Mayor Carr after the meeting was quick to say nepotism was not involved. “He…
Read MoreSpeeding on White Avenue worries Lyons resident
By Steve Metsch A Lyons man brought to the village board his concerns about vehicles speeding down his normally quiet residential street. Kyle Comstock, 32, of the 8000 block of White Avenue, told the board at its June 20 meeting that he worries about the safety of his 2-year-old son playing outdoors. Motorists are speeding…
Read MoreCountryside mum on rehiring woman fired over COVID vaccine
By Steve Metsch During the public comment portion of the May 24 city council meeting, Countryside resident Maria Nedelcu again questioned the officials about her daughter, Julia Torres, getting her job back with the police department. Torres had been fired in November 2021 for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. She had been a community service officer.…
Read MoreCountryside denies gas station proposal
By Steve Metsch Taking a cue from the plan commission and zoning board of appeals, the Countryside City Council denied a request to build a service station in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn. “They didn’t have a specific (gas station) in mind,” City Attorney Erik Peck said after the council meeting on May…
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