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Local News

26 hurt in Bedford Park tent collapse
Spread the loveFrom staff reports More than two dozen people at an event in Bedford Park last week were injured when the tent they were meeting in collapsed. Bedford Park Police said they responded to assist the Bedford Park Fire Department at 10:44 a.m. on Thursday, September 14, in the 5600 block of West 73rd…

Former McCook police chief pleads guilty to extortion
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Mario DePasquale, former police chief of McCook pleaded guilty last week to conspiring with the village’s former mayor to extort two businessmen out of tens of thousands of dollars. DePasquale, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion during a brief hearing before U.S. District Judge Elaine…

AERO opens new facility in Burbank
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong When Queen of Peace High School in Burbank announced it was closing in 2018, the good folks at AERO special education co-op saw a golden opportunity. They purchased the school’s 13-acre site at 7659 S. Linder Ave. in August 2019 for $3.2 million. The plan was to retrofit the high…

St. Gianna Fest (formerly Queen of Martyrs Fest) kicks off fall activities
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Fall begins this week but there is no shortage of activities occurring this month and next in Evergreen Park. Mayor Kelly Burke reminded residents during the Evergreen Park Village Board meeting Monday night that the St. Gianna Fest (formerly Queen of Martyrs Fest) Family Carnival will take place Friday, Sept. 22,…

Oak Lawn village manager Tom Phelan receives pay raise
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer is pleased with the overall contributions of Village Manager Tom Phelan, who will receive a merit-based pay increase. Phelan will see a 5 percent increase in pay after village trustees approved a resolution as part of the consent agenda during the Oak Lawn Village Board…

Peaks Park improvements underway in Worth
Spread the love The Peaks Park improvements are underway in Worth. Work began this month on Peaks Park, which was awarded an Open Space and Land Acquisition Development grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The improvements will include the installation of sand volleyball courts, shelter, half-court basketball court and a walking path around…

Orland Park: Veteran and Pekau spar for a second time
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Round two. For the second time in three meetings, Orland Park’s Diana Howard, a veteran, stopped by Village Hall to get some things off her chest during her allotted three-minute public comment session. Howard visited the Aug. 21 meeting and accused Mayor Keith Pekau, also a vet, of yelling and…

Palos Heights: Classic Car Show celebrates but needs more volunteers
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva When it comes to the Palos Heights Classic Car Show, there is plenty to celebrate and also plenty to worry about. The 20th running of the event took place in July and had a record 682 cars and the crowd was estimated at 6,000-8,000. Bob Starzyk, the organizer for all…

Orland Township celebrates pets at Pet-Palooza
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Orland Township knows how to celebrate its pets. The township hosted its 11th annual Pet-Palooza on Saturday, September 16, on the Orland Township grounds, 14807 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park. The free event was sponsored by Supervisor Paul O’Grady and the township’s board of trustees. “As a pet owner myself,…

Worth withdraws from Southwest Central Dispatch
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle The Village of Worth has officially withdrawn from the Southwest Central Dispatch system. An ordinance was approved to drop Southwest Central Dispatch during the Worth Village Board meeting Tuesday night. Another ordinance was approved to withdraw from the Southwest Central 911 system. The village had previously entered into an agreement…
Neighbors

26 hurt in Bedford Park tent collapse
Spread the loveFrom staff reports More than two dozen people at an event in Bedford Park last week were injured when the tent they were meeting in collapsed. Bedford Park Police said they responded to assist the Bedford Park Fire Department at 10:44 a.m. on Thursday, September 14, in the 5600 block of West 73rd…

Former McCook police chief pleads guilty to extortion
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Mario DePasquale, former police chief of McCook pleaded guilty last week to conspiring with the village’s former mayor to extort two businessmen out of tens of thousands of dollars. DePasquale, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion during a brief hearing before U.S. District Judge Elaine…

AERO opens new facility in Burbank
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong When Queen of Peace High School in Burbank announced it was closing in 2018, the good folks at AERO special education co-op saw a golden opportunity. They purchased the school’s 13-acre site at 7659 S. Linder Ave. in August 2019 for $3.2 million. The plan was to retrofit the high…

St. Gianna Fest (formerly Queen of Martyrs Fest) kicks off fall activities
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Fall begins this week but there is no shortage of activities occurring this month and next in Evergreen Park. Mayor Kelly Burke reminded residents during the Evergreen Park Village Board meeting Monday night that the St. Gianna Fest (formerly Queen of Martyrs Fest) Family Carnival will take place Friday, Sept. 22,…

Oak Lawn village manager Tom Phelan receives pay raise
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer is pleased with the overall contributions of Village Manager Tom Phelan, who will receive a merit-based pay increase. Phelan will see a 5 percent increase in pay after village trustees approved a resolution as part of the consent agenda during the Oak Lawn Village Board…

Peaks Park improvements underway in Worth
Spread the love The Peaks Park improvements are underway in Worth. Work began this month on Peaks Park, which was awarded an Open Space and Land Acquisition Development grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The improvements will include the installation of sand volleyball courts, shelter, half-court basketball court and a walking path around…

Orland Park: Veteran and Pekau spar for a second time
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Round two. For the second time in three meetings, Orland Park’s Diana Howard, a veteran, stopped by Village Hall to get some things off her chest during her allotted three-minute public comment session. Howard visited the Aug. 21 meeting and accused Mayor Keith Pekau, also a vet, of yelling and…

Palos Heights: Classic Car Show celebrates but needs more volunteers
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva When it comes to the Palos Heights Classic Car Show, there is plenty to celebrate and also plenty to worry about. The 20th running of the event took place in July and had a record 682 cars and the crowd was estimated at 6,000-8,000. Bob Starzyk, the organizer for all…

Orland Township celebrates pets at Pet-Palooza
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Orland Township knows how to celebrate its pets. The township hosted its 11th annual Pet-Palooza on Saturday, September 16, on the Orland Township grounds, 14807 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park. The free event was sponsored by Supervisor Paul O’Grady and the township’s board of trustees. “As a pet owner myself,…

Worth withdraws from Southwest Central Dispatch
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle The Village of Worth has officially withdrawn from the Southwest Central Dispatch system. An ordinance was approved to drop Southwest Central Dispatch during the Worth Village Board meeting Tuesday night. Another ordinance was approved to withdraw from the Southwest Central 911 system. The village had previously entered into an agreement…