Local News

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Chemical spill on I-55 shuts down traffic for hours

By Carol Mcgowan / February 19, 2024 / Comments Off on Chemical spill on I-55 shuts down traffic for hours

By Carol McGowan Chemicals leaking from a semi-trailer truck that was stopped on the right shoulder of Interstate 55 near LaGrange Road in Summit caused the expressway to be shut down in both directions for most of the day last Friday, and caused traffic headaches in the surrounding area. All lanes were closed from just…

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Hodgkins appoints Haizlip to Civil Service Board

By Bob Bong / January 25, 2024 / Comments Off on Hodgkins appoints Haizlip to Civil Service Board

By Carol McGowan The Village of Hodgkins has a new member for their Civil Service Board. Resident Todd Haizlip was sworn in by Village Attorney, and Retired Judge Pat Rogers at the regular January Village Board meeting. The Civil Service Board presides over the hiring process and promotions of police officers. The board normally consists…

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Hodgkins cites police officers for exceptional service

By Carol Mcgowan / January 7, 2024 /

From staff reports Hodgkins Police Chief Joseph Klotz presented awards to five police officers for exceptional commendations throughout the year at the December village board meeting. The five officers were Sgt. Natassia Miller, Officer Frank White, Officer Alan Garcia, Officer Desmond Handson, and Officer Ryan Johnson. In June, Miller and White were dispatched to a…

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Campaign 2024: Rashid to seek re-election in 21st District 

By Bob Bong / December 15, 2023 / Comments Off on Campaign 2024: Rashid to seek re-election in 21st District 

By Bob Bong  The holiday season also marks the beginning of the 2024 election cycle in Illinois as candidates in the March 19 primary have already filed their petitions to run. The 2022 primary was moved to June, but next year’s primary is moving back to its traditional third Tuesday in March date. The biggest…

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Multi-town road project gets completion date  

By Bob Bong / November 9, 2023 / Comments Off on Multi-town road project gets completion date  

By Steve Metsch  There appears to be an end to one long-running construction project in Countryside, McCook and Hodgkins. But another project has once again been extended in Countryside. The good news for motorists who drive on East Avenue between 55th Street may be bidding farewell to orange construction barrels and closed lanes. Roadwork on…

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News from Springfield: 12 school districts to receive an additional $6.2 million 

By Bob Bong / September 2, 2023 /

State Senator Mike Porfirio (D-11th) announced that 12 school districts across the area will receive over $6.2 million in additional funding to help address the financial challenges of recent years.  “Evidence-based funding supports educational opportunities that contribute to the long-term success of our students,” said Porfirio. “Through this funding formula, we can ensure that a…

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Hodgkins hosts inaugural business appreciation breakfast 

By Carol Mcgowan / April 27, 2023 / Comments Off on Hodgkins hosts inaugural business appreciation breakfast 

By Carol McGowan  Nearly 100 business leaders gathered in the Larry Rice Room at Hodgkins Village Hall last week for the inaugural Business Appreciation Breakfast hosted by the village. Mayor Ernest Millsap, a panel of village officials, and department heads spoke April 18 about what their various departments, or areas they represented, had going on.…

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Home2Home opens East Vintage Market in Hodgkins 

By Carol Mcgowan / April 20, 2023 /

By Carol McGowan  Home2Home has new warehouse as well as a new retail outlet in Hodgkins. The grand opening and ribbon cutting took place last month at 6119 East Avenue in Hodgkins. That’s the site of the Home2Home warehouse and the East Vintage Market. Home2Home began in 2016 as a service project for the Towne…

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Voters approve bond sale for new Hodgkins Library building 

By Bob Bong / April 6, 2023 / Comments Off on Voters approve bond sale for new Hodgkins Library building 

By Bob Bong  Voters in Hodgkins overwhelmingly approved the sale of $5.5 million in bonds to build a new library building in Tuesday’s referendum. Voters voted 3-1 in favor of the bond sale with 153 “yes” votes to only 75 “no” votes with the lone precinct in town reporting. Turnout was 25 percent. Results will…

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Casten tour makes stop in Hodgkins, Willow Springs

By Carol Mcgowan / March 2, 2023 / Comments Off on Casten tour makes stop in Hodgkins, Willow Springs

By Carol McGowan U.S. Rep. Sean Casten met with Hodgkins Mayor Ernest Millsap and other village officials and employees on February 15 as part of a tour he’s doing to get to meet mayors and people in the southwest suburban portion of the new 6th District. In a recent interview, Casten said he planned outings…

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Boys Volleyball | Stagg ends Marist Invite with win over Riverside-Brookfield

By Jason Maholy Sports Editor Stagg outlasted Riverside-Brookfield in a marathon first set, winning 36-34, then followed that with a 25-20 clincher on March 23 to finish seventh in the Silver divison at the 20th Marist RedHawks Invitational. The Chargers went 2-3 in the tournament. They opened pool play on March 22 at the Marist…

Shepard senior Jake Klein goes up for the kill against two Lincoln-Way East players during a match on March 22. Photo by Jason Maholy

Boys Volleyball | Shepard finishes 4th in Bronze at Marist Invite

Shepard served as one of three host sites for the 20th Marist RedHawks Invitational, and kicked off play in Palos Heights by facing Lincoln-Way East on March 22. The Griffins defeated the Astros, 25-10, 25-15. Marian Catholic beat Shepard, 25-23, 25-9, in the Astros’ second match of the day. The Astros fell to the Marist…

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Countryside City Council tackles long list of items

By Steve Metsch Water leaks, a new truck and abandoned vehicles were among a laundry list of items tackled by the Countryside City Council at its latest meeting. They were all from the infrastructure committee chaired by Ald. Mark Benson (3rd). All of the following were approved by a unanimous 6-0 vote on March 13.…

Mahdi Ali (from left), Team AlBary, Ghina Albary, Abla Daoud, Minna Sulieman, Iman Ezzhory, Medinah Yusef,  and Argo Teacher Nadia Elkhatib. (Supplied photos)

Argo High School holds Iftar Dinner for community

By Carol McGowan More than 100 people gathered at Argo Community High School last week for a now annual Ramadan Iftar dinner organized by Argo teacher Nadia Elkhatib. Elkhatib was happy with the turnout for those coming Thursday night to break bread with the school’s Muslim students and their families. “I will continue to do…

Kris Sumner, Youth Programming Librarian at Green Hills Public Library, is responsible for organizing the Eid Clothing Bazaar at the library, 10331 Interlochen Dr., Palos Hills. (Supplied photos)

Green Hills Public Library hosts Eid Clothing Drive

By Kelly White The Islamic calendar has two major holidays each year: Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan and celebrates an entire month of fasting, and Eid al-Adha, the festival of the sacrifice that occurs during the culmination of the Hajj pilgrimage season. It takes place two lunar months after Ramadan. Each Eid…

Sheri Cannataro, of Cannataro Farms, demonstrates the gear she wears to extract honey from a bee hive for visitors who stopped by to see her products at the Hills Chamber of Commerce Business and Community Expo Saturday at Conrady Junior High School in Hickory Hills. (Photos by Joe Boyle)

Residents warm up to Hills Chamber Business Expo

By Joe Boyle Spring has arrived but winter continues to leave its calling card. However, that did not prevent the Hills Chamber of Commerce from holding its 10th annual Business and Community Expo Saturday at Conrady Junior High School in Hickory Hills. While the temperatures were frigid and windy outside, the spirit inside the school…

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Thome sweet Thome: Nazareth baseball defeats Hall of Famer Jim Thome’s alma mater

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Nazareth baseball team took a road trip to the middle of Illinois and improved its record to 7-0 on March 23 by beating Limestone, 6-0. Limestone is the alma mater of former White Sox player and Baseball Hall of Fame member Jim Thome, who is an assistant coach for the…

Illinois News

Public health officials urge caution around respiratory illnesses

Public health officials urge caution around respiratory illnesses

By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Department of Public Health is advising Illinoisans to take precautions to avoid spreading respiratory illnesses as cases around the state and country are on the rise. IDPH issued a health alert last week to hospitals, long-term care facilities and local health departments advising the use of…

Capitol News Illinois, ProPublica to continue award-winning reporting partnership

Capitol News Illinois, ProPublica to continue award-winning reporting partnership

ProPublica announced the addition of five new partner newsrooms and local journalists to its Local Reporting Network, including another two-year partnership with Capitol News Illinois. Through the partnership, CNI reporter Molly Parker will serve as an LRN fellow, co-publishing investigations with the two news outlets. Last year, Parker and her reporting partner at Capitol News…

ANALYSIS: Pritzker urges ‘careful’ approach as current-year surplus could be followed by deficit

ANALYSIS: Pritzker urges ‘careful’ approach as current-year surplus could be followed by deficit

By JERRY NOWICKI CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com With Illinois lawmakers scheduled to return to legislative session in less than a month, a recent government fiscal forecast provides an overview of the budgeting landscape that awaits them.  The bottom line from the five-year forecast from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget: The current fiscal year…

State regulators once again flex muscle in rejecting utilities’ grid plans, lessening rate hikes

State regulators once again flex muscle in rejecting utilities’ grid plans, lessening rate hikes

By ANDREW ADAMS  Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – The Illinois Commerce Commission on Thursday curtailed proposed rate hikes and rejected grid plans from two major electric utilities, mirroring a series of bombshell decisions rendered last month that cut increases for Illinois’ four largest gas utilities.    The ICC rejected the pair of plans from…

U.S. Supreme Court refuses to block assault weapons ban as full legal challenges progress

U.S. Supreme Court refuses to block assault weapons ban as full legal challenges progress

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The U.S. Supreme Court issued two orders this week turning down requests to block enforcement of Illinois’ assault weapons ban while challenges to the law are still being heard in lower courts. On Wednesday, Justice Amy Coney Barrett turned down a request from Republican state Rep.…

After pushing for law targeting ‘crisis pregnancy centers,’ attorney general backs off legal fight

After pushing for law targeting ‘crisis pregnancy centers,’ attorney general backs off legal fight

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A little over six months after pushing Democrats in the General Assembly to pass a law targeted at limited services pregnancy centers, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has agreed in a legal filing to stop the state’s enforcement of it. Raoul’s decision to permanently halt enforcement of the…

As deadline looms, assault weapons registration rules still unresolved

As deadline looms, assault weapons registration rules still unresolved

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Firearm owners in Illinois will have to wait at least another month before knowing exactly what items they must register with the Illinois State Police under the state’s assault weapons ban, even as the deadline for submitting those registrations is less than three weeks away. The…

Secretary of State helps launch first-of-its-kind state ID program for inmates exiting Cook County Jail

Secretary of State helps launch first-of-its-kind state ID program for inmates exiting Cook County Jail

By HANNAH MEISEL & BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Certain detainees leaving Cook County jail will now be given a state ID card upon release in a new pilot program announced Monday by Sheriff Tom Dart and Illinois Secretary of State Alexi  Giannoulias. Inmates released from Illinois prisons have been receiving state IDs…

Capitol Cast: Filing Day for 2024 primary brings frigid temps and election themes to Springfield

Capitol Cast: Filing Day for 2024 primary brings frigid temps and election themes to Springfield

Capitol News Illinois Broadcast Director Jennifer Fuller talks with Editor-in-Chief Jerry Nowicki about the 2023 petition filing deadline for Illinois’ 2024 primary election.   Capitol News Illinois · Capitol Cast: Filing Day for 2024 primary brings frigid temps and election themes to Springfield

Supreme Court rules teen bicyclist is covered by father’s auto insurance policy

Supreme Court rules teen bicyclist is covered by father’s auto insurance policy

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that automobile insurance policies must cover people against uninsured motorists and hit-and-run accidents, even if the person covered by the policy is not in a vehicle at the time of the accident. The case involved a 14-year-old Chicago boy, Cristopher…