Local News
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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By Steve Metsch All for one and one for all was the theme of last week’s community meeting held at the Willow Springs Village Hall. Concerned residents, politicians from the village and surrounding communities joined in their opposition to any industrial development of a parcel of land in the village owned by the Lyons Township…
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By Carol McGowan Willow Springs resident Mike Smigielski last month received the Congressman Bill Lipinski All American Award. Smigielski, who is active in local Lions Clubs, was presented the award by Roberts Park Fire Protection District President Brian Bernardoni at the October 12 Willow Springs Village Board meeting. Bernardoni was asked to present the award…
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By 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 school for…
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By Kelly White The 30th annual A River Thru History – The Des Plaines Valley Rendezvous returned again this year to Columbia Woods Forest Preserve in Willow Springs for a weekend filled with historic facts, recreation and fun. Taking place at the intersection of Archer Avenue and Willow Springs Road, the event focused on the…
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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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The 30th annual A River Thru History – The Des Plaines Valley Rendezvous, is returning to Columbia Woods Forest Preserve in Willow Springs, Saturday, September 9, and Sunday, September 10. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Public parking is at the UPS…
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By Bob Bong Police departments across the south suburbs are gearing up for another high-flying fundraiser for Special Olympics Illinois. Police will be hanging out at more than 325 Dunkin’ Donut coffee shops across Illinois starting at 5 a.m. Friday, May 19, for another edition of Cop on a Rooftop. They will be collecting donations…
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By Bob Bong A Willow Springs man who worked for the village was killed Friday night when the motorcycle he was riding crashed into a car in Joliet. Tyler Gallo, 20, died in the crash, according to the Will County Coroner’s Office. In a news release, Joliet police said Gallo was heading north on Northeast…
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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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Countryside puts dog park on hold, will require leashes in two parks
By Steve Metsch The city of Countryside has put on hold building a dog park, but canines and their owners are still in store for a treat. The city council has unanimously approved a plan to permit dogs in City Park and Countryside Park this year. Previously, they were not allowed in the parks. While…
Bridgeview approves auto repair shop
Moves up time for May 1 village board meeting By Steve Metsch Bridgeview is getting a new automotive repair shop. The village board at its April 17 matinee meeting approved a special use permit that will allow a repair shop at 9010 S. Beloit Ave. There was no discussion among trustees. The board followed the…
Summit Fire Department blood drive draws a crowd
By Carol McGowan The Summit Fire Department, along with the Village of Summit, and the Argo Summit Lions Club held a blood drive this past Saturday, and it drew a crowd that even impressed the American Red Cross. It took place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. with non-stop donors walking through the door. Fire…
Hodgkins toasts village businesses
By Carol McGowan Hodgkins Mayor Ernest Millsap and the Board of Trustees celebrated the village’s businesses at its annual Business Appreciation Breakfast on April 10. Over 100 people gathered at the Hodgkins Administration Center for a hearty breakfast hosted by the village. Representatives from many businesses that are located in or that work within the…
First Secure Bank to host American Eagle gold coin sale
From staff reports First Secure Bank & Trust of Palos Hills announced its annual May sale of 1-ounce and ¼-ounce American Eagle Gold Coins, produced by the U.S. Mint, will take place from 10 a.m.to noon on Saturdays, May 4, May 11, May 18 and May 25. The sale will take place at First Secure…
Boys Volleyball | Richards weathering struggles after run of success
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a tough weekend at the Smack Attack tournament, Richards got back into the win column with a two-set victory over Eisenhower in a South Suburban Red match. The Bulldogs made quick work of the Cardinals, winning 25-16, 25-15 on April 23 in Oak Lawn to snap a five-match losing streak.…
SD218 puts on annual Arts Extravaganza
By Kelly White The arts have become a major portion of the curriculum Community High School District 218. Showcasing those many talents, the Friends of CHSD 218’s Education Foundation proudly hosted its 15th annual Arts Extravaganza on April 5 at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island. “The Arts Extravaganza is a great event which showcases…
Illinois News
State partners with Google to launch new portal for children’s mental health resources
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com For years, parents and providers have criticized what they see as a disorganized system for finding children mental health care in Illinois. State leaders are hoping a new partnership will change that. The Illinois Department of Human Services is partnering with Google to launch a new centralized portal…
State Supreme Court upholds downstate police, firefighter pension consolidation
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld a 2019 law that consolidated nearly 650 municipal police and firefighter pension funds, rejecting arguments from pension fund members that their voting power was diluted unconstitutionally. The law, which Gov. JB Pritzker signed soon after it passed with…
Tensions grow between city, state and federal government over influx of migrants
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Tensions rose again this week between Gov. JB Pritzker’s office and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson over how to handle the tens of thousands of people who have arrived in the state since August 2022 via buses or planes sent from Texas. The most recent back-and-forth between…
Capitol Briefs: Lawmakers look to ban food additives; state announces DCFS investment
By COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill in the Illinois General Assembly would ban five food additives in the state by 2027. Senate Bill 2637, sponsored by Chicago Democrat Willie Preston, would ban companies from using certain products in food, including brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red Dye…
Tensions grow between city, state and federal government over influx of migrants
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Tensions rose again this week between Gov. JB Pritzker’s office and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson over how to handle the tens of thousands of people who have arrived in the state since August 2022 via buses or planes sent from Texas. The most recent back-and-forth between…
Panel of experts suggest legislative measures to reverse journalism decline
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com A bipartisan task force of legislators and journalism industry leaders has filed a report to the General Assembly detailing the decline of local journalism in Illinois and exploring ways the legislature can help revive it. The Local Journalism Task Force, created in January 2022, found that about…
Capitol Briefs: State money to address food deserts; unemployment at 4.2%; tax season opens
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS news@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois’ Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced the application window is open for $3.5 million in funding to help local grocery stores provide fresh foods in areas with limited availability. The money is a part of an equipment upgrade program in Illinois’ Grocery Initiative – a $20 million program…
State education board to seek $653M increase in upcoming budget year
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education endorsed a budget request Wednesday that includes a $653 million increase in funding for PreK-12 public schools. It’s a request that lawmakers may find hard to accommodate in a year when the state faces a projected $891 million budget deficit.…
Capitol Briefs: State reports COVID-19 outbreak at veterans home, gets mixed review for tobacco policies
By JENNIFER FULLER & COLE LONGCOR news@capitolnewsillinois.com Health experts warn respiratory illnesses are still circulating, even as numbers trend down after a brief post-holiday surge. Outbreaks of COVID-19, Flu, and RSV have been reported in state facilities in the Bellwood, Champaign, Marion, Metro East, Peoria, Rockford and West Chicago regions in January. Those numbers are…
Back wages totaling more than $5 million owed to thousands of Illinois workers
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com The U.S. Department of Labor is currently holding more than $5 million in wages owed to more than 7,000 Illinois workers, and the department has launched a new website in an effort to return it. When an employee is underpaid for the work they do, the DOL’s Wage…