Local News
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…
Read MoreBy Jeff Vorva Stagg High School cleaned house in winning several Those Who Excel awards from the Illinois State Board of Education. The Charger Team Space at Stagg won an ISBE team award for meritorious service. Team members are Nicole Leibfried, Tricia Biel, Pat Wright, Jacob Randulich, Eric Elget, Ayaa Al Kurdi, Matt Seibt, Mary…
Read MoreBy Nuha Abdesallam Hickory Hills city officials are considering acquiring license plate reading cameras after a presentation by police at last week’s city council meeting. Flock Safety cameras are already in use by over 150 agencies in Illinois, helping to restrict crime by providing data about where and when vehicles have been tagged on its…
Read MoreNorth Palos School District 117 has announced that Christine Droba will become the next North Palos School District 117 Superintendent of Schools beginning July 1, 2024. The Board of Education selected Droba to fill this position following Dr. Jeannie Stachowiak’s retirement at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. Stachowiak will be retiring after 21…
Read MoreBy Bob Bong A Bridgeview teen who was beaten by Oak Lawn police after he fled from a traffic stop in 2022 has been charged with robbing a man at a fitness center in Orland Park in December. Orland police said Hadi Abuatelah, 19, was one of three teens who assaulted the victim on December…
Read MoreWorth Township Assessor Shaun Murphy, Worth Township Supervisor Patricia Joan Murphy, and Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas will be hosting an in-person Board of Review Workshop on Monday, January 29, from 5-7 p.m. at Worth Township Hall, located at 11601 S. Pulaski Road in Alsip. The workshop is free. Analysts will be on hand…
Read MoreBy Nuha Abdessalam Community members stood in silence against violence in solidarity with the Gaber family of Hickory Hills. Neighbors and members were unsettled after Hickory Hills resident Lila Gaber’s family received two hate letters for having a “Free Palestine” sign on their front lawn. The family recently received an outpouring of support through direct…
Read MoreBy Bob Bong and Nuha Abdessalam The new year had only just begun when tragedy struck families living in a three-story apartment building in Hickory Hills. One man died, a second man was badly injured and several families were displaced by an early morning apartment fire Tuesday. Roberts Park Fire Department Chief Jeff Ketchen said…
Read MoreBy Nuha Abdessalam A Hickory Hills family that received a hate letter in October because they had a Palestinian flag on the front lawn has received a second letter, this time marked “Final Notice.” Lila Gaber, 35, whose family received the original letter on Oct. 24, found the typewritten letter while chatting with her husband…
Read MoreResidents 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…
Palos Park to tweak outdated village zoning codes
By Jeff Vorva The village of Palos Park has no grand plan to change the village landscape. But officials want to modernize some of its zoning codes. “The village has not comprehensively updated its development regulations since 1960,” Mayor Nicole Milovich-Walters said at the March 25 village council meeting. “Due to this, there are many…
SD122 psychologist resigns over Islamophobic posts
By Nuha Abdessalam A psychologist for Ridgeland School District 122 has resigned after hundreds of parents demanded she be fired for social media posts that were pro-Israeli and anti-Palestinian. District Supt. Joseph Matise announced at a schoolboard meeting last week that Dr. Laurie Hoke had resigned. “Dr. Hoke will no longer be working with students…
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…
Chicago Catholic League greats headed to Hall of Fame
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent A handful of area stars will be inducted into the Chicago Catholic League Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The list features Kevin Bracken (St. Laurence, wrestling), Kevin Carberry (St. Rita, football), Matt Macievic (De La Salle, cross county and track), Mike McGrew (Mount Carmel, football), Dan Nicholson (Brother Rice, football) and…
Fire II tops Chicago City, advances to to second round of Hunt Open Cup
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire II picked up a late invitation to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and beat Chicago City, 6-0, on March 20 in front of an announced crowd of 810 at SeatGeek Stadium. Defender Giovanni Granda and midfielder Vitaliy Hlyut each made their professional debut and scored their first…
Red Stars top Seattle, open season with two wins for first time in franchise history
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year’s last-place finish notwithstanding, the Chicago Red Stars have had a pretty rich history of success. The franchise has seven NWSL playoff appearances and has finished runner-up twice (2019, 2021), and prior to 2022 had finished no lower than fourth in the league ‘s regular season standings for six consecutive…
College Football | Marian (Indiana) and St. Francis highlight Saint Xavier 2024 home slate
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Saint Xavier has released its 2024 football schedule, which has the Cougars opening the season in Michigan. SXU will travel to the Detroit suburb of Southfield to play Lawrence Tech on Sept. 7 in a Mid-States Football Association crossover. The Cougars’ home opener kicks off at noon on Sept. 14 when…
Morton College women’s hoops takes fifth in nation
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent For the second year in a row, the Morton College women’s basketball team finished fifth in the country. The Panthers closed out the 2023-24 campaign in Joplin, Missouri, with a 75-67 victory over Iowa Western on March 23 in the consolation championship game at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament. It…
Boys Volleyball | Marist tops Lockport for Gold at RedHawks Invite
By Randy Whalen Correspondent Marist enjoys getting its season going by hosting a tournament that is now in its 20th year. They had a good time again this season, going unbeaten over five matches in two days to win the Marist RedHawks Invitational for the sixth consecutive time. The RedHawks ended the tournament with a…
Illinois News
Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance
By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor. Smollett made what turned out to be…
Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the state to ease the strain have made an impact. That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools,…
Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal
COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Two bills that would regulate battery disposal and storage are awaiting action from the full Illinois Senate after unanimous committee approval. Senate Bill 3481, sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency…
Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The longtime chair and a relatively new member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board have resigned, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced Monday. The governor’s office announced the pair’s resignations within hours of each other nearly two weeks after Crosetti Brand was released from Stateville Correctional Center. Brand is…
Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com The night before Rebecca Hooks started at the Illinois State Police Academy in 2002, she spoke on the phone with her father and her brother – both of whom worked in law enforcement. Her father encouraged her, telling her she was strong and could get through the…
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…
Capitol Briefs: Insurance reforms advance as Pritzker announces California trip
By PETER HANCOCK, JENNIFER FULLER & ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposal for sweeping reforms in the state’s health insurance industry passed out of a committee Thursday and will soon make its way to the full House for consideration. Pritzker first outlined the proposal in his State of the…