Local News
Forest View swears in new police officers
By Carol McGowan The Village of Forest View has a new full-time police officer and a newly promoted corporal on the force. In front of a full-house at their February 27 Board of Trustees meeting, Clerk Laura McGuffey did the honors swearing-in Maria Guzman as a full-time officer, and promoting Officer Jorge Sanchez to the…
Burbank businessman sentenced for income tax evasion
By Bob Bong A Burbank businessman has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for willfully evading more than $3.7 million in federal and state income taxes. Abraham Kiswani, 54, pleaded guilty last year to a federal tax evasion charge. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah last Thursday…
Trinity, MVCC nursing schools schools receive state grants
By Bob Bong The Illinois Board of Higher Education has awarded nursing school grants to 12 institutions of higher education across the state, including two in the south suburbs, totaling $1.4 million. Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills received a grant of $38,316 to focus on improved math proficiency and preparedness of students to…
Runnings holds grand opening in Homer Glen
By Bob Bong The big-box store at 15830 S. Bell Road in Homer Glen has certainly had a storied past. Once upon a time, it was part of the Kmart chain. That ended years ago. Since then, it has been a Big R, a Stock + Field, and an R.P. Home and Harvest. Last June,…
Rashid rolls in 21st House, but Vasquez plans rematch
By Steve Metsch State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid may have rolled to victory over challenger Vidal Vasquez in the 21st House District Democratic primary, but he took nothing for granted. “I am humbled and honored that the voters chose to send me back and I look forward to continuing the work ahead of us,” he said…
Hickory Hills to install 6 license-plate cameras
By Nuha Abdessalam Hickory Hills aldermen approved the installation of six Flock license plate cameras at their March 14 city council meeting. City officials said the Flock cameras will help police pick up the license plate and description of a wanted vehicle. Nearby communities including Oak Lawn and Palos Hills have also utilized Flock’s technology,…
Brookfield Zoo Anniversary Ferris Wheel now open
By Bob Bong Brookfield Zoo has been attracting visitors for 90 years. To celebrate the anniversary, the zoo has opened a new attraction that has nothing to do with animals. Last Friday, the zoo opened its Anniversary Ferris Wheel. The towering 110-foot Ferris wheel offers guests unique bird’s-eye views of the park’s gardens, animal habitats, and…
Cinderella’s Closet makes prom shopping easier, cheaper
By Kelly White Prom dress shopping can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Thanks to Oak Lawn Community High School’s annual dress re-sale, cleverly called, Cinderella’s Closet, on February 10, students were able to browse beautiful ball gowns all in one place at right the high school, 9400 Southwest Hwy. “Prom is expensive…
Newcomer Crawford ousts veteran lawmaker Mary Flowers
By Bob Bong Mary Flowers, the longest serving black lawmaker in the General Assembly, was sent packing Tuesday night after running afoul of House Speaker Chris Welch. Flowers, 72, was defeated by Michael Crawford in the 31st House District Democratic Primary. Flowers, who was first elected in 1984, received 753 votes in suburban precincts while…
Casten romps over primary foes in 6th Congressional race
By Bob Bong Three-term Congressman Sean Casten easily defeated two challengers in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in the 6th Congressional District. “First and foremost, thank you,” he said. “Thank you to the voters who have entrusted me once again with their vote. Thank you to the volunteers who knocked on doors, made phone calls, and helped…
Baseball | Oak Lawn rolls over Crete-Monee to open season
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Oak Lawn traveled to Ozinga Field in Crestwood to open the season against Crete-Monee at Ozinga Field in Crestwood, home of the Windy City Thunderbolts. The Spartans climbed to a big lead early and never turned back as they went on to defeat the Warriors, 12-5. Sophomore starting pitcher John Olejniczak…
Baseball | Stagg tops Chicago Christian in season-opener
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Spring has a different set of challenges for high school sports compared to those played in the winter and fall. The most common and most unpredictable hurdle is the weather, without fail. The start of 2024 high school baseball season lucked out, with temperatures in the mid-to-high 60s and sun shining…
Hoops team featuring De La Salle players wins 2nd straight Unified Basketball state title
By Mike Walsh Correspondent For the second consecutive season, the team comprising students from De La Salle and Southside Occupational Academy are IHSA/Special Olympics of Illinois Division II Unified Basketball state champions. The De La Salle-SOA unified team etched its name into the state annals via a 64-59 victory over St. Patrick-Vaughn Occupational on March…
Softball | Mother McAuley seeks to right ship
From Staff Reports The 2024 season is off to an uneven and somewhat rocky start for Mother McAuley. The Mighty Macs opened the spring with consecutive losses — 9-3 to Oak Forest on March 11 and 18-1 to Benet on March 13 — before getting off the schneid with an 18-1 win over Stagg on…
Boys Basketball | Players from Evergreen Park and Brother Rice to ball at prospect showcase
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Five players from the area have been invited to play on the South Suburban Team at the Illinois Hoop Prospect Senior All-Star Games scheduled to be played March 24 at Joliet Junior College. Brother Rice’s Zavier Fitch and Ty Wooten join Evergreen Park’s Nolan Sexton, Marist’s Darshan Thomas and Stagg’s Connor…
Neighbors
Illinois News
Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A panel of federal appellate judges on Thursday seemed skeptical of legal arguments made on behalf of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who claims Illinois’ law allowing counting of mail-in ballots for two weeks after an election is in violation of federal law. Bost’s late 2022…
DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Cyrenthia Threat spent Wednesday morning at a hiring event in Fairview Heights waiting for word on whether she was hired by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Threat wants to move to Illinois from Georgia where she works as a social worker. She has 20 years…
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…