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Members of the Green Team, Pat Stifter, Tara Rosenwinkeo, Gareth Blakesley, Lake Katherine's Director & Chief Naturalist; and Beth Enriquez welcome volunteers for Palos Heights' Clean Up Day on April 13. (Photos by Kelly White)

Volunteers give Palos Heights a spring cleaning

By Kelly White Palos Heights works hard to keep its city beautiful. Gathering residents together for a day of cleaning and fun was the Palos Heights Green Team with a Clean Up Day on April 13. “This event invited everyone in our community to do their part in combating pollution by having a fun morning…

Ross Dress for Less is taking some space in the former Walt's Food Store in Tinley Park. (Photo by Bob Bong)

Comings & Goings: Ross to replace Walt’s at Tinley Park Plaza

By Bob Bong When Walt’s Foods closed its Tinley Park location almost three years ago, it left a giant hole in the Tinley Park Plaza near 159th Street and Harlem Avenue. That hole will soon be filled with a new 22,000-square-foot Ross Dress for Less store and a 9,800-square-foot Five Below store. A construction fence…

Theresa Marketti, Green Committee member of the Orland Park Public Library, is happy to announce the launch of the library's first-ever Candy Bar Recycling Program. Candy wrappers can be dropped off at the library, 14921 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park. (Supplied photo)

Orland Park Library collecting candy wrappers

By Kelly White Candy has taken on a whole new life at one local library. The Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park, is happy to announce the launch of its very first Trash or Treasure candy wrapper recycling campaign. The Trash or Treasure program helps reduce the waste that accumulates around…

regional 4-16-24 gigi's playhouse

Palos Heights Knights of Columbus donate to GiGi’s Playhouse

Grand Knight John Laskey and Past Grand Knight Brian Mellenthin of St. Theodore Guerin Knights of Columbus Council 14057 presented a check for $1,500 to GiGi’s Playhouse of Tinley Park, one of several donations to local groups resulting from the Knights of Columbus’ Fall Tootsie Roll Drive. One of the most recognizable activities of the…

reporter worth police car

Worth police join task force to combat auto thefts

By Joe Boyle An agreement has been reached between the villages of Worth and Thornton regarding participation in the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force. Worth Police Chief Tim Denton said the approval of the memorandum to participate in the task force is necessary. “It’s no secret that there has been an increase in auto…

Oak Lawn coach Shawn Neubauer and Teagan Kryzstof survey the field during the Spartans’ 3-0 loss to Shepard on April 15. Photo by Xavier Sanchez

Softball | Oak Lawn’s Kasey Jackson fans 5 in loss to Shepard

By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Oak Lawn entered its South Suburban Conference matchup with Shepard having won six of its last seven games. The Astros — even hotter with seven straight victories after beginning the season with three consecutive losses — cooled off the Spartans (8-5, 4-2 SSC) for a day, winning 3-0 behind a complete-game…

Shepard junior Kailey Selvage struck out 15 batters while allowing two hits and walking one in the Astros’ 3-0 win over Oak Lawn on April 15 in Palos Heights. Photo by Xavier Sanchez

Softball | Shepard blanks Oak Lawn behind CG from Kailey Selvage, 2 RBI from Madison Scapardine

By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Temperatures are not the only thing starting to warm up in the Southwest Suburbs. Shepard, which began the season with three consecutive losses, defeated Oak Lawn, 3-0, on April 15 to run its winning streak to seven games. Astros junior pitcher Kailey Selvage tossed a complete-game shutout, striking out 15 Spartans…

Brett Buzzelli, a St. Laurence graduate who pitches at Carroll University in Wisconsin, was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s Pitcher of the Week for April 8. Photo courtesy of Carroll University

St. Laurence grad Brett Buzzelli hurling for Carroll

By Mike Walsh Correspondent Carroll University senior right-hander Brett Buzzelli has been named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s Pitcher of the Week for April 8. Buzzelli was the winning pitcher in an 8-3 victory over visiting Elmhurst University in Game 1 of a CCIW doubleheader. The St. Laurence graduate tossed seven scoreless innings…

Fire II wins, draws

By Jef Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire FC II earned its first regulation victory of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season in a 2-0 clean sheet against Crown Legacy April 10 at SeatGeek Stadium. Defender Diego Konincks and captain David Poreba scored goals for the Fire. On April 14, the team had a 5-5 draw…

Red Stars sans Swanson fall to Angel City

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Playing without scoring star Mallory Swanson, who was nursing a hip injury, the Chicago Red Stars lost for the first time this season, dropping a 1-0 decision April 13 to Angel City in front of an announced crowd of 3,168 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Angel City (1-2-1) started the day…

Illinois News

Comptroller calls for ending penalties on late payments

Comptroller calls for ending penalties on late payments

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is calling for repealing a law that imposes a 12 percent interest whenever the state is late paying its bills, along with a program that allows private investors to purchase the debt owed to vendors and collect that interest penalty. Speaking to…

House leaders preach civility as 3 Republicans removed again for not wearing masks

House leaders preach civility as 3 Republicans removed again for not wearing masks

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In the first half-hour of House session Tuesday at the Capitol, the leaders of each party made calls for civility, two lawmakers recounted their recollections of a House floor altercation, and three Republicans were removed from the floor for not wearing masks.   Both House Speaker Emanuel…

CAPITOL RECAP: Governor asks Supreme Court to rule on masks

CAPITOL RECAP: Governor asks Supreme Court to rule on masks

By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration said Friday, Feb. 18, it will ask the Illinois Supreme Court for an “expedited review” of an appellate court’s decision not to rule on a lower court order that invalidated COVID-19 mitigation measures for roughly 170 school districts that were parties in a set of…

DCFS director once again faces Cook County contempt citation

DCFS director once again faces Cook County contempt citation

By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com For the fourth time in six weeks, a Cook County juvenile court judge has held Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith in contempt for failing to move a minor into an appropriate placement. “This really underscores the level of crisis here,” said Cook County…

UPDATED: Appellate court declines to rule on mask mandates; Pritzker to appeal to high court

UPDATED: Appellate court declines to rule on mask mandates; Pritzker to appeal to high court

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the latest developments. By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration said Friday it will ask the Illinois Supreme Court for an “expedited review” of an appellate court’s decision not to rule on a lower court order that invalidated COVID-19 mitigation…

UPDATED: Appellate court declines to rule on COVID-19 mandate restraining order

UPDATED: Appellate court declines to rule on COVID-19 mandate restraining order

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a comment from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office. By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Schools in Illinois are free to enforce mask mandates and other COVID-19 mitigations on their own, but the emergency rules that the Illinois Department of Public Health issued requiring schools to…

Appellate court declines to rule on COVID-19 mandate restraining order

Appellate court declines to rule on COVID-19 mandate restraining order

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Schools in Illinois are free to enforce mask mandates and other COVID-19 mitigations on their own, but the emergency rules that the Illinois Department of Public Health issued requiring schools to enforce those mandates are no longer in force. That was the decision issued late Thursday…

CAPITOL RECAP: Panel suspends state's school mask mandate

CAPITOL RECAP: Panel suspends state’s school mask mandate

By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – A legislative panel on Tuesday, Feb. 15, voted to suspend the latest version of COVID-19 mitigations for public schools, saying in part that those rules are still being litigated in a state appellate court. The Joint Committee on Administrative rules voted 9-0, with two members voting “present,” to object…

GOP lawmakers back effort to give DCFS workers pepper spray

GOP lawmakers back effort to give DCFS workers pepper spray

By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Republican lawmakers are calling for the passage of legislation that would allow Department of Children and Family Services workers to carry pepper spray for self-defense when investigating allegations of child abuse. This comes weeks after the death of DCFS investigator Deidre Silas, who died while checking…

‘A bit opaque’ and confidential: Behind Illinois’ gubernatorial pardon process

‘A bit opaque’ and confidential: Behind Illinois’ gubernatorial pardon process

By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Jerame Simmons got his long-held wish in December when he became the chief of the fire department that dismissed him 24 years ago after he was charged with setting fire to a vacant house and attempting to burn down his high school. It took a prosecutor’s…