Local News
Following the Aug. 7 sale of the first phase of the Stony Creek Promenade property at 111th and Cicero Avenue, Special Counsel Matt Welch presented an optimistic overview of the financial windfall that the TIF zone will eventually bring into the village. Welch noted that $6,643,517, the final sale price for the completed 14.5 acre…
Read MoreTinley Park, IL — The Crisis Center for South Suburbia’s (CCSS) Auxiliary will host their 7th Annual Walk Against Domestic Violence on Saturday, August 8, 2015 — rain or shine. The Auxiliary is taking action by walking at Lake Katherine Nature Preserve in Palos Heights, IL. Check-in for the day will begin at 8:30am and…
Read MoreDaniel M. Vorberg, 32, was on parole for a previous public indecency conviction when Oak Lawn police arrested him for the same offense on June 18, and Oak Lawn Mayor Sandra Bury joined concerned residents and Chicago Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th) at Vorberg’s Tuesday appearance in Bridgeview Courthouse to see that he stays in jail.…
Read MoreThe Oak Lawn Board of Trustees at its Tuesday meeting approved two ordinances that will raise the municipal utility tax on electricity and natural gas bills in the village Ñ a move most trustees agreed was the best option available to generate funds needed for infrastructure improvements. Together, the taxes are expected to generate $2.5…
Read MoreHealth problems are causing a popular Oak Lawn restaurateur to sell her business, but Oak Lawn trustees showed no love for a prospective buyer’s request for a liquor license that would allow him to move ahead with his purchase. Sandra DiGangi is known for her food and her volunteerism. Since 2010, she has been preparing…
Read MoreIn an effort to Òshop Oak Lawn,” village trustees at the Tuesday board meeting agreed to waive competitive bidding requirements and split a contract for streetlight bulbs and electrical supplies between the winning bidder and a local company, but not without their usual spirited discussion. When the issue came up on the agenda, Gerald Chickerillo,…
Read MoreFour years ago, Oak Lawn Trustee Robert Streit and his supporters gathered at Deja Brew Bar and Grille and anxiously awaited returns in an unexpectedly tight race in which a write-in candidate nearly defeated the veteran trustee. Things were much sweeter this time. There were no such worries on Tuesday night, as Streit was easily…
Read MoreThree of the six seats on the Oak Lawn Board of Trustees are up for election on April 7, and there will be at least one new face when voting is done. While Trustees Tim Desmond (1st) and Robert Streit (3rd) are running for re-election, Trustee Carol Quinlan (5th) is stepping down after two terms.…
Read MoreOak Lawn Mayor Sandra Bury stressed the need to increase sales tax revenue, promoting the ÒShop Oak Lawn” theme during a wide-ranging State of the Village address given at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Tuesday at the Hilton Oak Lawn. With property tax bills recently issued, Bury pointed out that the village receives just 10.6…
Read MoreThe Original Papa Joe’s restaurant will soon be moving from its longtime home at 10745 S. Cicero Ave. in Oak Lawn to new digs in Chicago Ridge. Joe Agate, owner of Papa Joe’s, said the restaurant would be moving into the former O’Connor Pub at 5900 W. 111th St., which closed earlier this month. ÒProbably…
Read MoreLifestyle
Comings & Goings

Comings & Goings: Jason’s Deli closes in Oak Lawn
By Bob Bong Jason’s Deli, which had been open in Oak Lawn for more than 10 years, closed its doors for the last time on May 31. According to employees, the Beaumont, Texas-based restaurant at 6260 W. 95th St. closed because the lease was up and the company decided not to renew. Messages to the…

Baseball and Softball Wrap | Benet tops Richards in extras to punch ticket to state
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Richards came close to setting up an all-South Suburban Conference matchup in the IHSA Class 3A state semifinals. But the Bulldogs could not take advantage of an early two-run lead and dropped a 5-2 decision in eight innings to Benet at the Benedictine Supersectional, played June 5 in Lisle. Had…

Baseball | Randall Nauden walk-off lifts Brother Rice over Lincoln-Way East
By Steve Millar Correspondent With a trip to state hanging in the balance, Lincoln-Way East chose to intentionally walk Brother Rice’s Amir Gray and take their chances with junior catcher Randall Nauden. Nauden responded by ripping a walk-off single down the right-field line with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to send…

Baseball | St. Laurence gets 30th win, but falls to Nazareth in sectional final
By Steve Millar Correspondent St. Laurence got a big boost early from a reliable source in its sectional semifinal against Oak Forest. Senior outfielder Luke Stulga ripped his eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot that sailed over the left-field wall in the first inning. The Vikings never looked back from there, cruising…

Softball | Marist returns to state with 3-0 win over Lockport
By Randy Whalen Correspondent Isabel Cunnea has ties to Lockport. Her mom, Jeanine Ondrus Cunnea, is a 1988 Porters graduate. After homering against her mom’s alma mater in the IHSA Class 4A Marist Sepersectional, Cunnea also has ties to the RedHawks record book. Cunnea creamed her 22nd home run of the season, one of a…

Girls Soccer State Finals | De La Salle takes fourth in fist state finals appearance
By Steve Millar Correspondent Taking the field at the state finals for the first time in program history, De La Salle junior midfielder Imani Coleman did her best to soak in the feeling. “It was a big moment,” Coleman said of that moment on June 2. “We didn’t really know what it was going to…

Area Sports Roundup | Lyons boys volleyball takes second; D230 United finishes fourth in girls lacrosse
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer There is no argument which conference is Illinois’ most dominant when it comes to boys volleyball. The West Suburban Conference took the top three spots in the IHSA state tournament in Hoffman Estates, with Lyons smack dab in the middle with a second-place finish. Glenbard West won it all with…

Pro Sports Report | Louisville blanks Red Stars
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer It worked once. But not a second time. The tightrope can only stretch so far. The offensively struggling Chicago Red Stars may have been able to buck the odds when they were severely outshot in an NWSL game win over Orlando on May 27, but that approach was not fruitful…

College Notebook | Worth’s Walinski finishes strong for Huskies
By Mike Walsh Correspondent Kelly Walinski concluded her college years in perfect fashion. On the softball diamond, the Northern Illinois senior shortstop was named to the 2023 All-Mid-American Conference First Team. In the classroom, she was chosen to the Academic All-MAC Team for the third time in her stint in DeKalb. The Worth resident and…

Area Sports Roundup | State volleyball and lacrosse tournaments will have local flavor
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer When it comes to the postseason, there are rarely guarantees. There are, however, two guarantees this season when it comes to having teams in the IHSA state finals this weekend. Boys volleyball and girls lacrosse will each have an area representative at their respective state tournaments. In volleyball, Marist and…
Illinois News

On the witness stand, ex-legislator finally acknowledges he wore wire for FBI
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Former state Sen. Terry Link, a nearly 24-year veteran of the Illinois Capitol, publicly acknowledged for the first time this week that he’d worn a wire to secretly record a fellow lawmaker in 2019. Link, a Vernon Hills Democrat, has spent years denying news media reports…

Pritzker puts final stamp on $50.4 billion state spending plan
By ANDREW ADAMS & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker signed the state’s operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year on Wednesday, marking the first spending plan of his second term as governor. The $50.4 billion spending plan anticipates about $50.6 billion in revenues for the fiscal year that begins…

New law limits venue for constitutional lawsuits to Sangamon, Cook counties
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – People who file lawsuits in state courts challenging the constitutionality of a state law, administrative rule or executive order will now have to file those cases in either Sangamon or Cook counties. Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed House Bill 3062, which applies only to cases…

As trial begins, politically connected businessman claims feds set him up to bribe legislator
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Nearly four years after his name first surfaced in connection with a bribe arrangement between two sitting lawmakers, politically connected businessman James Weiss is finally having his day in court. Weiss, who is married to former state Rep. Toni Berrios, D-Chicago – the daughter of longtime…

Pritzker set to consider signing more than 500 bills in the next three months
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers passed 566 bills through both chambers of the General Assembly in the recently concluded legislative session – all but one of them in May. It sets the table for an approximate three-month bill-signing season for Gov. JB Pritzker. That’s because the state’s constitution gives…

Capitol Cast: End of Session Review
Capitol News Illinois · End of Session Review The Capitol News Illinois team breaks down the highlights of the just-completed 2023 spring session.

Cannabis regulatory reform bill fails to advance in spring legislative session
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A proposed cannabis reform bill won’t get further consideration until at least the General Assembly’s fall veto session after stakeholders failed to come to an agreement during the spring session’s final stretch. Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat and the bill’s sponsor, told Capitol News…

Top Democrats announce budget ‘deal,’ but details are scant as last-minute negotiations continue
By JERRY NOWICKI, HANNAH MEISEL & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] UPDATE: The budget was filed as a 3,409-page amendment to Senate Bill 250 late Wednesday evening. This story has been updated to reflect the latest developments as of Wednesday night. SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic leaders announced Wednesday they’ve agreed…

Legislature approves bill to tighten restrictions on red-light camera industry
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — Lawmakers in Springfield have unanimously approved a measure that would place new restrictions on the red-light and speed camera industry’s involvement in state and local elections and government. House Bill 3903 would ban automatic traffic enforcement companies or their officers from donating to candidates for public…

State board of education looking for new providers in preschool ‘deserts’
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Even though Gov. JB Pritzker has yet to sign the budget bill lawmakers just passed, the Illinois State Board of Education is seeking applicants for some of the new money contained in that bill. ISBE is looking for new providers to offer preschool programs in areas…