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 More Tinley 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 More Daniel 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 More The 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 More Health 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 More In 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 More Four 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 More Three 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.…
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Oak 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…
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The 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…
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Comings & Goings
High School Football: Rice tops Marist as both powers eye playoffs
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The buzz and postgame emotions from Brother Rice’s 40-21 victory over Marist on Friday was abbreviated. Because the heralded game was played on the final regular season weekend of the year, these area and state powers and bitter rivals quickly turned their attention to the playoff pairings announcements, which came less…
Last home game a winner for Red Stars
By Alison Moran What a way to end a season at home. It was a perfect night for a cool game of soccer, with temperatures in the upper 50s and no rain dampening the field. In front of 4,488 of the Red Stars’ faithful at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, the Chicago Red Stars defeated KC…
Check your smoke detector batteries
By Karen Sala Your correspondent in Gage Park (773) 471-1429 • [email protected] It’s October. Check the batteries in your smoke detectors. I woke up to the unpleasant chirping of one of my smoke alarms the other morning at about 4 a.m. Thankfully I had a 9-volt battery, so I was able to change it and go…
Día celebrations coming this month
By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated especially by people of Mexican heritage. It is a joyful celebration, rather than mourning. Family and friends pay respects to those who have died. Traditions include building altars…
Room to grow at new dollar store
By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 I finally went to the new Dollar Tree at 8444 S. Pulaski. It is a very big store and parking lot. It has the usual fun and useful dollar store items. Everything is still $1. There are lots of empty shelves and room for…
Unique collection in need of a caring home
By Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 As you may remember, shortly before the pandemic began, St. Rita of Cascia Parish invited Myra Kathryn Richardson to showcase some exhibits from her Mary Eve Thorsen Museum collection in the parish hall. Items from the Dick and…
A ‘businessman with a heart’
Colleagues pay tribute to Jim Vondrak By Joan Hadac In a business world frequently competitive to the point of being harsh and even cruel, James C. “Jim” Vondrak stood out as a businessman with a heart. The scion of a Southwest Side newspaper family, Mr. Vondrak owned and operated a chain of community newspapers led…
She bleeds blue
Officer Maureen O’Neill retires after 38 years By Tim Hadac If things appear a little unglued in the commander’s office at the Chicago Lawn (8th) District Police Station, it’s because Officer Maureen O’Neill recently retired after serving in the district for 38 years, 7 months and 1 day. “It’s fair to say that in some…
Purple for a purpose
Taking a momentary break from tying purple ribbons around trees and fenceposts at West Lawn Park last Saturday are CPD Officers Sarai Trevino, Maria DeLaTorre, Raymond Tracy and Jose Supulveda, and Shari Grassmuck and Nancy Arroyo. The group made the park go purple in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. DVAM has been a national…
Scouts march in Houby Parade
Members of Boy Scout Troop 1441, sponsored by St. Mary Star of the Sea Holy Name Society, participated in the annual Houby (Czech word for mushroom) Parade, held in suburban Cicero earlier this month. Scouts enjoyed food vendors, live music, games and a carnival. Any boys ages 11 to 17 from any school interested…
Illinois News
CAPITOL RECAP: Major action expected in veto session’s second week
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – The legislative action was light during the General Assembly’s first week of fall session, and lawmakers in both chambers left town a day early after leadership canceled the Thursday session. That means bigger items, such as a vote on congressional maps and potential changes to the Health Care Right…
Pritzker mandates vaccine for day care professionals
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced an executive order Friday that will add day care personnel to the list of professions that must either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing. The governor’s office said it expects the order to affect 55,000 individuals in the state,…
Illinois Supreme Court strikes down Cook County tax on guns
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a Cook County tax on gun purchases is unconstitutional, but it left the door open for a more tailored tax that specifically goes toward mitigating gun violence and its effects. The Cook County gun tax, which took effect in…
Public speaks out on proposed congressional maps
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Members of the public got their first chance to speak directly to state lawmakers Wednesday about a proposed set of new congressional district maps, and most of those who did were critical of the plan. Democrats in the General Assembly released a proposed new map Friday…
Heavy workload expected next week as lawmakers cancel Thursday session
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The legislative action was light during the General Assembly’s first week of fall session, and lawmakers in both chambers left town a day early after leadership canceled the Thursday session. That means bigger items, such as a vote on congressional maps and potential changes to the…
Federal court throws out June legislative maps, declines to send issue to bipartisan commission
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A three-judge federal court panel in Chicago ruled Tuesday that the legislative redistricting plan that Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law in June – before official 2020 U.S. Census numbers were available – was unconstitutional because the population variances among districts violated the “one-person, one-vote” doctrine.…
State ramping up vaccine booster campaign
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday urged eligible Illinoisans to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot and called on skilled nursing facilities to make booster shots available to patients and staff by Thanksgiving. Currently anyone who received the Pfizer vaccine and is over 65 years of age…
State worker vaccine deadline extended to Oct. 26 for first dose
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced Monday that his administration has reached agreement with multiple trade unions requiring certain state workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but it is extending the deadline for workers to get their first shot to Oct. 26 while negotiations continue with the state’s…
Lawmakers returning to Springfield to consider congressional remap, more
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ first congressional remap draft is out but changes could be in store as lawmakers return to Springfield Tuesday for the first of their final two weeks of scheduled session in 2022. It’s customary for lawmakers to meet each fall to consider overriding or accepting any…
CAPITOL RECAP: New congressional maps unveiled ahead of veto session
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly released a proposed set of new congressional district maps Friday, just days before lawmakers return to the Statehouse for the start of their fall veto session, which begins Oct. 19. All states redraw their congressional districts following each decennial census. The proposed new…
