Local News
Crusaders playoff run ends with semifinal loss to Wheaton North
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent At age 47, Brian Badke has a lot of good coaching years left in him. But for now, he is stepping away and putting the whistle in storage. He has a lot of good spectating years ahead of him that he wants to take care of, first. The Brother Rice football…
Rat gripes surging
Infestation ‘out of control’ in Clearing, Garfield Ridge By Tim Hadac Fall is the time when pest-control companies see a surge in calls from homeowners who see mice and sometimes rats trying to get inside sheds, garages and even homes to find shelter for the winter. But this year is far worse. “Rats are out…
Wantuck Comfort Solutions celebrates 50 years of service
Thousands served in Clearing, Garfield Ridge By Tim Hadac Some small businesses in Clearing and Garfield Ridge have served so many people for so long, you just have to say the family name and folks will know exactly what kind of business you’re talking about. For example, Soukal is one. Pticek is another. And of…
Decades later, they still remember
Grateful SW Siders rededicate a refurbished military monument on 63rd Street By Kelly White The monument at the northwest corner of 63rd and Kenneth, which honors the men and women who served in the nation’s military, was dedicated in 1948—when World War II was still a fresh and often painful memory for millions. Seventy-three years…
Richart Detective Agency offers experience, expertise, results
Garfield Ridge sleuth uses “just the facts” approach to uncovering the truth By Tim Hadac In a world filled with deception, half-truths and outright lies, Jose Richart seeks the truth, the facts. And he finds it. A private detective who launched the Richart Detective Agency earlier this year, Richart is steadily building a business useful…
Thanksgiving cheer is straight ahead
By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. “May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump, may your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump,” as the old saying goes. You may also watch the Bears against…
It’s the positive, thankful time of year
By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here. I try to focus on what I am really thankful for, all who make me happy and all that puts a smile on my face. At the same time, I turn my back on…
Thanksgiving is a no-pressure holiday
By Karen Sala Your correspondent in Gage Park (773) 471-1429 • [email protected] One week closer to Turkey Day! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. No pressure–just eating, so get those elastic waist pants on. I don’t get all the anxiety about cooking a turkey. I have never made a bad one. I’ve done them in cooking bags…
St. Casimir nuns offer tour of history
By Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 As we drift into the holiday season, hopefully we will be able to go back to some of our familiar traditions of visiting with family and friends, some maybe from out-of-town. If that is the case, and especially…
Dash through the Nighttime Reindeer Run at Brookfield Zoo
From staff reports Grab your glow sticks and lace up your running shoes for the return of Brookfield Zoo’s Reindeer Run, presented by ALDI. On Saturday, November 20, participants of all ages will be some of the first to see the zoo all lit up for its Holiday Magic, while enjoying a fun run along a two-mile course entirely…
Pro Soccer Report: Red Stars stun Thorns, will face Spirit for NWSL title
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Talk about coming full circle. The Chicago Red Stars opened the season in May with a full squad and dropped a 5-0 decision at Portland in one of the most lopsided defeats in franchise history. Then, on Nov. 14, with a team depleted by injuries and illness, they shocked the Thorns,…
Girls Volleyball Class 4A State Finals: Metea Valley tops Mother McAuley in three sets for state title
By Jason Maholy Sports Editor You can’t win them all. Coming into the state finals last weekend, Mother McAuley had won championships in 65 percent of its trips to state, including its last two in 2013 and 2016. After rallying past Edwardsville, 27-29, 25-21, 25-16, in the semifinals on Nov. 12, the Mighty Macs were…
College Football: Saint Xavier edges St. Francis in OT to clinch spot in playoffs
Jeff Vorva Correspondent With an automatic bid for the NAIA national playoffs on the line, Saint Xavier and St. Francis couldn’t decide anything after 60 minutes of play. So, the Cougars had to make it back into the playoffs in overtime thanks to a 25-yard-run from Amari Venerable on their first play from scrimmage after…
Mayor plans to plant 75,000 trees
Some SW Side neighborhoods may get greener By Tim Hadac A plan by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to expand and refocus the city’s tree-planting operations, funded by $46 million in city tax dollars, appears to be playing well in some Southwest Side neighborhoods. “We used to have tall, healthy trees up and down the street,” said…
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Illinois News
Hundsdorfer brings investigative experience to Capitol News Illinois reporting team
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – Capitol News Illinois on Monday welcomed Beth Hundsdorfer to its full-time reporting staff. Hundsdorfer is a veteran investigative reporter who spent nearly 20 years at the Belleville News-Democrat, 13 of which were spent on the investigative beat. She also covered cops and courts. Her investigative journalism included work on…
Democrats deny racial gerrymandering in legislative maps
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Lawyers for the General Assembly’s Democratic leaders filed documents in federal court Wednesday denying that newly drawn state legislative district maps amount to racial gerrymandering, instead accusing the plaintiffs in the three lawsuits of trying to use race to redraw districts for their own purposes. Wednesday’s…
House Democratic Leader Greg Harris announces retirement plans
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois House Democratic Leader Greg Harris said Monday he will not seek reelection in 2022 and will step down from the General Assembly after eight terms in office. Harris, 66, of Chicago, is the first openly LGBTQ legislative leader in Illinois history who spent much of…
Niemerg says he wants to ‘speak up’ for downstate Illinois
By ANDREW ADAMS For Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Republican state Rep. Adam Niemerg grew up in a family that cared about politics, so it felt like a natural step for him when he ran his first campaign to get a seat in the House of Representatives in 2020. “There’s a lot of things that…
Niemerg says he wants to ‘speak up’ for downstate Illinois
By ANDREW ADAMS For Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Republican state Rep. Adam Niemerg grew up in a family that cared about politics, so it felt like a natural step for him when he ran his first campaign to get a seat in the House of Representatives in 2020. “There’s a lot of things that…
Freshman legislator Pacione-Zayas focuses on ‘solutioning’
By MARIA GARDNER For Capitol News Illinois State Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas’ friends tease her for changing the meaning of words. “Solution” becomes a verb when she says “I’m about solutioning.” Pacione-Zayas, 43, D-Chicago, has been actively “solutioning” since she took office in December when then-state Sen. Iris Martinez stepped down to become Clerk of the…
Freshman legislator Pacione-Zayas focuses on ‘solutioning’
By MARIA GARDNER For Capitol News Illinois State Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas’ friends tease her for changing the meaning of words. “Solution” becomes a verb when she says “I’m about solutioning.” Pacione-Zayas, 43, D-Chicago, has been actively “solutioning” since she took office in December when then-state Sen. Iris Martinez stepped down to become Clerk of the…
