Local News
Hoops Wrap | Four area girls teams take regional titles
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Four area girls basketball teams won regional championships to advance to sectional action, which was scheduled to start Feb. 21. Two of those teams will play each other right away. In Class 3A, Nazareth won the St. Laurence Regional and De La Salle won its own regional, setting up a…
College Notebook | Sandburg grad Madison Giglio making a splash at Toledo
By Mike Walsh Correspondent The University of Toledo’s Madison Giglio was lauded as the Mid-American Conference’s Women’s Diver of the Week for the timeframe ending Jan. 25. Giglio, a junior who prepped at Sandburg, won both diving events in the Rockets’ tri-meet against MAC opponents Buffalo and Ohio on Jan. 20. Giglio won on the…
Major League Rugby | Chicago Hounds could emerge strong in expansion season
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer There is a school of thought that the expansion Chicago Hounds could win the Major League Rugby championship in their inaugural season. Their first game, however, was a case of attending the school of hard knocks. The Hounds debut resulted a 42-27 setback to Old Glory DC at Serga Field…
Area Sports Roundup: Lyons’ Collins will be busy at state swim meet
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer A host of area boys swimmers qualified for the IHSA state meet, which begins Friday at FMC Natatorium in Westmont. At the Hinsdale Central Sectional, Lyons finished second with 253 points, 99 behind the champion Red Devils. Lions senior Quinn Collins is heading to state in four events — two…
Exclusive Interview: Casten reaching out to mayors and people of the 6th District
By Jeff Vorva Congressman Sean Casten doesn’t want to waste time learning about the new communities in the 6th District. Casten beat out Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau in the November election and was sworn back into office in January. But the district had been re-jiggered and had changed. In addition to some of his familiar…
Boys Wrestling | Mt. Carmel, Marist will be well-represented at state finals
By Steve Millar Correspondent As Sergio Lemley embarks on the final couple weeks of a storied high school wrestling career, the Mount Carmel senior is determined to soak it all in. Lemley has won three state championships, capturing two as a member of the Caravan during his freshman and junior seasons, and one while competing…
Even now, Washington is an inspiration
. By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 Happy Birthday to George Washington, whose birthday is Feb. 22, 1732. He was our country’s first president, the Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and the president of the Constitutional Convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution. Very…
Area Sports Roundup: Curie’s Grandberry eyes wrestling state title
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The inaugural IHSA state girls wrestling meet took place last year, with Curie heavyweight Aaliyah Grandberry finishing second at the historic event. She would like to do a just a little bit better this year. Gradberry will shoot for a state championship beginning Friday at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.…
Hoops Wrap | Oak Lawn girls win third straight conference championship
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer It couldn’t have been scripted much better than this. Two neighborhood rivals, both with 8-4 records in the South Suburban Red, went to battle on Feb. 7 with the girls basketball conference title on the line, and the Spartans earned their third straight Red title by knocking off the Bulldogs,…
Boys Wrestling | Brother Rice and St. Rita each sending four to Champaign
Evergreen Park, Richards and Kennedy grapplers also headed to state By Mike Walsh Correspondent Call it purpose or focus or determination. Whichever word you choose, Brother Rice’s Bobby Conway had it in abundance entering the final match at 126 pounds at the IHSA Class 2A Hinsdale South Sectional on Feb. 11. The sophomore needed just…
Girls Bowling | Roll-off win sends Stagg to state
By Randy Whalen Correspondent A saying in bowling is that every pin counts. The bowlers from Richards and Stagg would agree with that statement. After six games and more than 1,000 frames bowled over six hours at the Oswego East Sectional, the Bulldogs and Chargers were tied at 5202 pins apiece. In the end, Stagg…
College Notebook | Northwestern’s Yahya Thomas wins Midlands title
By Mike Walsh Correspondent Mount Carmel graduate and Northwestern wrestler Yahya Thomas was chosen the Big Ten’s Wrestler of the Week for January 3. At the 58th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships held at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Thomas defeated a pair of top-10 opponents, including a 4-3 victory over Kyle Parco of…
Police hunt Ashburn carjackers
. From staff reports Four armed carjackings in the greater Ashburn area have prompted police to issue a community alert. Crime scenes include: 3300 block of West 83rd Place at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27. 8100 block of South Sacramento at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1. 3800 block of West 84th Place at 9:40 p.m.…
Sen. Hastings secures $250,000 state grant for Together We Cope after fire
By Steve Metsch After a fire just before Thanksgiving shut down Together We Cope – a longtime southwest suburban charitable organization – state Sen. Mike Hastings (D-19th) knew he had to help. Hastings said he was moved to help because of the important role the organization plays by helping needy families in the region. Hastings…
Teen creativity in bloom at library
. By Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . This past week I checked in with Claudia Brand, the new Teen Librarian at the Chicago Lawn Branch Library, to see how it was going. She has just begun the Teen Creative Studio on Tuesdays from…
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Illinois News
Jury deadlocks, mistrial declared in case of ex-AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A federal judge on Thursday declared a mistrial after a jury deadlocked in their deliberations over whether former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza bribed longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan via a no-work contract for the speaker’s political ally. After nearly 15 hours of deliberation…
High court: Smell of burnt cannabis is not cause for warrantless vehicle search
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Law enforcement officers in Illinois cannot rely on the smell of burnt cannabis alone to justify searching a vehicle without a warrant, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. The decision was unanimous, though Justice Lisa Holder White did not take part in it. Writing for the court,…
State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A federal judge invoked images from the 1917 race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Thursday at the end of a trial in a case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines. Judge Steven McGlynn, who has…
Gun expert says assault weapons ban ‘describes the most popular firearms I’m involved with’
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A firearms expert testified Wednesday that the weapons restricted under Illinois’ assault weapons ban include many of the most common firearms that American consumers use for self-defense. Steven Randall Watt, a combat veteran and retired law enforcement officer who now owns a private firearms…
Case of former AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan heads to jury
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – On Valentine’s Day in 2017, then-AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza got some good news: After years of trying to push for legislation in Springfield that would save the company hundreds of millions of dollars annually, powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan had agreed to a…
State Supreme Court hears arguments in Jussie Smollett’s effort to overturn conviction
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in actor Jussie Smollett’s appeal to overturn his conviction on disorderly conduct charges for falsifying a hate crime. Smollett, who was an actor on the TV show “Empire,” was improperly charged with the same crime twice, his legal team…
Testimony continues in 2nd Amendment challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – An engineer who spent decades designing weapons for one of the world’s leading gun manufacturers testified Tuesday that the assault-style weapons now banned in Illinois are intended only for civilian use and cannot be easily converted into military-grade firearms. James Ronkainen, a former engineer…
