Local News
Hoyne Savings Bank promotes Walter Healy to president
By Bob Bong Hoyne Savings Bank on Tuesday announced the promotion of Walter Healy to president of the longtime community bank that has served Chicagoland communities since 1887. Healy joined Hoyne in 2022 as executive vice president – commercial lending to launch a commercial division for the bank. Healy will succeed current president and CEO…
Small biz relief headed to SW Side
. Restaurants, bars, motels get state grants By Tim Hadac The Southwest Side is pocked with vacant storefronts once home to small businesses that went belly up during the pandemic. But newly announced state aid aims to prevent another wave of shutdowns among small restaurants, food trucks, food carts, bars, breweries and other food and…
Readers get red carpet treatment at St. Sym’s
Faces filled with anticipation and even excitement, students at St. Symphorosa School step out of a blue hallway and onto a red carpet laid out especially for top readers at the school. The 80 or so students were honored recently for their reading achievements at a “red carpet readers breakfast.” Located at 6125 S. Austin,…
Raccoons frustrate Evergreen Park homeowners
By Joe Boyle Some Evergreen Park residents are complaining about an increase in intruders to the village. The culprits in this case are raccoons. Several residents complained that they are seeing more of the pests and have found their remains on their property. One resident from the 9300 block of South Troy voiced her frustration during the Evergreen…
Orland Township’s Pet Palooza set for September 16
Orland Township’s Pet-Palooza is scheduled for Saturday, September 16, from noon to 3 p.m. on the Orland Township grounds, 14807 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park. This is a rain-or-shine event. Residents are invited to a family-friendly, fun-filled afternoon of activities, says Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady. Pet-Palooza will feature more than 60 local vendors, ranging from…
Marching bands to compete Saturday at Stagg’s 43rd annual Jamboree
From staff reports More than 20 high school marching bands will perform Saturday, September 9, at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School’s 43rd annual Jamboree, which takes place in the football stadium at 8015 W. 111th St. Jamboree is a competition that brings marching bands from all over the area together to perform their competitive shows…
Implant allows Palos Hospital doctors to monitor heart patients remotely
The CardioMEMs team at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital. From staff reports Last spring, 70-year-old Starr Ooms required several hospitalizations for shortness of breath. She thought it might be panic attacks, but when she learned it was congestive heart failure that caused even more anxiety. Her father and grandfather had died from the same condition. The Oak Forest…
Prayer in the park? Believe it
. By Tim Hadac Editor Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound . Jennifer New grew up in a small town in South Carolina. The granddaughter of a Baptist preacher—the Rev. Darrell M. New—she was no stranger to things like tent revivals, a summertime phenomenon where the faithful take Gospel values out of churches and into the public…
Air Force veteran joins McCook Police Department
By Steve Metsch After spending 14 years in the Air Force, including the last 12 as a paralegal, Jenna Calderone is ready for a new challenge. She found one in McCook. On Aug.21, the McCook Village Board unanimously approved hiring Calderone as a police officer. She was sworn in by Ken Lyons, a McCook police…
Rashid introduces emergency weather relief legislation
State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid (D-Bridgeview) filed legislation to create an Illinois disaster relief grant program to address flooding and other extreme weather events. “With climate change accelerating, we unfortunately will see natural disasters that are more extreme, more devastating and more frequent. This grant program, if passed, will ensure Illinois is prepared to provide direct…
News from Springfield: 12 school districts to receive an additional $6.2 million
State Senator Mike Porfirio (D-11th) announced that 12 school districts across the area will receive over $6.2 million in additional funding to help address the financial challenges of recent years. “Evidence-based funding supports educational opportunities that contribute to the long-term success of our students,” said Porfirio. “Through this funding formula, we can ensure that a…
A River Thru History Rendezvous coming back to Willow Springs
The 30th annual A River Thru History – The Des Plaines Valley Rendezvous, is returning to Columbia Woods Forest Preserve in Willow Springs, Saturday, September 9, and Sunday, September 10. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Public parking is at the UPS…
Lyons mayor hosts Town Hall with Garcia, local officials
From staff reports Lyons Mayor Christopher Getty hosted a Town Hall meeting last week featuring Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia along promising that they would work together to continue to bring state funding to support resident needs. Also attending the event were state Rep. Lisa Hernandez, state Senator Javier Cervantes, Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar, and…
OLCHS’ Biga accepted into National Review Institute Burke to Buckley Program
Frank Biga of the Oak Lawn Community High School Social Studies Department has been accepted into the National Review Institute Burke to Buckley Program in Chicago. As a Fellow in the Burke to Buckley Program, Biga will be exploring the foundations of conservative thought, the Constitution, and other topics while building a network of contacts throughout the nation. The…
Casten visits agency that aids homeless veterans
By Dermot Connolly Cong. Sean Casten (D-6th) recently paid a visit to In Color, a non-profit in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood in his newly redrawn district, which received a $466,406 grant from the U.S. Dept. of Labor that will go toward assisting homeless veterans in need of shelter and jobs. “Our background is housing and workforce…
Do-it-all Chibe promoted to Palos Park sergeant
By Jeff Vorva Ross Chibe has done a variety of work in his police career in Palos Park starting at the bottom as an intern when he was still in school. No job was too small back then and no job has been too big in recent years, which included stints with a FBI task…
Pekau opposes bringing migrants to Orland Park
By Jeff Vorva Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau is resisting any talk about accepting migrants that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants shipped to the suburbs. In mid-August, Johnson said that he was looking for help from suburban towns to house the thousands of migrants, who are currently housed in police stations, Daley College, YMCAs, and…
Casten fears possible government shutdown
By Jeff Vorva Congressman Sean Casten (D-6th) is bringing millions of dollars of projects to his district but is fearful for the near future when it comes to bringing in more money. He is also crossing his fingers that there won’t be a government shutdown on Oct. 1 even though some analysts think there is…
Bridgeview man charged with reckless homicide in Palos Hills crash
From staff reports A Bridgeview man has been charged with reckless homicide after he was allegedly involved in a fatal crash in Palos Hills earlier this month. Daniel D. Swan, 32, was charged in connection with the August 6 multi-vehicle crash in the 10900 block of Southwest Highway. Palos Hills police said they were dispatched…
Dynamic duo to lead team at Glen Oaks School
From staff reports Flexible, open-minded and adaptable are three qualities the new principal and assistant principal at Glen Oaks School cite as ingredients for continuing to build a culture of fun and success with both students and staff. Farah Daoud, who spent last year as assistant principal at the Hickory Hills’ school, was named principal…
Illinois News
As state Supreme Court weighs another BIPA lawsuit, lawmakers mull child data privacy framework
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] In Springfield on Thursday, the medical industry went to court. The Illinois Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a pair of class action suits brought by two suburban nurses, Lucille Mosby and Yana Mazya, who allege their employers violated the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act, a landmark 2008…
State’s high court opens new interactive learning center
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – In 1946, the Illinois Supreme Court heard a case that would eventually become a landmark in American legal history. The public school district in Champaign, like many other districts in Illinois at the time, allowed a group of local religious leaders to use their schools to…
Biden administration responds to calls from Pritzker, other leaders, for help in migrant crisis
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Department of Homeland Security will speed up the processing of work authorizations for asylum seekers and extend Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelan migrants, actions that could help thousands of migrants who have arrived in Illinois in recent months. Those moves were announced by the Biden…
Former Illinois State Police trooper who pleaded guilty in relation to deadly crash postpones hearing
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Matt Mitchell, the former Illinois State Police trooper who caused a high-speed, distracted-driving crash that killed sisters Kelli and Jessica Uhl, has asked to delay his Sept. 20 hearing for the reinstatement of his driver’s license. Henry Haupt, a spokesperson for Illinois Secretary of State Alex Giannoulias, said…
As SAFE-T Act goes live, murder suspects previously eligible to post bond are held in jail
By BETH HUNDSDORFER & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] In courtrooms around the state early this week, judges conducted the first hearings under a new system that determines whether a defendant will be jailed while awaiting trial based on dangerousness and risk of fleeing prosecution, rather than their ability to post bail. The abolition…
New State Police rules for assault weapons permits will take effect Oct. 1
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinoisans who own weapons that can no longer be purchased or sold in the state under its new assault weapons ban will soon be able to register those weapons so they can legally keep them. The law, officially known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act, bans…
Ahead of cash bail’s end, state’s replacement pretrial justice system takes shape
By JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Beginning Monday, state courts in Illinois will be prohibited from jailing individuals who are accused – but not convicted – of crimes simply because they cannot afford to post bail while they await trial. Monetary bond will be abolished in favor of a system that…
Disparately resourced public defenders prepare for the end of cash bail in Illinois
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Illinois on Monday will become the first state to fully abolish cash bail through an act of the legislature — a major criminal justice overhaul spurred by the advocacy of a progressive faction of the Democratic Party that’s grown increasingly powerful in recent years. The reform goes into…
Illinois House Speaker’s staff could test limits of Workers’ Rights Amendment
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Efforts to form a union by staff in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office could provide an early and unexpected test of the new Workers’ Rights Amendment to the Illinois Constitution. Brady Burden, a staffer in the speaker’s office who is part of the organizing committee…
‘Thunderdomes of controversy and strife:’ Giannoulias testifies before U.S. Senate committee
By JENNIFER FULLER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias was in Washington, D.C. this week to testify before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee regarding a new state law aimed at deterring book bans. LISTEN TO THIS STORY: Capitol News Illinois · IL Secretary of State testifies before U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee…
