Local News
26 hurt in Bedford Park tent collapse
From staff reports More than two dozen people at an event in Bedford Park last week were injured when the tent they were meeting in collapsed. Bedford Park Police said they responded to assist the Bedford Park Fire Department at 10:44 a.m. on Thursday, September 14, in the 5600 block of West 73rd Street with…
Former McCook police chief pleads guilty to extortion
By Bob Bong Mario DePasquale, former police chief of McCook pleaded guilty last week to conspiring with the village’s former mayor to extort two businessmen out of tens of thousands of dollars. DePasquale, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion during a brief hearing before U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo. Bucklo…
AERO opens new facility in Burbank
By Bob Bong When Queen of Peace High School in Burbank announced it was closing in 2018, the good folks at AERO special education co-op saw a golden opportunity. They purchased the school’s 13-acre site at 7659 S. Linder Ave. in August 2019 for $3.2 million. The plan was to retrofit the high school for…
St. Gianna Fest (formerly Queen of Martyrs Fest) kicks off fall activities
By Joe Boyle Fall begins this week but there is no shortage of activities occurring this month and next in Evergreen Park. Mayor Kelly Burke reminded residents during the Evergreen Park Village Board meeting Monday night that the St. Gianna Fest (formerly Queen of Martyrs Fest) Family Carnival will take place Friday, Sept. 22, through Sunday,…
Oak Lawn village manager Tom Phelan receives pay raise
By Joe Boyle Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer is pleased with the overall contributions of Village Manager Tom Phelan, who will receive a merit-based pay increase. Phelan will see a 5 percent increase in pay after village trustees approved a resolution as part of the consent agenda during the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting on…
Peaks Park improvements underway in Worth
The Peaks Park improvements are underway in Worth. Work began this month on Peaks Park, which was awarded an Open Space and Land Acquisition Development grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The improvements will include the installation of sand volleyball courts, shelter, half-court basketball court and a walking path around the perimeter of…
Orland Park: Veteran and Pekau spar for a second time
By Jeff Vorva Round two. For the second time in three meetings, Orland Park’s Diana Howard, a veteran, stopped by Village Hall to get some things off her chest during her allotted three-minute public comment session. Howard visited the Aug. 21 meeting and accused Mayor Keith Pekau, also a vet, of yelling and swearing at…
Palos Heights: Classic Car Show celebrates but needs more volunteers
By Jeff Vorva When it comes to the Palos Heights Classic Car Show, there is plenty to celebrate and also plenty to worry about. The 20th running of the event took place in July and had a record 682 cars and the crowd was estimated at 6,000-8,000. Bob Starzyk, the organizer for all 20 events,…
Orland Township celebrates pets at Pet-Palooza
By Kelly White Orland Township knows how to celebrate its pets. The township hosted its 11th annual Pet-Palooza on Saturday, September 16, on the Orland Township grounds, 14807 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park. The free event was sponsored by Supervisor Paul O’Grady and the township’s board of trustees. “As a pet owner myself, I understand…
Worth withdraws from Southwest Central Dispatch
By Joe Boyle The Village of Worth has officially withdrawn from the Southwest Central Dispatch system. An ordinance was approved to drop Southwest Central Dispatch during the Worth Village Board meeting Tuesday night. Another ordinance was approved to withdraw from the Southwest Central 911 system. The village had previously entered into an agreement with Southwest…
Batting cleanup, Ryan Aderman
. By Tim Hadac Editor Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound . Baseball is in Ryan Aderman’s blood. Especially Little League ball. He even talked baseball with me last week, on his 33rd birthday. The Garfield Ridge native (St. Dan’s and later St. Laurence) was just a little boy when he donned his first baseball uniform—a Clear-Ridge…
Palos Park celebrates fall with annual festival
By Kelly White Palos Park is ready to celebrate the changing leaves, chillier weather and start of autumn. The village welcomed the season in just a little early with its annual Autumn in the Park festival on Friday, September 15, and Saturday, September 16, on the Village Green at 8901 W. 123rd Street. “This is…
‘We want to know why’
. Frustration mounting over Hancock principal’s ouster By Tim Hadac Frustration over the apparent ouster of Hancock College Prep High School Principal Vanessa Puentes appeared to grow this week, in the wake of a marathon Local School Council meeting that failed to yield answers many teachers, parents, students an Clearing community members sought. “We want…
Bursting with color and pride
Select dancers from Ballet Folklórico Estrella del Mar recently had the honor to perform with The Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage. They, in turn, joined the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance and Cuerdas Clásicas at the event Somos Un Solo Pueblo, México y Puerto Rico. Showing a burst of…
Lyons Mustangs fundraiser is Saturday
By Steve Metsch The Lyons Mustangs Athletic Club is hosting its third annual September to Remember from 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Live music will be provided by Da Good Times Band, starting at 3:30 p.m., said Mark Anderson, a lifetime member of the Mustangs. The Mustangs’ clubhouse is at 4047 Leland Avenue in Lyons.…
Area sports report: Coyne Schofield signs three-year pro deal
By Jeff Vorva The new Professional Women’s Hockey League is forming, and Palos Heights native and Sandburg graduate Kendall Coyne Schofield will be a part of its historic first season. Schofield was one of the first three players to sign for the Minnesota franchise, a trio that also features fellow U.S. Olympians Kelly Pannek and…
Red Stars return to SeatGeek but long-term future a question mark
By Jeff Vorva After a long absence, the Chicago Red Stars will finally be playing a game at SeatGeek Stadium again. The Red Stars host Angel City at 5 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Bridgeview facility for the first time since Aug. 5. International breaks and other scheduling quirks have kept the team away from…
Antonio Clay-Jones carries Evergreen Park past Reavis
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent No deficit in sports is too great to overcome unless the double zeros on the clock are reached. Unfortunately for Reavis High School, that was the situation in their Week 3 matchup with Evergreen Park High School. Despite every Reavis Rams (1-2) effort to overcome their deficit, the Evergreen Park Mustangs…
Marist adds 5 athletes, wrestling team to sports Hall of Fame
By Jeff Vorva The Marist Athletics Hall of Fame is pretty crowded, with 111 individuals or teams recognized. But there is always room for more. Five more individuals and one team were honored Sept. 1 at halftime of the Brother Rice-Marist football game, won by the RedHawks in thrilling fashion, 30-24. Peter Bilecki, who graduated…
Turkish House offers imported and handmade items
By Joe Boyle A new business has opened in Palos Hills that should attract coffee lovers everywhere. The official grand opening for the Turkish House, 10703 S. Roberts Road, took place August 5 as the owners and employees welcomed local dignitaries and customers. Balloons were up throughout the store and signs were posted outside indicating that the…
Illinois News
Illinois General Assembly passes hundreds of bills as session end approaches
By SARAH MANSUR Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — The state Senate and House passed more than 750 bills between them last week, addressing isolated timeouts in schools, youth vaping, teaching Muslim history, the commemoration of Juneteenth and automatic voter registration in prisons, among other topics. Friday was the deadline for the General Assembly to pass…
CAPITOL RECAP: Revenue discussions progressing at Capitol
By Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Members of an Illinois Senate committee on Friday, April 23, sparred with officials from Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration Friday in a hearing on tax changes proposed by the governor in an effort to balance the state’s budget for the 2022 fiscal year. In his budget proposal released in February,…
Bills creating liaisons for homeless college students, addressing dental care in schools advance
By GRACE BARBIC Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate advanced several bills to the House Wednesday, including one establishing a housing insecurity liaison for homeless college students and another allowing routine dental care to be provided at schools. Senate Bill 190, sponsored by Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, D-Western Springs, would require higher education…
House passes bill to reclassify small-amount drug possession as misdemeanor
By SARAH MANSUR Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — A bill to lessen penalties for possessing and selling small amounts of drugs, including heroin and cocaine, narrowly passed out of the state House of Representatives Wednesday after a contentious debate. The discussion over House Bill 3447 provoked strong emotions on both sides of the aisle, passing…
CAPITOL RECAP: Lawmakers begin review of state monuments
By Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – A House committee tasked with reviewing statues and monuments on state property held its first meeting Wednesday, April 21, hearing from historians and state government associations on what steps are being in other states and what frameworks can be established to guide the review process. Rep. Tim Butler, a…
Bill allowing name changes for convicted individuals passes House
By RAYMON TRONCOSO Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A bill allowing a person who must register with a state agency due to a criminal conviction to change their name under specific circumstances passed the Illinois House on Thursday with bipartisan support. House Bill 2542, introduced by state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, amends several state statutes…
House passes leadership term limits, source of income protections for renters
By TIM KIRSININKAS Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House advanced several bills Thursday, including one which would implement term limits on leadership positions in the General Assembly and another that would create additional protections for tenants’ sources of income. House Bill 642, introduced by Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, would bar any individual…
Lawmakers question Exelon audit
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Members of a state Senate committee sharply criticized a recent audit of Exelon’s nuclear power plant operations that suggested ratepayers may need to subsidize two of those plants by as much as $350 million over the next five years. Gov. JB Pritzker’s office and the Illinois Environmental…
Illinois House OKs bill to license professional midwives
By SARAH MANSUR Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — The certified professional midwife profession in Illinois moved one step closer to becoming an officially licensed occupation on Thursday with the passage of House Bill 3401. HB 3401 creates the Licensed Certified Professional Midwife Practice Act, which would license individuals who perform out-of-hospital births and have…
Springfield Republican calls out Democrats for placing bill ‘on review’
By SARAH MANSUR Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — Republican Rep. Tim Butler on Thursday accused the new Democratic leadership in the state House of Representatives of preserving practices from previous leadership which Republicans say unfairly benefits the majority party. “So, what the speaker said back in January about this place being different and running…
