Local News
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…
Marie Vachata gets a fond farewell from Lyons
By Steve Metsch Pat Wideman will never forget the first time she met Marie Vachata. “When I first moved to Lyons 50 years ago, she was the very first neighbor who welcomed me to Lyons,” Wideman said while sitting on a bench outside the village hall. Vachata resided two doors down on 46th Street when…
Bridgeview rents out former golf dome site for parking
By Steve Metsch The village of Bridgeview stands to make nearly $5 million by renting out space to park trucks where the golf dome formerly stood. The village will be paid $45,000 per month in an agreement that runs through September 2030. That comes to $540,000 per year and $4.86 million over the nine-year contract.…
Steve’s Bite holds grand opening
By Kelly White Palos Heights welcomed in a new business last weekend. Steve’s Bite, 11906 S. Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights, held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on October 15. The store officially opened its doors over the summer, and owners Sufian “Steve” and Kifah Syouri said they could not be happier to…
Summit’s Rev. Clemons named to township’s Mental Health Commission
By Steve Metsch The Township of Lyons has a new member on its Mental Health Commission. The Rev. Jeffrey Clemons, of Antioch Baptist Church, 7513 W. 64th St., Summit, is joining the commission. His appointment won unanimous approval from the township board at its meeting on Oct. 12. He is the first African-American on the…
Lake Katherine pays homage to the mighty oak
By Kelly White Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanic Gardens celebrated the oak tree during the month of October with a cleverly named, Oak-tober Fest last weekend. “We wanted to have an event that was more of a fall festival in addition to the Monarch Celebration that we hold in September,” Gareth Blakesley, Director and…
Coyne Schofield to be honored as IBAM’s Person of the Year
By Jeff Vorva Palos Heights hockey legend Kendall Coyne Schofield is picking up a huge award Friday night and it doesn’t have much to do with hockey. Schofield was named the Irish Books, Art and Music Person of the Year and will be honored at the group’s 13th Awards Gala Oct. 22 at the American…
Evergreen Park welcomes own fields of dreams and honors Sexton
By Jeff Vorva Brand new fields and a retired mayor were the stars of the show on Oct. 14. Evergreen Park High School had a grand opening of its new turfed baseball and softball fields. The fields were used in late spring, but this event was to celebrate the fields and show them off to…
Bedford Park’s Wintrust Sports Complex is a ‘one-stop’ monster
By Jeff Vorva The Wintrust Sports Complex has not even held its grand opening yet in Bedford Park, but it’s already bringing ESPN to town in July. The facility’s general manager, Wade Walsh, said the American Cornhole League will host its Final Chase at the new site and ESPN will be broadcasting the finals on…
Rev. Edward Stockus dies, pastor emeritus at St. Hugh Parish, served Oak Lawn parishes
Rev. Edward S. Stockus, pastor emeritus of St. Hugh Parish in Lyons, passed away Saturday, Oct. 9. He was 90 years old. Fr. Stockus was born on Jan. 21, 1931, in Chicago. He attended St. Rita High School, the University of Illinois, University of Dayton, the Illinois Institute of Technology and Loyola University and pursued…
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…
Rush wants lower phone rates for inmates
From staff reports U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-1st) this month continued his push for his Martha Wright Prison Phone Justice Act (H.R. 2489) in the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. The bill would ban the commissions that prisons and other confinement facilities receive from communications providers, which are the primary cause…
Scouts set pancake breakfast fundraiser
From staff reports Boy Scout Troop 465 and Cub Scout Pack 3465 will host a pancake breakfast fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7 at Five Holy Martyrs Church’s Abramowicz Hall, 4327 S. Richmond. Meals will consist of pancakes, sausages, eggs, orange juice, milk, coffee and tea. Meals are priced at $8…
Greene, Calmeca set for heating, cooling repairs
From staff reports Two public schools—one in McKinley Park and the other in Brighton Park—are among seven public grade schools set to receive improvements Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced last week. Nathaniel Greene School, 3525 S. Honore, will be given $159,000 in TIF funds for heating and cooling system repairs. Calmeca…
Tabares leads way to big success for police
Raises $21,000 for protective vests By Joan Hadac When 23rd Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares planned her annual Get Behind the Vest pancake breakfast at St. Daniel the Prophet Church, her goal was to surpass last year’s total of $10,500. To say she succeeded is an understatement. After the final pancake was sold at the drive-through…
Argo celebrates Homecoming, names West Gym for Helen Mallis
By Carol McGowan It was a chilly morning last Saturday, but the spirit at Argo Community High School was as warm as ever for its homecoming parade and dedication of West Gym. The parade kicked off from Summit Park at 9 a.m., with over two dozen participants. Marchers reached the school on 63rd street just…
Oak Lawn Park District unveils new Brandt Park
By Kelly White The Oak Lawn community takes great pride in its many parks. The Oak Lawn Park District Board of Commissioners invited local area residents out to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly renovated Brandt Park, 89th and Tulley Avenue, Monday evening. “All of our playgrounds are on a Master Plan list…
Illinois News
Report details disparities faced by aging LGBTQ Illinoisans
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Many aging LGBTQ Illinoisans face barriers to health care and financial security and fear discrimination in senior communities, according to a combined report from senior and LGBTQ advocacy groups released Tuesday. The Disrupting Disparities: Challenges and Solutions for 50+ LGBTQ Illinoisans report by the senior advocacy…
Law enforcement steps up efforts to fight online child exploitation
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – State Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined local and federal prosecutors Monday to announce new efforts to combat a rise in online child exploitation in Illinois. The efforts include greater outreach and education for parents and teachers, and a new mobile computer forensics unit that will…
Pritzker order aims to end subminimum wage for disabled people in state contracts
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order Monday that would prevent companies contracting with the state from paying disabled workers at less than the minimum wage. Pritzker took the action in what he said was a broader effort to try to push federal lawmakers to change…
CAPITOL RECAP: What to know as state’s eviction moratorium expires
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – The state’s eviction moratorium will expire Sunday, Oct. 3, and what comes next for renters will likely depend on their county of residence, as county courts and sheriffs will all have different approaches to executing evictions. Susan Simone, director of litigation and advocacy at Land of Lincoln Legal Aid,…
What to know ahead of this weekend’s eviction moratorium expiration
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The state’s eviction moratorium will expire Sunday, and what comes next for renters will likely depend on their county of residence, as county courts and sheriffs will all have different approaches to executing evictions. The original eviction moratorium was issued in March 2020 when the COVID-19…
With two weeks until veto session and interest accruing, state’s unemployment fix still not decided
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The deficit in the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund remains over $4.3 billion and interest payments on the debt began accruing on Sept. 6. Thus far, more than $6 million in interest has accrued on the money Illinois owes the federal government, according to the U.S.…
CAPITOL RECAP: More grants start flowing to businesses hurt by pandemic
By Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on Thursday, Sept. 30, announced the awarding of the first $24 million in “Back to Business” grants, a program funded with federal relief aid to help businesses recover and reopen from the pandemic. The announcement took place at a Mexican restaurant in the Little Village…
Illinois announces first $24 million in ‘Back to Business’ grants
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on Thursday announced the awarding of the first $24 million in “Back to Business” grants, a program funded with federal relief aid to help businesses recover and reopen from the pandemic. The announcement took place at a Mexican restaurant in the Little…
Report details community colleges’ impact on economy, earnings
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois community colleges have a multi-billion dollar impact on the state’s economy and will be “integral in making a recovery from the pandemic an equitable one,” according a new report from the Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies. The Illinois Community Colleges’ Economic Impacts and…
Obama returns to break ground on presidential center
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama returned to their old neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side on Tuesday to officially break ground on the Obama Presidential Center, a project they hope will become a hub for the development of new leadership and an…
