Local News
Pro Soccer Report: Red Stars blank Gotham, advance to NWSL semifinals
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Mallory Pugh and the Chicago Red Stars gave their fans a going-away gift. Playing in Chicago’s final home game of 2021, Pugh scored in the 61st minute and the defense made it stick as the Red Stars beat Gotham, 1-0, in the opening round of the NWSL playoffs Nov. 7 in…
Oak Lawn wins push tax fight
Village could see $1 million from video gaming levy By Dermot Connolly The Illinois Legislature handed Oak Lawn a preliminary victory in its battle against the video gaming industry with its Oct. 28 passage of a video gaming bill that allows the village to impose a “push tax” that could be worth an estimated $1…
Palos Heights Library hosts dog adoption event
By Kelly White Having a piece of her heart devoted to rescue breeds, Karen Skocik always hoped to hold a dog adoption event at the Palos Heights Public Library. “Through the years, my husband and I have adopted four rescues,” Skocik, Head of Circulation at the Palos Heights Public Library, said. “Right now, we have two. It’s very…
Women’s wellness center opens in Palos Heights
By Kelly White A new facility has opened in the Palos Heights community that tailors to the needs of women. Victress, a women’s wellness center at 7120 W. 127th St. in Palos Heights, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 6. “We have so many strong females in this area who are students, professionals, wives, mothers,…
Mother McAuley hosts a Not-So-Haunted House
By Kelly White Keeping the spookiness to a minimum, Mother McAuley students hosted a Not-So-Haunted House for local area youngsters. The free event was held on October 27 at the high school, 3737 W. 99th St., Chicago, and was open to children of all ages with a parent and/or caregiver. “McAuley opens their hearts and doors and welcomes…
AERO, governor break ground on new campus on old Queen of Peace site
By Jeff Vorva The groundbreaking for the Aero special education cooperative’s Therapeutic Center building on the site of the former Queen of Peace campus in Burbank was an event that celebrated the State of Illinois’ willingness to kick in $25 million for the project. Because Gov. J.B. Pritzker made an appearance, a group of noisy…
3 Shepard seniors create community garden
Community contribution Aware that people in their community either cannot afford or find fresh produce, three seniors from Shepard High School in Palos Heights developed a community garden at Christ United Methodist Church in Alsip. “We first came up with the community garden project in the beginning of the summer. I’ve always been passionate about…
District 230 gearing up for Legacy Hall event
By Jeff Vorva The Legacy Hall Class of 2021 will be inducted on Nov. 12 and eight new members will be honored. The list includes a couple of principals, a cop, an actor and a heart surgeon. District Supt. Robert Nolting said at the Oct. 28 Consolidated High School District 230 board meeting that he…
Palos Park sees small population increase from 2010
By Jeff Vorva Palos Park had a small uptick in population growth in the past decade. But it still broke a record. Mayor John Mahoney announced at the Oct. 25 village council meeting that it reached a record population of 4,899, according to the 2020 census. He said that it was 52 more than the…
Chuck Lager restaurant coming to Orland Park
By Jeff Vorva Fabio showed up to the Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees meeting Monday night. No, not the famous model and actor with the long hair. But this Fabio has a little bit of celebrity status. Fabio Viviani, representing Chuck Lager American Tavern restaurant, was on hand to talk about a proposed…
McGovern not giving up on video gaming in Palos Heights
By Jeff Vorva Alderman Jerry McGovern is not giving up. The Palos Heights Ward 4 representative passed around a seven-page potential ordinance to allow video gaming at the Tuesday city council meeting. He told Mayor Bob Straz and the other aldermen to read it over in the coming days and make suggestions, but he wasn’t…
Girls Volleyball: Logan Grevengoed’s 1,001th career kill sends Chicago Christian to supersectional
By Steve Millar Correspondent Senior outside hitter Logan Grevengoed set off a raucous celebration at Chicago Christian on Wednesday night when she put down her 1,000th career kill. No. 1,001 was pretty special, too. That’s the one that clinched a Class 2A sectional championship for the host Knights, who beat Beecher 25-19, 25-13. Chicago Christian (33-6)…
Newman to challenge Casten in new 6th District
By Bob Bong and Capitol News Illinois When the dust settled on congressional redistricting last week in Springfield, the old 3rd District was no more. Southwest Side city neighborhoods and southwestern suburbs that made up the 3rd District for the past 10 years were divvied up into at least three districts. Parts or all of Chicago’s Clearing…
Eagles have hard time running with the Devils, but eye a bright future
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent It was hard for a strong contingency of Sandburg football fans who were at Hinsdale Central on Saturday afternoon to feel good. After a weird 0-0 first quarter in the first-round game of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs, in which the host Red Devils were called for false-start penalties on three…
Sandburg boys eye state title as area sends army to state XC meet
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Sandburg’s boys team and Marist’s Jake Phillips earned sectional championships on sloppy-but-manageable courses on Saturday. A weeklong rain turned many Chicago-area courses to mush, but the Eagles and Phillips soldiered through and are heading with some momentum to this Saturday’s state cross country meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Sandburg, which…
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Oral arguments to begin Tuesday in redistricting cases
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A three-judge federal court panel in Chicago will begin hearing oral arguments Tuesday in three cases that could determine the makeup of state legislative maps in the Chicago area and Metro East region for the next 10 years. The panel announced during a status hearing Friday…
Millions of dollars of stolen goods recovered in ‘organized retail crime’ bust, AG says
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – An unrelated arrest by the Chicago Police Department on Sunday led to a state task force this week seizing millions of dollars’ worth of goods stolen from retailers in what Attorney General Kwame Raoul described as an organized retail crime operation. Raoul announced the raid in…
Cahokia Mounds historic site offers augmented reality tours
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] There’s a new way to explore an ancient place in Illinois. Visitors of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site can try experiencing it in “augmented reality,” or AR, to see the Grand Plaza as it appeared 1,000 years ago, the Palisade as it once stood and the exterior and…
CAPITOL RECAP: Governor announces $94 million in airport grants
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – Nearly 100 airports across Illinois will receive state funding in the coming months for projects ranging from new runways and road relocations to the purchase of mowers and snow removal equipment. The money comes from the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital infrastructure plan which passed the General Assembly and…
State to distribute $94 million to 96 airports through Rebuild Illinois plan
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Nearly 100 airports across Illinois will receive state funding in the coming months for projects ranging from new runways and road relocations to the purchase of mowers and snow removal equipment. The money comes from the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital infrastructure plan which passed the…
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…
