Local News
Police to hit Dunkin’ roofs for Special Olympics
By Bob Bong Local police will all be hanging out at coffee shops across the south and southwest suburbs on Friday to raise money for the Illinois Special Olympics. The event, which is again being called Cop on a Rooftop after it was rebranded last year as Coffee for Champions, will take place at more…
Palos Park free electronic recycling on Friday
Palos Park will offer free recycling of electronics to residents on Friday, August 19, at the Kaptur Center parking lot from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until the container is full. Once the container is full, no additional electronics will be accepted. There is a limit of 2 items per household. You must have…
Orland Township announces new pet photo contest
A new pet contest has been created to get the community ready to “raise the woof” at Pet-Palooza. Orland Township residents can nominate their beloved pets to be Orland Township’s ‘SuPETvisor’ of The Year. Until Friday, Aug. 26, Orland Township residents can nominate their pet by messaging the Pet-Palooza Facebook page (facebook.com/orlandtownshippetpalooza) a photo. The…
Orland Park giving incentives to fill big, empty spaces
By Jeff Vorva Orland Park officials are looking to fill a few large vacant storefronts in the village and that’s not going to be easy. “It’s hard to fill because we have just about every large retailer here,” Mayor Keith Pekau said at the Aug. 1 village board meeting. “We have a few vacancies right…
More Orland cops honored while Capone’s appeals suspension
By Jeff Vorva If it seems like every couple of months, the Village of Orland Park is honoring its cops, well, that’s because it is. Mayor Keith Pekau phased out the once-a-year presentation in favor of honoring the police quarterly. His reasoning is that an annual presentation could be lengthy for family members and children…
Worth questions but provides funding for park district
By Joe Boyle The request by the Worth Park District for financial assistance was granted by village officials but not without some specific concerns being addressed first. Trustee Brad Urban believed that the initial request for $30,000 through intergovernmental sharing of American Rescue Plan Act funds to make up for deficits caused by COVID-19 was a…
Shepard High School welcomes new faculty
Principal Dr. Jennifer Pollack and Shepard High School welcomed two new faculty members for the 2022-2023 school year. The new staff members include Family and Consumer Science teacher Jorie Martinez, who earned a bachelor’s degree from the Eastern Illinois University and special education teacher Justin Perkins, who earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of…
Richards High School welcomes new faculty
Principal Dr. Mike Jacobson and Richards High School welcomed several new faculty members for the 2022-2023 school year. The new staff members include foreign language teacher Blanca Alcantar, who earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Aaron Griffin, Dean of Students, who earned a bachelor’s degree from North Park University and…
SD218 Class of 2026 gets off to a fast, relaxed start
Designed to calm their nerves and introduce them to all that high school will offer, Freshman Day in District 218 greets new students with a warm embrace. For a long time, researchers have known that ninth grade operates as a gateway: Students who succeed tend to excel in later years, while those who struggle tend…
Ridgeland School District 122 unveils Fine Arts Center
By Kelly White Highlighting its love of the arts is Ridgeland School District 122. The district proudly showcased its new Fine Arts Center during ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 11, at 6500 W. 95th St. in Oak Lawn. “The layout of the Fine Arts Center has an aesthetic that promotes teamwork and invites students to…
Palos Heights delays vote on ordinance that has advisory board upset
By Jeff Vorva The Palos Heights City Council delayed a vote Tuesday night to draft an ordinance that has the Recreation Advisory Board up in arms. Among the sticking points of this ordinance is reducing the advisory board meetings from once a month to three times a year. After reading a long list of accomplishments…
Mother McAuley welcomes new principal as school starts
By Kelly White Dr. Kathryn Baal, an accomplished transformational educational leader who is known for influencing others and inspiring action to make change happen within schools, has taken on a new role on Chicago’s South Side. She just recently stepped into the role of principal at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, 3737 W. 99th…
Overnight closures coming Monday night for Roberts Road, 87th Street
Overnight road closures, including weekend full intersection closures with detours, will be scheduled on Roberts Road and 87th Street during the next two weeks to accommodate mainline bridge beam placement as part of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project. Overnight lane closures will also be scheduled on southbound I-294 during this time to complete the work. On Monday, August 15,…
Traffic shift coming Monday on Tri-State between 83rd Street and Mile-Long Bridge
Beginning Monday, night, a traffic shift is scheduled on the northbound Central Tri-State Tollway between the 83rd Street Toll Plaza and the Mile Long Bridge, including removal of the current counterflow configuration. Four lanes will remain open. Overnight August 15, on northbound I-294 between the 83rd Street Toll Plaza and the Mile Long Bridge overnight lane closures will be scheduled, with traffic reduced to a single lane…
Area Sports Roundup: Sandburg golfer Jillian Cosler opens high school sports season with a bang
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The 2022-23 high school sports season opened with a bang. Practices were allowed to begin on Aug. 8 and the IHSA unleashed boys and girls golfers on Aug. 11; and there was some excitement the next day. Sandburg’s girls golf team participated in the Prep Tour Showcase at Hickory Point…
Neighbors
Comings & Goings
CAPITOL RECAP: Governor’s office unveils energy overhaul bill
By Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – The governor’s office unveiled a 900-page energy overhaul bill Wednesday, accelerating a yearslong process which advocates hope will end in a comprehensive clean energy platform as the session nears its final month. The stated goal of the bill is to drive Illinois to 100 percent “clean” energy by 2050.…
Judge finds firearm ownership card law invalid – as applied to one Illinois woman
By SARAH MANSUR Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — For the second time, a county judge in southern Illinois has ruled the state’s Firearm Owner Identification Card law unconstitutional, as applied to one state resident, Vivian Brown. The ruling from Judge T. Scott Webb means the Illinois Supreme Court will, also for the second time,…
Pritzker unveils energy plan amid session’s final stretch
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s office unveiled a 900-page energy overhaul bill Wednesday, accelerating a yearslong negotiating process which advocates hope will end in a comprehensive clean energy platform as the session nears its final month. The stated goal of the bill is to drive Illinois to 100…
State lawmakers consider lifting ban on betting on in-state colleges, universities
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – State lawmakers are considering a number of changes to Illinois gambling laws, including a measure that would lift the prohibition on gambling on in-state colleges and universities. Other measures discussed by the House Executive Committee Wednesday would legalize and regulate certain internet gambling programs, or I-gaming, and…
State invests $15 million to fuel two new manufacturing programs downstate
By GRACE BARBIC Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday the state was distributing funds to two downstate Illinois community colleges for electric vehicle manufacturing and renewable energy generation training programs. Pritzker made the announcement at Heartland Community College in Normal, where one of the new programs will launch. “I’m committed to…
GOP calls out Pritzker for backtracking on independent maps
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Senate Republicans on Wednesday harshly criticized Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, accusing him of breaking a campaign pledge to support an independent commission to redraw congressional and legislative district maps. “What I want to say is, the gerrymandering train is on the tracks,” Senate Republican Leader Dan…
Officials provide vaccination update as doses administered top 9 million
By TIM KIRSININKAS Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Public health officials gave an update on the status of the state’s vaccination efforts Tuesday as the number of vaccines administered in Illinois topped 9 million. Speaking in a joint hearing of the House Human Services and Health Care committees Tuesday, Illinois Department of Public Health Director…
Pritzker signs health care reform measure backed by Black Caucus
By TIM KIRSININKAS & RAYMON TRONCOSO Capitol News [email protected]@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker declared health care “a right, not a privilege” Tuesday as he signed a massive reform bill backed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, the last of four policy pillars introduced as part of an anti-racism agenda last year. The “Illinois Health…
Trial date set for state senator charged with embezzlement
By SARAH MANSUR Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — State Sen. Tom Cullerton, who was indicted in 2019 on charges of embezzlement, is set to go to trial in February next year, a federal judge said on Tuesday. Cullerton, a Democrat from Villa Park, is scheduled to be tried in the U.S. District Court in Chicago,…
Illinois to lose congressional seat based on 2020 census
By TIM KIRSININKAS Capitol News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – The U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday Illinois will lose a seat in Congress based on the results of the 2020 census. Illinois will move from 18 to 17 seats in the U.S. House, an expected result after some advocates had warned that an undercount could lead to…
