Local News
Orland cops honored by ILEAP
By Jeff Vorva Lemont’s police chief stopped by the Orland Park Board of Trustees meeting to brag a little about the Orland Park Police Department. Lemont Chief Marc Maton attended the Monday, March 6, meeting to make a presentation on behalf of the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program for Orland Park’s Tier II re-accreditation. “The…
New Palos Heights police chief sworn in
Water and sewer rates could skyrocket By Jeff Vorva For the first time in 20 years, a new Palos Heights police chief was sworn in. William Czajkowski, a 35-year member of the force, was sworn in as chief during the City Council meeting Tuesday, March 7. He replaced Larry Yott, who retired from the force…
Oak Lawn police officer pleads not guilty to battering teen
By Joe Boyle Oak Lawn Police Officer Patrick O’Donnell had plenty of supporters with him on the morning of March 1. O’Donnell, 32, arrived at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago surrounded by members of the Oak Lawn Police Department and family to face charges of two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of…
Boys Basketball | Kenwood tops Brother Rice in sectional final
By Steve Millar Correspondent First-year Brother Rice coach Conte Stamas only got to spend one season with Ahmad Henderson, but he found out pretty quickly how special of a player he had in the star senior guard. Henderson has a knack for playing his best in the biggest moments. “When the game is on the…
Area Sports Roundup | Longtime football assistant gets to run show at Chicago Christian
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Dan Chiarito has been with the Chicago Christian football program since 2009, and in that time has worked under head coaches Joe Hamstra, Eric Washington, Jim Bolhuis, Nick Cook and Tom O’Connor. Now, he gets to run the show. Last week, Chiarito was named head coach of the Knights. He…
Rugby Report | Hounds drop home debut to Utah
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Caleb Strum called it “electric.” The Chicago Hounds right wing scored the team’s first try in SeatGeek Stadium history at the 30-minute mark to help give the expansion team a 10-0 lead over visiting Utah. Hounds officials estimated the crowd at just under 4,000 and the fans were making all…
Hoops Wrap | Morton College taking aim at national title
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Morton College’s women’s basketball team took its first postseason step in its quest for a national championship. The Panthers, who finished second in the nation in the National Junior College Association Division II Tournament last year, handily defeated Moraine Valley, 91-51, on March 4 in Rockford to head into the…
Forest View Fire Department reunites with original fire truck
By Carol McGowan Forest View not only has an old fire truck back in village hands, but it’s bell, and a strainer to go with it. At their last village board meeting, two former members of the Forest View Fire Department, who each provided many years of service to the community, were on hand to…
Queen and court named for Saturday’s Countryside’s St. Paddy Day Parade
By Steve Metsch When the seventh St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday in Countryside, Colleen Ramicone will have a great view. Ramicone, a junior at Nazareth Academy and a Countryside resident, will ride atop a float as queen of the parade. Her appointment was announced at the Countryside City Council meeting…
Job Fair at Brookfield Zoo on Saturday, March 4
Looking for a fun and unique work environment, then head to Brookfield Zoo’s Job Fair on Saturday, March 4, from noon to 3 p.m. The zoo’s business partner, SSA Group, which oversees the concessions, retail, and catering, is hiring for the upcoming busy season. Seasonal positions for energetic and guest-service oriented individuals are available at…
Straz boathouse and expanded parking are in Lake Katherine’s future
By Jeff Vorva Lake Katherine had a huge recovery year in 2022 and that is paving the way for some big plans for the future. Lake Katherine Director Gareth Blakesley gave the Palos Heights City Council an update on the state of the facility on Feb. 21 and the numbers from 2022 showed a recovery…
Neighbors
Comings & Goings
Illinois News
Lawmakers advance measure to regulate ride-shares as ‘common carriers’
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers are considering a bill that would treat ride-share companies such as Uber and Lyft as “common carriers,” opening them up to the same level of liability as other forms of public transportation. House Bill 2231 passed on the House floor this week with a 73-36…
Nuclear option: Illinois grapples with the future of nuclear power
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – A measure allowing the construction of new commercial nuclear power plants has bipartisan, bicameral support in the state legislature as the body considers its next steps in meeting carbon-free energy goals while maintaining grid reliability. Its advocates say the measure would open the door for the…
Wiretaps show Madigan, through McClain, forced ally out of legislature to protect himself
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – In fall 2018, longtime former State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, received a phone call from Mike McClain, who had spent decades lobbying for electric utility Commonwealth Edison after 10 years in the General Assembly. McClain was delivering a message from House Speaker Michael Madigan, who was…
House panel debates ranked choice voting
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are debating whether the state should join a growing list of jurisdictions in the United States that allow voters to pick more than one candidate for an office, ranking them in order of preference rather than choosing just one. Ranked choice voting, or as…
Madigan looms large in trial of ex-ComEd lobbyists, exec
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan isn’t set to go on trial for racketeering and corruption charges until next summer, but his decades of power in Illinois government and politics loomed large Wednesday as opening arguments got underway in a related case. Madigan’s name was uttered…
Transit agencies look to the state to help make up projected $730 million budget gap
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois [email protected] CHICAGO – Officials with the state’s largest transit agencies met with lawmakers on Tuesday to sound the alarm for what Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Leanne Redden called a “looming operational crisis.” “By 2026, the region will face an annual budget deficit of nearly $730 million per year,”…
Pritzker: Tax cuts on the table if state revenues continue to exceed expectations
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – With two months to go before the legislature adjourns and current-year revenues continuing to smash expectations, Gov. JB Pritzker said he and legislative leaders are considering tax cuts. His comments came one week after the legislature’s nonpartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, or COGFA, increased…
[adsanity_group align='alignnone' num_ads=1 num_columns=1 group_ids='4285']