Local News
Midnight Terror serves up a different kind of spirits at Christmas Fear
By Bob Bong The Halloween fans at Midnight Terror in Oak Lawn have decided to extend the haunted house season into the holidays with their eighth annual Christmas Fear weekend in December. Savage Santas, eerie elves, and sinister snowmen will be running amok and showing off their own kind of Christmas spirit at the haunted…
Mount Carmel beats Downers Grove North for 15th state title
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Mount Carmel’s plan was to open and close the season in Normal. They wanted to open the 2023 campaign by beating then-nationally ranked East St. Louis in a neutral-site game at Hancock Stadium at Illinois State University, then return 13 weeks later and a win a state championship. Mission accomplished…
Cold Turkey Trotting | Young runners heat up Orland Park race held in freezing temps
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The temperature may have been freezing, but the winners were not complaining. The 35th Orland Park Turkey Trot, held per tradition on Thanksgiving, started in 30-degree weather. And the young champs embraced it. Jack Krusinski, 16, of Palos Heights, won the 2.5 mile event with a time of 14:01.04. The…
Area Sports Roundup | Cougars get revenge on Marian, earn date with top seed
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Saint Xavier defense made sure to get some revenge for a couple of losses in recent years to Marian University. The Cougars racked up 10 sacks, 15 tackles for losses, three forced fumbles and two interceptions in a 31-21 victory over Marian in the second round of the NAIA…
Girls Hoops | St. Laurence stages huge comeback to win Beecher Tourney
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer This is not the way to start a championship game. But it’s a pretty good way to finish it. St. Laurence fell behind Rich Township, 19-0, in the Beecher Fall Classic final on Nov. 22. While it could have been easy for rookie coach Claire Austin and her troops to…
Bedford Park officer shot Sunday morning
By Bob Bong A Bedford Park police officer was in stable condition Sunday after he was shot while investigating a stolen car near the Speedway station at 6800 S. Archer Avenue. Police were responding to reports of a nearby car crash about 3:40 a.m. Police said a car reported stolen in a carjacking in Chicago…
Property assessments released for Worth Township
Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi last week released the initial assessments of residential and commercial properties in Worth Township. “I strongly encourage property owners to review their reassessment notice to ensure their property characteristics and market value reflect their home,” said Kaegi. “It is important to understand that assessments in Cook County reflect market value…
St. Laurence falls to Rochester, takes second in Class 4A
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer As a four-year varsity player at St. Laurence, Corey Taubr experienced three losing seasons before the Vikings made a stunning postseason run this year. They made it to the IHSA Class 4A final, where they lost 59-38 to Rochester on Nov. 24 at Hancock Stadium on the campus of Illinois…
Nazareth tops Joliet Catholic for historic title win
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Nazareth football coach Tim Racki was bummed out. The Roadrunners had completed an historic season by defeating Joliet Catholic for the IHSA Class 5A championship, becoming the first team in IHSA history to enter the playoffs 4-5 and win a state title. They are also the first team to win…
St. Rita bests Kenwood for Prep Bowl title
By Mike Walsh Correspondent Nine is just fine as far as St. Rita is concerned. On Nov. 24 at Lane Stadium, the Mustangs defeated Kenwood 21-7 to win the 93rd Prep Bowl, the annual matchup between the Chicago Catholic League and Chicago Public League champions. The win gave St. Rita (8-5) its ninth Prep Bowl…
St. Joe’s closing for good
. Once was the largest Catholic parish in the area . By Tim Hadac More than a century of service to Roman Catholics in the westernmost section of Garfield Ridge, as well as suburban Summit, comes to an end this month as the lights go out for good at St. Joseph Church, 7240 W. 57th…
Orland Park uses home-rule to avoid state law on paid leave
By Jeff Vorva The Village of Orland Park has decided not to follow a state mandate requiring paid leave for most workers in Illinois. The village board on Nov. 20 approved a lengthy ordinance that basically says it will opt out of the Paid Leave for All Workers Act that takes effect on January 1.…
St. Rita beats Marist behind trio of Maxson TDs, will battle Kenwood in Prep Bowl
By Mike Walsh Correspondent St. Rita advanced to the Prep Bowl with a 24-14 win over Marist behind 168 receiving yards and three touchdowns from Jimmie Maxson III. The Mustangs will face Kenwood at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 at Lane Stadium for the Prep Bowl championship. Maxson tallied on passes of 13, 23 and…
Mt. Carmel blasts Batavia, will face DG North for 7A championship
By Mike Walsh Correspondent It’s fitting that Mount Carmel will end its season in the same venue it began in late August. By virtue of a 64-26 dismantling of Batavia in an IHSA Class 7A semifinal on Nov. 18 in Chicago, the Caravan (12-1) advanced to the 20th state championship game in their history. Mount…
Nazareth enacts vengeance on St. Francis, will play for second straight state title
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After an 0-4 start to the season, Nazareth went on an improbable run to land a playoff spot. Then, they made the most of their opportunity. The Roadrunners defeated Wheaton St. Francis, 38-31, in the IHSA Class 5A semifinals on Nov. 18 and will play for a second consecutive state championship.…
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Illinois News
Temporary staffing agencies seek to block new state labor law
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A group of temporary staffing agencies and their trade associations are asking a federal court to block enforcement of a new state law that governs how day laborers and temp workers are managed and paid. The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in Chicago, challenges several changes…
Former GOP senator, third-party governor candidate to represent himself in corruption trial
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Monday was supposed to have been the first day in the weeklong federal corruption trial of former Republican state Sen. Sam McCann, who allegedly misused more than $200,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses. A pull-down projector screen in the Springfield courtroom of U.S. District Judge…
Candidates for 2024 primary brave cold for potential ballot advantage
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Monday marked the kickoff for the 2024 election cycle, with hundreds of candidates filing their petitions at the Illinois State Board of Elections. Those in line by 8 a.m. Monday at the ISBE building in Springfield will be entered into a lottery to be the first…
State high court to hear case against staffing agencies accused of suppressing wages
By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments from three staffing agencies that say their industry is exempt from state antitrust laws in a case claiming the firms conspired to hold down wages for their workers. The Chicagoland-based companies have already lost twice in…
State high court skeptical municipal police and fire pension consolidation hurt retirees’ voting rights
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments in a case alleging the state’s 2019 law that consolidated nearly 650 individual police and firefighter pension funds actually hurt retirees by diluting their voting power. The nearly three-dozen pensioners and 17 individual pension funds that sued over the law…
Pritzker designates additional $160M for migrant response as winter approaches
By HANNAH MEISEL & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – As winter quickly approaches, Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday announced plans for the state to spend an additional $160 million to aid and house a sustained influx of migrants sent to Chicago from the nation’s southern border. The administration sold the plan as…
Candidate filing begins Monday, signaling official start of 2024 election cycle
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com Monday morning marks the official beginning of the 2024 election cycle in Illinois, opening up the week-long period when candidates for local, state, congressional and judicial races are required to turn in the signatures they’ve spent the last two months collecting to get on the ballot. The…