Local News
Shepard High School students took time last week to remember fallen heroes during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony. On the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 11, Shepard High School JROTC students and staff members met on the school’s football field at 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos Heights, to honor the fallen heroes of the 9/11 tragedy. “9/11…
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Few experiences created more anxiety for young teenagers than the first day of high school. So long ago staff from District 218 chose to create a warm, welcoming, and friendly opening event – Freshman Day – for new students. In addition to smiling teachers and administrators, freshmen at Shepard High School encountered returning students who…
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By Nuha Abdessalam Palos Heights Mayor Robert Straz, city council members, and Police Chief William Czajkowski recognized Officers Grady Connell and Jake Wiegrand for their exceptional performance and duty. Their swift and decisive actions, a testament to their professionalism, resulted in a life-saving award. At the July 16 Palos Heights City Council meeting, Czajkowski recounted…
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By Kelly White Jack Quinn is a modest man who enjoys spending time with his family and friends. A resident at Palos Heights Senior Living, 7100 W. College Drive, Quinn proudly celebrated his 100th birthday with those he loves most on Thursday, July 18. “I can’t believe it,” Quinn said. “I’m working on the second…
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By Kelly White Shepard High School is kicking of the new school year with a new principal. The high school, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos Heights, welcomed Dr. Timothy Baker into the role of principal as of July 1. “As principal of Shepard High School, it is my responsibility as the instructional leader to ensure…
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By Bob Bong Kroger and Albertson’s this week released the list of stores the companies plan to sell, should a merger between the grocery giants be approved by regulators. Jewel Food Stores in Alsip and Palos Heights are among the stores listed for sale as well as Mariano’s locations in Oak Lawn, Orland Park, and Frankfort. The…
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By Jeff Vorva At one time, it may have seemed impossible for Palos Heights native Patrick Bertoletti to win the Nathan’s Hog Dog Eating contest. After all, Joey Chestnut was roasting opponents year after year by winning 16 titles since 2007 and had a streak of gobbling up championships eight years in a row heading…
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From staff reports A Chicago woman was charged last month with robbery in connection with an incident in May in the parking lot of the Jewel-Osco at 12803 S. Harlem Ave. Police said Janae Banks, 26, was taken into custody on June 22 at a home in the 8800 block of South Indiana Avenue in…
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By Kelly White Kids have been rushing back to the classroom this summer. Through an educational collaboration with Moraine Valley Community College, Community High School District 218’s STEAM camp, students entering grades second through eighth have been learning more about science, technology, engineering, art and math over the break. These fields are providing students with…
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By Kelly White Shepard High School students have worked tirelessly to create a yearbook for this academic year that was nationally recognized. The high school, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave. in Palos Heights, was chosen as a Yearbook Excellence Contest recipient from Walsworth Publishing Company, a family-owned printing company based out of Marceline, Missouri. Walsworth produces…
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Man suspected in multiple carjackings arrested
Orland Park, Countryside police track him down A Lynwood man was arrested last week in connection with a carjacking in June at the Mercedes-Benz of Orland car dealership. Marcus Turner, 23, was picked up in Markham on September 12 and subsequently charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon,…
Historic Worth Restaurant marks 75th anniversary
Longtime customers Ed Palenik (left) and his dad Ed Palenik enjoying breakfast on September 15. Tucked away modestly yet directly in the Village Plaza, along West 111th Street, lies the historic Worth Restaurant. Formerly known as Worth Snack Shop and Loretta’s Snack Bar, the eatery at 6948 W. 111th St., has been an integral part…
Pekau addresses second phase of Schussler Park
The fancy upgrade to Schussler Park is the pride and joy of Mayor Keith Pekau and the Orland Park village board. But not everyone is enamored with it. At the Sept. 16 village board meeting, resident Mary Beth Griffin said she was representing several other residents who could not attend the meeting to complain about…
Football | Evergreen Park gallops past Oak Lawn in conference opener
Within the first five-plus minutes of the Week 3 battle between Oak Lawn and Evergreen Park, 27 points had been scored. The host Mustangs sustained their offensive momentum throughout the contest en route to a 49-31 victory over the Spartans in the South Suburban Red opener for both teams. Leading the way for the Mustangs…
Football | Mount Carmel’s Jack Elliott and Cooper Lehman set records in defeat of Nazareth
A rare matchup between back-to-back state champions saw two of the state’s top quarterbacks combine for 11 touchdown passes and ended as an historic night for a program familiar with making history. The quarterback duel and the game both went to Mount Carmel, which rode the arm of senior signal-caller Jack Elliot to a 56-33…
Sandburg girls volleyball players bond via Smurfs and zombie brides
Sandburg junior middle hitter Ayah Kashkeesh and her volleyball teammates did not have a normal Thursday night on Sept. 12. Rather than playing a match in the school’s main gym, the Eagles had the night away from volleyball and held a fashion show and raffle. The players were not, however, modeling the hottest designs by…
Red Stars’ Schlegel scores in return, but Swanson hurt in win over Portland
Ally Schlegel welcomed herself back to the Chicago Red Stars starting lineup in the best way possible. The forward scored the only goal in the game in the 16th minute to give the RedStars a 1-0 road win over Portland in an NWSL game at Providence Park on Sept. 13. Red Stars star player Mallory…
College Football | Saint Xavier falls to St. Thomas in battle of NAIA Top 10 teams
Many Saint Xavier football players remember when St. Thomas University came to Chicago in 2022 and beat the Cougars by three touchdowns. Those players were seeking revenge in a rematch at Deaton Field on Sept. 14, but that didn’t happen. SXU, ranked 8th in the nation by NAIA coaches, dropped a 33-14 decision to STU…
Football | St. Laurence ‘D’ dominates in shutout of Notre Dame
St. Laurence coach Adam Nissen was a happy man following the Vikings’ 24-0 shutout victory of Niles Notre Dame, Whether running the ball or dominating the Dons defensively, St. Laurence turned in an impressive performance in the CCL/ESCC crossover on Sept. 13 in Burbank. The Vikings defense allowed just 55 yards of total offense (39…
Football | Sandburg’s Shelton throws for 3 TDs, defense scores twice in win over Homewood-Flossmoor
Sandburg quarterback Anthony Shelton threw three touchdown passes, Quinn Durkin scored three times and the Eagles got two TDs from their defense as they rolled to a 63-34 win over Homewood-Flossmoor in a Week 3 Southwest Valley crossover. Shelton, a senior third-year starter, finished 14-of-19 for 283 yards and the three TDs to help Sandburg…
Illinois News
Jury deadlocks, mistrial declared in case of ex-AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A federal judge on Thursday declared a mistrial after a jury deadlocked in their deliberations over whether former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza bribed longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan via a no-work contract for the speaker’s political ally. After nearly 15 hours of deliberation…
High court: Smell of burnt cannabis is not cause for warrantless vehicle search
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Law enforcement officers in Illinois cannot rely on the smell of burnt cannabis alone to justify searching a vehicle without a warrant, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. The decision was unanimous, though Justice Lisa Holder White did not take part in it. Writing for the court,…
State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A federal judge invoked images from the 1917 race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Thursday at the end of a trial in a case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines. Judge Steven McGlynn, who has…
Gun expert says assault weapons ban ‘describes the most popular firearms I’m involved with’
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A firearms expert testified Wednesday that the weapons restricted under Illinois’ assault weapons ban include many of the most common firearms that American consumers use for self-defense. Steven Randall Watt, a combat veteran and retired law enforcement officer who now owns a private firearms…
Case of former AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan heads to jury
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – On Valentine’s Day in 2017, then-AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza got some good news: After years of trying to push for legislation in Springfield that would save the company hundreds of millions of dollars annually, powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan had agreed to a…
State Supreme Court hears arguments in Jussie Smollett’s effort to overturn conviction
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in actor Jussie Smollett’s appeal to overturn his conviction on disorderly conduct charges for falsifying a hate crime. Smollett, who was an actor on the TV show “Empire,” was improperly charged with the same crime twice, his legal team…
Testimony continues in 2nd Amendment challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – An engineer who spent decades designing weapons for one of the world’s leading gun manufacturers testified Tuesday that the assault-style weapons now banned in Illinois are intended only for civilian use and cannot be easily converted into military-grade firearms. James Ronkainen, a former engineer…
Contractor’s unsecured databases exposed sensitive voter data in over a dozen Illinois counties
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Around 4.6 million records associated with Illinoisans in over a dozen counties – including voting records, registrations and death certificates – were temporarily available on the open internet, according to a security researcher who identified the vulnerability in July. The documents were available through an unsecured cloud storage…
Prosecutors rest case against former AT&T Illinois boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – After years of pushing in Springfield, AT&T Illinois’ executive team was thrilled when the Illinois General Assembly in 2017 passed legislation that would get the company out from under expensive obligations to maintain its aging copper landline wires in Illinois. “Game over. We win,” AT&T Illinois…
Trial begins in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – The owner of a gun store testified Monday that Illinois’ ban on the sale of assault-style weapons and large capacity magazines has had a significant impact on his business and prevented his customers from buying items they would normally use for self-defense, hunting, target…
