Local News
Two Palos Heights residents, both banking through Old National Bank, recently became victims of aggravated identity theft. The case, which extended across multiple states, required collaboration between the Palos Heights Police Department and investigators in Minneapolis. “Both victims reported to the department about 10 days apart, on Sept. 9 and Sept. 18, 2024,” said Sgt.…
Read MoreIt was a lively occasion as a pair of Great Danes, a cat named Gus, and an elderly Beagle-Lab mix named Seamus were among the four-legged attendees gathered Sunday afternoon, Oct. 6, at Palos United Methodist Church for the annual pet blessing celebrating the Feast of St. Francis. Pastor Caitlyn Nesbit led the ceremony at…
Read MoreThe ever-popular Monarch made its appearance once again at Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanical Gardens during a weekend long, Monarch Celebration. The 31st annual Monarch Celebration honored the exquisite Monarch, right at the nature center, 7402 Lake Katherine Drive, Palos Heights, and was held on September 21 and September 22. Judy Splayt, of Tinley…
Read MoreNorthwestern Medicine Palos Heights Hospital is celebrating an exciting milestone for one of its surgeons. Dr. Samer Rajjoub, a surgeon at Palos Hospital, recently celebrated his 500th robotic surgery with state-of-the-art da Vinci robots that allow surgeons to perform complex minimally invasive procedures with more precision, often leading to less pain for the patient post-surgery…
Read MorePalos East Elementary School in Palos Consolidated School District 118 has been named a National Blue Ribbon School award winner by the U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, made the announcement on September 23 that Palos East Elementary has been named a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School. Schools are nominated by…
Read MorePalos Heights aldermen were busy last month approving payments for road projects and demolition as well as a façade improvement. On September 17, council members approved a $206,939 payment to Simpson Construction for demolition needed for the pool improvement project. Additionally, a request was approved to purchase required Illinois Department of Public Health double doors…
Read MoreVikki Tulcus devoted her life to helping others as an advocate for organ donation, touching countless lives. As fate would have it, Tulcus became someone in desperate need of a donor. Her story is one of compassion, dedication and tragedy. Diagnosed with Wegener’s Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease, Tulcus faced her own need for an…
Read MoreAs the temperatures begin to drop, the Orland Park Public Library is helping to spread warmth to senior citizens in need. The Orland Park Public Library has partnered with Pathlights, a nonprofit organization that serves older adults, for a fall blanket drive. “As the cooler months approach, it’s heartwarming to see our community come together…
Read MoreDuffy Donovan is a junior at Shepard High School who loves theater. At just 16, Donovan has landed the role of a lifetime—playing Juliet in the school’s first-ever outdoor performance of Romeo & Juliet. The outdoor setting was a requirement due to the ongoing renovation of the school’s Fine Arts Center. With Shepard High School’s…
Read MoreThe Palos 118 Educational Foundation and Parent Faculty Association recently donated a total of $53,000 to Palos School District 118 for classroom equipment upgrades. The donation will be used for the purchase and installation of new 70-inch interactive displays at the district’s two elementary schools, Palos East, and Palos West. “The 118 Foundation directors are…
Read MoreIHSA football playoff scoreboard
With records and seedings in parentheses Note: Classes 8A and 7A are seeded 1-32. All other classes are seeded as two 1-16 brackets. First round Class 8A Glenbard East 49, Curie 0 Stevenson 31, Sandburg 14 Marist 42, Glenbrook South 14 Lyons 38, Joliet West 0 Class 7A Fenwick 12, Brother Rice 7 Quincy 49,…
Area sports roundup: Red Stars fall to eighth seed, will face Orlando
The Chicago Red Stars are heading into the NWSL playoffs with a three-game losing streak and will face the regular season’s best team. The eighth-seeded Red Stars visit top-seeded Orlando at 7 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals. The Red Stars had a 1-1 draw at Orland on March 29 and lost 1-0 in Bridgeview on…
Postseason roundup: McAuley wins 44th straight volleyball regional
The streak is up to 44. Mother McAuley won another regional championship in girls volleyball on Oct. 31 and that brings its total up to 44 straight regional or district championships after a 25-12, 25-14 victory over Stagg to win the Class 4A Stagg Regional in Palos Hills. Excluding the 2020 COVID-19 season, the Mighty…
Jack Elliott, Mount Carmel cruise in Class 7A opener
Before a Class 7A opener in Machesney Park on Nov. 1, Mount Carmel and Harlem had never played each other. The Huskies are likely fine with not seeing the Caravan again anytime soon, as the Caravan rolled to a 56-14 victory. Playing only in the first half, Mount Carmel quarterback Jack Elliott completed 11 of…
Two-way star Myles Mitchell helps Richards advance
With Richards trailing late against visiting Dunlap in a Class 6A opener on Nov. 1, Bulldogs coach Tony Sheehan knew what time it was. Myles Mitchell time. “I’m not going to lie,” Sheehan said. “I went up to him in the fourth quarter and told him that we were going to put it all on…
Shepard’s bounceback season ends in Class 6A opener
A rough start led to a season-ending loss for Shepard on Nov. 1. In the first three minutes of a Class 6A playoff opener against downstate Washington, the Astros fell behind 14-0 en route to a 52-21 road loss. Shepard went three-and-out on its first possession. Washington blocked the ensuing punt and scored on a…
Unbeaten Quincy ends Argo’s season in Class 7A opener
Argo coach Phillip Rossberg knew it wouldn’t be easy going on the road to play unbeaten Quincy in a Class 7A opener on Nov. 2. Quincy quarterback Bradyn Little passed for six touchdowns as the 10-0 Blue Devils defeated the Argonauts 49-7. “They’re as advertised,” Rossberg said. “Their quarterback passed 10,000 yards for his career,…
Marist pulls away in second half to win Class 8A playoff opener
Missing the IHSA playoffs last year for only the second time in 14 seasons was a bitter pill for Marist. “We had a letdown last year by not making the playoffs,” RedHawks linebacker Kevin Tomkins said. “We knew that we needed to pick it up this season. “When we worked out in the offseason, we…
Mike Walsh’s Football Top 10, Week 11
1. MARIST (9-1) Last week: 8A, Beat Glenbrook South 42-14 This week: vs. Loyola Comment: After shaky start, RedHawks defense was excellent against the Titans. 2. LYONS (10-0) Last week: 8A, Beat Joliet West 38-0 This week: vs. Downers Grove South Comment: Lions’ offense has been strong all season averaging 35.4 points per game. 3.…
Worth Park District has big plans after acquiring Altman Park
Upon the recent acquirement of Altman Park, the Worth Park District has big plans in store for its future. Altman Park is located at West 115th Street in Worth and is just shy of 21 acres of open fields. There is an outlying building that has restrooms, concessions and a baseball field. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago owned…
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…