Ailing eagle on the mend
Local News
Area Sports Roundup | Autopsy determines ex-Nazareth football player had heart condition
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Nazareth community was saddened on Feb. 20 when it found out that graduate Ryan Keeler, who was attending and playing football for UNLV, had died in Las Vegas. It was revealed last week that the results of the autopsy performed on Keeler determined the 20-year-old UNLV football player died……
Pro Sports Report | Fire appear done in Bridgeview in 2023; Messi and Miami coming to Soldier Field in October
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Things will not get Messi in Bridgeview. And it’s likely that June 6 will be the last time SeatGeek Stadium in the village hosts the Chicago Fire soccer game in 2023. With the news that soccer legend Lionel Messi was going to sign with MLS team Inter Miami, there was……
Baseball Class 4A State Championship | Brother Rice falls to Edwardsville, takes 2nd for best finish since 1981
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Cole Van Assen helped take Brother Rice to a place it hasn’t been to since 1981. A state championship game. The Crusaders lost, 6-4, to Edwardsville in the IHSA Class 4A state final on June 10 at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet, but it was Van Assen’s masterpiece……
Sandburg alum TJ Vorva named men’s volleyball head coach at Fontbonne
By Mike Walsh Correspondent The Fontbonne men’s volleyball program has played an integral role in the life of TJ Vorva for the last eight years. Vorva played four seasons for the Griffins and later served as an assistant coach. Now, it’s his program. The 2015 Sandburg graduate was in May named head coach, replacing Jimmy……
College Notebook | Lacrosse players Rubino and Hallman earn honors
By Mike Walsh Correspondent Nick Rubino was one of seven North Central College men’s lacrosse athletes who were lauded as members of the 2023 All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Team. Rubino, a senior, became the program’s second three-time All-CCIW selection and earned a first-team nod for the first time in his career. Rubino ranked……
Softball | Marist rolls over Yorkville for second championship in three seasons
By Randy Whalen Correspondent Marist left no doubt about which is the best Class 4A team in Illinois. The RedHawks concluded their torrid run through the IHSA playoffs with a 9-1 win over Yorkville in the state championship game, played June 10 at Louisville Slugger Stadium in Peoria. It’s the second state title for Marist……
Back-to-Back Champs! Nazareth makes history with second straight title
By Jeff Vorva Despite being a beloved Hall of Fame baseball player, Jim Thome had never won a championship ring in high school or the pros. That ended on June 10. Thome is an assistant coach for Nazareth, which made history by becoming just the fifth team in IHSA history to win back-to-back baseball championships.……
Softball | Hillegonds hurls one-hitter, Cunnea homers to send Marist to third straight state title game
By Randy Whalen Correspondent There was happiness all around for Marist. The RedHawks cruised into their third straight Class 4A state championship game by bashing Barrington 10-0 in five innings on June 9 at Louisville Slugger Stadium in Peoria. Marist (36-2) will face Yorkville (36-2) at 3:30 on today for the state title. The Foxes……
Neighbors
House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com After Illinois received another failing grade from a national advocacy group, state House Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at further protecting victims and prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking. Shared Hope International, an advocacy organization that works to prevent sex trafficking, said in its 2023 Illinois report card that……
Hundreds of bills pass, including changes to state’s biometric data privacy law
By HANNAH MEISEL COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABEDDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers passed more than 200 bills this week ahead of their scheduled May 24 adjournment. Many of the measures will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker, including a bill that changes how damages accrue under Illinois’ first-in-the-nation biometric data privacy law.……
Pritzker pledges to expand access to mental health care in Illinois
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In the middle of Mental Health Awareness Month, Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton hosted a panel in Springfield this week at which he pledged to expand the state’s behavioral health services. With several dozen services providers from around the state in attendance, Pritzker……
With 1 week left in session, Pritzker admin says all revenue options remain on the table
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com While the governor’s office instructed its agency directors to prepare for $800 million in potential budget cuts last week, all facets of his plan to raise $1.1 billion in revenue to avoid those cuts remain under consideration. Read more: ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to……
Illinois launches summer food assistance program
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state is launching a new program to provide food assistance during the summer for families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. Gov. JB Pritzker joined other state officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday to announce that Illinois will……
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he……
House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House gave final passage Thursday to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education. By the time it’s fully operational in 2026, the new……
As vacated Centralia funeral home prepares for new tenant, owner makes a startling find
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com In the basement of a Centralia funeral home in a dark hallway off the embalming room, tucked inside a nook behind two steel plates and a door, a visitor found three disembodied, neatly wrapped human legs, two of them marked with names and dated to the 1960s. The……
Illinois Supreme Court considers expectation of privacy in hospitals
By DILPREET RAJU & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – While Cortez Turner was in a hospital room being treated for a gunshot wound to his leg in 2016, police took his clothes. Now, the Illinois Supreme Court is weighing whether that action violated Turner’s expectation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment. The……
Capitol Briefs: House OKs program for student teacher stipends – but not the funding for it
By PETER HANCOCK & ANDREW CAMPBELL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House approved a bill Tuesday to allow student teachers to receive stipends while earning their education degree, even though the money needed to fund those stipends is unlikely to be included in next year’s budget. House Bill 4652, by Rep. Barbara……