Newman backs Starbucks unionization
Local News
‘We have to protect ourselves’
Spread the loveWomen push back against crime By Tim Hadac Years ago, a woman taking firearms training was a rare sight, at least compared to the number of men enrolled. But with spikes in crimes like carjacking, robbery, battery and more, women are increasingly found at gun ranges and in firearms classes—so much so that…
Emily Pruim, a scholar with a bright future
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com Spring is the season when, among other things, we celebrate the young people of Clearing and Garfield Ridge, their achievements and their future plans. It’s a wonderful and refreshing part of my duties to report this kind of good news.…
Newman praised by Muslim group
Spread the love U.S. Rep. Marie Newman (D-3rd) accepts a Courage Award from Oussama Jammal of the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations at the group’s annual Ramadan Iftar Dinner. She was recently praised by local Muslim leaders for objecting to “the illegal demolition of homes and annexation of Palestinian land [by Israel]; supporting legislation defending…
Medicare, history programs coming to Clearing Library
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Two programs occurring at the Clearing Branch Library, 6423 W. 63rd Place, have been announced by branch manager Ron Bitunjac. Those with questions about Medicare are encouraged to visit the library at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14 or Saturday, May 28. Staff from MA3 Financial will offer what they call…
MWRD honors IUOE Local 150
Spread the love Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos recently presented International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 President and Business Manager Jim Sweeney and Local 150 Business Agent Marty Durkan with a resolution hon- oring the IUOE on their 125th anniversary. “MWRD values the partnerships with our Labor Organizations. We are grateful for…
It’s ‘Batter up!’ for Clear Ridge kids
Spread the loveWith the pandemic fading, boys and girls from Clear Ridge Little League paraded down Narragansett last week as part of Opening Day festivities that culminated in games at Hale Park. Regular-season games are scheduled for the next two months, followed by playoffs. – Photos by Julie Marano/Clear Ridge Little League
Area Sports Roundup: Brother Rice learning from lull
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer No one thought Brother Rice’s juggernaut, nationally ranked baseball team was going to go undefeated, even though they looked unbeatable through the first 17 games this season. High school baseball in Illinois relies on deep pitching depth, and with the IHSA instituting pitch counts in recent years an…
Pro Soccer Report: Red Stars catch lightning in season-opening win over Louisville
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Chicago Red Stars had not won a season-opener since 2015, and the prospects for beginning the 2022 campaign with a ‘W’ were not at their most promising. The Stars had never beaten their Game 1 opponent, Racing Louisville, a franchise that was an expansion team in 2021.…
College Report: Moraine Valley celebrates 45 years of athletics in Finn fashion
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer Moraine Valley Community College celebrated its 45th year of offering athletics on April 30. Bill Finn has seen nearly all of them. Finn, the Cyclones’ athletic director, has spent 41 years at the college as a coach and administrator. The school opened up the Health, Fitness and Recreation…
Neighbors
State highway shootings decline as critics sue over ‘dragnet surveillance’
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois State Police say an automated license plate reader program has helped the agency identify witnesses or suspects in 82 percent of highway shooting cases this year, including all eight that resulted in a death. But as the state looks to further expand its network of more than…
Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignation
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Halfway through the 2024 election cycle and just a few weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy on Wednesday announced his resignation as head of the state Republican Party. Tracy, who’d held the job since February 2021, explained his resignation in…
As Illinois session ends, lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate wetland protections fails
by JENNIFER BAMBERG Investigate Midwest jennifer.bamberg@investigatemidwest.org In 2006, 19-year-old Jessica Whinston inherited 20 acres of land that her grandparents once farmed in Quincy, Illinois. The land had sat dormant since the 1980s and was overgrown, but Whinston and her husband Bradley worked to turn it into a productive farm. The couple were eventually able to…
Elections board dismisses illegal campaign coordination complaint, declines to clarify law
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – State elections officials on Tuesday indicated they were unlikely to step in to clarify what constitutes illegal campaign coordination after voting to dismiss a complaint alleging such coordination in the 2022 campaign for governor. At their monthly meeting in Chicago, Illinois State Board of Elections members…
Illinois’ ban on ‘bump stocks’ remains in place despite U.S. Supreme Court decision
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois law banning the sale and use of “bump stocks” and other devices that increase the firing power of semiautomatic weapons remains in place, at least for now, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision Friday striking down a federal ban on such items. “Illinois law…
Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan
By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For the last two decades, each time a governor has moved to close a large state-run facility like a prison or mental health center, a legislative oversight panel has voted on the plan. That changed on Friday – at least for now –…
‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com LINCOLN – On the eve of a scheduled vote to advise Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on plans to close and rebuild a pair of dilapidated state prisons, hundreds filed into a junior high school gymnasium Thursday evening clad in matching green T-shirts. Printed on the shirts was a…
Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although…
Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Members of a would-be union representing staffers in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office filed suit against their boss on Friday, asking a Cook County judge to force recognition of the union. The Illinois Legislative Staff Association, which formed in the fall of 2022, claims Welch’s…
Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A hearing officer is recommending the Illinois State Board of Elections dismiss a complaint that alleged conservative radio host and political operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated with former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey during his 2022 campaign for governor. Proft, a one-time gubernatorial candidate himself, is behind an…