Newman backs Starbucks unionization
Local News
St. Rita’s season comes to end against Kenwood
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer If this St. Rita team returns intact next season, look out. The Mustangs were six minutes away from winning their first sectional championship, holding a six-point lead against top-seeded Kenwood at the Class 4A Thornwood Sectional on March 4. The Broncos, however, roared back and went on a…
Head in the stars, feet on the ground
Spread the love‘Astro Joe’ brings astronomy to the people By Kelly White When Joseph Guzman was a child, he used to swipe his father’s binoculars and lie out in the backyard, exploring the urban skies with great fascination. The young boy did not know what he was observing, but he felt a strong attraction…
St. Rita tops Homewood-Flossmoor, vying for first sectional title
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent St. Rita’s Morez Johnson knows how deflating it is for an opponent when it plays strong defense and forces the Mustangs into a missed shot, only for Johnson to grab the rebound and score. “Those second-chance points hurt the other team a lot,” Johnson said after St. Rita defeated…
Catholic school kids unmasked
Spread the loveParent reactions mixed By Tim Hadac Reports of local Catholic school children rejoicing over the lifting of mask mandates were widespread this week, while their parents reacted with a mix of opinions. “I’ve seen kids jubilant over this—some so much so that they appeared to be crying tears of joy,” said Garfield Ridge…
How about giving small businesses a break?
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com Today I begin this column with an opinion. All through the pandemic, our elected officials have made moves to provide economic relief to people hit hard by the harsh realities of life since March 2020. Employers were given “payroll protection”…
Students in triple figures
Spread the love Boys and girls across Clearing and Garfield Ridge recently celebrated the 100th day of the 2021-22 school year, including Maria DiSanto and Isabella Rodriguez, kindergarteners at St. Daniel the Prophet School. Parents interested in enrolling their sons and daughters at the school for the 2022-23 academic year are encouraged to call (773)…
Newman notes fund infusion for Metra
Spread the loveFrom staff reports U.S. Rep. Marie Newman (D-3rd) recently announced that she has helped secure a $513.6 million award of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra). The new funds are intended to help transit agencies around the country maintain service and keep workers on the…
Naz invites all to webinar on parenting
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Nazareth Academy invites the community to attend a Zoom webinar featuring nationally noted speaker Dr. Michele Borba at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 8. How to Help the Pandemic Generation Thrive Now and Later is designed to will show parents and teachers how to instill “teachable character traits to produce resilient…
Hoop dreams end for St. Laurence girls
Spread the love The dreams of basketball playoff glory ended for St. Laurence High School girls late last month, as the Black and Gold were upset at home by a scrappy De La Salle team. The fifth-seeded Meteors started out cold and trailed 14-2 to the third-seeded Vikings after the first quarter, and were behind…
Neighbors
‘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…
SCOTUS ruling could upend federal corruption cases for Madigan, allies
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday narrowed the scope of a federal bribery law prosecutors have relied on in their cases against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and several of his allies convicted of bribing him. A jury last spring found those allies – former lobbyists and…
Quantum technology companies set for big tax incentives under new law
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday gave final approval to a plan to bolster the state’s tech industry, including an incentives package – backed by $500 million in the state budget – aimed at making Illinois the nation’s leader in quantum computing. The package also expands tax…
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…
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…
Another Choate Mental Health Center employee indicted for abuse of resident
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Another caregiver at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna is facing charges for abusing a patient. A grand jury indicted Joseph A. Clark, 24, of Grand Chain, on a felony charge of aggravated battery and a misdemeanor charge of battery. Clark pinned a Choate resident to…
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…
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…
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…
Pritzker signs bill creating new Department of Early Childhood
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday creating a new cabinet-level state agency dedicated to early childhood education and development. The new Department of Early Childhood, which will become operational in July 2026, will take over programs currently housed across three state agencies, including funding for preschool…