Pritzker, Ezike address plan to lift mask mandate
Local News
College Notebook | Abby Mallo mashes way into Billikens record book
By Mike Walsh Correspondent The transition from high school softball to college went quite smoothly for Abby Mallo this season. The starting third baseman as a freshman for Saint Louis University, Mallo was named to the 2023 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Mid-Atlantic All-Region Team, claiming a place on the NFCA’s Third Team. Mallo is……
Area Sports Roundup | Rice grad McGinnis returns to Crusaders; Max Strus cashes in
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Brandon McGinnis’ first season as a high school boys volleyball head coach ended at his alma mater, Brother Rice. St. Rita, which McGinnis coached at the time, dropped a 25-16, 25-8 sectional semifinal match to the Crusaders on May 27. His second season will find him back at Rice, where……
Pro Sports Report | Red Stars open July with win over Wave
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer July figures to be a better month for the Chicago Red Stars than June, right? In June, the Red Stars were 1-4-0 and outscored 15-5 in NWSL and Challenge Cup play. They finished the month last in both the league and Challenge Cup Group C standings. After a road loss……
Lyons Fest offers five nights of music over holiday weekend
By Steve Metsch Lyons Fest proved so popular last year, the village has decided to add a day and night. This year’s Lyons Fest will be spread over five days and nights at Veterans Park, 4100 S. Lawndale Ave., just south of Ogden Avenue. The event kicks off on Friday, June 30, and runs through……
Area Sports Roundup | Brother Rice’s Van Assen, Chicago Christian’s Sedakis lauded after huge seasons
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The high school baseball and softball seasons closed up shop earlier in the month, but there are a few leftovers that have jumped out. Brother Rice senior pitcher Cole Van Assen was named to the Collegiate Baseball/Diamond Sports High School All-American team. Van Assen was 10-4 with a 1.79 ERA……
Pro Soccer Report | Three Red Stars to represent national teams
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Alyssa Naeher always seems to have her game face going. She has that famous scowl and looks intimidating. Even in publicity photos, she has that look that says she is not to be messed with. The Red Stars’ goalie, one of the best in the world, is also ultra-focused on……
Bill Finn retires after 40 years as Moraine Valley AD, passes torch to General McArthur
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer On July 1, General McArthur III will take over as the new athletic director at Moraine Valley Community College. It will be the first time since 1983 that someone other than Bill Finn will have that job. Finn announced his retirement months ago and his last official day is June……
Morton College’s Miguel Cantu rakes way into record book
By Mike Walsh Correspondent It had been a while since a Morton College baseball players claimed the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference MVP Award. It had been even longer since a Panther earned All-American status. The efforts of freshman first baseman Miguel Cantu this season ended both droughts. Cantu parlayed an impressive season into a league……
Neighbors
Senate Democrats send $53.1B spending plan to House
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Two days after the General Assembly was scheduled to adjourn its spring session, Democrats in the Illinois Senate advanced a $53.1 billion budget to the House Sunday night, where leaders expect it to pass without changes. The fiscal year 2025 spending plan, which came together over a stretch……
Prairie Band Potawatomi land deal clears Senate, will head back to House
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is a step closer to acquiring a 1,500-acre state park in DeKalb County, much of which was once part of a reservation that was illegally seized from the tribe in the mid-19 th century. As the Senate worked through its last……
Budget negotiations will extend into next week as House leaves Springfield
By JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the General Assembly will go at least three more days past their self-imposed adjournment deadline after failing to pass a budget bill Saturday, although the spending and revenue framework were made public for the first time. “The House and Senate are……
Maternal health, abortion protection measures advance as session nears end
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final days of their spring legislative session, Democrats in the General Assembly advanced measures aimed at expanding and protecting aspects of maternal and women’s health care. If signed into law, the measures would expand insurance coverage of pregnancy and postpartum services, maintain abortion as a viable……
Health insurance changes targeting ‘utilization management,’ more will head to governor
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A package of health insurance reform measures that Gov. JB Pritzker called for at the beginning of the legislative session will soon be headed to his desk for his signature. The Illinois House gave final approval Saturday to a pair of bills that limit the ability……
Capitol Briefs: Republicans sue over law banning legislative candidate slating
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com One week after Gov. JB Pritzker signed an elections-related measure that his fellow Democrats quickly muscled through the General Assembly, Republicans sued over the new law, alleging the majority party is blocking ballot access to would-be legislative candidates. The law , passed early this month as the legislature’s……
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: Measure targets ‘legacy’ admission at public universities
By DILPREET RAJU, COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois lawmakers missed a self-imposed Friday deadline for passing a budget, but they had approved more than 250 bills this week as of Friday afternoon. Amid the flurry of legislation was a measure prohibiting state universities from admitting students based on familial and……
Illinois could be 19th state to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com After years of negotiations and continued opposition from service providers, Illinois appears poised to prohibit employers from using a federal exemption that allows them to pay individuals with disabilities less than the minimum wage. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established minimum wage law, but created……
Capitol Briefs: Measure blocks interstate probes of abortion services
By PETER HANCOCK & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Authorities in Illinois would not be allowed to aid another state’s investigation of people coming to Illinois to seek abortions or other reproductive health care under a bill that cleared the General Assembly Thursday. House Bill 5239, which needs only a signature from……