Orland Park Library names top winter reader
Audra Van Raden holds her prize for being the Orland Park Library Winter Reading Challenge winner. Library staffers said she told them she had always heard good things about air fryers but wasn’t ready to invest in one. When she saw this as a prize for Blizzard of Books, she thought, “Why not?” She said she plans to make dinner for her kids with it. Adult Services Manager Katie Allan and Adult Services Assistant Manager Natalie Finlon were so happy when she dropped by to pick up her prize. Another satisfied winter reader. In order to win the library’s winter reading challenge, Blizzard of Books, library patrons read up to 15 books. For each book read, a drawing slip was earned. Each drawing slip could be entered to win the air fryer or one of a selection of gift card prizes that were offered. All gift cards came from local businesses. (Supplied photo)
Local News
Batter Up: Richards and Stagg show resilience in baseball’s opening week
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer If the infancy of the high school baseball season has proved anything, it’s that Stagg and Richards are two resilient teams. Just when they look down and out … Let’s look at Richards first. The Bulldogs opened the season on March 14 with a 4-0, five-inning road loss…
Pro Soccer Report: Red Stars seek title after back-to-back runner-up finishes
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer It’s an obvious goal. Win it all. The Chicago Red Stars, who make their 2022 home debut in the Challenge Cup at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Kansas City at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, finished runner-up in each of the past two NWSL seasons in 2019 and 2021. There…
Orland Park residents involved in county and state election races
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva There will be no municipal elections in Orland Park in June, but Orland Park residents will be key players in several county and state races. Orland Park resident Liz Gorman, a Republican, is running for the Cook County Commissioner of the 17th District, a post she held from 2002-2015. Former…
Orland Park bookie sentenced to 18 months in federal prison
Spread the loveFrom staff reports An Orland Park man was sentenced last week to a year and a half in federal prison for conducting an illegal sports gambling business and laundering the proceeds. Vincent Delgiudice, also known as “Uncle Mick,” 58, directed an illegal bookmaking business in the Chicago area from 2016 to 2019, U.S.…
Palos Park upgrading meeting broadcasts — will soon go to live streaming
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Coming soon to a TV, computer or phone near you will be live streaming of Palos Park village council meetings. The council unanimously voted Monday to update its audio, video monitoring and streaming equipment in the Council Room of the Kaptur Administrative Center. Sound Incorporated out of Naperville will be…
Chicago Ridge detective honored for saving man’s life
Spread the loveBy Dermot Connolly The Chicago Ridge Village Board and Police Department recently honored Detective David Jenen for likely saving a suicidal man’s life and probably others. At the March 1 Village Board meeting, Mayor Chuck Tokar read the details of what happened from a report prepared by Police Chief Jim Jarolimek. He said…
Former Palos Hills judge arrested in Florida prostitution sting
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A former Cook County judge from Palos Hills was among more than 100 people arrested during a weeklong undercover human trafficking sting in Polk County, Florida. Officials said Daniel Peters, 66, was picked up as part of Operation March Sadness 2, which began March 8. Detectives said Peters told them…
Hills Chamber to bring back Business and Community Expo on Saturday
Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Hills Chamber of Commerce will once again host the Business and Community Expo from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at Conrady Junior High School, 7950 W. 97th St., Hickory Hills. The expo returns after a two-year absence due to the pandemic. Over 50 exhibitors are scheduled to take part in the expo. Local businesses,…
Lake Katherine goes green for St. Patrick’s Day
Spread the loveBy Kelly White The Chicago River wasn’t the only body of water to take on a shade of green this St. Patrick’s Day. To celebrate the annual day of the Irish, Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanical Gardens, 7402 W. Lake Katherine Dr., Palos Height, created a little holiday magic as volunteers and…
Neighbors
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…
Communities, commission push Pritzker admin for more prison plan details
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Jimmy Soto spent more than 42 years wrongfully imprisoned in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. In 2020, he was moved to the “F-House” at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, a condemned unit, not because he was being punished, but because it was where the facility was housing individuals…
Judge blocks law that would have banned newly slated candidates from ballot
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A Sangamon County judge on Wednesday blocked the Illinois State Board of Elections from enforcing a new law that would have prevented certain General Assembly candidates who didn’t run in the March primary from getting on the November ballot. The move doesn’t void the bill in its entirety,…
“No Schoolers”: How Illinois’ hands-off approach to homeschooling leaves children at risk
By BETH HUNDSDORFER & MOLLY PARKER CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS investigations@capitolnewsillinois.com This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. It was on L.J.’s 11th birthday, in December 2022, that child welfare workers finally took him away. They arrived at his central Illinois home to investigate an abuse allegation and decided…
Brushing off concerns of overspending, Pritzker signs $53.1 billion state budget
By ANDREW ADAMS JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed the state’s $53.1 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the largest in state history. The signing caps months of work – and tension – among top Democratic leaders in Springfield and within the…
Stalled bills: ‘Dignity in Pay Act,’ Prisoner Review Board changes fail to move
By ALEX ABBEDUTO, COLE LONGCOR & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities failed to pass the General Assembly ahead of its May adjournment, although sponsors say they hope to pass it when lawmakers return in the fall. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938…