It’s ‘Batter up!’ for Clear Ridge kids
With 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
Local News
Hale and hearty
Spread the loveCommunity garden grows at Clearing school By Dermot Connolly The community garden at Hale School that was expanded through a partnership with United Business Association of Midway and other local non-profit organizations is growing in more ways than one this summer. Besides all the vegetables and herbs planted this year that are now…
Villanueva to host back to school resource fair on Friday
Spread the loveThe new school year is right around the corner and to prepare students as they head back to the classroom, state Senator Celina Villanueva is giving away free school supplies at a back to school resource fair on Friday, Aug. 12. The back to school resource fair will take place from 4-7 p.m.…
‘Coach Q’ era begins at Brother Rice
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer You might say the man they call “Coach Q” was as cool as a Q-cumber on the first day of high school football practice for the 2022 season. As an assistant coach, Casey Quedenfeld helped Episcopal High School in Texas win a private school state championship in 2019.…
Neighbors rally against ‘Mario’s Pad’
Spread the loveLaunch petition drive against home rentals By Tim Hadac At first glance, the single-family home at 5304 S. New England appears to fit in perfectly in Garfield Ridge: nicely appointed and neatly manicured. But after it was sold a few months ago and then listed (as “Mario’s Pad”) for rent on airbnb.com for…
Area Sports Roundup: Saint Xavier football tabbed 11th in preseason rankings
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Saint Xavier’s football team has something to feel lucky about. The Cougars are ranked No. 11 in the preseason NAIA Football FirstDown PlayBook Top 25 Preseason Coaches’ Poll. That’s a number to which people around the school have taken a liking. “Hopefully 11 is our lucky number and…
Pro Soccer Report: Milazzo’s first goal at SeatGeek helps Red Stars snap skid
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer At one time in early July, the Chicago Red Stars were tied with San Diego for the most points in the NWSL. For most of the month they hung around second place, but after ending July with a two-game losing streak, they entered Sunday’s home game against Gotham…
Yet another artistic triumph for the Boitsov School
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com Have you ever been excited about seeing a great film, concert, stage performance or sporting event—so much so that you marked it in red ink on your calendar, months in advance—only to miss it? That’s what happened to me recently,…
Back to School sales tax holiday kicks in on Friday
Spread the loveWith the start of a new school year fast approaching, state Rep. Fran Hurley is encouraging parents to take advantage of a state sales tax decrease on school supplies, clothing, shoes and other items over a 10-day period from Aug. 5 through Aug. 14. “Back-to-school shopping can sometimes be a real hit on…
Neighbors
Nursing home industry unlikely to see much help from Springfield in tough budget year
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com It’s been four years since some of the worst scenes of COVID-19 played out in locked-down nursing homes during the early months of the pandemic. But while most of the world has moved on, the nursing home industry is still reeling from COVID, which exacerbated pre-existing challenges in…
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 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…