Garfield Ridge native is new Vikes’ volleyball coach
From staff reports
A Garfield Ridge native has been named head boys’ volleyball coach at St. Laurence High School.
Laura Bugarin “brings a wealth of volleyball knowledge to the Vikings, with 11 years of coaching experience for 1st Alliance Volleyball Club, Illinois’ top USA Volleyball (USAV) club and a nationally ranked program,” school officials said.
Coaching some of the country’s top athletes, Bugarin was part of five USAV top-five finishes and led the team to consecutive top 10 national rankings in her last two seasons. She also served as the recruiting coordinator for the club.
“Coach Bugarin has a track record that speaks for itself,” said St. Laurence Athletic Director Tim Chandler. “With over a decade coaching volleyball at the highest level, I am confident that she will continue the development of our current players while also making it a program that players will want to be a part of. Coming off a historic season, the program is in a great position to take the next step, and I know Coach Bugarin is the right coach for the job.”
Bugarin is a parishioner at St. Daniel the Prophet with her husband and three sons. Prior to her coaching career, she played volleyball at Northern Illinois University and earlier at Queen of Peace High School, where she graduated in 2004 and was inducted into that school’s Athletic Hall of Fame with the 2003 volleyball team.
“I am incredibly honored to be joining the St. Laurence community as the head boys volleyball coach,” Bugarin said. “I have been attending Viking athletic events since I was a little girl, watching my brothers contribute as multi-sport athletes while I sat in the stands and chanted along to the Viking Fight Song.
“I am thrilled to lead the next generation of student athletes through St. Laurence’s strong tradition of academics, community and athletics,” she continued. “I would like to thank President Joe Martinez, Director of Operations Amy Lapinski, Athletic Director Tim Chandler and the members of the leadership team for their passion and commitment to the volleyball program, as well as for the faith they have in me to continue to lead the rich history and tradition of athletic success.”
The new coach inherits a team coming off its best season in program history, setting the school record for single-season wins and advancing to the IHSA Regional Championship. She will replace Ellen Yopchick, who stepped down as head boys’ volleyball coach following the 2022 season. Yopchick will continue to coach the girls’ volleyball team.
Boys’ volleyball players can meet Bugarin at the St. Laurence Boys Volleyball Summer Camp from July 11-14. Details and registration information are at stlaurence.com/summercamps.
Local News
Pumpkin Jamboree Parade coming
Spread the love The only thing more interesting than the units in the Midway Chamber of Commerce’s annual Pumpkin Jamboree Parade are the children in Halloween costumes, lining the curbs. This year’s festive event is schedule to start at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 at Archer and Nordica, heading east to Merrimac and then south…
Pappas: tax investors make millions from black, Latino communities
Spread the loveStudy shows homeowners, gov’t losing out on funding From staff reports A new study from the Cook County Treasurer’s Office concludes that hedge funds, private equity firms and others are exploiting a loophole in Illinois’ property tax law to make millions of dollars in profits, mostly at the expense of black and Latino…
Unwelcome houseguests coming
Spread the loveRats making seasonal surge in Clearing, Garfield Ridge By Tim Hadac Fall is the time when pest-control companies see a surge in calls from homeowners who see mice and sometimes rats trying to get inside sheds, garages and even homes to find shelter for the winter. But in Clearing and Garfield Ridge, the…
Happy anniversary, Coler Chiropractic
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com There are plenty of reasons why Clearing and Garfield Ridge are among the best places to live—not just in Chicago, but the entire metro area. One is our wealth of healthcare practitioners who are top tier, yet based right here…
Red Stars Report: Alex Morgan and Wave sink Red Stars in OT
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer From the Chicago Red Stars point of view, things started out Yuki and ended up yucky. The Red Stars dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to San Diego late Sunday night in the first round of the NWSL playoffs at Snapdragon Stadium. Alex Morgan, who earned the league’s Golden…
Keeping the fire burning: Miami Heat’s Max Strus seeks to build on breakout season
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer After pouring in 24 points in a preseason game, Miami Heat guard Max Strus did a TV interview. The 26-year-old Hickory Hills native and Stagg graduate was asked about helping young teammates. “I’ve been in their shoes,” he said. “I know what it’s like to get waived, I…
Area Sports Roundup: Moraine Valley women’s tennis punches ticket to nationals
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Moraine Valley’s women’s tennis team has some time to prepare for the NJCAA Division I national tournament. They have about a half of a year to get ready for it. The Cyclones qualified for the national tournament for the first time in seven years by winning the Region…
Girls Volleyball: Marist tops Benet and Lyons, seeks outright conference title
Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent With the postseason approaching, Marist is heating up. The RedHawks won a pair of matches last week, taking a huge step toward winning the East Suburban Catholic Conference title by beating Benet, 25-10, 25-16 on Oct. 11 in Chicago. Marist (5-0 ESCC) can capture its first outright league title since…
Neighbors
A security camera caught an employee beating a patient. It took 11 days for anyone to take action.
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. Cameras in the common areas of Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center were supposed to make the troubled southern Illinois facility safer for the approximately 200 people with developmental disabilities who live there. But…
Lawmakers move to pause – then further regulate – carbon dioxide pipeline development
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – After state regulators rebuffed several proposed carbon transport projects over the past year, lawmakers have moved to formally ban new projects until the federal government sets forth new safety rules. The technology is used to take carbon dioxide – a powerful greenhouse gas – and move…
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…