Abbey Murphy, a member of the U.S. women's Olympic hockey team, was the grand marshal at the 52nd annual Independence Day Parade in Evergreen Park last year. (Photo by Joe Boyle)

Abbey Murphy, a member of the U.S. women's Olympic hockey team, was the grand marshal at the 52nd annual Independence Day Parade in Evergreen Park last year. (Photo by Joe Boyle)

Evergreen Park celebrates Independence Day

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Mayor loves a parade: Evergreen Park Mayor Kelly Burke walks in the 52nd annual Independence Day Parade in the village Friday night. The mayor and many of the village trustees took part in the parade.

 

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Little patriot: Deirdre Shaw, 1, of Oak Forest, waves the American flag while watching the annual Independence Day Parade in Evergreen Park on Friday night.

 

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Summer fun: The Evergreen Park Recreation and Youth departments host a variety of activities during the summer, including a day camp. Members of the departments marched in the Independence Day Parade Friday night in Evergreen Park.

 

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Red, white and blue: Evergreen Park Village Clerk Cathy Aparo greets the crowd that gathered for the annual Independence Day Parade along 95th Street in the village Friday night. Aparo and other public officials handed out miniature American flags to the spectators.

 

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Trio of trustees: Evergreen Park trustees (from left) Mark Phelan, Mark Marzullo and James McQuillan pause for a photo during the 52nd annual Independence Day Parade along 95th Street Friday night. The parade began at 95th and Springfield and concluded at 95th and Richmond. The parade was followed by a fireworks show at Duffy Park.

Local News

Providence's Enzo Infelise dives into third for an RBI triple with Pancho Vazquez ready to field the throw. Photo by Xavier Sanchez

Baseball | Providence edges Mount Carmel in extras to punch ticket to state

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Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a stirring upset of unbeaten Nazareth to win the Class 4A Reavis Sectional championship, Mount Carmel’s bid for a trip to the state finals ended with a 3-2 extra-inning loss to Providence in the supersectional round. Celtics shortstop Jackson Smith’s single off Matt Murphy drove in Eddie Olszta…

MtC-Naz play at plate

Baseball Class 4A Sectionals | Third straight state title eludes history-making Nazareth

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Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After back-to-back Class 3A state titles in 2022 and 2023, Nazareth jumped to Class 4A this season and did not miss a beat. The Roadrunners cruised to 37 straight victories heading into their sectional championship matchup with Mount Carmel. The Caravan scored two late runs in a tight contest…

MtC bsball Sect trophy

Mount Carmel dethrones unbeaten, two-time defending champ Nazareth for sectional title

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Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Mount Carmel came into its Class 4A sectional matchup against Nazareth viewed as the underdog. The favored Roadrunners did, after all, enter the game 37-0 and were gunning for a third consecutive state championship. The Caravan have respect for the Roadrunners, but they would never call themselves an underdog;…

Marist's Nathen Toth (3) was named the boys volleyball state finals MVP by the Illiniois Volleyball Coaches Association. File photo

Marist tops York for its fourth boys volleyball state title

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Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent What does it take to make a state champion? “We had guys that I’ve been hard on for nine months,” Marist boys volleyball coach Jordan Vidovic said. “All for a five-point stretch. “None of them ran away from the challenge.” How big were some of those five-point stretches? The…

Lyons’ Brody Lee-Caracci (right) and Lions fans go crazy after a play against Glenbard West in the state quarterfinals May 31 in Hoffman Estates. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Boys Volleyball State Finals | Hilltoppers prove to be thorn in Lions’ paw

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Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent After finishing state runner-up in 2023, Lyons knew it had the potential to be in position for another run at a state championship this season. The Lions did that, advancing to the state tournament for a second straight season. But they ran into an old foe in a rematch of…

Michael Schofield, Kendall Coyne Schofield and their son, Drew, with the Walter Cup won by Coyne Schofield and her teammates on the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Minnesota team. Photo courtesy of the Schofield family

Coyne Schofield continues to make hockey history

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Kendall Coyne Schofield has earned numerous significant accolades during her hockey career, including an Olympic gold medal and a pair of Olympic silver medals. The Sandburg graduate and Palos Heights native added to that collection by helping PWHL Minnesota win the inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League championship on May…

Red Stars defender Tatumn Milazzo, an Orland Park native, is looking forward to fans making a lot of noise for the team at the June 8 Wrigley Field match. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Red Stars ready for Wrigley

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent After weeks of hype and anticipation, the Chicago Red Stars are finally ready to invade Wrigley Field. While the Red Stars may not draw the NWSL record of 34,130 spectators they were hoping for on June 8, they do have a shot to surpass the franchise record 23,951, which…

Jamal Thompson is the new boys basketball coach at Richards.

Area Sports Roundup | New coaches named at Richards and Stagg

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A few area high school coaching vacancies have been filled, including those for Richards boys basketball and Stagg football. Jamal Thompson takes over at Richards for Kyle Rathbun. Thompson has experience coaching at Seton, Leo and St. Rita. Jacob O’Connor will lead Stagg football, where he takes the reins…

Rich Miller

Dems ‘win ugly’ on budget vote

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Spread the love. By Rich Miller . Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch gave added meaning to the phrase “winning ugly” during the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 29. I’ve never seen anything like it, so let’s take a look. House members were told to be in their seats by noon Tuesday after the Senate…

The Independence Junior High School community memorialized art teacher Mike Maholland by planting a memorial tree overlooking his art classroom. A moment of silence was held outside during the tree planting. (Supplied photos)

Memorial service honors longtime Independence art teacher

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Spread the loveBy Kelly White Palos School District 128 honored the life of one of its beloved educators with a Memorial Service. The service at Independence Jr. High School, 6610 W. Highland Dr., Palos Heights, May 24 honored the legacy of longtime art teacher, Mike Maholland, of Hickory Hills, who passed away on February 18.…

Neighbors

Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?

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

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

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’

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

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

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

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…

Speaker Welch rebuffs lawsuit from would-be staff union as ‘forum shopping’

Speaker Welch rebuffs lawsuit from would-be staff union as ‘forum shopping’

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is urging a Cook County judge to dismiss a lawsuit members of his staff filed against him last month seeking to force recognition of their union. In a new filing Monday, attorneys for Welch argued the Illinois Legislative Staff Association has no…

Advocates say SCOTUS ruling paves way for law ensuring abusers have guns confiscated

Advocates say SCOTUS ruling paves way for law ensuring abusers have guns confiscated

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com After the U.S. Supreme Court last week upheld a federal law that bars those under domestic violence-related restraining orders from owning guns, victim advocates say Illinois lawmakers should pass a measure to ensure firearms are actually confiscated in those situations. The legislation has been stalled for more than…

Communities, commission push Pritzker admin for more prison plan details

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…