Pirates take CRRL 10u softball crown
The Pirates recently won the right to say they are the 10u softball champions of Clear Ridge Little League. The Bucs amassed a 13-4-1 record this season and won the championship game by a score of 6-3. Members of the championship team are Alaina Nolan, Isabella Lehman, Gianna Whalen, Ava Verdin, Juliana LaPorte, Molly Mendez, Emilie Ashcraft, Meadow Mullen, Mila Solana, Jazlynn Stroup, Abbie Gasteier and Crista Hickey. The champs were coached by Jen Nolan, Maria Molinaro-Whalen, John Lehman and Mike LaPorte. –Photo courtesy of Carla Baluk
Local News
College report: Former Riverside-Brookfield star homers in four consecutive at-bats
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer Former Riverside-Brookfield baseball standout Ryan Cermak is a leadoff hitter who is belting the ball like a cleanup hitter. The Illinois State University centerfielder hit three straight homers — including grand slams in consecutive at-bats— and broke a school record with 10 RBIs in a 15-7 victory over…
Pro Soccer Report: Fire II gets a point, but still no goals after three games
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The new Chicago Fire II team is winless and scoreless through three games, but coach Ludovic Taillandier knows wins and losses are not the team’s main focus. The Fire II, which tied Rochester 0-0 April 10 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, is a mix of youth and Chicago…
Get well soon, Moose
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com If you grew up in (or anywhere near) Clearing, you’ve heard of the Hill family–or at least Hill Hardware, which was located at 6314 S. Central and was founded by George Hill in 1909. Well, a member of the storied…
Little Leaguers to parade
Spread the love Weeks after tulips and daffodils herald the arrival of spring, the earliest hints of summer start to appear. This year, that means the youthful exuberance of the Opening Day parade of Clear-Ridge Little League, tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, April 23. The route is expected to run from the west parking…
Scouts seek help in feeding the hungry
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac The Scouts from Cub Scout Pack 4439 and Boy Scout Troop 1439 of Two Holy Martyrs Parish are participating in the Pathway to Adventure Council 2022 Scouting for Food Drive on Saturday, April 9 in Clearing and Garfield Ridge. All are asked to help the Scouts feed the hungry by…
Dog park moving closer to reality
Spread the loveQuinn hoping for late 2022 opening at Wentworth By Tim Hadac Hopes that Clearing and Garfield Ridge dogs would have a park of their own in 2022 have faded slightly, but 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn is nonetheless pushing for an opening by year’s end at Wentworth Park. Quinn recently told the Clear-Ridge…
More specialized ed resources, Newman says
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A bill that would create a grant program at the U.S. Department of Education to increase partnerships between school districts and colleges to train and certify various Specialized Instruction Support Personnel programs (SISPs) was introduced recently by U.S. Rep. Marie Newman (D-3rd) and others. The Growing, Recruiting, and Obtaining Workers…
Funds flow again for local projects
Spread the loveWere briefly frozen after Madigan indictment By Tim Hadac Three public works projects affecting the Clearing and Grafield Ridge area appear to be back on track now that Governor JB Pritzker has given the green light to their state funding. Funding had been jeopardized briefly by a request from 10 state representatives (none…
Neighbors
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…
Advocates underscore need for statewide reentry programs
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois legislators this week approved a bill to restructure an oversight board in charge of distributing state money to courts that provide prison alternatives, while other criminal justice measures introduced throughout the session remain stalled. House Bill 4409 would change the makeup of the Adult Redeploy Illinois Oversight…
Ban on wildlife killing contests ‘unlikely’ to clear state Senate this session
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com A measure that would prohibit contests that award cash or prizes for killing certain wildlife is unlikely to clear the Senate after narrowly passing the House last week, according to its Senate sponsor. House Bill 2900 would ban the practice of holding wildlife contests that reward participants with…