Kids’ Free Days August 1-3 at Brookfield Zoo
From staff reports
With the start of the new school year just around the corner, there is still time to take the family on a summer adventure to Brookfield Zoo.
On August 1, 2, and 3, the zoo is offering free admission to children ages 11 and under. (Admission for adults and parking fee still applies.)
Families can stroll along the walkways to see their favorite animals, including Titus and Brutus, the zoo’s African lion brothers; polar bears Hope and Hudson; or the Humboldt penguins at the Living Coast. In addition, several new arrivals can also be seen in their outdoor habitats—an addax (African antelope) calf born on July 2, a South American tapir calf born on May 22; Banana, a 3-year-old pygmy hippo; and Fisher, a 6-month-old grey seal.
Before they flutter away in early September, be sure to visit Butterflies! presented by JULIE, (extra fee applies), which houses more than 20 North American species of winged wonders amidst a beautifully landscaped habitat with a winding path, water features, and a wide assortment of flowering plants and native grasses.
And, before they go extinct, again, check out the zoo’s temporary exhibit, Ice Age Giants, sponsored by Duly Health and Care. Throughout the park, zoogoers can encounter more than 30 life-sized animatronic recreations of giants that once roamed North America and Eurasia, including a 15-foot-tall woolly mammoth, a 20-foot-long giant ground sloth, a 12-foot-tall giant bird, and a saber-toothed cat. Each of the animals have moving parts such as the head, eyes, mouth, or tail, making the experience even more realistic.
On Kids’ Free Days, Brookfield Zoo is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission for adults is $24.95 and $19.95 for seniors 65 and over. Parking is $15. For further information, visit CZS.org
Local News
Argo Wrestling busy over winter break
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan While many students enjoyed time off during the school’s winter break, Argo wrestlers were hard at work competing in an all level tri meet. They beat both DeLaSalle High School and Riverside-Brookfield teams and it came down to the last match to decide the winner. The Argonauts battled to the…
Argo Alumni Night returns
Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan The tradition of Alumni Night at Argo Community High School returns on Friday, January 14. The Alumni Dinner, at which the school provides a free buffet dinner to alumni, will take place from 5-8 p.m. in the Bulow Auditorium. Many of all ages have gathered in the past for great…
Palos 118 hosting Community Feedback Forums Monday, Tuesday
Spread the lovePalos School District 118 will host a series of community forums for the public on Monday and Tuesday, January 10 and 11, as part of its first phase of strategic planning. The Palos 118 school board is engaging the entire school community in discussions that will lead to identifying the attributes and skills…
Biden doesn’t heal, he hurts
Spread the loveBy Ray Hanania On the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 demonstrations at the Capitol, which included violence on the part of some of the protesters, President Biden spoke to the American people. The first part of the speech made a lot of sense, but the last half plummeted into typical partisan politics…
Bobby Rush to retire after 15 terms
Spread the loveFrom staff reports U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, the state’s longest serving member of Congress, announced Tuesday he would not seek re-election this year, stepping down after almost 30 years of representing Chicago’s South Side and southwest suburbs. Rush, 75, formally announced that he will not run for a 16th term in Congress, but…
Stagg health team earns fourth straight Blue Ribbon award
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva District 230 Supt. Robert Nolting likened the Stagg Health Education department to the New England Patriots. For the fourth straight year, Stagg won the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in Education from the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Staff members said Stagg was the first school…
Boys Basketball: Highs and lows for Oak Lawn
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent During a week that Oak Lawn coach Jason Rhodes knew would present a huge challenge for his team, the Spartans started with a big win over a top South Suburban Conference contender. Then the league’s greatest perennial power provided proof that Oak Lawn still has a lot of work…
Palos Heights: Business owners must choose whether to comply with mandates
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Palos Heights is not cracking down on businesses that violate Cook County COVID-19 mandates regarding proof of vaccinations. But the city will help if asked. Among the mandates, which started Monday, businesses including restaurants and gyms must have patrons show proof of vaccinations, which is a controversial topic for some.…
College Report: Division I schools listening to Heard
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Tadriana Heard is ready for a second round of Division I basketball. The former Argo star is playing her second season for Morton College, and heading into this week’s action was first in the nation among National Junior College Athletic Association players with 64 3-pointers. She was also…
Mayor reads hate mail before diving into COVID and crime issues
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Before Tuesday’s village board meeting, Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau said he received a disturbing email. The mayor, who shoots from the hip when it comes to his beliefs is a controversial public figure and figures to get hate mail. This one was especially nasty. “I figured that since I…
Neighbors
After 9 months, state data begins to detail new pretrial detention system
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Nine months after cash bail ended in Illinois, the state is taking its first steps in publishing the data that crafters of the bail reform law saw as essential to judging its effectiveness. The data shows that judges in the 75 counties served by the Illinois Supreme Court’s…
ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS: Pritzker keeps economic development at forefront in exclusive interview
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com With fiscal year 2025 slated to begin Monday, Gov. JB Pritzker continues to tout available state tax incentives and promote Illinois as a site for business development. On the season finale of “Illinois Lawmakers” this week, Pritzker pointed to a pair of developments in East Alton and Normal…
Pritzker calls SCOTUS emergency abortion ruling ‘small respite’ as state protections await his signature
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Abortion remains legal as an emergency medical procedure in Idaho, for now, after a Thursday U.S. Supreme Court ruling, while a bill that would cement those protections in Illinois law awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature. The 6-3 decision saw the three liberal justices concur with the order. Three…
‘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…
SCOTUS ruling could upend federal corruption cases for Madigan, allies
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday narrowed the scope of a federal bribery law prosecutors have relied on in their cases against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and several of his allies convicted of bribing him. A jury last spring found those allies – former lobbyists and…
Quantum technology companies set for big tax incentives under new law
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday gave final approval to a plan to bolster the state’s tech industry, including an incentives package – backed by $500 million in the state budget – aimed at making Illinois the nation’s leader in quantum computing. The package also expands tax…
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
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
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’
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…
