A family of readers
Members of the Pindozzo family are all smiles after the successful conclusion of the seven-week Summer Learning Challenge at the Garfield Ridge Branch Library. The City of Stories initiative challenged both adults and children to read and participate in storytelling activities. Some 325 children participated from the Garfield Ridge Branch. Citywide, thousands participated. – Supplied photo
Local News
Quinn touts ‘get tough’ ordinance on reckless drivers
Spread the loveNew law gives CPD authority to seize, impound vehicles By Tim Hadac Thirteenth Ward Ald. Marty Quinn and a number of his City Council colleagues this week fired the latest salvo in the ongoing battle against those who use vehicles to engage in drag racing, drifting and other car stunts that create a…
Pro Soccer Report: Houston’s hat trick too much for Red Stars; Bezerra hat trick not enough for Fire II
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Bad things came in threes for the Chicago Red Stars. Houston’s Ebony Salmon scored three goals against the Red Stars’ defense and Chicago lost by three, 4-1, in an NWSL match July 16 at PNC Stadium. It snapped the Red Stars nine-game unbeaten streak. The loss dropped the…
IHSA releases 2022 football schedule
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer It’s that time of year. The IHSA has released the 2022 football schedule. So, from now until Aug. 26, one can go on the IHSA website, look at the schedules and see all of the blanks where the results and scores will be. It’s a clean sheet for…
Clearing, Garfield Ridge residents to talk about crime
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac Clearing and Garfield Ridge residents interested in preventing crime and building a safer neighborhood are invited to two CAPS meetings. Clearing residents living west of Central Avenue are invited to the CAPS Beat 812 meeting, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 13 at the Clearing Branch Library, 6423 W. 63rd…
Retro video game expo coming to Clearing
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac The community is invited to discover (or re-discover, as the case may be) video games of yesteryear at an event coming up later this month at the Clearing Branch Library, 6423 W. 63rd Place. The Retro Video Game Expo is set for 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 30…
Ballet performance coming to Clearing
Spread the loveBoitsov students, guest artists to perform By Joan Hadac The community is invited to enjoy a live ballet performance by students of the Boitsov Classical Ballet School, set for 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, July 23 at the Clearing Branch Library, 6423 W. 63rd Place. The school, currently located in a storefront studio…
Pirates take CRRL 10u softball crown
Spread the love 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…
I’m sold on this celebration
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com It’s not just a Sell-A-Bration of goods and services, but a celebration of this neighborhood and its people. That is the sentiment shared by Arlene White, a key member of the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch and director of the group’s…
Pro Soccer Report: Stoppage time goals one minute apart give Red Stars improbable draw
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The Chicago Red Stars have reached the halfway point of their 22-game NWSL schedule and find themselves in second place, one point behind front-running San Diego. They had a chance to climb into first place, but their chances slipped away with wild 2-2 draw to last-place North Carolina…
Neighbors
Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan
By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For the last two decades, each time a governor has moved to close a large state-run facility like a prison or mental health center, a legislative oversight panel has voted on the plan. That changed on Friday – at least for now –…
‘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…
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…
Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Members of a would-be union representing staffers in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office filed suit against their boss on Friday, asking a Cook County judge to force recognition of the union. The Illinois Legislative Staff Association, which formed in the fall of 2022, claims Welch’s…
Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A hearing officer is recommending the Illinois State Board of Elections dismiss a complaint that alleged conservative radio host and political operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated with former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey during his 2022 campaign for governor. Proft, a one-time gubernatorial candidate himself, is behind an…
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…
Judge blocks law that would have banned newly slated candidates from ballot
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A Sangamon County judge on Wednesday blocked the Illinois State Board of Elections from enforcing a new law that would have prevented certain General Assembly candidates who didn’t run in the March primary from getting on the November ballot. The move doesn’t void the bill in its entirety,…
“No Schoolers”: How Illinois’ hands-off approach to homeschooling leaves children at risk
By BETH HUNDSDORFER & MOLLY PARKER CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS investigations@capitolnewsillinois.com This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. It was on L.J.’s 11th birthday, in December 2022, that child welfare workers finally took him away. They arrived at his central Illinois home to investigate an abuse allegation and decided…
Brushing off concerns of overspending, Pritzker signs $53.1 billion state budget
By ANDREW ADAMS JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed the state’s $53.1 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the largest in state history. The signing caps months of work – and tension – among top Democratic leaders in Springfield and within the…
Stalled bills: ‘Dignity in Pay Act,’ Prisoner Review Board changes fail to move
By ALEX ABBEDUTO, COLE LONGCOR & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities failed to pass the General Assembly ahead of its May adjournment, although sponsors say they hope to pass it when lawmakers return in the fall. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938…