What’s old is new again at the GRCL
Almost exactly seven years after he was sworn in as president of the Garfield Ridge Civic League, Hank Pukala (right) formally stepped down last week. He announced he is retiring and moving to California. His replacement is also his predecessor. Rick Techman (next to Pukala) served as GRCL president for a number of years. Also serving as officers for the year ahead are Linda and Ronald Honcharevich. – Photo by Tim Hadac
Local News
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…
Pigskin Wrap: Brother Rice and Marist ready for Battle of Pulaski
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer The stage is set. The annual grudge match between neighborhood and conference rivals Marist and Brother Rice takes place at 7 p.m. Friday at Rice. Both teams are 5-3 overall and 0-2 in the East Suburban Catholic/Chicago Catholic League Blue, with both teams falling to Loyola and Mount…
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…
St. Rita leans on ‘D’ and special teams in win over Providence
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent After a first half that was mostly a disaster for St. Rita on a cold and rainy Friday night, a couple big plays on special teams and defense gave the Mustangs’ offense the belief they could rally. Junior quarterback Jett Hilding scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, both on…
Ticket window closing for ‘Elvis’ show
Spread the loveResponse ‘smashing all expectations’ By Tim Hadac More than 200 people have already reserved seats at an upcoming Elvis/Motown show in Garfield Ridge, and only a few dozen tickets remain. “The response is smashing all expectations,” said Geno Randazzo of All Exterior Contractors, the driving force behind the show. “If you want to…
Alyssa shows Girl Scouting spirit
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com You may not know her name, but I’ll bet you’ve seen the face of Alyssa Delaurentis around the neighborhood. For a good 10 years, Alyssa has been a good Girl Scout: selling cookies, singing in a church choir and volunteering…
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…