Children eagerly wait for the balloons to drop at noon last Saturday in Palos Heights. (Photos by Steve Neuhaus)

Children eagerly wait for the balloons to drop at noon last Saturday in Palos Heights. (Photos by Steve Neuhaus)

Noon Year’s Eve celebration

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Samantha Garrett (left) and Emma Mathe (right) doing some dancing. 

Because many children can’t stay up late to welcome in the new year, the Palos Heights Recreation Department hosted a Noon Year’s Eve celebration on December 31 so kids could celebrate the impending new year playing sports and creating arts and crafts. At noon, there was a balloon drop to mark the beginning of a new year.

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Five-year-old Vivienne tries to make a basket. 

 

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DJ Jason Khuen entertains the crowd by playing some hits.

 

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Anthony (from left) along with his siblings Alex (center) and Henry (right) enjoy arts and crafts at Saturday’s Noon Year’s Eve event.

 

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A bounce house inside the gymnasium was a big hit with the kids at Noon Year’s Eve in Palos Heights last Saturday.

Local News

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Grappling girls get their day at inaugural state finals

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Spread the loveBy Jason Maholy Sports Editor The last weekend of February 2022 was an historic one for Illinois high school athletics, as female grapplers from across the Prairie State converged on Bloomington for the inaugural IHSA girls wrestling state finals. The state finals were held Feb. 25 and 26 at Grossinger Motors Arena in…

Marist’s James Murphy and his teammates made three comeback attempts but could not top Homewood-Flossmoor in a regional final on Friday. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Boys Basketball: R-B, Lyons and De La Salle among seven area regional champs

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer St. Rita, Mt. Carmel, De La Salle, Curie, Lyons, Riverside-Brookfield and Nazareth survived the boys basketball regional wars last week and advanced to this week’s sectional action. Marist and St. Laurence were both a shot away from possibly joining them. Marist, the 10th seed in the Class 4A…

Nolan Harrison of Riverside-Brookfield sets state record in diving. Photo courtesy of Riverside-Brookfield High School

Area Roundup: R-B’s Harrison Nolan dives into record books

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Team USA diver Harrison Nolan capped off his high school career in a huge way. The Riverside-Brookfield senior smashed the record books en route to winning the IHSA state diving championship. The boys state swimming and diving finals were held Feb. 25 and 26 at the FMC Natatorium…

Richards High School took third place at the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association Regional on February 5. For the first time in program history, Richards’ students in all 15 competitive events advanced to the sectional tournament the following weekend. (Supplied photos)

Richards’ Obadi advances to state speech finals

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Spread the loveBy Kelly White The varsity speech team from Richards High School continues to impress. For the 15th season in a row, the school, 10601 Central Ave., Oak Lawn, had at least one speech team member advance to state. “One of my most important responsibilities as coach of this program is to continue the…

Haven Indoor Golf, 12317 S. Harlem Ave., Palos Heights, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, January 19. Pictured: Todd Probasco (from left), Palos Area Chamber of Commerce Vice President; Don Borschel, co-owner of The Haven Indoor Golf; Bob Straz, Palos Heights Mayor; Michael McGrogan, Palos Heights Alderman 4th Ward; and Jerry McGovern, Palos Heights Alderman 4th Ward.

Indoor golf is a new Palos Heights Haven 

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Spread the loveBy Kelly White  Providing an alternative to outdoor golf, especially during these frigid months, is the Haven Indoor Golf situated right in the heart of the Palos Heights community. The Haven Indoor Golf, 12317 S. Harlem Ave., combines the industry’s leading golf simulator technology in a climate controlled, fun and welcoming environment to create a year-round home for golf in Chicago’s southwest suburbs.…

Sinead Cannon, 15, of Oak Lawn, found the perfect dress at Mother McAuley's Mother’s Club Graduation and Prom Dress Resale. (Supplied photos)

Mother McAuley gives new life to prom, graduation dresses 

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Spread the loveBy Kelly White  Finding the perfect prom dress can be costly and stressful. The task was made a little easier for students this year thanks to the Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School Mother’s Club’s Graduation and Prom Dress Resale. The event took place February 18-19 at the high school located at 3737…

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SD229 names former board to replace Cruz 

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Spread the loveBy Bob Bong  Oak Lawn High School District 229 board members opted for a familiar face to replace ousted school board member Rob Cruz. Former board member Safaa Zarzour, 58, was named last week to fill Cruz’s term. Cruz was removed from the board by a 6-1 vote at a special board meeting…

Olympic Silver Medalist Abbey Murphy was welcomed back to her home block on 92nd and Ridgeway Avenue in Evergreen Park Thursday night. She stands here alongside Evergreen Park Mayor Kelly Burke (left). (Photos by Kelly White)

Warm homecoming on cold, snowy night for Olympian Abbey Murphy

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Spread the loveBy Kelly White Streets lined with residents welcomed back USA Olympic Silver Medalist Abbey Murphy Thursday night to Evergreen Park. The Evergreen Park community has been cheering on 19-year-old Murphy as she and Team USA battled in the women’s hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Countless residents have decorated their houses…

Palos Park Commissioner Nicole Milovich-Walters said she has found serving her community to be rewarding. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)

Analysis: Palos Park still looking for perfect commish candidate

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Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva There are a couple of ways people can perceive Palos Park’s Village Council going without a fifth commissioner for months. On the surface, it would appear to outsiders that the council is sitting on its hands. Or, it can look like the council has not found the right person yet.…

Shepard yoga students at the high school, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos Heights, participated in Cardz for Kidz, a collection and distribution of uplifting cards to all ages of people across the globe. (Supplied photos)

Cardz for Kidz at Shepard High School

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Spread the loveBy Kelly White Yoga enhances connections among the mind, body and spirit. Shepard High School’s yoga students infused these spiritual teachings with their daily lives and passed along messages of peace, love and care to others. These students, ranging from sophomores to seniors, at the high school, 13049 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos Heights,…

Neighbors

Stateville may close as early as September under Pritzker’s prison plan

Stateville may close as early as September under Pritzker’s prison plan

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Stateville Correctional Center could close as early as September under a plan laid out by Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on Friday. Top officials with the Illinois Department of Corrections testified in front of a key panel of state lawmakers. The 12 members on the General Assembly’s…

Labor-backed bill banning 'captive audience' meetings awaits House action

Labor-backed bill banning ‘captive audience’ meetings awaits House action

By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With two weeks left before the General Assembly’s spring session is set to adjourn, negotiations continue on a labor union-backed initiative that would allow Illinoisans to skip religious and political work meetings without reprimand.  Dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” Senate Bill 3649 advanced out…

House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs

House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House gave final passage Thursday to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education. By the time it’s fully operational in 2026, the new…

ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to call for cuts

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By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com When Gov. JB Pritzker proposed his budget for the upcoming fiscal year in February, he sought authority from lawmakers to raise more than $1 billion in revenue through various changes to the state tax code.  Among other things, he sought to raise $526 million through extending an expiring…

State officials offer last goodbye to former Thompson Center as renovations begin

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By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State officials kicked off the private renovation of the building which once served as the state government’s Chicago headquarters.  The James R. Thompson Center, as it was known under state ownership, was sold in 2022 to a development firm that is renovating the building for its…

Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen

Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen

By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com As state lawmakers hold hearings targeting the role of pharmacy benefit managers – an influential arm in how the health insurance industry prices prescription drugs – multiple state agencies are considering how to better regulate the industry. Often referred to as pharmaceutical “middlemen,” PBMs act as third-party intermediaries…

Thousands of youths at risk of losing access to after-school programs

Thousands of youths at risk of losing access to after-school programs

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for community-based after-school programs say as many as 40,000 youths statewide could lose access to tutoring services, recreation and other extracurricular activities this summer unless Illinois lawmakers approve an infusion of funds to keep them going. “The time is now for legislators to act to…

Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers

Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Rampant sexual abuse occurred unchecked for decades at Illinois’ juvenile detention centers, a new lawsuit filed on behalf of 95 former detainees alleges, citing hundreds of incidents over more than two decades. The plaintiffs were boys between 12 and 17 years old when the alleged abuse occurred and…

House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo

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By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com After Illinois received another failing grade from a national advocacy group, state House Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at further protecting victims and prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking. Shared Hope International, an advocacy organization that works to prevent sex trafficking, said in its 2023 Illinois report card that…

Remembering Lee Milner

Remembering Lee Milner

NEWS TEAM Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com On Wednesday, April 17, the Springfield, Illinois Capitol and journalism communities lost a devoted friend and advocate when Lee Milner passed away. As Dean Olsen wrote in his piece in the Illinois Times earlier this month, “Readers of Illinois Times often have seen Milner’s work as a freelance photojournalist. But…