Countryside denies gas station proposal
By Steve Metsch
Taking a cue from the plan commission and zoning board of appeals, the Countryside City Council denied a request to build a service station in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn.
“They didn’t have a specific (gas station) in mind,” City Attorney Erik Peck said after the council meeting on May 24.
The hotel is at 6201 Joliet Road.
“A service station with a drive-thru (window). Coffee? There were logical objections,” Peck said.
The request had been continued several times before the May 2 meeting when the plan commission denied the request for a special use for a planned unit development.
The original hearing was on Jan. 3 and continued after that, Peck said.
“On May 2, the plan commission and zoning board heard all testimony and evidence for a planned unit development,” Peck told the council.
“At that hearing, there were heard many objections to the planned special use, concerns about ingress (and) egress, landscaping, parking and noise. Additionally, there was concern from a resident as to the adverse influence on surrounding property values,” Peck said.
The council was unanimous in the decision to deny.
Local News
Missing woman’s body found, service set for Saturday
Spread the loveA missing 85-year-old woman who had been missing since September 1 was found Wednesday afternoon deceased. Chicago police said Wednesday Francisca Renteria’s body was found after a massive search through the Garfield Ridge area. Sources said her body was found by Cook County Sheriff’s Police near an industrial building at 51st Street and…
Annual Rhine VFW Post picnic called a success
Spread the love The annual post picnic at Rhine VFW Post in Garfield Ridge took place on September 1. Post Commander Charlie Johnson says it’s a big hit every year. “We have 125-150 people come every year. It’s our annual picnic for our members, their families, and our auxiliary. “We are one of the best…
Step Back in Time: 31st annual River Rendezvous returns to Willow Springs
Spread the loveThe 31st annual A River Thru History – The Des Plaines Valley Rendezvous will be returning once again this year to Columbia Woods Forest Preserve in Willow Springs for a weekend filled with historic facts, recreation and fun. Taking place at the intersection of Archer Avenue and Willow Springs Road, the event focuses…
Football | St. Rita rides big second half to win over Sandburg
Spread the loveRoughly 11 months ago, St. Rita running back Nick Herman got his first varsity start when he filled in for injured starter DJ Stewart in a pivotal Chicago Catholic League crossover against St. Laurence. Herman ran for 155 yards and a touchdown, helping the Mustangs to their only win — and clinching a…
Gilrs Volleyball | McAuley tops St. Laurence again for Metea Valley-Oswego East title
Spread the loveMother McAuley and St. Laurence had to travel to Aurora to face each other for the first time this season. For the second consecutive season, the two area powers met in the Metea Valley/Oswego East Tournament championship, and for the second consecutive season, the Mighty Macs won, this time 25-21, 25-19, to repeat…
Girls Volleyball | Shepard and Chicago Christian split Heights battles
Spread the loveWho won the Battle of Palos Heights in girls volleyball this season? No one. Shepard traveled to Chicago Christian on Aug. 27 and the Astros pulled off a 25-22, 25-23 thriller. The two neighboring rivals squared off again on Aug. 31 in the quarterfinals of the Gold Bracket at the 13th Chicago Christian…
Red Stars face Orlando in first home game since Olympic break
Spread the lovePro soccer is returning to SeatGeek Stadium with two games over the weekend after a hiatus due to the Olympics. The Chicago Fire will make their second of three appearances in Bridgeview this season when they host DC United at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 in an MLS battle. The following day, the…
Reavis’ Chavez, Richards’ O’Shea are Mega stars at Conkey Woods
Spread the loveSantiago Chavez of Reavis won the boys division of the South Suburban Conference Mega Meet in boys cross country on Aug. 29 at Conkey Woods in Palos Heights. Chavez won with a time of 15:55.6 in the 3-mile race. James O’Shea of Richards was runner-up with a time of 15:583. Also in the…
Windy City Ram Classic | Marist blanks T.F. North, will face Lemont in semifinals
Spread the loveAnd then there was one. The 32-team 2024 Boys Windy City Ram Classic soccer tournament was chock-full of area teams, but only Marist survived the first three rounds to make it to the semifinals. The RedHawks had an easy win in the first round with a forfeit over Mansueto on Aug. 28. In…
Neighbors
East St. Louis forum to tackle persistent childhood poverty
By MOLLY PARKER Capitol News Illinois mparker@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois has the potential to eradicate childhood poverty, but it will require a concentrated, sustained effort in partnership with families and disadvantaged communities, says Tasha Green Cruzat, president of Children’s Advocates for Change, a Chicago-based nonprofit focused on childhood wellbeing. This hope drives the focus of the policy…
Federal judge rejects Illinois’ bid to end court oversight of disability programs
By MOLLY PARKER & BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois mparker@capitolnewsillinois.com bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com A federal judge on Friday denied Illinois’ request to end court oversight of its disability services. Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman, with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, agreed with legal advocates who argued that the state still hasn’t met its…
Coroner’s affidavit shows as many as 800 human remains could have been misidentified
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com As many as 800 families across the country who patronized a Carlinville funeral home may never know if the remains on their mantles belong to their loved ones, according to an affidavit signed by Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon. The affidavit was filed in a lawsuit pending against…
State law banning concealed carry on public transit ruled unconstitutional
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com A federal judge in Rockford has declared a state law banning concealed firearms on public transit systems unconstitutional – at least as it applies to four individuals who challenged it in court. But the law remains in effect for everyone else as the parties in the case consider…
Capitol Briefs: Secretary of state enlists high schoolers to encourage organ donation
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – The secretary of state’s office is launching a new program to enlist Illinois high schoolers to promote organ donation. The organ and tissue donation registry, a voluntary database administered by the secretary of state, catalogs peoples’ wishes regarding organ donation after death. On Tuesday, Secretary of…
Longtime Harris supporters do victory lap for their candidate at DNC
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – On a cold morning in late 2019, Illinois state Sen. Mattie Hunter, D-Chicago, boarded a bus bound for Iowa to knock doors for then-U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris in her bid for the presidency. At one particular door – one of many she visited in “mostly white…
Illinois Democrats see abortion rights as ‘fundamental’ issue in 2024
By PETER HANCOCK & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Illinois delegates to the Democratic National Convention focused their attention Tuesday on reproductive rights, which some leaders say could eclipse the economy as a defining issue of the 2024 election campaign. “We want to be able to take care of our families. We…
DNC brings thousands of pro-Palestine protestors to Chicago’s streets
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Protestors in Chicago this week have shut down streets, broken through security fencing, clashed with police and interrupted events associated with the Democratic National Convention. Rallies and marches have focused mainly on the war in Gaza and reproductive health care. Most protestors remained peaceful, but a…
Report shows Illinois union participation declining despite growth in new petitions
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Overall participation in labor unions has declined in recent years in Illinois, although the state has seen an increase in successful unionization efforts for the second year in a row. That’s according to the State of the Unions 2024 report, the latest installment in an annual…
Capitol Briefs: Stateville workers picket as relocation begins; flag redesign contest to open next week
By PETER HANCOCK & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Union workers planned to picket outside Stateville Correctional Center Thursday to amplify their concerns about how the planned closure and reconstruction of the maximum-security prison could affect their jobs and the state’s prison system as a whole. Calling for “No Chaos, No Layoffs,” members of…