Local News
Evita heading to the Olympics … again
By Jeff Vorva Evita Griskenas, of Orland Park, will compete in her second Olympics, representing the United States in rhythmic gymnastics in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. Griskenas, a Sandburg graduate, qualified for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and finished 12th in the qualifying round in the individual all-around. She will be the only…
Andy’s Frozen Custard to open Friday in Garfield Ridge
By Bob Bong Andy’s Frozen Custard will open its first store in Chicago Friday morning in the Garfield Ridge community. The store at 5446 S. Mulligan Ave. will hold its ribbon cutting and golden scoop ceremony at 11 a.m. followed by its grand opening from 11:30 to 4 p.m. Guests will get to meet company…
Green Hills Library collecting back-to-school supplies
By Kelly White It may still be summer but the Green Hills Public Library District is preparing students for their return to the classroom. The library, 10331 Interlochen Dr., Palos Hills, is hosting a Back-to-School Collection Drive from now until Friday, August 9. “One of my biggest goals as a librarian has always been breaking…
Oak Lawn Library hosts Jazz Music Legends of Oak Lawn
By Kelly White The sweet sounds of jazz have filled the Oak Lawn Public Library. Patrons were invited out on April 27 for the unveiling of the library’s latest Local History exhibit, “Jazz Music Legends of Oak Lawn.” The exhibit will be on display at the library, 9427 Raymond Ave., Oak Lawn, for the rest…
Smith Village residents and employees celebrate 100 years of senior living
By Kelly White Residents at Smith Village residents and employees celebrated the 100th year of the senior living community by forecasting the future. Hundreds of Smith Village residents and employees at Smith Village, 2320 W. 113th Place, Chicago, along with community leaders and elected officials, marked the senior living community’s anniversary by looking into the…
EF1 tornado barrels through Justice and Bridgeview
By Carol McGowan An EF1 tornado, packing winds of 90 miles per hour, swept through Justice and Bridgeview Monday night. Village of Justice Public Works Director Joe Cekus said he knew trouble was on the way. “I was looking in the sky for rotation and I heard a train,” he said. “I quickly realized that…
Bridgeview family loses two pickup trucks, but house is saved
By Steve Metsch A Bridgeview family in the 7400 block of Roberts Road knows first-hand the damage weather can do. When high winds hit around 9:30 p.m. Monday as a tornado blew through Justice, a cemetery and then into Bridgeview, two power lines were brought down near their bi-level house. One line fell in the…
Rihanna to open Savage X Fenty store in Orland Park on Friday
By Bob Bong Barbados superstar Rihanna will open her first Savage X Fenty store in Illinois on Friday morning in Orland Square Mall in Orland Park. The singer, actor and businesswoman will open the store at the mall’s lower level near the Coach store at 10 a.m. Savage X Fenty will host a grand opening…
Palos Park encourages residents to unplug
By Kelly White The Village of Palos Park encouraged residents to unplug their devices for a day at part of Unplug Illinois on Saturday, July 13. The day is a state-wide effort, started in 2014, to encourage everyone to “plug into” the amazing recreational opportunities offered by local park and recreation agencies. The Village of…
Comings & Goings: Portillo’s coming to Orland Park
By Jeff Vorva After the Orland Park Village Board voted Monday night to allow for a special use program, it set the wheels in motion for a Portillo’s Hot Dogs drive through to be built at 20 Orland Square Drive, the site of the shuttered Denny’s. It will be a 3,305-foot square building and will…
Mayor says Centennial Park West concert snafus ‘easily solvable’
By Jeff Vorva The weather gods hit Orland Park’s Pat Benatar concert with their worst shot. A major storm took place July 13 when the event at the refurbished Centennial Park West was scheduled to open the gates. That caused a delay in opening the gates for 40 minutes which resulted in massive lines and…
Worth approves $590,000 for street repairs
By Joe Boyle A variety of projects ranging from street repairs and a new pump station for the golf course have been approved for the Village of Worth. A bid was awarded to Lindahl Brothers during the Worth Village Board meeting Tuesday night. Lindahl was the lowest bidder among four entries at $590,384.90 for future street repair…
LeaderShop alumni, board meeting turns testy at times
By S. Kirchman The LeaderShop Alumni Association rallied under the pavilion at The LeaderShop office in La Grange for the board’s scheduled 6 p.m. meeting after it was switched from in-person to virtual earlier on Thursday. The Alumni Association consists of volunteers, previous staff members, former members of the board of directors, funders, donors, and…
Hometown Hoops Hero: Stagg alum Max Strus discusses his rise through the NBA, hitting big shots and his annual youth hoops camp
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent A lot of changes have taken place for Max Strus during the past year. While the Cleveland Cavaliers guard has played in an NBA Finals and been featured as No. 1 on ESPN SportsCenter’s “Top Plays,” among other noteworthy events, the Stagg alum is the same homegrown kid who grew up…
Migrants coming to Ford City
. Nearly a thousand coming this month to Holiday Inn . By Tim Hadac The Pritzker Administration is converting a vacant hotel in the Midway area to a shelter expected to house as many as 950 migrants. The action is occurring quickly, with migrants expected to move in this month. In a press release posted…
CTA hiring means more rail service
. Orange Line sees 11% jump . From staff reports The Chicago Transit Authority has announced that because of what they described as continued, aggressive recruiting, hiring and training efforts, it has added 8.5% more scheduled rail service in recent weeks for a total of 9% more scheduled service added since April 2024. Locally, there…
LeaderShop Alumni Association to host peaceful rally during Thursday board meeting
The LeaderShop Alumni Association, a group of volunteers, previous staff members, former board members, funders, donors, and stakeholders who are community minded and energized by the mission of The LeaderShop, will host a peaceful rally in support of change to current leadership for the nonprofit agency. The rally will be held during The LeaderShop Board…
Comings & Goings: Palos Jewel, Oak Lawn Mariano’s to be sold in merger deal
By Bob Bong Kroger and Albertson’s this week released the list of stores the companies plan to sell, should a merger between the grocery giants be approved by regulators. Jewel Food Stores in Alsip and Palos Heights are among the stores listed for sale as well as Mariano’s locations in Oak Lawn, Orland Park, and Frankfort. The…
Oak Lawn Library hosts Local Author Showcase
By Kelly White Oak Lawn Public Library opened its doors to the summer season and to its local authors. The library, 9427 S. Raymond Ave., kicked off its adult and teen summer reading season with a Local Author Showcase featuring a book fair and 30 authors June 12. “Thirty authors, two hours, and lots of…
Palos Heights native is top dog in famous eating contest
By Jeff Vorva At one time, it may have seemed impossible for Palos Heights native Patrick Bertoletti to win the Nathan’s Hog Dog Eating contest. After all, Joey Chestnut was roasting opponents year after year by winning 16 titles since 2007 and had a streak of gobbling up championships eight years in a row heading…
Illinois News
Grayson’s behavior in Logan County led superior to ask, ‘How are you still employed with us?’
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Before former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson was accused of shooting Sonya Massey after she called police to investigate a prowler, he had a rocky, one-year tenure with the Logan County Sheriff’s Department. Personnel records show that Grayson’s time there was fraught, though he was not fired…
Most Illinois jails restrain people in chairs. This county ‘violently shocked’ them, too.
by GRACE HAUCK ILLINOIS ANSWERS PROJECT Warning: The following article includes mentions of self-harm. This is the second in a series of stories. Read the first story here. CHARLESTON, Ill. – Brice Fritz was naked, strapped down to a chair in a jail cell when a staff member monitoring her via video delivered 80,000 volts…
Quantum business park coming to Chicago, backed by $700M from state of Illinois
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A California-based quantum computing company wants to build one of the largest quantum computers in the world on Chicago’s southeast side and the state is chipping in hundreds of millions of dollars to help make it happen. PsiQuantum will be the first tenant of the “Illinois…
In the suburbs, proposed water rates spark outrage from residents, advocates
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com BOLINGBROOK – Residents of Chicago’s southwest suburbs, alongside local and state elected officials, shared their anger over a proposed water rate increase this week, describing it as “outrageous” and “ridiculous.” At issue was a proposed rate increase that would drive the average monthly bill for residential customers of…
State health care committee continues to press pharmaceutical middlemen
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com State legislators resumed a series of hearings this week to scrutinize pharmacy benefit managers – a highly concentrated industry that critics say drives up the cost and limits availability of prescription drugs. PBMs, which have also faced scrutiny from the federal government, act as third-party “middlemen” who negotiate…
As rare black bear sightings spark excitement in southern Illinois, IDNR says keep a safe distance
By MOLLY PARKER Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CARBONDALE – Amid this heated political season, residents in southern Illinois have found a unifying pastime: spotting black bears. “I love the dichotomy right now on my FB (Facebook) feeds. On one hand, major political drama. On the other, this bear is just doing bear things, just wandering…
Nearly 200 people allege decades of ‘systematic’ abuse at youth jail in Chicago
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — Two new lawsuits allege decades of sexual abuse at a Chicago juvenile detention center. The complaints – one against Cook County and one against the state of Illinois – were filed Monday in state court on behalf of 193 men and women who were housed in…
DOJ confirms it is ‘assessing the circumstances’ of Sonya Massey shooting
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed late Tuesday that it is “assessing the circumstances” surrounding the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black woman by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy. Benjamin Crump, renowned civil rights attorney who represents the family of the woman, said at a news conference on…
Illinois lawmaker calls for strengthening protection for homeschooled children
By BETH HUNDSDORFER & MOLLY PARKER Capitol News Illinois investigations@capitolnewsillinois.com An Illinois lawmaker heading a child welfare committee said the state must strengthen its laws and policies to protect homeschooled children facing inadequate education, abuse and neglect. Rep. Terra Costa Howard, the chair of the Adoption and Child Welfare Committee in the Illinois House, called…
Illinois Republicans urged to look beyond traditional base as national party courts unions
By PETER HANCOCK, HANNAH MEISEL & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com MILWAUKEE – A former Republican congressman from New York told Illinois Republicans Tuesday that to win more elections in their deeply blue state, they need to reach beyond the traditional conservative voting base. “We need to challenge ourselves to get out and talk…
