Local News
This Saturday will be the last chance this season for Chicago area residents to use Metra’s Heritage Corridor to explore the “Rails, Trails and Ales” – and more — along the historic route on Saturdays. Metra has operated the Saturday excursion trains, equipped with Metra’s new bike cars to carry extra bikes, along the route……
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By Carol McGowan After lengthy delays, some lasting years, some property owners in Lyons Township are finally getting help from the Cook County Assessor’s Office in fixing faulty property tax bills. Property owners that the Desplaines Valley News had been in touch with were just looking for fairness in what they were supposed to be……
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By Carol McGowan Nearly 1,000 people were on hand last Friday evening for Argo Community High School’s second annual Walk The Halls Night. After a successful inaugural event in 2021, the Summit high school once again opened its doors for incoming students, their families, and the community to walk the halls and tour the campus.……
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By Bob Bong Local police will all be hanging out at coffee shops across the south and southwest suburbs on Friday to raise money for the Illinois Special Olympics. The event, which is again being called Cop on a Rooftop after it was rebranded last year as Coffee for Champions, will take place at more……
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By Carol McGowan Summit police and firefighters hosted their annual National Night Out last week and entertained residents with games, food and music. Thousands of communities in the United States and around the world celebrate on the first Tuesday of August as people are asked to turn on outside lights and join first responders to……
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By Carol McGowan Former Summit Village Trustee Ruben Guerrero passed away peacefully at his Summit home on Sunday, July 24. Guerrero served on the Summit Village Board for two terms, from 1997-2005, being the first Hispanic voted into the position. He ended his political career after he unsuccessfully ran for village clerk in 2005 when……
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By Bob Bong Several area communities are making plans to celebrate the National Night Out Against Crime next Tuesday. Thousands of communities in the United States and around the world celebrate as people are asked to turn on outside lights and join first responders to promote awareness, safety and neighborhood unity. National Night Out was started in 1984 by the National Association of Town……
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By Bob Bong Evergreen Park’s parade and fireworks along with a party in the park and fireworks in Summit and the inaugural four-day Lyons Fest will start off what promises to be a fun-filled and noisy Fourth of July weekend in the area. Evergreen Park Evergreen Park native and Olympic silver medalist, Abbey Murphy, will……
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By Carol McGowan Summit Police Lt. Mel Ortiz has been named acting police chief to replace John Kosmowski and Jerry Rosales was appointed interim public works director to replace Bill Mundy. Both Kosmowski and Mundy are on unpaid leave after having been indicted by a federal grand jury. The appointments were announced earlier this month.……
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By Steve Metsch It doesn’t happen often, but voters in the newly drawn 6th Congressional District have an unusual choice in the Democratic primary. Because of redistricting, two sitting members of Congress are going toe-to-toe for the nomination in the June 28 primary. The district covers the Midway Airport area, Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood and the……
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Nothing NU at SeatGeek
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent There was speculation that because of the renovations being done at Ryan Field, Northwestern would schedule a few football games at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview this fall. The Wildcats announced their schedule and no home games are listed at SeatGeek, but the situation is still fluid. They are opting to use……
SXU puts up fight in softball nationals
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier softball team played three nailbiters in the opening round of the NAIA Tournament. But the end result was a 1-2 record to eliminate the Cougars from advancing. SXU (28-14) opened the tournament by nipping Bellevue (Nebraska) 5-4 in Sioux City, Iowa on May 13. Alexus Reese hit a……
Red Stars’ Naeher misses loss to Gotham
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The world’s best kept secret is still a mystery. The Chicago Red Stars are not releasing information to the public about the severity of a thigh injury or the status of world-class goalie Alyssa Naeher. What is known is that she did not play in a 2-1 loss to NWSL defending……
Shepard’s Kyla Motley cruises to two medals at girls state track finals
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Shepard junior Kyla Motley medaled in two events in the Class 3A girls state track and field meet, the finals for which were held May 18 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Motley finished fourth in the long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 4 inches. She finished sixth in……
Boys Tennis | Lyons’ Jack McLane and Mason Mazzone win sectional doubles title
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The area produced a handful of boys tennis state qualifiers, but only one entry is headed to state as a sectional champion. At the Class 2A Lyons Sectional, the Lions’ Jack McLane and Mason Mazzone were doubles champs. The state meet opens May 23 at various sites in the north and……
Water Polo | Lyons boys win third state title; girls finish 3rd
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The best matchup of the IHSA boys water polo state tournament was arguably in the quarterfinals. That battle between Lyons and New Trier could have been considered the real state championship match. But no matter what, the Lions are state champions. Heading into the postseason, Lyons had just three losses, and……
Lyons water polo teams splash to state
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Both of Lyons water polo team qualified for the state quarterfinals. Lyons’ girls water polo team won its own sectional by beating Mother McAuley, 13-9, in the title game on May 11. The Lions will face York in the state quarterfinals on May 17 at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. This……
Illinois News
House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo
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……
Hundreds of bills pass, including changes to state’s biometric data privacy law
By HANNAH MEISEL COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABEDDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers passed more than 200 bills this week ahead of their scheduled May 24 adjournment. Many of the measures will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker, including a bill that changes how damages accrue under Illinois’ first-in-the-nation biometric data privacy law.……
Pritzker pledges to expand access to mental health care in Illinois
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In the middle of Mental Health Awareness Month, Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton hosted a panel in Springfield this week at which he pledged to expand the state’s behavioral health services. With several dozen services providers from around the state in attendance, Pritzker……
With 1 week left in session, Pritzker admin says all revenue options remain on the table
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com While the governor’s office instructed its agency directors to prepare for $800 million in potential budget cuts last week, all facets of his plan to raise $1.1 billion in revenue to avoid those cuts remain under consideration. Read more: ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to……
Illinois launches summer food assistance program
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state is launching a new program to provide food assistance during the summer for families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. Gov. JB Pritzker joined other state officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday to announce that Illinois will……
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he……
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……
As vacated Centralia funeral home prepares for new tenant, owner makes a startling find
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com In the basement of a Centralia funeral home in a dark hallway off the embalming room, tucked inside a nook behind two steel plates and a door, a visitor found three disembodied, neatly wrapped human legs, two of them marked with names and dated to the 1960s. The……
Illinois Supreme Court considers expectation of privacy in hospitals
By DILPREET RAJU & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – While Cortez Turner was in a hospital room being treated for a gunshot wound to his leg in 2016, police took his clothes. Now, the Illinois Supreme Court is weighing whether that action violated Turner’s expectation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment. The……
Capitol Briefs: House OKs program for student teacher stipends – but not the funding for it
By PETER HANCOCK & ANDREW CAMPBELL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House approved a bill Tuesday to allow student teachers to receive stipends while earning their education degree, even though the money needed to fund those stipends is unlikely to be included in next year’s budget. House Bill 4652, by Rep. Barbara……