Local News

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Job Fair at Brookfield Zoo on Saturday, March 4

By Bob Bong / March 3, 2023 /

Looking for a fun and unique work environment, then head to Brookfield Zoo’s Job Fair on Saturday, March 4, from noon to 3 p.m. The zoo’s business partner, SSA Group, which oversees the concessions, retail, and catering, is hiring for the upcoming busy season. Seasonal positions for energetic and guest-service oriented individuals are available at…

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Brookfield VFW Post gives 45 Navy recruits a happy Thanksgiving Day

By Steve Metsch / November 30, 2022 / Comments Off on Brookfield VFW Post gives 45 Navy recruits a happy Thanksgiving Day

By Steve Metsch  It had been about three months since Brittney Rodriguez sat down to enjoy a home-cooked meal. It’s not that the food is terrible at the Great Lakes Recruit Training Center in North Chicago, Rodriguez said. It’s just not as good as Mom’s cooking. “They have their days, but it’s not a home-cooked…

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Ring-tailed Lemurs at Brookfield Zoo enjoy 9th annual Thanksgiving feast

By Bob Bong / November 23, 2022 / Comments Off on Ring-tailed Lemurs at Brookfield Zoo enjoy 9th annual Thanksgiving feast

The annual tradition of Brookfield Zoo’s ring-tailed lemurs receiving an early Thanksgiving feast took place today, November 23. Now, in its ninth year, the animal care staff prepared the meal for the primates that featured all the trimmings laid out on a fall-themed table setting. This year, the menu for the lemurs—15-year-old Moses and 12-year-old…

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Newcomers square off in Illinois 21st House race

By Bob Bong / October 30, 2022 /

By Bob Bong For the first time in more than a decade, voters in the 21st Illinois House District (formerly the 23rd District) will be sending a new state representative to the General Assembly in Springfield. Longtime lawmaker Michael Zalewski was defeated in the Democratic primary by Abdelnasser Rashid who is taking on Republican challenger…

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Lyons, Brookfield men among 7 charged with COVID fraud

By Bob Bong / October 30, 2022 / Comments Off on Lyons, Brookfield men among 7 charged with COVID fraud

Feds say ring stole $16 million in COVID relief money A Lyons man and another from Brookfield were among seven people indicted on federal charges for allegedly fraudulently obtaining at least $16 million in small business loans and grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The defendants engaged in fraud related to…

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Brookfield Zoo sends thousands of endangered Crested Toad Tadpoles to Puerto Rico 

By Bob Bong / October 28, 2022 /

In an effort to help increase the wild population of the Puerto Rican crested toad, last week, the Chicago Zoological Society sent just over 8,200 tadpoles that hatched at Brookfield Zoo to be released to the wild in Puerto Rico. The species, which is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, is…

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Brookfield Zoo’s animals receive Halloween treats

By Bob Bong / October 21, 2022 / Comments Off on Brookfield Zoo’s animals receive Halloween treats

This week, several animals at Brookfield Zoo received pumpkins for enrichment. The sulcata tortoises; goats; PJ, a prehensile-tailed porcupine; and Hani and Kartik, the zoo’s two sloth bears all seemed to enjoy their Halloween treats. Pumpkins given to Brutus and Titus, the zoo’s African lions, were filled with bones and meat. Animals also will be…

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GOP candidates to hold meet and greet at Brookfield Elks Club

By Bob Bong / October 13, 2022 / Comments Off on GOP candidates to hold meet and greet at Brookfield Elks Club

Citizens for Matthew J. Schultz, the Republican candidate for the Illinois 21st House District, will be hosting a meet and greet for local candidates at the Brookfield Elks Club from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, October 14. Refreshments will be provided. Candidates also confirmed attending are: Kimberly Jagielski, who is running for Cook County Board of…

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Pigskin Wrap: No panic for SXU after tough start to season

By Jeff Vorva / September 11, 2022 / Comments Off on Pigskin Wrap: No panic for SXU after tough start to season

By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Saint Xavier is off to a not-so-good start, but veteran coach Mike Feminis is not panicking. The Cougars were ranked 11th in the nation in the NAIA coach’s poll and are 0-2 after a 31-10 home-opening loss to St. Thomas (Florida) on Sept. 10. That followed a 57-0 loss to…

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Meet First Responders on Sunday at Brookfield Zoo

By Bob Bong / August 23, 2022 / Comments Off on Meet First Responders on Sunday at Brookfield Zoo

Join Brookfield Zoo in celebrating and showing appreciation for firefighters, EMS workers, police officers, and other first responders on Sunday, August 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those entering the zoo’s south gate will pass under an American flag displayed between ladder trucks from Brookfield and Riverside’s fire departments. At the zoo’s Roosevelt Fountain…

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Billions of cicadas get ready to raise a racket

By Kelly White If you haven’t heard the buzz yet, you will soon. With 2024 marking a big year for periodical cicadas in Illinois, billions of the red-eyed buggers will soon be making an appearance. Periodical cicada broods XIII and XIX will be emerging throughout much of the state at the same time. Although exact…

Chicago Christian’s Holland Winthrop eyes a high fastball during an at-bat last week. Photo by Xavier Sanchez

Softball | Jocelyn Hovanec scores two runs, Ks 12 in Chicago Christian win

By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Chicago Christian  is working to find its footing in the inaugural season of the Chicagoland Christian Conference. The Knights entered this week 6-8 overall and 4-6 in the CCC, putting them in fifth place with just two conference games to play among their final seven regular-season contests. The Knights have had…

Chicago Christian players celebrate after a point during a match agsint St. Edward. Photo by Xavier Sanchez

Boys Volleyball | Chicago Christian finishes April strong, takes second at Ridgewood Invitational

By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent A busy and largely successful final seven days of April saw Chicago Christian briefly climb back to the .500 mark after a tough first month of the season. The Knights (11-12, 4-4 Chicagoland Christian Conference) have won seven of their past 10 matches, all of which were played over a seven-day…

Marist middle hitter Jack Meador attacks against Glenbard West  in the championship match at the Lincoln-Way East Invitational on April 27 in Frankfort. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Boys Volleyball | Marist hands Glenbard West first loss of season

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Marist was scary good in the first set. The RedHawks won it 25-12. Even by Marist standards, that’s pretty impressive. Complete dominance. What’s even more stunning is that it came against the second-ranked team in the nation. The RedHawks, who came into the match ranked sixth in the country in the…

Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson (left) looks for a pass from Penelope Hocking on April 27. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Sophia Smith’s brace sinks Red Stars

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Home has not been that sweet lately for the Chicago Red Stars. The team lost its second straight game at SeatGeek Stadium with a 2-0 setback to Portland in front of an announced crowd of 4,443 on April 27. Portland star Sophia Smith scored in the 10th and 26th minutes, then…

Nazareth Academy Principal Therese Hawkins and football offensive coordinator Casey Moran pay close attention to the drafting of J.J. McCarthy at The Stadium Club. (Photos by Steve Metsch)

Nazareth Academy celebrates ‘special talent’ J.J. McCarthy in NFL Draft

By Steve Metsch Dennis Moran has no doubts that J.J. McCarthy – the former Nazareth Academy quarterback who is now with the Minnesota Vikings – will succeed in the National Football League. Moran was among about 60 or so Nazareth Academy fans, friends and coaches who gathered Thursday night at The Stadium Club in McCook…

Al Perez

Brother Rice names Al Perez next soccer coach

By Jeff Vorva Correspondent A few new coaches are dotting the area high school athletic scene. One of the more notable hires was Brother Rice bringing Al Perez aboard as the soccer coach. Perez led Chicago Public League power Washington to a Class 2A state championship in 2013, a fourth-place finish in 2015 and a…

Illinois News

Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions

Democrats muscle through changes to ballot access, advisory questions

By JERRY NOWICKI HANNAH MEISEL & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House moved quickly Wednesday to push through a change to state election laws that partially limits ballot access and adds three nonbinding referendums to the 2024 general election ballot.  It’s a move that caused minority party…

After 3 years, state poised to enforce law aiming to end lending discrimination

After 3 years, state poised to enforce law aiming to end lending discrimination

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In 1977, then-President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law that sought to wipe away the last vestiges of racial discrimination and redlining in America’s home mortgage industry. The idea was simple. By requiring lenders – primarily banks – to make…

Capitol News Illinois partners with ‘Illinois Lawmakers’ program to bring it back to air

Capitol News Illinois partners with ‘Illinois Lawmakers’ program to bring it back to air

Capitol News Illinois announced today it will produce the long-running “Illinois Lawmakers” program this spring, in partnership with longtime host and producer Jak Tichenor.  “This new partnership is absolutely critical to providing Illinois residents with reliable, independent, in-depth, up to date coverage from the Illinois Capitol after many newspapers and broadcasters shuttered their Statehouse bureaus over…

Election officials to weigh whether Darren Bailey and GOP operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated

Election officials to weigh whether Darren Bailey and GOP operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated

By ANDREW ADAMS & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A year and a half after Republican Darren Bailey lost his campaign to challenge Gov. JB Pritzker, state election officials are weighing whether he illegally colluded with conservative radio show host and political operative Dan Proft in the 2022 campaign. The State Board…

Immigrant advocates tout new report showing benefits of state-funded health plans

Immigrant advocates tout new report showing benefits of state-funded health plans

By PETER HANCOCK  and JERRY NOWICKI  Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status. Those programs offer health coverage for low-income individuals who would otherwise qualify for…

As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away

As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away

By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois.  The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…

Capitol Briefs: State unveils report on racial disparities among homeless populations

Capitol Briefs: State unveils report on racial disparities among homeless populations

By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Tackling homelessness requires addressing racial injustice, according to a new report commissioned by the state’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness.  The report found that Black people are eight times more likely to experience homelessness than white people. Remedying this disparity, according to the report, would require “long-term…

Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?

Flooding is Illinois’ Most Threatening Natural Disaster. Are We Prepared?

by Meredith Newman, Illinois Answers Project April 16, 2024 This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. The electricity in Mary Buchanan’s home in West Garfield Park was not working – again.  The outage lasted four days, starting just after a crew dug up her front lawn to install a check valve in…

Bears pitch $3.2B stadium plan, but Pritzker still ‘skeptical’ despite team’s $2B pledge

Bears pitch $3.2B stadium plan, but Pritzker still ‘skeptical’ despite team’s $2B pledge

By DILPREET RAJU & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Chicago Bears laid out a $3.2 billion plan for a new domed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront on Wednesday afternoon, painting pictures of future Super Bowls and other major public events while pinning their hopes on yet-to-be-had conversations with the governor and lawmakers.  The Bears…

Regulators weigh future of gas industry in Illinois, while clamping down on Chicago utility

Regulators weigh future of gas industry in Illinois, while clamping down on Chicago utility

By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Natural gas is fueling a fight between consumer advocates, a powerful utility company and the state. Amid competing advertising campaigns, accusations of mismanagement and state decarbonization efforts, the Illinois Commerce Commission is starting a process that will shape how the state regulates the increasingly controversial industry. …