Local News
By Steve Metsch As expected, the man charged with the February murder of a Blue Island man in McCook pleaded not guilty in court Monday morning. Meanwhile, the victim’s family is coping as they try to come to grips with their loss, a brother-in-law said. Damon Cheronis, the defense attorney representing Sisto A. Brito, said…
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By Steve Metsch Sisto Brito, the man charged with murdering a Blue Island man in McCook in February, will plead not guilty at his upcoming arraignment, his attorney said. A brief status hearing was held Friday morning before Associate Cook County Circuit Court Judge Mohammed M. Ghouse in Room 103 of the Bridgeview Courthouse. Ghouse…
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By Steve Metsch Two local charitable organizations will benefit from the 12th annual Brew Moon Beer & Band Festival held in October at the MAX in McCook. The Kelli Joy O’Laughlin Memorial Foundation, based in Indian Head Park, and Community Support Services, based in Brookfield, each received $16,500. Checks were presented to representatives of each…
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By Bob Bong Mario DePasquale, the former police chief of McCook, was sentenced last week to more than two years in federal prison after pleading guilty last year to conspiring with the village’s former mayor to extort two businessmen out of tens of thousands of dollars. DePasquale, 50, was sentenced February 21 to 27 months…
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By Bob Bong A Chicago man has been charged with first-degree murder in Saturday’s early morning shooting outside All Star Bar, 7949 W. 47th St. in McCook, which left one man dead and a second man wounded. Sisto A. Brito, 32, was charged Monday with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted…
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By Bob Bong One man was killed and another wounded early Saturday morning in a shooting outside a bar in McCook. McCook police said they were responding to a call about a shooting in the parking lot of a bar and discovered the men about half-a-block south of the parking lot of All Star Bar,…
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By Bob Bong The holiday season also marks the beginning of the 2024 election cycle in Illinois as candidates in the March 19 primary have already filed their petitions to run. The 2022 primary was moved to June, but next year’s primary is moving back to its traditional third Tuesday in March date. The biggest…
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By Steve Metsch McCook’s newest police officer is doing something he’s wanted to do since he was a kid. “Something I always wanted to do,” Jamie Calderon said after the village board unanimously approved his hiring at its Dec. 4 meeting. “Helping others” is why Calderon wanted to be a police officer. “Now that I…
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By Steve Metsch There appears to be an end to one long-running construction project in Countryside, McCook and Hodgkins. But another project has once again been extended in Countryside. The good news for motorists who drive on East Avenue between 55th Street may be bidding farewell to orange construction barrels and closed lanes. Roadwork on…
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By Bob Bong Mario DePasquale, former police chief of McCook pleaded guilty last week to conspiring with the village’s former mayor to extort two businessmen out of tens of thousands of dollars. DePasquale, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion during a brief hearing before U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo. Bucklo…
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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 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…
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…
Countryside puts dog park on hold, will require leashes in two parks
By Steve Metsch The city of Countryside has put on hold building a dog park, but canines and their owners are still in store for a treat. The city council has unanimously approved a plan to permit dogs in City Park and Countryside Park this year. Previously, they were not allowed in the parks. While…
Bridgeview approves auto repair shop
Moves up time for May 1 village board meeting By Steve Metsch Bridgeview is getting a new automotive repair shop. The village board at its April 17 matinee meeting approved a special use permit that will allow a repair shop at 9010 S. Beloit Ave. There was no discussion among trustees. The board followed the…
Summit Fire Department blood drive draws a crowd
By Carol McGowan The Summit Fire Department, along with the Village of Summit, and the Argo Summit Lions Club held a blood drive this past Saturday, and it drew a crowd that even impressed the American Red Cross. It took place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. with non-stop donors walking through the door. Fire…
Hodgkins toasts village businesses
By Carol McGowan Hodgkins Mayor Ernest Millsap and the Board of Trustees celebrated the village’s businesses at its annual Business Appreciation Breakfast on April 10. Over 100 people gathered at the Hodgkins Administration Center for a hearty breakfast hosted by the village. Representatives from many businesses that are located in or that work within the…
Illinois News
Capitol Briefs: Senate advances elections bill, measure targeting ‘predatory’ lending
By PETER HANCOCK & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would put more controls on certain kinds of high-cost loans to small businesses cleared the Illinois Senate Thursday. Senate Bill 2234, known as the Small Business Financial Transparency Act, targets a relatively new kind of nontraditional lender in the credit…
Law enforcement community honors fallen officers at Illinois Capitol
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Six fallen police officers were honored at an annual memorial service outside the State Capitol Thursday. The Illinois Police Officers Memorial occurs annually on the first Thursday of May to honor officers who died in the line of duty and to support their families. “No one…
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
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 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
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
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
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
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?
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…