Local News
Red Stars top Seattle, open season with two wins for first time in franchise history
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year’s last-place finish notwithstanding, the Chicago Red Stars have had a pretty rich history of success. The franchise has seven NWSL playoff appearances and has finished runner-up twice (2019, 2021), and prior to 2022 had finished no lower than fourth in the league ‘s regular season standings for six consecutive…
College Football | Marian (Indiana) and St. Francis highlight Saint Xavier 2024 home slate
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Saint Xavier has released its 2024 football schedule, which has the Cougars opening the season in Michigan. SXU will travel to the Detroit suburb of Southfield to play Lawrence Tech on Sept. 7 in a Mid-States Football Association crossover. The Cougars’ home opener kicks off at noon on Sept. 14 when…
Morton College women’s hoops takes fifth in nation
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent For the second year in a row, the Morton College women’s basketball team finished fifth in the country. The Panthers closed out the 2023-24 campaign in Joplin, Missouri, with a 75-67 victory over Iowa Western on March 23 in the consolation championship game at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament. It…
Boys Volleyball | Marist tops Lockport for Gold at RedHawks Invite
By Randy Whalen Correspondent Marist enjoys getting its season going by hosting a tournament that is now in its 20th year. They had a good time again this season, going unbeaten over five matches in two days to win the Marist RedHawks Invitational for the sixth consecutive time. The RedHawks ended the tournament with a…
2 charged in Summit junkyard burglary
By Bob Bong Two men have been charged in connection with a break-in last month at the Pick-n-Pull used auto parts store and junkyard in Summit. George Ainalakis, 39, of Carol Stream, was arrested February 26 at the business, while Chad Wickert, 40, of Brookfield, was arrested March 13 by Hodgkins police. Police said they…
Casten secures $11M for district; invites Bridge Teen founder to State of Union
By Jeff Vorva Congressman Sean Casten is bringing some big bucks home. Casten (D-6th) announced that he helped secure more than $11 million in federal funding for local community projects. Included in that bounty is: $1.28 million to Evergreen Park for water main replacement. $500,000 to La Grange for storm and sanitary sewer rehabilitation. $947,775…
Forest View swears in new police officers
By Carol McGowan The Village of Forest View has a new full-time police officer and a newly promoted corporal on the force. In front of a full-house at their February 27 Board of Trustees meeting, Clerk Laura McGuffey did the honors swearing-in Maria Guzman as a full-time officer, and promoting Officer Jorge Sanchez to the…
Burbank businessman sentenced for income tax evasion
By Bob Bong A Burbank businessman has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for willfully evading more than $3.7 million in federal and state income taxes. Abraham Kiswani, 54, pleaded guilty last year to a federal tax evasion charge. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah last Thursday…
MVCC nursing school receives state grant
By Bob Bong The Illinois Board of Higher Education has awarded nursing school grants to 12 institutions of higher education across the state, including one in the south suburbs, totaling $1.4 million. Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills received a grant of $38,316 to focus on improved math proficiency and preparedness of students to…
Runnings holds grand opening in Homer Glen
By Bob Bong The big-box store at 15830 S. Bell Road in Homer Glen has certainly had a storied past. Once upon a time, it was part of the Kmart chain. That ended years ago. Since then, it has been a Big R, a Stock + Field, and an R.P. Home and Harvest. Last June,…
Rashid rolls in 21st House, but Vasquez plans rematch
By Steve Metsch State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid may have rolled to victory over challenger Vidal Vasquez in the 21st House District Democratic primary, but he took nothing for granted. “I am humbled and honored that the voters chose to send me back and I look forward to continuing the work ahead of us,” he said…
Hickory Hills to install 6 license-plate cameras
By Nuha Abdessalam Hickory Hills aldermen approved the installation of six Flock license plate cameras at their March 14 city council meeting. City officials said the Flock cameras will help police pick up the license plate and description of a wanted vehicle. Nearby communities including Oak Lawn and Palos Hills have also utilized Flock’s technology,…
Brookfield Zoo Anniversary Ferris Wheel now open
By Bob Bong Brookfield Zoo has been attracting visitors for 90 years. To celebrate the anniversary, the zoo has opened a new attraction that has nothing to do with animals. Last Friday, the zoo opened its Anniversary Ferris Wheel. The towering 110-foot Ferris wheel offers guests unique bird’s-eye views of the park’s gardens, animal habitats, and…
Cinderella’s Closet makes prom shopping easier, cheaper
By Kelly White Prom dress shopping can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Thanks to Oak Lawn Community High School’s annual dress re-sale, cleverly called, Cinderella’s Closet, on February 10, students were able to browse beautiful ball gowns all in one place at right the high school, 9400 Southwest Hwy. “Prom is expensive…
Newcomer Crawford ousts veteran lawmaker Mary Flowers
By Bob Bong Mary Flowers, the longest serving black lawmaker in the General Assembly, was sent packing Tuesday night after running afoul of House Speaker Chris Welch. Flowers, 72, was defeated by Michael Crawford in the 31st House District Democratic Primary. Flowers, who was first elected in 1984, received 753 votes in suburban precincts while…
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Illinois News
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…