LOUISE C. BUCHER Louise C. Bucher, 99, of Palos Hills, passed away on August 14. She was the devoted daughter of the late Frank and Louise nee Koch Bucher; loving sister of Dorothy Bucher, Loretta (the late Ernest) Gregory, and the late Lawrence (the late Lottie) Bucher; cherished aunt of 6; great-aunt of four. Family…
Read MoreGRACIELA AGUILAR Graciela Aguilar, age 90, of Chicago, Gage Park community, passed away July 24. She was the loving mother of Guillermo (Isabel) Aguilar Vega, Adrian Aguilar Vega, Albert Aguilar Vega, and Javier Aguilar Vega; cherished grandmother of Veronica (Ronald Anrade) Aguilar, Eric Toress, Ronny Andrade, David Aguilar, Luis Aguilar, Van Aguilar and Tatiana Aguilar;…
Read MoreSHANNON BRENNAN Shannon Brennan, age 49, passed away July 20. Beloved daughter of Bonnie Brennan; dear sister of Colleen (Carl) Brennan-Powell and Sean (April) Brennan; loving aunt of Kinzie, Kole, Sean Jr. and Nicole. Funeral was held July 28 at St. Daniel the Prophet Church. Visitation was held July 27 at the Richard-Midway Funeral Home…
Read MoreBy 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…
Read MoreJILL M. BURRICHTER Jill M. Burrichter, 57, of Palos Hills, passed away July 20 after a battle with cervical cancer. She was the beloved daughter of the late John F. and Beverly J. nee Kristof Burrichter; loving sister of Jay (Martha), Jon (Donna) and late Jody Burrichter; dearest aunt of Haley, Haiden, Hanna, Wayne, Michael…
Read MoreLouis Pukelis, former Southwest News-Herald reporter By Joan Hadac Louis George Pukelis was an award-winning publicist and high-profile government spokesman and speechwriter. A native Southwest Sider, he died July 11 at age 57. Mr. Pukelis was a marketing, public relations and crisis communications professional. His career included work as an association executive, and in senior…
Read MoreFrom staff reports The Rev. William E. Malloy, who served as pastor of St. Maurice Parish in McKinley Park from 1987-95, died July 19. He was 74 years old. Father Malloy was born on Aug. 21, 1947, in Chicago. He attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in…
Read MoreBOGUSLAW DASZYNSKI Boguslaw Daszynski, 77, of Palos Hills, formerly of Chicago’s Garfield Ridge neighborhood, passed away July 18. He was the beloved husband of Krystyna (nee Kapka); loving father of Magdalena (Robert) Pawlowski and Adam (Nichole); dearest grandfather of Mateusz; dear brother of Hanna (Kazimierz) Wiemann; devoted son of the late Irena (nee Wezowczyk) and…
Read MoreZOFIA ANTOLAK Zofia Antolak (nee Zagata), age 83, of Garfield Ridge, passed away July 8. Beloved wife of the late Jozef Antolak; loving mother of Danuta (Krzysztof) Nowobilski; dearest grandmother of Beata (Janusz) Graca and Lukasz (Katarzyna) Nowobilski; dearest great grandmother of Kevin, Lucas and Nicolas. Vistiation was held July 10. Funeral was held July…
Read MoreSTEPHANIE M. BADOWSKI Stephanie M. Badowski (nee Dziedzina), age 99, of Chicago, Clearing community, passed away June 25. Beloved wife of the late John; loving mother of Timothy (Deborah) Badowski, Denise Badowski, Thomas (late Virginia) Badowski, Steven (Donna) Badowski and the late Richard (Dale Ann) Badowski; cherished grandmother of Johnathon (Alyssa) Badowski, Lauren (Nat) Panzeca,…
Read MoreMother Mac unveils new lights and scoreboard
By Kelly White Across the nation, women’s sports are on the rise in terms of viewership, enthusiasm, sponsorship and excitement. Mother McAuley is no stranger to the impact that women’s athletics has on the development of an individual, strengthening of a team and key skills and attributes developed along the way. South Side community partners…
Cicadas in the park in Palos Park
By Kelly White Cicadas are coming and the Village of Palos Park is ready. The village hosted its 31st annual Arbor Day Celebration on Sunday, May 5, themed, “The Wonder of Trees” at The Center in the Lodge, 12700 Southwest Highway, with featured speaker, Tricia Bethke of The Morton Arboretum who presented, “Cicadas in the…
Palos Heights SD 128 sees enrollment boom
By Kelly White Over the past few years, Palos Heights School District 128 has experienced an explosive growth among incoming students. There has been a significant increase particularly at Indian Hill Early Learning Center, 12800 S. Austin Ave. Chippewa Elementary School, 12425 S. Austin Ave; Navajo Elementary School, 12401 S. Oak Park Ave; and Independence…
Comings & Goings: Orange’s Pancake House now open in Palos Heights
By Kelly White Palos Heights is the home of a popular new breakfast café. Orange’s Pancake House, 11845 Southwest Highway, held a ribbon-cutting event on April 18. Owners, Elvia Briones, of Virgina, and Fernando Cruz, of Evergreen Park, said they were very excited to be in the heart of the Palos Heights community. “I dreamed…
Sisters make Chicago Lawn a world destination
. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . Earlier this month was the Fifth Lithuanian Documentary Film Festival, with distinguished guests from Lithuania and other parts of the United States visiting the neighborhood. They held a photo session in the editorial office of the oldest…
Happy Mother’s Day to everyone, everyone
. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Yet another Mother’s Day is upon us. I wish everyone a happy day. By everyone I do mean everyone. There are a lot of dads who do it alone, along with important mother figures. For…
Mother’s Day is truly a day to be celebrated
. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . Mother’s Day happens on Sunday, May 12. If this isn’t something to celebrate, I don’t know what is. Motherhood means new life, new beginnings, new possibilities. Even if you won’t be seeing your mom, you can still celebrate. Sadly,…
Saint Xavier men’s volleyball finishes historic season in nation’s top 4
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier men’s volleyball team made history by advancing to the semifinals of the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. But the Cougars fell to eventual national champion Georgetown (Kentucky), 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10, on May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Although there was no third-place…
Illinois News
State officials offer last goodbye to former Thompson Center as renovations begin
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State officials kicked off the private renovation of the building which once served as the state government’s Chicago headquarters. The James R. Thompson Center, as it was known under state ownership, was sold in 2022 to a development firm that is renovating the building for its…
Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com As state lawmakers hold hearings targeting the role of pharmacy benefit managers – an influential arm in how the health insurance industry prices prescription drugs – multiple state agencies are considering how to better regulate the industry. Often referred to as pharmaceutical “middlemen,” PBMs act as third-party intermediaries…
Thousands of youths at risk of losing access to after-school programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for community-based after-school programs say as many as 40,000 youths statewide could lose access to tutoring services, recreation and other extracurricular activities this summer unless Illinois lawmakers approve an infusion of funds to keep them going. “The time is now for legislators to act to…
Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse was rampant in state-run juvenile detention centers
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Rampant sexual abuse occurred unchecked for decades at Illinois’ juvenile detention centers, a new lawsuit filed on behalf of 95 former detainees alleges, citing hundreds of incidents over more than two decades. The plaintiffs were boys between 12 and 17 years old when the alleged abuse occurred and…
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…
Remembering Lee Milner
NEWS TEAM Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com On Wednesday, April 17, the Springfield, Illinois Capitol and journalism communities lost a devoted friend and advocate when Lee Milner passed away. As Dean Olsen wrote in his piece in the Illinois Times earlier this month, “Readers of Illinois Times often have seen Milner’s work as a freelance photojournalist. But…
Former state trooper who caused fatal crash halts effort to get driving privileges restored
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com The former Illinois State Trooper who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter of two sisters in 2007 has abandoned his efforts to have a hearing into the restoration of his driving privileges – for now. Matt Mitchell, 45, requested at least two delays in the hearing after he failed…
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…
Lawmakers pitch sweeping changes to energy industry and Chicagoland transit system
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com A group of lawmakers and influential environmental advocates are calling for broad changes to the state’s energy industry and a massive increase in state oversight of Chicagoland’s transit system – which faces a projected $730 million budget shortfall. Advocates for the policy platform, which is broken up into…
Democrats flex muscle to kick off final month of session as revenues remain on track
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With about three weeks to go before the Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn its spring legislative session, supermajority Democrats showed their strength this week as fiscal forecasters noted state revenues remain on track. April is typically a make-or-break month for state coffers, as income…