Man charged with child abduction in Stickney Township
From staff reports A Chicago man was charged last week with child abduction and luring of a minor after Cook County Sheriff’s Police detectives found he attempted to lure a minor into his vehicle, said Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart. According to police, about 4:43 p.m. on Monday, April 22, officers responded to an…
Shots fired in Chicago Ridge Commons parking lot
From staff reports Shots were fired Wednesday night in the parking lot at Chicago Ridge Commons mall. Police said they received reports of the shooting about 9:45 p.m. No injuries were reported. Multiple witnesses told police four men were walking through the parking lot from the XSport Fitness area. They approached two vehicles and separated…
Capacity crowd speaks out against Evergreen Park dispensary
By Joe Boyle Additional chairs had to be brought out to seat an overflow crowd of Evergreen Park residents who attended a meeting April 15 regarding a proposed cannabis dispensary for the village. And many who were in attendance voiced their opposition to having a dispensary in Evergreen Park. Most of the people cited safety, traffic…
Oak Lawn honor Fire and Public Safety Contest winners
By Joe Boyle The Oak Lawn Chamber of Commerce presented awards to the winners of the 2023 Fire and Public Safety Coloring Book Contest at the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting on April 9. Fire Bureau Chief David Wheeler and Police Chief Daniel Vittoro were on hand to present the plaques, along with Oak Lawn Mayor…
Hickory Hills adds new police officer
By Nuha Abdessalam Hickory Hills Police Chief Jason Bray welcomed Andre Showers as the city’s newest police officer during last week’s city council meeting. Aldermen and the community at the April 11 meeting helped celebrate the induction of the Showers, 21. He’s an Army veteran and a 2023 Cook County Correctional Camp graduate at Moraine…
Worth police join task force to combat auto thefts
By Joe Boyle An agreement has been reached between the villages of Worth and Thornton regarding participation in the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force. Worth Police Chief Tim Denton said the approval of the memorandum to participate in the task force is necessary. “It’s no secret that there has been an increase in auto…
Midlothian man arrested for Orland Park carjacking
From wire reports The Orland Park Police Department announced the arrest of a suspect in a vehicular hijacking that occurred on the evening of April 3. Shawn Flores, a 44-year-old Midlothian resident, faces charges following his apprehension on April 4. The incident began when a male victim was forcibly removed from his vehicle at gunpoint…
Blotter: Evergreen Park police issue scam alert
The Evergreen Park Police Department is warning the public of an ongoing scam where a caller claims to be an Evergreen Park Police Officer, and instructs the individual to send money in order to avoid criminal charges. In some versions of this scam, the offenders tell individuals they missed a court date related to a…
Evergreen Park to hold hearing on proposed cannabis dispensary
By Joe Boyle Evergreen Park residents and community leaders will get an opportunity to weigh in on a request to open a cannabis dispensary in their village. A public hearing on the request will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 15, in the board room of the Village Hall, 9418 S. Kedzie Ave. A petition has…
McCook murder suspect pleads not guilty to all charges
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…
Worth Polar Plunge raises record amount
By Joe Boyle The FOP Worth Polar Plunge has been deemed a major success and local officials said the amount raised has set a new record. The annual event, sponsored by the Worth Police Department, took place in a large swimming pool that was put up in the parking lot of the Marrs-Meyer American Legion…
Police Blotter
CHICAGO RIDGE DUI Orlando De La Rosa, 32, of Berwyn, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic stop at 2:29 a.m. March 8 in the 9200 block of South Harlem Avenue. Police said he failed field sobriety tests and refused to submit a breath sample. He was also cited for…
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…
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…
Oak Lawn ups fines for blowing off illegal fireworks
By Joe Boyle Oak Lawn residents who blow off illegal fireworks this summer will find that doing so will be more expensive. An ordinance was passed by a 5-0 vote by the Oak Lawn Village Board on March 12 that will increase the fine from $50 to $100 for residents who are lighting illegal fireworks.…
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,…
Evergreen Park commends officer for pursuing hit-and-run suspect
By Joe Boyle An Evergreen Park police officer is being commended for “outstanding performance of duty” for the arrest of a man who left the scene of a traffic incident. Officer Robert Bavone was recognized during the Evergreen Park Village Board meeting on Monday night. While on duty, he witnessed a traffic crash with injuries…
Man accused in McCook murder to plead not guilty
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…
Off-duty Oak Lawn cop shot five times
By Bob Bong An off-duty Oak Lawn police sergeant was shot five times Monday afternoon during an argument at a trucking business in the 10800 block of South Central Avenue where he was working security. Police said an employee arrived at MN89 trucking about noon on Monday and got into an argument with other employees…
Capitol Briefs: Lawmakers look to ban food additives; state announces DCFS investment
By COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill in the Illinois General Assembly would ban five food additives in the state by 2027. Senate Bill 2637, sponsored by Chicago Democrat Willie Preston, would ban companies from using certain products in food, including brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red Dye…
Tensions grow between city, state and federal government over influx of migrants
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Tensions rose again this week between Gov. JB Pritzker’s office and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson over how to handle the tens of thousands of people who have arrived in the state since August 2022 via buses or planes sent from Texas. The most recent back-and-forth between…
Panel of experts suggest legislative measures to reverse journalism decline
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com A bipartisan task force of legislators and journalism industry leaders has filed a report to the General Assembly detailing the decline of local journalism in Illinois and exploring ways the legislature can help revive it. The Local Journalism Task Force, created in January 2022, found that about…
Capitol Briefs: State money to address food deserts; unemployment at 4.2%; tax season opens
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS news@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois’ Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced the application window is open for $3.5 million in funding to help local grocery stores provide fresh foods in areas with limited availability. The money is a part of an equipment upgrade program in Illinois’ Grocery Initiative – a $20 million program…
State education board to seek $653M increase in upcoming budget year
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education endorsed a budget request Wednesday that includes a $653 million increase in funding for PreK-12 public schools. It’s a request that lawmakers may find hard to accommodate in a year when the state faces a projected $891 million budget deficit.…
Capitol Briefs: State reports COVID-19 outbreak at veterans home, gets mixed review for tobacco policies
By JENNIFER FULLER & COLE LONGCOR news@capitolnewsillinois.com Health experts warn respiratory illnesses are still circulating, even as numbers trend down after a brief post-holiday surge. Outbreaks of COVID-19, Flu, and RSV have been reported in state facilities in the Bellwood, Champaign, Marion, Metro East, Peoria, Rockford and West Chicago regions in January. Those numbers are…
Back wages totaling more than $5 million owed to thousands of Illinois workers
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com The U.S. Department of Labor is currently holding more than $5 million in wages owed to more than 7,000 Illinois workers, and the department has launched a new website in an effort to return it. When an employee is underpaid for the work they do, the DOL’s Wage…
Capitol Briefs: Lawmakers look to ban food additives; state announces DCFS investment
By COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill in the Illinois General Assembly would ban five food additives in the state by 2027. Senate Bill 2637, sponsored by Chicago Democrat Willie Preston, would ban companies from using certain products in food, including brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red Dye…
Pritzker touts climate investments despite renewables lagging state goals
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Boston-based Nexamp, a major player in the solar energy industry, is joining the growing list of renewable technology companies that have expanded or relocated to Illinois in recent months. On Monday, Nexamp announced its intention to spend $2 billion in Illinois, including building a second headquarters…
Capitol Briefs: State Police report fewer deaths on Illinois highways in 2023
By JENNIFER FULLER Capitol News Illinois jfuller@capitolnewsillinois.com Fatal crashes on interstates and expressways in Illinois fell by 7 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, and shootings were down more than 30 percent. Illinois State Police report the declines came at the same time troopers were beefing up their enforcement on the state’s transportation…