Local News
L-W Central tops Sandburg in regional title game
By Randy Whalen Correspondent Sandburg won 20 games for the first time in in six years, and entered the postseason seeking to add to its list of accomplishments by winning a regional championship on its home court. But Lincoln-Way Central made more plays in key situations and fought to a 55-47 double-overtime victory in the……
New Red Stars coach wants to bring ‘joy and positivity’
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer The Chicago Red Stars have found their new coach. The team announced February 18 that Chris Petrucelli will replace Rory Dames, who resigned a day after the 2021 NWSL championship game. Dames has since been the subject of national stories regarding his alleged abuse of players both on the Red……
Area Sports Roundup: Lyons and Sandburg lead contingent of area swimmers headed to state
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer Lyons, which won state titles in boys swimming in 2016 and 2017 and took second in 2018, is bringing a huge contingent of athletes to the IHSA state meet this weekend. Lyons is sending three relay teams and individual qualifiers in four events to the event, which will be held……
Girls Bowling: Shepard and Stagg finish strong at first state finals
By Randy Whalen Correspondent The new teams on the block proved they belonged. The Shepard and Stagg girls bowling teams both made it to the IHSA state finals for the first time in their programs’ histories this season, and put the icing on the proverbial cake by advancing to the tournament’s second day. The finals……
Four Mount Carmel wrestlers win titles; Sandburg’s Zimmer, Shepard’s Reed settle for 2nd
By Steve Millar Correspondent CHAMPAIGN — Heavyweight wrestling matches are often slow, defensive battles, but Mount Carmel senior Ryan Boersma decided early this season he did not want to compete that way anymore. “When I was young, a freshman and sophomore, I survived off defense,” Boersma said. “That doesn’t work in college so I had……
Orland Park arrests man as an armed habitual criminal
From staff reports A Chicago man was arrested in Orland Park last week after he was stopped and a handgun was found in his waistband. Police stopped a vehicle traveling northbound in the 16900 block of LaGrange Road about 10 p.m. on Monday, February 7. The vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation and the……
Orland Park police arrest federal parolee with weapon
From staff reports A Calumet City man was charged last week after he refused to leave a vehicle and a loaded handgun was found on the floorboard. Orland Park tactical officers were investigating a suspicious, unoccupied vehicle in the parking lot of 304 Orland Square Drive at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, February 11. During their……
More renovations planned for Worth golf course
By Joe Boyle Upgrades continue at Water’s Edge Golf Course in Worth with plans for an electronic message board to be erected on the property this year. An ordinance was approved for a license agreement with BRT Outdoor LLC concerning Water’s Edge Golf Course signage during the Worth Village Board meeting on Tuesday night. The……
Palos Heights to re-open discussion on video gaming
By Jeff Vorva Video gaming discussion is back in Palos Heights. The Palos Heights City Council’s License, Permits and Franchises Committee will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. on March 7 at the Orchard Room of the Palos Heights Recreation Center. Members of the committee, headed up by Alderman Brent Lewandowski, will talk about……
Foxx and YouTube face Pekau’s wrath
By Jeff Vorva The Cook County State’s Attorney and YouTube have Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau hot under the collar. Pekau continues to be upset with Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx about felons who are free who are coming into his community with illegal weapons. And he is none too happy with YouTube taking……
Palos Park to allow Cog Hill to apply for video gaming
By Jeff Vorva At 8:25 p.m. Monday night the long-awaited decision was made on video gaming in Palos Park. After months of conversation and listening to businesses and the public, the village council voted 3-1 to allow the only Class G liquor license business in town – Cog Hill Golf and Country Club – to……
Girls Bowling: Shepard, Stagg both heading to first state finals
By Randy Whalen Correspondent The Stagg and Shepard girls bowling teams had coming into sectional weekend never advanced to the IHSA state finals. But with an opportunity to do that last week, both squads stepped up with great performances down the stretch and punched their tickets to the state finals. The Chargers and Astros finished……
Mt. Carmel tops Rice in big Blue battle
By Steve Millar Correspondent On a night when Mount Carmel honored one of its all-time best point guards — retiring the jersey of former Caravan and Illinois star Tracy Abrams at halftime — two of the Chicago Catholic League’s current top point guards staged an epic duel. Brother Rice junior Ahmed Henderson scored 31 points.……
Girl wrestlers make history as first IHSA state qualifiers
By Steve Millar Correspondent For Morton senior Karla Topete, Feb. 12 was a special day for a greater reason than just her winning a sectional wrestling championship. Topete and her teammates competed at the Andrew Sectional, one of four sectionals that marked the start of the IHSA’s first individual girls wrestling state series. For the……
High School Hockey: St. Rita drops two of three to Carmel, bows out of Kennedy Cup
By Steve Millar Correspondent St. Rita came out angry for Game 2 of its Kennedy Cup playoff quarterfinal series with Carmel. Two days earlier, the fifth-seeded Mustangs were run off the ice by the fourth-seeded Corsairs in a 5-0 loss in which they gave up three first-period goals and were never really in the game.……
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Comings & Goings
Illinois launches summer food assistance program
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state is launching a new program to provide food assistance during the summer for families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. Gov. JB Pritzker joined other state officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday to announce that Illinois will……
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he……
House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House gave final passage Thursday to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education. By the time it’s fully operational in 2026, the new……
As vacated Centralia funeral home prepares for new tenant, owner makes a startling find
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com In the basement of a Centralia funeral home in a dark hallway off the embalming room, tucked inside a nook behind two steel plates and a door, a visitor found three disembodied, neatly wrapped human legs, two of them marked with names and dated to the 1960s. The……
Illinois Supreme Court considers expectation of privacy in hospitals
By DILPREET RAJU & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – While Cortez Turner was in a hospital room being treated for a gunshot wound to his leg in 2016, police took his clothes. Now, the Illinois Supreme Court is weighing whether that action violated Turner’s expectation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment. The……
Capitol Briefs: House OKs program for student teacher stipends – but not the funding for it
By PETER HANCOCK & ANDREW CAMPBELL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House approved a bill Tuesday to allow student teachers to receive stipends while earning their education degree, even though the money needed to fund those stipends is unlikely to be included in next year’s budget. House Bill 4652, by Rep. Barbara……
As Medicaid redeterminations restart, about 73% of state’s recipients remain enrolled
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com About 73 percent of Illinois’ Medicaid recipients remain on the rolls after the first redetermination cycle following the COVID-19 pandemic, while approximately 660,000 recipients have been disenrolled. Speaking at a news conference in Chicago, Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated the fact that 2.6 million Illinoisans remained on the rolls……
Capitol Briefs: Republicans sue over law banning legislative candidate slating
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com One week after Gov. JB Pritzker signed an elections-related measure that his fellow Democrats quickly muscled through the General Assembly, Republicans sued over the new law, alleging the majority party is blocking ballot access to would-be legislative candidates. The law , passed early this month as the legislature’s……
For Many Illinoisans in Flood-Prone Areas, Buyouts Are the Only Way Out
By Laura Stewart, Illinois Answers Project April 23, 2024 DIETERICH, Ill. – Every day, Berdeena Leturno checks her email for an update on when the state of Illinois will finally pay her $80,000. It’s been over two months since she signed the paperwork to sell her flood-damaged home as part of a buyout program, and……
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……