Local News
District 230 appoints Orland Park’s Chris Kasmer to school board
The Consolidated High School District 230 Board of Education appointed Orland Park resident Chris Kasmer to serve out a vacant term of office until April 2025. Kasmer serves as president of Carpenters Union Local 1027 and is in his 14th year as a trustee to the Chicago Transit Authority’s Retiree Health Care Trust. He is…
Palos 118 Foundation, Parent Faculty Association donate $53,000 for equipment upgrades
The Palos 118 Educational Foundation and Parent Faculty Association recently donated a total of $53,000 to Palos School District 118 for classroom equipment upgrades. The donation will be used for the purchase and installation of new 70-inch interactive displays at the district’s two elementary schools, Palos East, and Palos West. “The 118 Foundation directors are…
Joliet Catholic forces tie on final play of regulation, beats Marist in 2 OT
There were a lot of bowed heads in Marist’s post-game huddle after its Week 4 loss to Joliet Catholic. A few of them were shaking, trying to comprehend a stunning reversal of fortune. A few of them, unbowed, were looking skyward — perhaps for the answer to how the RedHawks could surrender a 10-point fourth-quarter…
Sandburg scores early, ‘D’ hangs tough to top Lincoln-Way West for third straight victory
Sandburg junior running back Luke Basiorka took the handoff off the right side and saw a lot of green in front of him. He burst through the hole and past a confused defensive back, and 89 yards later he was in the end zone celebrating with his teammates as the Eagles stretched their lead over…
Nazareth bounces back from first loss of season with shutout of IC Catholic
Nazareth has gotten off to slow starts each of the past two seasons, but in both years went on to win IHSA Class 5A state championships. Roadrunners coach Tim Racki challenged his Roadrunners to start the year strong by winning games earlier in the year. “Making history for being one of the worst teams in…
Public mum in three Orland Park public TIF hearings
There were no tiffs over TIFs. The Village of Orland Park Board of Trustees hosted three public hearings for the downtown Main Street Triangle project without a peep from the public. The Sept. 3 hearings dealt with an amended Tax Increment Financing, a proposed TIF and the plans for the proposed business district. All three…
Orland Park Trustee Healy apologizes after ripping unions
Less than 24 hours after criticizing unions, Orland Park Trustee William Healy issued a public apology. During the Sept. 4 village board meeting, Healy used his time during the board comments section to talk about Labor Day and veered off into controversial territory. “I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day — I always considered…
College Football | Saint Xavier triumphs after traumatic week
The Saint Xavier football team capped off a horrific week with a huge victory. Mason Santiago, a Cougars sophomore linebacker, was one of two men who died Sept. 15 in an early-morning crash on Interstate 80 in Tinley Park. Dealing with the grief of the loss of Santiago, a New Lenox resident and Providence graduate,…
St. Laurence makes history with title at Spartan Classic
Maeve McNamara was so excited. She couldn’t wait to shout it out to the world. “We made history!” she yelled. The St. Laurence senior opposite hitters and her teammates were pumped up after winning the Spartan Classic on Sept. 21 by beating Lincoln-Way West 25-23, 25-14 in Oak Lawn. The Vikings have won regional and…
A whole new ballgame | Area well-represented in inaugural girls flag football season
The inaugural Illinois High School Association girls flag football season is in full swing and is providing a new avenue for female athletes across the state. With flag football becoming an Olympic sport in 2028, there is speculation its popularity will soar over the next several years. Girls flag football has drawn enough interest from…
Richards runs for 478 yards in win over rival Oak Lawn
Both the present and the future of Richards’ offensive backfield were on full display in Week 4 as neighborhood rival Oak Lawn came across town. The Bulldogs ran for 478 yards and five touchdowns in a 68-12 victory over the Spartans in a South Suburban Red matchup Sept. 20 at Gary Korhonen Field. Senior Myles…
Collin Bagley’s boot lifts St. Laurence over Carmel
St. Laurence senior kicker Collin Bagley doesn’t lack confidence, according to Vikings coach Adam Nissen. Nor should he, if he continues performing as he did in St. Laurence’s 17-14 win over Carmel in Week 4. Bagley drilled a game-winning 29-yard field goal for the Vikings (4-0, 1-0) with 31 seconds to play in the CCL/ESCC…
Lyons overcomes Hilltoppers for first win in series since 2016
Lyons came into its annual matchup with Glenbard West winless in the conference rivals’ past six meetings. On a warm fall Saturday afternoon in Western Springs, the Lions ended that streak, employing a stingy defense and an opportunistic offense to beat the Hilltoppers, 24-7, in a West Suburban Silver game on Sept. 21. Lyons had…
Mount Carmel QB Jack Elliot runs for 198 yards, 4 TDs in win over St. Ignatius
Watching Mount Carmel quarterback Jack Elliott play, two noticeable aspects of his game are his arm and his heart. Elliot, a senior from Orland Park, can throw the ball with the best of them; he’s also tough, durable and not afraid to accept a punishing hit from an opposing defender. In a 45-24 CCL/ESCC Blue…
Loyola sends Brother Rice to third straight loss
If Brother Rice head coach Casey Quedenfeld was looking for something positive to derive from the Crusaders’ Week 4 loss to Loyola, it would be the play of quarterback C.J. Gray. Gray, who is in his first year as the starting signal-caller, threw two touchdown passes and added another on a 76-yard run in the…
Neighbors
Comings & Goings
Jury deadlocks, mistrial declared in case of ex-AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A federal judge on Thursday declared a mistrial after a jury deadlocked in their deliberations over whether former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza bribed longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan via a no-work contract for the speaker’s political ally. After nearly 15 hours of deliberation…
High court: Smell of burnt cannabis is not cause for warrantless vehicle search
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Law enforcement officers in Illinois cannot rely on the smell of burnt cannabis alone to justify searching a vehicle without a warrant, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. The decision was unanimous, though Justice Lisa Holder White did not take part in it. Writing for the court,…
State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A federal judge invoked images from the 1917 race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Thursday at the end of a trial in a case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines. Judge Steven McGlynn, who has…
Gun expert says assault weapons ban ‘describes the most popular firearms I’m involved with’
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A firearms expert testified Wednesday that the weapons restricted under Illinois’ assault weapons ban include many of the most common firearms that American consumers use for self-defense. Steven Randall Watt, a combat veteran and retired law enforcement officer who now owns a private firearms…
Case of former AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan heads to jury
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – On Valentine’s Day in 2017, then-AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza got some good news: After years of trying to push for legislation in Springfield that would save the company hundreds of millions of dollars annually, powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan had agreed to a…
State Supreme Court hears arguments in Jussie Smollett’s effort to overturn conviction
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in actor Jussie Smollett’s appeal to overturn his conviction on disorderly conduct charges for falsifying a hate crime. Smollett, who was an actor on the TV show “Empire,” was improperly charged with the same crime twice, his legal team…
Testimony continues in 2nd Amendment challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – An engineer who spent decades designing weapons for one of the world’s leading gun manufacturers testified Tuesday that the assault-style weapons now banned in Illinois are intended only for civilian use and cannot be easily converted into military-grade firearms. James Ronkainen, a former engineer…
Contractor’s unsecured databases exposed sensitive voter data in over a dozen Illinois counties
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Around 4.6 million records associated with Illinoisans in over a dozen counties – including voting records, registrations and death certificates – were temporarily available on the open internet, according to a security researcher who identified the vulnerability in July. The documents were available through an unsecured cloud storage…
Prosecutors rest case against former AT&T Illinois boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – After years of pushing in Springfield, AT&T Illinois’ executive team was thrilled when the Illinois General Assembly in 2017 passed legislation that would get the company out from under expensive obligations to maintain its aging copper landline wires in Illinois. “Game over. We win,” AT&T Illinois…
Trial begins in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – The owner of a gun store testified Monday that Illinois’ ban on the sale of assault-style weapons and large capacity magazines has had a significant impact on his business and prevented his customers from buying items they would normally use for self-defense, hunting, target…
