Local News
Spoto takes title as Orland Township’s Senior Idol
By Kelly White Beautiful voices rang out through the Orland community this past week. Held on March 7, Orland Township’s Senior American Idol was an annual event that brings together talented seniors to showcase their musical abilities. Orland Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady and the Board of Trustees invited seniors out for exciting evening filled with…
Palos Park wants to keep grocery tax
By Jeff Vorva Palos Park officials want to keep their grocery tax. Recently, Gov. JB Pritzker said he was planning on getting rid of the state’s 1% grocery tax. The axing of tax, which goes to municipalities, would allow shoppers to save a small amount of money – a dollar for every $100 spent. But…
Shepard, O’Hara and Friends collect purses
Shepard High School staff members joined graduate Catherine O’Hara this month in collecting purses to donate to victims of domestic violence. Shepard staff members donated more than 100 purses to the campaign, an annual effort at O’Hara and Friends salon at 70th Avenue and 127th Street in Palos Heights. The purses, all in prime condition,…
Ryan and Khalil looking for Democratic nod for Burke’s former seat
By Jeff Vorva Kelly Burke would love to hand the ball off to fellow Evergreen Park resident Rick Ryan for her 36th District state representative seat. Palos Hills’ Sonia Khalil would love to intercept those plans. Ryan and Khalil are battling it out for the spot that Burke held since 2011. They are on the…
High School Baseball | Oak Lawn tops Crete-Monee in season-opener
High school baseball season got underway March 11, and Oak Lawn started the season with a 12-5 victory over Crete-Monee at Ozinga Field in Crestwood. For the Spartans, senior Brett Gatch had two hits including a home run while driving in four runs. Senior Kyle Bader had two triples and three RBI, and senior Charlie…
Boys Basketball | DePaul Prep holds off Mount Carmel for Class 3A title
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Competing for and winning state championships are not new for Mount Carmel. Except in basketball. The Caravan football and wrestling teams have already won state titles this school year — the second consecutive championship for the former and the second in three seasons for the latter — but the basketball program’s…
Chicagoland Christian Conference teams meet in 1A third-place game
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Catholic League made headlines when Blue powers Mount Carmel and DePaul met in the boys basketball IHSA Class 3A state championship game. But the first-year Chicagoland Christian Conference also had a banner season. The league, which features local program Chicago Christian, had two teams in the Class 1A final…
St. Laurence names Roshawn Russell new boys hoops coach
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent St. Laurence announced on March 8 that Roshawn Russell will replace Byron Burt as the Vikings boys basketball coach. Russell was Burt’s assistant this season, in which the Vikings won the Chicago Catholic League White and a Class 3A regional title. Russell previously coached at St. Rita and owned a 72-42…
Sandburg grad Kendall Coyne Schofield lends voice to ‘Inside Out’ sequel
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Lewis Black. Amy Poehler. Paula Poundstone. Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And Kendall Coyne Schofield? Yes, Schofield — known for her international hockey prowess — joins those celebrities and others in Disney/Pixar’s film “Inside Out 2,” which will be released in theaters June 14. In a news release, the…
Red Stars Report | Mallory Swanson is back on the pitch and ready for a big season
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Red Stars’ season opens March 16 and star player Mallory Swanson can’t wait. The prolific scorer, who during the offseason signed an NWSL-record deal that will pay her $400,000 a year through 2028, missed all but two two games for the Red Stars last season with a torn left patellar…
College Basketball | St. Xavier men’s, women’s players earn all-conference honors
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Three SXU men’s basketball players earned all Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference honors. Senior guard Cedric Johnson claimed all-CCAC first team honors and junior forward Andre Brandon was named to the second team. Freshman forward James Stevenson was named CCAC Freshman of the Year in addition to being on the all-freshman team.…
College Men’s Volleyball | SXU’s Oviedo has big day versus old mates at Concordia Irvine
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier men’s volleyball team have played such a tough schedule this season that the Cougars are ranked 11th in the nation despite entering this week with a 7-8 record. The NAIA team finished 1-2 during a recent California trip after being swept by No. 3 Vanguard University and No.…
Morton College qualifies for nationals in fourth straight season
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Four for IV. For the fourth consecutive season, the Morton College women’s basketball team won the Region IV championship on March 9 to qualify for the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II national tournament. The Panthers beat Carl Sandburg, 102-59, at Rock Valley College to to clinch their spot at…
Florida group acquires Chicago Ridge Mall
By Bob Bong Chicago Ridge Mall opened in 1981 on the former site of the Starlite Drive-In Theater, which had closed in 1979 after a three-decade run. It was expanded in 1986. It has had several owners over the years including the Lenhdorff Group, which bought the mall in 1986 and turned around and sold…
Woman says pro-Palestinian posts cost her spin cycle job
By Nuha Abdessalam A Palos Hills native says she was let go from a part-time second job as a spin instructor because of her social media posts supporting Palestinians. Chrysa Jonas had been a spin instructor at Heights Cycle in Palos Heights (and its former incarnation as Revival Cycle) since December of 2020. She says…
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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…
Capitol Briefs: State unveils report on racial disparities among homeless populations
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Tackling homelessness requires addressing racial injustice, according to a new report commissioned by the state’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness. The report found that Black people are eight times more likely to experience homelessness than white people. Remedying this disparity, according to the report, would require “long-term…
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…
Bears pitch $3.2B stadium plan, but Pritzker still ‘skeptical’ despite team’s $2B pledge
By DILPREET RAJU & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Chicago Bears laid out a $3.2 billion plan for a new domed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront on Wednesday afternoon, painting pictures of future Super Bowls and other major public events while pinning their hopes on yet-to-be-had conversations with the governor and lawmakers. The Bears…
Regulators weigh future of gas industry in Illinois, while clamping down on Chicago utility
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Natural gas is fueling a fight between consumer advocates, a powerful utility company and the state. Amid competing advertising campaigns, accusations of mismanagement and state decarbonization efforts, the Illinois Commerce Commission is starting a process that will shape how the state regulates the increasingly controversial industry. …
Komatsu mining truck named 2024 ‘coolest thing made in Illinois’
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A mining truck manufactured by Komatsu was crowned the winner of the 2024 “Makers Madness” contest, earning the title of “the coolest thing made in Illinois” at the Governor’s Mansion Wednesday. The truck was one of more than 200 entries in the 5th annual contest hosted…
Giannoulias calls for disclosure of lobbyist contracts
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For decades, lobbyists in the Illinois Statehouse have been required to report how much they spend wining, dining and entertaining lawmakers. Currently, though, there is no law requiring lobbyists to disclose how much they are paid by corporations, industry groups or other special interest organizations. That…
Illinois Senate advances changes to state’s biometric privacy law after business groups split
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – It’s been more than a year since the Illinois Supreme Court “respectfully suggest(ed)” state lawmakers clarify a law that’s led to several multi-million-dollar settlements with tech companies over the collection of Illinoisans’ biometric data. On Thursday, a bipartisan majority in the Illinois Senate did just that,…
Illinoisans can now get documents notarized online
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinoisans who need a notary public can now access those services online through a new “E-Notary” portal launched by the secretary of state’s office. This process is one of the latest initiatives of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ ongoing effort to modernize the office and its services. Notaries…