Local News
Riot Fest abandons Chicago park for SeatGeek Stadium
By Bob Bong Last year, Lyrical Lemonade moved its Summer Smash hip-hop music festival from Chicago’s Douglass Park to Bridgeview’s SeatGeek Stadium. Thousands of fans poured into the stadium at 7100 S. Harlem Ave. over the course of three days and, by most accounts, enjoyed the experience. Summer Smash returned to SeatGeek this weekend for…
Comings & Goings: Orland Park Summerfest returns this weekend
By Bob Bong Back for a second go round this weekend is the Orland Park Area Chamber of Commerce’s Summerfest. The event combines a carnival, live music, an array of dining options and a car show, at the 153rd Street Metra Station location in Orland Park and will run from Friday, June 14, through Sunday,…
Softball | Marist will play for state title for fourth straight season
By Randy Whalen Correspondent Marist returned to the state title game for the fourth straight season with a 7-1 victory over Mundelein in the semifinals, held June 7 at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria. The Mustangs (36-2) were making their first appearance at state since 1996. “We have a core group of returners,” Marist coach…
Record crowd sees Bay FC top Red Stars at Wrigley Field
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Historic Wrigley Field hosted its first professional women’s sporting event in 80 years when the Chicago Red Stars hosted Bay FC on June 8. An NWSL-record announced crowd of 35,038 came out on a cool, rainy evening on the North Side and saw the expansion team from the San Francisco Bay…
Softball | St. Charles North rides big inning over Marist for Class 4A state title
By Randy Whalen Correspondent The final game was in doubt until the late innings but, in the end, Marist came up short in its bid for a second consecutive state championship. St. Charles North (25-6) broke open a tied game by scoring five times with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, eventually capturing…
Boys Volleyball | Marist’s Nathen Toth named state finals MVP
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent With the IHSA boys volleyball state semifinals and finals championships held on the same day, the round of four tends to get overshadowed once the smoke clears. But Marist’s 28-26, 26-24 semifinal win over Glenbard West in a battle of two of the top five teams in the nation, according…
Brown family legacy continues in world of Illinois boys volleyball
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Brown family’s legacy continues in the world of boys volleyball. Twins Chris and Eric Brown helped Oak Lawn finish fourth in the IHSA volleyball tournament in 1993, the second year the boys state tournament took place. Though the twins graduated that year, that season served as a springboard for the…
Don’t sleep on grappling great | St. Rita grad Austin O’Connor starts MMA career with a win
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent The “Irish Nightmare” was not about to be put to sleep. Austin O’Connor, a four-time IHSA state wrestling champion during his years at St. Rita, made his professional MMA debut on June 9; and despite some pre-match taunting from opponent Camden Fontenot — who claimed he would put O’Connor to sleep…
Hills Farmers Market to open at 8 a.m. Friday
By Nuha Abdessalam The Hills Farmers Market is bringing more and offering unique experiences this year. The Hills Chamber of Commerce and the City of Hickory Hills have joined forces this year, pooling their resources and ideas to create an annual farmers market at 8653 W. 95th Street. The market will be held every Friday…
Comings & Goings: New business offers fresh and healthy smoothies
By Joe Boyle Rosa Prieto had been considering opening a business that provides refreshing drinks and food but was waiting for the right time. For Rosa and her husband, Jaime Prieto, that time has arrived. The Healthy and Delicious Smoothie Spot, 10408 S. Cicero Ave., Oak Lawn, officially opened on March 10. Since then, the…
Stagg Athletic Director earns advanced certification
From staff reports Amos Alonzo Stagg High School Athletic Director Jennifer Doede has been recognized by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association as a Certified Master Athletic Administrator. To earn this distinction, Doede has demonstrated exemplary knowledge, contributions, and on-going professional development in the field of interscholastic athletic administration. The voluntary certification process included a…
2024 Math Bowl adds up to success for District 128
By Kelly White If you asked first-grader Jimmy Gushurst his favorite subject, he will tell you, simply, math. However, Jimmy’s determination in the field led him to take home first place for his grade level at Palos Heights School District 128 in the 2024 South Cook Math Bowl. “Math is fun,” Jimmy, 6, of Palos…
Palos 118 teams shine at 2024 South Cook Math Bowl
From staff reports Palos School District 118 took home several awards at the 2024 South Cook Math Bowl that was held at Prairie State College in May. On day one of the event, Palos 118’s 5th/6th grade team took first place, with Brian Kaufmann placing fifth and Rhiannon Chen placing second in the sixth-grade individual competition.…
Orland Township hosts annual Senior Health Fair
By Kelly White Orland Township cares about the health and welfare of its residents. The township and Supervisor Paul O’Grady hosted a Senior Health Fair aimed to provide free health services and information to senior citizens. The event took place on May 21 at Orland Township, 14807 S. Ravinia Ave. “Our annual Senior Health Fair…
Sascha Rubens graduates at the top of her Shepard class
By Kelly White Sascha Rubens has left quite the imprint on her former high school. Rubens become one of eight students in Illinois to receive a Choose to Include scholarship from Special Olympics of Illinois. This is awarded to students that demonstrate commitment to building an inclusive environment within their school and community. “I am…
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Comings & Goings
Lawmakers set to consider $42.3 billion budget
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are poised to vote Monday night on a proposed $42.3 billion state budget for the upcoming fiscal year that Democrats say would fully fund K-12 education and the state’s pension obligations while also paying down a sizeable portion of the state’s debt. Lawmakers have been…
Senate Republicans still pushing for review of Prisoner Review Board appointments
By GRACE BARBIC Capitol News Illinoisgbarbic@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Senate Republicans attempted to bypass the Senate Executive Appointments Committee Monday after its chairwoman did not call several Prisoner Review Board appointees for confirmation hearings. The Senate voted unanimously on the floor to waive posting requirements for the appointees, through motions brought forward by Republicans. But Sen.…
Elections omnibus bill would postpone 2022 primary to June
By RAYMON TRONCOSO Capitol News Illinoisrtroncoso@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers are considering a massive omnibus bill that would push back the date of the 2022 primary elections amid other major changes to the state’s election code. It was filed Sunday night, and the General Assembly could move it through committees and floor votes in both chambers…
Limited in-state college betting bill unveiled on session’s final day
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A gambling omnibus bill that would allow Illinois bettors to wager on in-state college sports teams on a two-year trial basis has been filed in the General Assembly on the final scheduled day of the legislative session. Anybody wishing to make such a bet in Illinois, however,…
House advances bill to lower small trailer license fees to $36
By GRACE BARBIC Capitol News Illinoisgbarbic@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House passed a bill that would lower small trailer license fees from $118 to $36, which lawmakers said on the House floor Sunday could remedy an issue that has resulted in an uproar of complaints from their constituents. In 2019, lawmakers raised the fee for…
Senate passes bills creating affordable housing incentives, expanding telehealth services
By TIM KIRSININKAS Capitol News Illinoistkirsininkas@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate passed an omnibus bill Sunday aimed at creating additional affordable housing units in the state. House Bill 2621 aims to create monetary incentives including a COVID-19 Affordable Housing Grant program to provide funding to support affordable housing in areas “disproportionately impacted” by COVID-19. The…
General Assembly action: Seclusion and restraint ban will go to governor
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOISnews@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A bill to phase out the use of isolated timeouts and prone physical restraint in public schools will soon be sent to Gov. JB Pritzker. The Illinois House on Sunday voted unanimously to concur in changes the Senate made to House Bill 219, which include putting a virtual halt…
House sends controversial FOID card bill to Senate
By TIM KIRSININKAS Capitol News Illinoistkirsininkas@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House narrowly passed a bill Saturday that would require gun owners to submit fingerprints when applying for or renewing a Firearm Owner Identification card. Representatives debated for over an hour and a half regarding House Bill 1091, otherwise known as the “Fix the FOID Act.”…
College athletes could profit from likeness under bill passed by Illinois House
By GRACE BARBIC Capitol News Illinoisgbarbic@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – College athletes in Illinois would be able to independently profit from their image or likeness under a bill passed by the Illinois House Saturday. It’s the latest development in a decades-old debate regarding policies overseen by the NCAA, which is the governing body of most intercollegiate athletics.…
Illinois House passes bipartisan ban on deceptive interrogation of minors
By RAYMON TRONCOSO Capitol News Illinoisrtroncoso@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House unanimously passed a bipartisan juvenile justice reform Saturday that outlaws the use of deceptive interrogation techniques on minors. The measure, contained in amendments to Senate Bill 2122, makes confessions by minors in custody inadmissible if they were obtained by “a law enforcement officer or…