Local News
Billions of cicadas get ready to raise a racket
By Kelly White If you haven’t heard the buzz yet, you will soon. With 2024 marking a big year for periodical cicadas in Illinois, billions of the red-eyed buggers will soon be making an appearance. Periodical cicada broods XIII and XIX will be emerging throughout much of the state at the same time. Although exact…
Softball | Jocelyn Hovanec scores two runs, Ks 12 in Chicago Christian win
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Chicago Christian is working to find its footing in the inaugural season of the Chicagoland Christian Conference. The Knights entered this week 6-8 overall and 4-6 in the CCC, putting them in fifth place with just two conference games to play among their final seven regular-season contests. The Knights have had…
Boys Volleyball | Chicago Christian finishes April strong, takes second at Ridgewood Invitational
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent A busy and largely successful final seven days of April saw Chicago Christian briefly climb back to the .500 mark after a tough first month of the season. The Knights (11-12, 4-4 Chicagoland Christian Conference) have won seven of their past 10 matches, all of which were played over a seven-day…
Boys Volleyball | Marist hands Glenbard West first loss of season
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Marist was scary good in the first set. The RedHawks won it 25-12. Even by Marist standards, that’s pretty impressive. Complete dominance. What’s even more stunning is that it came against the second-ranked team in the nation. The RedHawks, who came into the match ranked sixth in the country in the…
Sophia Smith’s brace sinks Red Stars
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent Home has not been that sweet lately for the Chicago Red Stars. The team lost its second straight game at SeatGeek Stadium with a 2-0 setback to Portland in front of an announced crowd of 4,443 on April 27. Portland star Sophia Smith scored in the 10th and 26th minutes, then…
Nazareth Academy celebrates ‘special talent’ J.J. McCarthy in NFL Draft
By Steve Metsch Dennis Moran has no doubts that J.J. McCarthy – the former Nazareth Academy quarterback who is now with the Minnesota Vikings – will succeed in the National Football League. Moran was among about 60 or so Nazareth Academy fans, friends and coaches who gathered Thursday night at The Stadium Club in McCook…
Brother Rice names Al Perez next soccer coach
By Jeff Vorva Correspondent A few new coaches are dotting the area high school athletic scene. One of the more notable hires was Brother Rice bringing Al Perez aboard as the soccer coach. Perez led Chicago Public League power Washington to a Class 2A state championship in 2013, a fourth-place finish in 2015 and a…
Pickleball courts coming to Palos Park
By Jeff Vorva There will finally be outdoor pickleball in Palos Park. In a process that went longer than anticipated, the Palos Park Village Council was able give the green light to get a pickleball project started on the Village Green. The council voted April 8 to award the contract to U.S. Tennis Court Construction…
First Secure Bank to host American Eagle gold coin sale
From staff reports First Secure Bank & Trust of Palos Hills announced its annual May sale of 1-ounce and ¼-ounce American Eagle Gold Coins, produced by the U.S. Mint, will take place from 10 a.m.to noon on Saturdays, May 4, May 11, May 18 and May 25. The sale will take place at First Secure…
Palos Heights recognizes volunteers
By Nuha Abdessalam Palos Heights handed out awards last week recognizing the services provided by volunteers through the years. The proclamations, which were read aloud during the city council meeting April 16, were a testament to the city’s volunteers and were handed out as part of Volunteer Recognition Week. Volunteers were cited for their efforts…
Boys Volleyball | Richards weathering struggles after run of success
By Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a tough weekend at the Smack Attack tournament, Richards got back into the win column with a two-set victory over Eisenhower in a South Suburban Red match. The Bulldogs made quick work of the Cardinals, winning 25-16, 25-15 on April 23 in Oak Lawn to snap a five-match losing streak.…
SD218 puts on annual Arts Extravaganza
By Kelly White The arts have become a major portion of the curriculum Community High School District 218. Showcasing those many talents, the Friends of CHSD 218’s Education Foundation proudly hosted its 15th annual Arts Extravaganza on April 5 at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island. “The Arts Extravaganza is a great event which showcases…
Gaming licenses to be tougher to get in Orland Park
By Jeff Vorva It’s going to take longer to receive gaming licenses in Orland Park. The village board passed an ordinance April 15 that would allow table service businesses open at least 36 consecutive months to apply rather than the previous 18 months, and extended the probationary period to 18 months instead of six. “By…
Palos Park passes $16 million budget
By Jeff Vorva The Palos Park Village Council approved the 2024-25 budget, which totals a little more than $16.3 million at the April 22 village council meeting. According to village documents, it represented an increase of a shade over $603,000 from last year. The village is expecting $13.4 million in revenue and $1.86 million in…
Fire damages Al Bahaar Restaurant in Orland Park
From staff reports Orland Fire Protection District firefighters responded to a fire Monday evening at the Al Bahaar Restaurant, 39 Orland Square Dr. At first, restaurant owners suspected the fire alarm was triggered by a malfunction, but as firefighters inspected the restaurant to reset the fire alarm, they detected a burning smell. “What we found…
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Comings & Goings
NewsMatch fundraising drive caps exciting year of growth and impact for Capitol News Illinois
By JEFF ROGERS Executive Director, Capitol News Illinois and Illinois Press Foundation We were humbly born on Jan. 23, 2019, with this headline: “Pritzker signs on to U.S. Climate Alliance.” More than 100,000 times since then, Illinois newspapers and broadcast stations have used our reporting to inform their audiences. Capitol News Illinois has quickly become…
Scholarship tax credit program among issues still on the table with 3 legislative days remaining
By HANNAH MEISEL & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Lawmakers will return to Springfield next week for the second half of their fall veto session, giving advocates of a tax credit program for private school scholarships one last chance to push for its extension before it’s set to expire at the end of the…
Gun rights advocates question proposed assault weapons registration rules
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police are facing pushback from gun rights advocates over proposed rules requiring owners of certain firearms to register them before the end of the year. ISP is in the process of adopting new rules to implement part of the state’s new assault weapons…
Capitol News Illinois expansion continues with addition of digital team, videographer
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS news@capitolnewsillinois.com Capitol News Illinois has continued its rapid expansion in recent weeks, hiring a digital engagement team and its first videographer to bolster its multi-platform presence. K. Ellen Stackhouse joined the team in September as its director of audience development and engagement. She’ll oversee a website redesign and help build…
Federal appeals court upholds Illinois’ assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com In a 2-1 ruling Friday, a federal appeals court declined to block enforcement of the state’s assault weapon ban as well as similar local ordinances, saying the rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution are not absolute. The judges sided with two…
Gun rights groups to seek Supreme Court ruling on assault weapons
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gun rights advocacy groups say they intend to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the state’s assault weapons ban after a federal appeals court on Friday refused to block enforcement of the law. In a statement Saturday, the Illinois State Rifle Association said it was…
Capitol News Illinois, partners win national award for excellence in disability reporting
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS News@capitolnewsillinois.com Capitol News Illinois and its reporting partners have been honored with a second national award for their investigative series into a culture of abuse and cover-ups at a state-run center for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. CNI reporters Beth Hundsdorfer and Molly Parker were honored with the Katherine Schneider…
First week of veto session wraps up with little legislative movement
First week of veto session wraps up with little legislative movement Lawmakers to return to Capitol Nov. 7 to address lingering issues By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers are heading back to their districts after three days of legislative session in Springfield this week that saw little movement on several major…
Proponents drop push to give downstate utilities dibs on new transmission lines
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com With billions of dollars of construction projects on the line, Ameren Illinois and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have been vying to secure first rights on new electricity transmission line construction in downstate Illinois. But after Gov. JB Pritzker issued an amendatory veto to a bill that…
Assault weapon registration period remains open as Illinois State Police seeks further input
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – People who own certain guns and other items now prohibited under the state’s assault weapons ban still need to register them with the Illinois State Police. But ISP says it plans to hold additional public hearings about that process and may refine the rules before they become permanent…