Local News
Kiwanis, Lions, Sertoma join Ukrainian relief effort
By Kelly White People have been coming from all over the southwest suburbs to show their support. Area Palos Kiwanis, Lions, and Sertoma service clubs, and countless community members, are working together to help out Ukrainian refugees through a humanitarian aid collection drive. “This is such a tragedy,” Palos Hills Alderman Mike Lebarre (3rd) and…
Ukrainian churches seeking donations
By Bob Bong Relief efforts for Ukrainians caught in the invasion of their country by Russian military forces have begun at two Ukrainian churches in Palos Park. Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church is collecting humanitarian aid for Ukraine that will be shipped by air to Poland, which has taken in thousands of Ukrainian…
Palos Park police head to Manteno for Polar Plunge
By Steve Metsch and Bob Bong Area police officers cannot wait to go swimming on Saturday. No, not in the warm comfort of a YMCA swimming pool or a local hotel. This will happen outside. On March 5. In Northern Illinois. It’s not exactly swimming weather, which is why it’s called the Polar Plunge. The…
Worth bans overnight parking of large vehicles on streets
Polar Plunge to be held Saturday at Altman Park By Joe Boyle An ordinance has been introduced in Worth to restrict overnight parking of large vehicles along public streets or village-owned property. According to the ordinance, it will be unlawful to park or store any vehicle with an Illinois license plate classification higher than Class F between…
Return to normalcy, war and gas prices draw Palos Heights council’s interest
By Jeff Vorva The Palos Heights City Council had plenty to do Tuesday night when it came to decisions and votes on city matters. But it also took some time out to talk about world concerns. On the day masks became optional indoors in Illinois – signifying a possible return to normal – the Russian/Ukraine…
Orland Park officials see concert series making money in coming years
By Jeff Vorva The Orland Park Concert Series will be a go for 2022 and village officials know there will be some money lost on the deal but think the payoffs will come in future years. The board of trustees unanimously approved a three-concert series package for this year at Centennial Park West similar to…
Brother Rice falls to Bloom in regional title game
Crusaders players eye big things in 2022-23 By Steve Millar Correspondent Early in the third quarter of the Class 4A Brother Rice Regional championship game, the host Crusaders — who had trailed Bloom by as many as 12 — took a four-point lead. Playing in front of a raucous home crowd led by the enthusiastic…
International soccer tournament coming to Bridgeview
By Steve Metsch Thirty-two soccer teams from North, Central and South America will be at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview this summer, vying for their share of a $100,000 prize. Copa Mariachi Chicago will be played at the stadium June 4 and 5. The winning team will get $80,000, and the second-place team pockets $20,000, Copa…
Grappling girls get their day at inaugural state finals
By Jason Maholy Sports Editor The last weekend of February 2022 was an historic one for Illinois high school athletics, as female grapplers from across the Prairie State converged on Bloomington for the inaugural IHSA girls wrestling state finals. The state finals were held Feb. 25 and 26 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington. The…
Boys Basketball: R-B, Lyons and De La Salle among seven area regional champs
By Jeff Vorva Staff writer St. Rita, Mt. Carmel, De La Salle, Curie, Lyons, Riverside-Brookfield and Nazareth survived the boys basketball regional wars last week and advanced to this week’s sectional action. Marist and St. Laurence were both a shot away from possibly joining them. Marist, the 10th seed in the Class 4A Thornwood Sectional,…
Area Roundup: R-B’s Harrison Nolan dives into record books
By Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Team USA diver Harrison Nolan capped off his high school career in a huge way. The Riverside-Brookfield senior smashed the record books en route to winning the IHSA state diving championship. The boys state swimming and diving finals were held Feb. 25 and 26 at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont.…
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Illinois News
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…
Stateville may close as early as September under Pritzker’s prison plan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Stateville Correctional Center could close as early as September under a plan laid out by Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on Friday. Top officials with the Illinois Department of Corrections testified in front of a key panel of state lawmakers. The 12 members on the General Assembly’s…
Labor-backed bill banning ‘captive audience’ meetings awaits House action
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With two weeks left before the General Assembly’s spring session is set to adjourn, negotiations continue on a labor union-backed initiative that would allow Illinoisans to skip religious and political work meetings without reprimand. Dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” Senate Bill 3649 advanced out…
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…
ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to call for cuts
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com When Gov. JB Pritzker proposed his budget for the upcoming fiscal year in February, he sought authority from lawmakers to raise more than $1 billion in revenue through various changes to the state tax code. Among other things, he sought to raise $526 million through extending an expiring…
State officials offer last goodbye to former Thompson Center as renovations begin
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State officials kicked off the private renovation of the building which once served as the state government’s Chicago headquarters. The James R. Thompson Center, as it was known under state ownership, was sold in 2022 to a development firm that is renovating the building for its…
Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com As state lawmakers hold hearings targeting the role of pharmacy benefit managers – an influential arm in how the health insurance industry prices prescription drugs – multiple state agencies are considering how to better regulate the industry. Often referred to as pharmaceutical “middlemen,” PBMs act as third-party intermediaries…