Local News
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.……
Richards’ Obadi advances to state speech finals
By Kelly White The varsity speech team from Richards High School continues to impress. For the 15th season in a row, the school, 10601 Central Ave., Oak Lawn, had at least one speech team member advance to state. “One of my most important responsibilities as coach of this program is to continue the tradition of……
Oak Lawn Community High School speech team goes to state
By Kelly White Oak Lawn Community High School’s Speech Team has been showcasing its talent. The team at the school, 9400 Southwest Highway, Oak Lawn, competed at the Illinois High School Association state competition the weekend of February 19 in Peoria. IHSA is a state high school association in the United States that regulates competition……
Indoor golf is a new Palos Heights Haven
By Kelly White Providing an alternative to outdoor golf, especially during these frigid months, is the Haven Indoor Golf situated right in the heart of the Palos Heights community. The Haven Indoor Golf, 12317 S. Harlem Ave., combines the industry’s leading golf simulator technology in a climate controlled, fun and welcoming environment to create a year-round home for golf in Chicago’s southwest suburbs. “The Haven Indoor Golf……
Mother McAuley gives new life to prom, graduation dresses
By Kelly White Finding the perfect prom dress can be costly and stressful. The task was made a little easier for students this year thanks to the Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School Mother’s Club’s Graduation and Prom Dress Resale. The event took place February 18-19 at the high school located at 3737 W. 99th……
SD229 names former board to replace Cruz
By Bob Bong Oak Lawn High School District 229 board members opted for a familiar face to replace ousted school board member Rob Cruz. Former board member Safaa Zarzour, 58, was named last week to fill Cruz’s term. Cruz was removed from the board by a 6-1 vote at a special board meeting on January……
Warm homecoming on cold, snowy night for Olympian Abbey Murphy
By Kelly White Streets lined with residents welcomed back USA Olympic Silver Medalist Abbey Murphy Thursday night to Evergreen Park. The Evergreen Park community has been cheering on 19-year-old Murphy as she and Team USA battled in the women’s hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Countless residents have decorated their houses and proudly……
Analysis: Palos Park still looking for perfect commish candidate
By Jeff Vorva There are a couple of ways people can perceive Palos Park’s Village Council going without a fifth commissioner for months. On the surface, it would appear to outsiders that the council is sitting on its hands. Or, it can look like the council has not found the right person yet. How hard……
Acting no more, Jennings named Bridgeview Fire Chief
By Steve Metsch After a year on the job, John Jennings can remove “acting” from his title. Jennings, 53, was officially named fire chief by the Bridgeview Village Board at its Feb. 16 meeting. The vote was unanimous. “I’m very proud to be the chief,” Jennings, 53, said. “I work with a bunch of great……
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Illinois News
House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com After Illinois received another failing grade from a national advocacy group, state House Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at further protecting victims and prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking. Shared Hope International, an advocacy organization that works to prevent sex trafficking, said in its 2023 Illinois report card that……
Hundreds of bills pass, including changes to state’s biometric data privacy law
By HANNAH MEISEL COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABEDDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers passed more than 200 bills this week ahead of their scheduled May 24 adjournment. Many of the measures will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker, including a bill that changes how damages accrue under Illinois’ first-in-the-nation biometric data privacy law.……
Pritzker pledges to expand access to mental health care in Illinois
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In the middle of Mental Health Awareness Month, Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton hosted a panel in Springfield this week at which he pledged to expand the state’s behavioral health services. With several dozen services providers from around the state in attendance, Pritzker……
With 1 week left in session, Pritzker admin says all revenue options remain on the table
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com While the governor’s office instructed its agency directors to prepare for $800 million in potential budget cuts last week, all facets of his plan to raise $1.1 billion in revenue to avoid those cuts remain under consideration. Read more: ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to……
Illinois launches summer food assistance program
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state is launching a new program to provide food assistance during the summer for families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. Gov. JB Pritzker joined other state officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday to announce that Illinois will……
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he……
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……