Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Midnight Flight, the online book on race in Chicago An online book that explores the memories of a challenging time in Chicago when race was the dominating factor driving and influencing people’s lives. 1968 and 1969 were difficult times in Chicago and my book “Midnight Flight” offers one perspective on what that experience was like,…
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Sports figures, activists warn of rising opioid crisis Sports figures, community leaders and activists warned Wednesday that heroin and opioid use has reached a crisis stage in suburban Chicagoland and is rising across the country. At a forum organized by the Orland Fire Protection District (OFPD), the National Football Players Fathers Association (NFPFA), Cook County…
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No injuries in fire that damaged three homes in suburban Chicago Three homes were damaged when broke out between two homes in Orland Hills, a Southwest suburb of Chicagoland. Photos and drone video shows extent of the fire View the Drone Video below Two Orland Hills families were displaced by a fire this afternoon, Monday April 24….
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Arrogance of the Orland Park Village Board The Orland Park Village Board is apparently pretending that village voters really didn’t mean to support “change” in the last election, voting to oust 24-year incumbent Dan McLaughlin and replacing him with a little known, well-intentioned challenger, Keith Pekau. The board has named Joe LaMargo, the former head…
Rauner, Pritzker & hypocrisy at the Chicago Sun-Times Most mainstream American journalists love to dish it out and criticize people, but they are thinned skinned and hate to be criticized themselves, especially when they are involved in their own conflicts-of-interest that they fail to mention in their stories. As a columnist who writes my opinions, I…
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Analysis: Why Pekau won and McLaughlin lost A poorly run re-election campaign by seven-term incumbent Mayor Dan McLaughlin combined with a hot-topic issue of salary and pension hikes, and a laser-focused issues campaign of a non-political challenger, Keith Pekau, running on the Republican Party banner did what no one thought could happen April 4 in Orland Park….
Muslims lose in backlash in Suburban Chicago elections Two Muslim candidates who had strong political backing lost their bids for election on Tuesday in Suburban Chicago contests. Dave Shalabi, who was appointed to a position on a local school board two years ago, lost his bid to remain on the influential school board. Bahira Karim fails in…
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Pekau defeats McLaughlin in Orland Park mayoral race Republican challenger Keith Pekau easily unseated 23 year incumbent Dan McLaughlin as Mayor of Orland Park in a contest that focused on the mayor’s bid to boost his salary by more than 375 percent and to spike his pension from $30,000 a year to $110,000. By Ray Hanania…
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Pekau says he won’t take pension benefit The high profile battle for the office of mayor of Orland Park in southwest suburban Chicago is fueled by the board’s decision to give the 23 year incumbent Mayor Dan McLaughlin a massive salary boost and huge pension after only one term in office. The salary and pension spike has…
Orland Mayoral race has state’s attention The battle between Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin and challenger Keith Pekau has the attention of the entire state apparently creating a wild election contest filled with a lot of unusual issues, supporters and claims By Ray Hanania The battle to lead Orland Park, one of the fastest growing suburbs…
Sports figures, activists warn of rising opioid crisis Sports figures, community leaders and activists warned Wednesday that heroin and opioid use has reached a crisis stage in suburban Chicagoland and is rising across the country. At a forum organized by the Orland Fire Protection District (OFPD), the National Football Players Fathers Association (NFPFA), Cook County…
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Kennedy promises to bring diversity to Illinois government Christopher Kennedy, the son of slain former New York Senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, told an overcrowded gathering of American Arabs outside of Chicago that he would defend the rights of immigrants and fight to bring diversity back to Illinois government when elected governor of the…
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Fighting oppressive taxes in Cook County SW News Group Column March 9, 2017. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle bashed former President Todd Stroger when she ran against him for proposing outrageous hikes in taxes including the sales tax. But as soon as she got to office, she raised the taxes, too. Even worse. The…
Victorian home damaged by fire restored to fine detail The owner of a Victorian home in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood that was severely damaged by fire offered enthusiastic praise and support to Restore Construction Inc., for its Commitment to detail in restoring the property to its original luster. Home was restored to its antique historical quality Chicago,…
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1967 was a tragic year in Illinois: Tornadoes Hit Illinois 50 Years ago, Belvidere and Oak Lawn Published in the SW Newspaper Group Feb. 9, 2017 By Ray Hanania This year is the Golden Anniversary of one of the most tragic years in the lives of many Baby Boomers who still remember that far back…
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Suburbs should not have to pay Chicago’s spending shortfalls SW Newspaper Group Feb. 23, 2017 By Ray Hanania Don’t waste your time trying to figure out how Illinois divides the property taxes it collects to support local schools and the sales and income taxes it collects to subsidize Chicago’s bailout. It’s too complicated, intentionally. The…
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Fires Damage two homes in Orland Park Fires hit two homes in Orland Park over the Christmas Holidays, one on Christmas Day related to a fireplace and a second one the following day linked to a Christmas tree Orland Fire Prevent District officials reported. Here are the two reports: Fireplace fire in Orland Park home…
Skimming through the Obits and life The obituary section of the old more informed newspaper era was an obsession with my father back in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, the newspapers are anorexic but the Obit section is still growing strong. And, I understand why my father paid attention to it so much now that I…