Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
One hurt in garage fire Man was welding car, Lyons fire chief says By Steve Metsch A Lyons resident was injured in a garage fire that resulted in thick black smoke that could be seen more than a mile away. A Riverside ambulance took the person to Loyola Medical Center for treatment, Fire Chief Gordon…
Democratic Party Chair Robin Kelly Names Abby Witt New Executive Director Kelly Says Witt Will Lead Effort to Build New & Inclusive Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) The Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) today named Abby Witt as its new Executive Director. An Evanston native, Witt has spent nearly two decades working with progressive campaigns…
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Illinois will lose one congressional seat under new Census 2020 Census Apportionment results were delivered to President Biden on Monday detailing changes in the nation’s population. The results show five Western states will each gain a congressional seat while Illinois and six other Eastern states will each lose one congressional seat based on population changes The U.S….
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Passing it on Chicago hikes water rate, Bridgeview does, too By Steve Metsch The Village of Bridgeview is being charged more by Chicago for water, so it is passing that increase on to residents and businesses. “Every year, we get a boost in our charge from Chicago, and we’re just passing that on,” Trustee Michael…
Lyons planting trees Planned for parkway along improved Joliet Avenue By Steve Metsch Trees will be planted along Joliet Avenue from 39th Street to 47th Street in Lyons. The Lyons Village Board, at its April 20 meeting, approved paying Roy Erikson Outdoor Maintenance, Inc., based in Crestwood, an amount not to exceed $38,400 to plant…
One strange season Prep football 2021: A year we will remember By Steve Metsch High school football fans, coaches, players and reporters may disagree about which team is the best. But one thing they all agree on is that this season won’t be soon forgotten. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the…
Journalists and elected officials celebrate Arab American Heritage Month The Arab American Democratic Club hosted a forum of journalists and elected officials and community leaders on Thursday April 22, 2021 to discuss both Ramadan and Arab American Heritage Month (April). The panel included a video message offering both Ramadan Kareem messages and a celebratory salute…
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Orland Township Honors Volunteers In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week, Orland Township hosted a dinner to celebrate the contributions its many volunteers, according to the office of Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady. Supervisor O’Grady thanked the volunteers for their many contributions that contributed to the mission of Orland Township over the past year. “Volunteers are the…
Fire damages bathroom and attic in Orland Park home, no injuries The Orland Fire Protection District responded to a fire that damaged a bathroom and an attic in an Orland Park Home at the 7300 block of 157th Street on Wednesday April 21, 2021 at 6:44 AM. There were no injuries. Companies arrived on scene…
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Pappas reminds taxpayers: Pay First Installment Cook County property taxes through May 3 with no late fee Property taxes were due Tuesday, March 2, 2021, but there is no late fee for those paying their bill through Monday, May 3, 2021, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said today. The Cook County Board of Commissioners in…
Chicago Wolves host food drive Saturday April 24 Donate non-perishable goods at Allstate Arena to help Common Pantry GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS – The Chicago Wolves are hosting a Food Drive from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, at Allstate Arena in Rosemont. All of the canned goods and other non-perishable items the Wolves collect…
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Safety paves way Hatter’s blocked punt sets tone as Lyons rolls By Steve Metsch The Lyons Township football team works on blocking punts every day of practice, defensive lineman Ryan Hatter, Jr., said. “Just run at the football (and) put your hands up,” Hatter said. “It’s that simple.” While it may be simple, it…
Battle for Secretary of State already brewing in Illinois Alexi Giannoulias is the lead candidate in the brewing race to succeed Illinois Secretary of State Jessie White who is retiring. Although the Democratic Party Primary election is not until March 2022, time goes by quickly and the race will quickly become crowded. As the Republican…
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No injuries, minor damage at Life Time Fitness fire in Orland Park The Orland Fire District responded to Life Time Fitness, 16333 LaGrange Road at 7:18 pm for an automatic fire alarm from the property on Friday evening April 16, 2021. Upon arrival, evacuation was in progress. Fire crews entered the building to investigate the…
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Hundreds of Activities Part of New NerdFest 2021 With your ticket to NerdFest 2021, you’ll have access to hundreds of activities happening at this new festival on August 27-29 in the Quad Cities. Celebrating and supporting all the different nerd, geek, and fandom cultures, NerdFest 2021 takes place in the Quad Cities (IL/IA) bi-state regional…
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Newman introduces bill to support women-owned small businesses To further provide relief to women entrepreneurs, the legislation introduced today would extend the waiver of the matching fund requirement for Women Business Centers U.S. Representative Marie Newman (IL-03) introduced legislation Thursday (April 15, 2021) to support women-owned small businesses by extending the waiver for the matching…
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Public safety promotions Bridgeview board focuses on police, fire staffing By Steve Metsch Personnel moves were on the agenda at the latest meeting of the Bridgeview Village Board. The board unanimously approved promoting a firefighter to the rank of lieutenant, and making a part-time police officer a full-time officer. Firefighter Jason Yerkovich, with the department…
Musician thrives in pandemic Being solo helps, says guitarist/singer Fascetta By Steve Metsch Like many musicians, Joe Fascetta has had an odd year. Gigs dried up for months after the coronavirus pandemic hit hard in March 2020 and the nation shut down. But unlike the big-name bands who have not been able to tour or…