Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
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…
Orland Park Police recognize Distracted Driving Awareness Month with a reminder for motorists: Drop It and Drive April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month across the nation, and the Orland Park Police Department is urging drivers to drop their phones and focus on the road with a not-so-subtle reminder: “Phone in One Hand. Ticket in 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…
Newman supports Statehood bill for Washington D.C. 700,000 residents H.R. 51 will admit Washington D.C. as the 51st state and ensure that 700,000 D.C. residents have fair representation in the U.S. government. U.S. Representative Marie Newman (D-IL) voted on Thursday (April 22, 2021) to pass H.R. 51, the Washington D.C. Admission Act, which would make…
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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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Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas names Manuel Venegas as her new Press Secretary Manuel Venegas was named press secretary today of the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. Venegas joined the office in 2018 as Outreach Coordinator for the Hispanic community and since August 2018, has served as Director of Outreach and Media Relations. “Manuel…
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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…
Grant, Rolder lead Marist Two TDs, two pickoffs result in 13-0 win at Naz By Steve Metsch Two was a big number when Marist played at Nazareth on Saturday. Marist linebacker Jimmy Rolder made two key interceptions – including one at the goal-line – to stymie Nazareth scoring drives. And Marist running back Jamari Grant…
St. Francis routs R-B Rittenhouse tosses six TD passes, three to Bishop By Steve Metsch When a quarterback and wide receiver have played football together for 10 years, they develop a special connection. Each seems to instinctively know what the other will do. St. Francis senior quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse and junior wide receiver Tyler Bishop…