Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
The sounds of silence Pandemic sidelines countless musicians this year By Steve Metsch One of the biggest casualties of the coronavirus pandemic and sheltering at home has been entertainment. We can’t go to the movies. The White Sox, Cubs, Fire and youth sports are idle. And we can’t hear live music because large crowds are…
Restaurant owner says thanks Treats Bridgeview village workers to luncheon By Steve Metsch A Bridgeview restaurant owner and board member of The Mosque Foundation treated village employees to a luncheon as way to say thanks. Kalid Baste has owned the Al Bawadi Grill, 7216 W. 87th St., for 13 years. He’s also been a longtime…
Safe farmers market Event returns to La Grange with masks, distancing By Steve Metsch The first-ever farmers market in La Grange held with social distancing rules in place went pretty well, buyers and sellers said. The weekly event made its debut Thursday, June 4. It had been delayed several weeks because of the pandemic and…
Musician offers free concerts Indian Head Park man plays ukulele in yard By Steve Metsch Three afternoons each week, you can find Michael Malone sitting on a stool, playing a ukulele in front of his Indian Head Park home. Malone, 51, plays original songs for anyone who happens to be in the 6400 block of…
DVR-based Security camera systems need to be replaced There are a lot of security camera systems to chose from but you should avoid the DVR-based systems like Swann, Q-See or Shadow because of the technical problems of “port forwarding” so that you can actually see your cameras remotely. Instead, select a cloud-based system like Blink…
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Opinion: For Pekau, it is always about him, even in closing Secretary of State’s Office Once again, Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau puts his own political interests above the interests of the residents of Orland Park in his ultimatum that forced the closure of the Secretary of State’s Satellite Office that was located in the…
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Peaceful protest in La Grange No problems reported as hundreds march By Steve Metsch Charlotte Wolf said she wanted to make a stand “because there is a lot going on in the world right now.” So, the recent graduate of Lyons Township High School organized a peaceful protest rally and march in La Grange on…
Virtual Pet Parade a success Organizers are pleased with participation, results By Steve Metsch The reviews are favorable for the first-ever virtual Pet Parade in La Grange. Molly Price, event coordinator for Pet Parade Charities, the non-profit which sponsors the parade, said Monday that “everybody was really supportive of it.” Fears of spreading the coronavirus…
Radio host files lawsuit against Governor Pritzker Chicago radio talkshow host Amy Jacobson, a popular former Chicago TV reporter, has been banned by Gov. J.B. Pritzker from attending his daily and political coronavirus briefings. Jacobson co-hosts the conservative weekday morning radio show “The Answer” with political activists Dan Proft and the show is among the…
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Maywood man charged with aggravated battery to a child after incident May 23 at Super Target in Tinley Park A 31-year-old Maywood man was charged with aggravated battery to a child, endangering the life or health of a child, domestic battery, criminal damage to property and two counts of fleeing and eluding police after an…
Virtual Pet Parade on Saturday Virus results in 180 video entries submitted By Steve Metsch Organizers of the 74th annual La Grange Pet Parade, another victim of the coronavirus pandemic, are overwhelmed by the response from the public. Forced to cancel the parade because of the governor’s ban on large public gatherings, they had asked…
Pritzker issues guidelines for businesses/workplaces to reopen in Phase 3 Governor J.B. Pritzker released guidelines that will allow businesses to reopen under Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois Plan, expected to begin May 29, 2020 in the wake of the deadly coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Guidance Developed by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and…
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Coronavirus has changed our lives forever The coronavirus has changed how we will live forever. Social distancing is here to stay. Concern about viruses and pandemics will not go away anytime soon. Things we should have learned from the politics of the 1918 “Spanish Flu” which wasn’t Spanish at all. And why we need to…
Tara Reade reminds us how hypocritical the DNC really is Sexual harassment claims by Tara Reade against Democratic Presidential contender Joe Biden are not being taken as seriously as sexual harassment claims made by women against President Donald Trump. That’s because no one is really concerned about sexual harassment. They are more concerned about how…
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Legislature passes budget to help victims of COVID-19 Maintaining social distancing and meeting at the Bank of Springfield Building, a multi-purpose arena that holds 80,000, the Illinois House approved a $42.6 billion budget to provide support to victims of the coronavirus and ensuring that statewide services to residents continues, ending an 11-week recess forced by…
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Memorial Day online Virus forces communities to honor a new way By Steve Metsch With Memorial Day fast approaching, several communities have opted to hold scaled back ceremonies and in some cases are going virtual. The Village of Lyons, which normally marks Memorial Day with a ceremony at the eternal flame outside the pumping station…
Thrown for a loss Uncertainty forces star quarterback to leave Naz By Steve Metsch Tim Racki has a glittering record as a high school football coach – taking two schools to nine state title games and winning seven – but his biggest challenge may come this fall. Not only does Racki not know if there…
Lyons, Brookfield drenched Salt Creek overflows after heavy weekend rains By Steve Metsch With more rain forecast in the coming days, residents of Lyons and Brookfield who live near Salt Creek are hoping to avoid an encore of May 17. The Lyons Fire Department was busy that Sunday helping about 50 residents and 19 pets…