Gov. Pat Quinn on pension mess: ‘Everything is on the table’

Gov. Pat Quinn took his case for a budgetary crash diet directly to state lawmakers Wednesday, pushing a grim assortment of prison closures and spending cuts in a spending plan that he said wasn’t built around “budget fantasies” but rather “hard realities.” Pension reform must be done “in a way that’s meaningful, constitutional and fair to the employees,” he said.

Churches prepare for Ash Wednesday

The Lenten season begins this week with Ash Wednesday, and many churches have been preparing by burning palm branches.

At St. George School in Tinley Park on Tuesday, students took part in the burning of the palms, which were blessed by the Rev. Father Frank …

Tollway schedules I-294 lane closures

Three lanes on the southbound side of the Tri-State Tollway between Center Street and Halsted Street will be closed overnight for bridge work, according to the Illinois Toll Highway Authority. One southbound lane will close at 7 p.m. for bridge demolition work, a second will …

Park Forest woman rescued after explosion, neighbor file lawsuit

A Park Forest woman who was rescued in dramatic fashion after her townhome exploded last year, and her neighbor, whose townhome also was destroyed, have filed a lawsuit claiming the explosion occurred after natural gas lines were struck during a village water system improvement project. …

Orland Township switches law firms

Orland Township has new attorneys. The township board voted Tuesday night to hire a Berwyn law firm, Del Galdo Law Group, as its attorneys, replacing Odelson & Sterk, an Evergreen Park firm that represents many municipal clients in the Southland. No representatives from Odelson & …

Two Southland men with big plans launch concert-webcasting business

Opportunity can be born in some pretty unlikely places, Chris Halper believes.

Like the couch.

The Orland Park man believes it can lead to some pretty unlikely places, too.

Like the big time.

With the recent launch of myLive ticket — a business that streams …

Kadner: Property tax freeze bill sails out of state House

A bill that would freeze property tax levies during years when property values decline overwhelmingly passed the Illinois House of Representatives on Tuesday.

I first wrote about the proposal, from state Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo), to freeze property taxes last year.

Although that effort failed, …

Already alone, earthquake brought Haitian man friendship

Antoine Jean was watching TV on the afternoon the earth moved. “Everything shook, including me,” he said. It seemed like an eternity, but then, just as suddenly, it stopped. Jean ran to the roof to pray to God. But a few seconds into his prayer, …

Haiti: Pockets of people fighting for a better world

From sadness, a choir grew.

A child died recently in the St. Germaine program at St. Helene orphanage in Kenscoff, Haiti. Officials at the special needs facility asked a group of local singers to perform at his funeral.

When Gena Heraty, a native of Ireland …

Keep the paczki moving

Bakeries were busy across the Southland on Tuesday morning as customers craved the traditional “Fat Tuesday” fare of paczki, which are similar to filled donuts but with a heavier, richer dough.

“Fat Tuesday” is used by many as an opportunity to splurge — a final …

Oak Lawn mayor: Village manager shouldn’t golf with developer

Oak Lawn Mayor Dave Heilmann and village manager Larry Deetjen are at odds over Deetjen’s participation in a golf tournament with a developer who wants to build a nine-story office tower in the village.

Heilmann said teeing it up with the developer last month in …

Sen. Durbin backs Senate transportation bill, not GOP House bill

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin says Republicans in the U.S. House should start over rather than push forward with a troubled bill on long-term funding for transportation.

He said Tuesday that the bill stands little chance of passing with so much opposition. Urban …

Report: Quinn budget plan calls for closing more state facilities

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gov. Pat Quinn plans to call for closing 14 state facilities, including eight run by the Corrections Department, when he presents his proposal for a new Illinois budget that would slash spending throughout state government, a person familiar with the plan told …

4.0 earthquake in Missouri shakes 9 states

Only minor damage is reported after an earthquake centered in southeast Missouri shook at least nine states. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 4.0 earthquake was centered near the town of East Prairie, Mo. Geological Survey geophysicist Amy Vaughan says several people in Missouri, …

Former Cook County commissioner Shaw hospitalized

Former Cook County Commissioner Robert Shaw was hospitalized Tuesday after he was injured in a fall at his South Holland home.

Shaw was rushed to Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey about 2:30 a.m. after he had a “nasty fall,” Harvey town spokesman Sean Howard said …