Senior fair May 29 at MVCC

A senior fair featuring more than 30 vendors with information on topics such as senior living, health care and transportation is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon May 29 at Moraine Valley Community College, 9000 W. College Parkway in Palos Hills.

The fair is being …

Eyewitness to Tinley attack: ‘Longest minute of my life’

A horde of masked figures stormed the restaurant in a single-file line, wielding bats, claw hammers and metal batons — their presence announced when one shouted, “‘Hey, bitches, the ARA is going to f--- up this place.’ ” With that, the shrouded thugs went on …

Veteran caught in web after stroke: ‘I just want to be free’

All Navy veteran Ed Baker wants is to come home to his family in the Southland. But he’s not free to make such decisions. Baker was made a ward of the state of Colorado as a result of a stroke, stripping him of many of his rights.

Police: Thieves net large haul in ruse burglary of Tinley Park home

A ruse burglary may have resulted in gold jewelry valued at $180,000 and several thousand dollars in cash being stolen May 8 from a house in the 19400 block of Brookside Glen Court, according to police. They said a man claiming to be a meter …

Crete demonstration permit ordinance put off 3rd time

Crete trustees again have delayed a vote on a controversial ordinance that would require demonstrators to obtain expensive permits to stage protests, parades and other public events in town. Thursday’s postponement was the third time the village board put off a vote on the bill, …

Four Richards JROTC students get scholarships

When retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Doug Groters launched Richards High School’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program in 2004, he wanted to teach young people, whether or not they decided to pursue a military career. “We’re not in the recruiting business,” said Groters. “We’re …

Illinois House OKs higher cigarette tax

SPRINGFIELD — Without a vote to spare, the Illinois House agreed Friday to raise cigarette taxes by $1 a pack as part of an ambitious and politically perilous plan to close a $2.7 billion budget hole that threatens health services for the state’s poor and …

Eavesdropping legislation stalls in Senate

SPRINGFIELD — Legislation that would allow people to record the public activities of police officers has stalled, because the sponsoring senator opposes the House’s changes to the measure. Sen. Michael Noland won’t call a vote for the so-called “eavesdropping” bill because he believes police should …

Oak Lawn-Hometown student dies after being hit by pickup

As Kaylah Lentine fought for her life Friday one day after being hit by a pickup truck on her way to school, students at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School worked during the school day to show the eighth-grader how much they were thinking about her.

Everybody …

Midlothian woman helps neighbors out of burning home

Belinda Dailey apparently is a cut above your average neighbor.

So said the bloodstained pants she wore — and the actions she took — after she spotted smoke Friday morning coming from a home across the street in her Midlothian neighborhood.

Dailey sprang into action. She …

Micro distillery to open in Plainfield

PLAINFIELD — A microdistillery specializing in hand-crafted rum, liqueurs and tequila soon will make its home in Plainfield. The Plainfield Village Board on Monday adopted an ordinance creating a Class S liquor license for Tailwinds Distilling at 14912 S. Eastern Ave., Unit 103. Applicants Toby …

Illinois House passes bill to cut $1.6 billion from Medicaid

The Illinois House signed off Thursday on a measure to “save the Medicaid program” by making $1.6 billion in cuts that some lawmakers complained would hit the poor hard. A Chicago woman with a child in one Medicaid program said an alternative for her daughter ultimately would cost more.

Jobless rate in Chicago area falls to 9 percent in April

The unemployment rate in the Chicago area fell to 9 percent in April from 9.5 percent a year earlier, according to a report released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security Thursday. The rate, which is not seasonally adjusted, was unchanged from March. The Chicago …

Calumet City man among 12 charged in drug investigation

Chicago Police have arrested 12 people — including five in their 50s — allegedly involved in a drug market run by a Mexican drug cartel and Gangster Disciples that extends from Chicago’s South Side to the south suburbs.

Narcotics and South Chicago District police officers …

Bill seeks reprieve for Tinley Park center

A bill that would provide funding to keep the Tinley Park Mental Health Center operating beyond its planned July 1 closing has passed the Illinois Senate and is under consideration in the House, where Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) is the chief sponsor. Among other funding …