Bill Jones

Benefit concert in Blue Island unites notable Chicago musicians in honor of longtime nurse tech

December 7, 2022 at 9:40 p.m.

When Homewood resident Chris Castaneda lost his mother in 2019 following a 15 year struggle with diabetes, he started thinking about doing a benefit concert in her honor. "Music was...

From left, Tom, TJ, Amy and Evelyn Kens, of Frankfort, enjoy some refreshments during Winter Wonderland in the Woods on Sunday at Messenger Woods in Homer Glen. It was the first time the event was offered by the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

Will County hopes new program will draw more people outside in winter

December 6, 2022 at 10:37 p.m.

A bonfire welcomed guests Sunday to Messenger Woods Nature Preserve in Homer Glen, where they roasted marshmallows for s'mores, or just warmed up for a few minutes at Winter Wonderland...

Nikki and Lucas Durrant, of Tinley Park, listen as Tinley Park Historical Society board member Bruce Haffner explains items in the museum during an open house Sunday at the facility on 174th Street.

Tinley Park Historical Society open house a trip down memory lane

December 5, 2022 at 10:18 p.m.

As Tinley Park's Holiday Happenings kept Oak Park Avenue bustling over the weekend, Ed and Pat Siemsen had a busy time of their own just a couple blocks down 174th...

Lemont man battles light pollution to capture images from light-years away

December 2, 2022 at 7:34 p.m.

Growing up in Orland Park near Homer Glen, Jasonn Pellegrini was always fascinated by the idea of space exploration. "When you're a kid, everyone wants to be an astronaut or...

Breezy Barz and Beauty owner Bryeanna Howard and her daughter Bria William in front of their table at the Park Place Holiday Pop-Up in Flossmoor.

Celebrate the Season boosts holiday spirit, Flossmoor stores on Small Business Saturday

November 27, 2022 at 4:05 p.m.

As shoppers strolled around downtown Flossmoor Saturday afternoon, they were serenaded by nine trombones belting out brassy holiday tunes in front of the Flossmoor Public Library. The South Suburban Community...

A coyote walks through the golf course at South Shore Country Club in November, 2017. As temperatures fall with the onset of late autumn, encounters between wildlife such as coyotes and people become more common.

‘We are sharing our homes with coyotes’ homes’: Late autumn can bring increased wildlife interaction

November 23, 2022 at 5:27 p.m.

Coyote populations in the area are thought to have remained relatively steady for decades, but sightings in area forest preserves may be increasing amid seasonal changes. As brush disappears in...

3 of 6 school libraries in state lauded as ‘exemplary’ are in Southland

November 23, 2022 at 1:17 a.m.

The Southland is a verifiable hotbed of school library excellence. The Association of Illinois School Library Educators this month awarded six libraries in the state the organization's annual Exemplary Library...

The Cook County sheriff office's catalytic converter theft deterrent event Thursday was the first to be held in the Southland and third overall.

Sheriff’s office effort to deter catalytic converter thefts moves to Southland

November 18, 2022 at 4:52 p.m.

More than 120 vehicles were spray painted Thursday afternoon in the parking lot of a church in Mount Greenwood. Far from an act of mass vandalism, police did the tagging...

Dean Christenson, 3, talks with grandfather Jerry Dujsik during a cooking program last week at the Oak View Center in Oak Lawn.

Kids, grandparents get together in Oak Lawn to create treats, memories

November 15, 2022 at 8:06 p.m.

When a group of kids and their grandparents got together recently in Oak Lawn, one item was at the top of the discussion menu: cookies. During a "Let's Cook Together"...

Jen Guest, a recreation coordinator with the Forest Preserve District of Will County, leads a recent Geocaching Adventure program at Hickory Creek Preserve in Mokena.

A ‘high-tech treasure hunt,’ geocaching gets a foothold in area forest preserves

November 14, 2022 at 10:13 p.m.

A big silver key, a box full of fake gold and trading cards are among the treasures the Rafacz family have found hidden in various locales after tracking them down....

All Stories