Jessi Virtusio

Jessi Virtusio is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.

Curtain Call Theatre stages “Inherit the Wind” from Sept. 26 to Oct. 5 in Mokena. The show is billed as a riveting drama of ideas, freedom and faith. (Curtain Call Theatre)

‘Inherit the Wind,’ a fictionalized version of the Scopes Monkey Trial, comes to Curtain Call Front Street Theatre in Mokena

September 26, 2025 at 10:50 a.m.

Mokena's Curtain Call Front Street Theatre's cast includes actors from Chicago, Hickory Hills, Mokena, Orland Park and Tinley Park.

Crowd listen as Qiana McNary, of the McNary Experience, sings during an installment of the "Front Porch Concert" series Sept. 5, 2025 at the Morton Grove Public Library in Morton Grove. (Talia Sprague/for Pioneer Press)

Morton Grove library brings vocalists, bands to its ‘Front Porch’ for series of concerts

September 9, 2025 at 2:54 p.m.

This year's free Front Porch Concerts series held outside Morton Grove Public Library concluded Friday with The McNary Experience. Karina Guico, marketing and engagement manager for the library, told Pioneer...

Lehigh Avenue water main break likely due to ‘age of that pipe’ that connects to a fire hydrant

August 27, 2025 at 3:56 p.m.

A water main break in Morton Grove may have gone unnoticed by most residents and businesses unless they were checking the village’s Facebook page. Director of Public Works Mike Lukich...

As part of Lincolnwood's annual display of diverse flags pictured Aug. 22, 2025, 47 street poles on Lincoln Avenue in the village, from West Devon Avenue to Jarvis Avenue, feature a total of 63 flags. (Karie Angell Luc/for Pioneer Press)

Lincoln Avenue international flag display ‘represents the diverse populations’ of Lincolnwood

August 26, 2025 at 2:17 p.m.

Lincolnwood continued its annual August tradition of celebrating its residents’ diverse backgrounds by displaying international flags along Lincoln Avenue. Assistant Village Manager Madeline Farrell told Pioneer Press that 47 street...

Jason Kollum, who presented Big Bubble Blast, was among the entertainers at the "Summer Reading Sendoff" Aug. 16, 2025 on the Park Ridge Public Library lawn to mark the end of the summer reading program. (Courtesy Park Ridge Public Library)

Park Ridge library ends summer reading program with lawn party: ‘Every year … gets better and better’

August 19, 2025 at 5:18 p.m.

The Park Ridge Public Library wrapped its summer reading program with a free special event that was also a sendoff for kids as they prepare to head back to the...

Niles is starting a new tradition with ‘Founders Day’ event that’s hopefully ‘a way to bring people together’

August 5, 2025 at 11:04 a.m.

The village of Niles will host its first ever “Founders Day” later this month, an event expected to be an annual summertime one that is born out of the town...

Eleven area middle school students, age 11 to 14, took part in the Niles Police Department Junior Police Academy from July 14, 2025 to July 16 in Niles. The program gives the kids a glimpse at police work. (Courtesy of Niles Police Department)

Niles junior police academy gives ‘enthusiastic group’ of middle schoolers a glimpse at policing

July 29, 2025 at 1:17 p.m.

A group of middle school students graduated from the latest Niles Police Department Junior Police Academy, getting a close up look at the police station and operations, and participating in...

Cast members of a production of “Murder on the Nile” during The Drama Group’s 2015-16 season in Chicago Heights gather for a photo. The Drama Group is about to close its 94th season but is ramping up fundraising efforts as it looks to navigate an arts scene in which the federal government has withdrawn support. (The Drama Group)

As federal funding dries up, 94-year-old Drama Group in Chicago Heights gets ‘proactive’

July 24, 2025 at 3:09 p.m.

The 94-year-old Drama Group theater company in Chicago Heights is upping its fundraising in the wake of cuts to federal arts support.

Lincolnwood police personnel played dodgeball with dozens of summer campers July 9, 2025 at Proesel Park in Lincolnwood. (Courtesy/Lincolnwood Police Department)

Lincolnwood cops v. summer campers dodgeball showdown: ‘A fun time for us to interact with the kids’

July 15, 2025 at 12:01 p.m.

The Lincolnwood Police Department continues its collaboration with the village’s Parks and Recreation Department, participating in a series of activities with summer campers that include the fierce “Dodgeball Showdown.” Lincolnwood...

Families splash in the waters of the Oasis Waterpark and Fun Center in Niles June 28, 2025. The pool is one of many options in the arear to help beat the summer heat. (Karie Angell Luc/for Pioneer Press)

Area towns offer cooling facility options for escaping the extreme heat temps

July 1, 2025 at 11:23 a.m.

The early-summer heatwave continues in the Chicago area, with the National Weather Service forecasting more air temperatures in the 90s and even hotter heat indices, and public health leaders urging...

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