Melinda Moore

Melinda Moore is a freelance writer for the Chicago Tribune.

Three students on a team for Carl Sandburg High School won this year’s Moraine Valley Community College & Moraine Area Career Systems 2026 Business Skills Competition. Nidhi Patel, from left, Kamile Juzenas and Jane Chan competed against four other teams. (District 230)

Around the Southland: Sandburg team earns top marks at business contest, and more

June 10, 2026 at 3:03 p.m.

News from around the Southland includes items from Orland Park, Flossmoor, Calumet City, Richton Park, Palos Heights and more.

Lauren Hudoba, who sings with the Swing Set Big Band, will perform June 13 at Oak Park Arms Senior Living in Oak Park. (James C. Svehla)

Community news: Swing dance soiree set in Oak Park, jazz performance in La Grange, and more

June 8, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.

News from the community includes items from Oak Park, La Grange, Elmwood Park, Elmhurst, Lyons Township and DuPage County.

Heather McCarthy, right, takes a selfie with students at Musukwi Primary School in Zimbabwe. The Oak Lawn resident spearheaded an effort to raise $25,000 to build a library at the school. (Heather McCarthy)

Oak Lawn educator marshals ‘full community effort’ to bring libraries to Zimbabwe schools

June 5, 2026 at 2:02 p.m.

Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School librarian Heather McCarthy is helping bring books and libraries to an underserved area of Zimbabwe.

Senior Bisola Disu places her college destination, the University of Michigan, on a U.S. map during Southland College Prep Charter High School’s recent All In ceremony April 23 in Richton Park. All 135 seniors were accepted to colleges and universities. (Southland College Prep Charter High School)

Around the Southland: Southland College Prep celebrates being ‘all in,’ and more

June 4, 2026 at 9:53 a.m.

News from around the Southland includes items from Richton Park, Oak Lawn, Flossmoor, Lemont, Palos Heights, Palos Hills and Will County.

Caught Off Guards, an eight-member band, will headline a free concert series this summer starting June 5 at the Oak Park Arms Senior Living Community in Oak Park. They are shown at a concert from 2025. (James C. Svehla)

Community news: Concerts in Oak Park and La Grange, Leyden artists lauded, more

June 1, 2026 at 2:30 p.m.

News from the community includes items from Oak Park, La Grange, Franklin Park, Oak Brook Terrace, DuPage County, Midewin Tallgrass Prairie, and more

Director John Scaletta, of La Grange, shows off the poster for his documentary “Nasty: The Battle After the Mission” before its recent premiere at the La Grange Theatre. Any money made during showings of the documentary will go toward entering it in film festivals. (Melinda Moore/Pioneer Press)

La Grange Pet Parade helps frame story of 9/11 pilot’s struggle with PTSD in new film

May 29, 2026 at 4:10 p.m.

New documentary tells the story of Air Force pilot Lt. Col. Daniel Nash through the lens of the 2021 La Grange Pet Parade.

District 230 eSports teams from Amos Alonzo Stagg and Victor J. Andrew High Schools recently won medals in three categories, including two state championships, at the 52-school IHSA tournament. (District 230)

Around the Southland: Andrew, Stagg esports teams earn state tourney wins, more

May 28, 2026 at 11:27 a.m.

News from around the Southland includes items from Tinley Park, Palos Hills, Midlothian, Oak Lawn, Orland Park, South Holland and more.

Becky Wills reads from her novel “Stun: A Novel in Pieces” during her visit last month to Sandburg High School in Orland Park. (District 230)

Now a published author living in England, Sandburg grad goes ‘full circle’ with writer’s series return

May 26, 2026 at 4:49 p.m.

Since she was a little girl, Becky Wills wanted to write a book, and she made that dream come true with her debut novel, “Stun: A Novel in Pieces,” which...

Elmhurst University students in the Pre-Veterinary Animal Welfare Society, or PAWS, recently raised money for Citizen Canine Dog Rescue in La Grange with their Canine Care Walk. (Elmhurst University)

Community news: Fundraiser benefits Citizen Canine Dog Rescue in La Grange, more

May 22, 2026 at 4:53 p.m.

News from the community includes items from La Grange, Elmhurst, Interstate 290, Triton College, Darien, Lyons, and more.

Holly, the Orland Park Police Department’s therapy K9, and her handler, Officer Gordon Przislicki, have graduated from the Crisis Response Therapy Canine Certification Program. (VIllage of Orland Park)

Around the Southland: Orland Park police laud department’s latest graduate, more

May 20, 2026 at 4:57 p.m.

News from around the Southland includes items from Orland Park, Palos Heights, Palos Park, Homewood, Flossmoor, Tinley Park and more.

All Stories