Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 31
Great pitching. Solid defense. Clutch hitting. The three basic principles of Minooka Indians baseball under the tutelage of their manager Jeff Petrovic. Minooka (19-10) senior starting right-hander Jake Cook improved to 4-1 on the mound, allowing just two hits in his 5 1/3 scoreless innings of work against Moline (20-16) on Monday. Fellow senior right-hander Josh Davis fired 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to combine with Cook for a 5-0, three-hit shutout of Moline to become 2021 Class 4A Minooka Regional champions. The...
West Side of Joliet. IHSA Class 4A Regional D semifinal on Friday afternoon. Joliet West 9, Bradley-Bourbonnais 8 One out. Top 7. Boilermaker runner on first base. Enter Joliet West senior reliever Camden Karczewski. Karczewski, who is the son of Tigers' head coach John Karczewski, appeared in just his third game of the season on the mound. 3 2/3 innings were all that Karczewski had logged in the 2021 season. On this day, Karczewski threw one pitch to nail down the save for Tiger sophomore starting pitcher Conner Hogan...
Two-out magic — A phenomenon that has swept the Enterprise/Bugle high school baseball coverage area this spring. From as far north as Park Ridge and as far south as Minooka, area baseball teams have been scoring all or most of their runs after two outs in an inning. Another example of two out magic occurred in downtown Joliet on Wednesday. In their opening game of the 2021 IHSA State Baseball Tournament, the Steelmen of Joliet Central (3-24) defeated Pekin 8-0. The game was a Class 4A, Regional C play-in game. The Steelmen s...
On a cool Memorial Day morning in Downers Grove, the West Suburban Conference Silver Division champions from Hinsdale Central squared off with the WSC Gold champions from Downers Grove South. No WSC championship game implications were involved in the game. Hinsdale Central (19-3) exploded for six runs in the top of the third inning for a 6-0 lead and held off the host Mustangs (23-3) for a 7-6 WSC crossover win. After the Red Devils scored six in the top of the third inning, the Mustangs pulled within 6-2 on a RBI double...
In their final Southwest Prairie Conference crossover on Saturday, the SPC West's Plainfield North Tigers and the SPC East's Plainfield South Cougars met in another edition of Plainfield's Civil War. Trailing 1-0 as the game entered the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers (16-9) scored seven runs, six after two outs, and roll to a 7-1 victory. Plainfield North starting and winning pitcher Ethan Cook (3-1) allowed an unearned run and three hits in his game-winning, 5 2/3 innings of work on the mound. Junior Alec Mickenbecker clos...
Charity was on full display in Wednesday's Central Suburban League South battle between the CSL South co-leaders from Maine South and their arch rivals from New Trier. On Tuesday at historic Duke Childs Field in Winnetka, Maine South (19-11, 11-4) scored five times in the top of the first and went on to crush the rival Trevians 11-1 in six innings. On Wednesday in Park Ridge, in the top of the first inning, New Trier (18-11, 9-6) scored nine runs on just four hits to open a seemingly insurmountable 9-0 lead after 1/2 inning....
After Oswego's 14-1 in five-inning, Southwest Prairie Conference West victory over Minooka on Monday, the Panthers (17-6, 10-4) were one victory away from an SPC West series win and an outright SPC West title. On Tuesday at Oswego's Jackie's Field of Dreams, the host Panthers defeated the Indians 1-0. With the win, the Panthers wrap up the best-of-three SPC West series and claim the 2021 outright SPC West championship. The two clubs will conclude their three game series in Minooka on Thursday. A Minooka (15-10, 9-5) win on...
Drawing new district lines for state and federal elections is the main focus for lawmakers when they begin the redistricting process every 10 years. But Illinois Democrats, who control all three branches of government, have some incentive to redraw the boundaries for the five Illinois Supreme Court districts this year as well after a Democratic justice was defeated in a retention bid in the 3rd Judicial District in November. House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs...
Mayor George D. Alpogianis has issued an Executive Order (2021-01) lifting the Village of Niles mask-wearing mandate. This change comes in light of new mask guidance issued last Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and this Monday by Illinois Governor Pritzker. The Village's change was issued on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 and takes effect on Thursday, May 20, 2021. The original Executive Directive requiring masks in Niles took effect on April 17,...
Republican senators on Monday raised concerns about four Prisoner Review Board members who have continued to serve for almost two years despite not being confirmed by the Senate Executive Appointments Committee, a constitutional requirement in the state. In a news conference in Springfield, Republican Sen. Steve McClure, of Springfield, said Gov. JB Pritzker, who initially appointed the members in 2019, is using "shady practices" in allowing the appointees to serve...
A year ago, the Joliet West baseball team was ready to compete. The Tigers were coming off a loss in the regional championship game and had several key players back. That season, however, was lost to the pandemic protocol set forth by the State of Illinois and the Illinois High School Association. Entering the 2021 season, West knew it had a few talented players, but there were a lot of question marks — namely could a conference pitching rotation that saw 6-foot, 8-inch sophomore Conner Hogan as the elder of the staff be e...
Opportunity lost? A definite yes The SPC West-leading Minooka Indians had a one-game lead over the second place Panthers of Oswego heading into the first of three SPC West season-ending games with the Panthers on Monday. With a win the Indians would clinch at least a share of the SPC West title. Oswego (16-6, 9-4) scored 12-runs in the top of the fourth inning and went on to crush the Indians 14-1 in five innings to pull into a first-place tie with Minooka (15-9, 9-4) atop the SPC West standings. Opportunity lost. "We had a c...
In the first of two Southwest Suburban Conference Blue Division showdowns between the SWSC Blue first place Lincoln-Way East Griffins (19-2, 3-0) and the second place Lockport Porters (13-9, 2-2), Griffins won 12-2 in five innings. After Griffins starting, and winning, left-handed pitcher Joey Bolton (8-0) set the Porters down 1-2-3 in the top of the first, the Griffins bats went to work against Porters junior starting pitcher David Zaragoza. L-W East scored five runs, highlighted by a three-run homer by Griffins third...
Entering Monday's crucial Southwest Prairie Conference Eastern Division three-game series, the Tigers of Joliet West and the defending SPC champion Cougars of Plainfield South were tied atop the SPC East with identical 8-1 records. In 11 thrilling-innings on Monday, on Plainfield's south side, the Tigers slipped past the Cougars 2-1. On Tuesday, on Joliet's West Side, the Tigers won going away 8-4 as Mother Nature provided an annoying, seven-inning drizzle on the proceedings. On Thursday, back in Plainfield, Joliet West...
Whether it was ship captains navigating by the stars, Neil Armstrong walking on the moon or the countless Hollywood adaptations of what the future may look like, space has been a constant source of intrigue dating back to the beginning of time. In December of 2019, the United States Space Force became the newest branch of the Armed Forces. It is responsible for "developing Guardians, acquiring military space systems, maturing the military doctrine for space power, and...
WEST SUBURBAN GOLD DOWNERS GROVE SOUTH 10 ADDISON TRAIL 0 (FIVE INNINGS) Another five-inning WSC Gold affair for the Mustangs (14-1, 12-1). Senior Noah Edders (1-0) fired a one-hitter with eight strikeouts at the over-matched Trailblazers (5-6, 4-4). Senior Cole Wareheim singled, hit his second home run and drove home two Mustang runs, while Maxx Palenik and John Szalko each singled and had two RBI. Edders helped himself at the plate with a single, double and an RBI. SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE EAST PLAINFIELD CENTRAL 7 ROMEOVILLE 1 Th...
In a May where the weather has been nothing shy of cold for many high school baseball games, there has been some heat on the area diamonds. Two of the hottest players around teamed up to form the Joliet West battery Monday night at as the Tigers traveled to rival Joliet Central for the first in a three-game series with the rival Steelmen. The duo did not disappoint. Six-foot, 7-inch sophomore lefty Conner Hogan went into the game with an area-leading four wins and ran that...
Over the past year, COVID-19 has been top of mind for many people, as it should be. However, another pandemic has coincided with COVID-19 — the mental health pandemic. It has been a year with seemingly insurmountable changes for individuals, families and businesses. As a result, the need for mental health services has increased. Before COVID-19, there were many adolescents with anxiety and depression, with much of it attributed to overscheduling, peer pressure, academic achievement or bullying. There are still a lot of adoles...
DuPage County Historical Museum was one of 24 DuPage County not-for-profit organizations with a program related to the arts to receive a grant through DuPage Foundation’s most recent COVID-19 Response Fund grant program. The $15,000 grant is intended to help the Museum with essential expenses including utilities and full time staff payroll from the onset of COVID-19 to the end of the year. The grant was made possible by advocacy from Arts DuPage, DuPage Foundation's initiative for all things art in DuPage County. The D...
Downers Grove South High School senior Anthony Rosalia earned a Gold Medal at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) State Competition. Rosalia competed virtually in the regional competition in the Relish Tray category and earned second place, which qualified him for the virtual state competition. Since his sophomore year, Rosalia has been a part of South High’s FCCLA organization. Each year, he has competed at the regional and state competitions in the s...
Lawmakers representing the LaSalle Veterans' Home, including Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, unveiled new legislation that would allow inspectors general of state agencies to subpoena former state employees. The legislation was prompted by an investigation into the COVID-19 outbreak last year at the LaSalle home that killed 36 veterans. The former director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, Linda Chapa LaVia, and the former LaSalle home administrator, Angela...
El Sierra School in Downers Grove Grade School District 58 formally opened its new playground during a dedication ceremony on Monday, May 10 in the evening. The school combined its PTA's playground fundraising efforts with a $180,000 State of Illinois "Build Illinois Bond Fund" grant to fund the long-awaited project. "Our El Sierra community has diligently fundraised and planned for a new playground, and I am so happy that our hard work has finally paid off with this...
On May 3 about 5:15 p.m., Minooka High School varsity baseball coach Jeff Petrovic, joined an elite group of Illinois high school baseball coaches with 400 coaching wins. Petrovic's Indians, in a game that resembled an IHSA Class 4A supersectional, defeated Plainfield North and friend, head coach John Darlington, 2-1. The game epitomized the three elements of baseball that Petrovic and all his associate coaches have been teaching Minooka Indian teams, for 18 years - great...
Joni Hilger was one of the most dedicated and beloved volunteers at the Timbers of Shorewood – so much so that she was selected as the 2020 Volunteer of the Year and was slated to be presented with her award in April of last year. Because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the presentation did not take place and tragically, Joni was struck by a car in front of her house and died instantly on June 4, 2020. On May 8, 2021, the Volunteer of the Year award was finally presented to J...
On an unseasonably cold, windy May afternoon, Plainfield South senior right hander Will Morris toed the rubber versus Plainfield East senior right-hander Gavin Schmitt. In a classic pitcher's-duel, Morris (3-0) out-dueled Schmitt as the top-ranked Cougars (10-1, 6-1) prevailed 2-1 over the valiant Bengals (5-9, 3-4) The game was the first of three of this week's Southwest Prairie East series. All three runs allowed in the contest were unearned. Morris allowed two hits and Schmitt allowed three. Schmitt struck out a career...