Park Ridge

Primary Early Vote Recap

The following is data from the Cook County Clerk’s Office on voter participation in the Tuesday, March 19 Presidential Primary Election, including early voting totals in the Journal’s coverage area:    Early Voting Totals March 4 to March 18 Northbrook Village Hall 2,766 Arlington Heights Village Hall 2,765 Wilmette – Centennial Ice Rink 2,597 Schaumburg – Trickster Art Gallery 2,385 […]

FAiR Asks Park Ridge To Pay For Home-Based Airplane Noise Monitors

Fair Allocation in Runways (FAiR), a nonprofit that works to reduce airplane noise in the communities surrounding O’Hare International Airport, is asking the city of Park Ridge to pay it $17,500 to buy and install 27 noise monitors at homes and other buildings throughout Park Ridge. In a presentation during last Wednesday’s (March 20) city council meeting, representatives from FAiR […]

Park Ridge Adopts Affordable Housing Plan

Park Ridge City Council unanimously approved the city’s new Affordable Housing Plan during last Wednesday’s (March 20) meeting, even as Ald. John Moran (1st) wondered how much impact the plan would have in practice. Under state law, any municipality where less than 10% of the housing is considered affordable by U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development metrics needs to […]

Beatles Are His Jam: Evan Waters Launches Fab Four Display To Liverpool Hotel

From his childhood, growing up in Park Ridge, Evan Waters has enjoyed music. His parents, Rob and Sandy took advantage of their proximity to take Evan and his sister to the annual Beatlesfest in Rosemont’s Hyatt Regency Hotel to hear stories from Beatle fans, families and sound-alike bands. He became a big fan himself and competed in contests. Evan took […]

Rosemont Still Searching For Historical Items To Fill New Museum

New Rosemont Village Hall (right). Items donated by current or former residents of Rosemont are trickling into the village in preparation for displaying them in a museum in the new village hall. Earlier this year Mayor Brad Stephens sent a letter to residents of Rosemont asking that if they possess items such as old photographs, newspapers, ID badges to consider […]

Just Like That–Murals, Eagle In Former Journal & Topics–Post Office Building Gone

After approximately eight decades of public display in which generations of Des Plaines residents have viewed with awe and sometimes apprehension, the two historical murals inside the former Journal & Topics building in downtown Des Plaines are gone. Also gone is the cast iron silver eagle that was perched above the front door of the former Des Plaines Post Office […]

Des Plaines Cops Charge Man In 2023 Kidnapping, Robbery Case

After a lengthy, complicated investigation, Des Plaines investigators arrested and charged an additional subject tied to a kidnapping and armed robbery that occurred on Feb.10, 2023, at 622 E. Northwest Hwy. in Des Plaines. The Des Plaines Police Department, in cooperation with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, charged the following subject with three counts of Aggravated Kidnapping and two […]

Major Crash Shuts Down Oakton Street For Hours, Delays Classes At Nearby School

2 Hospitalized With Firearm, Narcotics Recovered, Police Say

A major traffic crash on Oakton Street in Niles before 1 a.m. Friday shut down Oakton between Cumberland Avenue and Prospect, sent two individuals to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, and delayed the start of classes at Emerson Middle School for two hours.  Oakton Street would not reopen to traffic until about 9 a.m. At 12:39 a.m., Niles […]

‘Bike & Walk’ Des Plaines Opens Bicycle Repair Stand At Train Station

A bicycle repair stand has been installed at the downtown Des Plaines train station to help bicyclists with maintenance. The sustainable transport advocacy group Bike & Walk Des Plaines has also launched its Des Plaines “Mellow Map” which is designed to be used with Google Maps on a cell phone and highlight the safest routes for cyclists to take across […]

Norway Day Parade In Park Ridge Set For May 19

The Annual Norway Day Parade will be held in Park Ridge from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19, kicking off from Cumberland and Talcott at 1 p.m. The event culminates at Park Ridge City Hall, on Butler Place at Hodges Park. Entertainment at the park will begin at 11 a.m. Featured will be the popular Bachelor Farmers and […]

Will Zoning Change For Fairview Parking Lots Spark New Development?

Park Ridge may soon consider a proposal for a mixed-use building on the parking lots across from the AT&T building in the city’s Uptown. Planning & Zoning Coordinator Claudia Hampel declined to share details of the redevelopment proposal, or when it might go before aldermen. The city had already applied to rezone the 29-31 S. Fairview Ave. parking lots from […]

Kiwanis Club Recognizes Chief

Park Ridge Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen, a member and past president of the Park Ridge Kiwanis Club, was honored with an “Amador Award” at March’s Ill.-Eastern Iowa District Division 8 Mid-Year Dinner. The award, from the Kiwanis Neuroscience Research Foundation, recognized Sorensen’s “history of personal dedication of time and resources to the pursuit of charitable, benevolent, and community service activities […]

What Would Gospel Singer Mahalia, Two Billys Think?

OFF THE RECORD   column   Sixty-nine years ago, world-renowned Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson was scheduled as the headline performer at the 14th annual Nite of Stars benefit for underprivileged children that was to be held at the Methodist Campground. Only a car crash near Midway Airport prevented her from appearing that night. However, she was front and center the next […]

Copernicus Takeover Of Pickwick Screen Delayed; Park Ridge Liquor License Still Not Applied For

An agreement to turn over one of the five Pickwick movie theaters to the Copernicus Foundation where it plans to host live performances continues to be elusive although a lease deal could be inked between April 1-15. Hubert Cioromski, chairman of the Copernicus Foundation said on Monday that the owners of the Uptown Park Ridge landmark, the Vlahakis and Loomis […]

City Likely To Hire Company To Manage Beer, Food Sales At Taste Of Des Plaines

Taste of Des Plaines fest-goers will no longer have to wait in line to buy tickets to purchase beer and food due to the anticipated hiring of a private company that will allow customers to pay at the points of sale. Aldermen this Monday night are expected to approve a proposal to hire Ravenswood Event Services, Inc. to provide bar […]

Understanding Northwest Suburban Judicial Subcircuit Races, What’s Contested


Congressional and state legislative races usually become the focus in primary election races, which is why for some voters, who’s running for local judgeships can become lost in the shuffle.  Appellate court districts are designated into five statewide districts, including the First Appellate District, which is Cook County, but judicial subcircuit districts are less well known.  Candidates running for judge […]

Lincoln Musical Opens On Emerson Stage

Lincoln Middle School, Park Ridge, will present its student production of Disney’s “Frozen Jr.” March 15-17 in the Emerson Middle School auditorium, 8101 Cumberland Ave., Niles. Tickets are $6 online or $8 cash or Zelle at the door. There are two casts, each performing in two performances, with matinee and evening shows: Friday, March 15 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, […]

Maine South Senior Wins Farmers Market Poster Contest

Park Ridge City Council honored two out of the three winners of the first Park Ridge Farmers Market poster contest March 4. Maine South High School senior Emily Fudali won first place. Maine South freshman Emma Brown, who didn’t attend the meeting, won second. Lincoln Middle School seventh-grade student Josette Steinfels won third. Four students earned honorable mentions: Maine South […]

Committee Leaves Elected Park Ridge Clerk’s Role As Is

Park Ridge elected officials decided to leave the roles of city clerk and deputy city clerk the same as they’ve been for the past few years, though they agreed that they wanted to see a clear job description. This came after a long discussion at the March 4 meeting of the Procedures and Regulations Committee of the Whole. Alderpersons discussed […]

Dist. 64 School Facilities Plan Update Still At An Early Stage

The Park Ridge-Niles Elementary School Dist. 64 Board of Education held a special meeting on Wednesday, March 6 at Franklin Elementary School. Supt. Ben Collins has been organizing a Community Task Force that will meet on March 18. This meeting will allow numerous people with various backgrounds and expertise to offer feedback and recommendations to Collins regarding the district’s future […]


Category Pages are limited to 90 days. Please use the archive page or the search box to find older articles.